001All right. Good evening. We're going to call our January regular board of education meeting to order and we'll start with the resuscitation of our vision and mission statements. Our vision MMSD will be a learning community where all students are valued, challenged, supported, and inspired to reach for their dreams. And our mission MMSD creates safe and inclusive schools, delivers highquality instruction, strengthens positive relationships, and partners with families and the community to achieve student self-determination and educational excellence. To get started this evening, we have several remembrances and a couple of resolutions. Um, I'm going to turn to Vice President Pearson. Start with our first reme we'd like to ask for a moment of silence this evening for our district to recognize the passing of Adeline Addie Byron who was an eighth grader at James Cright Middle School.
002Addie was excited to graduate 8th grade this year. She had been eagerly waiting for her first parentfree trip to Puerto Rico with her Spanish class and she was a big fan of her history class and participated in extracurriculars including volleyball, theater, and careers after school clubs. Addie absolutely loved her friends and would often be found on her phone having group chats with them playing Roblox. She had many dreams of traveling and especially wanted to do a road trip out west with her friends when they all turned 18. Addie was also a huge fan of musicals, especially the epic musical, which fed her love for Greek mythology and Hamilton, which fed her love of history. She also loved music in general, would rarely be found without music playing, which was often a bonding point with her
003mom as they were regularly introducing each other to the newest favorite songs. Outside of her desires, she also had a big heart. She was a very inclusive friend and had a strong eye for those who were marginalized, including wanting to create care packages for the homeless out um of her Christmas budget. Addie's passing has taken a significant toll on so many students and staff in the James CC Wright Middle School community, and we remember them tonight. Please join me in participating in a moment of silence in honor of Adeline Addie Byron. Thank you. >> Next, we'll have board member Maldro read our next remembrance. >> We'd like to ask for a moment of silence this evening to recognize the passing of Dr. Marvin Messen, a former teacher, assistant principal, and principal who served in MMSD
004for over 30 years. Marvin is remembered as an exemplary educator who taught who took pride in mentoring, supporting and facilitating the growth of others. His enduring legacy will live on through his family and the people throughout the MMSD community he touched through his public service and career. Marvin's passing has taken a significant toll on so many people in MMSD in the MMSD community and we remember them tonight. Please join me in participating in a moment of silence to offer to honor Dr. Marvin Messen. Thank you. and board member Vander Muan will read our next remembrance. We'd like to ask for a moment of silence this evening to recognize the passing of an artisan who served as a board of education member from MS for MMSD from 1980 to 1989. Anne is remembered as someone who
005was deeply committed to strengthening the Madison community. She get dedicated her life to helping vulnerable populations and was a lifetime advocate for the women and children of Wisconsin as well as an active member in grumps or grandparents united for Madison public schools. Ann's passing has taken a significant toll on so many in the Madison and MMSD community and we remember them tonight. Please join me in a moment of silence in honor of Anne Arnison. Thank you. Um, we're now going to move forward with a couple of resolutions. And our first resolution is around safe firearm storage. I'm going to make the motion and then I'm going to have um board member Mosner Felam um talk a little bit more and read talk more about the significance of this resolution and and read it out loud.
006I'll still need a second to get us into that. I move that the board of education adopt the safe firearm storage resolution as set forth in the document prepared for the regular meeting dated January 26, 2026. Second Maya >> board member Mosner Felton. >> Thank you. Um what we have in front of us is uh an action we can take to prevent gun death of young people in our community. Um I want to thank the students from March for Our Lives who who worked really hard on on getting this to to the floor here. Um I'll read it in its entirety. Safe storage resolution. Whereas firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States, killing more than 4,000 young people annually. And whereas firearms are used in more than
007half of suicides by kids and teens, killing an average of 63 Wisconsin children annually. And whereas incidents of school shooting have risen to more than 300 per year, resulting in changes to the day-to-day operations of schools, lost instructional time, and unknown effects on the mental health of students. And whereas rates of firearm violence among youth are increasing, disproportionately affecting young people of color. And whereas federal law prohibits youth access to handguns with limited exceptions. And whereas unsecured firearms are used in half of all incidents of school shootings and more than half of all youth suicides. And whereas studies suggest child access prevention and safe storage of firearms can reduce suicide risk and other firearm injury and death. And whereas the federal government has failed to take action on common sense gun reform. And whereas the
008state of Wisconsin has passed a child access prevention law but has not taken access action to legislate a comprehensive safe storage law. And whereas safety is a community concern and a shared responsibility. And whereas Madison Metropolitan School District students have expressed the importance of this initiative. Therefore, be it resolved that the MMSD Board of Education directs the Madison Metropolitan School District to take action on community safety by developing and implementing an annual comprehensive strategy promoting safe storage. Be it further resolved that in developing this strategy, the Madison Metropolitan School District shall consider utilizing direct mailing, collaborating with concerned students, and including both a reminder about safe storage and an option to affirm households will comply with safe storage practices upon enrollment in the Madison Metropolitan School District. May the statement be permanently imprinted in the
009board of education minutes for the regular meeting dated January 26, 2026. Beautiful. Thank you so much. Um it's really powerful to hear it out loud and I echo your sentiment. Thank you for the students that came last board meeting and thank you board member Mosner Felam for also taking lead on making sure that this came forward. Um I am I I know that we need to vote on this, right? Um so are there any other comments uh while we're Yes. or member M job. >> I want to join you and board member Mosner in thanking the young people who have been advocating for safe storage and increased access to mental health support throughout our community. I want to recognize that our community experienced a school shooting um just over a year ago and that this
010is a first step in the right direction and it only works if we work together. It only works if we work with our educators and we work with the parents of our students. Um, it only works if if we come together and do more. So, I'm very proud of this first step and the work that went into it. Um, and I hope we continue to take real meaningful steps towards making our community safer and curbing gun violence. You're here. >> All right. Student Representative Lee, your advisory vote. I. >> All right. We saw you come on. I know you said I. We didn't hear you, Jesse. We'll get that fixed. Can you say I one more time just to see if we've got your volume? >> I. >> Okay. Not quite yet. >> Claire, can
011you speak again? >> Yes, I >> Okay. Well, okay. How about one more time? >> I >> very affirmatively. Okay. >> All right. All those in favor I I >> All right. Thank you. That passes unanimously. Our second resolution is regarding our support for immigrant, refugee, and undocumented students and families. I'll read the motion, get a second, and then um I think it is worth us reading aloud. I move that the board of education reaffirm the resolution to support our immigrant, refugee, and undocumented students and families as set forth in the document prepared for the regular meeting dated January 26, 2026. >> Thank you. >> Second, Nikki Van. >> All right, I'm going to um This is a little lengthy, but I'm going to read it out loud because I think it's worth it. resolution
012to support our immigrant, refugee, and undocumented students and families. Whereas the United States Supreme Court held impliier versus do 1982 that no public school district has a basis to deny children access to education based on their immigration status, citing the harm it would inflict on the child and society itself and the equal protection rights of the 14th amendment. Whereas ensuring that our schools are safe and supportive for all students, their families will facilitate the physical safety and emotional well-being of all children in the district and is paramount to the students ability to achieve. Whereas immigration and customs enforcement activities in and around schools would be significant would be a significant disruption to the safe and supportive learning environment and educational setting for all students. Whereas immigration enforcement activities around schools create hardships and barriers to
013health and education attainment and a pervasive climate of fear, conflict, and stress that affects all students in our district, regardless of their backgrounds or status. such that children who have a status but whose family members, friends or schoolmates do not and students who are themselves undocumented are all affected and at risk. Therefore, be it resolved that the board of uh the Madison Metropolitan School District hereby declares that every Madison Metropolitan School District site is a safe place for its students and their families to seek help, assistance, and information if faced with fear and anxiety about immigration enforcement efforts. resolved further in order to provide a public education. Regardless of a child's or family member's immigration status, absent any applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, ordinance, or court decision, the district shall abide by the
014following conduct. One, district personnel shall not inquire about or record students or a family member's immigration status and pursuant to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, known as Furpa, shall not disclose without parental consent the immigration status of any student or any other personally identifiable information. Two, any communication to federal agencies or officials initiated by a school or school personnel concerning confidential information about a student or a student's family member is prohibited, including actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status unless permission is granted by the student or students parent or guardian. Three, the district shall refuse all voluntary information sharing with immigration agents across all aspects of the district to the fullest extent possible under the law. Four, any request by immigr immigration agents for information or to access a school site shall be
015initially denied and immediately forwarded to the superintendent and general counsel for review and a decision on whether to reverse the denial and and allow access to the site andor a decision on whether the information will ensure district compliance with Plyier versus D and other applicable laws. The request must be provided with adequate notice so that the superintendent and general counsel can take steps to provide for the emotional and physical safety of its students and staff. Five, district personnel shall treat all students equitably in the receipt of all school services, including but not limited to the free and reduced lunch program, transportation, and educational instruction. Six, the district will not enter into agreement with state or local law enforcement agencies, ICE, or any other federal agency for the enforcement federal for the enforcement federal immigration law
016except as required by law. resolved further that the superintendent shall ensure that all teachers, school administrators, and other staff will be trained and information will continue to be distributed to families to fully inform them of their rights in this district. And that is our And I read that with some heart, y'all. I read that with some heart today. Um, we've already passed this resolution previously, but because we have a motion to reaffirm this resolution, I will take it for a vote. Student Representative Lee, your advisory vote. >> I >> thank you. All those in favor? I >> All right, that passes unanimously and we are reaffirmed. All right. Um, I'm now going to move us into our public comment portion of the agenda. Let me get to Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. All right. I'm going
017to just summarize that there were 36 written statements submitted for this meeting. two in support of fixing salary compression and voting no on the RFP. 26 opposed to the contract renewal of the current Vanheis principle and eight in support of a proposal to enact a Belltobell cell phone ban at MMSD. And for speakers who have registered tonight, we have zero online and we have 27 speakers here in person. Um, so we'll I'll try to cue you up a couple at a time. And before we actually start, just for all of our registered speakers here in person, um, just know that the board appreciates your input, appreciates you coming, uh, this evening to share your thoughts with us. Um, just before we begin, a couple of things. You, you probably already know that each public speaker
018has three minutes to speak. There's a clock up there and there's a little black box on the podium. When you see the yellow light, it usually means you got about 30 seconds left. The little red light on the black box means you're out of time. So, try to uh wrap up your thoughts as quickly as you can. And uh the the thing that we are trying to be more transparent about is that your public comments while you're here to speak on any item of concern, we do need to have you limit your comments when it speaks specifically about an individual staff person. So you may talk about a concern. Um, but these are not the public comment section is not to be used as a forum to really identify or process a complaint or grievance
019about an individual staff member. If your comments or you have concerns about an individual um staff person, we definitely, you know, think those are important but not in the public comment section. And so, um, you can direct emails to the board, you can direct emails directly to the superintendent, and we should have um, is Dr. McCrae here? Okay. So, Dr. McCrae is also up in the front. If if you feel like you were not really able to be heard in the way that you wanted to because we don't use public comments to talk about individuals, um, please see Dr. McCrae, who can kind of be our person in the audience um to also relay information after tonight's board meeting. All right. Uh with that being said, I'm going to go ahead and ceue us up.
020Our first speaker is Tom uh Shore, I believe is the pronunciation, followed by Lindsay Sutton. Good evening and I want to thank you for your this opportunity to speak. My name is Tom Shore and I'm here to share some concerns I have with what's been going on at Van Heis Elementary. I've been a part of the MMSD community for over 60 years. I started as a kindergarten at Crestwood Elementary in 196. Think about that. I later graduated from Madison Memorial. I remember my principal and mentor Johnny Olsen. Johnny saying again and again the importance of responsibility, cooperation, listening, and respecting others. Those values stayed with me long after I left school and shaped how I approached my career, how I raised my family, and how I try to show up for others. Years I've been
021a part of the MMSD community for over 60 years. Started as a kindergarter at Cresford Elementary. Yeah, I told you that years later in the late 80s and early 90s, my wife began her career as a public school teacher and my own children entered the district. All three of them attended Vanheis Elementary. I got to spend 12 years in the building volunteering, helping in the classroom, and being involved as a parent. During the same time, I was running a local union printing shop here in Madison and I've been there over 47 years. That career reinforced many of the things I learned at MMSD. And people deserve to be heard. Communication matters. People do their best work when they feel respected and valued. It also taught me that leadership is hard. You have to make tough
022decisions and not everybody's going to agree with you. But when people feel listened to and included, even difficult decisions can be worked through. When they don't, trust is lost quickly. After my kids graduated and moved out, I found my way back to Vanheis. This time as an employee, excuse me. Um, I've worked there for as a special education at Vanheis, as a special education assistant for over eight years. This is especially meaningful to me now as I have three of my grandchildren joining me at the school. Over the past few years, there's been a big shift in the climate in school. In the climate at the school, communication is much more limited. People are hesitant to speak. Concerns don't always feel welcome or taken seriously. It feels so different from what I've experienced for so
023many years. I understand that leadership is hard, but I also know that when people start feeling stop feeling heard or respected, the entire community feels it. Staff, families, and eventually the students. I understand that leadership is hard, but I also know that when people stop feeling heard and respected, the entire community feels it. I'm sharing this because I feel deeply about the school and the people in it. It's hard to watch the feeling of trust and connection fade. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Um, all right. We have Lindsay Sutton and then followed by Dela Underbaki. Hi, I'm here I'm a parent here to speak in support of a bell-to-bell cell phone ban at MMSD. We all have so many screens in our lives. My middle school son told me that he sometimes feels
024like he's back in virtual learning again during school. He finds himself in front of his Chromebook doing assignments during class and goes days without in-person interactions during some subjects. He is eager to interact with classmates and learn from a teacher, not a screen. I very much appreciate your dedication to our community and well-being, and I know the school board has many priorities to juggle and pressing issues. Not all problems can be solved, but I believe we have an obligation to remove distracting devices out of our schools, and this is something we can tackle. MMSD hasn't updated their cell phone policy since 2014. Think how much cell phones have changed over the last decade. Now, we have the chance to reference many studies showing how cell phone bands in schools increase classroom engagement and students emotional
025well-being. This is a fact and not a theory. Many schools in Dayne County can attest to the positive results they've seen from bell-to-bell cell phone restrictions. Schools within MMSD are even reporting that they receive no parental push back and see better academic learning after implementing their own policies. It's time to support our amazing teachers and staff and help put a policy in place rather than leave each school on their own to navigate this. Many of us parents here tonight want to preserve our kids' childhood and hold off as long as possible on allowing them to have smartphones. One parent told me her daughter was so desperate to have a phone and fit in with all her friends who were constantly checking their devices that she uses a dummy phone and pulls it out pretending to
026read messages on a blank screen rather than stand alone while everyone else looks at their phones. We can't completely remove all distractions, but having a bell-to-bell ban would stop students from counting down the minutes until they can check their phones in between classes. There's no reason for them to check phones during the day. What can they be checking? A video on Tik Tok. If they need to figure out plans with a parent, it can be done after the last bell. Prior planning is also an important lesson for our kids. When I was a student, small handheld games like Nintendo GameBoys were popular. We weren't allowed to pull them out in between classes and play with them while we were walking down the hall to our next class. Sadly, the phone is an even more distracting
027and dangerous toy. Many things available on the phone make kids feel anxious. inadequate and downright depressed. Life these days is hard enough for kids. Why do we want to give them a tool that makes it even harder? Thank you. >> Thank you. All right, we have Dell Underbaki and then it will be Michelle Hoffner. [sighs and gasps] Tonight's agenda includes an excellent together presentation. One slide is dedicated to a vision of a learning community where all students are valued, challenged, supported, and inspired to reach their dreams. My statement tonight asks why this vision statement fails to include the verb prepared. Specifically, prepared with levels of literacy required to realize 21st century dreams. In June 2024, less than 15% of graduates identifying as as Hispanic and less than 10% of graduates identifying as black accepted diplomas
028equipped with proficient levels of reading ability. Less than 60% of our graduates identified as white turning turned their tassels prepared with literacy proficiency. and less than 5% of our students with disabilities exited with post-secary transition plans supported by proficient reading skills. These statistical truths continue to fuel community concerns about the disproportionate number of our students of color and students with dis without intellectual disabilities who are prematurely being encouraged to accept high school diplomas without being prepared with reading proficiency. Does the four-year high school completion metric referred to in goal number one and number three of our district improvement plan acknowledge the consequences of entering any of our post-secondary pathways without proficient levels of literacy? Does this plan assume illiteracy is a can which can be kicked down the road into our workforce, the trades, or
029a non-existent safe social safety net? State leaders as well as members of your own Wisconsin Association of School Boards agree the intent of article 10 of our state constitution is to assure our stakeholders that a diploma represents the skills and knowledge required to move forward. The DPI and workforce development stakeholders are calling for public schools to focus on strategic planning, strategic planning focused on strong literacy, post-secondary certification, improve student well-being and equitable opportunities. These truths are reflected as necessary outcomes of Wisconsin's PI26 education for employment statute and recent academic and career planning updates. Wisconsin statute 118 specifically commissions local school boards the responsibility for students achieving the ability to read, write, and spell, to learn by reading and listening, and to communicate by writing and speaking. Can our district improvement plan reflect a covenant for
030preparing literacy reinforced pathways for post-secary success for our most marginalized students and their parents. Thank you. >> All right, following Michelle, come on up. Uh is Chrisa I think it's Seager Sherbam. It's a hard one. It's Norwegian. >> Oh, sorry. >> Thank you. [clears throat] >> I want to strongly urge the district to adopt a bell-to-bell cell phone policy as this policy most closely aligns with MMSD's stated goals of equity, academic achievement, and student well-being. Number one, cell phones disproportionately harm students who already face opportunity gaps. Students with fewer [clears throat] excuse me academic supports at home depend most on focused uninterrupted instructional time during the school day. Permitting phones in classrooms widens the achievement gaps by rewarding distraction rather than engagement. Number two, a b-tobell ban promotes consistency and fairness across schools and classrooms
031by establishing a clear universal expectation. In this policy removes the burden of enforcement from individual teachers and it eliminates inconsistencies rooted in classroom management capacity. Instead of asking educators to police phone usage throughout the day, it protects both the instructional time and the social time through a simple equitable standard. Number three, a phone free school day revitalizes shared social spaces. lunchrooms, hallways, classrooms, recess. They become places where students talk, collaborate, play, build authentic relationships across their differences, an essential component of social and emotional development. And number four, from an academic perspective, a belt bell ban aligns with how students actually learn. Learning requires sustained attention. Research consistently shows that even the presence of a cell phone [clears throat] reduces working memory and comprehension. Notifications fragment attention and interfere with the encoding of information into long-term
032memory, undermining deep learning. For these reasons, I currently believe a bell-to-bell phone ban is not only beneficial, but it's necessary. Finally, I'd like to briefly address the broader issue of educational technology. Unstructured and excessive technology use can undermine learning rather than support it. The over reliance on digital tools like Chromebooks discourages productive struggle, problem solving, and critical thinking. Extended screenbased reading and note-taking have also been shown to weaken memory formation. I urge MMSD to develop a comprehensive technology policy, one that not only enforces a bell-to-bell cell phone ban, but also clearly defines how and how often screens and educational technology are used in the classroom. Ensuring that technology serves learning rather than replaces it. Thank you. Okay. After Christa, Christa, you'll have to say your last name so I can hear it. But after Christa
033will be Amy, I think it's Martino Sherbam, [laughter] lots of consonants. Um, I am also here to talk about the uh Bel phone ban. I'm here today to speak because the proverbial smoke alarm is going off. Whenever we hear smoke alarms, all of us, teachers, students, families, no urgent action is required. As a mom of two MMSD students and a physician assistant in town here, I hear the alarms about cell phone and tech use in schools going off and believe we have a call to action. With the passing of Act 42, the district has an amazing opportunity to be on the front end of progressive policy related to cell phone and technology use in our schools to protect our students from future harm and support our common goals of student well-being and academic success. Jonathan
034Height, a social psychologist, professor of ethical leadership at New York University and author of the book The Anxious Generation, states in his book, "The evidence that phones and pockets interfere with learning is now so clear that in August of 2023, UNESCO issued a report that addressed the adverse effects that digital technologies and phones in particular are having on education around the world." He goes on to discuss that not only can you track severe drops in test scores to timelines when smartphones became more widespread, those drops more severely affected lower income and minority populations. I understand the potential concerns from parents and families who prefer more continuous communication access to their students. However, at this point, it is impossible to argue that these benefits of cell phones being present during the school day outweigh the risks
035and potential harm. Cell phones contain apps and games that are specifically designed to demand attention. When these distractions occur throughout the day, it significantly detracts from focus and learning and important face-to-face social interactions. Additionally, policing these partial phone policies is a significant burden for teachers and staff. As with any policy, exceptions should certainly be possible for health related and special circumstances. However, for the majority of students, I strongly believe they will thrive more without phones present during the school day. I would ask the district to enact a bell-to-bell cell phone policy with specific phone storage requirements during the day. There are already districts in our state and across the country that have successfully implemented these types of policies that could be used as models and have resulted in highly positive feedback from students and teachers.
036The momentum initiated by the state law change changes is an incredible opportunity for MMSD to be progressive in their policies and to take action towards their mission of eliminating educational inequities and promoting flourishing for every student to the best of their abilities. None of us would leave kids in a burning building with smoke alarms going off because we couldn't see how much damage the fire might cause. We would lead our kids to safety as quickly as we could because we understand the risk. Let's not continue to ignore the alarms of cell phone use in schools, but respond urgently to protect our kids and school communities. Thank you. >> Okay, after Amy will be Amber Chonsky. I'm an MMSD parent and want to speak again in support of a Belltobell cell phone ban. I'm glad the
037district is starting the process of creating a new device policy and seeking parent feedback, but I was disappointed that the survey sent out last week didn't give me options that reflect my family's needs. My kids do not have phones. I would like to delay giving them phones for as long as possible, and I need the school's help. I want them to be able to focus during class and not be thinking about whatever they're checking on their phones during passing periods. I want them to interact with other humans face to face who are also not distracted by their phones during free times. If I need to contact them, I'm happy to call the front office. For the majority of the history of schools, this is how parents contacted their kids and it works. I think schools
038should teach students independence and enabling constant communication between parents and kids is taking away that opportunity. If there is an emergency, kids are safer without phone. Experts caution that using phones during an active shooter event can endanger students by drawing attention to their location, overloading communication networks, and distracting them from following safety protocols. First responders routinely report that the proliferation of smartphones has made large-scale emergencies harder to manage. During the 2018 shooting at Douglas High School, student phone use clogged networks, hampering communication among officials. False reports of multiple shooters spread on social media, causing confusion for students and police. Hundreds of panicked parents alerted in real time by their children rushed to campus unintentionally blocking access for EMTs. And finally, while tragic events do occur, they remain statistically rare, far rarer than adolescent suicide attempts,
039which have increased sharply in the smartphone era. There is no good reason not to have a bell-to-bell cell phone ban. Of course, if a student needs a phone for health reasons, they would get an exception. The data from schools who already have bands show that beltoball bands are more effective than class-only restrictions. And it also just makes more sense. Kids will have more trouble fully focusing on learning if they're picking up, checking, and storing their phones between every class. And that would make enforcement more difficult. Smartphones have wre havoc on kids mental health and attention spans. MMSD has the chance now to drive positive change. To quote the book Digital Delusion, written by a neuroscientist and educator, when schools remove phones entirely, learning improves and break time habits shift dramatically. Instead of sitting alone with
040screens, students walk with friends, read physical books, and play active games with real people. These moments of genuine interaction reignite a deeper sense of human connection, the kind that leads to genuinely happy kids. Why wouldn't we want to give that to them? Okay, as Amber's coming up, next will be Angela Hughes. >> Good evening. I am a mother of girls in the third and sixth grade in MMSD and I am asking the board to consider going beyond the instructional time cell phone ban as required by act 42 and implement a bell-to-bell away for the day cell phone policy for the district. I urge the school board to consider all of the research that recognizes the harm cell phone use causes our children when establishing a new district policy. If you haven't already, I highly suggest
041reading the book, The Anxious Generation by Jonath Jonathan Hate. It is an excellent evidence-based look at how cell phone and social media use [clears throat] has already impacted our children. I support an away for the day policy because it will allow students to be free from distractions throughout the entire school day, not just during instructional time. No phones at lunch, recess, and passing time will allow our kids to engage in face-to-face communication with peers, develop healthy friendships, and learn the social skills needed to interact with their teachers and other school staff. My oldest daughter attends Cherokee Heights Middle School where principal Roberto Moreno has already successfully implemented, excuse me, in a way for the day policy with clear guidelines and expectations for both students and parents as well as established consequences when the rules are
042broken. My children do not have cell phones and it is our family's intention to wait as long as possible before giving our children their own phones. Having a district policy that supports that plan will not only benefit my family, but others throughout the district who feel the same. There are very few reasons students need to use cell phones at school, but a growing number of reasons to eliminate their use in schools. And a way for the day bell-to-bell policy is the best way to ensure all students are getting the most out of their school day both during and outside of instructional time. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you. We'll have Angela Hughes come up and then after will be Sierra Elliott. >> Hi there. Thank you for letting us speak today. I also am
043for the bell-to-bell phone policy. Um Madison has always build themselves as progressive and I feel like we've been lagging behind on this issue. It is our chance and opportunity to solve it and it seems like an easy win. I'm not going to use all my time today, but if any of our other advocates need it, please give it to them if that's allowed. Following Sierra, did I get that right, Sierra? >> No, I Okay. Um, following Kira will be Rachel Gal Galban. >> Um, I'm Kira Elliot. I am also a MMSD mom, uh, who is also here to advocate for a bell-to-bell phone ban. Cell phones are a significant classroom distraction. They're a significant distraction for all of us. Uh countless studies show that cell phone use in schools is directly linked to not only
044poor academic outcomes, but also shorter attention spans, reductions in social interactions. We're moving in the right direction by removing the unrestricted access in classrooms. But is that really enough? School phone policies largely bear uh uh pair down to two different options. An instructional time ban where phones are put away only during class time, but may be used at lunch, recess, and during transitional periods. and a full bell-to-bell ban where phones are not allowed during the entire day. I'm here to advocate for the latter. Uh, as I'm sure you can guess, uh, and I'm sure you've heard earlier this evening, uh, schools that implemented bell-to-bell bands show not only more significant improvements in academics, but also fewer classroom disruptions, more focus, reductions in unexcused absences, and increased face-to-face interactions at lunch and during transitions. Kids will
045not only be able to concentrate, they will also learn how to communicate with each other, solve social problems, and build a community. The Belbell band is clearly the better option for our kids. I do acknowledge that in the beginning there will be challenges. Bel nervous as it reduces their ability to interact with their children throughout the day. As a parent, I can tell you that I prefer that my child interact with his peers, teachers, and staff throughout his time at school. With a strong policy around parental contact and emergencies, I think this can be addressed. In addition, a bell-bell ban may be challenging to enforce at first as children will likely resist it. However, studies do show that bell-to-bell is actually easier to enforce once routines are established than instructional time bands. Instructional time bands
046put the burden on our already overstretched and overworked teachers and therefore contributes to inequities due to inconsistencies with classroom enforcement. The question here is do we want to see maximum focus academic gains and more well-rounded children or do we want a lower conflict easier to implement in the short-term solution? The decision that we can make now has a significant impact on our children as they grow up and for the rest of their lives. If we really want to do the best for our kids, the choice is obvious. It's a B-develop ban. Thank you. Right, Rachel's coming up. Next will be Kristen Kennedy. And for board members, we uh Rachel, who's at the podium, is speaker number 10. >> Thank you. I'm a parent to a fourth, 7th, and 12th grader at MMSD and I'm a
047former schoolboard member in another community myself. I stand before you today with immense gratitude for your service to our community and appreciation for the complexity of the decisions you have before you. Governor Tony Iver signed Act 42 requiring all schools in the state of Wisconsin to establish policies restricting cell phones during class time with provisions for emergencies, healthc care management, IEPs, and 504 plans by July 1st. Wisconsin is actually the 36th state to pass such restrictions and at least 20 states have passed away all day laws prohibiting students from using cell phones during the school day. It's unfortunate that our lawmakers have not made this easier for all of us and enacted a bell-to-bell ban. But as they say, the buck stops here. And that's why I'm here today along with so many other parents
048to implore you to create that bell-to-bell ban on cell phones. I recently read that cell phones in schools are a public health crisis in education analogous to smoking on campus or asbestous removal from classrooms. Did you know adolescents spend an average of 70 minutes of their school days on phones? This is according to research on American 13 to 18 year olds published a few weeks ago in JAMA. That's six hours a week. There's more data on the detrimental impact of cell phones and social media on young people mentally, physically, socially than we have time to cover here, but the data is irrefutable. Can you imagine what an additional six hours of focused attention would do to the culture of a classroom for our teachers, for our kids? I have started every parent teacher conference for
049my high schooler over the past four years asking, "How is phone usage in the classroom?" Many of our more experienced teachers offer that they feel confident keeping their classroom engaged. But there's often frustration and defeat in my conversations with many, especially younger teachers. We need an environment where teachers can teach instead of managing screen time. I worry about the district's ability to retain excellent teachers if you don't make this change. As a school board member, this is perhaps your greatest opportunity to improve student test scores, learning environments, and social emotional well-being. It's being handed to you in the form of Act 42. I have often wondered why MMSD has not already made the decision ban phones like so many other schools across the country have done so successfully. And so I ask you tonight, why
050would you not do this? Do any of your answers to that question supersede the well-being of our kids? Without proper policy in place, our teachers and our administrators hands are tied. Please provide the infrastructure they need to do their jobs and enhance student learning and well-being. Please create a policy with a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones. >> All right, we have Kristen Kennedy coming up and then Caroline Ozgood. Hello. Thank you so much for the time and opportunity to speak with you all tonight. I am a parent of two current MMSD students in 4K and first grade and a third who will be attending an MMSD school when she reaches 4K. I'm here to voice my support along with many you've already heard uh of the belltobell or away all day cell phone policy. I
051have students who struggle with attention and focus. They are really intelligent kids. They are so excited about learning and they have supportive parents who work with them to build that skill set even though it's challenging for them and they still struggle to maintain attention during the school day. Access to cell phones during the school day will make this an impossible challenge even for families with access and ability to support their students like we have, let alone those that don't have those advantages available to them. Looking at the school district's strategic framework, goal two on the list is the district and every school in it is a place where children, staff, and families thrive. I asked this board to see this as your opportunity to bring that to life. Missing this moment will only make it
052that much more challenging to do something down the road. You've heard a lot of parents before me sharing numbers, studies, and data, all of which show that phones in schools work against learning. I'm here to share examples from my own children to reinforce that belt a bell-to-bell ban is the best thing for them. Use facts and research to inform your decision and implement a cell phone policy that will enable students to focus, engage with their peers, and thrive. Thank you. Uh, next up is Liz Man. I am here tonight to advocate for a bell-to-bell phone ban and share my perspective as a school social worker. This is my 22nd school year working for MMSD and I can tell you that I am seeing a level of social emotional need that is higher than ever. Students
053who have grown up on screens are struggling with shorter attention spans and a lack of social skills. As a parent of a recent East graduate and current high schooler, I myself have regrets about allowing my kids to have smartphones at a young age. But now we've seen the effects. We've seen the data. Now we know better and we have to do better. A recent survey that was sent to MMSD parents regarding a potential school ban or phone ban implied that parents expect to be able to contact their students on their cell phones during the school day. As a parent and as a staff member, I can say there is no situation that necessitates parents contact their students directly during the school day rather than through the office. It is messages like this that we give
054kids that they need to be in constant communication with their parents to be safe that is contributing to the rise we see in anxiety and other mental health concerns. We can't let parents misguided belief that having a smartphone makes their children safer prevent us from creating policies that we know are best for kids. According to the book, The Anxious Generation, smartphones and their apps are such powerful attention magnets that half of all teens say they are online almost constantly. Can anyone doubt that a school full of students using or thinking about their phones almost all the time, texting each other, scrolling through social media, playing mobile games during class and lunchtime is going to be a school with less learning, more drama, and a weaker sense of community and belonging. A phone ban limited to
055class time is nearly useless. This is why schools should go phone free for the entirety of the school day. A classimeonly ban would turn teachers into the phone police and keep students distracted by phones they can check every hour. Please help teachers teach and students learn. Enact a full day bell-to-bell fan ban. >> Liz is coming up and then following will be Lindsay Bomb. >> Thank you and thanks for your attention as we're all here. I am a practicing pediatrician here in our community. I'm also a parent to two current and one future MMSD student. And I'm asking you professionally and personally to go beyond the minimum required from act 32 and enact a full day bell-to-bell ban for cell phones in schools. I see the consequences of unrestricted cell phone use every day in
056my patient population. Children come to me with shortened attention spans, a decreased ability to tolerate discomfort or engage in sustained thinking, and an almost reflexive craving for a screen. But we should be honest with ourselves. Many of us experience this as adults. But our executive functioning and our self-regulation are far more developed than those of the children we are asking to manage these devices responsibly. Impulse control and making judgments based on long-term consequences are skills not fully developed until the mid20s. Children and adolescents operate primarily from their emotional center, the amygdala. Social media and app companies know this and intentionally market to our kids, driving repeated engagement through clicks and scrolling. They exploit these developmental vulnerabilities and the industry profits from them. So, it's unreasonable and irresponsible to assume that our kids can exert meaningful
057control over highly addictive devices in a way many of us as adults struggle to do. We should not expect our kids to fight this battle every school day. Learning in school isn't confined to the classroom. So restricting cell phone use only during instructional time is insufficient. Social emotional learning, interpersonal connection, critical thinking, conflict resolution, these develop throughout the day on the playground, in the gym, at the lunch table. And all of this learning is disrupted by cell phones. As a pediatrician, I really want to take this opportunity to address a common concern raised about cell phone bands medical necessity. In my diabetes practice, I have a lot of patients who require cell phone use for their medical device management. They use them as medical devices and I have many examples of successful use even in
058Dayne County in um school districts that have Belletobell cell phone plans. That's what the 504 plan and IEP plans are for. A B-to-bell phone plan doesn't ignore individual needs. It prioritizes the collective, developmental, academic, and mental health needs of students and a clear, workable path for exceptions when needed. From both a parent and a pediatrician standpoint, this approach is not only reasonable, but it's responsible. Thank you. Hello. As a parent of a fourth grader and a rising kindergartener at an MMSD school, I believe that cell phones and other digital distractions, including Chromebooks, do not belong in the classroom because they undermine the very purpose of school. Learning requires focus, presence, and sustained attention. Things that are incredibly difficult for kids when a phone is sitting in their pocket or at their desk. Even when not
059actively used, phones are a constant temptation, pulling students attention away from lessons, discussions, and critical thinking. This distraction doesn't just affect the individual student. It disrupts classmates, and it makes it harder for teachers to maintain an environment where everyone can learn. a recent I recently accompanied the fourth grade my son's fourth grade class on a field trip to the Wisconsin Historical Society and state capital where and three students in his classroom fourth grade classroom had cell phones and were not paying attention to the content presented to them but instead were taking selfies and or watching distracting videos. I found it distracting as an adult as well. Um, children don't need cell phones during the school day to be safe, supported, or successful. MMSC already has systems in place for communication, emergencies, and logistics. And teachers
060and staff are capable of getting messages to students when it truly matters. The idea that parents need constant real time contact with their children during school hours sets an unhealthy expectation for both kids and adults. If communication is necessary, there are far less disruptive ways to handle it that do not interrupt instruction or compromise classroom norms. Additionally, school is much more about much more than completing assignments or preparing for tests. It is one of the few places where children learn skills they cannot fully develop outside the classroom, including how to engage respectfully with peers, how to listen and participate in group discussions, how to manage boredom or frustration, and how to be present in a shared community. Constant phone act access interferes with these lessons by offering an easy escape from their discomfort, social interaction,
061or accountability. When students are on their phones, they are not practicing empathy, collaboration, or self-regulation. I, along with other MMSD parents, want their kids focused on learning academic subjects, building real relationships, and developing into thoughtful, respectful humans. A bell-to-bell cell phone band supports these goals by creating clear, consistent expectations for students and families alike. It removes daily conflicts over phone use, empowers teachers to teach, and helps students fully engage in their education. While I recognize the transition may provide challenges, ultimately this approach prioritizes kids long-term growth over short-term convenience. And that's something many parents strongly support. Thank you. >> Thank you, Lindsay. Next up, we have Jackie Shore and then followed by Jake Rogers. I'm a former high school English teacher, current middle school librarian, and mother to two elementary school students in the Madison
062School District. I'm here to ask you to do more than what the law requires of you. I am asking you to implement a bell-to-bell cell phone ban. As both an English teacher and a school librarian, I have seen how cell phones affect student engagement. They are a constant distraction and a source of friction between staff and students, and that is not what I want for my children or for any others. In my experience, the main effect of an offa and away policy is to put the teacher in the role of phone police. Very few students can keep a cell phone near them and resist the urge to check it. This takes student attention away from classwork and causes the teacher to have to constantly monitor behavior instead of being there to help with classwork. If
063I could have back the minutes and hours I spent telling my students to put their phones away and replace that time with instruction or even just conversation, the benefits to student achievement and classroom culture would be immense. I am currently a librarian at a middle school in a nearby school district. This year, our district's cell phone policy is clearer and stricter than in the past. Cell phones need to be in lockers or in caddies in the classroom. This is not a b-to-bell policy, but it is very close. And the change in the number of kids who are distracted during class was immediate and noticeable. My interactions with students are far more positive than they had been in previous years. I am no longer policing students. I am instead able to build relationships with them. This
064is what I want for my own children, for the district that they attend to prioritize relationships and education over instant gratification. Beyond anecdotal reasons for banning cell phones, there is research to show that students achieve more when cell phones are banned. Numerous studies have shown that merely having a cell phone nearby distract students from class. One study in England found that test scores increased by 6.4% when phones were banned from schools. And the students who gained the most were low achieving students. The Madison Metropolitan School District puts a lot of resources into supporting struggling learners, and banning cell phones is a completely free action that would benefit everyone, especially those who need extra help. Act 42 is forcing you to evaluate the district's cell phone policy. I am asking you to look at the research,
065to listen to what parents really want, and to do what is best for our children. You may say that if I don't want my children to have access to a cell phone, that I shouldn't give them one. And you're right, I won't. Uh, however, other parents may make different decisions out of necessity or because they have not read the research that I have. Cell phones serve many purposes for families, but they serve no purpose during the school day. Please do what is best for educational and mental health outcomes for our children and ban cell phones completely during school hours. Hello. Jake is coming up and then followed by Maryanne Butes Voits. All right. Thank you. >> Good evening y'all. Um I'm Jake. I'm a teacher in the district. Uh and I'm here tonight to talk
066about our uh current resolution uh President Nichols that you read at the beginning um and the rights and safety plans that we have uh at the moment um in regards to ICE and its inadequacy to meet this current moment. Um over the last 12 months I have spent a lot of time talking with educator friends of mine um who work in Wisconsin, Chicago, Denver, and Minneapolis and we have discussed the ways in which their district and their schools um have plans for if and when ICE decides to show up. Um my friends that are educators in Minneapolis specifically um have consistently spoken to the organizing and rapid response that is happening really at like a hyper local level. The ways in which neighborhoods and blocks are supporting and seeking to protect their community um from
067the invasion. Um from grocery deliveries to mutri mutual aid to legal observer networks, Minneapolis is really leading the way in what community support looks like um for our most vulnerable populations. Uh we know that ICE is coming to Madison in a broader way and our current like rights and safety plan um is inadequate to ensure the safety and security or of the students and families that we serve. Um I'm of the mindset that our district has like a system of organization in place that can work to get our community ready to support our schools and our students. Um our community as a whole like wants to support against ICE and wants to lend the resources. Um but Madison currently lacks the large scale organizing that can do this holistically across cities. uh and neighborhoods. Um
068I'm of the opinion that this board and the superintendent um can and should be working to actually organize our community um to support um the security and safety of our students and families. Um our current approach of kind of like let's not have anything out there um really fails to recognize that it like leaves school staff and our communities feeling undereducated and underprepared um for when uh ICE actually shows up. um we are quickly running out of time to get ourselves organized and the infra in infrastructure of our district really feels to me a way to make up for this time. So I'm kind of asking the board tonight to consider a way to be more proactive in our approach to ICE um rather than one that seems to me to be one of reaction.
069Um and also just kind of speaking off the tough like hearing the uh the resolution read out loud tonight. I actually don't think it goes far enough. I think we should be really pushing for like the abolishment of ICE and that should be like our position as a district, right? because we know that with the abolishment of ICE, that's actually going to support our students and families even more than they already are. So, our community is ready to step up. Um, we just need you all to maybe think about providing a space for us to do so. Thank you very much. >> All right. Uh, welcome Maryanne. Following Maryanne will be Nicholas Welton. >> Good evening members of the board and superintendent Goth. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Maryanne
070Foitz and I'm a fifth grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary. I'm here tonight to speak about an issue affecting our district. The lack of salary equity for our experienced staff, which we call salary compression. This is a problem that undervalues veteran teachers and weakens staff morale. First of all, I'm very happy our district has been increasing the starting salary for new teachers. However, by not also increasing veteran staff salaries at the same time, we've devalued the knowledge and skills veteran staff bring to the classroom. This sends the message that experience and dedication are not valued. I started working for MMSD in the fall of 2005. That means this is my 21st year in the district. In that time, I've worked at two schools, Senate Middle School and Lincoln Elementary School. I've mentored new teachers. I've ran
071after school clubs, developed new curriculum. I've earned my master's degree and received my national board certification. My experience helps me provide a consistent and highquality learning environment for my students. Over the years, I've met students with a wide range of learning styles and challenges. I've learned to adapt my methods to help all my students find success. If I was hired right now by MMSD using HR policy, all my years of experience teaching would match up with level W on our salary schedule. Due to salary compression, I'm at level R. In other words, this year, I'm making $4,448 less than I would make if I had left MMSD and returned as a new hire. How we spend our money reflects what we value. Classroom teachers are the people who spend the most time with our students.
072We are your most valuable resource and we want you to show us that you value us and that you value the loyalty of staff like me who've dedicated our careers to MMSD. I ask that you take steps to address this issue. Thank you for listening. All right, Nicholas is coming on up after Nicholas. Okay, I see two names on the next form. Oh, Lily Kellshore and Eleanor Winkle Wagner. Yeah, >> good evening. I'm Nick Welton, a bilingual teacher here in the Madison Metropolitan School District. This is my 10th year teaching and my ninth year teaching at MMSD. I am here because I understand the privilege I hold walking around in my skin. Being hired in the 2017 2018 school year, my contract that I still have says my salary was $42,77. Now, if you compare
073that to another Latina teacher who was contracted as a bilingual teacher from my same cohort, but went straight to MMSD, comparing her salary in the same school year that I started, she was making around $37,000. The quick math says that is about $5,000 difference. When you think about the benefits of the Wisconsin retirement system, that same percentage of my larger salary has made my retirement larger than my colleague and all colleagues hired just one year before me. Now, I'm not sure how much you know about the bilingual teaching world, but it's nearly impossible to graduate an undergrad with a bilingual teaching license, which means nearly all bilingual teachers hired by MMSD need to go back to school to obtain this license. That means the extra $5,000 I made compared to them pads my budget just
074a little little bit more when I needed to go back to school to pay for this license in addition to paying for groceries, rent, and other expenses. On another note with salary compression, I have friends and colleagues who realized that they were compressed. They went to HR and asked what could be done to adjust the compression. They were told they could resign and apply for their position again. I know multiple people who left MMSD because this factored into them not feeling valued. We have changed our slogan to be people purpose and pride. And I'm telling you that your number one, your people don't feel valued, especially when we've been told for years we need to watch out for inequities and work to build an equitable equitable place and system for our students. It's disappointing that
075our school district won't even start with us, the people on the ground doing the work with our students. Gracias. >> Hi, Lilia and Eleanor. Do each of you want to speak or are you planning to use the three minutes together? Okay, thank you. >> Um, so hi, we I'm Elanor Michael Wagner. >> I'm Lily. >> Um, I'm a senior at West >> and I'm a junior. >> Um, and we run March for Our Lives, which is an anti-gun violence club. We were here two months ago to propose the safe storage resolution and our club and us are so thrilled that it was decided on today and it was passed because safe storage is also important to us and our community. Yeah. And so now more than ever we want to just remind everyone how much
076of a difference safe storage can make. Um any changes to gun policy that make a safer world are crucial especially because as said before half of school shootings occur with an unsecured firearm. So, thank you for helping us prevent unnecessary violence. Earlier, we went over the resolution, so I don't feel the need to brief that again, but I will say we are extremely excited about those action items with direct mailing and checking compliance during enrollment, as well as reminding our community about safe storage. So, thank you to board member Mosner Felto for working with us and the school board for passing this important resolution. Um, we appreciate your collaboration with us. >> Thank you. All right. Uh we are at speaker number 20 Corey Rich and followed by Julia Peterson. >> Good evening. I'm Corey
077Rich. I'm the director of the legacy program at Operation Fresh Start and the proud parent of a Franklin Elementary School uh kindergartener. She wanted me to mention that Miss Rachel and Miss Becca are the best teachers ever. It's true. I'm here tonight to provide an update on what we've been up to at OFS and uh talk about an exciting new credential that we're offering. So, over the past year, the OFS and MMSD partnerships have resulted in 36 pre-apprenticeships in urban forestry and carpentry, 28 learners permits, 11 driver's license, and 34 high school diplomas, which is awesome. These are credentials that will make a measurable difference in the lives and employment prospects of the young adults that we serve together. Tonight, I'm excited to announce our newest credential, which is a solar installer certification. Since launching
078in October of 25, we've had 16 MMSD students receive the trifecta of UNIRC craftsman, UNIRC professional, and stepup solar uh certifications. So these are credentials that will position our students well to meet the growing need and demand for solar installers, electricians, and laborers. So the local Lyuna chapter will need 500 to 2,000 new laborers alone in the next two years. A fact that our students learned when touring the laborers training facility as part of their uh as part of their solar training. So our students are going to be well situated to meet this market need, obtain highpaying, generously benefited family sustaining careers. So, I just wanted to come up here tonight and thank you all for your partnership and helping us create this opportunity and make it possible for the students that we serve. Thanks.
079All right, as Julia's coming up after Julia will be Renee de uh debari bari. Sorry if I messed that up. I apologize. I can fix it, too. Um, good evening, uh, President Nichols. uh members of the board, Superintendent Gothard. My name is Julia Peterson and I joyfully teach 4K at Lincoln Elementary. I've also taught first and second grade multi-age, been an instructional coach, as well as uh ES ESL teacher, literacy, and math interventionists, and I've been on more district advisory committees, focus groups, te lead teams than I can name in three minutes. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you tonight and wearing my Governor Tim Walls quote t-shirt. Never underestimate a public school teacher. I know Minnesota and the community of Min Minneapolis are on our minds and in our hearts these past several
080weeks. The quote also highlights the powerful impact every public school employee has on our system to do incredible work for students to reach our shared goal of preparing them for college career and community. I'm here tonight to add my voice and story as one of the many who are affected by the issue in equity of salary compression. With over 25 years of service to MMSD, I am affected by all years of the salary compression. While I appreciate that new staff are hired with competitive salaries, the shift on the salary scale devalues veteran staff's commitment to MMSD, strong skill set, institutional knowledge and strengths in training pre-ervice teachers and supporting newly hired teachers. MMSD for me is home. I grew up attending Midville Elementary, Cherokee Heights, and West High. In college, I was part of the
081WMadison Professional Development Schools, a small cohort of UW students who did our pre-ervice work at a few MMSD schools, learning under teachers who were masters in their teaching craft. My three children all attended MMSD schools. Within the past 10 years, I've been asked by former colleagues, now administrators, to leave MMSD for other districts or charter schools. While flattering, I'm deeply committed to retiring from MMSD. In hindsight, had I left and returned, my salary now would be reflective of my years of experience. My early memories as a teacher are similar to how it feels starting off a new school year. Still to this day, full of hope and joy, getting to know each student's strengths, learning styles, and interests, eager to take new learning initiatives, methods, and apply these to our plan for the year. Early
082years of teaching, much like now, were a year-long ride on the ferris wheel called the teaching and learning cycle. The steady trajectory of growth was done alongside strong co-teer teams and leadership. This is the essence of what makes educators great in MMSD. We work towards perfecting our teaching craft by seeking out new learning opportunities, collaborating with teachers and caregivers, learning, reflecting, growing over and over. With the pressure universities have to help students graduate in four years and the winding of teacher certification grade ranges, I anticipate veteran teachers will be called on even more to help support new educators during their first years where teacher retention goal is highest. You can't put a price on the depth and breadth of the skills, experience, connections we've made with students and caregivers. My memories of working with students
083are priceless. We can, however, collectively find a way to fix the issue of salary compression. We are problem solvers. It's part of the teaching and learning cycle. Thank you. >> All right, Renee, you you'll have to say your last name. Well, if you don't mind, correct me and then Amy Robertson will come up after you. >> All right. Well, members of the board and Superintendent Gothard, thank you for your time. My name is Renee Debbarviieri and I am a teacher at Hegel Elementary and I'm speaking tonight on the issue of salary compression as I am also impacted by the salary compression. When thinking about what I wanted to say this evening, there was a theme that kept coming up over and over and I connected it to Ubuntu which means I am because we are
084in our Heagle community. We believe in Ubuntu in interconnectedness in humanity and dignity of all. As a veteran teacher of more than 20 years in MMSD, I reflect on my years and see the power, the growth, the strength of this interconnectedness. I see what my mentors, the veteran skilled staff had taught me as a young teacher. These skills taught taught to me through collaboration, reflection, connection, and understanding are the foundation of what makes me the teacher I am today. The foundation is not the stuff that comes from teacher ed programs, slides, or curriculum programs. The skills that have shaped my teaching career the most, the ones that I have helped me understand the art of teaching came passed down by my mentors who have been there, who knew what I was feeling, questioning, wondering. Experience
085has value. The salary compression problem started because we needed to attract staff. I don't believe the intention was to create a divide, separate our community, or devalue experience and the unspoken work that is passed down every day in our classrooms and in our schools. Salary compression is a mistake. In our classrooms, when we discover a mistake, the biggest lesson we share with our students is to acknowledge and own the mistake. But this does not just happen with words. It takes action. It's in the action of fixing the mistake or the action of doing better the next time. That is where the lesson lies. So I ask all of you, what lesson do you want to show to our MMSD community, to our staff, our students and families? The salary compression is a mistake and we
086are looking to you to make it right. We know that things are fiscally tight. I recently heard that budgets are reflections of our values and our beliefs. So what do you believe? Do you believe that I am because we are? Thank you. Following Amy will be Kristen Anenbr. Close. Sorry. >> Hi, I'm Amy Robertson. I'm the parent of fifth grader at Van Heis Elementary. Before I get started with my main concern, I did want to address the new kind of rules you introduced on speaking. Please put those on your website if you're going to have rules of engagement. But also, please reflect upon the following statement out of the 1976 Supreme Court ruling on MMSD BOE versus work, which states selective exclusions from public forum may not be made on content alone. With that, I
087am speaking today as an individual parent. I want to share my family's experience as it has continued to fall short of expectations. And I'm here because all the other forms you have mentioned earlier have been woefully inaccurate, inadequate. I spoke here in December about the instability of my stepson's experience. At that time, I shared that his third and fourth grade teachers both left mid year. This caused him significant issues. Unfortunately, I have an update. As of the beginning of 2026, his fifth grade teacher had decided to take a month-long leave. This is three consecutive years of major classroom disruptions for my child. The reason wasn't publicly stated as stress. Yet, it is clear to anyone paying attention, anyone who has spent time in that building that this building is a high stress environment. At some
088point, this stops being a coincidence and starts being a pattern. Children depend upon stability. They depend upon adults who are supported, present, and able to speak up for themselves and for their students. When teachers regularly leave midyear, kids internalize that instability. This is not just my family. Parents in our community are openly talking about sending their children to other schools where they won't be subject to this. Former parents have said they would have pulled their children if they were still enrolled. Longtime volunteers, you heard from one earlier today, have said that this is their last year if nothing changes. This should alarm all of us. What families are reacting to is not policy change. And this is not the exceedingly high expectations of a bunch of whiny parents. It is evidence that something is deeply
089off. The basic needs for safety and well-being of students are not being met. Staff is under constant strain. Parents concerns don't lead to improvement. Children are very clearly the victims of administrative dysfunction happening at Vanheis. Strong leadership creates trust. It creates psychological safety and emotional stability. From my family's lived experience, that's not what we're seeing. So, I want to be very clear. As a parent of a Vanheis student, I'm concerned about the well-being of the staff and the students under the current leadership and I do not support renewal of the upcoming contracts. Thank you. Hello. Good evening, me members of the board. My name is Kirsten Ankenbrand and I'm a parent of a fifth grader at Vanheis Elementary and for what it's worth a middle schooler at Hamilton. So I also support the Belltobell cell
090phone ban. But that's not why I came here to speak tonight. I'm here tonight because I've made repeated efforts to resolve serious concerns through private channels and those efforts have not led to meaningful communication or resolution. I've submitted anonymous testimony. I've submitted named testimony. I've emailed the school leadership, the supervisor, the supervisor supervisor copying Savon on our board last year or when he was our rep last year and Michelle as our rep this year. And in most cases, I've either been brushed off or have received no response. The last message I received from the district was curt and stated that my concerns were being reviewed, that they involved a private personnel matter, and that no information could be shared. Now, I respect privacy, but as a parent who's raised concerns related to students safety and
091well-being, I believe there should at least be understanding of the process. What steps are being taken? When might I expect an update? That's not happened. As someone who has a strong sense of internal sense, a strong internal sense of right and wrong, I want to say this clearly. I am not here to attack anyone and I am only here to speak about my experience. Based on that experience as a parent, I've lost confidence that the current leadership at Vanheis can provide a school environment where all children, especially our most vulnerable children with disabilities, are consistently supported, protected, and heard. Tonight, I'm asking this board to take a specific action. First, I would like you to read the 26 written comments that were submitted for today's meeting in detail. I would also like you to read
092my comments that were submitted in June and were submitted again in December. And after you've invested that important time, I'm asking you to not renew the current principal's contract. I'm grateful that my youngest child will soon move on to the middle school where that principal has created a wonderful community in about the same time as the current principal at Vanheis. But that does not end my responsibility to the children who will remain at Vanheis and the families who will follow. And I want to be candid about something. I'm not going to get quieter. I'm only going to get louder. I'm going to keep coming back because I believe this matters. And finally, I urge you to prioritize leadership that can communicate transparently with families, that can manage change effectively, that can build trust with staff
093and parents, and that can help every child feel seen, safe, and valued. And in my experience, that is not what's happening now. Thank you. Uh, next up, Zach Drain maybe. Okay. Followed by August Peters. And then our last speaker will be Andrea Miselli. >> Hello members of the board and Dr. Gothard. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Zach Defrain and I'm a 12th grade student at Madison West High School and the president of our school is DECA chapter. >> My name is Scarlet Brown. I'm an 11th grade student at West and a DECA officer. >> For those of you who are unaware, DECA is a business and marketing club and part of our West High School commu career and technical education program. Today we want to address the discussion around
094career and technical education CTE funding changes and its impact at West High School. Currently, there is $12,000 allocated to each high school. Our funding divided among our high school's three existing career and technical student organizations, CTSOs. Each high school has differing CTSO representation and varying numbers of student members per CTSO which significantly reduces the amount of financial support available at different schools. In the past, chaperone and substitute costs were covered by the central office which helped ensure equitable access for students across Madison schools. In DECA, my peers and I learned public speaking, teamwork, industry knowledge, and impactful leadership. Personally, practicing for DECA competitions and mentoring our 127 members had made me more confident in job interviews and encouraged me to explore a career a career in business and entrepreneurship. What we learned in the DECA
095classroom clearly translates to the professional field and beyond. This is exactly the purpose of a robust career and technical education in high school. And we and the D and the district's CTE funding plays an important role in keeping these opportunities accessible. We use the funding to help cover DECA competition fees, substitute teachers for our adviserss, and hotel and transportation costs to our competitions for our chaperones. Without this support, participation becomes more expensive, which in can prevent students who rely on school financial support from joining or continuing in these programs. West DECA typically qualifies 20 to 30 student competitors for the annual international competition. For this year's internationals held in Atlanta, we expect a cost of $1,200 per student and it will be more if we're forced to pass on extra advisor and chaperone costs to
096students. DECA students spend a lot of time in the community as well. We organize local food drives, provide toys for children's with the Madison's empty stocking club, and have fundraised at the Cole Center concessions and camp rental summer events. Despite our strong fundraising efforts, CTSOs do more than fundraising. That's the point. Fundraising alone cannot cover rising programs and substitute costs. As DECA members and student leadership like myself have put more time and effort into improving competitively, we've brought more students to overnight competitions. This means we need additional chaperones to attend these conferences, which increases our costs. CTO programs like DECA and HOSA build leadership and real world skills. These are educational experiences, not optional extras. We ask that the board consider a funding model that prioritizes student opportunity. I understand that $12,000 per student is
097equal, but I insist it is not equitable. We'll use more than half of this funding for our state DECA and HOSA competitions, exhausting it before HOA's HOSA's international competition. Having more successful students shouldn't mean passing increasing costs to students and denying hard-earned opportunities. Please consider additional fundraising for chaperoning and substitute expenses associated with taking students to these competitions above what is covered by the allocated $12,000. Thank you for your time. Dear Dr. Godard and members of the board, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is August Peters. I'm a 12th grade student at West High School and a leader and member of our school's HOSA chapter. Today, I also want to address the changes to CTE funding and their implications for the West community. Because the funding our school receives is not
098prop proportional to the size of our CTSO programs and DECA and HOSA are the largest of our school's student organizations. DECA and HOSA students will lack equitable access to district funds with a lower budget for travel expenses, including sponsoring chaperones, covering registration costs, and giving aid to students who may not otherwise be able to attend costly conferences. HOSA will have less funding available for not just competition costs, but also for resources like health science textbooks that allow students to compete at their full potential. HOSA is an environment that allows future health professionals to gain meaningful technical and professional skills as well as leadership experience in a health care setting. HOSA provides opportunities to network with health professionals uh gain hands-on healthcare experience and ultimately develop a skill set that allows students to become leaders in
099health care research and other professional settings. I am also a healthcare worker at UW Health through the youth apprentice program. I wouldn't have had this opportunity if not for HOSA. Um, undoubtedly I've gained experience that serves me now and will serve me in the future as a healthcare leader. This only goes to show how indispensable career and technical education is for students like me. Since my first affiliation with HOSA, our chapter has grown significantly, reaching over 80 members. This year, we'll take 41 of those members to the state leadership conference. This jump in chapter numbers represents dozens of new students gaining the tools necessary to become healthcare leaders. It represents an even greater opportunity to represent our state district and chapter on an international level. With these encouraging changes, our chapter must accommodate more chaperones,
100greater airfare and hospitality costs, and more student aid. Our upcoming state conference will cost $300 per student and international conference costs can exceed $1,200 per student without acade adequate funding. Uh and this poses a significant barrier to many students who have achieved so high through dedicated effort. We believe that the limit to a student's achievement in HOSA should only be determined by their level of determination to achieve not how much they are able to pay. We ask that Dr. Gothard and the members of the board considered additional funding for our rising cost of travel, chaperones, and competition resources above what the current $12,000 can cover. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> All right, our final speaker for tonight. Saved the best for last just for you. All right. Um, good evening everyone, members
101of the board. My name is Andrea Miserelli. Um, I'm president of Madison Teachers, Inc. or MTI, and I'm here tonight to speak on behalf of our veteran staff regarding the urgent issue of the salary compression. Our veteran educators and staff are the backbone of the district. They are the ones who have mentored new teachers, navigated years of policy changes, and remain dedicated to our students through every challenge. They aren't just employees. They are the institutional um memory of our schools. They deserve a salary that reflects the loyalty and expertise. We have heard that the suggestion of a RFP for a consultant is necessary before take um before action can be taken. We respectfully disagree. MMSD has the blueprint for a solution. The district successfully addressed how the seven levels removed were fixed for our student
102service staff. we already know how to bridge that gap. Um, while we understand that HR may lack certain historical records for staff not granted their full years of um, experience at hire, a consultant wouldn't have those records either. The process will ultimately rely on staff self-reporting and providing proof of service to HR directly. While we acknowledge that some complex layers of the compression may take time to untangle, the seven levels removed or chopped off issue is a clear-cut air that can and should be fixed immediately. We don't need to wait for a monthsl long study to start doing what is right. This is the logical first step. Even if you end up changing the salary schedule, you still are left having to address the compression issue. And if you guys would like, you could hire
103me or MTI the amount you want to pay for the RFP. We would gladly consult and help you. We would even do it for free. It is time to stop asking our veteran staff to wait. It is time to make things right and ensure our most experienced educators feel valued and not overlooked. Let's start fixing this tonight by addressing the levels we already know that are broken. Thank you. Thank you to all of our speakers who came tonight. Um board members, if you don't mind, we're going to take a very short recess. Um about five minutes. Thank you. All right, board member Saravo, if we can come on back. Board member Maldro, board member Vander Muan. Thank you very much. Okay, board member Saravo, we're going to resume the meeting. All right, we are ready
104to resume our meeting. Jesse, if you want to get us back live again. Thank you. We are moving forward with conducting the rest of our business. Don't be laughing at me. Are we good? Oh, okay. Thank you. All right. I'm going to move us on to the rest of our agenda, which is starting with approval of minutes. I move that the board of education approve the minutes from the regular meeting dated December 15, 2025. >> Second. >> All right. Um, student representative Lee, if you're still on your advisory vote, >> I >> All right. All those in favor? I >> I >> And it looks like >> I >> Thank you, board member Castro. All right, that passes unanimously. We're now going to move on to board president announcements and reports. Starting with celebrating our
105students, Vice President Pearson. For the first time, each of the district's four comprehensive high schools earned a spot on the AP school honor role. This national distinction reflects strong student participation and success in advanced placement coursework. The recognition builds on a year of record setting AP achievements across MMSD. Congratulations to all the students participating and to all the high schools. All right, let me try it again. Congratulations to Ben Senson, MMSD's planetarium director, who was recognized for his leadership in national level astronomy research through the NASA IPAC teacher archive research program. His team studied infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to see how the centers of distant galaxies change over time, helping scientists better understand how super massive black holes behave. All right. And we do have some other acknowledgements that are also in
106tonight's consent agenda. Um there's quite a few. So, Vice President Pearson and I are going to split these up, but we overall the board would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals and organizations that are donating to the district. >> So, we'd like to say thank you to Diane Balweg for the donation of $32,000 for food, beverages, and catering services for the new educator seminars. We'd like to say thank you to Franklin Randall PTO for the donation of $100,000 to support the funding for the playground update project and to the Enelki family uh for the donation of $50,000 for the elementaryaries general fund and $400,000 for the elementaryaries library renovations. and a few more. Uh, board member Mosner Falam, I think you'll appreciate this one. Friends of MSCR for $38,180.50 to support MSCR programming
107and the Boys and Girls Club of Dayne County for an inind donation of Dove products valued at $150,000. And finally, a $10,0006 well $10,1646 donation for new microphones and related equipment at West High School. So again, many many thanks to all of the individuals and organizations who are donating to our district. And with that, um, I'll turn it over to our superintendent for his update. >> Thank you, President Nichols. members of the board. I too would like to thank our incredibly generous community. Uh it's just some amazing giving uh that really does impact and u gives so much value to our our students, our staff, our entire community. Uh so my report for for this month, thank you to the board for reaffirming that MMSD is a safe place for its students and their families
108to seek help and assistance and information if needed. Our primary focus is in our on our students. All students in MMSD are welcome. We remain steadfast in our responsibility to put our students first and in our commitment to maintain a safe, stable, and focused learning environment. While there is much uncertainty in the nation right now, we have much to celebrate and be proud of here at MMSD. Recently, I had the honor of addressing student athletes at the MLK Big Eight Symposium. As part of my presentation, I shared reflections from Dr. King's final book, Where Do We Go From Here, Chaos Our Community? And to give some history on that, um, his book was written in 1967, 10 months later. Uh, he attended Memphis, Tennessee, uh, site of a sanitation strike and working conditions for, uh,
109many black workers and other hourly workers. And, uh, his life was ended. So, just 10 minute 10 months after he wrote, uh, his final book, I asked students to consider our shared mission in the civil rights movement, and we discuss the current social conditions facing many communities across the country. Reflecting on Dr. King's work feels particularly urgent right now. And as I look across our district, I see buoyancy of hope Dr. King wrote about in the eyes of our 26,000 students and the dedication of our educators who refuse to accept the status quo. As students return from school after winter break, I also began my site visits. I look forward to these visits because it gives me the opportunity to connect with students and staff. These conversations provide a real-time pulse on our school community,
110and you never know what you're going to walk into. So, as part of these visits, one of my favorite things to do is to stand in a high school hallway at passing time. I I know some people might say, "Why would anyone want to do that?" Because it's a great place, and it's always proven in my career to be a great place to have conversations. And these are not scripted conversations. many times not individuals seeking help, but you can look in the eyes of a teenager and tell that something's missing. They're either looking for someone or somewhere and you as an adult might have that information. So, what turned out to be, can I help you find someone? Even though I had no idea where this person might be at this giant high school, I
111had a conversation with the student and he was looking for an apprenticeship coordinator because he is pursuing uh a career in the culinary arts. And of course, food is always a pretty good subject to talk about. And upon our conversation, I learned that this particular student was already in some of the kitchens that many in our community frequent and producing meals. And not only did he tell me about it, he was able to pull out his phone and scroll through picture after picture of dishes and entre that look like restaurant quality that could be pictured in a cookbook. Uh it was really an incredible opportunity for me to engage and to see a student go from kind of looking confused and what I would call maybe a little bit uh benevolent to all of a
112sudden face just lit up because he could talk to somebody about his passion. and uh he did find his coordinator and I sure hope uh you know that that he's out and about and and achieving his dream and achieving his goal, but it was a great great great opportunity for me to see how important CTE is in our schools. We heard some of that tonight as well uh from some of our student speakers especially. So, it was really important for me to to see that. So, I I thank um the student for sharing that with me. So, I thought I'd share that with you tonight. Uh lastly, our community came together to celebrate students at the 42nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Youth recognition breakfast. The event is hosted by Dr. Ruben Anthony and the
113Urban League of Greater Madison, his board, and his community as well. It's a long-standing tradition. This year, 118 MMSD students were honored with the outstanding young person award. Two Leaf seniors were also awarded scholarships. Kira Smith received the Betty Franklin Hammond scholarship and Rebecca Auroru received the George Angland Memorial Scholarship. We also celebrate our newest cohort of the MMSD man scholars and continuing a legacy of academic excellence and great support. It's clear that our students aren't just the leaders of tomorrow. They're leading us right now. President Nichols, members of the board, this concludes my report. >> Sounds like a great way to come back from winter break. The picture of you with a student where you look like you were delightfully surprised. I'd have loved to seen a picture of you in the hallway passing
114time, Dr. Cather, that with a sea of students in the hallway. >> If I could, that's a student in the picture that you're referring to. >> Yeah. >> You know, bilingual classroom and she's writing her career goals or or doing a report on a career that interested her. And when I began to ask her questions, her very studious face turned into one of excitement to share with someone what her dreams are. Uh, so that was uh that was just I just saw that picture tonight, but that's exactly what was on her mind as she was telling me that. >> Awesome. Well, you look like you were captivated and I appreciate the kind of superintendent you are getting out to schools, students seeing you, knowing who you are and also for doing all of the community
115um work that you continue to do. So, thank you. All right. At this point, we are going to report on items that proceeded through the instruction workg group held on January 5th, 2026. And I'll pass that over to instructional work group chair Moldro. >> Thank you so much, Board President Nichols. At our past instructional workg group, we focused on a mental health update. We were able to have a very thorough and thoughtful conversation thanks to our team and the really intentional questions of our board that evening. We also got a brief update on MMSD's excellence together. We will be extending that conversation into our upcoming board retreat on February 6th. In our upcoming instruction work group meeting, we are going to be speaking to uh 4K and we will get an update on 4K and
116early childhood as well as getting an update on our potential math curriculum for grades kindergarten through 8th grade. That's it for my report. Thank you. >> All right. Looking forward to our next instructional work group. Uh, now I'll go to a report on items that proceeded through the operations workg group held on January 12th, 2026. And I'll pass it over to operations workg groupoup chairstro. >> Thank you. Can you guys hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. Thanks so much. All right. So, we held our operations workg group on January 12th, 2026 where we voted on a tuition agreement. um had an update from human resources, an update on the referendum, and then started our budget cycle for the 26 27th school year. Our next operations work group will be February 9th, 2026 where the topics
117will be um uh where we will talk about staff compensation um and and and and confirmation, staffing projections and workbook release as well as summer programming. Um and then we will share the RFP results for healthcare. Um and yeah, that'll be that. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you for that, Chair Castro. All right. That moves us into our consent agenda. I move that the board of education adopt and approve all of the motions set forth in section 10 of the electronic agenda prepared for the January 26th, 2026 regular school board meeting exactly as said motions are written. By voting affirmatively on this motion, a board member expresses his, her, or their affirmative vote on each of the motions consolidated, hereby subject to any express separations that have been made by any member of the school
118board. Second, Nikki Rander Mulan and I want to pull 10 nine. >> All right. So, I hear a separation of 10.9. Thank you. >> 10.8, please. >> At 10.8. Yes. Board member Savvo. >> Wonderful. Well, 10.7. I also wanted to do 10.8, 10.9, 10.14. >> Okay. So, 10.7 10.89 were already named. What What else did you name? 10.14. Okay, I got seven. So, it's 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, and 10.14 have been pulled so far. Separated. Okay. All right. We will come back to those then. Um, student representative Lee, your advisory vote on the rest of the consent agenda. >> I >> All right. All those in favor? I >> I >> All right. Thank you, board member. >> All right. Thank you. >> All right. Let's make our way to each of the ones that were
119pulled. I'm going to start with 10.7, which is a memo on library media center. Um, so let me read the motion. I move that the board of education approve the expenditure of $469,54824 for fiscal year 26 with initial amount approved in September for $284,591.70 and an additional request in January for $184,95649 using the above account numbers that are in the chart from the 2025 2026 fiscal year using the common school funds for the creation of blanket POS with the follow content solutions for the purchase of library materials to support teachers and students. Okay, that's been seconded by board member Vandermuan. All right. Uh, board member Saravo, I believe you asked for this separation, so I'll turn it over to you. >> I just wanted to kind of go into this one a little bit because
120as we have 52 schools, I notic there were 48 that were listed um on this particular one. I just wonder if we could just kind of dive into there. I know some schools share resources um just to kind of go into that. And that's a significant difference uh monetary wise since last year since last year was 615,000 and now we're only looking at 469. I wonder if we could actually just kind of explain why the significant change and why we're doing it now. >> Thank you, President Nichols. Board member Sarav have executive director Kund come up and and describe to you our library purchase agreement. >> Thank you for the question. Uh so first of all not all of our schools do have libraries. So that's when you're asking about where why all schools are
121not listed there. That is a true statement that not all of our schools have libraries. And then the funding comes from DPI for common school funds. And so they determine that amount that we get each year. And then from that we obviously have things that we put into all of our schools where funding comes from. And then a portion of that goes to the schools this in this format. This year it's new for us to actually have it as a blanket PO and put it back into the schools to order. In the past, schools had sent it to us and then we had to centralize ordering. But in order to make sure that we're getting books in the kids' hands as quick as possible, we have it over to schools so that they're actually doing
122that ordering and getting it through right away. I don't know if that's helpful. >> That's helpful. And does that if someone did not know all the technical terms, would that explain the significant costs the just the change of costs? >> Yeah. Of the funds that came through from the department of public instruction for us through common school funds. And so that changes each year based upon how much they are giving us for schools. Also, it changes based upon if we are purchasing platforms that all schools are using. So we take that off the top initially as well. So thus the difference. >> Thank you >> board member Vanderbilan. >> Yes, I respect the desire to get the info to the children as soon as possible and I see that that is necessary but I'm not
123comfortable with any blanket poss issue of transparency. As much as I trust my district, as I said, I am financially conservative and it's for that reason I can't vote for this, but I do understand the reason behind. >> Can you speak to the nature of a blanket PO um just just for educational purposes? >> Sure. So we tell schools that this is the funding that they would have and then they can purchase from Vallet what those texts are. Librarians across the district actually do connect with each other and have recommended resources that come and also come from curriculum connections that we have as well. And so that funding they know that they have this much money to spend on those texts that people are re recommending or requiring. I would say a lot of texts
124currently have also been around ensuring we have authentic texts in Spanish um in our schools as well as authentic texts in mung and so that's where a lot of this money is coming from. However, your concern is saying that you don't want people to just know how much they have to spend. Is that your concern? >> No, my concern, if I may answer chair, my concern is a blanket amount that the board isn't aware of what the amount is. for each one. I to have that I I seriously worry at uh transparency. I don't like blanket statements on that. I I think that information needs to be shared publicly so that way each school could it's equitable because one school may get the same amount like we heard today west with west getting a certain
125amount for for three clubs and that was the first time the board ever heard of it and those kind of reasons are the reason why I would like >> they do be their fun. Um yeah, and just for for clarity, board member Vanderm, the second attachment in board docs does show by school the amount they'll have available. So it's blanket kind of all the amounts added up together and then by full >> from the beginning. Oh, so you'll see all of them. >> Okay. Or member Maldo >> ask for the sake of clarity. What we're talking about tonight is basically accepting funding from the Department of Public Education and then distributing it among our schools for the point of perpet purchasing literature. >> Can I help out here? Um there's the thing about the common
126school funds is that it comes twice a year. >> Okay. So when it comes in beginning of the year, our nice BPA office allow us to say we are we are suspecting that you're going to get this estimated amount of common school funds. Our library and program then what they do is take that estimated amount and then divide it amongst the schools. When we actually get the common school funds, most of the time what we notice is it is more than what we are estimated because we want to go under that amount to make sure we are not overspending. >> The blanket PO what it's doing is saying we recognize DPL DPI has said hi MMSD here's your common school funds. Now, what the librarian program has done again is gone back and says, "Cherokee,
127we originally said you were going to have this amount, but now because we got the actual check, you're really going to have this amount." And SLET is one of our biggest vendors that we use. So, the blanket PO, what it's going to do is allow the schools to be able to purchase versus having 52 different POS from each school. It's one blanket PO for all of the librarians to be able to say, I am at Cherokee. I want to be able to purchase this. Wes is here and we don't have 52 different POS coming at you. >> I really appreciate that and I think it's important to say like we have 52 schools and sites, right? So when you said we don't have libraries at all of our schools, I think that can sound really
128alarming. Um like what are what schools do not have these libraries? And what I what I think you're referencing is some of our schools share a building and a library. Some of our schools take place in the children's hospital or in the juvenile detention center. And it is not that we're not providing materials to those spaces, but it's navigated through different channels given the resources available in correct sites. >> Correct. >> Thank you so much for answering our questions. >> Right. Does does are all questions answered at this point? Okay, great. All right. Um, student representative Lee, your advisory vote. >> I >> All right. All those in favor? I >> I. >> Okay, that's six of us. Those opposed one. All right. That motion um car you. All right. We'll now move on to
12910.8. And this memo is about universal social emotional learning curriculum at the elementary level. Let me read the motion. I move that the board of education approve the purchase of a universal social emotional learning or SEAL curriculum for elementary schools for a total of $270,625 over the next three fiscal years using the curriculum and instruction curriculum review of learning materials budget. We need a second. >> Second. >> All right. Um, a couple of you I think had expressed separation. So, who would like to begin? >> I I can go ahead and start. >> Okay. >> Um, I think first I want to thank the team that put together this recommendation and for all the work that went into it. I want to acknowledge the desire and the need that people have to have access to
130high quality curriculum around all of the things that we want students to to be able to to practice and get better at, including social emotional learning. That said, I will be voting no um on this consent agenda item and I will be voting no because um when I think about when I think about what high quality cell learning looks like and when I think about what this particular um curriculum offers, there's a mismatch there. And that mismatch is actually um modality and it's um students using the Chromebook to to um do the follow-ups and having the um having uh the screen mediate um a student's social emotional learning. I understand from um the the team that the lessons are delivered live from the teacher um but that the the response from students all goes into
131the Chromebook. When I think about my hopes and dreams for our instructional life here in MMSD, I would like to see us moving away from additional platforms and away from students um logging into the Chromebooks to do all of that type of thing. And so that is why I'm going to be voting against this one. >> All right. Thank you, board member Maldro. And then did you have one more board member? Okay. >> Thank you so much, Bo President Nichols. I very much agree with my board colleague Blair Mosner. Welcome um in terms of how how much this curriculum relies on students um navigating their their experience through their electronic device. Um but that's not necessarily why I feel particularly hesitant to vote for this. The the thing that actually concerns me the most about
132this curriculum um is the ongoing cost of the curriculum. So, I think we spoke to it costing $270,000 over the course of the next three years. Is that correct? And then after that, we continue to pay for this curriculum at a rate of about $100,000 a year. Um, I I think I think back to conversations we had earlier this year, particularly the conversation about the board stipen. Um, and the board stipen generated an additional cost of about $43,000 a year. But we had a really thorough conversation about it. We had uh a lot of thought that went into it. We compared ourselves to other districts. Um, we had multiple public meetings in which we deep dived it. And so to have something that over the course of 10 years will cost us close to a
133million dollars. um and we'll have ongoing expenses related to it after that in which we never outright own this curriculum um is is something that I I'm not super interested in. I would much rather see these kinds of resources in both in invested in theater opportunities for our students um in partnerships that promote safety at school in in really creative vehicles to invest in our young people's ability um to engage in universal social emotional learning uh that that is not so oriented to their relationship with a device particularly at the elementary um and early childhood level. >> Okay. Thank you. I think I saw board member Saravo, >> board member Vander Muan, Vice President Pearson, and depending on where it goes, I may have a question. >> Thank you, Chair Nichols. Um, President Nichols, sorry.
134Um the reason that I wanted to talk about this is actually I'm in the same thought process of not voting for this either. Um I share and appreciate the concerns the other board members brought up and when I was going through it I'm seeing that there was 18 representatives. I have no idea what students and staff those representatives represented. I don't know anything about the variety of people that were involved in it. I don't feel that I have just a really good appreciation for who is there and it's not explicitly contained in there as to what what groups were all involved in bringing those people together. I just I don't see it in there and I can't find myself to be in support of something where I'm not sure or can be assured that all
135the groups that I would also want to make sure that we're included in there were part of the process to the extent that I would want to see them. Thank you. Thank [clears throat] you, chair. Um, I am also not in support of this. Um, one on the screen time. I I think uh I'm not against screen time if they have a teaching component, but I don't like that it is most more screen time at a younger level than I'm comfortable with. But the second reason is my second reason is what Ali stated much better than I could is we don't own the curriculum we keep we have to keep paying for it and to be honest I'm not sure financially that that's the right move at this time and Martha I didn't even consider
136it I should have as a disability advocate on who was in the room and that's my that's my fault and I should have looked that closer. But for those reasons along with the fact that I just I think social emotional learning is something that needs to be taught in person with person there to be active to be able to actively engage it. My mom's an elementary guidance counselor. I see the amount of work that was required that to learn facial expressions to learn how things work. as an autistic child, I learned how it took me until I was on the school board to be able to read uh body language. So, I mean, those kind of things are huge and I think that can't be done by a computer. That's got to be done by
137him. It's for those reasons I'm voting now. >> Okay. So, I have questions. Um, one of my questions were who all participated um in that 18 group question. >> Thank you, President Nichols. Uh, board member, Vice President Pearson is going to come up and she can address comments on this RP process. I just want to point out a few things and I don't mean to oversimplify this. Um, one of the most common things we hear is the inconsistency of student engagement, whether that be behavior, attendance, you name it, across our elementary schools. And in large part, we have a lot of changes. We've had a lot of new staff these last five years. We have students who are mobile throughout our district, you know, who are going to multiple elementary schools, either within a given
138year or within consecutive years, successive years. And what we're trying to do is offer a system that is consistent so we can start to truly build some depth in social emotional learning. Um I think it's critically important. Uh board member Vander Vandermill you mentioned, you know, an elementary guidance counselor. We don't have that position in our district. So we rely on our teachers. And imagine if we send our teachers into a classroom every day and the task they have requires a Phillips screwdriver, but we give them a hammer. how successful they're going to be. So, this is about tool building, skill building for our educators so they can be the most effective as possible for our students. But I'll have Dr. Esser take you through the RP process. >> I just I just thank you.
139Um I uh would love to explain um the RFP process and if you would allow me I would love to clarify um after that the um overall impact um related to technology and how much time and and energy is spent in that space and addressing the uh long-term cost if if you'll allow that. But I'll start with the overall RFP process. The um consideration for adopting a social emotional learning curriculum is one that has been um an active conversation since the start of the end of the pandemic. Um and uh we um had purchased prior to the pandemic second step a boxed social emotional curriculum. um in the pandemic that was no longer practical and um when we have consumable materials they tend to uh be used and need to be replaced and so um
140we were also in that position. Lastly, we believe really strongly that our cell curriculum has to keep up with the times and using that former program um and curriculum did not allow us to do that. um that particular organization I believe um participated in this RFP. So that's just their their name being used here is just the context pre- pandemic. Since then we have been developing and using district created resources. I have a very brilliant team and we have amazing practitioners in our schools who write and execute um outstanding social emotional learning lessons and we are basing those in research and evidence and um in order to keep the quality and the timeliness of those materials up um it requires a significant lift. Um so we um actually dating back to our ESSER funds started
141having the conversation about what a universal social emotional learning curriculum would look like. We made a decision at that time to pause because some of the uh similar to some of the concerns you all are expressing um today. It just was not the right time. We weren't confident in our readiness. We weren't confident in the need um and we really needed to know more. So we began by asking our schools just tell us high priority high need capacity to take this work on and sir our schools really took the lead to say we we are ready for this and we need it and so you'll see in our approach to the roll out of this we are um really uh focused on supporting the schools where they're at and helping them to where they're going
142next. So this is really based in school choice, school readiness and um uh overlying um collaboration and coordination with each school site so that we're approaching this from a lens of what they need and what the scholars in their buildings need. The 18 folks that participated were connected to the early adopter group. So those that were most ready and felt most need. Um and so we included principles in that coaches um student services represent representation um teachers and then I also will add there were additional opportunities cross functionally ac within central office. Um so subsequent um sessions outside of um the whole committee to really dig deeper into things such as um language is language aligned is is the is is there proper Spanish translation etc. So working through some of those pieces with those
143content area specialists. Um from there our team um of 18 um our our our our team reviewed the RFPs um using a rubric through um the lens of did they meet the minimum qualifications or requirements. So we did that first pass and then the committee met several times for um extended periods to review the materials to um dig into them to to to experience to talk with some principles who um are early adopters of um or I'm sorry not early adopters but pilot sites for this particular program. Um, so some really thoughtful engagement and planning has gone into this. Um, and schools really have been the driver of the conversation. Did I answer the question about who was involved in the RFP process sufficiently? Okay. >> Yes. >> Would you allow me to Oh, go
144ahead, Madison. >> Yes, you did. um for the most part sufficiently explained that 18 I think I was more looking for specifics but um especially when you get down to student services that's a large area large department and so I would be more interested in what student service groups were part of that were there special ed um teachers were there um folks from culture and climate and so like because that department is so merge. Um I would just be interested to know more specifically. >> Our culture and climate team really drove um this work from central office and um because our team encompasses our work around um culturally responsive problem solving, SSIT, tier 2 interventions, um uh assessment and evaluation, moving towards special education. Um we were really thoughtful in including our whole department and
145with uh those with active roles in the process in general. Um and I want to be clear that we wanted the school voice to really lead our decision and so the role of some of those folks was more as advisors um to that committee um or group as they were making decisions and those more content related or specific student need conversations. Yeah, that that adequately answered that question. Um I think you wanted to say something else. >> Yeah, just really quickly, two things I want to just bring into the space. One around technology and two around cost. Um I uh similar to you all had a conversation with uh the vendor that we um selected through the RFP process about the ongoing cost. Um and um I have read readily admitted that I have not
146purchased curriculum um since there were consumables right when we had paper and pencil boxes of cards and photos etc. And so I really was pushing back on the question of what are we getting annually? Why is it going to cost us that additional amount? and the um uh the folks there had a really strong and supportive answer that helped me to to better ground and understand. So their platform unlike a paper and pencil or a consumable product is under constant revision and it's under revision in response to what's happening in the world. It's in re uh a constant revision based on teacher and student feedback. So, every lesson there's a link for staff to give feedback. This image is not okay. Um, we'd really appreciate if you could connect what's happening around immigration in our
147community with the lessons that we're seeing in the next month. Um, they create a community of practice where people could come together um and join and learn. Um, and there's also some pretty robust data opt opportunities that they also provide. I am likely not even naming all that is included in that. Oh, I would also add just a toolkit, office hours, and that community of practice. So, that's the ongoing cost piece and then I'll talk about tech in a sec to cost. >> I'm sorry. I don't want to >> Yeah, I'm not done answering my questions, but because we're on cost. >> Yeah. Go ahead. >> I greatly appreciate it. Um, so is there any potential for them to at some point change the cost? So we're we're five years in, we kind of love
148this program, and they said, "Hey, this year instead of 100,000, it's 130,000." Is that something we could see from this organization? >> I m you may want to jump in here. I I mean I think in my experience we we often are we see the costs of of goods and services increase incrementally over time. Um I don't get a sense that this is a group that is um in this work for the financial gain and benefit their former teachers in the Oakland school district and really have experienced um the teaching and learning of a social emotional learning and have a vested interest. But I am I couldn't confidently say beyond the period of the RFP and contract that we enter into now that it wouldn't go up in the future. Um but I would hope
149that it stays relatively solidly stagnant or solidly consistent. >> The other thing that I think is complicated about what you just described as why the cost can increase and what makes that worthwhile is um the variety of iterations that you're going to get as they update something. And I think all of us who have engaged with a platform have seen an update and been like, I couldn't wait for them to do that. Thank god they did that. That has made my life so much easier. We've also seen an update that you're like, please give me back what worked. So I I I have some tension around that as strength. And I think in the long run, if we are able to have this conversation again, depending on how we vote tonight, I would be interested
150in the results that schools have seen that have embraced this curriculum. And I would be also interested in school districts that have worked with this organization long term, um, you know, verifying that there is a a stability in relationship to the cost. >> Yeah, I appreciate that. Um I wanted to just add one thing to your inquiry. So I I don't want to over um over exaggerate like the platform itself changing but rather the lessons being nimble to shift as as things time changes. I don't I don't anticipate or understand them to change like the new Facebook look you know when we all lose our minds right. Um but that is an important consideration and I >> no I greatly distinction because I I do I get I get what you're saying and I also
151just want to say thank you Luke for describing your team is brilliant. I I agree completely. >> Don't you agree? And you and I I will return back to Vice President Pearson your point I think around the technology piece as I hear it too that it's different when you buy actual consumables like many of our curriculum is and then within a matter of a few years I mean the whatever RFP group has vetted they're bringing forward usually a lot of thoughtfulness around those consumable materials and then within a matter of years all of a sudden they maybe aren't as relevant. They they were a few years ago when they went through the process. I I think what I hear you saying is that somehow the technology component of it does allow this company to do
152more updates without us having to like repurchase boxes and boxes of kind of printed materials. Is that kind of where you're going as well? >> Exactly. >> Okay. >> Yep. >> Thank you. All right. I I will come back. Yeah, thank you for explaining that a little further. Um, and to that point, I would recommend that when we have some kind of um, going through like an RFP and we're thinking about the dollar amount and it's significant. um any curriculum. I would appreciate if in the future that it gets brought into the instruction workg group um like all of our other curriculums because I think it is important to have a more thorough conversation presentation um because some of the information that you shared Leah um what may have been very valuable for some board
153members um in them deciding if they are going to vote in favor or not for that. Um, for instance, um, learning more about this is something that has been used in Oakland for a very long time. It's something that has been very successful in other districts. Um, and it's something that we feel strongly about with talking to other district leaders um, that work um, directly in our schools. um the information that is in within this curriculum allows them to be more culturally relevant than any other curriculum um that we currently have and or ones that may um have also bidded in the RFP. So I think those kind of things are extremely important um as we're thinking about that context. Um and so I would just recommend that any curriculum comes forth for us to
154have a more thorough conversation around the curriculum. Um the other thing is that um that I wanted to ask is around um data. And so the information from my understanding the information that we get from students um and that teachers are collecting. this has more of a mechanism for us to kind of show growth of students over time um and um allows educators to use that information in real time. Now I understand we want to move away from using more screens. I am one of those parents as well and I believe in us shifting. Um however my also understanding is that um the only parts that are electronic are just the weekly check-in. The rest is all with the teacher, the educator, and um as someone explained, hey, my dog died today. You know, I'm
155going through a lot in a teacher being able to respond to that. Um and so the question is just around metrics. if you can explain that. And then my last question um in reference to this um which I will be supporting because um mostly because the folks that I've talked to, they really do believe that this will help with our culture and climate for our students. Um and um it will definitely help especially our most marginalized students in our district um because of some of the focuses that this brings. Um, so the last question is just other investments that we need to make because yes, we buy curriculum that doesn't necessarily mean that um, you know, just because we buy it, it's just going to just get implemented. There's other kind of costs that go
156with this. So, I would be interested to learn more of those costs. >> Excellent. Thank you. And board member Pearson, I appreciate you um, noting the technology time. So, I want um I want folks to know that the commitment of students on tech in this curriculum is three to five minutes per week. Um so, it is a quick check-in, a formative assessment as it were. So, it could be connected to a student's own needs, but the some of the examples that they include are um I got an example. Let me get here. tell me about um an emotion you felt strongly this week. And so that would be an example of a check-in. This check-in allows us then it connects to the data pieces. Um it allows us real time insight for educators. Um in
1572011 uh the district when I was a first year principal sent me to uh Chicago with a group to to Apple and we observed in a classroom and a teacher was using iPads to do this exact thing. and I went back to Spring Harbor as the principal many years ago and implemented something similar on paper. And so it's really interesting to see this come in. And it gives students um not only an opportunity to share their insights with their teachers, but it allows us to spot patterns to use that information for early intervention and prevention. Um it also allows us for some instructional alignment. So are we focused on the right things at the right time? Um and it is a privacyconscious design so that scholars are able to share just with their teacher um
158their overall um way of feeling um in that moment or in response to that prompt. um district uh principles and district leaders are able to look at aggregate trends that allow us to um inform our professional learning, resource allocation, other prevention and um early intervention strategies. So that check-in um creates then a data um a data source for us to make decisions um earlier and more intentionally based on the student experience at any given time. We can look at schoolwide trends. We can look at classroom trends. We can look at trends by student group etc. Um I think that was did that >> yes >> and other investments >> but other investments >> other investments. So one of the things that I am most excited about this curriculum is the uh commitment of time to
159train staff. Um there is going to be an ongoing need as there always is for professional development, professional collaboration, uh connection, community, and overall ensuring fidelity to the um the the curriculum. Um if this were a computer-based curriculum where students were engaged just with the computer and learning um I would be very concerned about the level of training um and support that we are providing our educators because there's a lot of risk in that that is not how the system is designed. So teachers are delivering that instruction and so our investments are really in um the professional development we provide to teachers which to to launch this curriculum is a one-hour investment of time. So a classroom teacher within one hour um has the con the the skills um and ability to implement this curriculum.
160And as we learn and practice and grow, we get better with time. And so, additionally, our investment needs to be in our leaders here in central office um and their professional learning so that we're coaching around um the aspects of the curriculum and uh responding to what students are telling us in that aggregate feedback. >> Thank you for answering those questions. Um my last thing is just a quick comment. I think um I'm in support of this again um one because we are seeing tremendous um social emotional I won't I don't want to say issues but that's the first word that comes to mind right now with our students. Um we're seeing it play out in a lot of different ways. we're seeing it um spill into school time, instruction time, spill out of school
161time outside of um school um spilling into family time, all all areas. So, I think in my mind making investments that really focus on the social emotional learning um making investments around mental health because this then filters into that. um making investments um that our schools and other educational leaders feel that is really necessary and needed especially to components around cultural relevancy um especially in a time where we're seeing a decline in that um and investments in that I think is really really important. Um, so I'm I'm I'm glad to um say yes, but the only thing I will say is that over time um the cost my hope is that the funding that we are investing in that there is a return on investment and that we're constantly making sure that there are updates
162with this curriculum to make sure that we know that we did the right investment. But even too, if there is ways that we can work with VW to craft something for ourselves um or find areas of cost savings, um I think is important as well. But I do think for mental health is really important and finding ways that our um young people can express themselves um in more positive ways I think is is worth the investment. And so I'll be voting yes. Thank you. Okay. Were there board member Mosner Felton? Did you want me to return to you? >> But Blair's hand was first. Thank you. And then I'll come back to board member Saravo. >> I watch. >> Thanks. Um, thank you Dr. Esser for all that information. Um, what uh there's something about
163the social emotional check-in turning into trend data that really rubs me the wrong way. Um, not because I've never used software like this at like, you know, 1,200 kids wide. Um, but because I fear, and I know making choices out of fear is not like the best, but I'm telling you where I'm at. I fear that it's a mechanical answer to a to a human thing. Um, I have no issue with the um quality of the lessons. I have no issue with the process that you took to get there. I just feel very freaked out that this super duper important thing that's so human becomes a mechanical three to five minute check-in. I absolutely believe that you know that that's not the end all and be all for social emotional learning. Um and then I
164want to zoom out and I don't I don't mean to put us in a position where we don't have the tools that we need. I think that um my discomfort around this if I zoom out is about what understanding I have about how we think about the um the totality of the school in elementary school. How how many different platforms are our students using on a daily or weekly basis? What is that like for them? Um how much time are they spending on this? How does social emotional learning show up in in other ways? Um, so I feel I feel really torn. Um, and I have felt torn about this for a while, this this particular um consent agenda item. Um, and I'm torn because I I hear people saying we we need a curriculum.
165Like we can't I make up all of my own curriculum. It is incredibly time consuming and it's not always amazing because there's a lot of it. I recognize the need for that. Um, but some something about my kid putting their big emotions in a computer to become aggregate data makes me anxious. Um and and then I guess zooming out for us I I I think that we should consider coming up with if not a policy a way of understanding what is this like holistically for students when we're when we're choosing excellent curriculum that have these digital how does it all come together. Um I really appreciate the conversation from my colleagues Dr. Esther. I really appreciate your team um for the information and I look forward um for me to hear your thoughts as well.
166Thank you, President Nichols and member Mosam. My extended thoughts upon this actually go right in line with what you're talking about. When I was on the DPI equity council, was one of the first literatures that we were looking at when we were discussing in that space and as I'm looking here today, I am not sure. The reason I was asking who's in the room. I have no idea if there's adaptable content that's included in this type of curriculum. I'm not interested in getting giving teachers extra work to do outside of some of the adaptable content that they are already doing and making up on their own time. when was this presented to the board at some point in time or when like this seems like a full-on discussion that should have been at a work
167group? Yes. So, I just want to say I think like that that is a really comp complicated part of this conversation because the board determines the scope and sequence of the work group. And so if we are kind of considering how to renegotiate the the work group, I think that that goes beyond what we've noticed for tonight. Um and I think like that is a larger con conversation. Um that is that is our conversation. It's not it's not the administration's conversation because they they don't determine the scope and sequence for us. They do it in partnership with us. they support us in relationship to it. But I I think like that that's a different that's a different conversation. And were we to say we're going to have these kinds of consent agenda items show up
168on our workg groupoup meetings, we would be fundamentally restructuring the work groups. So I don't mean to like shut down what you're saying. I just want to say that our current process didn't give folks the space to do that. It wasn't that folks just like opted out and didn't want to talk about this with us. It's that we determined that scope and sequence as a group and this didn't land on it. >> I really appreciate that. Um and thank you for sharing that out. I think that's why I have questions those because it like even if it's brought up here where was the the things that I'm asking about I don't see. So that's why I have a lot of questions here in this very open space because I'm not seeing it reflected in what
169is being shared with us currently. >> Appreciate that. Um Dr. Esser, one of the things that I and I want to thank you and the crossf functional team that worked on this. I think there are a couple things and I really appreciate the dialogue tonight um and the questions raised by my colleagues. I think there are a couple of things that stand out to me in your memo tonight. One is that you all had many respondents to the RFP. Um, and from what I can tell with the with the memo is that um, your committee was going through all of the different responses and working really hard to to vet who might be kind of the best um, out of this pretty big group of folks who responded and wanted to be in partnership with
170MMSD. Um, I do think from my perspective, the fact that there were 18 members representing school sites and central office working really hard um to go through materials to to be thoughtful to bring school voice and perspective into the decision making [clears throat] is an important part of how we should make decisions. Um, and I I remember it had to have been like a year ago. board member Saravo. But I I do remember in one of our instructional workg group updates, it wasn't like a formal like trumpets blasting, we're going to a new seal RFP, but I do remember an update related to culture, climate, that that the SEAL curriculum we had wasn't adequate and that schools were asking for something different and new and that the team was going to be embarking on that
171process. So, um whether or not it it was, you know, discussed more in full prior to tonight, I I think for me when I look at the memo, I can respect the fact that there was a crossf functional team that took their roles really seriously to go through a process. Um for me, I'm going to trust the recommendation that that team came out with. And and then the other thing in the memo that stands out for me is that there's already a group of schools identified themselves as being kind of the the first wave early adopters. The memo says spring of 26. We're there y'all. Like we are in spring of 2026. So I think my question is if this does not pass tonight, what does that mean? like what does that mean for the
172schools that have said yes, we're ready to go. We're gonna try it on. What would be the alternative? Um and can you maybe just help us think through like those implications if if this doesn't happen tonight? >> Uh yes, absolutely. Um while our our um our team has been incred I'm just so proud of them. They've been so precise with this process and really thoughtful. Um, and so the consequence of not approving tonight would just be that we need to get back with y'all um and provide some answers um to the questions that are still outstanding that you don't that you feel are so essential you can't make a a vote tonight. Um the consequence beyond that is just a delay for the school and implementation, a delay in our training, um that sort of
173thing. Um, so it just slows down the timeline um, and shifts it a little bit, but I think the early adopters will still, if we approve next month, be able to still early adopt if we get any further out. Um, they're essentially going to be in the first wave, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. Um and um I feel super confident in the work that the team has done and the recommendation tonight um uh moving forward, but we understand um either way if the board needs to make that decision. >> Right. Thank you for a little bit more on the timeline. What I heard you also say is that if this didn't pass tonight, you could provide some additional information based on tonight's questions. But it sounds like it still stands that
174the crossf functional team would still want to go with this vendor. >> Yes, >> that wouldn't change from your perspective. >> Correct. So, if the board were to not vote tonight, we would likely follow up with you all with clarifying information to address concerns that are on the table. If the board votes not to approve um then our team has uh to go back to that drawing board to determine um whether another vendor is would meet the needs or expectations of the board or if we really have to reset and consider our own internal curriculum uh further for the future. >> Okay, thank you for that. Um the the motion that we have on here tonight to um sorry let me get back to the motion that we already seconded. It is to go ahead
175and approve the purchase um of this universal social emotional learning curriculum for elementary schools. So, I think what I'm I'm not sure from tonight's dialogue and questions is if are we ready to take that vote >> or are we asking to get additional information from Dr. Esser and potenti postpone the votes to to next month. Um, so I I'm I'm just trying to figure out where where we are in the conversation tonight. I'll go with Did you Were you ready? I'll go >> that I think we are. That's all I said. That was >> You think you're we're ready for a vote? Okay. >> Thank you, board member Vandermill. Board member Maldro, and then I'll come back to you, board member Mosar Bald Too slow. Um I think my my question around that is what
176are we building right? So if you say like we need this tool and we need it because we're doing this and these are the outcomes that will be promoted through this process I think I can have greater confidence in the long run. However I'm comfortable with us delaying the vote. If we are going to have the vote tonight, I am gonna vote um against the the the the investment at this time. Um I do I feel like do you want to respond to the to me? >> Thank you, President Nichols. Board member Molder, I think that what I'm hearing is a desire for clarification. Part of that might be a demonstration of taking board members through what this would look like, some of the professional development and some of the outcomes. Back to Vice President
177Pearson, return on investment that we'd be looking at. Um, my direction to the team would be to to come up with a way to give you an immersive experience and what it would be like uh from the student perspective, from the staff perspective. >> All right. board member Mosner Felton. >> You um again I I want to appreciate this all of my colleagues for hanging with this conversation. Um I think I'm actually going if we vote tonight I prepared to vote in favor. Um because what I realized through this conversation is that my my um my feelings of negativity are not necessarily about this particular curriculum and that's what the vote is for. But my feelings are are broader than that. Um and I don't think it would be I don't I don't want to
178interrupt the ongoing work. Um because I need a broader understanding or we need together to build the broader understanding. So I do feel prepared to vote um and I will be voting differently than I indicated earlier. >> Thank you. for a member of anime and then for me >> I'm sticking with I am sticking with my uh of uh no and the reason why um first of all on the whole uh crew driver hammer I understand the analogy but I'd rather put that money in hiring guidance counselors to be honest than using a computer to determine the social emotional learning of our students. Secondly, I my issue is that transparently we have told the public that we're discussing it. I I understand that sometimes we need more time. I'm comfortable, but I am willing to
179let the board make that decision, but I'm just telling you I am comfortable with voting tonight, but that's up to you, Madam Chair, if you wish to have that one. >> Member Saravo and then Vice President Pearson. Thank you, President Nichols. If we're voting on it tonight, I'm not going to be in voting in favor of this. I really appreciate Dr. Goth your suggestion of giving us a more of an immersive experience with it so that we can more fully understand what this is. I think since um COVID knowing that elementary screenings really did not respond well to a lot of online things just knowing that we're going to have students that respond to it ones that don't and ones that need adaptive programming and I really want to cover all of those areas just
180to truly understand what this is. I do find the value in social emotional learning and this is for our younger students but I would really like to gain a little bit better knowledge of What does that mean not only for the students but for the teachers that are going to be providing this before voting on it? I do appreciate all the conversation that's happened here tonight. Okay. Um, thank you Blair for um, kind of uplifting just the fact of like when we're considering any kind of curriculum or any kind of large dollar investment, what is like the broader connection between all the different pieces and I I I I greatly appreciate that. Um, so I wanted to say that, but also my question is the motion is to purchase a curriculum over the next three
181years. So that is the dollar amount, the two se $270, uh,650 or $25 for three years. At that point after the three years has concluded you all will then bring back a renewal of that contract for the ongoing years in that payment. And so essentially after 3 years you all can you will come back and then we will make a decision if we are going to renew this. Is it every year or just renew it indefinitely or what is that kind of thought? >> I think we and the board have have that option. So um after that three years and that initial implementation we can look at our overall return on investment um and make a [clears throat] decision if we want to proceed just as one year if we want to do a multi-year
182and Monica am I speaking correctly on that anything to add okay so we we have the flexibility to be nimble um and in response to what we're experiencing >> okay so again we can come back in three years and decide if this is just not it to I um or member um I'll leave it just like to your point at this point last names um to your point of like is this something that we like or don't like um I think that is important then after three years we can decide if that is something that we want to continue investing in um then my last question is if we oh no I think that's it I think any curriculum they say five to seven years. Usually it's like the like to 10 years is like
183on the heavy side. And so I guess this fits within like that. Do we want to continue with this investment or not? Um and it's 270,000 out of like a large budget that we that we have. So um that's it. All right. Or member Maldo. I just want to say that I think tonight I don't want to vote against this. I do want to learn I do want the opportunity to learn more about it. So I'm going to abstain um so that I am not voting against this specific contract but asking for more time and more information which you all have very generously offered. um if if we vote if we do not vote then I am happy to delay and vote at another time and and gather more information. Um the other thing I
184want to say is like part of my part of where I have a hard time with this is just like this accepted idea that you revise curriculum every five years. um if you teach in Montasauri or if you teach in Waldorf, you don't you don't revise how you teach lit literacy or math on a regular basis. You don't switch methodology and approach. Um you know, you you have a series of tactile tools that are are specific to the needs of all kinds of students. And so I think this idea that curriculum is this highly capitalistic venture um is something I really struggle with and it's something that I don't know like benefits us in in the long term and and so I do want us to rethink sustainability in relationship to how we invest in
185curriculum. All right. Thanks, y'all. I just wanted to confirm on that. All right. So, we have a motion to purchase the universal social emotional learning curriculum for elementary schools for a total of $270,625. Board member Castro. >> Hi everyone. Um, wish I could be more involved in the conversation, but multitasking. Um, I really appreciate the conversation that we've had. Um, learning a lot from everyone's questions and Dr. Esther's answers. Um, I am interested in learning more. Um, I would request that we delay so we can learn more about the the the the program and how it's implemented and students relationship with the technology piece. >> Right. Board member Castro, would you you would need to make a motion to delay the vote in order to learn more. Um, and we would have to get a
186second on that and vote on that. >> Would that be an amendment or a is it possible to make that motion with the the current motion open? I can't hear anyone. because we're we're we're conferring right now. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Board member Castro, do you mind if I ask, are you comfortable making a motion to table and revisit this motion? >> Yep. >> Okay. Um, so I move that we table the motion. Um, this was okay. I move that we uh table item 10.8 for further consideration and discussion. seconded by board member Vanderm. Sorry. Um, board member Castro, there's a lot side comments on the stage. Hold the moment. Members of the board, if I could just add that u a motion that is subject to table means it has to be taken from
187the table by the end of the next meeting. So I just I want to be clear with with that information that um you know we're limiting ourselves in terms of time timing and everything. I mean there's a lot of factors for us to consider saying it's undoable. I just um you know I want to be respectful of everybody involved and trying to provide the information that's been requested. All right. So, we're going We have a motion to table >> and a second >> and yes, I know. I'm just trying to rephrase what the motion was. Table the dis table item 10.8 until until further discussion. >> No, you >> for further discussion. You can't you have to do a certain amount of time. It can't be past the next meeting. >> Okay. Well, I'm just
188rephrasing what the original motion was. So, we're now adding a time component to it. What's up? If admin voluntarily takes it off the agenda, then there's no issue and the amendment would be moved. Couldn't make it. >> I'm not going to make it in time to do that. I'm so sorry. next regular board meeting. >> Okay, Savian, can you um Thanks for your patience, Savian. The way that you phrase the table, the temp item 10.8 for further discussion. Can you also add a time component so that it it reads more like um table you move to table 10 point item 10.8 for further discussion until the next regular board meeting. >> Yeah. Um I move to to to table item 10.8 for further discussion until the next regular board meeting. >> Second board member Maldro.
189>> Right. Thanks. Is there any discussion on that? Took us a while to get there. Okay. I was looking on the screen earlier for student representative Lee, but I believe she's >> dropped off at this point. Okay. >> All right. So, all those in favor of tableabling 10.8 for further discussion until the regular until the next regular board meeting. All those in favor, can I say I or hear an I? I. >> One, two, three, four. Okay. Those opposed. >> All right. Those opposed. Okay. That's one, two, three. Okay. So, that one carries, right? 43. >> Correct. >> Yeah. Yes. Okay. So it we it passes to table the the discussion until the next regular board meeting. Then going back to the main motion. Are we we can then table. So we're good on the
190main motion. We can move on. >> Okay. Thanks y'all. 10.9 is the next item that we wanted separated. >> Correct. >> All right. Let me read that motion. I move that the board of education approve the expenditure of $165,500 for a compensation and classification study with Evergreen Solutions during the 2025 2026 school year from the fiscal year 2026 human resources operating budget. >> Second Nikki Vandermu. >> All right. >> And I and I think yes, you uh you asked for that separation. So go ahead, board member Vandermillan. Yes, I have explained that we can start the salary compression today and I've stated that earlier and I'm not going to repeat it. I I but I do want people to think a minute. Close your eyes if you can and just think about what happened board
191members few years ago when we didn't have enough staff when we were looking for more staff and couldn't and the number of people upset and understanding it. Look at who were the mentors during COVID. Look at those who were there and who helped those individuals out and helped those new teachers out. No one wants to punish new teachers. No one's placing a blame game on anyone on this. It's not about blame. It's about repairing harm. Harm was caused. Harm can be repaired. But we did a study, a 700page study. And I understand that these are difficulties, but if we push it back, it will compress the salary schedule further. and the top three years of your earning are what's important for retirement. We will lose our most valuable teachers and that resource is something I
192don't think we can afford to lose. I urge my board to vote no on this. I respect you no matter what. And I respect a healthy debate no matter what because this isn't personal. This is just what's right. Thank you, board member of Andermulan. I see board member Mosner Felam. Okay. Thanks. Um and thank you um board member Andrew Mulan. I'm also in favor of addressing salary compression for our veteran staff. I do not see this contract as um kicking the can down the road. I do not see this as um something that is going to prolong that. Uh and that's for a couple of reasons. One is where where we're at in the budget cycle, whether or not we did this in-house or in-house after um careful study. Um the the fix is the
19326 27 school year just based on where we're at in our budget. So, so for that reason, I don't I don't um I'm not concerned as you are about um extending this. I think the timeline is the same whether we do it in house or not. The other thing that I want to say is about um some of the issues that came out when we did it in house. Um we before I was a board member, um this body addressed um depressed wages for hourly workers. Um, but we didn't get everybody, so we had to come back. Last year or two years ago, when we addressed salary compression in student services, there were wiggly job titles that meant that people who do student services work, like big-time student services work, were left out of that.
194this contract includes and the think thing the part that I'm the most excited about in this um proposal or proposed contract is the um the look at those classifications uh because we had job titles that were not clearly defined because we had roles that were not clearly defined. When we make choices about addressing serious issues of salary compression without the full picture, we make mistakes and we leave people out. Um, and then I also want to talk about the study that we did. Uh, the study that we did, um, if we're talking about the same thing is 700 pages with the appendix. Um, this was okay. Um, that appendix includes like the the handbook language or the um the salary schedule language and the handbooks of several other school districts, many many page. If I
195recall correctly, that study was done in the context of whether or not we should meet cola in an effort to get us not to meet cola. But the context around that other study is totally different. And no offense to the undergrad who did it, the person who tr truly um the organization that did it um is an organization that gives What was that? Sure. But we're talk well the the project that we received the the work that we received is was the result of um um an undergraduate organization or not a school organization at Whitewater that gives um realistic experience for undergraduates. And so I don't think that that study is in the same league as the study that's proposed here. Um, I support competitive wages. I support addressing salary compression for our veteran staff.
196Like, you got to know I do. Um, I do not think that doing it in-house is realistic. I do not think that we're wasting time. And I am looking forward to voting yes on this and fixing salary compression for veteran staff in 2627. Thank you. >> All right. board member Saravo and then Vice President Pearson. >> Thank you, President Nichols. I want to first say thank you to MTI for opening the door and swinging it wide open for everybody. So, when I'm looking at this, I'm I'm looking at the numbers that says that we have 4,500 employees across 475 distinct job titles. There's a lot of people and a lot of work behind that. And the part that sticks out to me the most in here of what the project will include besides getting people
197to where they should be because of the amount of changes that this district has had over a long, you know, there's been a lot of changes and there's been these little band-aids. I think that have been done and little short of fixes. The part that sticks out to me is the compensation philosophy development where it says it establishes a district-wide compensation philosophy that will guide future pay decisions and provide a framework for sustainable market aligned compensation practices. That's the part that speaks the loudest to me because it's talking about every employee that we have, maintaining good employee relationships and keeping up with what um what they need and making compensation one of the things that we care the most about those are the teacher teachers and all staff are on the ground every single day
198feeling it. And I know that that they have wonderfully been showing up here for a very long time making sure that we are paying attention to this and that we are going to get this work done. I'm all about getting that work done but also making it last and making it last for the future of this district. So I just wanted to highlight that and that's why I'm going to be voting that's why I'm voting in favor of this is for that big picture and for it to be something that is sustainable and longlasting. All right, Vice President Person and board member Castro and then I might have something to add. Oh, and then B. >> Yeah, thank you. Um, so I appreciate all the staff that have been coming to us over the years
199since I've been on the board, whether that is teachers, our hourly staff, folks who are in a union, folks who aren't in unions. Um, and so this has been something that has been very important, at least for me, over the years that I've been on the board. Um, one thing that we were really working on years ago was trying to find ways um, for HR to work well. We're trying to find ways that staff are being paid right and correctly. And I think this is a way for us to um Martha's point, a way for us and to Blair's point um to invest in something that allows us to just look at the entire system. um look at where we might be able to make some adjustments not just only in people's um individual salaries
200but just in terms of what would it look like if we needed to maybe and again this is not to say that that is going to happen but if we needed to make changes to how we are actually paying people right um in a structures that fit within that so that we don't have this down the road um and so I am in support of this the only question that I have with this is just around timelines and time frames and so are we looking to make decisions after the study has been completed or are we looking to make decisions alongside this study long term because I can't imagine that everything will be looked at and there will be a conclusion within a couple months. Um and so that that's my question. >> Thank you,
201President Nichols and Vice President Pearson. You know, we have heard loud and clear that um the teacher compression issues is really primary to this study. I think we've shared that we want to prioritize that particular unit. So I think our work with the selected vendor will do just that. the holistic, you know, RFP, fulfilling the RFP is really important, but we know we have several deadlines, you know, that are coming up in terms of our proposed budget that we'll ask you to adopt this spring as well. So, we'll work um side by side as much as possible, but want to provide you the best information possible to inform your eventual budget decisions as well. >> Okay, that thank you for answering that. And um as we get further into it, if this passes, then I
202would expect a more like concrete time frame exactly when we can address certain pieces that we >> Thank you, Vice President Pierce. I'd be happy to have Dr. McCrae or our HR team give more details about the timeline too as expressed. >> So, and I think that answer is it's both of what you said. So, one prioritizing the teachers for us to have a recommendation to the board before April and then continue the work with all the other units that's going to come behind to make sure like we're looking at all the units as described in RF. >> Okay. >> Right. We will go to board member Castro and then board member Mold. >> Thank you. Yeah. Um, I am in full support of addressing the salary compression in the district and paying our veteran
203teachers what they're owed. Um, I want to do it thoroughly and comprehensively and not piece meal things together like we have done in the past and learning from those um, things we've done in the past where we have piece meal um, whether it be just wage adjustments or salary compression. And so I appreciate how comprehensive this study will be and is on schedule for us to address this in this coming budget cycle that we're building right now. Um so I am in favor of this this item. Thank you. I I am planning to vote in favor of this this evening, but I think where I am struggling is um the conversation about like having this thorough analysis of our practices in terms of compensation for the entire district. Um and I think there are some
204really good things that can come out of that. I think we have had conversations about how we offer some of the most competitive wages to hourly workers um in our immediate community but also across the state and I don't think there's anything wrong with reaffirming that. I think where there is tension is in the idea that in doing this we may further delay our ability to address salary compression which impacts a lot of people but it does not impact the vast majority of the folks who are working for our district at this point in terms of how many people in our district have you know been here for 15 years or more or how many people um are are really impacted by the uh salary steps specific to their role and position. Um and so
205what does it look like to to do this examination in relationship to our administrators or our principles? Um to have this really extensive and thorough process that allows for us to be really transparent and not just like do this but get it right. And and so I I think where that is conflicting for me in terms of how we're having the conversation is my understanding is that we're doing this work in partnership with our administration. And what I heard from our administration at our last operating work group, and please correct me if I'm wrong, was that there was a sense of how much it would cost to address salary compression and and that was something that we were factoring into our planning in relationship to our 2026 2027 budget. Bob, do you mind letting know
206if that is something that has been factored in to our next budget? Thank you, President Nichols, board member Moldro. As Bob comes up here again, we have just started our projections for the 20 FY27 budget. So, at this time, I know Bob will say it's preliminary, but uh Bob, if you could just kind of share some of the revenue expenditures that we presented last week and and maybe talk about the structure of how we're going to approach the 27 budget, >> right, we um that's exactly correct. So the very preliminary projections we have right now for 2627 in terms of new base building revenues is about $30 million. I shared a table of what I I tried to project um which we have updated numbers now and I'll update for the next operations work group.
207But at the January operations work group, we talked about about $29.5 million. That was steps um assuming about a 3% CPI and a guess at where our health insurance is going to be. All totaling in about $29.5 million. That 29.5 does not include any estimates of addressing the salary compression that we've been hearing the last few months. So we'd have to but not a concern in the sense that we have to look at other expenditures and we'll get better revenue estimates as the months move on um as we approach the votes for 2627. >> Can you all talk me through how we will align this process with our budget planning for the 2026 2027 year? Um, well, you know, I've read the consent m the consent memo on this RFP and it talks about having
208the work done before June 30th of 2026. Clearly, um, if it doesn't get done till right then, we won't I won't be able to um other than maybe having a dollar amount when we approve the June preliminary budget. But again, we can make changes to that budget after June all the way up until October when the fall approved budget is. So, um, it's just a matter of identifying the specific costs and our our revenue estimates. >> I think that this is a really complex conversation in terms of how we ear mark resources to make this correction going into next year. And I hope we have that conversation um, from a budgeting standpoint. Uh, and I think accurate information will help us to have that conversation. That's part of the reason I'm voting in favor of
209the study this evening. Thank you. >> Sure. >> If I could just add one thing, uh, members of the board, one way that you could, uh, support what board member Muldro just said is there is a rather large surplus at the state that has just increased. And there is language around special education appropriation that we are to receive 42% reimbursement from a state but that is a sum certain amount meaning that they've allocated money but if districts exceed that amount then there's still going to be a gap to that 42%. The difference in 42 and 38% for MMSD you know is we're talking3 to6 million dollars. Um so advocacy continued advocacy around u just that one example will also help us. >> Thank you. >> Okay. All right. Um for those who are um in
210favor can I see I >> I >> right. One, two, three, four, five. Opposed. All right, that is 61 and passes. Thank you. Moving on to 10.14, which is mental health service professional demonstration grant. I move that the board of education accept funds in the amount of 1,935,457 from the US Department of Education for the mental health service professional demonstration grant. I need a second. >> Second. >> All right. I board member Saravo, did you separate the Okay. Thank you. Thank you, President Nichols. I kind of end us up on a little bit of a lighter note. I appreciated seeing this in in there as we just recently had some uh updates about mental health and wellness and the value of learning alongside a seasoned professional. I think this is a space where we can
211really appreciate that. Didn't know if there was anybody that was here that could maybe just tell us a little bit more about this specific grant and what will be like what is everybody going to get out of it and its impact? >> Me again. Hi T. Um so this is an exciting opportunity for us to continue our partnership um with the University of Wisconsin um department of school psychology. Um this is somewhat a continuation of work that we have been doing um over the last two three years. Um and so within this grant um we are really focused on the collaborative training of our new school psychologists. School psychologists given the market demand in their third year are are um uh operating on a provisional license and finishing their internship. So what we're able to
212do with this program is to build an incredibly supportive experience that starts when they are in their practicum experiences building into their overall internship year. Um included in that um grant um is funding for a school [clears throat] psychology supervisor. Um so when a student is uh student intern is completing their program they have to there's a required number of super supervision hours um and so that person would be on board. It also allows us opportunities for coordination across um our veteran staff and our school staff and our school staff and our partner staff as well. Um and then um it also allows for some scholarship um for the university students who are engaged in the program. Um so a really exciting opportunity. I think the thing that I appreciate the most about this collaboration
213is the school psychologists that we are getting um are that they that they're interning here, practicing here. They want to intern here. They want to be here. and we are building them up in a way before they even step official foot in our door or collect a paycheck to really understand our approach to school psychology in Madison and the greater community. Um uh so yeah, lots lots of opportunity and I will tell you that our the psych the major psych vacancies and gap that we were experiencing is narrowing considerably and I really um when I think about a retention not only a this is a recruitment strategy but in many respects it's a very early retention strategy as well um because people are coming in feeling more confident and prepared and they're training alongside uh
214our season season professionals when they're in their program. >> Good. All right. All right. Um all those in favor uh say I or indicate with your hand up. >> I >> All right. That is six of us because board member Van McMillan stepped away for a moment. So that passes. All right. Thank you. All right. All right, I think that got us through our consent agenda. Um, moving on to other reports to the board. Um, I'll start with city county schools collaborative committee. What we have posted in board docs is that there was not a meeting this month and the committee is still in process of being dissolved. Jesse, any other updates from the city? Okay, moving on to student senate. Senate board representative um Claire Lee sent in an update via email because she
215was having some difficulty um logging in. Um she said the student wellness committee has finalized their script for the safety video. The mental health fair will likely be held at one high school and one middle school. tentatively. Uh they're looking at West and Badger Rock. Um the students are reaching out to community partners such as NAMI and Dane County Public Health as well as some school clubs um relating to health care and also that the education equity committee is working on creating a panel for next year's students on AP information and their next meeting will be on February 4th. All right. Wish that Claire could have said that herself, but having some internet issues. All right. Madison school and community rec committee. >> That's me. Thank you, Madam President. Uh, summer registration. Well, big news.
216MSCR is making a change to summer program registration in 2026 and is separating registration into two dates to better serve the community. Registration for youth summer camps will begin on Monday, February 23rd, allowing earlier camp planning for families like my family. The summer camp guide will be available online only on February 13th. All other summer programs open for registration on April 6th. In order to bring all of these wonderful summer programs to life, MSI MSR hires hundreds of staff of all ages, not just young people, but they do have roles for people as young as 14. Summer job postings will be live on February 6th. Winter programs now are in full swing around the city with basketball filling gyms around the city. Uh middle school girls basketball wrapped up their season in January and middle
217school boys basketball starts play tonight. 20 teams are competing in the MSCR Metro High School League and 112 adult basketball teams are playing this winter in M. >> All right. tax policy committee. >> Yeah, thank you. Um we had a special meeting um of the board on January 15th where we went over um multiple policies um as our first read um and we met as a policy committee on Friday, this past Friday um to start um calendaring out our um second read of the policies as well as having a brief discussion about how we may bring the next set of um policies to the board for this next quarter. Um and so the next work for us is then to meet with or talk with the instruction workg groupoup chair um and in the operations
218work group chair about the policies being put on their agendas. And our hope is that we can finalize most of these policies hopefully in March um for the most part. And we do have one tonight um that is being bought as a second read um and possibly a vote tonight on um and so that is the update. >> All right. Thank you. >> All right. I'm going to move us into other business. We have several items tonight. Um, we have a receipt of our 2024 2025 financial statement audit. It looks like this is the report to the board. >> Thank you, board president Nichols. Natalie Ru is going to come from our BPA office and give us the report. Natalie, >> we also have a Bob Gono is also um our auditor is is standing
219by. to actually present to you. Great. Oh, he's in the bottom. Great. Um, first of all, um, okay, great. And I was actually watch listening earlier that we couldn't hear half the speakers, but all right. And then I came and did the same thing. Um, so I always come to this board meeting with a lot of excitement. um a lot of um um how do you say I know you're not supposed to be proud, but um I'm I'm always so proud of of the school finance team that we have. Um BPA does this as a solid team every single year. Um and as Rob will present present, um this is not just one person doing this. This is a team of 20 people pulling this off throughout the year so that when the auditors come
220in, we have a great audit. Um, my excitement this year is when you go to the very back of the single audit report, there are zero zero findings. So, that is just so exciting. Exactly. Um, so Rob, I'll let you go since you've been waiting patiently all night >> and you didn't see the new document that I gave to the board that has like five findings in it. >> No, sorry. >> Oh, no, just joking. But thank you very much, Natalie. And I would like to uh, you know, also express my gratitude towards Natalie and her finance team. Um there's a a lot of work that that we require of them prior to even even getting on site. Um and you know we're an inconvenience to them because they've got their regular day jobs to
221do as well as dealing with us as the auditors. but they always do a super job making sure that any inquiries that we have or any additional information that we're that we request is provided in a timely manner. So I don't know if you do you all have a hard copy of the presentation or is it on a screen someplace for you? >> I can share it on the screen. >> That would be wonderful. There we go. Um, on the if you flip to the next page, the the smallest document that that we share with you as the board is it's called the required communications letter. It's information that we're required to uh present to you on an annual basis. Covers about eight different items. First item in there is qualitative aspects about accounting practices.
222In that area, we typically discuss if there were any new standards that were adopted, if there um was any information included in the financial statements that uh was particularly sensitive as estimates uh typically around your uh other post-employment benefit plan, your Wisconsin retirement system, items of that nature. You'll notice this year there was a new uh standard implemented around compensated absences required Natalie and her team to not only estimate the amount that they believe employees were going to get paid out upon retirement, but they also needed to take into account the amount of hours that employees may use while they're still there during employment. So we the liability actually included two pieces this year. Um the next item we didn't encounter any difficulties in performing the audit. We had no uh corrected or uncorrected misstatements.
223This is one of the only districts that we work with that uh I can make that comment. And for such a large district, you should be proud that there are no um misstatements that are found during the audit process. We have no disagreements with management of the district. Uh management provides us uh with a representation letter basically saying that they provided us with all the information that we that we requested. Financial statements are their responsibility. If there's any errors in the financial statements, it's their fault, not our fault. Um, then we also identify that to our knowledge, management did not consult with other auditors and if there were other audit issues or other matters such as internal control weaknesses or financial statement findings, they would also be included in this letter. And as Natalie had
224alluded to at the beginning, and I'm re reiterating, we didn't have any items of that nature. So, if you can flip to the next page for me, I'd appreciate it. Um, we also issue reports related to internal control o over compliance and uh financial statement preparation itself. Um overall the district has positive control environment and that reflects the tone at the top from your management as well as the emphasis that is placed on internal controls by the school board itself. Um as the second point there says your management continues to place uh high importance on the internal controls such as segregation of duties, making sure that associates are crossrained so that if somebody is gone, somebody else can pick up their work and continue the process. And then management oversight, you know, reviewing the work
225that's being done, making sure that there are no significant errors, items of that nature that are contained in the the numbers that you're getting on a routine basis from the from the financial office. Um again uh communicating that there were no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses reported in relationship to the financial statements. Typical items that we would have in there for a lot of our school districts would be related around segregation of duties. A lot of districts um do not have qualified staff in order to prepare their own financial statements. Natalie and her team do a great job. they they give us a set of financial statements and we have very few corrections or comments on them uh when we get to reviewing them. And as Natalie previously identified and I bolded for, you know,
226we identified no federal or state compliance matters this year. So that's that's always good. Next page, please. Independent auditors report. That's what you you're looking for us to provide you on the financial statements. We take a look at the financial information of the district and we make a determination as to whether or not the financial statements that are presented to you that management prepares that they are um materially correct in all respects. Um because the district is such a large district, material for um your district is significantly higher than other districts. Um our audit is geared around that materiality number. Um, so there what we do say and the reason that we say in all material respects is there may be immaterial um items that aren't caught during the audit, but they would not change
227the opinion of the users of those financial statements when they read them or change their opinion on the overall uh financial health of the district itself. We did issue an unmodified opinion on your financial statements. Basically, that equates to a clean opinion. Um, our responsibility, as I mentioned, is to express the opinion on the financial statements and uh the financial statements are the responsibility of the district management. So, Bob and Natalie and their team are ultimately responsible for the information that is put in those financial statements. Next page, please. Uh the other uh item that we typically touch on every year is the general fund fund balance. And if you were to crack open uh the financial statements, I have a page reference there for you where uh these numbers come from the the district
228basically has four different buckets of fund balance. You have your non-spendable fund balance such as your inventories and your prepaid expenses. These are items that are not easily convertible into cash and readily available to be spent. The restricted fund balance is uh fund balance that is restricted for use by granters, creditors, uh contributors, laws and regulations. um this year, you know, that balance is approximately $243,000. So, it's the largest portion of your fund balance, assigned fund balance. That's fund balance that the district has plans or intentions to be spent on it. Bless you. Um doesn't mean that that assignment can't be changed in the future. It just means that at this point in time that uh the board is intending to use those dollars for those specific purposes. And then the unassigned fund balance is
229basically your leftover what you can tap into should you have um unforeseen expenditures that come about during the year or you know there's an undated unfunded mandate that would come from the state. Not that they, you know, do that to school districts, but you may need to use some of that unassigned fund balance um from year to year to cover some of those expenditures. So overall general fund fund balance this year uh was approximately $342,000. If you flip to the next page, we typically then discuss the unassigned fund balance. Um, you know, we share with you what our idea on uh comfortable fund balance is as well as the the government finance officers association. We typically have put out there at least two months of uh general operating fund expenditures which is typically around 17%
230um total unassigned fund balance for the current year. Again that's 66.5 million. When you compare that to the general fund expenditures on a GAP basis, which is found on page 56, that's approximately $545,000, which resulted in a percentage at the end of end of the year of about 12.2%. When you compare that to last year, you were at about 18.4%. And I have in there, but within the district's target range of 10 to 15%. I put this together and Nat Natalie just let me know tonight that that upper limit was changed to 18% this spring. I took the 10 to 15% from the budget document that was put together for the uh 25 uh 26 budget. So that's why there's a little bit discrepancy between um what what your new upper limit is and what
231I have in the statement there. And the big thing is to remember these are just recommendations. Ultimately it's up to you as a district where you feel comfortable having that unassigned fund balance. big thing. You know, you're asware as aware as anybody, especially, you know, with the federal government shutdown in the past year. It's always nice to air a little bit on the higher side of that fund balance so that you have the the cash flow capabilities should something like that happen so that you can minimize or eliminate the need for for short-term borrowing. you go to the next page. We always tend to to try and clue you in if there's new Gazsby statements that are coming up that may uh put wrinkles in the next year's financial statements. Um Gazsby 103 uh is
232related to financial reporting model improvements that'll be effective for 63026. Basically, what a lot what a lot of governmental entities do now is just put comparisons between this year's and prior year's expenses and don't do a good job of explaining why those changes existed. What was the, you know, why did it happen? Well, the Gazsby is putting more teeth into this state with this statement and saying, you know, if you're going to have an MDNA in your financial statements, you need to go into more details, not just throw a bunch of numbers in there comparing current year to prior year. Give them some meat that goes along with that. Actually put analysis in there. And then um they're also requiring uh the budgetary comparison statements to be presented at the back of the financial statements
233um rather than previously you had the option of putting it as a basic financial statement itself. Now it's going to be required to be at the back and considered required supplementary information. So, um, Gazsby 104 is going to change some disclosures in regards to some of the capital asset information that is reported in the district's financial statements. Again, this one will be effective for 63026. um just changes the presentation of your lease assets and your your subscription assets to be disclosed separately on the the financial statements whereas now they're just included in the capital asset number. Um and then Gazsby 105 subsequent events that won't be effective until fiscal year 63027. Um there's they're just um putting a more comprehensive consistent guidance as to what needs to be reported as a subsequent event. um for
234information for items that occur after the financial statement date but before um the financial statements are actually issued and specifically related to uh debt items and I believe that is the extent of my presentation. I tried to go fast. I know you had a lot on your plate tonight. You probably still have a lot on your plate. So, if I ran through it too fast, I apologize, but I'm here to answer any questions you may have. >> Thank you so much. For member Maldo, I see your hand up. >> Thank you so much, President Nichols. I want to congratulate you all. This is a a really like major feat and I I think if you um like think of our audit as like accounting you're simplifying what our audit looks like. Our our audit takes
235into consideration people's lensure. It takes into consideration uh you know money that parents send to schools for field trips. It is a really big deal um for there to be no findings. Natalie, year after year, you produce excellent, clean audits. I think your you and the team, Bob, have outdone yourselves this year. Um, and I I think that it speaks to your leadership, Dr. Gothard, in terms of stability. Um, and in terms of, you know, having a a real clear sense of how we manage resources as a district. I think it is deeply inspiring um to the community in terms of trust that we are are managing resources well when you have an audit and there are absolutely no findings um especially for a system that manages this amount of resource and this amount of
236people and I I want to thank you all so much for your work. It is really exciting um to see what you all have accomplished. I pointed out last year on page 12 there is a breakdown of where our revenue comes from and I wanted board members to be aware that last year we had this huge chunk of resources that were grants and this year we still have a large chunk of resources that are grants but I want to say it's about half. And Natalie, Bob, do you want to give me the exact difference between this year and last year? >> I would have to look at the difference between this year and last year, but >> I want to say it's about $43 million of Esser money. >> Yes, >> I was going to
237say my my gut tells me that it was the spendown of Esser dollars in the previous year. Mhm. >> And so I knew that there would be a dramatic difference between how grant funded we were last year in comparison to this year. And I also knew that that wasn't going to be a reflection of how hard our team works to secure grants. I think it's a tremendous feat to secure 13% of our revenue as grant funding. Again, given the the amount of resources that that is. Um, but I I think it's worthwhile to notice and to thank our community for for making up the the difference. Um, and so our federal government is not investing in education the way it was previously. Um, and we are relying on local taxpayers and property tax and property
238taxes to make up the difference. And I think that means that our management is that much more important in relationship to resources because I think it's a big deal for people to see their property taxes go up and they want to be confident that they're being invested um with a great deal of integrity and that is the document you all have produced this evening. Is there anything either of you would like us to ask you about or want to highlight for our community this evening? No, I think we're good. >> I I love how happy you two are. Um, thank you so much for your work. Thank you to our auditor for your presentation. >> Bob's retiring this year, so this is his last year presenting to us. We have another year with the firm,
239but this is Rob's last year with us. >> Thank you for your work, Rob. >> Thank you. >> Um, I I have a few questions. Congratulations again on on an amazing um audit and and thank you for all of the information tonight. And I'm I'm not exactly sure who who's best positioned to answer these. Mine are a little bit more on the procedural. Um not that I am an accountant and nor will I be seeking that certification but um in last year's audit although it was a positive um positive findings there was one issue related to special education transportation right where we there had been a finding around not being compliant now in this year's audit that doesn't appear my my question is more from a from a procedural when there's been a finding in
240a pre I don't know if finding is the right word when something has been noted in the previous year and it's been rectified and cleared up and the accounting firm comes in the current year and they they're checking for it and there's like oh that's been resolved. Does does that become like an item that they will continue to look for for a couple of more years just to make sure that all things are are sustained or how does that generally work? >> So it it actually gets tricky. >> Okay, >> it actually gets tricky because the auditors are auditing at fiscal year end June 30th. Okay. >> They come in in August and they do some work. They've done some work actually in May and Jul June, but they come in in August and they
241do the work and find an a finding and by the time you get reported to it, we're now six months into it that year. >> Okay. which is is always difficulty a difficulty because it is very difficult to try to make the correction within the following year. Okay. However, um once we realized we had the problem during the audit, okay, um we actually attacked the problem, identified the corrective action and implemented. >> Okay. >> So, by the time we came to you last year, we were to say able to say we have this problem and here's how we have fixed it. Mhm. >> But the auditors do and they are required and it is in the audit report have to look back and say, "Is this still a problem?" >> Okay. >> But because we
242were able to implement corrective action before we even brought it to you last year, we were able to get it fixed immediately. Otherwise, usually, and I will say this as as as an experienced auditor, you usually see audit findings go two or three years in a row just because it takes that long to implement corrective action and to verify that it's happened. >> Yeah. Amazing. That's that's outstanding work to to the team and I think uh >> the transportation team. >> Yeah. And an indication of the internal processes and controls that you all also put in as corrective measures. And so that's just great to hear. So really happy about that. I'm also wondering um and again this is very specific. So, um, in our fund 50, which is our food and nutrition fund, um,
243the board had learned, you know, a while ago that that fund was it needs to be a zerobased um, balanced fund and that we were needing to that we were running a deficit. and we were given a pretty detailed schedule over many many years of how we were going to correct that fund um by making transfers from our general fund into um into that fund. I'm wondering is that also a fund that the auditors do they look to see if we're on track with our with our projected schedule um and and to make sure that we are kind of in compliance with federal guidelines um around funds or or things of that sort. Department of Public Instruction requires that requires that fund to have a zero fund balance or a positive fund balance. So when
244we look at fund 50, what we look to determine is is it zero or positive? And then we also look at, you know, the federal revenues that are going in there. are all of the federal revenues going into that fund 50 because they can't go any anywhere else. Same with the the state revenues for the lunch program. We have to make sure that all of those revenues are going in there. And if it is in a negative position, kind of like uh your special education fund, because that can't be in a negative position either, >> the district has to make a transfer from the general fund to cover any current year deficit in those funds. And I think where some of the issues came about with the fund 50 is there there were a lot
245of receivables that were sitting in fund 50 that weren't good receivables. So when those ended up getting cleaned up, there was a a deficit in fund 50 then that needed to be covered. >> Great. Thank you. It's just helpful to hear what you all are looking for and um I think the board and the community being assured that there's lots of internal processes um and kind of checks and balances to make sure things that we are correcting and improving on in terms of our financial efficiencies um are are happening and and that's demonstrated in the audit, but just kind of behind the scenes. And then the last thing is during last year's audit presentation I think was the first time we had heard um some recommendations around our fund balance. Um our fund balance yeah
246the percent of fund balance that we should >> aim for. Um yep >> then the board made took some action on that um last year. Um, and so I I I am wondering when you look at, you know, kind of a district's fund balance policy and knowing kind of where we landed in our range. Um, do you all also make any notes or of strength or suggestions for recommendations? Um, if you see something or or would we have seen that in in this year's report if there was anything concerning? If it would have been anything alarming, I certainly would have brought it up during this presentation. So now, like ne next year when Brian Anderson will be the partner on your engagement, he actually comes on site to do a bunch of the fieldwork. Um,
247so say you know your your fund balance goes to 9%. Well, that would most likely be brought up and you would already know about it because Bob and Natalie would have been chirping in your ears before that that >> yes, >> fund balance is lower than it should be. And so, yes, we do talk about that. Um, you know, there's some districts that for whatever reason feel that they need to carry a higher fund balance than that 17%. And the only thing that that we will typically talk to them about is um you need to know your your taxpayers. If you don't think that they're going to get overly upset that you're stockpiling their cash and not spending it, um that that's your choice. But um you know, I I get a little nervous when
248it gets too hot. >> Thank you for that. Well, I really appreciated um your audit report. Thank you, Natalie. Thank you, Bob, for all of the work that goes into not only preparing for an audit, but just running a very solid budget and planning department. >> I I do want to add also that um we spent a lot of time this year um working with special ed and >> um student services and with transportation. Definitely. um human resources to deal with all the licensing issues. Um so there were none of those at all. Usually a little bit reported. >> That was great. >> Um we got >> a couple of years ago. Yeah. >> I just wanted to say there was a lot of collaboration with other teams happening. >> Yes sir. Look, last item
249that I would share is we also keep Natalie and Bob on their toes because we're required to do unexpected audit procedures each year as well as part of our auditing standards. So each year we have to do some sort of unpredict predictable procedure. So because there are a lot of things that we do the same year overyear, but that's meant to, you know, in case there would be something going on at a district, I'm not saying that it would get caught, but a lot of times by doing something unpredictable, it it could come to a head. So, >> all right. Well, thanks for keeping them on their toes. >> Thank you very much for your time. >> All right. Thank you. All right. We have a few other business items. I'm going to move us
250now into administrator retirement plan candidates. I move that the board of education, pursuant to the terms of the administrator's retirement plan, which seeks to recognize the value of a long-term commitment to the MMSD, approve three applications. >> Second. >> Thank you, board member Castro. Everybody see the three candidates who are listed? And are there any questions or comments before we take a vote? All right. Board member Vandermuan thanks them for their service. >> I thank them for their service. [laughter] >> Great. All right. Seeing and I and I do as well. I know this time of the year when the retirements come in, you always recognize names and you're like, "O." All right. Well, um, with that, all those in favor? I >> I >> All right. That looks unanimous. Thank you. All right. Our
251next item is regarding annual capacity for open enrollment determination. I move that in regards to open enrollment applications for the 2026 2027 school year, the district declares that no space is available in the LEAP neon SBA primary staff steps next steps project search campus connect lakeside memorial neutral site west sale student success Academy, deaf and heart of hearing center-based, medically fragile and special needs nursing, early learning sessions, early childhood interant special education services, Madison promise and early college programs. All other special education and regular education programs, services and grade levels are not projected to have space limitations. Second. >> Thank you, board member Castro. >> All right. Are there any questions or comments about this item? Yes, board member Saravo. >> A lot of different programs that are included in here. I was hoping to
252hear from specifically from Dr. from Muler and her thoughts about the these types of programs and the impact that it has on what happens when they get full and things of this nature. So, >> board me uh President Nichols, board member Saravo, do you mean specific to open enrollment and capacity? >> Yeah, just the impact that this particular piece is going to have on those programs. What do you mean exactly? Wait, so board member Saravo at this one. Are you saying you want to hear from Dr. Mulfenter about why they're recommending like space limitations in these programs or what happens when you have space limitations in these programs? What's the direct impact when you do that? because there's a lot of programs in here that are students with disabilities. What do you do when that
253happens? Like >> Okay. And this one is specific to open enrollment. Um so I don't know. Do you have >> This is why I'm asking the question. >> Yeah. >> Dr. Menter, do you want to just share um Thank you for coming up. if you want to just share a little bit generally around um how MMSD many times will receive interest in enrolling in in many of our specialized programs and why we shift to declare them closed to open enrollment. >> Yes. Um, so for all of the programs that are listed in our open enrollment member um memo as being at capacity, it's because they fill annually with the students who live within our boundaries. And so um we're really when they're at capacity with our own students and each of these programs serves a
254vital need for our students with disabilities. then when they're at capacity, we're unable to accept open enrolled students into them. And so between uh filling with our own students and the student needs that we identify within our own um schools and also for some of these programs, we're simply unable to hire additional staff because they aren't they don't exist. So for example in deaf and heart of hearing we've had vacancies for a deaf and heart of hearing teacher as well as sign language interpreters for three years running that we we're unable to fill regard you know we have the positions posted we have the allocation available and we're unable to fill those positions and so that means that our own students we're um we're struggling to ensure that the services that they need are being
255provided. So that's why we're unable to open um for students from outside the district as much as we would like to be able to do that. I guess in response to that is this seem is this an is obviously it's an issue that's not just like happening right now. Are we doing what are we doing in order to address that barrier or that issue? I don't know what you guys want to call this one. >> Yeah, board member Savo, first and foremost, we want to primarily serve the students that reside in Madison. That's our commitment. Um, you know, and even within the district, many times for some of our specialized programs, there's a waiting list or there's not capacity. So, sometimes we even have to get creative and and make sure that there's an interim
256plan there. I will point out that for the bulk of our um students interested in open enrolling, we do accept general and general and special education students, which is unlike most districts certainly around us who when they are doing this very thing, they will zero out their columns of accepting children with disabilities. I just wanted to make sure that we were kind of like taking an extra look at this because I I really appreciate all these extra programs that we do have and acknowledge that there's a lot of students that need a very different environment and we have a lot of professionals in all these programs that have a unique way of getting a student connected or reconnected to their education in a you know in a very creative and really productive way. So, this
257just really caught my attention and thank you very much. Right. Seeing no further questions or comments. Um, all those in favor I >> one two >> I five six. All right. Those opposed. All right. And that's that still passes 61. Thank you. All right. Right. Our next business item is notice of disallowance. I move that the board of education disallow a claim on behalf of the Madison Metropolitan School District under Wisconsin state statute 16. I'm sorry, Wisconsin state statute 893.80 alleging moving expenses and other damages of an MMSD substitute teacher. Second. >> All right. Um, I'm going to go ahead and just call that. Uh, all those in favor. I >> I >> All right. I see six of us. Those opposed. All right. Thank you. Oh, it was seven in favor. Oh, okay. That
258was unanimous. Thank you. All right. Our next business item is related to policy and it's a policy that we just discussed earlier this month on transfer to another school within MMSD. All right. I move that the board of education approve policy 4023, transfer to another school within the MMSD in accordance with the documents prepared for the January 26, 2026 regular meeting. The policy will be revised effective immediately. >> Second, Maya. >> All right. So, we have a redlinined version and we discussed this last oh at our policy meeting on the 15th. Um, and basically this policy would allow students who have used internal transfer to stay with their feeder the feeder pattern of the school that they have been enrolled at and not to have to reapply once they get into the next level. And
259so we kind of discussed this at that first reading. I see board member uh Maldro's hand. >> I apologize. I don't want to any amount of extensive questions about policies that came out of that meeting. I was not able to attend due to my health. Um but my understanding is our policy on policies dictates that we would have to review this twice before bringing it to the regular board meeting. Have we waved that in order to vote on this policy this evening? So this would be considered the second read and so essentially because the way that the motion was um stated it would be effective immediately so it would automatically wait. >> Okay. My understanding in the past has been that the regular board meeting does not count as the second read but now I'm
260assuming that's kind of our process moving forward in general. >> So a regular board meeting can possibly be a second read. We generally don't want it to be the second read just because we want to give as much time um to reviewing a policy and a one of the reads. I think with this specific one um there were minor changes um and I think there's some timesensitive things that Dr. uh TJ McGregor can talk. So the the second read it does the policy does not stay where the meeting has as a board you decided not to have that second read or reads at the board in general. So that's one of the reason why we don't particularly bring policies for your second or your first read to this session but more so just to vote
261on. The second is because this policy would go in effect immediately because February 2nd the internal transfer begins to open and so we want the policy in place to support that for the next school years this policy would go into place. So that's why we brought it here. >> I appreciate that and I'm very much in favor of a more efficient relationship to policy in a general sense. And so I think my preference is is that our process is consistent and not based on preference or not specific to the timeline of a specific policy. Um but we have a standardized approach uh that is consistent. However, I think it's tremendously helpful to know that we can consider the regular board meeting in which we vote as the second read. I think that allows for a
262great deal of efficiency. And had I known that, I would not have waved uh the policy several times because we would have had an original conversation in a workg group and we would have just counted this conversation towards that second conversation. So, I love a new interpretation. Um, and it's nice to to learn a little bit more about what our options are. I will be voting in favor. Thank you, board member Mo. Uh, board member Saravo. >> Thank you, President Nichols. I just want to say I'll also be voting in favor of this. I know some families and students who've been affected by the need to constantly have to apply when trying to stay within the peer group that the student is part of. um for all the reasons that is helpful with because you
263want that environment for the student if that is what they are finding out that it's working um and to have this follow the feeder pattern so that the family no longer has to constantly do that and just worry about um what's going to happen next year I think is great and I think it's um there's also options in here for them to also make other choices um but to have that consistency is really important and I think doing it now um while the new feeder pattern has also been in place and to have that kind of established confidence that you don't have to continue to do that when you're in that type of situation um is a lot of relief to a lot of people and allows a student to thrive in their environment. My
264only thing I wanted to um ask about is if because transportation is listed towards the very end and is not part of this will is there anything that'll be needing to be reconsidered in regards to that? >> Are you asking if we need to adjust transportation based off of new policy or are you asking if there is language that we need to add later to adjust? Can we because the very end states that transportation is in a separate policy but is obviously still part of um getting access to the feeder pattern for the student whether it's included with any of the specific reasons that a student would need access to either regular transportation or specialized transportation. I didn't know if the policy committee was going to be taking a look at that to see if
265anything in there needed any attention with this already in place. It doesn't have anything to do with this one. Just wondering if that's going to be the one of the next. >> So, you're asking just if we need to update the transportation policy because of this change. >> I'm just trying to I'm clear. >> Yes. Like, do you guys know if you need to revisit that next with this change? >> I don't think we have to, but Okay. TJ says, "No, that we do not have to." >> Member Vander, >> say thank I wanted to say thank you TJ. I was just going to ask Petra because to be honest, I didn't know. >> Oh, >> good to know. >> Okay. Board member Saravo, did that answer? Okay, great. Um, I also just wanted to
266say quickly that, you know, for those who may not be in board docs and um are looking at our board meeting, um, I think the changes for this policy are really positive and responsive. Um, and so there's a couple things that I just wanted to highlight that were redlined and changed. One is um students who are approved for internal transfers will follow their established feeder pattern. Students do not need to reapply for transfers when transitioning from elementary to middle school or middle to high school. I think that's a a big change that's really needed. And then to Dr. McCrae's point about the time sensitivity on this policy tonight. It says effective for the 26 2027 enrollment period. Fifth graders who are currently in students who are currently in fifth grade who are internal transfers will
267automatically be enrolled at the theater school. they are currently attending for the rest of their middle school years um and high school and high school years without reapplying for a transfer. For eighth graders, students currently in eighth grade who are internal transfers will automatically be enrolled at the feeder school they are currently attending attending for the rest of their high school years um without reapplying for a transfer. And of course, families can choose to enroll at their home attendance area schools. Um and then I see that the there is a date around January 30th that was added or um yes administration shall by the last business day of January preceding the February application window post to the district's website the method for determining space in a school. So it does seem like there's some time
268sensitivity to this. All right. Well, if there's no any any further questions, it's already been moved and seconded. Um, all those in favor? Um, >> yes. >> I >> Yes. I Thank you, board member Castro. I for those. All right. I see. Uh, that is unanimous in favor. Thank you. All right. Now, board member Vandermill and because we have no further old or new business for the meeting, you would like to move second. >> And all those in favor of adjournment. All right. I I >> Thank you. Good night, everybody.