TLE & Pupil Services Committee; Regular Board Meeting - 4/15/2025 (5:00 p.m.)

001Are It is 5:02 and I call this meeting of the teaching, learning, equity, and pupil services committee to order. Um, Miss Schop, can we get a roll call, please? Absolutely. Megan Miller, present. Tom Henkins here and Greg Schneider present. All members are present. Great. Thank you. Um, can I get a motion for the approval of the agenda? So moved. Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor, please say I. I. I. I. Motion carries. Item 1D is the approval of the minutes from the March 18th meeting. So moved. Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussions, corrections, or or changes to the minutes? Hearing none. All in favor say I. I. I. I. Motion carries unanimously. That brings us to item two.

002um information or discussion items. Um part number A is the summer school for 2025. Good evening. I keep looking at the calendar and disbelief that we're talking about summer school. Um so here we are. Um this is our second um lap and so asking for um a vote to go to the consent agenda this evening um with the goal of opening registration next Friday for sun summer school. Um something I guess the biggest change for us this year in our planning is just thinking about um the uh expenditures because we had sunsetted our um ESSER. uh it was a competitive grant that we had for two years that helped to cover some additional cost for summer school and so we no longer have that. So we're strictly going off of um in the way in

003which we're um refunded with or inbursted with um DPI and instructional minutes. Um and so that is about um what I have to cover. I am having just an issue here with moving my presentation on the slide. So just give me one second here. Okay, good. I had to click somewhere else. So, um just to review, uh what our goals are, they're here. Um always working towards addressing the whole child. Uh really focusing on a on a program that offers um the A path and the WEI path. The A path is academics, literacy, and mathematics. The WEI path is wellness and enrichment. Um and then the additional piece that we needed to think about this year um was uh how we need to build out our um offering in the elementary schools for students that

004have personal reading plans um under uh the statute to offer that. Nice um that we already had that structure in place with our opportunity bridges that we designed a few years back, but this we're just really going to be building that out with some of those um intentional materials. Um, and we also, um, are using Next Path, which is going to be our system for organizing, uh, the personal reading plans to specifically communicate out with the parents, which is another part of the statute. So, that'll be nice because we can align those communications with um, you can't uh, require summer school, but you can certainly encourage it. And so, we can send a letter to families. You're, you know, letting them know that their um, child has a personalized reading plan. So, we highly encourage

005um for them to attend summer school to get that extra support uh in reading um as identified on that universal screener. Um so, I think that'll be a really good thing. Um and then at the middle school, these are some of the offerings that we'll be having um listed there. Of course, sometimes they're subject to change based on a couple things. The staffing uh that we can get and then also um enrollment. Um, so if we don't have any students that want to do a particular class, then we're not going to offer that class. And when the staff are hired for summer school, they know that um it's it's based on enrollment and so sometimes we're not running something um uh and that's just kind of the understanding. Um we do have all the principles

006in place though at our uh sites. And then um high school is here. Um similar again those opportunity bridges. We have our summer school graduation um which is always really nice. I encourage um board members to attend. And um materials and resources again just replenishing materials. We don't have any big purchases that we have to do um because we're just um continuing to uh replenish the the materials we have um or finding things that are online. And again, really trying to get um kids hands in books in hands, uh math manipulatives, kind of gamified um that type of stuff uh to get kids moving and off of devices in the summer. It's always been a goal of ours. And that's it. So, asking for um approval of our summer school programming to go to the

007consent agenda tonight. Any questions or comments? Thank you so much. This is really clear and awesome. Um, one clarifying question I have is with the purchase for materials for literacy. Um, I know it's like all over the place right now with with whatever funding may be available. Um, I thought there might be something that may be released now to some extent for some kind of reimbursement. Is there any way that in the f well and like so like if they did free up money finally to actually fund act 20, that's something that we could like retro maybe get reimbursed or like I'll look into that. I think so. um because uh remember how they went back and forth with the training like the letters training rebate and stuff. So so I'll look into that um

008because we'll certainly keep track of it. Um those Hagerty kits that we were looking to invest in are not expensive but if we can get money back for it, why not? So we'll follow up on that for sure. And as you know the information is is ongoing. So, um, they were looking into how it's going to be funded, and I know that's been in an entanglement since the legislation came out. So, thank you for that, though. I hadn't heard that, but I'll I'll chase after it if if it's possible. Yeah. No, I appreciate it. No, Hagerty is amazing and thank you for sure. I think I there was something they sent out like maybe last week, and I want to say it was to reimburse for um like for progress monitoring, but I thought I

009don't know if there's like an etc attached to that. I don't know. Might be. Okay. I'll look because we could maybe get that next path funded too. So, I'll look into it. Thank you. Okay. Uh board member Henkins. Yes, Mrs. Mortch. More kind of a basic thing and you're teaching me. When does the when will you know and this is kind of a big When would you know the attendance in the in the summer school? Sure. It's hard. So, thank you. Yeah, that's a great question. Um it's a really good question, Tom. Um so, registration happens on the 25th. Not everyone's registered yet. So, April 25th, so we'll launch registration. Yeah. And then people are registering all the way up to summer school. We never close registration. We just keep registration open all summer with

010the idea that people um don't have to commit to the six weeks. If they just want to come for half half the time, they can. If they have a vacation planned, that's okay. We'd rather they come because we take daily attendance. And so then that's what's calculated uh when we get the reimbursement from the state uh for revenue. So, um, I probably could tell you the first week into I can give you the numbers like the week before what the registration numbers are. Just send it send it in a memo or in our updates, our Friday updates. And then uh maybe in the heart of the summer school programming and then when we finally get all of the numbers done, which happens when we submit third Friday reporting, which is in September, then we'll know

011the actual numbers and the amount that we get. We typically get about 39. We got our budget here is 396,000 equ how many students it's it's not like students it's counted by instructional minutes. So counted like 30 students even though we had let's say we had 900 kids the way that they crunch it into instructional minutes. It sort of equates in that way. Stephanie Elwood could explain it a lot better than I can. I don't Yeah. I don't want to get in the weeds on that. Yeah. My perception is, and correct me if I'm really wrong because I think I am, summer school, is that a way to make up what you missed or trying to catch up with what you didn't during the regular school year or do uh is it both? Is it

012that and then you could advance further from what you learned in the school year? Oh, I see what you're saying. I I thought you meant revenue and I was like, no, it's not a revenue gener. You're meaning actual learning. So, um, the the purpose of summer school is to stay engaged over the summer because there's something in schools called the summer slide. You may have heard that before. And it's that kids lose some of the progress that they've made. Um, if they're not really doing a whole lot over the summer. So, you'll see they're kind of like final learnings in spring are not they're not in the same place that they were in spring that when they come in in the fall. So, summer school is a way to help cushion some of that. So

013there isn't a to mitigate the slide. So we have uh literacy and math offerings um that focus on skill building. Uh the lick camp that we have in the summertime is really meant to be high engagement, high interest kids reading books. Um and it works on comprehension. Uh we do have a strand where we go back to our ARC program uh to help with foundational skills. Always working on that. Um, and then, uh, the math has some of those, um, kind of fundamentals of math, I think, is a good way to put it. And then they also do games and manipulatives again to keep kids engaged. And then all of the wellness things. So, the catchup part is those opportunity bridges. So, if you're getting pulled for interventions, and we've offered math interventions and reading

014interventions in the past, um is to help get caught up. Uh kind of that lit camp level is to maintain skills, right? And maybe learn some new stuff. We don't have the accelerated offerings in the sense of where you're getting credits ahead. Um high school is mainly credit recovery. And then just one followup. So going to uh summer school is man or voluntary. It is. Okay. Thank you. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Um again, it's an it's exciting plan for summer school. I've already talked to several kids who I know will be attending Todd and they're excited about uh being able to attend summer school and some of the programs that are there. um they say, "Well, we can have more fun doing things in summer school than we can during the school year." So, they're

015already looking forward to to attending uh summer school. Um you know, and again, I appreciate your forward thinking as things that you've already put in in the past are now coming do that we need to include at this point. Mhm. Um, so I greatly appreciate the effort to stay ahead of where what we need to be doing and then what we really want to do and what's in the best interest of the students. So, thank you so much for that. Thank you, board. Okay. Can I have a motion to recommend approval of the proposed 2025 summer school program to the full board? So moved. Second. I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor say I. I. I. I. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. That brings us to

016item 2B, the Chromebook purchase using common school funds. Okay. So, um I have Brandy Grady with us, uh the fantastic district library media uh coordinator. She is the only licensed librarian in our district and operates all of our libraries. Um just a side note about um all the work that Brandy Grady does. Um, in addition to that, she manages what's called common school funds. And we wanted to um come forward to talk about a purchase that she's going to be made for the libraries. Um, it's a Chromebook purchase. Um, but just want to um clarify that it's common school funds. So, we wanted to put a couple slides in here just to explain what they are. Uh, they actually have pretty tight parameters. Um, and so this is allowable expense. So, I'm going to let

017Brandy kind of take us through the the three slides and then we can answer any questions that you might have. Hello. Um, we are asking I'm sorry I'm short. We are asking for um $75,825 expenditure for a set of 30 Chromebooks for the five of the elementary schools. The other five buildings um had received updated devices last school year and so these five are due to receive updated devices for use in the library. We so if you are not familiar I know the writing up there is kind of small but common school funds is a fund that the monies are set aside specifically for the libraries. It is actually part of the state constitution that it was a fund created to support education in Wisconsin um in the library specifically. Um the funds can only

018be spent very specifically on items for the library for use in the library um to be checked out and available by all. Um and each year we receive the money in Stephanie, correct me if I'm wrong. It actually comes in like Mayish, April. Okay. Spring. Spring. Um we we find out the amount though in January and this year we received $446,000 um of common school funds. It's based on student population. Um and it can only be used for library books, maker space items, devices that are used in the library. So the the purpose for this purchase is in the libraries. Um we are doing activities on the Chromebooks, not every single day but occasionally. And the um especially at the elementary schools, our our youngest students are coming, they go to the gym first and

019then come to the library. And so carrying their their devices around is a little bit of a problem. and they do things like typing practice and getting instruction on the resources that we have in the library, research and sometimes um activities to go along with books that they're reading in the libraries. They are also used as loaner devices when we have testing like the forward testing that we're in the middle of right now. If a student comes in and their device isn't working with the laner devices, we can just hand them one so that we are not disrupting their their testing. They can just get another device and keep going. Um and so um also sometimes loner devices if our middle school students sometimes forget things at home and we have to give them a

020device. Um and so we use those for that um at the middle school also. So there any questions? Thank you. Any questions at all? Dr. Gar. Sure. Um Mrs. Grady and Mrs. more tech. Did you explain to the board that you know again common schools funds can be used for a certain reason naturally um and that this tech this tech information this tech money is not fund 10 per se? Yeah, correct. Okay. So, I just want to make sure that that was um clearly noted. Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely a separate fund than the fund 10. Great. Good. Board member Henkins. Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but simple math tells me that's $2,500 for a Chromebook, which seems excessive to me. 30. It's 150 Chromebooks is 30 for each building. Oh, I'm sorry. 30 times

021Yes. Okay. And do you have any I mean, there's a lot of Chromebooks. Chromebooks out there. I'm just wondering if there's any data like you said, the kids who do this, do that, and come to the library and ask for a Chromebook. Is there any data on that or is this for like that need loaners and things? Correct. Um actually we just started this week. Um we created a tracking sheet at the middle school level because that's where we do that the most of having students sign in when they need to borrow a device. So we are starting to collect that data as of we started last week. Um but before that we didn't really have a good tracking of it um without digging into a lot of stuff in the computer. So now we

022are actually going to have that in data but we will have it moving forward. Okay, thank you. Any other questions? Um, just uh, Miss Grady, I appreciate all the work that you do for maintaining the libraries. I know to maintain all of them in the district that that's a lot of work to work over the top of that. Um but again making sure that we have the materials and resources that students need um to be able to participate in the curriculum and in the instruction that that we get. So I greatly appreciate that. Um you know again just to reiterate this is not coming out of our school district funds. This is coming from uh from common school funds. Um so it does not impact our budget at all. Um, again, making sure that we

023have usable um equipment that students can use when theirs don't is is really important to us. So, um, so thank you so much for that. Um, uh, can I have a motion to recommend to the board of education the purchase of Chromebooks in the amount of $75,825 using common school funds? So moved. Second. I have a motion in a second. Is there any discussion? Just that it's should be like not to exceed, right? Just to clarify. Yep. Perfect. Thank you. And thank you so much. And yes, uh I would like to note that in in my information here, it says $75,825 for 30 Chromebooks. It should be amended to 30 times 1 2 3 4 five. So which is actually 150 and so that's needs to be amended and when it goes to the board

024please. Thank you. Okay. Correct. And is that in the is that in the board docs? Yeah. Yes. Okay. All right. Thank you. So we'll make sure that it's noted. That's why I said what I said. I apologize. Yeah. And the slide we have, it says each for each of the following libraries, but it must have been in the narrative up at the top that we missed that word each. So, I'm just reading what I have. Thank you. Sorry about that. No, no problem. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Having a motion and a second. Um, is there any other discussion? Hearing none. All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. I. Motion carries unanimously. That brings us to item C which is a new course proposal make 48 innovation experience come here go back

025on uh good evening um we actually have two of them uh Mr. Schneider, they're they are back to back. I see there item C and D. Um, so Oh, I'm on I'm on the wrong one first of all. Here. You're on the Oh, I am. Okay. Now, my computer won't move forward. So, let me stop sharing and see if I can get this to come back up again. Okay. So, the make 48 course um this is uh again asking for this to go to the uh consent agenda for this evening. So, this is the new make48 experience. Uh again this was based upon our previous engagement with make48 in uh boit that has had in past competitions. Our boy memorial team won the competition the second year. Paul Donovan has served as the patent attorney.

026He's our engineering teacher at boy memorial high school. We are contacted about a pilot program which are we are conducting right now during our academic lab time that has grown into make48 into a full-fledged class that they are now offering in um next year. And we would be one of um as we do this, one of uh 128 schools in the nation that they're opening this up to only that will be in a competition style format. Um so the make 48 competition will now be through classrooms in schools and then they're in pods and then winners from those pods then go to the television programming format which was the former Make 48 that we had before. Um and that's where we would we would look to do it. So this would be a class groups

027of three. We're looking at uh the I looking at 15 to 18 kids for this um for this. They'll compete against other schools that have these pods and then winners will move on um forward. Again, we look at this as a unique opportunity. It increases our engineering classes and opportunities. We want this to be a part of our engineering pathway um to be one of the uh the courses that we have for that. They will do this in the fall time um and through the school year. Then they have to submit a video. The video then uh goes in for their part of their competition. They continue to work on it. We wind up um understanding in the spring if we're going to go ahead or in December if we're going to move it to

028the next level and then they move on through the competition format for that. And you can see there's sort of the the bracket style piece that we have, we would be in one of the outside either the the blue or the green kind of pods right now. And then those winners move on to what would be the television competition. So it's a unique experience. it just came to us as they looked at the pilot program through the course of this year and decided they were going to move that into what the make48 format will be from now on. So that is the um first one and in the in the board docs and in this um information I have the flyer information that shows all the stuff that comes from make48. We get the curriculum,

029we get the challenge um we have to provide the teacher and um get the students. There is a cost that is $5,000. We are uh currently on a list for sponsorship now that they're moving to this level. They're getting corporate sponsors to sponsor high school programs and teams. So, it may not cost us anything at all. Um otherwise, it will come out of our CTE budget through some of our grants that we have to fund this class for that. But, we're hoping it sounds like we will get a sponsorship and then that that sponsor will then also be our mentors um to help out work with the students for whatever the pro uh the problem that they solve is. So, that's the first one. Make 48. Are there any questions on make 48? Just thank

030you so much for bringing this opportunity to our kids. What what an amazing experience. Well, I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to Mr. Paul Donovan who is is our connection for this and we've created such a bond with Make48 and students who had won the competition and so we we we have a little bit of a special spot with Make48 due to those past experiences. I appreciate it. Thank you so much for your work. Well, thank you so much for that. Again, this is another example of some of the great things that are happening here in Bo. Um the fact that there are only 128 uh schools in the country that are being involved in this at this point and and that Bo is one of those. Um, what a fantastic

031way for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills that they've learned throughout their entire curriculum piece in a hands-on and applied and exciting way to do that. Um, so thank you so much. Um, I appreciate that. Okay. Uh, can I have a motion to recommend to the full board of education? Oop, sorry, wrong agenda item. Let me get to the right motion here. There we go. Uh mo motion to recommend to the full board of education the addition of make 48 innovation experience beginning the fall of 2025. So moved. Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there any other discussion? Hearing none. All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. I. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. And that brings us to the computer science for innovators and makers. There again, another new

032class. Um, we had brought this forth in February, somehow missed it in March. Um, our amazing secretary, Miss Desa Larson, picked it up and said, "We need to bring this back." Um, I apologize for that oversight that I missed it. But this is another opportunity for our middle school as we've gone through middle school scheduling, which follows behind high school scheduling. Um we've looked at this and how do we align this better with our pathways allow greater opportunities for students and not have any courses double up. We've been uh very strategic about this. So uh this computer science for innovators and makers is another pre-engineering course. It was actually suggested over a couple of them from our middle school teched um and project lead the way teachers. It utilizes project lead the way curriculum. Um

033so the teachers are are trained in there. It meets the demand for computer science and programming, but it's also problem solving and and marketing with this. Um, so it is again they're solving a problem and then pitching their product with that. It aligns with our growing robotics and CNC courses. This is this one encapsulate. It's not just computer science and program a thing to move forward, left, right, up, down, pick things up. There's a problem to solve an issue. They have like one of three choices to make, but it involves a a wide range of tech kind of skills and problem solving using the design process. Um again this is uh designed to empower students in our evolving world. It creates some pre-engineering. It lines up again with possibly this make 48 course um that

034we go along with this and again it follows uh standards of college and career readiness, language arts, national science standards, computer science framework. Um again so this would be a new middle school offering um for our uh middle school students. Questions? Okay, board member Miller. Thank you so much. Uh thank you again for bringing this amazing opportunity to our kids. Um so it's my understanding that project lead the way courses um students are eligible to take like an end ofear exam and I think there is like college credit opportunities since this is middle school and if you don't have it right now. I'm just curious if if going forward we might be able to get some information about whether students like can then in the future take a certification course to possibly get that transfer

035credit because I think like it's is it stout maybe? I know at least some of our UW system takes those. Um, board member Miller, that is for the high school programs. So, they they can do that. Yeah. So, middle middle middle school they do not and they're because they're much shorter in format and they're meant to be exposure and leading up to those possibilities. So, we we hope that it creates a a chain and an interest in from the middle school level to then pursue our principles of engineering um um whatever the other engine I can't think of the the array of the engineering class at the at the high school level. Those ones they can have a possibility. No, that's awesome. So, thank you for clarifying that and I I just think that's really

036good information for those kids to have like that can save you like bucks like in college if you're going to go that way. So, I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Great. Any other questions? Board member Henkins. Yes, Mr. Senators. Thank you very much. Um, when you Let's go back a step when you talked about sponsorship for the 5000. You know, these are local industries. I assume you're talking about uh No, those these these are ones by Make 48. is our national industries, maybe international industries. They're the ones that are finding the sponsorship for us for their program. I just want to give them recognition if they do come forward and do something for us. I'm not saying it couldn't be a local one, but make the make 48 industry is the one who is

037actually looking in pairing us up with sponsorship. We've made the request to them already for that. Well, I I just want to say that I think the board would be very active in pursuing sponsorships locally if I know everybody's looking for money, you know. Um, so thank you. Thank you for that. Uh, Mr. Henkins, I I did ask the question very loudly to make sure that they knew we wanted to request sponsorship. Great. Again, thank you. This is u a great inspiration to the students and a chance for them to really excel and get involved and engage in their own education as they move from middle school into the high school um and getting them prepared and ready to move forward. So greatly appreciate um uh this presentation and this opportunity for our students. Okay.

038Can I have a motion to recommend to the full board of education the addition of computer science and innovator innovation and makers? So moved. Second. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion hearing? None. All in favor say I. I. I. I. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. And that brings us to the meeting closing. I'd like to take a moment of personal privilege here. There we go. Thank you. Um so that brings us to uh the meeting closing and I'd like to take a moment of personal privilege here at this point. Uh first of all to thank the committee members um for your dedication and support for all of the students, the staff and and the whole community as a whole uh for keeping your eyes, your ears, your mind and your hearts

039open um and focused on what is in the best interest of the students. So I greatly appreciate that. Thank you so much. Um and again, thank you Dr. Garrison for your vision and what we can be for your leadership and dedication to not only the school district but to the community of bo. I also want to personally thank you for your encouragement and mentorship that has made be me a better school board member and leader and a better person. Thank you so much. Um and a thank you to to the teaching, learning and equity and the pupil services departments uh for their leadership, dedication and hard work for making the school district of Bo a growing and exciting place to be. Thank you for your insight and your hard work. Thank you very much. Okay.

040Uh the next meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 20th, 2025. And then could I have a motion to adjourn? Before we make that motion, we Tom, I don't know if you want to jump into Thank you so much. You've been an amazing committee chair, and we just deeply appreciate all of your dedication, your preparation, and your vision that you've brought to this committee. I echo board me board member Megan Miller at my first well now 12 months on the board and thank you Greg for all even not only on TOE but everything. Thank you so much. I will save my sentiments for the regular board. But thank you so much though. Motion to adjurnn. Second. We have a motion in a second. All in favor say I. I I I we are adjourned. Thank

041you all very much. It's all thanks. I just want to make [Music] sure Instagraming. I said, "Let me just appreciate your conversation. I know more chance forward just keeps working. I'll continue. [Music] She's like, I recognize the last name when you sit down. Yeah. Whenever you get a chance, I'm going to call You have to go to the front. All right. Uh what you want to have a better space information. I'm one of I don't want to hear any of this stuff. We don't We just don't need it. Yes. Yes. present. Can you put up the volume? Tom Henkins here. Brian Anderson here. Tia Johnson here. Brian Nichols here. Amy Levy here. Greg Schneider present. All members are present. Thank you. Can everyone hear us? Okay. Um, if not, I can see if it can

042turn up the microwave or not microwave, the volume. Long day. Um, okay. Thank you, Teresa. Okay. Can I get an approval of the agenda? Brian Nichols. Court President Johnson, I would like to move to postpone policy number 8813 in order to review additional information. Brian, I'm sorry, your micro your mic. Sorry folks, I'll start over. It's all about the button. Uh I move to postpone uh policy number 80 881.3 7R. that seminar in the consent agenda to the May 6th board meeting in order to review additional information just received by the US Department of Education. Okay. So that is agenda item 7 R. Is that correct? 7R. Yes, please. Okay. We have a motion by Brian Nichols to remove item eight. I'm sorry. Item seven R. Is there a second? Before there's a second, could

043I add something to that if it's okay or do you want to do them separately? Let's uh let's do them separately. Okay, that's fine. Um um is there a second for removal of 7R? Second. Motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Tom Henkins. All in favor? I I I I any any oppose hearing and seeing none. Motion carries unanimously. Um Miss Miller, thank you so much. Um I would like to make a motion to move the uh item seven in its totality as amended now, the consent agenda um right after public comment out of respect for the time of the people who have joined us this evening. There's a motion to move item seven as mended to come after 4A. Is there a second? Second, Brian Nichols. Oh, okay. Sorry. Oh, no. Okay. A motion by

044Megan Miller, seconded by Greg Schneider. All in favor? I I I. Any oppose? Motion carries unanimously. [Applause] That brings us to item 1D, the pledge of allegiance. Point of order. The agenda hasn't been approved. We just made adjustment. Thank you. Uh, can I get a motion for the approval of the agenda as modified? So moved. Second. Motion by Megan Miller, seconded by Brian Nichols. Any discussion? Miss Levy, do you have any mics on? Thank you so much. Just wanted to clarify. Um, it looks as though the policy committee has made a recommendation to wave first reading, which they can absolutely do, but in order for first reading to be waved, a motion needs to be made this evening and voted on by the full board. Just wanted to make folks aware of that since the

045waving of first reading is in the recommended motion language for several of those policies. Thank you for the reminder. There is a motion by Megan Miller, second by Brian Nichols. Any other discussion hearing? None. I I didn't I didn't second. Oh, you didn't? No. I'm sorry. Who did? Greg. Sorry about that. Mr. Schneider. Greg Schneider. Motion by Megan Miller. Second by Greg Schneider. Miss Schope, did you get that? It Okay. Uh, Mr. Henkins, just a point of clarification on the waving of the second readings. We're just talking about that policy. Is that correct? Well, it's it's actually the waving of the first reading, which would bring us to a second and final reading, and it's included in the recommended motion language for several of the uh uh policies on the consent agenda. I just wanted

046to make folks aware that's the recommendation of the policy committee, but someone needs to make a motion to do that tonight and then if we get four votes then that's that's the way it'll be. So you re recommending Mrs. Levy to not accept the waving of the second reading on all these policies? I'm not just this one. Oh, I'm not recommending anything. I I'm attempting to offer clarity. Um it looks as though the policy committee has recommended a waving of a first reading on several policies. So just wanted to inform everyone we can wave the first reading, but that needs to be a motion from the floor this evening that the full board votes on. That's not a committee decision. It's a committee recommendation. Does that make sense? Perfect. Thank you so much. Motion and

047second are on the table. All any other discussion hearing? None. All in favor? I I I. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Now for the pledge of allegiance. Tonight we have Principal Fonda Lewis from Gaston to introduce her students. Good evening. We have two great Gaston bandits here. We have Zante and he said his favorite things about school are mathematics and language arts. And we have Josiah and his favorite things are physical education and recess. So here we go. Ready? One, two, three. I pledge aliance 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. Wonderful fellas. Wonderful job you guys. Great job. Go right up for that. Thank you so much. Next up, the upcoming events and

048announcements. Board clerk Tom Henkins. Thank you, board president. Good evening. These are the announcements for Tuesday, April 15th, text day. Converse elementary is hosting MC Teacher Night tomorrow night at McDonald's on Madison Road from 4 to 6. Come on out and support your Converse teachers. Early childhood screening is coming up. Please call 608-361-420 to schedule an appointment. The human resources department is hosting coffee connections at the blender cafe in the boy public library on April 23rd from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Uh our f future board meeting dates include the ad hoc budget finance committee meeting tomorrow night, Wednesday, April 16th at 5:00 here. Tuesday, April 29th, 2025 at 5:00 PM there will be a board reorganizational meeting as we bring in our new board members. Tuesday, May 7th, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. will be the

049business operations and finance committee meeting followed by the regular board meeting at 6 p.m. The board is working on scheduling a workshop at the end of April as well. And I'd just like to add in in my notes, I have uh Robinson is having their parade on Friday the April 25th at 2:15 and T and I went last last month and we're going to go this week and or this month and watch the parade through the halls. Thank you very much. Bye. Thank you, board clerk Henkins. We are at the point of recognitions tonight. We are having the recognition of our parent educators. Dr. Garrison. So, actually, I had asked Mr. um Schneider um if he wouldn't mind taking this um recognition tonight, and he so gladly said yes. So, Mr. Snider. Okay. Normally, I

050would do this from the podium. Um but with the crowd that's here, I I will do it from here. Um but you know over spring break was para education week you know and of course we want to thank all the parah educators in our district for the excellent service that they provide to the school district to the staff and to the students you know and they work hard to support both the teachers that they work with and all of the students in the buildings you know we appreciate all their dedicated skills assisting all of the students including those who have special needs. Having been a special education teacher for over an administrator for over 40 years, I have worked closely with the PAR educators. Um, and personally to me, I always told them the only

051difference between me as the teacher and them as the parah was that if if if something happened and trouble happened, I was to blame. Other than that, they were just as important or more important in that classroom sometimes than what I was and and could not definitely not do the job that we needed to do without their support. Again, I greatly want to congratulate all of the PAR educators in Bo for their dedication and their service and their hard work. Thank you so much. [Applause] Next up, the recognition of Sam Karns. So, um, we have a wonderful opportunity here to recognize one of our very own principles, Mr. Sam K. So, Mr. K, could you do me a favor and walk over to the podium, please? Um, Mr. KS has been nominated, I'm sorry, Mr.

052KM has been named the elementary school principal of the year in the state of Wisconsin. Let's give him a round of applause. So again, oftentimes people forget that there's a lot of great things happening right here in the school district of Boyd. And out of over 1,800 plus schools in the state of Wisconsin, Sam KS, Sam K, Samuel KS right here from the school district of Bo was named elementary principal of the year. Um it's 421 plus districts in the state of Wisconsin. And that's a huge accomplishment, a huge a huge not only accomplishment for Sam, but also a loud um microphone for the rest of the state of Wisconsin that we are doing great things here. We do have a great staff. We do have great administrators. We do have great teachers. We do

053have great paras. We have great students. Right? We got great students. We got great board members. I'm I'm I'm Listen, this is all of us, right? This recognition is not just solely for Sam, but it's also for the people that he serves. And inevitably, he serves the community, right? So, we also got great community members, right? All of you that's in this room right now that may not be um dedicated or not dedicated, may not be on the staff books and or payroll, you are community members here and we thank you for supporting our school district. That makes sense, right? And so, as community members and also we have great, we can't say this, we can't leave this off the table, right? We have great students that Sam also represents. That's a huge space right

054there by itself. When you think about our students in the school district of boy and this recognition that he is receiving, it represents all of those opportunities for us, right? It represents all of those opportunities for who? All of us. And so for that, I want to say thank you, Mr. KS, for leading your building as you have led it. um the nomination that came forth the the things that was written about you the I believe are dedicatedly true. I also will share this about Mr. KS when we pretty much got here at the same time. Well, he was here before I was um as an administrator, but he started his principal ship the same time I started my superintendency within that year. And I can tell you all that one of the first few

055people that I had a chance to have conversations with was Mr. KS and I knew right away that he had the desire, the eagerness, the ambition, the the a lot of the other attributes that it would take to to win an award as such right away. And so I want to thank you, Mr. KS, for working with me as well, cuz that ain't always easy to do. I recognize that too, right? But I want to thank you for working with me and the administrative team um to get the job done, not only for your school, but again for the community. Over the past two years, Converse Elementary went from a schools that that met few expectations met few expectations to a school that met meet that school that meets expectations. And that's under the the

056leadership of his of Mr. KS and of course his staff. Right. So, if you're a staff member in the room, do me a huge favor and just wave real quick. Wave if you a staff member in the room. Yeah. Thank you to the teachers that have also supported Mr. KS along this this journey as well. And so now I'll turn over to Mr. KS for a few words. That's a lot to to absorb. Um if you know me, you know that I don't like recognitions. This is a room full of people and I normally don't get nervous and having to get up in front of people and talk about the great things that we're doing. Um, just to piggyback, I echo a lot of the sentiments that Dr. Garrison shared, and I also want to

057thank the board for taking time to publicly recognize, as Dr. Garrison said, this is a win for all of us. Um, but I do want to make sure that I lift into this space, as Dr. Garrison said when he got here a couple years ago, uh, one of the things that he preached with us to administrators was building trust and leadership. And so I wanted to thank him as well for his leadership and his guidance and mentorship to allow me but also him trusting in me to do the great work that we do at our campuses. And I also want to lift up a lot of my colleagues in the space. I know principles are in the room, assistant principles. We're celebrating pairs which makes up 30% of our campus staff. So a huge shout

058out to them because this work doesn't happen without all of those things being welloiled uh and us working together. I also want to take time to thank the Todd staff. Um and and let me backtrack a second on that one as well for a quick minute. I want to thank the school district of Deote because I'm not from here. I've been here for about four years now. Um but they welcomed me in with open arms and allowed me to utilize my strengths and my gifts, put those to use for kids because I've always said if your northern star is serving the students, it's really hard for anybody to argue with those those things. Uh, and so I started at McNeel. And so I'm proud to be a a Lancer is where I got my start.

059Todd welcomed me in, uh, and embraced me. Who I was coming from the outside coming in, serving alongside of them, and I really appreciated them um, again welcoming me in. I also enjoyed the celebration because I've learned, as much as I don't like recognition, I also have been taught through the years of education and other leaders along the way that it's okay to celebrate the wins. And so I couldn't have had it any other way than to celebrate with our Todd students yesterday in the assembly. Uh I think some of the funny pieces to me is I got some birthday wishes from a couple of parents in the community. So even though my birthday is not until October, we had um streamers and flyers and signs. They know my favorite superhero is Superman. So it

060was again um you know I I tell the staff uh and the students well we'll take the next 363 days to celebrate this as if it is a birthday because again uh my hats go off to this community. I I love being here in Bloits. I love serving the community and I'm going to continue today when I went in. Um a lot of the staff were like well how are you feeling today? And I said it's another Tuesday. It's time to get back on the grind. We got work to do. Roll up our sleeves and get in there. The last thank you that I want to make sure that I do put into the space. I also enjoyed celebrating with my family yesterday. Uh my wife is from the Clinton area, but uh they surprised

061me. They came out um to to celebrate because everybody knows behind a strong marriage, you have a a strong spouse that supports you through that way. Uh and she's doing a lot of good work. So her and I we love to feed off of each other's energy. We love to serve the community and what we do. Uh and we look forward to the next upcoming year and the years to come as we continue to move forward with all of the people in this room as we make those bridges, we build those connections, we start the collaborations, continue those pieces. And a quick shameless plug, but we are going to have our back to school health fair on August 23rd. So save the date. Third annual one, free shots, immunizations, dental, all of that for the

062students. All of it's free. So again, you'll see some of those pieces, but there's a lot of people that make up behind the scenes. So again, I accept this recognition and this award on behalf of everybody that's sitting in this room as well as the bite community that again has welcomed me in from Texas. So thank you very much for the recognition tonight. [Applause] Next we have uh recognition of board of education members, fellow members of the board of education and members of the greater boy community. Serving as president of the school board this past year has been an extraordinary privilege and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to work with dedicated individuals in the pursuit of our students and our community success. Together, we have navigated challenges, celebrated achievements, made decisions, and taken

063actions that I believe will benefit the educational outcomes and environment in the school district of Boy. Unfortunately, earlier this month, we lost the referendum by a narrow margin. The incoming board and the administrators will have difficult decisions to make. Many of these decisions may be ones that are in opposition to their personal beliefs. Good representatives recognize the importance of discerning personal preferences from what is in the best interest of the school district as a whole, which they are responsible to protect and oversee. I am confident that with the board's diversity in thought and experience and with our collective passion, we will continue to seek the best resolutions for our district, students, and community. I want to extend my s sincerest gratitude to the board members, district staff, and community members for their trust, cooperation, and

064patience during my tenure. During these difficult times, we must all remain steadfast advocates for our students, staff, families, and community. In face of our dire financial situation, we must focus on our priority of providing the best education and service to each student as we possibly can. At times, this may seem as though we have an extremely narrow needle to thread. While we are simultaneously listening to our constituents, we are aware of the expectations and changes being made in public education at the federal and state level. With every decision, we must weigh the potential costs and benefits. In the 2022 23 school year, the school district of boy received over $3,000 per student in federal aid. This was more than 15% of our total budget. The loss of the referendum requires us to make about 6.2

065million in reductions. This cuts to the core of what we need to be focused on, educating our students. If the district were to lose federal funding, more than $15 million would have to be cut from the budget, creating a financial crisis, threatening the district's very existence. While many of these legislative changes being made at the federal and state levels are worthy and noble causes that deserve our individ individual attention and advocacy. The school district of boit is in too great a fragile position to be taking these on. I urge, strongly urge each of you to contact your federal and state legislators to speak out about the many changes and issues the public schools must face. I thank you again for the privilege of serving as prevalent president of the school district of bo. I wish

066everyone continued success in promoting the mission of public education at all levels. We are sad to see two board members leave. Greg Schneider has served as the chairperson of the teaching, learning, equity, and pupil services committee. He has served as the board representative to the academic steering committee and as a member of the finance ad hoc committee. Today we celebrate and honor Greg for his outstanding contributions as the curriculum representative to our on our school board. Throughout his tenure, Greg has helped shape the educational experience of our students, ensuring that our curriculum remains engaging, equitable, and forwardthinking. His dedication to academic excellence has helped make changes, ensuring students thrive and educators can innovate and learning can evolve to meet the change the needs of a changing world. Whether advocating for new programs, enhancing existing courses,

067or championing championing, it's a hard one to say, meaningful educational initiatives. Greg has demonstrated unwavering commitment to the success of the school district of boy. As he steps away from his role, we reflect on the lasting impact of his leadership and vision. We are grateful for Greg's passion, his expertise, and his tireless efforts in shaping the future of education in our district. Greg, thank you for your service, your dedication, and the positive influence you have had on our school, on our educators, and on our students. We enjoy the time we've had with you, and we wish you all the best. Tonight, we also say goodbye to board member Brian Anderson. Brian Anderson has served as the board treasurer and chairperson of the business, operations, and finance committee. We today we express our sincere appreciation for

068Brian and his outstanding service as treasurer on our school board. Throughout his term, Brian has demonstrated also demonstrated a a commitment to the financial stewardship working to see that our district's resources are managed responsibly and effectively to benefit our students, teachers, and community. With integrity, diligence, and a keen eye for fiscal responsibility, Brian has played a vital role in making informed decisions that shape the future of our schools. His dedication to transparency and accountability has strengthened our district's financial foundation, enabling valuable programs and initiatives. As Brian steps away from his role, we acknowledge the lasting impact of his leadership and hard work. We are grateful for his contributions and the positive difference he has made in the lives of our students. Brian, thank you for your service and dedication and your unwavering commitment to our

069schools. We wish you continued success in all you do. Gentlemen, thank you so much. It's been a pleasure to get to know both of you and we hope that we will see you here frequently. [Applause] So, um, before I get started with my my recognition to these wonderful, um, board members that I've had to share at least two and a little over a little under two and a half years with, um, let me just first start off by saying thank you for your leadership to both of you in general. Mr. Anderson though, let me let me start with you. um if you don't mind, sir. Um I could make this a roast or I could just make this a um a thank you. Right. And so I I battled with that thought for a while.

070Should I make this a roast or should I not? And and and I decided not to. Um but Greg, yours is coming. So I'm just I'm just joking. I'm just joking. Um so let me just first start off with saying, you know, being a superintendent is not easy, okay? And being a board member is also not easy, okay? Um there's decisions that we have to make. There's conversations that we have that be honest with you, no one else really knows about. And when I was thinking about a word I could use for you, Mr. Anderson, I couldn't really find the right word. And so I was like, you know what, maybe I shouldn't give him a word. But then I was thinking, you know what? I'm I'mma throw one out there. And the word that

071just kept coming up um as I was thinking about what word I could use for you and your leadership was to be honest with you was a listener. You know, um not everybody want to hear what people have to say. Okay, that's an honest statement for pretty much everybody in the room probably. But I can tell you every time that I called you, you listened to me. Seriously. And that I want to say thank you. You didn't I never felt like we was rushed in our conversations. I felt like we was pointed in our conversations. And so that made our conversations sometimes short and sometimes long. But I thank you for listening to me. And that's a very important space as a superintendent to board members. A lot of times people don't see that listening

072space. And so I do want to take the time to say thank you for listening. Thank you for listening to our community. Thank you for listening to our teachers, our staff, our administration, me. That means a lot to me. Now, one could argue you were also one of the first boards I ever had a chance to be the superintendent for. Well, that you are the first one of the first boards. you are the first board, right? Um and so thank you for um your leadership and and again allowing me the opportunity to to share some of my thoughts. And again, thank you for listening. Now, we do have a a gift that we would like to give to you. It's a years of service um plaque. Miss Michelle, do you mind bringing that up, please?

073Um we have a a years of service plaque, as well as um this bag that I also want to give to you, too. Um the bag it represents a lot of things because you know typically board members come in here with all kinds of stuff that they have to carry and hopefully this bag is a little less that you have to carry in. It's a threein-one bag um brought to brought to you from the beautiful place called Target. Um and this No, please hold it up. Please hold it up, sir. This bag has a three in one opportunity. You can make it a briefcase, you can make it a backpack, or you can make it a carry. And so, um, hopefully you can put a little less in that bag as you kind of travel,

074um, over these, um, over the time here. So, again, thank you, Mr. Anderson, for your leadership. Um, um, Mr. um, Snyder um, you know, there's a lot of different connections that we had over time. And a lot of people don't know, again, the many conversations that I have with my board members. Just like I mentioned with Mr. Snider, I was I was contemplating on whether I wanted to make this a roast or not. And um I can tell you I'm not going to make it a roast, but I I will tell you when I call you, I'm going to roast you. Okay? I'm I'm going to give you all kinds of things that you that you said that we're not going to say publicly. Okay, that's a kind of a roast, right? All right. But

075Mr. Steiner, you know, one of the words that I wanted to say about you um was calm. calm, solid. I never felt like anything that was going on in our school district that you weren't calm in your approach. And so that I want to say thank you for because there's been a lot of things that we've had to deal with here in our school district, y'all. A lot of things. Three years of consecutive cuts, 20 plus million dollars and ongoing in that space. You've been calm in that conversation with me and I appreciate that. Now a lot of times again in this space as a district administrator people don't understand what calmness really is you know they think it's about being quiet or not saying something or not showing emotions. It's much greater much greater

076inner fortitude that that comes with that you've displayed and for that I want to say thank you. I really want to say thank you for that. There will be times where I call both of you gentlemen um um just to say hey say hello and again I just want to make sure I say thank you for that space. Mr. um um Schneider also has a gift. We have a of course a plaque that we have uh of course in another bag too. Um that bag is brought to you by Target. And inside of that bag please inside of that black please hold it up Mr. um Snider. It looks like the same bag that Mr. um Anderson got. That bag can be used for one or three things. I'm just joking with you all. Um

077but no, thank you again for you know the time that you spent. And again, hopefully this time that you all have had with me has been um a learning experience as well as been for me. Thank [Applause] you. Any other board members would like to make any statements? I would, but in the interest of time, I'll leave it to the cards that I gave them. Okay. Um, Mrs. Levy, thank you. I'll be very brief. Um, board member Anderson, there were moments, sometimes in public, sometimes in private, where you just cut through the noise um and said the thing that needed to be said and you shined. And so I really appreciate that. Um, board member Schneider, thank you for your character, for your compassion, and your passion. I'm so proud to serve with you and

078to sit next to you, friend. Mr. Schneider, I really want to express my thank you to the community of Bloit for giving me the privilege of being able to serve you for the last three and a half years on the board to to improve the quality of education for all of the students here in Bo and of course to the all of the board members. It's been a great honor and privilege to work with all of you. You know, and as we've gone forth, we we've seen how when we let politics aside and we focus on what's in the best interest of the students, how much work we can get done to make Bloit and the school district the best place to work and to live. You know, having been a teacher and administrator, I

079really want to thank the teachers and the staff who have dedicated their life for the welfare of the students in this district and to thank them for all of the extra hours that they have spent preparing for and caring for our kids. you know this and thank the staff um who maintain our buildings and grounds to keep them clean and neat and in good repair as good as they can with the budget they have. Um and again under the leadership of Mr. Brisco. I want to thank the executive directors Miss Moratech, Miss Beavers, Miss Amadaras, Mr. JD and Miss Lwood and the whole administrative team and the staff that support them for their dedication to leading our district forward in the best interest of the students. You know, it is through all of the effort

080of all of them and with Dr. Garrison's leadership that Bo is only one of two school districts in Rock County that have continuously made progress since co That's a great fact. That was something that we as a community and as a district need to be proud of. You know, Dr. Garrison, I greatly thank you for for all of the dedication and the time that you have spent and keeping us focused on on the students and what we need to do to change and enhance for continual improvement of the school district. Your dedication, your vision, your focus on the students will continue to demonstrate the ability of Bloit to become the school district we all know it can be. I want to personally thank you for your encouragement and mentorship and friendship. That has made me

081a better school board member, a better leader, and a better person. Thank you to all of you. Thank you. [Applause] Mr. Anderson. All right. So, I don't have as good a speech writer as Greg does, but um you know, just a heartfelt thanks. You know, when when you take an elected position, you got a a room not unlike this where half the people are going to vote for you and half are not going to, right? And and this board is very similar. It's a microcosm of this community. we can do we can agree on some things, we can disagree on others. And I've done that with all the board members here and and some of the board members that have already left. Um and yet, you know, we're still we're we're people. We're friends. We

082treat people with respect. And I think that's what we do in the city as well. Um so I I think we can we can move forward. I feel confident in the incoming board members. I think they're going to add their values and their um good senses uh to the board and and every year is a new board, right? So, as soon as you have one member change, that's a whole new board because it's a it's a body of seven, right? Not just a voice of any one. So, I wish the the district the best of luck. Um and there's a lot of work to do, but I'm cautiously optimistic that uh uh it's in good hands and and you'll do good work. So, thank you. [Applause] Next, we have the swearing in of the newly

083elected board members. Board member I mean, sorry, board, excuse me, board clerk Tom Henkins will do the swearing in. We have Joanne Rue and uh Juan Romero. Oh, yeah. There there he is. Oh, I'm sorry. Megan Miller. Thanks. You're up here so much I forgotten. In the interest of time, and no disrespect to my three colleagues, we're going to do them all at one time. Okay? Please raise your right hand. I I Megan Miller Joanne Ruth Wander Merrill have been elected to the office of school board member having said it. Repeat. To the office of school board member. Have been elected off school board member but have not yet entered upon the duties thereof. Have not yet entered upon the duties thereof. Swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States. swear that

084I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin and the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin and will faithfully discharge the duties of said office to the best of my ability. of set office set office to the best of my ability. So help me God. So help me God. Congratulations. Thank you. This brings us to the public comment. Speakers will be announced and invited to the podium by the board secretary tonight. She will read the person that is reading and the person following them so people can make their way to the podium to um help facilitate the uh ease of this um public comment time. Should the individual require translation assistance, a translator may be of the individual's choosing or one provided by the district. Public comments

085requiring translation will be given six minutes. An individual's three minutes may be yielded to another individual. However, each person must complete a public comment card. An individual may speak on behalf of a group. However, no more than two other people may yield their time to any one speaker. Individuals wishing to comment are expected to comply with the following norms in order to maintain a respectful and orderly meeting and to prevent discussion of confidential matters in a public forum. Comments should be directed to the members of the board of education and not district employees, students, or other members of the public in attendance at the meeting. Signage, banners, or other materials which impedes any person's view of the proceedings shall be relocated. Speech that is belligerent, disorderly, disruptive, repetitive, or which exceeds the allowable time permitted

086for each speaker is prohibited. Concerns or questions that entail the disclosure of identifying information regarding specific students are prohibited. Response from the board, if any, will be limited to clarifying inaccurate information, seeking additional information from the speaker or acknowledging that the speaker has been understood. The board will not debate with an individual and the board may not take action on an item raised during public comment that is not on the meeting notice or agenda. The chair will interrupt and rule an individual who violates any of these norms out of order. If ruled out of order by the chair, the individual's opportunity to address the board will end immediately and the microphone will be turned off. Thank you for your participation and courtesy. Mrs. Shopee, who do we have up first and up behind them? Okay,

087first I have uh Tommy with Dawn and sorry uh Atta both yielding their time for Tommy. And on deck we have Thomas. It's on. All right, bear with us. I just talked to our HVAC crew. They're going to be turning the temperatures down in here real quick. So, but thank you all for coming out. Good evening board members, colleagues, and fellow community members. I stand here tonight not as the director of buildings and grounds for the school district of Bo, but as a concerned community member, a proud purple knight, and spoiler alert, an even prouder member of the LGBTQ community. Woo. When I first became aware of the policy 32 323.3 and its proposed restrictions on flag displays other than the US flag and the Wisconsin state flags, I suppose my initial reaction was one

088of confusion followed by some frustration. Two weeks ago, our operating referendum failed and now the district is faced with a projected funding gap of 6.2 million over the next fiscal year. With the current financial financial situation we're faced with amongst other challenges, I don't believe our attention as a district should be focused on a non-issue such as the displaying of say a pride flag. For years, the district has flown the pride flag at Kolak and has displayed it within our buildings, our school buildings to demonstrate to our community an unwavering commitment as a district to ensure all students and staff know that they are accepted and supported here in the school district of Bo. I grew up in Bo in the late 80s, 90s, and early 2000s and attended Todd, Aldridge, and Bo Memorial High

089School. As most LGBTQ students and young people often experience, I knew who I was in early stage in life. The lack of representation in our schools and community back then resulted with me having severe anxiety and depression, which I was diagnosed with in sixth grade. In addition to the lack of representation, the conversations were also considered taboo back then, thus continuing to fuel my levels of uncertainty in how I fit in society, but more importantly, how I fit in my own community and as a student amongst my peers. The lack of acceptance and feelings of inadequacies substantially grew throughout my high school years. Fortunately, I had several teachers, administrators who picked up on the signs I was exhibiting daily and intervened along with my family who I'm glad are in the room today. It is

090because of them that I am standing here today at this podium alive. However, I still could not bring myself to fully accept who I was for fear of being further marginalized beyond high school. Immediately following high school, I enlisted in the United States Army and proudly served my country. Having still not come out of the closet at that point, I experienced even higher levels of uncertainty and fear living under the don't ask, don't tell policy that was still fully enacted in 2004. It wasn't until I was out of the military that I embraced my identity and for the first time lived out my true authentic self. It was at that point I vowed to provide my steadfast support for LGBTQ youth so that no other young person would have to experience similar circumstances that I

091faced growing up. That is why I'm here today. While living in New York City and Los Angeles over the last two decades, I was encouraged to see the school district of boy learning and growing to embrace and further lean into our strongest attribute as a community, which is a commitment to excellence strengthened by diversity. strengthened by diversity. Recently at one of the district's ad hoc committee meetings, a member of the committee asked the question, what does the school district of boit have possess that no other district possesses? Since the release of this policy proposal and that meeting which that question was asked, I have thought a lot about it. Deoid has a strong history and it has diversity. While this community has not always gotten it right when it comes to celebrating and recognizing the

092importance of valuing the difference inherent in humanity, we continue to strive to educate ourselves on those differences with the hopes of building a stronger learning environment and foundation for all of our students to feel safe and supported in. Banning culturally inclusive flags inside and outside of schools directly defies and goes against our district's commitment to excellence and that strength through our diversity. It hinders us from standing out as thought leaders and as an institution that proudly recognizes our differences. That that is who Bloyd is. Through various proclamations at all levels of government, beginning with President Obama in 2016, Governor Ivers in 2024, and in Rock County, the board of supervisors in 2023. The month of June has been designated as LGBTQ Pride Month. As many of you are aware, this includes the pride flag being

093flown over the state capital in Madison. And who could forget the image of the White House being illuminated with the colors of the rainbow flag following the landmark Supreme Court ruling in the case of A Burgfeld versus Hajes in 2015. Our LGBTQ staff and students in the school district of Bo deserve to know that their community stands behind them. It matters. It really does. Take my word for it. Trust me when I say that through firsthand experience on these streets, living through these streets, living through these hallways as a student and now as a staff member, I encourage the policy committee and the board of education to please reconsider this proposal. Thank you. [Applause] Ladies and gentlemen, well, we appreciate your enthusiasm. Um, in the interest of time, would you would you please hold the

094applause so that we can because I I think a lot of you would like to get up and speak and um we do have other agenda items that we need to get to get to and we have staff members here that are kind of on the clock. So, um I I appreciate your enthusiasm. We all do. But um if you could just please hold your applause. Our next speaker, Mrs. Schop. So our next speaker is Thomas and Madison is on deck. Now that's Thomas P and Madison S. Hi, I'm newer to Bo. I've been here for about three years. Um one thing I tell everybody is how much I love this town. the diversity here. My block alone, there's every color of the rainbow that lives on our block and I love it. Our son

095who's 23, who is adopted, um we adopted both of our sons as gay people 23 years ago. We want to raise kids that are understanding of diversity, differences in people. And I just can't understand this backwards notion of trying to erase who we are. I mean, it's for kids in this school to be able to see that there's they can have a normal family, the existence we can be anything we want to be. We cannot go backwards, though. If we go backwards, we're going to tell kids that you've got to hide who you are. You're going to push them into the closet. You're going to cause grief. You're going to cause heartache in these kids. Even if it's one kid that does not have to experience this, you've won. You've got a decision to make

096up there to be better. Why? Why? Why villainize a flag? What's the purpose? We have got to be better. We have got to stand up. This community is better than this. And that's where I'm going to leave it because we are better than this. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you, Mrs. Choke. Next up, next is Madison S, followed by Stephanie F, who has time yielded. Good evening, members of the school board. My name is Madison Seline. I am a seventh grader at Fran Freezen Middle School, and I am a proud member of the LGBTQIA plus community. When I see the pride flag fly, I know that I am safe and respected. Seeing this brings comfort and I know I will be safe learning at school. It is also imperative to see the pride flag

097displayed all year long. I don't understand why people want to take the flag down because it's a flag that represents inclusivity. If this flag is no longer on display, it would make me worried for the other people in the LGBTQIA plus community who are too afraid to speak up. There are students at my school who are too scared to come here and speak. So, I'm going to be their voice before before voting tonight. Remember that there will be students who no longer feel safe if this policy is passed. This is a matter of life and death for some students. Homophobia is a very serious issue. I know some people at my school who make fun of and bully others for being a member of the community. Some people laugh at these jokes, but it is

098no joke. Thank you for listening to me and the other students who feel silenced by this proposal. Thank you, Mrs. Shopee. Who's next? Next, we have Stephanie with time being yielded by Samuel. And on deck we have Anna S. Good evening. My name is Stephanie Ford. I'm a little nervous. I'm the assistant principal of Todd Elementary School. I'm also the proud parent of a Todd Timberwolf. I open and roll my child into this district primarily because of the diversity and our shared values at home of empathy and tolerance. There's a lot of things that I could speak about tonight, but we have limited time. I want to start by acknowledging Principal Samuel KS and his leadership. You will hear many great things about Principal KS and they are all true. When I wrote about Mr.

099KS, I wrote about the impact that he has on those around him. Quite simply, he's made a huge difference in our school community, including students as learners, teachers as leaders, and overall elevating those around him. I know that I've grown as a leader because of his direct impact. We should all strive to live up to the standard that he has set for our community. Something we could really learn to do is focus on our shared goals and values. As a community, we have shared values. Those are what bring us together. Such as the very reasons I bring my family here and the reason that I drive 35 minutes each way every day with my 11-year-old daughter. Which brings me to a major concern I have tonight. The board is tasked with bringing this community together

100and supporting goals of academic achievement and excellence. However, listed on your consent agenda tonight is a policy removing any flags displayed in school buildings except the American flag. Yesterday afternoon, some of you visited Todd Elementary to award the elementary principal of the year. You walked past over 300 flags in our school. These flags represent countries from around the world. They represent multicultural celebrations, college teams, achievements like our PBIS awards, our jump rope for heart flags, so much more. Last month, we featured a flag to honor the 70th birthday of Mary McNelte, our front desk administrative assistant and United States Air Force veteran. and we kept that flag hanging in our front office for two weeks to honor her and the commitment that she brings to Todd Elementary School. These flags, they also symbolize the countries

101that are represented by the students and families within our school. In our stairwells, we have college flags so that students can see the opportunities in their future. And you know about those college teams, some of them are rivals. They don't get along. We have flags of college teams that you don't root for in display at our school. And I want to emphasize that we have college teams that you don't like on display at Todd Elementary. We don't rep We don't censor them because we don't like them. They're up with all of the rest. They represent people in our community. Mr. KS and I work well together, even though he's from Houston and I'm from Florida. And that's because of our shared values and our commitment to the students that we serve. But if that policy

102passes tonight, tomorrow, Todd Elementary School will be white bricks and American flags. That does not align with our shared values that we have as a community. It does not align with our commitment to academic excellence. It is an attempt to exclude groups of this community from the very schools they belong to. That's a shame. And as I look forward to my career path, I want to work in a district that doesn't hold a policy like that as the priority. I have some data to share with you tonight. This is from our school perception survey. This is statistics from Todd staff members. 100% of our staff members agree with the statement that our school supports students from diverse backgrounds. 100% believe that our staff does a good job of educating students. 97% feel supported by their

103building administrator. But only a staggering 19% believe that the school board is doing what it takes to make us successful. I know that doesn't specifically represent the exact people who are sitting here tonight, but the sentiment remains. Are you representing our shared values? Are you doing what it takes to prioritize academic achievement, or is there some other agenda here to follow? Consider this quote from the famous American basketball coach John Wooden. It is easier to reach our potential when we learn the value of including others in our quest. Thank you, Michelle. Who's up next? I have Anna S. with time being yielded by Amanda. And on deck I have Robin L. My name is Anna Schmidt. I am a resident of Bloit, proud teacher at Bo Memorial, and a mother of four students in this

104district. I have also served as co-advisor to our high school's GSA club. I believe we can all agree that student safety is and should remain a top priority for our district. and the proposed flag policy creates a serious student safety concern. Displaying the US flag in all district buildings and classrooms has never been under threat. The true intention of this proposed policy is to ban classrooms from displaying any other flags, most notably the pride flag. These two flags can hang simultaneously because they don't pose any threat to each other. They serve completely different purposes. To be clear, they are not incompatible but mutually supportive. The presence of the pride flag represents the very ideals of American freedom. We have known for a long time that LGBTQ youth have higher rates of suicide risk and victimization.

105The risk factors increase when students do not feel safe at school and and supported at school. And unfortunately, the research is clear that LGBTQ youth are more likely to report feeling unsafe at school due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. You see, it is not an exaggeration to say that a failure to adequately welcome or acknowledge our LGBTQ students is truly a matter of life or death. and my colleagues overwhelmingly agree with me. Throughout the years, I have had conversations with staff members who were raised in communities that taught them that homosexuality is wrong. Yet, once these same people realized that using bre best practices for inclusive classrooms could actually save students lives. They understood the real issue at stake. And it's a relief to realize that there are such simple, unobtrusive

106ways of supporting student identity that go a long way to reducing risk factors. All of us here want to focus on education. Filling our classrooms with relevant and relatable print, posters, symbols, and yes, flags is the least disruptive way of welcoming diverse students into our classroom without taking excessive time away from instruction. When we hang motivational or instructional posters on the wall, we try to make sure these posters show students who are racially diverse and reflect the community we live in. I don't only say this as an experienced teacher and a foster parent. Rather, the research tells us how important it is for students to see themselves reflected in an environment. The visual environment of a classroom or school is a silent way of saying, "I see you. I care about you. You do belong.

107You are part of this community. It isn't procilitizing or indoctrinating to let someone know they deserve to exist. Once students feel safe and accepted, they can engage in their education and learn. And isn't that what we all want? I'm concerned from the policy discussion that members of this board have grossly misunderstood who you serve and to whom you are accountable. You do not serve the bigots or the social media loudmouths. You serve over 5,000 amazing and talented students, among whom also include some of the most vulnerable youth in Rock County. Addressing the needs of these students requires sensitivity and compassion strong enough to withstand our nation's evershifting political climate. Board policy is simply not the place to push a thinly veiled political agenda. We must provide a continuity of care to our students that is

108not jeopardized by turnover or ideological whiplash at the national or local level. Quite simply, the proposed flag policy and revision to the faith and community organizations policy are nothing but acts of political opportunism employed at the expense of our kids' safety and well-being. So to quote this board, you serve an entire community. That's correct. And serving an entire community requires you to hold this nuance close to your heart. You must remember who is suffering and who isn't. You must note the difference between discomfort and oppression. You must point out that there is a world of distinction between indoctrin indoctrination and representation. You must recognize that expressions of pride bear absolutely no resemblance to brandishing symbols of hate or violence. You must believe in your heart that the flag of the United States does include every

109soul in this room and every child in this district, but also know the hard reality that this beautiful ideal has not yet been realized for all. And so in the meantime, we must do what we can to save lives. We offer support in the form of flags, posters, t-shirts, and words of welcome because all of our children deserve at the very least to grow up, to live so that they will be here one day as we continue to build a world that is worthy of them. Mrs. Robin and she has Leah yielding time for her and on deck is Rodrigo D. Sorry, I forgot my glasses. All right, I want you to take a little journey with me if you would please. My name is Robin Lowry. I've been a teacher in this district for

11027 years, a teacher overall for 31 years. My children both attended Boet Public Schools. my daughter Britney. Here's a future converse cougar sitting over here. Think back to your educational life. If you had to come up with one or two people besides family members who had a significant impact on your success, who would you name? My guess is you'd probably respond in the way most people would. A teacher, coach, counselor, principal, security guard, etc. When I asked my own children, both graduates of Blit High School the same question, both of them said teachers. Mr. Studman, Miss Peping. Those are names that came up. Mr. Doo, Mr. Elliott. Okay. Mr. Elliott. All names that came up. Teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, security guards, assistant principles, all had an impact on my children's lives. I also asked a

111few of their friends and some other students I'd known who graduated from the district as well. the same question. They answered the same way every single time. Many things I asked them, why'd you answer that way? Why did you give me that answer the way you did? And many of them said they were always there when I needed them. They pushed me to do better, to be better. I could tell they cared for me by the way they interacted with students on a daily basis. She's the reason I stayed in school and graduated. Otherwise, I would have been a statistic. You could tell he loved teaching by the way he taught. It made me want to learn. Powerful statements. When I asked them what they remember from the years most at Blit High School, this

112is a list of some of the things they said. The music program was awesome. My niche made my high school experience so much richer. I'm a hands-on person. Construction classes I took were the most memorable to me. Gave me a lot of real hands-on experience. Theater, theater, theater. Enough said. Science classes were always fun. You never knew what some of those teachers would come up with and what they would come in wearing on a daily basis. They motivated you through the love of their subject matter. Another student said, and this one resonated with me. and I was going through a very tough time in my life and one of the assistant principles who she didn't name that she confided in actually listened to me gave me some advice and let me know their door was

113always open if I if I needed it and let me tell you I needed it many times in my years at the high school and this is a quote even now we've stayed in touch after graduation she stayed in touch with that assistant principal another student said the security guard was cool when students receive honors and awards Who besides parents, guardians, family members do they list as influences of people who have helped them achieve their successes every single time? A teacher, a counselor, a coach, a principal, an assistant principal, a security guard, etc. In my 27 years in this district, here are a few things I've noticed. I don't have any statistical data, just some things I've noticed from my own experience. There have been many been many things that have decreased or declined in

114this district. Student enrollment, 2,000 less students since 1998. 2,000 less students, a third of our current population, 5,000 students. The number of teachers, that's a logical decrease. Students less graduation rate has declined. Achievement rates fluctuate, but on the general declined. The amount of time spent on the basics, teaching phonics, penmanship, basic math instruction, problem solving skills. I could go on, but you get the idea. There are some things that have increased or inclined over the 27 years. the severity and number of student discipline issues, the hours spent looking at screens, mental health issues affecting our students, families, staff members, our community, the number of COLAC staff has increased. Seems to me that common sense should be the guide when making decisions related on our current budget crisis. Anything that does not directly relate or impact

115student discipline, attendance, graduation rates, or achievement should be considered first when deciding what to cut. Making cuts to staff who interact with students and affect students on a daily basis makes no sense. Cutting teachers makes no sense, although I understand some of that may have to happen. A district's about half the size of Jainsville, yet we have more central office administrators than they do. We have about 2,000 less students than when I started. So, how can we in good faith justify continuing with the same number of administrators and make cuts to the very people who serve our students daily? It'd be like wall woodman's. All of a sudden, they start losing money. They're not selling as many groceries. So, the owners of Woodman go out and hire more managers. Does that sound logical? No. They're

116going to talk to the people who interact with customers on a daily basis, come up with a plan to solve the problem and solve the problem with the people who work with the stu with the customers on a daily basis. I realize we're not a business, but you can see the parallels. Common sense requires this board to make decisions to cut based on what is best for our students, our community, and the future of our city. Taking away staff that impact our students lives every day is not the correct decision for our district. I want my grandson to attend a district that my children attended that I started teaching in. It's not the same district as it was. The ad hoc committee put forth many good recommendations. This is the place to start. The ad

117hoc committee is made up with community members, staff members, people that parents, religious community members, business members, a good sampling of the people that make up this community. They were put together for a reason. They spent a lot of time going through the recommendations they put forth. Miss Lowry, you're at six minutes. All right. Thank you for your time. Can I just say one last sentence, please? Nobody's personal or political agenda should have any place in those decisions. Thank you. Show who's up next. Next is Rodrigo and I have Brian J on deck. All right, come on. We got to go. Rodrigo is up and Brian J. Correct. And again, um, everybody in the audience, um, we have several people that would like to speak tonight. So, when your name is read as you're up

118next, please make your way to the podium and please refrain from applause. I know we're all enthusiastic, but we don't want to be here all night long. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Rodrigo Dogado. I am a student at Bullet Memorial High School and I'm in front of the board here today because of many issues that the board has mentioned in past meetings. As you know, the school district's referendum did not pass this year, marking it the third year in a row of it failing. Because of this, the board has been left with some difficult decisions that may have potentially cut some of the many aspects and opportunities. Oh, sorry. Many aspects and opportunities offered to use students at the high school. One of the biggest opportunities the school offers is the teched department,

119the Skills USA program, and the various sports teams. I'd like to start by talking about the teched department. This department is so important because it gives students hands-on experience with tools and machines that we use in the real world. At Bullet Memorial High School, the department offers a ver a variety of courses that can influence a student's decision on a student's career in life. The courses they offer are automotive technology, construction, cabinetry, welding, engineering, CNC machinery and more. So there is something for everyone. Adding to this, there has been discussion at the recent AD HOAK meeting about cutting the welding and cabinetry program as a possibility when the school has one of the best programs in the state. We have a bu bigger welding lab in the cabinetry room than any other one else in

120the state. Adding on to that, the automotive technology program allows students to have certifications that allows many jobs to be opened up by students. Also, we have a big uh sorry the the taking classes in the tech department have been a lifecher for many of us. For example, in the cabinet class, we get to learn how to use tools and machines safely. I remember when I first started my first project building a cabinet in our own on our own but with our teacher Mr. Hansel who is being affected by this decision if the board approves this. It is exciting to see a piece of wood becoming something functional and beautiful. That sense of accomplishment is something that most students see in all of the classes in the teched department. It's not just about making things.

121It's about learning problem-solving skills and seeing the tangible results of our hard work. Another great aspect of the teched department is the opportunity to compete in the Skills USA program. Skills USA is a national organization that focuses on students excel in their technical skills and prepare for future careers. Competing in Skills USA is an experience unlike any other. It allows us to put our skills to the test against students from other schools, and it's a great way to challenge ourselves. I remember the first time I participated in a Skills USA competition. It was in January of 2024 that I decided to go for the first time. I was nervous but excited. The feeling was different and I cannot stand here in front of you and explain it as it has to be in the moment

122to understand the feeling. Not only do we get to compete, but we also learn so much from the experience. Working alongside peers who share similar interests foster a sense of compassion. We often team up to tackle challenges which help us build teamwork and com commun communication skills. These are important skills to have and not just in competitions but in any job or career we might pursue in skills. USA also shows the importance of professionalism which is something that we that can set us apart when we enter the workforce. And I would also like to talk about what many students are passionate about the sports. Rodrigo, you're you're at your time limit. Did did you have somebody yielding time to you? Uh yes. Okay. Thank you. Uh another aspect many students are passionate about is sports.

123Sports at Bullet Memorial High School are a huge part of our school culture. They help us stay physically active and encourage school spirit. Whether we're on the basketball court, the ice hockey rink, the soccer field, or the track, being a part of a team brings a sense of belonging. It's not just about winning games. It's about being part of something bigger than ourselves. Also, engaging in a physical activity through sports provides more moments to be stress free. I found that after a long day of classes, going to practice helps clears my mind. It's a chance to get to let go of worries and focus on the game. The friendships formed during these moments are also incredibly meaningful. We share our victories and support each other through losses, creating bonds, bonds that often last a lifetime.

124In conclusion, being a student at Bullet Memorial School High School is an experience that goes beyond just academics. The tech the teched department equips us in with practical skills that are essential in today's technologydriven world, while Skills USA pushes us to excel and prepares us for the future. Additionally, sports provide a sense of community and teaches us vital life skills such as teamwork, discipline, and resilience. I truly believe that the combination of technical education, competitive opportunities, and the athletic involvement that makes Bullet Memorial High School a place where we can all thrive and prepare for our futures. As a student, I know most of you will not take me seriously, but these topics are going to change my life. but also a quarter of our students are going to pursue pursue a trade school or

125do internships right after high school. Please consider that. Thank you. Thank you. Next, I have Brian J. And I'm sorry, Mrs. Mrs. I I can't hear over the clapping. So, again, folks, please um hold your applause. I would like to be able to hear this board secretary so I know who has time yielded to them. So, would you mind repeating that, Mrs. Shopee? Sure. I have Brian J and then I have Jen P on deck. No time yielded. Thank you. All right. So, hey everybody. I think I'm the only Brian Jay here. Uh but if not, please let me know. Um so, uh my name is Brian Jukehams. Um I'm actually um from Madison. I work at an organization known as G-Safe. for a statewide education organization that works with students, with educators, and with

126communities to make sure that trans and queer students feel safe, affirmed, and supported in um Wisconsin schools. So, and I often say that I work with school districts from Lacrosse to Milwaukee, from Bo to Bayfield uh uh to make for sure that's happening across the state. Um and I've actually had the pleasure and honor to work with uh numerous bo school district of bo uh educators and administrators and students um over a 20 plus year career. So in fact I was here in um April on April 21st 2016 in the other uh administrative building uh doing a professional learning community with representatives from the high school and middle schools uh when I got a text saying that my beloved prince the artist died. So um so but that doesn't make me feel bad about bo

127but that is a grounding memory. So um uh but I definitely remember that so I can say I was in bo but so anyway so earlier this year in January right after the inauguration I was in this room um I led a training of supportive and affirm a training on supportive supporting and affirming trans and queer youth with an amazing team of blo educators and district leaders. Um the crew really dug in. They asked great questions. Some of them trump me. Um, and I had to really think about it. Um, and they really demonstrated a commitment to the success of all students. Um, which is really what I've come to expect from the school district of Boe educators and leaders. Uh, which is why it's very puzzling uh to me when I got a message

128this weekend saying that the the the the board here was considering a policy that would remove something really simple um but really important um from your building um your hallways, from your classrooms. Um, and you know, uh, just thinking about the work that we were doing in January with, uh, your staff, it really makes me th this policy would make the work that they do much harder, um, not easier, uh, uh, on the day-to-day basis. Um, hold on a second. I've got I jotted notes down really quickly in a notebook, so I want to make sure I'm right. Um so thinking about your own district policy. So board policy for 11 years uh pupil non-discrimination policy which includes protections for students on the basis of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity. Um it's uh

129having flags uh and symbols and signs uh in your buildings is one of the simplest ways to put your commitment to non-discrimination into action on a day-to-day basis. um you know it's the signs and the symbols on your walls in your hallways on lanyards and uh email signatures etc. It's a cheap it's clear uh and it serves the dual po purpose of letting students staff and families um who might be fearful and uncertain if this is a place where they belong know that yep they belong. They also serve as a reminder to all members of the community that you have an expectation of respect for each other even if you don't understand or agree with each other. So if you take this away, uh I guess a question for you is just thinking about the

130tools that your staff have, what will you do to replace these simple tools, right? And it's a really simple and cheap tool. And if you're talking about being in a financial crisis, it seems silly to take away something really cheap and inexpensive. Thank you, Brian. You are at your time limit. Oh, well then I will say um um just as a reminder uh to Madame President and other members of the board um intellectual rigor would lead you to realize that you can prohibit the display of certain flags and symbols uh like the Confederate flag or the KKK flag that are likely to provoke violence or harm without passing a broad prohib prohibition on all flags. This has been upheld by courts and district council and should be able to and your uh district council should

131be able to advise you on this matter. So, I encourage you to vote no because it seems like a step backwards. Thank you, Brian. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, there are it looks like three or four empty seats, maybe a few back here. Folks would like to move in and um take some of these seats. Um Mrs. Chop, who do we have up after JenP? Uh Sarah J. Sarah Jay, if you would make your way to the podium person be followed by. Good evening. My name is Jen Papkkey and I've been an employee of the school district of boy since the summer of 2012. Tonight I'm here to speak in support of the district flying and displaying the progressive pride flag as well as other flags that affirm student staff and family identities that have

132been or currently are discriminated against and marginalized. In 2021, I made a simple request for the superintendent to fly the progress pride flag here at the Coax Center during the month of June, designated as Pride Month by the President of the United States in 1999. That request was honored and I swiftly brought a progress pride flag to donate to the district. Following that, I was asked to write a blog post for the SDB website describing why I had suggested this. For the next four years, the progress pride flag was flown in June. In fact, due to Weatheringham Wear, my friend Tommy Bicko purchased a replacement Progress Pride flag. Somewhere early in the month of June last year, it came to light that a board member request was made to the superintendent to lower and remove

133the pride flag. This was done immediately, and a network of LGBTQIA plus members of the community, allies, and supporters from out in and out of Rock County came to speak at the next board meeting and public comment. It was overwhelming to see the outpouring of support for what I would estimate based on research to be about 10% of the population. Broken down more specifically, a smaller percent of the people are trans and a greater percent of the people identify as queer. My point in sharing these numbers is that if there's even a 10% chance of rain as an elementary school principal or assistant principal, I'm going to send some wishes and kind words to mother nature. And I'm going to share make sure that our students and staff are ready to pivot if we need

134to have indoor recess. So if 10% of our students, staff, and families have been marginalized and discriminated against based simply on who they are, they deserve my support. And my support comes with advocacy. Tonight, there is a new policy on the agenda for a fast-tracked approval, which would not allow the progressive pride flag to be flown on SDB property. This also includes other flags that could represent support of other groups who have been marginalized and discriminated against. As a neurodeiverse person, amid and someone with a diagnosis of a mental health condition, I would feel the love and support of my employer and my community without words, but just simply seeing a flag flown. This policy is not brought to the board for something simple like a date change or an update to a dated vocabulary

135word, which I think we could all live with skipping a first reading. When you look at the room tonight and online, the last I looked, there were just a shy of a hundred people watching. Uh there are voices that want to be heard. And by pushing this through quickly within about a five-day period, we are not respecting that voice, that need for consideration, the usual time process of taking in feedback, providing edits, bringing a new updated policy to the board, and taking action accordingly. Thank you. After uh Sarah, I have Abigail R. Abigail R. Yes. Thank you. You're fine. Good evening. My name is Sarah Johnson. I've been teaching for 19 years, all of those years here in the school district of Boy. Tonight, I am here to share my concerns about the proposed flag

136policy. I want to begin by stating that I wholeheartedly agree with my colleagues who are speaking out about the importance of being able to fly or display pride flags. That said, I want to spend my three minutes expressing my serious concern about the use of the words only and display in the proposed policy. First, it does not seem to make curricular sense to only allow the American flag in classrooms. Do we really not want our Spanish and French classrooms to be able to have the flags of various Spanish and/or French-speaking countries in their rooms? Perhaps this was an oversight as discussion during the policy meeting seemed to focus on flying the flag outside of buildings. But this potential oversight highlights the importance of not rushing policies through. Secondly, and more importantly, I am gravely concerned

137about the use of the word display. What does display mean? Will history teachers need to go through all of their teaching materials to black out or replace any materials, textbooks, paper assignments, Google Slides, presentations, bulletin boards that include images or display the flag of another country. In the past, I have helped students with business and foods and cultures assignments where they needed to pick a culture or excuse me, pick a country and make a presentation about that country. Can they include a flag or will teachers have to change these assignments to make sure no flag images are displayed? The Globe Theater flies a flag to symbolize what type of play is being performed. When I teach about Shakespeare, will I need to ensure any images I show do not include that flag? Currently, the high

138school has college penants hanging around the building? Are we displaying college flags? Will we need to remove them? Furthermore, if this policy passes, were teachers will teachers not be allowed to wear pins, hang posters, have stickers or magnets in their room if a flag is on it, does that count as displaying the flag? Some colleagues hang a flag of their favorite sports teams in their rooms. This generates discussions with students and can help build connections with students beyond academics. Will these now need to be removed? I am a huge Packer fan and after a Packer win, I wear earrings with the Packer G symbol on a green background. Will these now be considered displaying a flag? You may be thinking that this is a straw man argument. I would vehemently disagree. I believe the use

139of the word display is providing a very real slippery slope. As English department chair, my principal has come to me twice this year with concerns that have brought to been brought to her questioning certain books that were if they were assigned in English classes. They were not. But this demonstrates a pattern of trying to censor or only display certain content. Because this is currently happening, I sincerely believe keeping this policy as is with the word display will lead to people questioning posters, pins, stickers, magnets, pennants, and even presentations and assignments. I strongly encourage the board to rethink and rewrite this policy and reconsider if this policy is even needed. Thank you. Thank you. Mrs. Shelf comes up after Abigail. After a Abigail is Melissa R. Hello, my name is Abby. I'm a student at high

140school and I'm a proud member of GSA. I'm here speaking tonight about the proposed policy that the Wisconsin flag and US flag should be the only flags flown. Different flags than just the US flag and the Wisconsin flag should be allowed in school. They are an expression of ourselves. There are many other flags that can be displayed to express yourself. For example, sports flags, native country flags, and teaching resources. And if we take that away, what other limits are we are going to be put in place next? Are we going to take away the posters that we can hang on our walls? The the things that can be taught in class. Please think about how this policy affects people's way of expressing ourselves. Thank you for letting me speak tonight. Thank you. After Melissa, I

141have Stephanie R. and Cheryl S is yielding time for Cheryl or I'm sorry for Stephanie. All right. Good evening, Dr. Garrison and members of the board. My name is Melissa Rick. This is my 21st year um teaching in all here in Bo. I'm a first grade teacher at Todd Elementary. I am here tonight speaking as an individual. As I know many people here tonight are here to speak about the specific proposed policy already have been. I am here to speak in a gen much more general sense. I did not attend the policy meeting last Thursday night. When I heard about the flag policy, I did go back and watch part of that meeting. As I was looking at the agenda and motions that had been made and approved, I noticed multiple policies that were approved

142at this meeting waving their first reading and moving for approval for final reading. As I looked at the agenda more closely, it was almost all of the policies that were listed that evening. As I read the agenda for this evening's meeting, I see these same policies on the consent agenda. This means that unless a board member chooses to take one of these items from the consent agenda off, they are approved in one motion and go into effect. There will not be any more readings or potentially any discussion by the full board. My concern is that again, unless that item is pulled off of the consent agenda by a board member, there is no full board discussion. Yes, the members of the policy committee approved these to move forward. And again, I did not watch the

143whole meeting, but it appeared there were only two of the three committee members present that evening. Discussion by more than two people or three if the entire committee is there should be occurring before a full before a policy is passed by the full board. I believe all voices should be heard when discussing a topic before a decision is made to change a policy or make a new policy that affects so many people. People may have differing viewpoints or other thoughts about this a specific policy. These should be heard. Now, in the end, the outcome may be the same, but at least they would have been able to have that discussion. Finally, that meeting that was held on Thursday. Finally, that meeting was held on Thursday, and here these items are on the consent agenda 5

144days later. Over the past year or so, I've become much more attuned as to what's going on going on board docks and knowing what to when to look for the agendas to be posted. However, not everyone in the community does. Within a 5day span, new or changed policies that affect many people will potentially have been approved by the committee and the full board with no full board discussion and most likely little input from the community and public. In conclusion, the way these policies were brought forward did not provide ample time for discussion and input to be given before they would be potentially passing at tonight's meeting. I appreciate your time this evening to listen to my comments. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Schae. Who do we have after Stephanie R? After Stephanie six minutes, I

145have KN on deck. Thank you. Good evening, Dr. Garrison and members of the school board. My name is Stephanie Ray Patch and I'm a seventh grade ELA teacher at Aldrich and this is my 40th year of teaching in the public school system. I have amazing students. My t-shirt. I have amazing Hispanic students. I have amazing African-American students. I have amazing Caucasian students. I have amazing AAPI students. I have amazing Muslim students, amazing indigenous and Native American students. I have amazing LGBTQ plus students, amazing religious and non-religious students, amazing students with disabilities, both mental and physical. All amazing students, and they all deserve to sit in a classroom and in a school building where they feel included, represented, and valued. The official definition of a flag is a piece of cloth or similar material, typically oblong

146or square, attachable by one edge to a polar rope, used as a symbol, representation, or emblem of a country, institution, or a decoration during public festivities. a symbol, a representation, an emblem, and for many of our students, a sign of inclusion that allows them to feel as if they belong or a part of a community, whether it's the classroom community, the school community, or the city of Blo community. I came to Boyd to teach because I value the diversity here and I appreciate the support from the administration as we encourage our students to value their diversity as well. On the school district website on the first page it states at the school district of bo we believe in diversity honoring and respecting our human differences equity removing barriers and providing support for individuals to achieve

147their greatest potential and inclusion ensuring each and everyone belongs. These are our beliefs. Let's practice what we preach. Please carefully consider the wording of policy 323.3 and think about how many students and others will be disappointed when they see that our district, a district that loves to tout its diversity, is limiting the representation and symbolism of many of the diverse populations that they see in our classrooms and buildings every day. I would also like to make my thoughts known on resolution 881.3 relations with organizations of faith and proposed new title relations with faith and community organizations. I want to be sure that we are very careful with the wording of this policy and keep in mind that the US Constitution's first amendment regarding the separation of church and state. While I was raised as a

148Catholic and I do believe in God and the power of prayer, I also believe in a free and fair public school system in which religious beliefs are kept separate from educational settings and policies to ensure an inclusive and respectful environment for all students. It's important to keep religious practices and teaching separate from public school settings in accordance with the principle of the separation of church and state written in the first amendment. I urge you all to carefully consider all the laws and constitutional amendments when revising or rewarding our district policy statements to ensure that the school district of Boeit is keeping public education secular and inclusive for all. Thank you for your time and attention in these very important matters. Thank you. Mr. Schul, who do we have after KN? We h I have Maryanne

149S. Okay, we have KN and Mary N. Good evening uh board members and and everyone here. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you just for a few minutes about unity. E pluribusunum that's our national model. In 1776 that became our national motto as established by our founders Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. It reflects the founding father's vision of a nation composed of many diverse states, peoples, cultures, and ideas coming together as one. This ideal served as a guiding principle during our firm during the formation of America's identity. E pluribus unum is Latin. It means out of many one with this motto in our great American flag that you see flying. America had an identity and a strength where freedoms were all guaranteed for everyone and were to become the fabric of our new nation.

150Blood was shed for that flag. And it was shed in the trenches of France. It was shed on the beaches of Normandy, in Anzio, and in Vietnam in the jungles where my husband fought all for that flag. And guess what? All the blood was the same color. But we fought in unity for a country that we believed in and still do. One flag, one belief. E pluribus unum out of many one. If you take a quarter out of your pocket, you will see etched on its surface e pluribus unum out of many one. And it's not only in our coins. It's at the Supreme Court of the United States of America. It's in the halls of Congress and our Capitol, the White House, the Army, the military service, and on our Wisconsin state flag. Its

151relevance remains strong as America navigates its past, its present, and its future while honoring foundational ideas that many backgrounds come together as one strong nation, one strong community, and one strong school district. Only through unity can success become a reality. Academic or otherwise. No other flag represents the ideas of a nation, community or school as does that American flag. And as we reflect a shared history, we're reminded that out of many, we are one. One nation, one community, Bo, and one school district, the school district of Bo. And we celebrate dis very, very distinct and various backgrounds under that unifying banner. the American flag. Okay, you're at three minutes. It serves not only historical reference, but also as a call to embrace America's diverse tapestry. Success and strength come from being unified, not divisive. Michelle,

152who do we have after Maryanne? Uh Danielle. and she has uh Stella yielding time. I think that we should set a policy of common sense that supports unity for all students. Not a policy that promotes individual expression of sexual orientation, gender preference, race, color, or religion. Those are things that should not be displayed on public school property in any way, shape, or form. If you allow one, you've got to remember you must allow all or face discrimination lawsuits. That's why you should not allow any other flag or symbol other than the United States, United States of America. and maybe the Wisconsin flag. Thank you. [Applause] After Danielle, I have Ann F. And Danielle has time yielded. Uh my name is Danielle. I'm a teacher at Memorial High School and I am reading on behalf of

153my colleague who couldn't be here tonight because she has an engagement for school. Um, so this is on behalf of Julie from Blight Memorial High School. Um, in regards to code 323.3, um, to whom it may concern, is the board aware that the proposed displaying of flags policy for instruction in classrooms is highly problematic from an educator's perspective? To my knowledge, each classroom already displays our national flag. So the first part of the policy is not the problem. The next part is the pro problem. The next part of the new proposed policy states each classroom shall fly or display only the United States of America flag and at the discretion of the building administrator the Wisconsin state flag. The problem is with the nuance of the words display and only in the policy. So based

154on the limitations of displaying only the US flag and state flags, no flags from other countries or historical and cultural studies may be displayed at all ever. If that was not the intention of the board, the policy should be revised. Does the policy prohibit only the display of official flags made of textile materials? Or does it also prohibit images of flags within posters, banners, textbooks, covers, photographs, games, etc. that might be displayed on bulletin boards, in digital Google Slides, presentations, and wall spaces? As the new policy currently reads, each classroom shall fly or display only the US flag. So any of those images displayed in posters, photos, etc. would be prohibited by this new policy. If that is not the board's intention, the policy should be revised. The policy proposed is so brief that it

155does not recognize any adherence to national or state laws regarding the display of flags on public or district flag polls. It might be appropriate in a policy about displaying flags to include any legal parameters our district must abide by for public displays on flag poles without referencing legal parameters for public flag poles. and by the brevity of prohibiting any and all other flags in buildings, classroom displays, and on flag poles, the policy could easily be interpreted as non-inclusive, not equitable, and against diversity. If that was not the board's intention, the policy should be revised. The proposed policy does not delegate personnel who will have to implement and uphold the policy. Will building administers administrators be tasked with removing and policing every classroom and wall space where flags might be placed? Since policies written to be

156upheld and enforced, I wonder if the board has considered how much time and effort it will take to implement and enforce this policy. Hours of salaried time will have to be spent removing images of flags and more recurring hours of salaried time spent by staff tasked with enforcing the policy. Is enforcing this new policy really the best use of district money and salaried time when our referendum did not pass? And there are so many other important tasks that these salaried people need to address. If this was not the board's intention, then the policy should be revised. The proposed policy prohibits classroom teachers from displaying temporary flags for instructional and curricular purposes. If this was not the board's intention, the policy should be revised. Ultimately, the wording of the policy prohibits displaying flags. However, displaying flags

157is an important part of standardsbased instruction at various grade levels about identity and symbolism throughout world history, world languages, and world cultures. If this was not the board's intention, the policy should be revised for a more thorough description of its true purpose and plan for continued implementation. Thank you for your time and consideration. Julie Horvath, School District of Bo, class 1996, teacher in Bo for 24 years. Okay, we have Ann up and Becky P on deck. Hi, my name is Anne Fer Beasley and I have years of personal views and knowledge on the impact sports have on the student athlete here at BMHS. My dad is Steve Ferger and he was the athletic director here for many many years. I saw firsthand how sports impacted and bettered his many student athletes through those years. I

158was also a student athlete here in the school district of Boe. I participated in a number of sports, the choir and to play. When I look back, I don't really remember my time spent in my academic classes, but I do remember the time I spent and the friends I made in choir and sports. Two of my children are currently at BMHS. One is a junior and one will graduate in June. They have been active in sports and band since middle school, and I have witnessed how being in sports and band have benefited them. Sports gives students reasons to come to school, gives them something constructive to do for a few hours each night, and makes them try harder for good grades so they can continue to participate. I see that my children are excited to

159come to school for band and sports. It also gets them and keeps them in the building for their other classes that they don't always find as fun or interesting. But I don't have to fight with them to get them to school. So that's a win. It has given both my kids more confidence and has taught them how to work within a group and as a team and to get along with the very diverse group of people. They have made great friendships through band and sports that I am sure will last for years to come. I see them and their friends as I cheer them all on at pep band, the jazz and band concerts throughout the community and at different sporting events. These are great safe opportunities for our kids of this community. Now, because

160I they have made these lasting friendships, I also see these young adults as they filter in and out of my house most nights and weekends. They have become amazing well-rounded individuals with the help of band and sports. I am so grateful that they as well as myself and the thousands of student athletes that have come before us have had these opportunities to meet, create friendships, and bond due to sport and music programs, extracurricular activities, and athletic programs at the school levels are about camaraderie, discipline, and humanity. Those that are involved in extracurriculars feel included regardless of their race, socioeconomic background, or gender. They are disciplined and committed to their involvement outside of regular school hours. They take pride in their schools and community. This is exactly what we want our children to learn. It would

161be a travesty to the whole community to lose these programs. Thank you for your time. Thank you. After Becky, I have John P. On deck. Thank you. Good evening. This is my 21st year teaching in the school district of Boe. Thanks. For many years, the words I associated with our district were school district of Boe committed to excellence strengthened by diversity. See, I hear people, you know, right? It was the motto for a long time. Currently, our district Facebook page states, "With a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, we inspire and prepare our students for success." Uh, when I talk to staff in my role as a BEA building rep about the struggles and strengths in our district, nearly every single time, every conversation, people list our diversity as a strength and one of the

162things they love about working here. So I am confused and concerned about the proposed flag policy which states each classroom in g grades K 4K through 12 buildings that display the flag of the United States of I'm sorry I'm getting this each classroom in grades 4K through 12 buildings shall display the flag of the United States of America. Okay, so to the best of my knowledge that's already happening. Why do we need a policy? The proposed policy continues. Each classroom, district-owned school building, or administrative building shall fly or display only the United States of America flag and the discretion of the building administrator, the Wisconsin state flag. How does this honor diversity? How is this inclusive? Did we think this through? I don't even know where to focus my argument because I have no idea

163why this policy is being considered, but I do know that it feels wrong. I am a BMHS world languages teacher. With this policy in place, I will no longer be able to display flags of Spanish-sp speakaking countries. Our French teacher will not be allowed to display flags of French-speaking countries. This just seems absurd. Why would we adopt this policy? Is the concern that prompted the policy proposal rooted in LGBTQIA+ flags? But why wouldn't we be allowed to have those flags in our classrooms? They do not interfere with learning. They are not hurting anybody. But if we are forced to take them down, people will be hurt. Staff and students alike will receive the message loud and clear that they are not supported or respected. I would hope this is not something this district, our district,

164the school district of Boe, a community known for diversity that should continue to honor and celebrate that diversity would do it. If this wasn't the intention behind the policy p proposal, be aware that this is how some will interpret it. Please do not vote in favor of this policy. It will only cause harm, division, and confusion. Will we be able to have flags for school pride, Purple Knight Pride? Will the images of flags be allowed on posters and textbooks? Who's responsible for enforcing this? Will this policy result in students or staff wanting to leave the district because they do not feel safe or welcome? Why would we allow that to happen? And can we afford that? We have three minutes. All right. So, please instead focus on our $6 plus million budget uh shortfall instead

165of creating problems for no apparent reason. We have to get this. Next up, Mr. Sto, excuse me, Board President Johnson, we're nearing we're we're nearing the two twoour limit respectfully. Oh, thank you. Um uh John, before you begin, um board members, can I get a motion to extend the meeting? So moved. Second motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Greg Schneider. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? I I I I I Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Uh John, thank you. Thank you for having me. Um I'm a new grandparent in the district. Both my children graduated from Bullet Memorial High School. Um, we are seeing this, I think, from one side and I think it's a great side. I think I've seen many people stand up in the community for what they believe.

166My question is to you, does your flag of that type offend anyone else? Does it offend another person's religious belief, their morals, their ideals? That's a question we all have to ask of ourselves. Will we have um put up the Jewish flag, the Muslim flag, uh any other type of flag, the Nazi flag? Will we do that? Will we support that going forward? I don't think we will. I will never support a Nazi flag. We are America. We are the melting pot. We are all together. And the problem is there are many minorities. There's Catholic minorities, Jewish minorities, straight minorities, LGBTQ minorities, black minorities, Chinese minorities, Japanese. The problem is there's one flag. It's one nation under God, indivisible. And the problem is we're not seeing that as we go forward. So, it's one flag.

167Now, I think it should be changed. I think it should say cannot display flags of sexual orientation, political ideologies and so forth. We should be able to celebrate France and Mexico and things like that. Totally believe in that. But those ideals are individual ideals held by all of us in this room who are slightly different and we may be offending others. And that's why there's one flag and that's what we have to focus on. As to the budget, we need to cut the administration to the bare bones. No bonuses. Period. Nobody deserves a bonus. Our school district's at the bottom of the heap. Nobody here deserves a bonus. Not until our kids are graduating at 12th grade level when they leave the school. And that's the end of it. No teacher deserves a bonus. Another

168thing, many of our teachers get there are doctorate degrees teachers here. You know what? And master's degrees. And you know what? They can't connect with these kids and get them to the place they're supposed to be in their classrooms and then they get moved on to the next grade. Don't stop paying the teachers by their education level. They're not getting through to the students. I'd rather have somebody with an associates degree who can get to 20 kids and get them pass through the courses than the garbage we got going on with how we pay teachers. Teachers unions needs to fix it. You know what? or teacher unions to get out of the way. It needs to be a standard pay scale just like the government. You know, everybody's in their little block and if you

169get some if you achieve 100% you get a bonus, but other than that, you don't deserve it. No teacher here does and everybody's not going to hear that from me. Other than that, this group who has put this together is against the Oh, time's up. Bye. That's the end. Thank you, Mrs. Schae. Who Who is up after John? Mark S is up and [Music] uh Alexander B is on deck. Mark S and Alexander B. Thank you. Good evening. I'm Mark Spritzer. I live here in Bo with my husband Philip who's also here. Uh and if I look familiar, I represent Bo in the Wisconsin State Senate. In that capacity, uh, as an outgay man, I chair our legislative LGBTQ plus caucus. And for the last six years, I've had the privilege of joining Governor Ivers

170and cabinet secretaries and members of the community as the pride flag is raised over our state capital. And what a wonderful message of inclusion that has sent to people all over the state of Wisconsin, that it is okay to be yourself. It is okay to be LGBTQ plus. It's okay to be gay, bi, lesbian, or trans. And we have sent that message here in Bo as well to our students and our staff by raising that same pride flag over the Kolak center here and sending a message that the school district of Boe is welcoming to the LGBTQ community. We should continue to send that message. Passing this proposed flag policy would send the opposite message that we are retreating from that welcome, that inclusivity. We've heard from students and staff here tonight and they have

171been so eloquent. You should listen to them. I did not have anybody flying a pride flag over my high school. We hadn't come that far as a society. I didn't come out until after high school. Kids today have a flag flying in their school district and we should keep it that way to show that we support them. I want to also address a legal argument that I've heard made tonight and that I heard made by our board president at the committee meeting. The idea that somehow if we allow the pride flag to fly over our school buildings that we would have to allow other offensive flags on a equal basis because of the law like the confederate flag. That is simply not true. It is not first amendment protected speech when the school district itself

172is speaking. The school district itself gets to have a viewpoint and that viewpoint can be reflected in a flag. So this is not about individual expression. Of course that is constitutionally protected. This is about what message the school district itself is going to send on its own flag polls as a government speaker and it has the right to speak. It has the right to have a viewpoint and I have checked in with the nonpartisan attorneys that advise us in the legislature. I have a piece of paper here that affirms that. I'd be happy to get it to all of you. But the government, in this case, you the board get to have a viewpoint. And I believe that viewpoint should be welcome and inclusivity and promotion of diversity. And yes, flying the pride flag over

173school buildings during the month of June and possibly other times of the year in offices and classrooms to show all students that they are welcome every single day, to show all staff that they are welcome every single day. So, please do not adopt this policy. Please send it back to the drawing board. And if you need a policy at all, make sure it is one that sends a message to everyone in Boyd and in this school district that they are welcome and that their diversity is celebrated. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Shopee. We have Alex B. And then who's up next? Brendan B. Thank you. Hi. Uh, I'm Alexander or AJ. Everybody calls me that. Um, I'm a welding student. I seen what was at the bottom that Mr. KGI showed us. That hurt. That

174hurt a lot. I don't mean to get emotional, but that's where my career is at. I'm set to go to AWI as the moment I graduate. I have one year left in this school and I want to spend it in that weld [Music] shop. Middle school, I may not have done very much good, but that was where I decided where I wanted to be in my [Music] life. All I wanted was trades. I was not built for college. If welding's taken away from me, I don't know what I'm going to do. Sorry. That's all. Thank you. After Brandon, I have Christine R. Thank you. Good evening. Uh my name is Brandon Buchanan. I'm a homeowner on the west side here in Bo and um I'm here today to speak mostly about the budget. Uh but

175before I do, I just wanted to give a very quick um shout out and thank you to all the people who are here today um who have the strength to share your stories about how you are being affected by potential policies. Um I hear your voice. You shouldn't have to have this strength, but thank you for having it and thank you for speaking for those who cannot be here today. Um, now I want to speak to the main issue that I came here today, which is to talk about the referendum 2025 and 2026. Um, this past spring I had the pleasure and opportunity to serve as the chair of Bloiters for Students. We are a nonpartisan organization comprised of Republicans, Democrats, independents, people who voted for all sorts of different candidates in April and in

176November. and we put politics aside to do what was best for the students to fight hard to pass the referendum. Unfortunately, the referendum failed by 141 votes, almost a coin flip. I know a thing or two about coin flip elections. Um anyway, I wanted to but one of the things that I wanted to highlight and even though it wasn't successful that I was so proud of is it went from a 20 point deficit an astronomical landslide in politics to that essential coin flip that there was a lot of momentum that had been built up and I want to thank all the people who came out to support that referendum. And when we were out knocking on doors, one of the big things that we heard from people who were against the referendum, yeah, there are

177some who are just 100% opposed to all referendums, don't want any property taxes to go up at all, but most of them were saying, "Hey, some of us didn't feel heard and were upset about certain issues." And our group, our organization attempted to address some of that, had lots of really good conversations on the doors that changed people's minds. And that's why I'm here today is we want to continue that work. We want to continue those conversations. But it's hard to do that if the community is in a little bit of a limbo for the next 6 to 8 months. So what we're asking for is something that we think will probably happen anyway, but we'd like to happen just a little bit sooner. if you could in May or June pass the referendum to

178put on the April ballot sooner rather than later. That way we can continue to have these conversations in the community and actually continue that organizing work. If we're going to have a referendum anyway, why wait 6 to 8 months? Keep everything in that like unsure unknown state. So, um, please consider that as you move forward in the upcoming weeks. And we will continue to be here, Republican, Democrat, and independent to support our schools. Thank you. Thank you, Michelle. Who do we have after Christine R? I have Amaya with um, NEA yielding her three minutes. Thank you. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Christine Raleigh. I am a parent and I am a community member in the school district of Boe. I appreciate that our district upholds the values of diversity, equity, and

179inclusion. These are meaningful goals that reflect the kind of environment we all want for children and youth in our community. But I'm concerned that the current practice of allowing various ideological flags to be displayed in our schools, while perhaps well-intentioned, can actually work against the district's own values. Diversity is about recognizing our community and that it includes many different world views, including those who don't align with the ideolog ideologies represented by some of these flags. Equity means creating a fair and balanced environment for everyone, not elevating certain beliefs while others are made to feel silenced or unwelcome. And inclusion means that each student and family should feel like they belong, not just those who align with certain social or political movements. So, while some of these flags are intended to affirm certain identities, they can

180unintentionally send a message that only certain perspectives are truly valued. That creates an atmosphere of exclusion, not inclusion. It can isolate students, staff, and families who hold different but equally valid views. Diversity without unity is not a strength. Without unity, diversity over time weakens our community as divisions form and separate people more and more. The American flag is a unifying symbol that represents the rights and freedoms of all Americans regardless of ideology. It's something we all share. Flying only the US flag affirms our collective identity without alienating anyone. Unity doesn't mean uniformity. It means choosing to walk together with respect and purpose toward a common vision for all students to succeed. Eliminating other flags encourages unity and inclusion. Eliminating other flags helps limit distractions and pressures to conform to certain ideologies for both students and

181staff. I respectfully ask the board to consider this policy as a way to truly live out the district's commitment to inclusion. Thank you for your time and service. I trust you will consider this policy with wisdom and a heart for unity. Thank you. Thank you. Mrs. Mrs. Schul, who do we have after Amaya? After Amaya, we have Ash C. Thank you. Dear Bo School Board of Education and Educators, my name is Amaya Clark. I come on behalf of the Bo Memorial Skills USA organization. It has been brought to our attention that the Bo Memorial Trades Programs and programs like Skills USA are at risk of being shut down because of the lack of school funds. Today I want to address the importance of the trades programs that allow Skills USA to be a part of

182our school, not only for our current members, but for the future of our community. First of all, our trades programs not only prepare tech students for success in the real world by teaching them all the specific skill skills and codes within each of the trades offered here at Bo Memorial High School. But they also teach personal skills such as integrity, work ethic, professionalism, responsibility, adaptability, and self-motivation. Skills USA also helps teach us workplace skills such as communication, decision-making, teamwork, multicultural sensitivity, awareness, planning, organizing, management, and leadership. The technical skills being taught not only by our teachers, but by the professionals that are brought to our trades programs to work side by side with us, help us stand apart from other high schools in the state. The results of highquality teachers and professionals being in the

183classroom and lab were seen firsthand at the state competition for Skills USA where we had several several individuals place in the top of the state. Also, we are only we are one of only two schools in the entire state to earn a gold rated chapter and the other school that received this ranking was a private school. This means that we're the only public high school with the gold rated chapter in the state. Not only do our students participate in Skills USA events, but we excel in them. On April 1st and second, our chapter members competed in the Wisconsin 2024 2025 state competition at the Alliant Energy Center. One of our competitors, Deja, Wyinners, finished in third at the in the masonry category for the state competition. Leila Lee and Jakendra Git Gamage tied for fourth.

184Rick Thomas finished for fifth in the electric residential electric. We have also had students participate in other local and district competitions and the results have been outstanding. Alexander Broker finished in third for welding at a regional competition. Brian Campos finished in second in the job interview category at a regional level and Rick Thomas is a gold medalist in the district competition for automotive. Not only did we excel as individuals, as mentioned above, our chapter excelled as a whole, Blo Memorial Skills USA chapter earned the honor of being one out of two schools in the state of Wisconsin to receive a gold ranking in the 2024 2025 chapter excellence program. This accomplishment was studentrun. We accomplished this goal by meeting with national skills USA judges for the chapter excellence program and chapter members filled out the

185chapter excellence program application. As a chapter, we have also attended various leadership conference for Skills USA, such as the fall leadership conference in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and the virtual elevate training conference. Students not only dedicate their time, but enjoy being a part of Skills USA organization. We as an organization are earning some of our own money by implementing fundraising opportunities like an annual car show, district events, and chocolate selling. Also, our previous fundraisers have resulted in success, ending in $1,100 in profit for the organization. Personally, the trades programs that our school offers are extremely important to me, because it's the main reason that I now know what I want to do with my life. Without our school's trade programs, I never would have known that my career path even existed, and I am forever grateful

186for the opportunities that our trades programs at our school has given me. So, in conclusion, we want the trades programs at our school to continue. so our students can continue participating in programs like Skills USA. Without the trades programs at our school, opportunities like Skills USA would be non-existent for our students. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Shopee. Who do we have up after? Ash Tammy S. Thank you. Hi. I'm sorry. I know I don't have very much up here to say, but I would like to talk about the CTE funding being cut or being at the bottom of the list. As an auto tech student myself in the past four years, I've done the hard work to receive five ASSE certifications that I can go in straight into the workforce to get a job. And

187that is because I've done the hard work and the teachers have done done the most that they can with the funding to make sure that I have the ability to do this. Joseph Kugi, the welding teacher, was the one who pushed me to apply for college and has helped me find grants and scholarships so that I can go ahead and follow my dream of becoming a NASCAR pit crew member. I also want to talk about the fact that our school has placed in state third for masonry and that is because of the hard work that our construction teacher like Mr. Wagner has put in the work to make sure that he encourages our students that they know that they can do it. I also want to talk about the fact that these classes and these

188opportunities open up a lot more doors. As a senior and the end of my year of junior, I was in a very bad place mentally. I had committed suicide and the reason I came back to school was because of the teachers. I was in a household where I felt drained. And the reason why I'm out of that household is because I met students who helped me, who brought me into a home and made sure that I felt safe and encouraged and supported throughout the challenges of applying for college. These people I would never have met if it weren't for the fact that we had CTE classes. I would also like to talk about the fact that there are teachers who work on getting us apprenticeships for the people who can cannot afford college outside of

189school. Please focus more on the fact that we have classes that will be cut and less on the fact of flags. Although I do know it's a big thing, please focus on the classes that will be cut that open up opportunities. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Shop. Who's up after Tammy? S. Uh, after Tammy, I have Susan A with Patricia and Deb, both yielding time for her. If the referendum had passed, you are going to hire staff to be behavioral coach coaches. Six of them, I believe. Now that it didn't, you're going to take away six assistant principles. People who are there every day supporting us, the teachers, from brand new people to veterans to the principal. We just got done taking the forward test. A lovely five weeks for fourth grade. Guess who coordinated

190all that? You going to dump it on a teacher? Psychologist maybe because they don't do enough. school counselor, social worker, all of your cuts have major ramifications when you choose to not work with and say, "Hey, what do you think?" Not just in a survey, but in our meetings, what can you cut? I have heard it over and over. I've only been in this district five years. We have massive more admin 20 years after when students have left than they did back then. But you're worried about keeping that group intact, but not the people on the ground. I invite you to come into our schools, not to pass in the hallway, not to stop in and wave, to spend an entire day with our assistant principles. Bring sweats, bring tennis shoes. We have huge campuses.

191We'll have a kindergartenner general ed being upset multiplied by five or six more. We have the other end, fifth grade, few in between, third grade. We have parents coming in that need their questions answered. Sure, we have secretaries, but there are plenty of times they need to see administrators. We also have teachers who do not all have the same experience. Our assistant principles bring years of wealth of knowledge for the behavior aspect of our students and we don't have PDs on teaching strategies about [Music] behavior. We don't need once a quarter. That's not going to impact us teachers daily where they can work, where they can do a check-in, check out daily where they can come by and, you know, stop in and say, "Hey, we're going to set up this program." It is our

192assistant principles that help make our schools run. Without them, you're going to see more teachers leave. You're not going to pile more work. Work with us and the community and stop just thinking that you can't. You're not going to pass a referendum. Thank you, Mrs. Schop. Who do we have after Susan A? Uh, we'll have Dorothy H and she has Sher yielding time. Thank you. I'm Susan Adams, the action chair for the League of Women Voters of Bo. These statements are based on our position statements and our Wisconsin League positions regarding recent assembly and state senate bills. We're concerned with these policies passed by two of three members of the policy committee on April 10, and we're particularly concerned with waving first readings and moving to approve them tonight. Rushing through policies is not transparent.

193Something that you all agreed was very important when you ran for the office. Rushing is not in the best interest of the board or the community because people don't have time to even find out about these changes, let alone fully research rai ramifications. And why would a policy need to be fast-tracked in this manner? and have a perfect example of a lack of transparency with policy 185.4. No one's talked about that yet. It's scheduled to be voted upon tonight. It states that the policy committee is taking on the role of an HR committee. The documents are inconsistent with what's occurring. Apparently, there are three versions at play. There's the old policy that was retired on June 22, 2021 that lists the duties of the policy and personnel committee. It's like one page and a few

194lines. It was referenced in the April 10 committee meeting. And then there's the current active version which is a simple paragraph that's only about seven lines and that was passed on June 22, 2021. There's a third version with a second reading on it that the agenda has tonight. It's confusing because normal procedure dictates that one would take the current active version and then use crossouts and additions where necessary. Yet, although it's close to the current active version, the pink highlighted word personnel is crossed out and changed to human resources, leading the casual reader to suspect that the policy committee always included personnel issues when indeed it has not. Personnel has not been in the title of this policy since before June 22, 2021. The full board had decided in 2021 that the board would serve

195to oversee the personnel or HR function so it could deal with these issues as a whole body. This is presumably because they wanted all of them to be able to ask more questions and if applicable and necessary in close session rather than have only three members take on this duty. This policy is pres as presented is flawed needs to be taken off the consent agenda. The very documentation is flawed and if you listen to the committee me meeting on April 10, the discussion shows the change has not been thoughtfully considered and there was only two people there. You are stream well two of the committee were there. You are streamlining the process so that only three of the seven have any who have any background information at all on why the HR decision was made.

196But this will actually take more staff time because an HR representative will need to attend the committee meetings as well as the full board meeting. In the April 10th committee meeting, you even said the committee may need to meet twice rather than once a month, requiring even more staff and board time, and you just see how it works out. That doesn't seem very forwardthinking. During the committee member, it was stated that when it goes to full board, often other members will bring up issues in close session, which leads to more discussion, which takes time. So having it at the committee member level could be quicker. Presumably, you think it's not good to have more discussion on personnel matters. We would suspect a full discussion on personnel matters would be more, not less desirable. When personnel

197items are on the consent agenda, how will other board members ask important questions about human resource actions? Will going into close session be an option if other members have questions or concerns? Even after this uncertainty, you still decided to wave the first reading, and we urge the board to take it off the consent agenda and review this policy carefully. Another very large issue the league has with this policy is the plan to eliminate a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens. We strongly oppose this action. We are a diverse community. We need to celebrate that and not ignore it. Why is this being deleted? DEI wording was just deleted, not explained in the meeting. Can you explain this to our community? Where is the transparency? Next, policy 881.3 deals with relations with faith and community organization. It

198states that the district welcomes working with all religious and community groups. It takes out a statement recognizing the principles of freedom of religion and separation of church and state. It states this is covered in policy 381.1 which covers teaching about religion. We disagree that's not the same. Although mentioned, it's not clear that the district recognizes the separation of church and state. In fact, this policy does the exact opposite. It welcomes all working with all religions, which certainly does not imply that the district recognizes separation of church and state. This statement of welcome can bring up new problems. Will some churches, mosques, synagogues, or temples get more district cooperation than others? What about humanists, agnostics, atheists? Will they get opportunities to work with the district as well? Who will monitor any issues with these differing beliefs?

199And how will you ensure that everyone's treated fairly? The policy committee also took out the sentence allowing flexibility and allowing individuals to observe religious holidays because it's covered in policy 484. You meant policy 434. In short, the League of Women Voters does oppose this policy and we're happy it's off your agenda. Finally, policy 323, the flags. We have we are very much against this. You've heard a lot about this already. I just want to point out um probably that you it's due to a reticence to fly a parade flag or a black history flag. Um and perhaps you want to avoid contention really like that didn't happen. Um, and I I urge everyone to look up AB28 and Senate Bill 40, um, Assembly Bill 28, which you can talk to Clint back there or Mark

200over there. Those state bills would do what this policy would do. They would let you only have the US flag and maybe the Wisconsin flag if your administrator agreed. So, I have I agree totally with all of the other reasons, the ramifications, but we haven't heard why you want this. Even the state assembly bill lists some exceptions. What is your purpose? Where is the transparency in passing this policy? In short, the League of Women Voters expects you that you will take our comments into account as you endeavor to make your work clear, thoughtful, methodical, and transparent. Thank you, Board President. We're at the half hour limit, please. Thank you. I will entertain a motion to extend the meeting. So moved. Second. Motion by Greg Schneider, seconded by Megan Miller. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in

201favor? I I I I. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Mrs. Schop, next up we have Dorothy H with six minutes. And who is up after Dorothy H? Uh Deianne with um Kenneth yielding time, so she'll have six minutes as well. Thank you. Well, thank you. Good evening to the board and to Superintendent Garrison. Uh, congratulations to the new people who were elected to the board and uh, thank you to those who are going off the board. Congratulations also to Sam from Todd School and all the Paris who were recognized. We heard a lot of students talk about the good things happening in this district. We continue to down ourselves though and say there's nothing going on good in Blo and that's not true and we need to revise any statements we make to that effect.

202But this uh discussion about the flag is not the first attack on DEI, diversity, equity, inclusion in the school district. I have been a member of the grow your own committee since its inception in this district. It is not funded with school money. It is not funded with federal money. It was funded by personal monies and it awarded scholarships to people wanting to go into the field of teaching, people of color we were trying to encourage to go into teaching and come back and be in this community. However, we were challenged legally. Can't afford to fight them legally. So now we have to look for a different venue in order to have that scholarship continue. We will not continue to have it a part of this district because we want it to continue just as

203it is. Another committee that I sit on is the ad hoc budget committee. We meet again tomorrow night. as a committee of the board. The new board probably needs to decide if this is the committee they want and how they want that committee to work and who they want to be on that committee. The committee members such as myself need to decide if we want to continue on that committee, if we will take direction from the new board, if we can follow any direction from the new board. And I want to caution uh people about this committee because in my mind people who voted no on the referendum should now make up this committee and make the decision who won't have a job in September. Who will be gone? We already know assistant principles are

204gone. Who will cut programs and which programs will be cut? We heard so many students here talk about programs that meant a lot to them. Maybe that program won't exist come September. We said, we heard somebody say the staff was no good. I thought that was as insulting as you could get to this community. We have a lot of good staff in this community, a lot of learned staff and a lot of good teachers. That was insulting to everybody on staff in Bo public schools. So, as I say again, let the no committee decide who's going to be laid off, who has a salary freeze, who has a possible increase in insurance payment. That's their decision cuz they voted no. I don't want it to be my decision because I voted yes. I also want

205you to consider uh tonight we heard right away uh about a couple of things that I call encroachment and I and it's called policy creep. The policy committee whose mission says that the committee will assist in creating a learning environment that optimizes student achievement instead has focused on several issues that have nothing to do with that at all. One of the things I saw in the policy committee notes was to eliminate the parliamentary position. We couldn't get this meeting started tonight unless the parliamentarian spoke up. She said, "We don't have the right to do that because we haven't done this." I wonder who else on that board knew that that parliamentary procedure was required in order for this meeting to go forward. We have uh three items uh under the uh consent agenda and we've

206already heard that our relations with faith committees uh needed to be withdrawn. But what came forward to from those uh three items combining HR and policy displaying flags and relations with faith communities with what we heard already a rush to judgment. Let's wave the first reading and have it approved for final reading. I think the board should now see and hear that this community is not going for that. You don't have the right to tell us. You're going to force this through, push it through, and we don't get to tell you what we think about it, and you don't listen to different opinions about it. So, that needs to be a no vote. And I'm hoping that the two new people that come on the board understand that when they campaigned around transparency and doing

207the right thing, the right thing is no. We do not need to wave the first reading of any of those policies and go push them right away to final reading. There were too many people who had concerns about these issues just in this room tonight. And this is just a representation of the community. It is not the community at whole. Thank you so much. [Applause] Thank you, Miss Schop. Who do we have up after Deian? Linda S. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Deianne Evans. Um, good evening board and superintendent Dr. Garrison. The reason why I'm here is because of policy um, excuse me, 881.8 regarding district booster clubs. Um, so one of the things I'm is I do not agree with is um according to the proposal is be compliant with with state

208of Wisconsin booster club guidelines listed in the policy. And I just want to go over a couple things. So I am the booster club president at Boyd Memorial High School. I'm a 19 graduate 1980 graduate of Boyd Memorial High School. I have three successful children who were also student athletes at Boyd Memorial Memorial High School and who all have master degrees and they are products of Boyd Memorial High School. My husband Kenny and I both um are products of Blake Memorial High School who also have degrees. We will be celebrating our 45th class reunion this year. I've coached cheerleading back in the 90s at Bo High School. My husband was a sophomore head basketball coach for 17 years at Boy Memorial High School. He is now a head basketball coach at another school. And what

209I want to talk about is our booster club is called the Knights Club, which includes concessions for football, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, wrestling, and girls and boys volleyball. Out of the six booster clubs at Boyd Memorial High School, I've been the only one showing up over the past two months. I question if the other boo booster clubs even know about this proposal. Some of the things that our booster club have done over the years is we've given over $16,000 in scholarship to high school student athletes, which are seniors. We've paid $3,000 for the bookcases in the athletic hallway. They were 20 um 1,500 a piece. We rebranded. If you've been in the athletic hallway, um we paid $8,000 for the rebranding of that hallway. The decorations you see, the the things

210on the windows. It was $12,000 and the booster club paid $8,000 of that. We've organized Memorial Day parses over the past 10 years where we have our student athletes in the parade. Um $500 um was given $250 each for two student athletes. Their home burnt down, so the booster club got two um gift cards for 250 each to give to the family to help with whatever they needed. One of our football players in 2023 got hurt during a football game and was hospitalized in Madison. We gave the football coach $400 and a card to take to the family. Um, and I have reached out to several booster club presidents at various schools such as Jamesville Craig Parker, Sun Prairie East, Sun Prairie West, Elhorn, Madison Memorial, and has and no one has heard of the

211state of Wisconsin booster club guidelines listed in in this policy as number one. The booster club would comply with any proposal set forth. This is a volunteer position, which I have had the honor of being president. At the age of 63, I go to Sam's Club. I load up all the Gatorade and water myself with the help of my husband. Sometimes I drive to Madison to pick up cases of popcorn at Badger Popcorn for every game. Um, and I also order a lot of supplies from Deb's Whole Good, which they deliver. So at 63, I'm running around and my real job is a social worker, supervisor for the Department of Children and Family Services. So I have a busy schedule, but I make sure I'm always down here to every game. And I know the

212last athletic director, he made the comment every time he had a speech that I'm at the high school just as much as he is. And again, this is a volunteer position. And like I said, I'm a dedicated Purple Knight who graduated 45 years ago this year. Um, I think the district should be grateful for individuals like me who give back to the school. Remember, this is all volunteer. And before I took this over 10 years ago, the booster club had disbanded since n since excuse me, since 2011 because no one was interested in doing it. I've had great relationships with all ads. We've worked together for the betterment of our student athletes and Bit Memorial High School. I've received texts, emails, calls from various coaches about how much they appreciate the work that I do.

213Tim Owens, who is the commissioner for the Southern Southern Lakes Conference, gave me a gift at the last home basketball game. He said, "I represent Boyd Memorialia High School very well. He also said he appreciates everything I do." I would like to end with saying volunteers do not necessarily have the time, they just have the heart. By Elizabeth Andrew. [Applause] Thank you, Mrs. Shopee. Who do we have after Linda S? Uh after Linda, I have uh Trisha. Thank you. going away. Hi, my name is Linda and I am not a public speaker, but I'm here tonight because I have concerns regarding the two policy changes. Uh, my first concern, which I've heard some other people talk about, is the wording of the policy on religious organizations. And if my understanding is incorrect, I hope somebody

214will on the board will correct me. Uh my understanding is that the following statement is to be eliminated from policy [Music] 381-11 and that statement is that no person will be allowed to recruit students for a religious purpose or organization on school properties or as school sponsored activities. It's my understanding it's to be replaced with policy 381-1 which states the school district of bloit board of education values the rights of individual citizens to express their religious beliefs in the schools yet clearly maintain the concept of church and state and I have a real problem with that because the separation of church and state it's not a concept that's the constit stitution and this policy was last reviewed on 125 of 23. Constitution or the amendments haven't changed since then. The one thing that has changed

215since then is the Supreme Court no longer uses the lemon test. They use the exclusion policy and they also have a more neutrality position uh that states the government is to include religious institutions and individuals in funding programs open to non-religious institutions and individuals which I believe is the purpose of the new policy is to include them for charitable work with the schools and not to be present in the schools. I feel I feel this policy needs a lot more work and should be rewarded. Uh when you write a policy, it can't be vague. It's got to be black and white because that's what people count on. So, I'd ask you to reword that policy and include my original statement that I read that had been in 381-11 to make it clear exactly where religious

216organizations stand with the school district of Lloyd. My second uh concern was with the flag policy and I can't uh eloquently state as well as everyone before me has but I am in full support of the pride flag and I think it would be wrong to remove it from any of the schools. I think it would be wrong to remove any of the flag images that are in textbooks or in learning materials. And I would like to remind the board that the First Amendment protects not just written or spoken words, but also actions and flying a flag is one of those actions that's protected. Thank you. And that's all I've got to say. So, thank you. Thank you, Miss Michelle. Who do we have up after Prica? Uh Jim W. Jim W. Thank you. Hi,

217good evening. Thank you so much for all the work that you do here. Um, with regard to the flag, um, is if the board has a decisions, they have decisions to make. And so if you decide that like Mark Sprite just said that it's an opinion flag and and that it should be you know there should be a available to all people to be able to express their opinion. That is your choice. But then I also think that it's important to express other opinions too. So I don't see I mean it's just an opinion flag right? Uh it's all it is flag just like you want a flag. I think other flags should be available too, which is fine. It just it's your decision on what you want to do. Okay. So, anyways, besides that,

218I'm here as a messenger. um as a community member here um the community is concerned about discipline in in our schools and uh I was talking to someone who works at Hacket School and she said that not too long ago like within a few weeks here the assistant principal and the principal was not in the building and so there was um a music teacher that had to be in charge Mr. C, I'm going to say. And so apparently he was in charge of the school and there was some discipline issues and this um music teacher had wasn't not going to put up with disrespect that was going on in the school. And so he made some choices as far as how to handle it. Apparently the teachers were happy about that. Well, then an administrator

219came in. I'm going to call Mr. B. and he ended up scolding Mr. C because um he was disciplining these naughty children apparently. So that wasn't didn't go over real well apparently with the staff. So I want to let you know that that this is what was happening. Administrator, a higher up person came in to a teacher and scolded them for just trying to discipline and maintain a good educational environment for the rest of the children. We're here for our children. Okay. So, anyways, that happened. I'm a messenger. The other thing is that you may be losing a couple kindergarten teachers that hack it, too, because apparently there's a couple paras who like to get on social media and blast them out and and demean them and and whatever. And those two kindergarten teachers were

220like, "I don't need to put up with this. I'm out of here. We're going to be looking for other jobs." Okay, I'm just the messenger that you know to have paras that are you know demeaning the teachers it's sad for me to hear but I think you need to know this stuff that they they want to leave. Okay. So there's things that the discipline issue is is important. We need to uphold it. The parents need to understand that they are responsible for their little children that they brought into this world. So they have they need to be responsible or somebody stand up whether it be a grandparent, an aunt, uncle or whatever. But they need to be responsible that child for that child that's in our p public school system. It's not just our responsibilities

221or the teachers responsibilities. It's their part of it. It's a triangle. Thank you. Okay. So, thank you so much, Michelle. Who do we have up after Jim W. Uh, Christian M. Thank you, I wish I was here today to talk about the hard decisions that must happen after our failed referendum and what we must do to prepare for the next one. Instead, I'm here tonight to speak against two policy propo proposals before you. The first would restrict which flags could be in our buildings and in our classrooms. And the second which would allow religious recruitment in our schools. Let me be clear. The flag policy first and foremost is an attack by this body on kids like I used to be. LGBTQ kids who are looking for acceptance and understanding. A sign that this district

222and this community cares about them. Once a year, the pride flag is that sign. The board president said in the policy committee to allow this flag would mean having to allow the Confederate flag. This is nonsense. The governor every year recognizes Pride Month with the pride flag. Yet, you don't hear people going into court saying that it's a hate flag's turn. The argument used in committee is not wellounded and is exists solely to rationalize a policy root in and dislike for people like me. Another policy tonight that will harm our kids is the policy to allow religious recruitment in schools. As a kid, I went to a public elementary school which allowed religious recruitment. A woman came every month from a local church and talked to us about the Bible when we normally have recess.

223And every month we noticed that one of our classmates didn't join us. I remember sitting in the gym and us asking each other, "Where is she going?" Another 8-year-old told me, "Oh, she's Jewish." the first time I'd ever heard that word. All I learned that word to mean was different. For the last week, I've been trying to remember that little girl's name. I can't because after we learned she was different, she didn't sit with us at lunch. She didn't play with us at recess. This sort of exclusion is what you're voting to allow tonight. As a child, I didn't know any better. As an adult, I stand here tonight to ask you to vote against marginalizing our our kids. Thanks for your time. Thank you, Miss Ch. Who do we have up after Christian M?

224Um, we have Sher N and, uh, Kim yielding time for Sherry. Thank you. Yeah. So, it is, you know, in itself quite evident that these policies really matter. You know, looking around the room this evening, all these people came because this matters. Um, because they matter. This board must not dodge the typical procedural processes to approve these items in haste and out of hand. Tonight I'm going to be talking about two of the affformentioned policies. First is flag policy. While specific to the school district, you know, it reflects the broader tones of the bullet community. I chose to attend boy college because I believe this was a place that valued inclusion and diversity. Instead, I'm watching a public institution use policy as a smokeokc screen to marginalize LGBTQIA+ students and otherwise. Let's call it what

225it is. I'm not afraid. It's an attack framed somehow as neutrality. The second policy, allowing reli religious recruitment in public schools, is equally as disconcerting. I didn't grow up here, but I have a lot of friends that did. And I've seen firsthand how easily these kinds of policies alienate students. Not just religious minorities, but anyone who doesn't conform to the dominant belief system. When religion is introduced into a school sanctioned space, participation becomes an exclusionary signal, one that denotes who's in and who is other. Please consider this. Thank you. Mrs. Shopee, who do we have up after Sherry N? Uh, Clinton A. Thank you. I'm feeling very weak tonight, but I am a I'm a woman of faith. I'm actually a a woman in the clergy and I'm also married to the policy chair. And

226I know how hard every single person on this board works. I know that my husband comes home in tears around midnight after these board meetings because there's been a lot of contention and divi division on this board. And I know that the purpose of this policy about the flag was to eliminate the divis divisiveness, the division because in the name of diversity, we're seeing division. We see division right now. This is what diversity looks like. And we know as a woman, as a woman of faith, as a woman who has been memorizing scriptures since I was seven, because I believe that the Bible is the manual for the human race that was created in the image of God. That's what I believe. I believe that God weighs in on every single issue that he loves

227every single person in this room more than we could even fathom. And there's no division. God talks about diversity in the Bible, but he says there's no difference between any of you. He loves us. He created you. The purpose that I wanted to say tonight is that diversity, we're being told that diversity is our strength. And I challenge that because we know that a house divided against itself cannot stand. I know that. I think most of you know that. We know that unity is the goal and unity is hard work. The purpose of this flag policy was to create a level playing field so that the new board coming forward would be able to really concentrate and focus on the budget, on the hard choices that have to be made, on supporting the teachers, on

228seeing the the scholastic achievement be raised and to cut the budget. Man, that's a tough one. You've all talked about it or some many of you have talked about it. The purpose of the flag was simply to bring all of our students under the most inclusive flag in the world because that's where our liberty, our true liberty and our freedom come from. And that's all that it was meant to do. It was never meant to hurt anybody. And the policy the policy probably will be revised. And I think that it was really I think it's marvelous that you all came out to tell us what you think because that's what the board needs. The board needs support. Thank you for listening. Thank you, Mrs. Shop. Who do we have after Clinton name? Um, we have

229John K and he's the last in room person to speak. Thank you. Well, good evening. Uh, let me start with saying I'm a proud alumni of this school district. I graduated in 2011. I'm very proud of that. It wouldn't have made me I I was made the person I am today because of this great school district. I just want everyone to know that. But I am deeply disappointed by the board's recent actions regarding the proposed flag policy. Limiting the display of flags to only the American flag and the Wisconsin flag with permission is not only a poorly written and short-sighted policy. It's a deliberate attempt to silence the visibility and expression within our schools. Let's be clear, this policy stems from the discomfort with the progress pride flag. The board's president comparison of that flag

230to the Confederate flag in a prior committee meeting was offensive and unacceptable. That comparison diminishes the harm of a symbol rooted in hate while mischaracterizing a symbol that represents inclusion, safety, and support for LGBTQ plus students. This policy would also ban foreign language flags and sports flags, further underscoring how out of touch and overreaching this measure is. It is a solution in search of a problem and it sends a message that welcoming and affirming environments are not a priority for this school district and the school board. What's equally troubling is the process. Suspending readings and fast-tracking this vote is the kind of political theater I'd see up in Madison during my day job as a state representative. I didn't expect to see it here in Bo. The lack of transparency and deliberation is a disservice

231to the community and to the students you were elected to serve. Instead of focusing on divisive and performative policies, I urge the board to redirect its energy towards real things that are facing our kids. Academic achievement, which I hear all of you claim that you care about, equitable resources, and the success of every student, no matter who they are. I love this community and I'm proud to be a graduate of the boy public school system. I urge you all to do the right thing, reject this policy, and actually work on real issues that are facing our students. Thank you. Thank you. John K is next. But before John K steps up, I would like to take the um moment to make a point of clarity at the policy committee meeting. I did not compare the

232Confederate flag to the LGBT pride flag. I gave an example of when my son was young and he questioned me about why I was not upset when I saw the Confederate flag on private property and I explained to him that that is that person's individual right to fly the flag they want. I am upset when I see the Confederate flag on government property. I did not make any such comparison, nor anybody in here that really knows me knows I would never do such a thing. Thank you, John K. Hey, how's it going? Not much of a public speaker. U give it a go. John K, excuse me. Uh, we need to go for another half hour, please. I can make it fast. No, no, no. We We have to entertain a motion. I trust me,

233I want to. You can you make it one minute or less? John K, I can't do it in one minute. Oh, yeah, I can. Here you go. Um, hey, I just wanted to I appreciate you guys taking the time to to listen to me today. Um, I know you guys are busy. It's late, tired. Um, so some of you, some of you guys I know, some of you I don't. Um, I come here today representing Bloiters for Students, uh, nonpartisan organization, uh, representing part of the referendum. Uh, I just wanted to come here and say it's imperative that you guys put a referendum forward sooner rather than later. You know, we're ready to go. We're putting committees together. You know, we have some really good momentum going into this. Um, we're putting a lot of

234work towards it and it's really important. It's also imperative that you make it transparent where the money is going to. I think that's probably what I've heard most people's complaints. Um, two weeks ago when the referendum failed, we learned that we would have major cuts to our district that inevitably will make it harder for our students and harder for our teachers and staff. Um, and they deserve to be served in the correct way. Um, so that's why I really want that you guys to to put that forward. Last last year we lost by 20%. This year we almost won, you know. So, and that's a direct direct correlation with the efforts that our our committee and you guys, you know, frankly, put together. Um, and I think that if we can do it again, I

235think we can get it to pass, which would help our students and help our our staff. Um, we have a lot of positive posit positive momentum and are ready to give help give our students, our staff and our educators the best education like I had when I got I went to Bullet Memorial High School. You know, I had some awesome people and these kids deserve what what I got and what every a lot of people who've graduated from there got when they went there. So, they saved the best for last. Um, so I'm going to I I don't know if I made it in under a minute. It was close. Thank you, John K. I will entertain a motion to extend the meeting. So moved. Second. Motion by Megan Miller, seconded by Brian Nichols. Any

236discussion? Hearing or seeing none. All in favor? I I. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Mrs. shop. Um, any emailed public comments? Yes, I have probably about 10. Thank you. Would you please before you read each one read um the name of whom it's from and um remember each one gets three minutes as well. Yes. Thank you. Yes. Okay. So, the first one, excuse me, is from Joan. He says, "Dear members of the Bo School Board, I am writing to express my concerns following the failure of a third referendum. This situation is about more than just votes. It's about our community's trust and what comes next. We need leadership, transparency, and unity. It's essential for the board to come together and focus on our students rather than engaging in division. Every failed referendum impacts the trust

237between the community and the board. How can we move forward? What steps will you take to ensure the public is informed and included in these crucial discussions? The future of our schools requires action and collaboration. Our community and our children are watching. Let's show them we can work together for their benefit. I believe can do this and I believe you can too. The next one is from Jenny. The thing that needs to be discussed at board meetings is how to overcome the incredible financial challenge of not passing the referendum instead of wasting time on a petty right-wing wish list that will harm our most vulnerable students or on chasing a personal vendetta with the parliamentarian. These policy changes were rushed through, poorly written, posted late, and absolutely do our school children more harm than good.

238Shame on you. Boet schools need to be a safe haven for LGBTQ plus students and for non-Christian and Christian students alike. Religious recruitment does not belong in public schools. Intolerance for differing genders and sexual orientations does not belong in public schools. And the board member who is pushing these policy changes through does not belong in public schools. Thank you for taking my comment. The next one is from John. The gay pride flag represents a small group of people with a perverted viewpoint making very poor life choices. Public schools should present the best choices to our excuse me choices to our children. The school board should not be afraid of offending the gay group rather but rather be afraid of offending the vast majority of ci citizens that have common sense. Thank you for this opportunity

239to speak out. The next one is from Kelly Board of Education. We recently learned that all elementary assistant principal positions will be eliminated for the 2526 school year. We strongly believe that having an assistant principal in each of the elementary schools is vital to maintaining the highquality educational environment that our children need and deserve. Mr. Clut is instrumental to the functioning of Converse Elementary School. He plays an essential role in supporting both teachers and students every day. He provides instructional leadership, manages student behaviors and discipline, and fosters a positive school environment by collaborating with staff, parents, and community. His presence at Converse ensures that there is always someone available to step in, offer guidance, and ensure that both students and staff are supported in their needs. Eliminating the assistant principal positions will result in a

240decrease in support for teachers and students. This will negatively impact the overall educational experience at Converse Elementary School. The community and teaching staff have been clear that improving behaviors and learning outcomes needs to be the priority of the school district of boy. By eliminating the elementary assistant principal positions, the school district of boy is telling the community that their priorities are not valid or important. Please ensure that when determining which positions will be eliminated, we are asking the question, does the position directly work with students daily? If the answer to that question is no, those are the positions that should be looked at for elimination. Do not eliminate positions that directly impact and support students on a daily basis. Thank you for your time and consideration. And it was signed by actually by several teachers

241at um Converse, Kelly, Janine, Amy, Nicole, Jen, and Tammy. The next one is from Caitlyn. Dear fellow Bloy alumni, past and present, as an alum of Blo Memorial High School, I'm reaching out because I feel compelled to have my voice heard on a matter that deeply concerns me. I want to get right to the point. What is truly being achieved by dedicating so much energy to banning the pride flag? Are we allowing ourselves to be swept into divisive culture wars that serve only to fraction our communities? We are better than that. Like many young people, I faced challenges in high school, navigating trauma, identity, and the complexities of youth. What helped me through were the incredible teachers and fellow students who created a supportive and inclusive environment. The diversity within our school community was and

242continues to be one of our greatest strengths. My class recently had our 20th reunion. A common thread in all of our conversations was deep gratitude for the diversity we experienced and a shared sense that Blo was truly special because of it. We need to embrace our strength. I ask you, why not continue supporting every student as they try to find their way in an already confusing world? Why not offer our young people the support and encouragement we were afforded at that age? When we remove symbols of inclusion like the pride flag, the message, intentional or not, is that certain identities are not welcome or worthy of celebration. That message is harmful, especially to young people who are still learning to accept themselves. Banning the pride flag does not protect anyone. It sends a message that

243some of us are not worthy of recognition or respect. That message is not only contrary to the deeply held American value of freedom of speech. It's hateful. More than that, it's performative. It accomplishes nothing positive. How embarrassing for us to fall into this culture war trap. Those of you in leadership hold a position of privilege and responsibility. I urge you to use that position to advocate for all our youth. Advocate for Blo. Choose inclusion. Choose compassion. We are better than this. I urge you to reflect on the values we uphold and the kind of community we want to foster at BMHS. If a pride flag is that triggering for you, maybe you need to do some reflecting on why another person's liberty and lifestyle is even any of your business. Let's be a place where

244all students feel seen, supported, and valued. Make the right decision. The next one is from Andrea. Good evening. I'm writing as a parent, a supporter of all our children, and a member of Bloiters for Students. In the last few years, I've been involved in the meetings about our deficits, our needs, and our district's future. I continue to be hopeful that we as a community will come together and make the best decisions for our students and our community. In the last few months, during my engagement with the community, I've witnessed support that has made me excited. and I know that we have momentum that you as our board cannot allow to lapse. It's my request that you immediately move to approve a referendum for the 2026 spring ballot so we can continue our work and build

245the community that we know is here for our students. It is time for all of us to come together and focus on the only things that matter, our students, educators, and moving forward. It is time that we all figure out how to fulfill our district's mission and vision to provide our children with the resources to ensure they are truly prepared to succeed in life and are able to contribute to our to an everchanging world. It is no longer acceptable to hold our children hostage and create anxiety for them as they plan their for their futures. It is no longer acceptable to allow our educators to silently take on more and suffer personally and professionally. As our board of education, you hold the key to start and the key to truly support this process. It is

246time for you as a collective and very important representation of this diverse con constituency to choose to work together and represent the whole as we move forward. There are many of us looking forward to partnering with you and supporting you and our school district of Boe family in this endeavor. Help us be bo together and bo proud by doing the right thing and take action now to p pursue a 2026 referendum. Respectfully, one of your many partners, Andrea. The next one is from Ryland. I am Ryland, a sophomore, and I am asking I am writing to ask the board to pursue a 2026 referendum. My reason for the request is simple. I'm an involved student and I want to continue to be involved at the level I have had the opportunity to be so far

247in my educational career. I participate in advanced play placement courses. I'm a member of the jazz orchestra. I play both volleyball and today I cannot be in person with you because I will be at a softball game. I take every opportunity to be involved with the extra things that bo memorial has offered me as I build my college resume so that I can be competitive and pursue my goals. So far that is what this district has taught me to do and how to be bloit proud. I have heard the comments about students and our behavior on social media making it seem that we are undeserving of the money. Money doesn't solve problems was irritating. I know that budget cuts will happen and I want the board to know that the best support you can give

248us as students at this time is to pursue and fully support a referendum. Money will solve many problems including sustaining our AP opportunities, keeping our teachers, supporting our struggling peers and fixing our buildings. Some of our bathrooms are disgusting. Pursuing a referendum supports all of our students, supports our community as we are part of this community and many of us will return to Bo, work here and raise our own families. If we have a poor education system here, we will not likely return as it will be silly to raise our children in a gutted education system. Fight for us and with us. We need our extras. They are our outlets. They are our recreation and where we are learning time management, conf conflict resolution, self-discipline, and so much more. Please pursue the referendum because even

249at 15, I know that money does matter. If it didn't, we would all be if it didn't, would we all be arguing so much about it. Thank you for your time. The next one is from Tom and there's one person um yielding time. Board of Education, I am not able to be there in person tonight, but I still wanted to share these words with the board in the community. not to criticize or draw battle lines, but to speak from the perspective of someone who has been committed to public education and who still believes in what's possible when a board leads with courage, clarity, and conscience. You have seven seats in front of this community. And every student in this district, every unique, complicated, extraordinary one is depending on how you use them. When you took

250your oath of office, you didn't just inherit a position. You inherited every student, every single one, and the responsibility to serve them all. I believe in all seven of you. I've seen your intentions, your commitment, and your presence in this room and beyond. I'm a little old school in the belief that there really is no other option than to believe in the seven people who are serving at any given time. That doesn't mean always agreeing, and it certainly doesn't mean ignoring differences. It can mean sorting through misunderstandings or acknowledging the biases we all bring to the table. That belief isn't blind. It's rooted in hope, experience, and the understanding that leadership is hard, especially when the stakes are high. And still, I believe each of you has the capacity to lead with the clarity and

251courage this moment requires. Because our students are not interchangeable, they are not just data points. They are shaped by so many things. their families, their friendships, their neighborhoods, their teachers, the things they've ha had had to overcome, the adults who show up for them, and the ones who don't. They are also shaped by school boards and by how the winds blow across their educational journey. Whether steady or stormy, those winds leave a mark, and they are paying attention to you. If you ever want a reminder of who you are serving and the weight of their uniqueness, sit in a classroom. Don't focus on the lesson plan. Watch the students, the quiet one writing, the animated one leading, the one who's struggling but still showing up. The ones who you represent in Bo, whether it's elementary,

252middle, or bo memorial, there's a place for every student, a friend, a teacher, a reason to keep showing up. That's not wishful thinking. That's a truth so many have witnessed. Families come here because they've seen what it means to learn beside people with different histories, languages, lived experiences, and ways of seeing the world. In my opinion, that perspective alone puts Bo students ahead because they walk into the world prepared, not just academically, but socially and emotionally to connect, collaborate, and contribute in ways that some peers who've been sheltered from difference simply cannot. Too often, boardrooms spend hours debating budgets, contracts, and grievances and never talk to students. And while we haven't been immune in recent decades from controversies that are often contrived and waste so much time from really focusing on what matters, I can

253tell you one thing honestly. While I love the idea of riding a motorcycle through Kettle Marine, hiking on hiking the trails or admiring the scenery, I cannot hear the name Kettle Marine without immediately thinking about a reputation of division, small thinking, and the ignorant fake politicized of politic politic politicization of non-issues in their in their schools. I do not want to see a beloved district in our community fall prey to the political populism of the day. Bloyd is better than that. Last week's polity decision rushed through without a full committee marked a real shift. I don't believe anyone intended harm, but I do believe the process left out the very voices that give policy strength. The flag policy blurred the line between government speech and classroom expression. And yes, it's likely unconstitutional. Complexity isn't a

254problem. Isn't Identity isn't a threat. Dignity is not negotiable. Erasing what makes students fe feel seen. Erasing what makes students feel seen will never make anyone safer. And silence when it comes to belonging is rarely neutral. This board still has time to to choose something better. And I believe you will because the students are not divided. They are paying attention to you and they're counting on you. Let it build us. The next one is from Garrett. Dear board members, actually, I apologize. It's from Ashley. The email address says Garrett. Dear board members, my name is Ashley. I wrote to you guys in the beginning of the school year, and unfortunately, here we are again with the same issue at hand. Getting rid of assistant principles is not going to fix the issues at hand. Assistant

255principles help with many things and getting rid of them will only increase principal workload. Reduce support for our students, teachers and other staff members. There are 10 assistant principles in the school district of boy. Jason Wilhelm, Benji Klet, Shamari Moore, Regina Mallister, Jennifer Pepky, Stephanie Ford, Samm Bertling, Ursula Ethridge, Christopher Whitney, and Brian Lindine. These 10 individuals are more than assistant principles. They are students safe place. Some students may not have a great at home life and may look forward to seeing their assistant principal every day. Imagine what taking them away will do. You expect a principal to handle the emotional toll that will le that will leave on a student. I'll give you a small example. Ryan Stangle is now principal at Fuszen Middle School. He was Converse Elementary for years, but 2023 2024

256he was the assistant principal and many other things. I am sure most of you all know my son who was a student at Converse. Aiden Hansen was killed September 2023. Mr. Stangle was more than an assistant principal that entire year. He was not only a source of support for the students and staff, but us, Aiden's family in and outside of school. Each and every assistant principal I listed is more than their title. Taking them away will not fix your issues at hand. It will increase them. For a school district to fun to function effectively and support student succeed success, it needs a combination of many resources, policies, and practices. This includes quality instruction, positive learning environments, and addressing students social emotions and behavioral needs. Take assistant principles, counselors, and anyone else that is at risk

257of losing their titles will cause mayhem in each and every school. Some children cannot afford counselors. They get them at school, but taking them away is going to help them in which way. These individuals all have different titles, but they all want the same thing. For each and every student to be successful, you voting to take these very important people away is not in the best interest of our students. These individuals wake up every day, no matter what, to give our students what's needed to succeed. Taking them away is going to increase the workload to each principal, the teachers, etc. It's going to take resources away from our students who need them. If you truly have our students best interest at heart, then please reconsider this. These individuals are very much needed. Thank you for

258taking the time once again to read and hear what I have to say. Next, I have one from Willow. My name is Willow. I've been a homeowner in Bo for four years as of this April. I got my degree in political science from Bo College and I received my master's degree in educational leadership and policy analysis with an emphasis on support for disabled students from WMadison. I want to share that I was heartbroken when the school referendum did not pass during the spring election. However, I will be looking forward to see what needs to be done to support our students and support the next referendum as well. Additionally, I want to add that I think the adjustment to the flag policy is at its center silly and poor usage of the board's time. The community

259of Boy is looking to all of you to make sound, rational, and compassionate decisions about our beloved schools. Please avoid stirring up the community with these sorts of frivolous updates in the future. Warmly, Willow. The next one is from Ally. Good evening. So, here we are in the year 2025 at the SDB board meeting and we once again have nonsense on the docket. Let's be real up in here. Are we actually this concerned about checks checks notes, flying flags? Hearing our board president say the gay her misnomer pride flag is in any way tantamount to the confederate flag is disgusting. I struggle to grasp how anyone could make that conflation. Like seriously, that's not even a thing. We as a district legally have the right to fly the flags that represent us as a community.

260And check it out. The district can and should support and fly all the flags of marginalized folks during their respective months of recognition. It's not in any way decisive. It's supportive as it should be. There's zero reason not to literally none except veiled bigotry. The idea that flying a flag for those who are marginalized, whether it's the pride flag, the Junth flag, the women's history flag, the Hispanic heritage flag, etc., is in any way excluding anyone in our community is absurd. Do all of those flags represent me personally? No. However, recognizing that we have a whole lot of unique and wonderful people in this melting pot that is Bloit that deserve recognition and supports from the district and community as a whole seems pretty simple. And P.S. not a single Nazi or Confederate sympathizer deserves

261that recognition or those supports. And I cannot believe that I have to say that ridiculousness out loud or in a text or any elected person could imply that they are remotely the same or deserve the same platform in our district. Now, on to the other policy nonsense. No church or religious organization should be up in our schools. Period. Point blank. I don't care what people want to believe as far as faith goes. And if students feel the need to meet on that in their own time, so be it. However, there is zero space for those organizations to be in our public schools. If you want that, send your children to a parochial school and or serve on their boards. The school district of Bo is not that place. I hope you understand if the board

262goes forward with this that it is unconstitutional in the moment a religious organization is present at either of my children's school or any SDB events lawsuits can and will happen. There's a reason for the separation of church and state. It's absolutely farical to submit I'm sorry to suggest any religious organization can present in our district for any reason. Are you comfortable with the satanic temple coming to our events? Who chooses which religions are allowed? The answer is nobody because none of them should ever be present at any event in this district. I'd much rather the board be spending time actually working on the issues that are affecting our students and staff on the daily. There's a lot of work to be done and wasting time on either of these laughable policy changes proposals are is

263preposterous. In closing, I will not idly stand by and allow certain board members to try to exclude our or closet our marginalized people or push the religious agenda on this community. If any board member is so shortsighted to believe simply supporting marginalized folks with a flag is actually hurting or excluding anyone or that any religious organization deserves a presence or ability to recruit students in this district, I suggest you resign immediately. Seriously, do better, y'all. And then I have one that did not get printed. Sorry. Bear with me quickly. Um, this letter is from members of the Converse Elementary staff. Dear elected members of the school district of Bo School Board, we members of the community, I'm sorry, we members of Converse Elementary staff urge you to not only hear us, but take action based

264on the words you hear. No one wants to lose a job or be unemployed because of budget cuts. However, there are positions being recommended to cut that directly impact student and staff as well. Student and staff well-being every single day. Positions such as elementary assistant principles, counselors, social workers, and school psychologists whose day-to-day work is irreplaceable and invaluable should not even be considered. The health and well-being of our student today is not the same as it was even 10 years ago. Every day, the people in these positions provide students with a safe space to heal, share concerns, and talk out sometimes tragic events that no young person should have to face. These positions allow students to face their days with hope and security. If not the it's not only the positions, but the people who

265we have in these positions that support our students as well as staff. Imagine being an elementary classroom teacher with 25 plus students every single day. Imagine that out of these 25 plus students, three of these students are not able to manage their anger. So every seemingly small redirection sets a spiral of negative behaviors. In addition to those three students, imagine four additional students who have not yet learned how to manage all the energy such as such a young one contains and therefore consistently needs reminders to stay focused on task and even seated for a readaloud. Imagine now an additional four students are struggling to understand the content you are teaching and need extra scaffolding to access the material. Imagine now those 14 students with very different needs, very different temperaments, very different self-control needs you

266all at the exact same time. Imagine your child in a classroom that has to stop learning because your child's teacher is not only trying to teach content, she's teaching anger management, body control, self-confidence, and so much more. The elementary assistant principles, the social worker, the school psychologist, the counselor, their presence is vital to our students and teachers success. Their roles ease the extraordinary load that today's teachers carry. As amazing as our district teachers are, they cannot teach alone. It simply cannot be done the way it used to back in your day. The those days are gone. As elected members of the school board, we urge you to look for those cuts elsewhere. Look to the positions that do not have direct student contact every day. As we stated, we don't want anyone to lose their

267job. But if cuts need to be made, consider cutting those that do not directly impact student and staff health and safety. Have you considered how you will support the students and staff if you vote to cut AP, school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers? How about spending a day in a classroom to experience what you would be taking away if you approve the cuts of positions that have day-to-day contact with students? with hope and determination. The staff at Converse Elementary, Elena, Nicole, Steven, Lisa, Lori, Jennifer, Sherry, Antonio, Ginger, Lisa, Cheryl, Diane, Bridget, Jessica, Jodie, Santiago, Dolce, Robin, and Mora. And that concludes all of the public comment. Thank you, Mrs. Sch. Oh, I'm so sorry. I had submitted a public comment that I was asked to read from the podium. Am I still allowed

268to do that? Yes. Go ahead. Thank you. This is actually an email that I sent to a colleague with respect to how our policy committee and scheduling is being run. Policy chair Nichols, I'm reaching out to express my concern for the way you are scheduling our policy committee meetings. It is my understanding that weeks prior to the April meeting, Dr. Garrison asked if you are interested in pushing the policy meeting back one week to accommodate spring break and you declined. Then at the last minute, you rescheduled the April meeting because you had new policies that you wanted to add to the agenda. Vinnie was actually rescheduled twice. As I'm writing this email, I have no idea when the next meeting is or what is on the agenda. This behavior is disrespectful. Committee members deserve to

269know in advance when meetings are occurring and what is on the agenda. so that we can properly prepare. Our community deserves professional and predictable leadership. This email was sent on April 8th last week and unfortunately I still have not received a response. Board President, we're at another half hour time over time. Thank you. I will entertain a motion to extend. I'll second motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Megan Miller. Any discussion hearing? And seeing none, all in favor? I I I I I. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. And with that, let's take a five minute recess and stretch our legs and just stretch. So, no special meetings. Okay. Okay. Okay. If everyone is just about ready. In the um interest of time, I would entertain a motion to uh remove items 5A and B and

2706 A and B. Uh we will bring those back at the next um meeting if that works with Dr. Garrison's and the cabinet's schedule. That that'll be fine for me. Can you repeat those ones again? 5 A 5 B 6 A 6 B I'll move to table items five A and B and items 6A and 6B until another time. Thank you. We have a motion by Anderson, a second by Brian Nichols. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? Oh, I'm sorry. My hand was raised. If we could just add that date, which I believe that would put us at May 6th, so it doesn't fall through the cracks, that'd be great. I accept that friendly amendment and I'll second that friendly amendment. Could I go ahead? I have a question on uh 6A. Is Mel

271people here and ready to go forward? Actually, actually they're not right now. Okay. Thank you. I didn't want to spin their wheels if they're here ready to go. Thank you. All in favor of the amendment of uh adding May 6. I I I I. Any opposed? All in favor of the uh motion to table? I I I I I motion motions carry unanimously. That brings us to item seven. Um, oh, I'm um remember we moved during the agenda, we moved the we we all agreed to move the consent agenda to after public comment. That brings us to the consent agenda. I'm so sorry, board president. We we still need to handle five C as in cat. That wasn't included in the motion. Um that's correct. At the approval of the agenda, I believe you were

272the one that moved or suggested to move seven after public comment. I I did and Oh. Oh, you did? Okay. I'm sorry. No problem. I knew what somebody moved uh the consent agenda to after public comment. And we are now after public comment. So the that one that will come after the consent agenda. On the consent agenda, typically there is no separate discussion of the items unless a board member so requests in which time in which event the items will be removed from the general order of business and considered in their normal sequence on the agenda. Are there any items board members would like to see removed? Um, Brian Nichols, your hand is up. Yes. I'd like to uh remove item P 323.3 displaying of flags. Um, Amy Levy, your hand is up. All right.

273I'm going to need some help here. Um I I initially would like to remove items G through I and K through X, but we can omit P um because my colleague just has to asked to have that removed. So again, my request is items G through I and K through Q. Yeah, I'll second. Okay. Any other requests to have items removed? Okay. I will entertain a motion then for approval of items A, B, C, D, E, F, J. That's it. Point of clarification. Um the committee noted um on the Chromebook purchase that it's 30 per school and so I did change the motion to reflect that. So it's 150 Chromebooks, 30 for each of the five elementary schools as was requested by the committee that met earlier this evening. So I just wanted to make

274sure people saw that and understood that. Okay. So the comm the committee moved approval of that change and and moved it forward. It was just a clarification. It it made the motion clearer. Thank you. Does anyone have any questions on that? Okay, then I will Oh, I'm so my hand is raised. Go ahead. Um that had no impact on the price. Correct. That was just a clarification of the number. Thank you so much. Uh, Mr. Henkins, I guess I should have asked this earlier. Um, insurance on these, I mean, I I I only reason I asked is cuz mine cracked and it told me that it's probably still under warranty. Now, these new ones, do we pay for insurance on this or is that included in that price that you're quoting or how does that

275work? Would you like this to be removed for a dis to discuss? Sure. Um [Applause] comment. Yes. Not sure. Um, okay. So, I will entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda of items A, B, C, D, E, and J. So move. Second. We have a motion by Amy Levy, seconded by Brian Nichols. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? I I I I I I. Motion passes unanimously. That brings us to item 7F, the Chromebook purchase using common school funds. Mr. Henkins. Uh just a point of clarification. And I know we went back through the language that I had. So we're talking about yeah the 150 uh but I guess it leads me into another I know we talked I know we have an IT department and I just wanted to know in insurance

276on this is that inherit in that price or so in the second attachment after there's a slide deck and then there's a second attachment it talks about the five-year warranty. Okay. Is that I'm sorry Teresa. Is that included then? Yes. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions on item F. Hearing none, I will entertain a motion for the approval of the Chromebook purchase using common school funds with the noted um corrections. So moved. Second. Motion by Greg Schneider, seconded by Megan Miller. Any discussion? Brian Nichols, is your hand up. Oh, I'm sorry. No, no, no problem. Um, any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? I I I I. Any oppose? Motion carries unanimously. The next item is item G, policy 881.1, district booster clubs. Mrs. Levy, thank you so much. So, just a few questions. Um,

277at the end of the second paragraph, it states that uh the booster club must follow all district all school district of boy policies as well as the following. Um, I I am just proposing it. it seems kind of burdenous and and and overdone to ask that they comply with all policies. I think it would make more sense to app to adhere to the policies that govern the work that they are doing. Um so I would recommend that we just simply say at the end of that sentence must adhere to the following and then go into the list of one through four. Now, when you talk about the list of one through four, number one says the state of Wisconsin booster club, um it's a live link there. I'm not sure if there is a state

278of Wisconsin booster club, but if you click on that link, it takes you to Parent Booster USA. I have no reason to believe that that's sanctioned by the state of Wisconsin. Um I'm not sure what credentials this organization has. Um and and again if they have any link to the state of Wisconsin. So if someone uh could provide clarity for that. Um I have a couple other points. Do you want to take them one at a time? Do you want me to run through all of them and we circle back? Uh I'm fine with whatever is easiest. I can ask some of the questions. Um I can answer your first question and we can kind of go from there. Miss Lee. Sure. So that parent booster USA is commonly used um in other booster clubs.

279It's not necessarily a u Wisconsin sanctioned um um booster space per se. Um but it is some something that's commonly used by other booster clubs. Okay. then I'm not comfortable with referring to referring to it as the state of Wisconsin booster club. And then it's also referenced at the end as Wisconsin booster club guidelines that take you back to the the booster parent booster USA. Um, so again, and I understand that other organizations may be using them, but if we're going to consider referencing them, do do we have any reason to do that, are there any credentials that would have us following their guidance? Yes, this is a common practice. Again, I use common practice very openly there. Um, it gives us guidelines and how we should operate just booster clubs in general and and

280it's again just commonly used. Uh, Mr. Grass was here earlier naturally. Um, unfortunately he he had to step away. I did ask him to jump back online to answer more of these questions, Mrs. Levy. Um, but that's the best I can answer them for right now. Okay. So, unless anyone objects, I would like for us to call it what it calls itself, which is Parent Booster USA, since unless I'm missing something, there's no evidence that it's sanctioned by the state of Wisconsin. Um so again if no one has if there are objections let me know but if not I would like that live link changed to booster parent booster USA and then also the cross reference at the bottom of the policy. Um my next concern is Miss Ley can you give me one second

281please? Yeah absolutely. I think he's online but trying to get into the the meeting. So give me a second. Is it okay if I move forward and then we come back or you want us to wait? Oh you get me before. I'll just let you know. trying to get them into the meeting. I just got let in. Okay. Thank you. Sorry. Hi, Mr. Gotz. I'll just repeat my question. Um, I am concerned that Parent Booster USA, one, I'm not certain of their credentials and why we are using their guidance. And two, I'm not sure why they are listed in the live link of the policy as state of Wisconsin booster club when that does not seem to be their name or how they are identified. Sure. So I'll share just generally say uh Parabooster USA

282is a national organization uh created by a legal team uh to support entities such as this um over 6,000 uh boosters uh subscribed to using that as well as all 50 states to make sure that there are clear and concise guidelines provided for boosters uh in situations such as ours where we're just trying to create some sustainability and transparency. um that piece uh if if that is the holdup as it potentially seems to be uh we can make an adjustment for that piece to come out that still does not change the fact that we need to have a 501c3 which then we need to have a board we need to have um you know transparent finances and things like that has seemed to be the holdup uh for the last few months of this. So,

283I I am okay with making adjustments to that if that is uh what it takes to get this where it needs to be. Yeah, I don't think that was necessarily the holdup, but I just would like it edited. So, instead of referring to this entity as state of Wisconsin booster club, which it is not, that we appropriately label it as parent booster USA. Um, my next concern comes in number three. Um, number three for though anyone who doesn't have it in front of you says have a a CPA, bank or financial specialist manage financial statements slashtax filings and be able to provide applicable documentation. So, a couple concerns there. The first is what does it mean to manage financial statements? Does that just mean to receive them, to collect them? Um, and is it necessary

284for a CPA or a bank or financial specialist to collect your financial records? Um, as Miss Deianne noted, these are volunteers. So, for example, if your booster club has a treasurer, this policy would not allow for the treasurer of the booster club to manage financial statements. And then the other concern that I'm having with number three is the vagueness and be able to provide applicable documentation that does not that's different than providing applicable um information. and who exactly does that go to and who determines if that is acceptable or not? Yeah. So, the intent there is to essentially make sure that we're filing our taxes legally uh yeartoyear. Uh as a 501c3, there are mandates to being able to do that. Um and so that is the initial intent in doing that. Uh we also

285want to make sure that uh as this group is operating as part of a public entity while separate they are operating on our grounds they are utilizing our facilities. We want to make sure that those um that there is transparency in the finances and that we're able to provide that information if requested uh from a public record. Um again this is all in an effort to be as transparent as possible. There are concerns from many community members about where a lot of this money is going. Um, and so I want to be able to if if needed be able to provide that information. That's what those uh tax filings would allow us to do. Actually, I didn't reference the tax filing. I'm happy to repeat my question. Um, to manage financial statements. So, my question

286again is what does it mean to manage financial statements? Does that mean to collect them, to hold on to them? And it seems to me, unless you're looking at this differently, that that is something that a booster treasurer would be taxed with. But under, no pun intended, but under this policy, managing financial statements, whatever that entails, would need to be done by a CPA, a bank, or a financial specialist. So, in many cases in volunteer organizations, that may preclude the treasurer from doing that. And then again, I'm concerned about the vagueness. Be able to provide applicable documentation. That is very different than providing applicable documentation. And who are they providing that to? And again, I'm not referring to taxes. So I'm sure. And again, let me I can start Dan, I'm sorry. Let me just

287jump in real quick. So your question is about who who who are the financial two just give me two questions. Number one, what does it mean to manage financial statements? Okay, we let's answer from a lay term. I would think if I'm the treasurer of the booster club, that means I get the financial statements, I present them at the meeting like that. That's what I'm thinking of is managing statements. So unless the author of this policy is envisioning something else. This policy is precluding a booster treasurer from doing that. It's saying that has to be done by a CPA, uh, certified public accountant, a bank or a financial specialist. So that makes me believe there's something that I'm missing. And I'm asking what that something is. Okay. So the heart of this part right here

288is so that we can ask the booster clubs for proper documentation of the financial statements. That's the that's what number three is actually aiming to do. Now I know there's I'm hearing you say that there's some disagreement and the the way it's worded. Um, but the heart of number three is so that we can make sure that when there are financial statements being when there's money being transferred and or money being used, if we was to ask for it, then that this this number three allow us to get the accurate information. Okay, that's not what number three says. Um, so I think maybe some rewarding of that could get number because that sounds wholly reasonable. That is not currently what number three says. And then it ends with and which is my second question be

289able to provide applicable documentation. So let's say I'm in I'm the booster club and you say I want this financial information. I can say no. The policy says I need to be able to provide it. It doesn't say that I need to provide it. It doesn't say when I need to provide it and it doesn't say who I'm providing it to. So I'm wondering why that clarity isn't included in the policy. Mr. Grass, you can answer that second part of as it pertains to be able to provide applicable documentation. Yeah, I mean to word smmith that we can easily uh make a change to that piece where it says something to be able to provide and at the request of again plenty of options to make that exactly what it is. The intent of three

290is to make sure that if people ask for where the money is going that those things are provided in a timely manner. Um this this commun this booster clubs ultimately serve the community and serve our students. Um right now that is something that is again of a of a significant concern uh brought to me by many different people brought to many board members as well from what I've gathered. So that's really our intent. We can change that wording and get it however we need to get it. to make sure that it hits that hits that um those parameters. So this is part of my concern. Policy needs to be precise and passing vague policies is not helpful. So when do you envision that word smithing that language changing to happen? Are we doing that right

291now? Um because as this is listed, the proposal which still needs a motion from the floor this evening is to wave first reading and this would be final. So when do you envision that word smithing happening? It sounds as though you might have a good idea of what that could sound like based on I think what we're asking. So it could literally happen now. We can go back, this can be first reading, we can come back to it. Um, again, input, making it right, getting it u clear and concise is is important, I think, both to both of us. So, I want to make sure that um that we have it right before we ask our booster clubs to follow it. Yeah, I don't have an idea of how that should read, but I definitely

292think that it needs to be clear. So if we can put a pin in that. Um my next concern is um if we move to four nor no organizational bylaw changes if the booster club is and there are two conditions. One no longer operational or two no longer approved for operation with the school district of bo. My concern there is if they're no longer approved to work with the school district of boit, it's really not our concern what their bylaw says because we are se we have severed that connection at that point. If we circle back to one, they're no longer operational. We may find ourselves with a situation, I believe we have six booster clubs where in order for them to be operational, they need to make a change to their bylaws. and the

293way this current policy is written would proclude them from doing that. So, I'm just I'm wondering why that language was selected. Yeah, absolutely. So, that's a really big one. Um, a lot of times if we were to say, "Hey, booster club A, you're no longer able to work on you're not following these policies." However, uh, in your last m, you know, years of operation here on our campus, you've raised $20,000. and they say, "Hey, we're going to take that 20 $20,000, change the bylaws, be able to distribute that amongst ourselves, and that's the end of this uh this booster." Um, so we want to make sure that there's policy in place to make sure that ultimately the money raised for our students by our community uh is is given directly back to those students. And

294again, um, finding the language to make that happen is going to be important, absolutely necessary in this policy, finding the language to get it right. Um, I would invite you again to assist us with that. I So, I I'm in agreement with this statement that we do want the prophets to come back to us. Um, this is the way we decided to write it. I think it does capture what we're trying to get at. um we just don't want the profits of a said booster club that's no longer working with us to go back to whomever is in that booster club. It should come it should come back to us as it pertains to working with our students and and our athletics or whomever. Um so that's kind of what this this is this is

295a pretty big one here. Mrs. Ley, sorry. Well, and and in conjunction with that, th this policy does not state the desire you just listed. If we go back to number four, have written organizational bylaws stating that 100% of profits shall be issued directly to the group or groups the booster club is slash was supporting. there is no exclusivity in there that those groups or clubs have to have anything to do with the school district of bo. So again the way this policy is written unfortunately is not achieving any of the things that you're listing now that you want to be achieved. This just says that 100% of the money goes to uh the group or groups the booster club is or was supporting. But this policy says nothing about that group or club needs

296to be associated or contained within the school district of Bo. Before you uh you answer, Dr. Garrison, I will entertain a motion to extend the meeting 30 minutes. So moved. I'll second. Motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Megan Miller. All in favor? I I I. Any oppose? Motion carries unanimously. So to to to pick it back, the title of this is district booster clubs. So yeah. So when you your statement around this not going back to our district booster clubs, I'm I'm a little confused on that space. Let me attempt to bring some clarity. Not a guarantee, but attempt. This policy is absolutely the title is district booster clubs. This policy does not specify what groups or type of groups that booster clubs can support. So if they are sanctioned by the school district, that

297makes them a district booster club. But this just says that 100% of the profits needs to go to the group or groups the booster club is slash was supporting. That doesn't specify that that needs to the group needs to be associated or contained within the school district of Bo. Does that make sense? I'm I'm still I was linking the title speaks to I agree with that. Who needs to adhere to this? that has nothing to do with who who the entities that adhere to this policy are obligated to support. So again, the title is district booster clubs. So that's who falls under this policy, but there is no specification or restrictions on who district booster clubs can support. So it doesn't need to be the choir or the band. It could be a community organization

298that's not excluded in this policy. So again, if that is the intent you wanted to achieve, that is not currently being reached with the language that's in this policy. Should I continue? My my hope would be I think you have a lot of good points made. Um, I believe that I've gotten to know you, you have a lot of ties to this district in many different capacities, that you would also support the transparency that we're attempting to create with this policy. U, I am hoping uh, in presenting this to have this exact discussion. Uh but it I'm I'm concerned that you're more or less trying to rip it apart than be constructive and build it into something that could be adopted by our district uh to be positive for our students. So I just want

299to make sure that if that's the case, I I just want to I think I think you have some good ideas that I would like to hear of how we could shape the wording to make it fit what we're attempting to make it fit. Hey, Mr. Grats grants. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. Here's my concern and hopefully I'm illustrating this point. I have nothing but positive intent to support the students, staff, and community of boit. Um, so that was mildly off-putting. However, we're going to move forward. This is why you don't rush policies through committee. This is the work should ha that should happen at the committee level. This is why you don't cancel policy committee meetings at the last minute and then reschedule them twice and when the policy comes before

300the full board, it's vague. It does not achieve the thing that you have stated you want to achieve. So you may consider it ripping your polic the the policy apart. I consider it that this policy is not ready to be put before the full board. Um, I'll continue. Donations over 1,000 should be submitted to the director of athletics and activities to be brought to the board of education by the superintendent. I'm not sure if the author or authors of this policy are aware that this clause assumes that the donation is to the actually um if the full range of policies are approved tonight would be in direct contradiction of a policy that's also slated for donations over $100. So, I am a fan of consistency in policy. Since this is brand new, I would love

301for us to get it right. So, just wanting some feedback. Is the dollar amount we're looking for 1,000 or is it the 100? And if it is the 1,000 which is included in this policy, is there a reason it's changed? And so, it would be a contradiction if the other appro policy on the docket is approved this evening. So, you're right about the that policy being as it was written at this time, of course, being the $1,000. If this changes to the $100, then we would have to go back and change this statement to say donations of over $100 should be submitted. Um, which again is correct what you're stating, Mrs. Lee. My other concern with this policy, well, well, and not even a concern, just a question. Um, it says that is proposed for

302a deletion. Um, the following list are requirements in the state of Wisconsin for all booster clubs. One, we've already covered this that the state of Wisconsin does not issue guidelines for booster clubs. So, I believe that you want to reference the parent booster USA. Um, and if yes, that should be edited. But I'm wondering why those six items are slated for deletion because I would think this is something that we want to have happen in the booster club policy. One, elect officers annually. Two, complete a donation form. Three, be aware of Title 9. Four, notify the athletics and activities office about special events. Um, five, not allow alcohol at events. And six, avoid supporting political activities, um, etc. So, those are things that I would think we would want in the policies. So, I'm wondering

303why they're up for deletion. Those are all things mainly red Go ahead. Sorry, Miss Gr. Go ahead. Uh, yeah. No, it's fine. mainly redundancy. Um all those things are uh a part of uh different pieces of the policy in different spaces. Uh so 501c3s can't support political candidates or have political viewpoints. Um that our school district policy doesn't allow for alcohol to be served at at uh school district employed athletic events. Uh things like that. So redundancy is the primary reason. I think it's only a redundancy if someone has all of those documents that you are referencing that the information is pulled from in in front of them. If I'm a lay person who wants to do right by the district and volunteer for me, it would be helpful to have those items that I

304think are very important provided right there in the policy. Mr. Schneider, your hand is up. Um, yeah, I guess as I read through the policy, you know, I looked at a number of the other things that, um, Mrs. Levy pointed out or board member Levy. Um but in the first paragraph it refers to opportunities for student athletes and the second to last paragraph crossed out athletes and put in extracurricular. So you have a contradiction as to which groups that this you know booster club policy adheres to. Um, you know, I believe the last one, the extracurricular is the appropriate one is that we do have booster clubs beyond the athletic department. Um, so that we would need to then change that first paragraph to reflect that. I understand that statement. Of course, all athletics are

305extracurriculars. Um, and so you're right, we could change that in the first paragraph as well. to reflect that, Mr. Snyder. Okay. Thank you. Any other uh Mr. Henkins? Excuse you. And going back to board member Levy's question got me thinking and and I've heard it said that we're talking about six groups. Um and there might be some were outside of that realm that probably aren't included in this. And I think that's what I think that's what I'm we want to could we name what the six groups are and do they have to register with the district if you are an approved member who falls under this guidelines beside besides Mrs. Evans was here uh representing that booster club but there's five more is that is that what I'm hearing there's six Dr. Garrison that's that

306or Mr. regrets. Okay. So, we're talking about we have we have six total and those are the ones we're under. This policy falls under, right? I mean, this is what we're looking at, these six. And do these six, they actively register with you or the athletic department to begin with? Correct. Correct. Okay. Are there other groups outside of that realm that uh fall into this category? But, you know, they're not really sanctioned by the district to your knowledge. Uh, to my knowledge, no. Um, I we're continuing to look into what all are out there. Um, these six that we've identified are the primary organizations that are tied to the high school. So, we could reach down into the middle school or elementaryaries to see if there would be other uh booster type groups um that

307we may need to identify and make sure are compliant with this as well. Okay. Thank you. Any other board questions? U Mrs. Levy. Oh, I I have done a lot and I just have a little bit left, but board member um Megan Miller was ahead of me. Thank you. I'm sorry. I did not see her hand. Mrs. Miller. Sure. And this isn't in the spirit of of shutting down any other things we have to contribute. I was just wondering if if there could be a suggestion made to it sounds like like lots of good ideas. Is this something where we could just maybe make a motion to send this back to the policy committee develop fully with to kind of reflect the spirit of the discussion. I'm just asking policy committee members if there's and

308and Mr. Gratz if there's an interest in that just so we can get it resolved. May May I go ahead? Thank thank you board member Miller. I I think my suggestion was we that we move this back to the policy committee meeting for May March the or May 6th 6th. The next one. Yes. The next one. I don't have my calendar up. May 6th. It's May 6th. May 6th. May 7th. May 7th. Okay. May 6 is a regular board meeting. So I would I would I would make a motion that we move this back. make a motion that we move policy um 881.1 district district booster clubs back to the policy committee for uh further discussion and clarification with Mr. Gratz's help. There is a motion to move this policy, the district booster clubs back

309to policy for clarification and further discussion with Mr. Gratz's help by Brian Nichols. Is there a second? Second. Motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Greg Schneider. Any discussion? I I do have one. Thank you so much. Um, just a question. I am in support of moving this back to policy, but I want us to be as productive as possible so we don't have to rip a policy apart again at a regular board meeting. Could you name those six booster clubs and just confirm that all of them had a chance to review this policy and any input that they wanted to provide that that has happened or if it has not happened please make them like please have that for the May I believe it's May 6 correct me if I'm wrong 7th thank you so

310much the May 7th policy meeting so that we can be productive so starting with could you name those so I can jot them down and then confirm that they have either received this policy and gave the feedback they want or they will have had an opportunity to do that by May 7th. Uh yes, absolutely. So we've we've met uh in person with each of the directors of the boosters uh identified to us um and also sent electronic communication twice uh first with the original then with the revisions uh that you see in front of you. uh the athletic booster, uh Deian Evans, uh Papa's um Incorporated, which supports our fine arts programs, um our football booster, our swim boosters, uh boys hockey, and girls hockey are the six. So, the band booster wasn't reached out

311to or isn't included, and I'm I'm sure there may be others. Are you aware of all the boosters? Yep. So, Papa's uh is in support of all of our fine arts programs. Thank you so much. We have a motion and a second. Mr. Henkins, do you have a question? Discussion still there. It's still discussion for um before we vote if you have a dis a question. Um I know there was discussion. I believe it was at policy level. uh the last time, not um about food trucks and this is probably off off of this policy, but uh the food trucks on school district property and I'm I don't know if this is going to be covered in this, but I think that needs to be addressed so it doesn't get out of hand. Thank you.

312Thank you. Any other discussion hearing? None. All in favor? I I I I. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. The next item is H the policy 345.4 promotion and retention. Miss Levy. Ley. Thank you so much. Um on page two of that policy under the header of fourth and eighth grade promotion requirements. Um, I'm looking at just after one, two, and three where it says the promotion decision process follows this order. If we can just jump down to number three, says if a student does not meet criteria one, then either criteria two, state assessment results, or criteria three, teaching/building administrator recommendation must be met for promotion. Um, and again, thank you for providing the act 20 fourth grade promotion guidance. That is not the case for fourth grade. I'm not sure where eighth grade stands. So,

313if someone could clarify that would be great. I am looking at the second page of the attachment act 24th grade promotion guidance um near half right above sp special circumstances. Number four, the school/district representatives recommend retention, but the parent/guardian does not consent. In this case, the student will be promoted to fourth grade regardless of other factors. So that means if if that's accurate, which I have no reason to believe that it's not, if we go back to the first place I referenced number three under fourth and eighth grade promotion, that is not accurate for fourth grade. I don't know if that's accurate or not for eighth grade because the act 20 guidance for 8th grade is not was not provided for us. So, if someone could pro provide clarification and we probably need to separate

314those out or to put a note that this does not apply for fourth grade promotion. Um, is there a preference? Um, right now this is really for third grade promotion. So, promotion to fourth grade, right? To fourth grade. Correct. Right. So, as the policy stands on that second page, the header says fourth and eighth grade promotion requirements. And the very last item before retention says if a student does not meet criteria 1, then either criteria 2 or criteria 3 must be met for promotion. That is not accurate for fourth grade promotion. if the information provided in the act 24th grade promotion guidance is accurate. So we either need to separate those out because that clause does not apply for both fourth and eighth grade promotion or we need to make a note so people are

315clear that there is a difference for fourth grade promotion. Does that make sense? It does. I think I mean I I can see the heart of what you're what you're trying to get at. We just want to make sure it's clear. That's all. So, no, the heart is it's currently inaccurate. Not just unclear. It's It's inaccurate. If the I'm sorry. No, no. It's This is for fourth grade, third grade to fourth grade promotion. Right. That's what correct. And the header says fourth and eighth grade promotion requirements. I don't know what the act 20 recommendations for eighth grade promotions are and they weren't provided. So, I'm going to assume the policy is accurate because I don't have any evidence to believe it's not. But I know it's not accurate if the information provided is correct for

316fourth grade promotion because even if the criteria are not met for fourth grade promotion, the act 20 guidance that was included says the parent can say no, thank you for your recommendation, but my child is going to fourth grade and that's the end of the discussion. That's not what the policy says currently. Well, it says fourth to fifth grade or 8th to 9th grade must meet at least one of the following criteria. Is that I'm not on the same spot you on? Uh I I don't know where you are, but I will show you where I am. I'm on page two. The second bolded header says fourth and eighth grade promotion requirements. Correct. And if you I'm sorry. Go ahead. You're okay. If you look at the last one, number three, right above retention, it

317says, so this is both for fourth and eighth grade promotion, correct? We can help. We can clarify for you. The floor is yours. First of all, Act 20 only goes up through third grade, just so you know. There were just Yeah, there's previous state statutes about fourth and eighth grade, and those still those statutes are still present. And so that's outside of the act 20. So our original promotional policy addressed fourth and eighth grade. That goes all the way back to No Child Left Behind legislature. It stayed on the books. Then they've added now act 20. So we've we've combined those policies to include the third to fourth grade act 20. Then we still have on the books the fourth to go to fifth, eighth to go to 9th. Perfect. Good. So third to fourth

318grade promotion is covered by act 20. Correct. Correct. And I'm paraphrasing, but the document that was provided says if there is a recommendation to retain my child in third grade and not promote my child to fourth grade, the parent has the final say. Yes. No, thank you. My child's going to fourth grade. Correct. That is not what is currently listed in the policy. Okay. On page two, under the header of fourth and eighth grade promotion requirements, it says if a student does not meet criteria 1, then either criteria 2 or criteria three must be met for promotion. That is not aligned with the act 20 guidance for fourth grade promotion. Sure. Yep. And so you're under um section two, which is talking about promotion. If you go to section three, which speaks about retention, the

319very last sentence of that paragraph says, "In the event that the school district representatives recommend retention, but the parent or guardian does not consent, the student will be promoted to the next grade level regardless of other factors." So that contradicts what comes before. How how should we fix that? So we were thinking like so for cases one, two, and three, we're going to say you didn't meet any of the criteria. Your child should not be promoted. That's where we end, right? And then on the parent end, they say, "Well, thank you. We don't agree with that. We're going to move you move our child on." And that's the section three of retention. So how do we make it clearer? Well, let me ask you a question. Okay. Okay. So the guidance for act 20 that

320was provided is that from when your child enters school up through fourth grade promotion or is it just the window of third grade to fourth grade promotion that then what we could possibly do is leave um where the where it says the promotion decision process follows this order. leave number three but include this does not apply to fourth grade promotion because it's under the header of fourth and eighth. So does that mean that any other promotion outside of fourth this is true? If that's accurate, we can just specify that point of clarification. If I may, I'm to clarify. Does the page two where it's talking fourth and eighth grade, that's fourth grade promotion to fifth grade and then se 8th grade to 9th grade. Whereas page one is third grade to fourth grade where the

321parent can say no thank you. So it's two different promotions. Correct. Yes. I think that what would solve the problem is just changing the guiding document to say third to fourth grade. So where board member Levy is looking not in policy at all. I'm talking about our guiding document that we provided. Right. But she's looking at policy and where she's looking at fourth to 8th grade. That's fourth graders being promoted to fifth grade, not the third graders being promoted to fourth grade. So those are two different fourth to fifth. Okay. See the way Excuse me. I'm sorry. It is 10:30. I will entertain a motion to extend the meeting 30 minutes. So moved. Second. Second. Oh, go ahead. Okay. Motion by Brian Nick Nicholls, seconded by Greg Schneider. Any discussion? All in favor? I I

322I I I Any oppose? No. Motion carries 6 to one. Yes, I was voting in the negative. Okay. So, this might be a case of Amy Joyce Levy is confused and no one else is because when I read fourth and eighth grade promotion, I'm thinking from third to fourth and from seventh to 8th. But you're saying that's not what that means. Okay, then we this might even be even simpler. We just say that that this is promotion from third to fourth and 8th to 9th because that way the act 20 guidance for fourth grade promotion which is third to fourth doesn't conflict with the policy. Okay. So I think we can clarify the guiding document to say third to fourth grade promotion which is not policy. So we can do that on our own. That's

323an administrative rig. We can then just change uh the fourth and eighth grade promotion requirements to say fourth to fifth and eighth to 9th grade. Yep. And it says it in the description right underneath the title. But to be clear, yeah, we can do that. Perfect. Thank you so much. You're welcome. And then a a suggestion that we neglected to do that we should and that is that the policy is goes into effect July 2025 because that's when um by state statute we needed to have it adopted by so then it'll go into effect in July for that next school year if we're okay with that. I don't know if someone has to vote for that. Okay. If we do I'd happy make a motion to amend and thank you for clarifying all the things.

324Yeah. Do we need the motion? Uh, board president. Um, yes, please. Cool. I move to amend. Hold on. I just lost the policy number. I move to amend policy. I move to um approve an amendment of 345.4 to just include that it goes into effect July 1, 2025. Um, before there's a second, are are you also going with the recommended language to wave first reading? Oh, so I mean I don't know that there's urgency to wave the first reading since it doesn't go into effect until July 1st. So I guess just to clarify, the intent of my motion was to move it forward for approval to next reading. So let me include that language with the amendment of including the July 1, 2025 effect date. Second. We have a motion by Amy Levy. I'm I'm

325excuse me. A motion by Megan Miller, seconded by Amy Levy. Michelle Schae, would you please read back the motion? Yes. I have move approval of the revisions of policy 345.4 promotion and retention with the amendment that the policy goes into effect July 1, 2025 for first reading. Thank you. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? I I I I I. Any oppose? Motion carries unanimously. The next up is K the policy 141.1 board officer. Actually, I is next. Oh, excuse me. Thank you. Um, next up is I policy 345.4 rule one promotion criteria. And actually, I think this will be very brief. The only reason I pulled them off together is a change was made in one, it may impact the other. Unless there are any objections, I'm completely fine with retiring this policy. Don't

326want to cut off dis. All right. Um I move retirement of policy 345.4 rule one promotion criteria. Second. Motion for approval of retirement of 345.4 rule one promotion criteria by Amy Levy, seconded by Brian Nichols. Any discussion? Point of clarification on the motion is that for first reading or waving first reading and moving to second read to final reading. Thank you for the question. Just for consistency since the first policy is going to second reading. I think it would make sense to do the same for this one. Okay. Thank you. Any other discussion hearing? None. All in favor? I I I I I Any oppose? Motion carries unanimously. Next item is item K policy 141.1 board officer elections. Amy Levy. All right. So the good news if we can answer one question I I think

327unless anyone objects we can lump KLM and N together. Um my one question is what is the rationale for eliminating the parliamentarian position? the purpose of eliminating the position. It's not so much that we are eliminating the position, we are removing, separating it from a sitting board member. Um, in a discussion I had with Dan Ross Miller, the Ross, excuse me, Ross Miller, the um, WSB executive director, and with um, board attorney Doug Witty, they both um, told me that it is in poor practice to have a sitting board member serve as parliamentarian. doesn't matter who the board member is, just that it's poor practice because it introduces a level of bias into the discussion and and the procedures. The um the idea is that the parliamentarian is a nonvoting member if um if somebody

328wants to be a board member and not vote, but then there's the issue of that they're by state statute expected to vote. Um, so there there are different issues there. It's not it's it's nothing other than just having good good practices in our in our uh board governance. I love that clarification so much. And side note, Dan Ross Miller is amazing. Um, so would we have a parliamentarian? Is that something we would ask someone to come volunteer to to sit until all hours with us to serve as a parliamentarian? Is this a paid position? I'm just wondering how the board envisions this role looking moving forward since we're going to eliminate it. Is there a plan for the role if it's eliminated? There are um different school districts do it differently. Some do not have

329a parliamentarian. It is not statutoily required to have a parliamentarian. Some combine the position of a board secretary with a parliamentarian. There are other approaches to it. And this is um something for discussion on our board workshop that was originally planned for the 26th, but Michelle Schop is still waiting to hear from everyone on their availability since not everyone can be there that day. Perfect. Thank you so much. So, to move this along, um I move approval, uh I move approval of items K through N. And I I would like a roll call vote, please. There's a motion for approval of items K through N. Is there a second? I'll second. Motion by Amy Levy, seconded by Tom Henkins. Any discussion? Uh, go ahead, Dr. Garrison. I I do understand that this is going to

330be moved if if it is voted on and it's approved. I just want to make sure that you know there are times where our board has some differences of opinions and the parliamentarian has helped in that space um without having a clear direction that we could possibly move in right now. District administration is is is in the belief that we we still need this position. Um however again that is still a board decision. I just want to make sure that I put that thought out there. Thank you, Dr. Garrison. And um you will note that this is the last meeting of this board and we have the workshop then at the end of April and the incoming board will have the opportunity to discuss at that workshop. Um uh Megan Miller, your hand is up.

331It is. Thank you. Okay. So, a couple things. Um I have some concerns. First of all, if we are seating a new board and we're having a board workshop to discuss exactly this this subject matter and I'm sure others, it seems premature to take the step to eliminate multiple policies and impact the organization meeting without having discussed this. That's one of my three concern, sorry, four concerns. I'll be very brief, too. Legal fees. We've in the past had some people who are unwilling to even like listen to our elected parliamentarian and we've had to get legal advice. With the cost of legal fees in this district being already so astronomical, I find this to be premature and really irresponsible. Three, we had or have I'm not even sure where it stands to be honest a

332governance committee that has not met for this entire length of this seated board. The purpose of the committee was to have these discussions transparently with lots of notice so that people could weigh in uh so community members could give feedback etc. Um that is like the function of that committee and I feel like that would have been an appropriate place to discuss like how we govern since it is a governance committee for um when I've called in the past to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission to get opinions on board policy violations. The guidance I was given was that we as a board are responsible for self-governing and holding ourselves accountable to policy, which to me leaves plenty of justifiable room for us to have a board parliamentarian since the point that you made about biases also

333would inherently weigh into our practice of the way in which we self-govern and hold ourselves accountable to policy. So for those four reasons, I cannot support this. Thank you. Thank you. And again the work board workshop is the 26th which precedes the organizational meeting. Any other discussion? Actually yes. So if it precedes the organizational meeting we eliminate these policies. Would we then have to have a policy committee or convene the full board to then reenact them if we then decide to have a parliamentarian position? Well that will be up to the new board. That also seems like an extremely costly waste of time for our district. Thank you. Uh m um Mr. Anderson. Yeah. Just to be clear then with these four that are in this motion, did the motion mention waving first reading on

334this these ones as well? Just for consistency. Yes. No, the the motion didn't. The recommended motion language did. So unless it's specified that you want to wave the first reading, then we follow the the natural order of you do a first reading and then you do a second reading. So yeah, no, I didn't include anything about waving a first reading. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Henkins. No. No. Okay. Any other discussion? If I may, just for clarification, if this passes, it goes to a second reading. If this fails, it's like it never happened. I know it's late, just so we all know what we're voting on. Yep. And it is 10:43. Okay. So, we've got uh a few minutes before the next one. Okay. So, a motion by Amy Levy, seconded by Tom Henkins. Any any

335more discussion then? Okay. All in favor? No. I asked for a roll call vote, please. Oh, thank you. Yep. Mrs. Shopee. Yeah. Greg Schneider. Nay. Amy Levy? Nay. Brian Nichols. I. Brian Anderson. I. Tom Henkins. I. Megan Miller. Nay. And Tia Johnson. I. Motion carried four to three. Next item up is 70, the policy 185.4, policy committee, proposed title policy and human resources committee. And Amy Levy, you're up. Thank you so much. Um, several questions. Um, one, what is the rationale for merging these two committees? Um, I'm just going to go through these and if anyone needs me to repeat anything, I'm more than happy to do that. One, when would this committee meet? Is this going to be on the first Wednesday of the month? Um, how will the cadence of meetings impact the

336district's ability to fill and confirm positions? Um, and I'm concerned because this seems like an unnecessary step to me. The way the policy is written, the committee will be the committee will be looking at recommendations from the administration, but I hope the intention is not for us to step into what I believe is the administration's role and to receive hiring information to form our own recommendation that goes onto the full board. So, I just wanted some clarity there. And then I'm wondering why the DEI lens was removed. Um, and then finally, the policy should state that we will consult with a member of the district's legal team as needed. Not every time we make a decision, we consult with the legal team um because of reasons that are very clear. Um, so I apologize. is

337we should have done this one at a time. So if we could start with what is the rationale for merging these committees. Go ahead. Okay. Um so um looking back I it was done this way several years ago. Um we had a we had a uh human resources and business office executive director of finance were all the same same department. So, um, it it just, you know, somebody brought it to my attention, I that's that's an interesting idea. And the more I thought about it, you know, um I I think and you know, we we discussed at the policy committee meeting and it seemed like it seemed like it was a good way to go and and yes, it could create an additional meeting every once in a while, but I don't think it would

338be every month. and um it would just it would just put put more eyes, you know, in the in the at the committee level to get it up to the to the full board for discussion and and u approval or disapproval. So, if I'm hearing you correctly, this is before us as a proposed merge because you thought it would be an interesting thing to do and we've done it in the past. Um, I would lean towards there's a reason it was separated and then if if we could jump to is the aim of this committee to review recommendations. So three people will review the recommendations and then pass on their recommendations on the recommendations to the full board for the full board to then review the recommendations not necessarily of the administration although sometimes it

339might be the same but the recommendation of the committee when unless there's something I'm missing the committee is not going to have access to full hiring information. Um, the committee is just looking at recommendations or am I understanding that wrong? No, you're correct. Okay. So, I I I thank you so much. That was really helpful and and I now have a clear position. I think this is redundant and mildly ridiculous because if the committee is not going to have any more in-depth information than the full board, then why would we have a committee meet to review recommendations and then give their recommendation of the recommendation with no additional hiring information to the full board. So then the full board can determine what to do with their recommend like I I'm a no. What? Why? Thank

340you for letting us know that. The idea here is we have an HR department. We are woefully understaffed in our buildings. We have positions that have been open that we can't fill. Something is happening that needs study and examination. And that's what our committees do. They work with our ad our administrators in those departments just as the um Brian Anderson works with the finance and the business ops department, just as the policy department uh committee works with the different um departments on whichever various um policies they are. We're we're we're this is to help address the issues that show up in our school perception surveys to uh address the issues of our our shortfalls to address why why are we in this position we're in now. Um I think Brian Anderson was the next with

341his hand up. So, at the the second bullet point where it says that they'll be making recommendations to the full board or denying the superintendent's personnel recommendations after studying deliberations. Does that mean let's say there's 10 names on the docket for consideration and for hire that pol this committee could strike names from that so that they couldn't they wouldn't even their names wouldn't even make it to the full board. Right. I mean, is that because it says you could you can make the recommendations to the full board and we talked about that. You know, you we'll get your recommendations, you know, the committee's recommendations. We've got this obviously they're the administration's recommendations or they wouldn't be on it. Um, but they said they could also deny the recommendations. May I ask to get clarity on

342that just to make sure I'm understanding your question? Is that okay? Yeah. So, so, so my question is if I to be clear because is what I don't want to see happen is these 10 names go to this committee and the committee says we just don't like these three so we're going to send now these seven they get pushed to the full board are the only seven that the full board gets to consider. Are you talking about multiple names for one position? No, I'm thinking a document similar to exhibit A. So, just wanted to make sure I'm understanding your question. That's why I asked what I asked because board member Nichols said the the intent was to just look at the recommendations, not all of the hiring information that goes into the recommendation. So if

343what you're describing is accurate, what basis would this committee have to make those recommendations? Because all we have are the names and sometimes like a application and a resume for one person for each spot. So if we say no, it's saying no to your recommendation for that position and then they got to start the process all over. I don't think that's going to move us towards filling positions more efficiently. That didn't quite confirm or answer my question. Go ahead. Oh, no. Go ahead. Um, yeah, I I think that was a uh I think there was an error made there. uh was re recommend recommend making recommendations to the full board after study and deliberation meaning you could recommend denial. Yes. But not to deny, right? Yeah. That's Yeah. Ultimately all the names recommended by administration

344would make it to the full board. Yes. Okay. Uh let's see. Miss Miller, thank you so much. Um, all right, a couple things. So, since I am now, um, gramma board here, um, so I was on the I was on the board when we had policy and personnel committee. Policy and personnel committee when I was on the board, I believe included um, staff members as well and and I participated and was taught by administration that this was like an absolute dumpster fire. We like went through and we were like redlinining out job descriptions. It was like a whole thing. It created conflicts of interest. It was extremely inefficient, contentious, and created a lot of um discontent, which is why we no longer have policy and personnel committee. So, that would be my first contribution to

345the discussion. Do not recommend doing that. Um, I do think if we want to if you guys want to look at committee structure in the future, if we want to talk about like reinvolving staff and community members, like that's a whole separate conversation, but policy and personnel committee is a huge board overreach, which is sort of just like having a board consultant that doesn't consult with the board, but is in the district for some reason. So, I guess like my thoughts on this are we're creating an extra step. we are spending um more time and money on things because like this like we have staff time that is wasted. We have the opportunity cost of them using their time to justify decisions to us twice um at a committee meeting and at a full board

346meeting. And you know the reason that we went to a committee of the whole back in I think it was in 2021 was to streamline the process. So, I mean, I guess the other concern given those two pieces of information, my my concern that I'm going to leave out there that we don't need to answer is I mean, what's precluding the board from from adding someone and saying, "Oh, hey, I got a sister who works in HR and she'd be a great addition to your team. Let's add her." I mean, this just seems like it's going to open up a huge can of worms. And even if that didn't actually come to pass, again, it gets into the the convoluted sort of like wasteful and inefficient time. uh policy and personnel was not a fun

347experience. Having the position as one position was not good for the district. There were absolutely good decisions going into why things are the way they are now. Not to say to your point, Board President Johnson, we absolutely have a lot I think that we can support with as a board to to support exactly the ideas that you you mentioned. I think a board overreach into administrative uh processes is not the way to do it, though. Greg Schneider. I have a number of comments and concerns. One again, first of all, that the policy committee is rewriting their own job description um without the board's knowledge or direction in doing so. Um I have concerns again, as board member Levy stated, with removing the the DEI lens. Um I understand that those three words combined are an

348issue. Um but instead of eliminating they should have been rewritten uh to reflect that policies must equally address the needs of the entire diverse community. Um they need must be inclusive of all students and they need must be equitable. Um you know I just have a concern with adding too much control over the the hiring process to to three individuals. Um, you know, as it is curtain written here that it then gives the policy and human resources committee the ability to shape what the district is going to look like in the future by denying the the superintendent's recommendations. Therefore, cutting the the positions that they want to cut, not those that are being recommended by the superintendent. Um and if if um you know the the policy and personnel committee do this, how are we

349going to then ensure that every time that their recommendation comes to the board that the full board has the ability, if necessary, to go into close session? Um or is it the policy committee that's going to go into close session and discuss these things and therefore the board doesn't have those opportunities to ask those questions? Um, you know, even during the the board, um, you know, the policy committee meeting, um, you know, President Johnson, you said stated that you would like to keep it separated, that exhibit A and B would remain with the full board in that the the policy section of the previous policy, which was retired in in uh 2021, um, would then be added to the policy committee, which is very different from what this policy now reflects. Um, so I just

350have a huge concern with allowing three people to control the hiring process for the whole board. Yes, board member Schneider, you are correct. I did say that I would prefer to see the um uh exhibit A and B remain in the full board. I again the reason I support having a committee looking at whether you call it um human resources or personnel. We have um employees here that have indicated on the staff surveys that they are um dissatisfied. They are concerned. They feel like they're not being heard. I think that it would behoove this board and this district if we took some time to dig deeper into that and work with the um administrators, get their recommendations. if the HR department has some ideas that they would like to propose and want to discuss it

351with the um commi at a committee level so that we are not having board meetings going to 11:00 at night. I think that I would really appreciate that and and the idea is not okay that committee is going to take over HR and start hiring their brothers and sisters. It's that we need to have some solutions put before this board that are workable and make sense. We even had our executive director of finance, business, and ops and our executive director of human resources both agree we need to have a staff study, a staffing plan. We need to have some long-term projections. I I I I I'm know you're going to be able to go to bed soon and and in the coming weeks, but there are still going to be seven people here that I

352would really like for us to say, let's start figuring out how we're going to figure this stuff out, right? And I don't necessarily disagree with you on that point, but those sections out of the previous policy or personnel committee section of that are not included in this policy. Those things are not part of what's included here that the personnel committee is or the policy committee is adding to their job description. They are looking at what is described here is the acceptance or rejection of exhibit A and B. It is not looking at the things that you just stated. Thank you. I will entertain because it is now 11:01 a motion to extend the meeting. So move. I'll second. Motion by Brian Nichols, seconded by Megan Miller. Any discussion? Uh, Mr. Henkins, I just a question.

353Um, I've heard before when we get this late that the building locks at midnight. Is that true? No, it's not true. We we can we can set the I'm here now, so I didn't know if they were if they were kidding me or not. We can always we can always change the alarm time since we're here. We can we can actually go out this door, but I think it might cause a problem. Just just right, Tommy. And Dr. Garrison assures us he can adjust the alarm so we can stay as late as we all want. Oh my god. So, okay. Then then I have another question then. Go ahead. What if we vote to not extend what happens? was what what the meeting ends the meeting ends and right now okay we we pick up

354later okay thank you any other discussion um I see hands up I don't know if they're for this this item or not Mr. Schneider, is your hand up for this? Okay. Okay, no problem. Okay. A motion by Brian Nichols, a second by Megan Miller. All in favor? I I I I All opposed. Nay. Nay. Name. Mrs. Mrs. Sh, did you get that vote? Um, I got I I heard a nay from Mr. Henkins, Mr. Anderson, and yourself. Okay. Okay. Motion carries four to three to three. Thank you. Uh, and my apologies. I forget who had the floor. Um, was that Mr. Schneider? I think so. Um I I think or were you done? I was. Okay. Thank you. Um um Megan Miller, is your hand up? It is. I'll just be brief. I fully fully

355agree with all of the very good things that you just said about the need to do and address the things. I think that I would love to hear from Dr. Garrison or administration if there's a great way for us to put an item on the agenda for a way for us to have like a discussion on how we can address the needs of the concerns that were shared with us by staff and then maybe ask the administration after we get their input how best they would like to proceed with addressing that because I absolutely agree with everything you said about like all those priorities. I just think that changing an entire committee structure and reverting it back to something that was a failure is just maybe not the best way to address that. So I

356don't know if Dr. Garrison if you have any thoughts you'd like to share. Sure. So let me let me just start from the top of your your qu your question space. So district administration did at the previous meeting state that we would prefer to keep the policy as the policy and the human resources where it is currently just full full disclosure there. Um of course it was moved forward. Here we are having a discussion. Um we this presents a lot of different challenges for us if we were to bring both of these into the same space. One of course we have hirings that happens all throughout the month and this this could possibly cause a one-time opportunity. Um if it if it moves forward in that in that manner. With that being stated, that was

357one of my rationale around why we should keep them separate and keep them in the space in which they are already operating. Another space that I think we need to address is there's a lot of different staffing needs here. But the number one thing that we struggling with right now is that we don't have any money. Three years of referendums being close cuz to be honest with you, the first one was close as well. The second one was not and the third one was again close. And so our staffing issues is based off of not having funding and and that's a big thing. And so if we have this conversation from a from a real personnel perspective, a lot of people aren't happy right now. And I and I'm not trying to place any blame

358on my administration, on the things that are happening in the district, things that are happening outside of the district. The bottom line is we don't have the funds. So a lot of people are unhappy around the things that we having to do to get to the balanced conversation. Three years running 30 almost 30 some odd million dollars when it's all possibly said and done. That's that's an unrealistic expectation on any one group of people. That includes the board includes us but it's the stuff that we still yet have to do. So the staffing conversation in the school district of boy we've been having we've have we've been having consistently for the past three years workbook conversation decreasing and decreasing and squeezing and squeezing and now we're at that point where even with a staffing plan

359and model we can't afford to keep the certain things that we have because we have to balance another budget on reductions unfortunately. So, so to fully answer your question again, these are the things that we are willing to have discussions about, but the real cuffs of this conversation is funding. So, we can come back and say cut all of this and cut all of that and reduce this and reduce that. It comes right back to what's next. And I' I've always stated this conversation, you cannot cut your way to the top. You cannot. It will not work because behind one set of cuts is another set of cuts. And behind one set of cuts is another set of cuts. And eventually it's going to hit different people and everyone is going to have that same

360reaction around why is it me? This is not the right time. Of course, there's going to be different thoughts around who and when, but that's what the district administration's responsibility is in this space is for us to bring um to the board recommendations based off of a budget. You all have the discussion around if that's what we really want to do. we probably have more discussions at this level and it goes back and forth until we one could argue it could go back and forth until we find a space where we agree on the next round of reductions. So the human resources space in a district that has had three years of well human resources concerns based off of funding and other themes. It's just a real hard space to keep saying let's have more

361conversations, more conversations, more conversations, more conversations when the main conversations that we should be having and one could argue that we are still having is how we're going to get the funding conversation under control. So for those very reasons and hopefully I answered your your thoughts, Mrs. Miller, the the district administration believes that the HR committee should remain with the full board. we answer the thoughts that we've been doing since, you know, since I've been here at the full board level. Um, it did change this year from having a HR committee that we used to meet before the board meeting and then it came then we changed it this this year under this leadership to meet it during the board meeting. Um, to me that has that has worked. We can always schedule a special

362meeting to discuss staffing or staffing plans or models. we can do that. Um, but to to isolate it and to have another policy committee meeting, it's just another meeting that right now wouldn't be fruitful for district administration currently. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Garrison. The reason why I am in favor of uh merge merging an HR component into the policy is because yes, we have had three years of failed uh referenda and after each failed referendum when we're in the face of having to look at making millions of dollars worth of cuts, this district has not had a strategy for making those cuts. The best that we've had has been which positions are which which positions have people leaving by choice. If somebody is retiring or finds a job in another

363district, those are the positions that we just don't backfill. Um we're we need to have strategy. We need to be thoughtful, mindful of what positions we need, what positions are have redundancies, which ones are more important for the actual educating of our students, and that's again why I support this, Miss Levy. Thank you so much, and I'll do my best to be brief. It sounds to me like um and thank you poor President Johnson because I think you're bringing up a lot of valid points. Um if I'm hearing you correctly, it seems like there's two categories that you feel there's an urgency in addressing and I happen to agree with one the climate and culture that our current staff is experiencing. And two, what's a staffing plan so we're not just leaving it to fate

364of who left and we decided not to replace them. what is our staffing plan etc. So if I'm understanding that correctly I think that is different than the work of the HR committee. The HR committee deals with the recommendations when positions are ready to be filled not addressing current climate of current staff or how we get or which fields need to be positioned. I think that the work that you have described, which I believe is really important, that sounds like ad hoc work, not um HR committee work. I think those are two separate things that would have a separate charge, but definitely those things that you've outlined do need to be addressed. So, um, final point, I just I think it needs to stay the way it is, but I am not opposed to supporting

365a a staffing ad hoc or HR ad hoc. And then that way we can get input from administration, from board members, from current staff members. Um, and I think that could be really positive. I thank you, uh, Mrs. Levy. In fact, that was exactly why I would like to see the HR put into this is because one of the recommendations I am going leaving in my um portfolio for the following president is that they actually do institute a either an ad hoc committee for staffing and address these issues or have some uh community task force because our our district deserves it. Mr. Schneider. Okay. Again, U. President Johnson, I I agree with what you're saying and what we need to do, but unfortunately, when they created this policy, the sections out of the old policy

366that you're referring to are not the ones that they placed into the current policy. So the idea of looking at a staffing plan and all those those things which are important are not included in this in this uh proposed policy. What is in this proposed policy is dealing with exhibits A and B. So what you are asking for and what you're saying you're supporting is not what the document says that you want. what you are saying is not the document that you are proposing that we pass forward. So if we want to do the study and so on then this policy needs to be changed. Um but it it it does not do what you want it to do in its current form. Thank you Mr. Schneider. Uh Mr. Nichols. Thank you u board president

367Johnson. Well a couple things. Number one, um, you know, as of today, I'm sure that we don't have a full staff of teachers and pairs in this district. Correct. Correct. Okay. So, that's an issue. Uh, but maybe this this together could help. Number two, somebody mentioned about hire your brother, your uncle, or whatever. Well, we have a nepotism policy that covers that. So, um, you know, I uh I wouldn't I wouldn't certainly wouldn't advocate uh that you that we do anything like that. Um, so, uh, you know, I think I think getting getting good people and developing a strategy to to, you know, to help us through I mean, you know, there's a lot of work to do. We've all heard this all night. So, um, you know, that's I obviously would be an advocate

368for this, Miss Miller. Thank you. Briefly, there is past precedent in this school district of people making recommendations about, hey, we should hire in so and so, and those people are considered and sometimes hired, but like way, not recently, but it's happened. So, maybe not their sister, but friend, former colleague, etc. Two, um, we do have good people in this district. They work for our HR department. They work for our administration, and they're already working hard to solve these problems. And while I fully fully support some additional like community staff certainly like you know elevated voice of our teachers like engagement as like a committee to support their work administratively. It is not and never will be the role of the board to weigh in to this depth on administrative hiring decisions. So I again

369do not disagree with any of the intentions. I feel like we're very same page. This is a very serious problem totally about finding creative solutions to address it. The way in which to do that is not this. I think enough said. We have a good staff. They're working hard. We want to give them more support. That's fine. It's not going to come this way. Tom Henkins. Uh just point of clarification. Where where are we on this subject? Michelle, we're just discussion. We haven't there's no motion, right? I would like to move that we uh move this back to policy for further review. Second. We have a motion by Tom Henkins to move this back to policy for further review. A second by Megan Miller. Any questions or comments? I do. Just a thought. So, the

370other thought I had with this is these are two policies, two we're trying to combine two committees into one based off of this. I know it's going to move back to policy based off of the recommendation if it's voted through. My my thoughts are we we have we already have policies we have to work through plus again go right back to HR. So I just think from a timing perspective too. I'm not sure how we we we have about an hour and a half policy committee meetings by themselves and then we turn around and then try to do HR along with that. I mean that's just I'm just want to put that out there as a as a discussion thought if this is move forward as a I'm so sorry but it's late. May I

371don't think the recommendation is to move this merge committee to policy but move this policy with these recommendations back to the policy committee for discussion. So like no policies are being merged, no committees are being merged. This is just to move this discussion back to the policy committee. That was my intent, Mrs. Levy. Thank you. Thank you for the clarification cuz I see two policies being moved back. So, my apologies for that. Thanks for the clarification if that's what y'all are discussing. Miss Miller, I'm good. Okay. Any other discussion or questions? Okay. All in favor? I I I. Any oppose? Nay. Nay. Clarification. Two nays. Yes, that I I believe that was two nazs. Motion carries five to [Applause] two. Next item, we've got the displaying of the flags. Oh, Q. No, P. We We

372still have P. Oh, I thought that was pulled. Didn't you pull that? Oh, okay. He He pulled it off. My apologies. Consent agenda as as um um so the next item is item P, policy 323.3, displaying of the flags. Brian Nichols, you're up. Thank you, Board of Me. Uh, President Johnson, I'm going to pass out um these if you would pass one down. And board member board member Miller, would you mind giving one to Michelle? Okay. And I'm g and I'm and I'm going to go right out of the gate and I move to amend uh policy 323.3 as as presented to each of you right now um to the flag polls at the flag polls at each school and administration building shall display only the flags of the United States of America and the

373Wisconsin state flag and the United States flag will be displayed in each classroom. room. And uh just so you everybody knows who's in in in here, I talked to uh I reached out to a couple of teachers, uh couple three teachers that I, you know, respect and have got to know and had had a conversation with them. And so, uh, I I drafted this last night, uh, to make the the change back to, uh, something more reasonable and, agreeable to everybody. And just just so happens uh I guess I was I guess we were a little bit ahead of the game because uh where is my don't tell me uh we all get the WSB emails and just uh a couple days ago actually um there's a legislative update that there was a hearing last

374week um the Assembly Committee on State Affairs uh held to public have hold a public hearing on one this bill's AB58 and it would generally prohibit the flying of any flag other than the US or Wisconsin flag with some exceptions for flags honoring veterans, tribes, local governments, universities and in some other cases uh states and countries. Um so that that piqu that piqued my interest and that's why I reached out to uh other people in the district. So um that would that would certainly um satisfy I think a lot of the concerns that were we were we heard tonight uh as far as the buildings because it wouldn't it wouldn't affect the buildings inside the buildings. It would just be outside the buildings. So, so that's so the motion is to move to amend as

375presented um 320 323.3. Okay. So, just so I understand. So, uh Mr. Nichols, you've got a motion to approve changing the policy to read the flag polls at each school and administrative building shall display only the flags of the United States and of America and the Wisconsin state flag. The United States flag will be displayed in each classroom. That's correct. But no, no. Well, yeah. Well, that's that's a state statute, right? Right. Right. That's a state statute, but not limited to No, I didn't say that. It's not doesn't say that. Okay. Okay. So, there is a motion on the floor. Is there a second? Second. We have a motion by Brian Nichols. A second by Tom Henkins to approve policy 323.3. The flag poles at each school and administrative building shall display only the flags

376of the United States of America and the Wisconsin state flag. The United States flag will be displayed in each classroom. Did you get that, Mrs. Schop? Okay. And that's that you did get a copy, right? No, I got Oh, okay. Okay. And then Mrs. Schul, when you when you have a moment, can we get a roll call on this, please? Excuse me. Do we have discussion? Oh, sorry. Yes, we will. And excuse me. You know, I'm usually not up at 11:24, so please be patient. No problem. discussion, Mr. Schneider. Okay. The motion was not to approve the policy, but to to change the policy that had been presented in the packet to to the one that uh board member Nichols just passed out. It is not approval of the policy. It is just to swap

377one for the other for consideration. No, that's not true. I I may I move to amend it to to the to the board for a vote. That's not an amendment. Miss Miller. Sure. So, a couple things. Um, I'd like to read from uh some legal advice that we received from our local um our our assembly representatives uh staff. And so, if you'll bear with me, uh I also don't like to be up at 11:25 at a board meeting, but here we are because of the choices that we made. It says, "As we discussed," this is based on a discussion that was had with a nonpartisan legal adviser to our state legislature. As we discussed, the First Amendment does not require an quote all or nothing unquote approach where a school district must fly either any

378flag or no flags. While viewpoint discrimination is generally disfavored under the First Amendment, a school district's display of a flag is generally government speech and government speech is not subject to restrictions on viewpoint discrimination. The US Supreme Court, which I find more interesting than a proposed assembly bill, has held that quote, "When the government speaks for itself, the First Amendment does not demand airtime for all views." So that's in, and excuse me if I'm mispronouncing this, Sher left versus the city of Boston, which is a 2022 decision. Thus, the government may engage in viewpoint discrimination when it speaks, such as by refusing to issue vanity license plates that feature the Confederate flag because when government speaks, it is not barred by the free speech clause from determining the content of what it says. So that's

379from a 2015 decision called Walker versus I think Texas DIIV. I don't know what that means. Sons of Confederate Veterans. Therefore, a school district may adopt a policy that restricts the display of flags, but it's not required to do so. So my reaction to that, which I really appreciate that piece of information, is first of all, this is an unnecessary policy. Two, it is 11 what time is it? It's 11:27 and we are not even out of the consent agenda. This has been an enormous waste of time. The opportunity cost of things that we could be discussing this evening on the heels of a failed referendum is absurd. And I mean, it's absurd. The amount of harm that it has caused in our community, the amount of like triggering emot like on any viewpoint, this

380is a non-issue that we decided to create. And I'm not sure who made those decisions and it really doesn't matter. The point is is that bringing an 11th hour policy revision to something that literally nobody asked for, which we're getting like like state of Wisconsin level advice saying we don't even need said policy is just is it's a word that I don't have like the capacity to come up with at this moment. So I guess like my opinion on this is this policy should be we should be done. I don't want to send this back to committee. We need to just say we trust our administration to represent and enforce the policy we do have on record, which is like our our EOC statement, right, which was read hours ago in one of the comments.

381Um, we're a school board. This is not our job. This is overreach. It has caused harm. It is unnecessary. And it is it is costing our district and its students and our community valuable time and decision-m. Um I could go on, but I'm not going to because we've just heard from quite a bit of public comment this evening that pretty much reflects my viewpoint. But the point is is that this is a school district. This isn't a forum for national issues. This is not a culture war thing. Our children are not a political football. This is not a partisan entity. So, I would I would really appreciate it if my colleagues on the board this evening would have the courage uh to put their their own personal opinions aside and just do the right thing

382for our district and just step away from this issue entirely. Thank you. Uh Miss Miller, we are at 11:29. So, I will entertain a motion to extend the meeting. So moved. Is there a second? Second because I really want to weigh in on discussion. We have a motion by Brian Nichols, a second by Mrs. Levy. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? I I I I. Those opposed? Nay. Nay. No motion carries four to three. Um, Ms. Ms. Miller. Um, unfortunat I mean I I agree you know what you're saying. Yes, it does feel like it's a colossal waste of our time that we are having this discussion. My understanding is this um um this we didn't have a policy in the past and unfortunately last year when the gay pride went up in June,

383I received emails and phone calls from constituents demanding the heterosexual pre pride flag go up, demanding the um uh heterosexual marriage flag go up. I I had phone calls from people threatening to sue us if we didn't do this. And unfortunately, in today's world, people they feel like they can sue school districts because apparently we have nothing better to do with our money. And we should be protecting our school district and the precious few dollars we have anymore. And this is not for as much as people want to say that this is an issue where that we are anti-gay or anti-LGBTQ is the furthest thing from the truth. I don't want to have to have one more lawsuit where I'm looking at a lawsuit that we can prevent versus having to say, "Okay, that money

384we could have used to keep our FIAD teacher." If I may, I'm sorry to interject, but the the point is is that it there's established case law, two of them by the state, Excuse me. No, you can point of order yourself because listen to me very carefully. You are misinterpreting something. You are causing fear unnecessarily. We cannot be sued for something because this is a totally different issue. We have the right and we heard it from a state legislator that we can create the government has different speech threshold than a private citizen. You could absolutely say no, we're not going to put up a hate flag or whatever people were asking for and it would be legally defensible. So if somebody wants to waste their time taking us to court, let them. Well, I mean,

385no, I'm done. That's fine. I guess I Thank you. I guess that's the question then is if somebody says, I want to put up a heterosexual pride flag, how is that a hate flag if the gay pride flag is not a hate flag? They're not neither of them are hate flags. It's just people's interpretation of them. Miss Levy, thank you so much. And I'll be brief. Um, you're you're good. It's late. Um, I am a fan of transparency. And so, board member Nichols, I would like to directly ask you if your position on this is in any way related to the voicemail that you accidentally left for me on June 7th of 2024, where you and an unidentified woman can be heard discussing flags, specifically pointing out there's an American flag, there's an American flag,

386but no, and the woman says, not you, but no pride flag and then there's an audible cheer. So, I'm just wondering in the spirit of full transparency if your positioning on this, if your motivation to move this forward is in any way related to the voicemail again that you accidentally left for me on June 7th of last year. And if you're unclear on what I'm referring to, I am more than happy to send it to you. No. And I will say this, and we heard this this evening, that flag is the most inclusive flag in the world. And there's a people who there's people in this building who have relatives who died so that flag could could fly. If it hadn't, we could all be speaking German or Russian in the United States of America.

387So, um, yes, I'm a I'm I'm I'm a uh I'm a patriot. Excuse me. But that I'm sorry that you got the accidental voicemail or whatever it was, but no, it had nothing to do with that. That's almost a year ago. So, um it's it's about and not a 100% of everybody that was in this room had the same view. We are all different and and but but yeah, but but we are excluding people. We are being divisive when we when we do what? Point of order. No, no point of order. You interrupted. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay. So, I'm just going to chime in as the parliamentarian for the last few days. Whenever a point of order is issued, it's up to the presiding officer to actually make a decision. So, we can throw point

388of orders around, but at some point, we should allow the presiding officer to make a determination. And if the body disagrees, we can vote to overrule that decision of the point of order just for everyone's edification. And thank you so much, board member Nichols. I am so glad to hear that the cheer after the no pride flag had nothing to do with this policy being brought forth. So, thank you so much for that public clarification. Thank you, Mr. Schneider. Your hands up. Just two two comments. Um, one is looking at the American flag and saying that's a unifying flag. That flag has been used to discriminate against people in this country in the past and continues to do that. It is not a unifying flag. It is not meant to be a unifying flag. It's

389not being used that way. Uh it should be. It is not. The second point is is that when you introduced um the amended motion, uh Mr. Nichols, you said, "Well, this should address everybody that spoke before." which means then you didn't listen to any to what most of those people had to say because while they did talk about what was going on in the classroom, most of them were talking about what goes out in the flag poles um and and what's happening within the buildings, you know, all around. So, um we have, you know, at this point, um it does not appear that we have listened to the people that have been here tonight to do that. um we are being much more restrictive than what even the proposed legislature is at this point because

390there are exclusions there. Um and those are not happening in this policy. Um you know I I think if if we're going to start looking at and saying well because the state's going to do something then we better wait until the state is finished and then we can take action to address it. But at this point in time, there is no reason to to pass this this policy. And before we call the question, I'm sorry, but it is so incredibly divisive to say that the rest of us who also have family who are veterans and who have died serving our country, who also would absolutely support our freedom to be inclusive and caring to our students, I is is it's a it's a silly I I can't even think of the right word. It's a

391facious comparison. Mr. Nichols, it's offensive and fellacious. I just buried my 102-year-old great aunt who served overseas in World War II as a nurse on active duty last summer with a proper military burial who wholeheartedly as a Catholic woman supported everybody's right to freely express who they are, be who they are, and that is what she fought for. So, please don't try to speak for all of us who are children or relatives of veterans and conflate us into one opinion. I find that extremely offensive. Furthermore, dollars over children's lives. We heard tonight from more than one person who talked about the importance of inclusion. This is their safe space. We have project 1649. And it's named after the 16 hours and 49 minutes when kids are not safe at school where they could be adequately

392fed. That also pertains to psychological, physical, and emotional safety. And if we refuse to provide that for our own children whom we have been elected to serve, what are we doing here? Thank you, Miss Miller. That might be a good question for the school district of Jainsville. Might be a good question for the school district of Orfordville. Might be a good question for the school district of Clinton. Those districts fly the federal flag and the state flag. Mr. Henkins, did you want to say something? Um, I know we have a motion on the floor. second it. Um I'm all in favor of wrapping this up because we're we're going to be talking in circles and we we have things to accomplish, but I don't know if we can get there as we're getting I don't

393know if we're going to get any more accomplished. We could debate this for a long. It's a very emotional topic. I think we should wrap it up. That's my thought for the night. Thank you. Board member Henkins, what you may want to do is call the question. That would end debate or questions. I call the question. Call the motion actually. Right. No, call the question. Call the question. Call the question. Point of order. The one thing we haven't addressed is first reading, second reading. Unless someone specifies they want to wave it, you your default is what the regular practice is. And since the question has been called, the only thing left to do now on this is to vote. Okay. Mrs. Schul, may we please get a roll call? Yes. Craig Schneider. Nay. Amy Levy.

394Nay. Brian Nichols. I. Brian Anderson. I. Tom Henkins. I. Megan Miller. Nay and Tia Johnson. Hi. Motion carried four to three. I move to adjourn. I'll second. I We have a motion for adjournment from Amy Levy. A second by Tom Henkins. Any discussion hearing? None. All in favor? I I I. Motion carries unanimously. All right.