Board of Education Regular Meeting - February 9, 2026

001to order. Nikki, please call the role. >> Nikki Austin is present. Jim Curran, >> present. >> Mike Davis is absent. Mike Rosa, >> present. >> Nicole Joseph, >> present. >> Teresa Keane, >> present. >> Steve Mayor's absent. Terry Montgomery >> present. Philos. >> Okay. And with that, we have a quum. We are officially in session. Um, first up, we've [clears throat] got to approve our agenda for tonight. I would entertain a motion to approve the agenda uh for February 9th. So move a sec. A second >> motion by Nicole. Second by Teresa. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Name. Motion carries. All right. We got full house. Thanks for being everybody. We are uh [clears throat] item four on our agenda is uh recognitions. Um we've got two months of recognitions which is

002why we've got such a wonderfully packed room tonight. Um so what we're going to do is we're going to go by school. So each school is going to do both December and January students of the month. We'll go through all the students, then we'll get to our next item [cough] on the agenda, [clears throat] which is the staff excellence award. So, um again, thank you all for being here. This is one of our favorite uh meetings, elements of what we do as a school board. And just so happens we get to do a double dose tonight. So, with that, we'll turn it over. I think we're going to start with a Lincoln first. >> All right. Penelopey Bailey is our first student of the month. Mr. Neer is her teacher. Come over here. [clears throat]

003All right. Penelopey was chosen as our student of the month and I was super excited to see when her name came through on the nomination form. Um Penelopey started with us in first grade. She was new to Abe and um over the years her confidence has just exploded and it's really neat to see her um progress throughout the years. And uh Mr. Nemire is going to tell us a little bit about why he nominated you. Okay. >> Definitely. Obviously. Um anybody that's ever watched me do this board knows I always have kids write nice things about you. Um but before they do that, I want to share just how amazing you are and how sweet and kind and the reason that you kind of like we have a bunch of sweet and kind kids. Our

004class is awesome. But what really has shown in the last probably month, month and a half is your confidence growing and your willingness to try new things and offer your um your put your hand up whenever you feel like you might have something or you want to contribute to the class, which I don't think was necessarily true. When you first walked into my room, you were kind of like a little nervous about raising your hand and you were a little nervous about sharing your thoughts. And that's really what kind of like drew me to your name when I was thinking about which kids to nominate. And some of the kids wrote some nice stuff about you. Now, I think the most telling thing is is we did this at the end of the day on

005one of the days you were gone cuz I you won't believe this. I forgot. And I knew you were coming back. So, I'm like, "Okay, we have to do it now while she's not here." And they stayed like after the bell rang to keep writing stuff. So, like it wasn't like, "Oh gosh, I want to go home. She's nice. Here you go. [clears throat] You know, they all put some time into it. And specifically, we have a new student in our class who I think at that time was only in there three days. And I think they wrote probably the most out of the class. So, the impact you had on a kid just [clears throat] after three days shows a lot to you. And some of the things I said, there were just so

006many people that said kind, super kind and funny, always smiling, kind to everybody. And they wrote hearts and smiley faces all over it. Um, and yeah, I just a lot of people put just a really good friend and like I said, between them wanting to stay late and write nice things about you and like I said, the new student impact just shows the kind of effect you have on your class and what they think of you. So, I'm really happy to have you and I'm sad you're going to be gone next year. >> One other thing that's been cool to watch about Penelopey is not only is she leading a leader in her classroom, but she's done different leadership skills. So, she's part of safety patrol and she helps the little ones too um so

007that they're doing the right thing by her peer modeling. Okay, good job. [applause] I'm Mike with the board of education. Thank you for being here tonight. And to recognize your achievement tonight, we've got a certificate of achievement and a Barnes & Noble gift card. Uh just a couple notes that I heard from both your principal and teacher. Your your confidence and your kindness. Just carry those through everything you do as you move into the middle school and and the rest of your life and I think you'll go a long way. So thank you for being with us and congratulations. [applause] >> Next up, Abe would like to um congratulate Anna Marty. Come on up. She is a fourth grader at Abe and has Mrs. Butler as her teacher. Abe does a lot to celebrate our

008leadership and the leadership that we have in students and also character and Annayia is definitely um sticks out at Abe for good character and just always doing the right thing. So Mrs. Butler, can you tell us more about what that looks like? >> I would love to. So there's not one thing about Annayia that's great. It's like she just everything that she does all day long is exactly what you would expect or hope that every student at Abe would do. Um in the Singleton world, right, we have a small group. They've been together a lot. And I can't help but think that the way you act every day has influenced a lot of them to also act in a positive, happy, glad to be here kind of attitude because you just show that just by

009everything you do every day that you come to school. And I truly like I said this this morning to the kids, but I really appreciate the fact that you care about your own learning, right? You've come to me a couple times as like I'm not sure this is right, but this is what I did because I think this is what I should do, right? And I love the fact that you're being reflective in your learning and then you're also encouraging your classmates to do the same thing by helping them by after you've learned something, you help them learn something. So I really appreciate that. And your classmates appreciate it too. Did you see their faces when your name was announced? They were so excited for you. So they definitely definitely share that same you deserve

010this award and so well done. [applause] Hi, Annayia. I'm Nikki with the board of education. I want to [clears throat] congratulate you. Thank you for being a leader. You're only in fourth grade. Next year, you're really going to be the leader of the school. That'll be awesome, right? So, I'm glad to hear also that you're advocating for yourself. Keep learning, keep growing, and you'll go really far. So, here's a certificate and a Barnes & Noble gift card. And congratulations. [applause] All right. So for North Side, our December winner is first grader Harper Larson. As you can see, um, Harper's in first grade, and it's pretty uncommon that a first grader gets this kind of recognition, but Harper is something special. Um, I think she leads with kindness. She is a quiet leader. Um, and I

011think that is like actions speak louder with words, right? Harper is doing the right thing all the time. Kids notice, adults notice. She has a gift of making people feel included um and important like right all of our buildings have buddy benches and the abil like if somebody's sitting on the buddy bench Harper is there and she's going out of her way to include them. She makes sure that people um at recess are included and and I remember shortly after she was um announced as student of the month I was in Miss Scott's class talking to them about like expect expectations and making good choices and somebody says something I'm like if you're not sure what to do just look at Harper. Harper's always doing what what a first grader is supposed to do. Um

012and so we are so excited to honor her as Northid's December student of the month. Miss Scotty, thanks. So um I had to write things down because otherwise I'm sure I will cry. So Harper was selected as our ex exceptional student of the month because of her kindness, her compassion, and her strong character. She consistently demonstrates empathy for students and um classmates, especially those who may need a little extra support in the classroom and on the playground. Um she goes out of her way to include everybody. She offers help and she makes our classroom a supportive and and welcoming place. She's also an incredibly hard worker. She is always striving to do her best even when sometimes learning doesn't come so easy. If it's hard, she is going to pay attention. She's going to focus

013and she's going to get it. And that's what's so incredible about you, Harper, your determination. Um, she's always listening. Like Mrs. R said, she participates thoughtfully and she shows a genuine desire to learn and grow. So, before I turn it over to a board member, though, I have to share a little little thing about Harper that um not many people probably know. But every morning at the beginning and the start of our day, we have uh our sh our class sits down in a circle and we have a morning meeting and we share um a brag, a good thing or a bad thing about our our night before or our weekend. And more often than not, Harper is sharing that that she got to go to the gym last night and watch her older sister

014Lexi or her older brother Mason um in some sort of sporting event. So, I think it's pretty cool that Lexi and Mason are here celebrating your amazingness because you are just awesome. So, thanks for all you do to make North Side just an incredible place. It is. [applause] I'm Phil with the board of education. How are you? [laughter] Your hands are a little sweaty. Are you nervous? So, uh, you [laughter] know, your teacher and principal talked a lot about kindness towards your classmates, your confidence, and, uh, determination. Those things will take you a long ways, and I'm sure that your classmates really appreciate that in you also. Okay, so great job to remember. Tonight, we have a certificate and a Barnes & Noble gift card. Congratulations. You did a great job. >> [applause] >> Um,

015North Side's January winner is fourth grader Scarlett Hammond. Come on up. [cough] We were lucky enough to surprise Scarlet in our assembly the other day and we were a little nervous because we've had some bugs um hitting North Side. We didn't know if she was going to be there to make the big announcement, but she did. I think she was Were you shocked? >> Yes. [laughter] Yes, I think the great thing about um Scarlet is she just is always doing what is right. Um I think Mrs. Clearary will talk about that as she has kind of grown as a Northsider. We are just lucky lucky that you are part of North Side, Scarlet. >> Yeah, let you guys talk. Um so our theme at Northside this month is do what's right. So Scarlet is the

016perfect recipient for this month's award. She is always doing what's right. No matter what the situation is, no matter where she is in the classroom, she always follows the rules. She has a lot of positive enthusiasm about things that we learn about. She's kind. She includes others. Um, actually, the day that she won the award, we were doing a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters where the kids can donate a dollar and then wear a hat. And Scarlet brought in $5 just in case anybody forgot their money so that that way they could all participate. So, she just has a lot of integrity. She's always doing what's right and everybody notices everybody in the building. So, her art teacher, Mrs. Clearary, is also here tonight to share a little bit about why she is our

017student of the month. So, one of the coolest things about my job as a specialist teacher is I get to see kids kindergarten through fifth grade. And Scarlet, you have always been exactly who you are. You came in as a kindergartener with the biggest smile, eager to learn, always doing what's right. You shine in the art room as a helper, as a quiet leader. Um, and your artistic talents are amazing and you are always eager to try new things and your creativity enhances our room. So, I am so glad that I get to keep teaching you next year, too. Yeah, CONGRATULATIONS. [applause] >> HI, SCARLETT. I'm Terry with the board of education. Nice to meet you. You know what? Doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing. So I am so proud that

018you are always doing the right thing because that's what they said. And if you do the right thing the rest of your life, you're going to be successful and no matter what you do. Okay. So congratulations on doing the right thing and keep up the good work. Good evening. I'm excited to celebrate Kaden Adrien and Miss Stilson is fourth grade teacher is here with me. Kaden is a fourth grader in Miss Dilson's class and was nominated in the month of December. And Kaden, we are so incredibly proud of the Parksider that you are growing to be. And you lead Parkside with your actions, with your smile, and simply by following the expected expectations all the time. Kids watch you. They follow you and they look to you to be that leader. Whether that's in some

019of the after school clubs that you participate in or that's in the classroom or that's when Miss Dilson needs someone to help her out. We can always count on you and I appreciate that. Kayen. Miss Dilson, you want to talk about why you nominated him? >> Okay. Well, I'll start with Kaden is a good friend to all. He is kind to all his classmates, the little buddies he sees in the hallway, the first graders, the fifth graders. He is a kind person to everyone in our building. Um, Kaden is the one to help somebody near him without any prompting, just out of the kindness of his heart, expecting nothing in return. Um, he also has a great positive energy. Uh, one of my favorite things that I noticed about Kaden when he walked into my

020classroom was this like energy he brought. He had a bright bright big old smile and he oftentimes like kind of runs into my classroom excited for the day um and just ready to learn and accepts that learning with gratitude. Um he also finds joy in K kids after school which is like a service program. Um mileage club in the morning and then leadership where he gets to help out with some assemblies and speak at different events for our school leading through his voice which he is a quiet leader so he is growing in that challenging himself to speak in front of crowds of people and lead in that way too. So, I'm really proud of all your hard work so far this year and how you're growing in your confidence. Great job. [applause] [snorts] >>

021Congratulations, Kaden. I'm Terry Montgomery at the board of education. And you know what? I've never met you before, but I know your mom. [laughter] And knowing your mom, I can see why you have all these qualities. That's I I know that they're in you because I know your mom and I know the type of child you would raise and what you would grow up to become. And so continue being that kind kind person to all those you encounter and the kindness will come back to you trifold. Okay. So we have a gift card here for you to Barnes & Nobles and a certificate to remember this evening and keep up what you're doing. [applause] All >> [laughter] >> right. The Monroe Middle School would like to recognize our December winner for student of the month

022was Maline Ste. Extraordinary eighth grader. I'm going to pass it off to Miss Magguire shortly, but want to put a little plug in for Meline and her piano prowess. So, she has a perform solo performance that I got to see today at at practice and there is a performance tomorrow night at the PAC at the high school at 7 o'clock. So, come see her amazing piano playing and her colleagues who also singing and doing some things too. But it was awesome to watch that today. Miss McGuire, >> I was so excited when actually Meline got called down to the office during science class to find out that she got student of the month and being the person who nominated her, it was like, is this for the student of the month? And getting to like

023tell the class and see how excited your classmates were also for you. Like every week we recognize students and every single week classmates recognize Meline for like always doing the right thing, being a good tablemate, helping people out. I think you go above and beyond to help your peers. Um, especially those that are gone and like so many of you that have been recognized tonight, like the doing the right thing when nobody is watching, that good character piece. Not only do you do that for yourself, but you help others do that too. Um, Meline has the teacher look down. Um, so even even without like having to to remind people or say things like sometimes even just a look or a little reminder without even saying anything like you help others do the right thing

024too. Um, and Meline is exceptionally humble. I don't know if you can tell right now like getting her to smile is a big deal. Like as her basketball coach last year that was something like come on Meline, right? But she will she will do her best to remain humble and not take any of the recognition for the hard work that she does. So, I'm very excited that we get to actually celebrate your awesomeness and I hope you know that. Um, and I think from an excellent standpoint, like you are a phenomenal writer and a amazingly intelligent student, but something that's been really cool to see as your teacher is you don't just do the work, you challenge yourself to do the work better. So, as Meline's working on a writing assignment or a poster, you

025get to the final like I'm done. And I watch you every time take a couple more minutes to go back and find one thing to make even better so that you're like just showing that excellence, pushing yourself to challenge yourself to be better than what we're even expecting of you. And that's really cool to see. So, thank you for all that you do, Meline. [applause] >> Hi, Meline. I'm Nicole with the board of education. These are just amazing things that your principal and your teachers are saying about you. It just sounds so awesome that you're working hard, working above and beyond what you're expected to do and you're doing it with kindness and compassion and caring. Just [clears throat] think the world is going to be so excited to have you anywhere that you end

026up. So, here is a certificate for tonight and a gift card to Barnes & Noble. >> Thank you. OUR [applause] January award winner is seventh grader Miranda Pina Gonzalez. And before I give the floor to Miss Waggle, I'm going to talk about Into the Woods as well. So Miranda is going to be at the choir concert as well. She did a great job in the rehearsal today, but she's also in our musical that is on this Friday and Saturday night. So, swing on down to the middle school after dinner and your date for Valentine's Day and watch her perform. I'm just a hype man for the middle school. >> So, go ahead. >> All right. I am so blessed to be here um for our whole seventh grade team. Um when we were talking about

027nominating a student, everyone said her name and we were like, "Yes, yes, yes." And so, she shows extreme um leadership at all levels. Um her citizenship and the way she treats others is incredible. every day she walks in my room, she greets me, she talks to me, she asks me how I'm doing and has this beautiful smile on her face and it's pretty awesome. Um, one of the things that I love most about her is I've watched her handle difficult situations with such grace that I'm like that shows maturity at her level that I don't see all the time. And so I'm really like it's really awesome. One of the things that she did that really stood out to me this year um we were doing a group project and her group wanted to go

028in one direction with a topic and she was really passionate about another topic. She sought me out and said I will do my part with the group but can I also do my own project and present it to the group or to you know the class as well. I was like oh my gosh that's awesome. Yes. and she goes like and I like you don't have to do that but no I want to do them both. So to me that is going above and beyond. Um and she's also involved in forensics the musical what Mr. Brown had said um junior optimist. So she enhances our school incredibly and I appreciate having her [applause] you, Jim. I [clears throat] heard uh grace, compassion, and a willingness to to go above and beyond kind of what's expected.

029I just want to say thank you for being you. We're so happy that you're here and our community and our world can use more people like you. So, keep it up. There's a certificate and a gift card to Barnes & Noble. Thanks so much. [applause] Hi everyone. Um, our student of the month for December is senior Connor Ecal. Connor is fresh off of a conference wrestling championship at Rock Valley Conference MEET THIS WEEKEND. >> [applause] >> AND CAN'T FORGET his sisters. They also won conference championship. [applause] Sweet. So Connor is super super deserving of this and was nominated by Mr. Rossine. So I'll let her talk about why you nominated. >> All right. So when we when we see the form that we're going to fill out, we get a list of attributes. And as

030I'm looking at that, Connor, honest to God, checks off every single box. So much so that when I was filling it out, I honestly thought Jeremy was going to message me back and say he got that a long time ago. Like no way. Um but he never had. So I feel like this is a long time coming, but I'm so happy to be the one to be able to nominate you. Uh when anyone mentions Connor's name, students and staff alike, you're going to hear three things. You're going to hear, "What a great kid. He's so nice. Connor's the best." And it's the truth. He's a natural leader. You're a fantastic role model. You're super motivated. You're still taking all these highle courses. You're involved in everything from zero hour band to peer tutoring to wrestling

031to you name it. He's in everything and he balances it with ease. Um you're an ideal student. I love that you care about the content. You'll ask questions. Any single one of your peers likes to work with you. You're helpful. You're kind. You're smart. Um you're just easy to be around. You have a good sense of humor. My favorite thing though is that you do the right thing when no one's looking. Um an example of that is on Fridays. Um the custodians really appreciate it if we put up our chairs before we leave for the day. Uh so we like to have the students try to do it, but since I teach right up to the bell, you hear that? Um [laughter] I I forget and all the other kids leave the building and Connor

032stays after class and he says, [laughter] "Hey, should we put up the chairs?" And I'm like, "Ah, you're right." And countless Fridays he's there putting up the chairs for the custodians because he knows it matters to them. It's going to make a difference in their day. and it's just a simple gesture, but he's the one doing it and it shows his kindness and it really shows his willingness to think of others. So, I feel so fortunate to have nominated you and we're lucky to have you at MHS. [applause] [cough] I'm Teresa. I'm so excited to be able to give this to you and what they're saying um is absolutely true. You are such a role model, such an asset to not only the school but our entire community. You are hardworking. You are driven. You

033are motivated. Um you are the type of of quiet leader and role model that that we need more of. And I'm so honored to be able to give you the certificate and the gift card because you definitely earn it. So congratulations All >> [applause] >> right. Our January student of the month is senior Delaney Douglas. Delaney, you did not win conference wrestling, did you? >> Unfortunately, I [laughter] didn't. >> Close. Very close, but still very, very deserving of this month. Miss Bartles um nominated you and she's going to talk about why she nominated you. >> Hi. Um super excited to present Delaney tonight. Um it was it sounds weird, but it was hard to put into words exactly why because you just look at Delaney and you think, "God, like I have young kids and

034I'm like when I kids grow up, like this is what I want them to be like." Like she's just amazing. Um but I did get some words down. Um she's just an exceptional student and just person overall. She's very kind. She's very thoughtful. Um I have been teaching for a long time and have written a ton of letters of recommendation and only one student has ever given me a thank you gift and she is standing here. [laughter] Like just the thoughtfulness of that like for her to just say like I know this took time for you to do. Thank you so much. just so sweet. Um, she's super responsible, always works hard in class. She does more than what's expected in the classroom. I know that she's an exceptional leader when she's doing group projects.

035She was part of the launch program la last year. And I know that some of her projects would not have been what they were if it weren't for her. Um, and her leadership and just the way she can push her classmates without >> irritating them. Yeah, thank you. [laughter] That was way nicer than I was. Um, she's really professional. Um, you know, having to work with community members last year, I just know that that was huge. Um, she does a lot of service projects. She was really involved in the creation of Kristen's Closet, >> um, and in the organization of that and getting it all started. And that is huge for our students. um she um has been a member of FBA for all four years if I know this correctly. Um so I also

036had the chance to spend time with her then and her involvement in our service projects with that. She was always one to step up and say, "Yep, I want to do more. I can help more." Um I got words from another staff member. Um he said, "Delene is the kind of student you want to have in class. She makes class fun. She's very personable, has a great sense of humor, always has a great attitude. She's a leader among her peers. She takes charge during group projects and always puts in her best effort. Um, a lot of kids will hear me say it is not hard to be a decent human. And Delaney is such a great example of this. Like she clearly makes it very easy to be a decent human. And just we're so

037lucky to have her in our building and I'm so lucky to have her in class this year. I just I love it. CONGRATULATIONS. [clears throat] [applause] >> HEY, I'm Nicole. I've known you for quite a while, too. And you're definitely more than a decent human being. I mean, thank you. All through the years. Yeah, >> I know. >> You You are a great friend, a great classmate, just very encouraging, very involved, and you're going to just do great things, and I wish you all the best. Thank you. Uh here is your certificate and uh gift card to Barnes & NOBLE. [applause] >> WELL, we'll make the the pivot from the the student excellence awards now to the uh the staff excellence awards for December and January. >> Yep. So, uh, Monro High School has, um,

038the privilege of having the December student of the month, and that is Mrs. Beth Roy. >> Oh, teacher. >> As much as I appreciate that, [laughter] >> she just graduated, though. >> Staff excellence award. >> We are always learning, >> lifelong learners. >> She teaches me a lot, too. She really does. [laughter] Um Beth, you know, instead of saying she does a little bit of everything, she actually does a lot of everything. Um she leads a lot of our student groups, the biggest one being student senate. Um and those are huge tasks she takes on with the kids, trying to wrangle them, getting them to do everything for um homecoming and blood drives and the pay it forward challenge are some of the biggest ones I would say. And then um what's Oh, link crew.

039That's no small task either. So link crew is another big name of the 8th to 9th grade transition program that you help lead in that as well. But so not only though leading students in our school and getting them to do good things and and give service back to their community but also the what you do in your classroom um leading not only the kids in the classroom but the other adults in your department in our school um and even in the districts. You're you're on leadership committees, right? and we purposely put put you there because we know you'll do the work, but we also know you'll question the work, [laughter] right? Um, and we need that. We need people to push back and ask critical questions. Um, but then you go make it your

040own and you go make it work. And it's a I think the ultimate compliment is when students come back to us and say, "We like it the way Miss Wright does it." So that to me is an ultimate compliment. So couldn't have a better uh person to have this award. So thank you. >> THANK YOU. >> [applause] >> UM, SO I've got two two ways into this. Uh, Mrs. Roy. First, um, when I moved back to Monroe, I heard I kept hearing your name over and over again. Uh, from everything from scholarship support to student support. Um, but everyone just kept saying, "Oh, she's she just does she she does such a great job with that." I heard her about multiple different aspects of work. I just want to say um I I hadn't met

041you at that point and I I thought I need to meet this person. Um and so um I want to say thank you for the well-rounded uh ways in which you contribute to the high school community, including challenging Jeremy's opinions at times. Um but also just supporting supporting students in so many ways. Uh, and then my most recent encounter with you, uh, I was with my four and six-year-old at the high school basketball game, sitting on the very top row, and I was foolish enough to leave my phone on the bleacher next to me, and my four-year-old knocked it all the way down underneath the bleachers. And so, I had to go say, "Hey, can you help me get underneath the bleachers to retrieve my cell phone?" And you were so gracious and understanding. [laughter]

042And I'm sure that is what students experience from you all the time. So, thank you for all that you do uh for years of excellent service in North School District. We got a plaque for you and then you have the floor. Anything you want to share with the group? >> Oh dear, that's dangerous. [laughter] >> No. Well, no, thank you. And honestly, I really enjoy working with and for you, Jeremy, and the I know. Um, but I also have an amazing department. like I really enjoy our students and I enjoy our department and I've had the privilege of being there for a while now and I've had like a lot of people who have poured into me as well which I really appreciate and not just in the science department but like I love that

043within the high school like I have learned from a lot of different people on those committees. So thank you for those opportunities. >> I did forget one big thing though. I don't know how I forgot this. >> Oh dear. Beth is the last one that said, "Hey, you know what? Do you think about jumping into the launch program and leading the healthcare solutions strand?" >> Yeah, that one. >> So, you're doing that, too? >> Yes, I am. [laughter] >> THANKS. [applause] >> Just a little something from the morning optimist to thank you for all you do for kids. >> Oh, thank you. [applause] All right, everybody. I am excited tonight to recognize Jason, our head custodian at Parkside. Uh, first we need to celebrate that Jason made it out tonight. He was convinced last week

044uh that the neuro virus that's running rampant through our building that he is cleaning up all day long was for sure going to hit him [laughter] tonight at 7 o'clock. So, he made it. It's also approaching his bedtime. Jason's our early bird. Uh he's the first one in the building in the morning. And you will know exactly what's going on in the morning. Uh because Jason will tell you because he's been there for a good three hours before the rest of us get there. So, we'll finish this up and you'll get out of here so you can get to bed. Um, Jason starts every day with the smile that he has now. He's the first one in the office in the morning saying, "What's going on today? What do you need help with? Do you

045need a table for that assembly? What else can I do?" And then after he does that, he's outside the front door in his shorts as a poor role model for the children WHO WE TELL HIM THAT THEY need to wear pants and a sweatshirt and they need to cover their limbs. Jason doesn't. Um, but every morning he's outside doing bus supervision. Uh, because it's all hands- on deck in an elementary school and he's the first one that's saying good morning to all the kids that are waiting to transfer buses. Then he's headed down to the cafeteria and he's cleaning up breakfast and he's setting up lunch. Um, and he's going through the day and taking care of all of those things and the rest of us just aren't thinking about it. Uh, there will be

046times where my elementary colleagues will say, "Well, what do you do about da da da?" And I'm like, "I don't do anything about that. Jason takes care of it. I don't even think about it." Um, and those things mean so much to me. They mean so much to the office staff and they help our building run smoothly. So, on top of all of those regular things, uh, Jason's also a great guy that will make sure that everybody has reasons to laugh, that funny things happen at school and that the adults have a good time, too. Um, when Todd found out that he won, Todd starts scrolling through his phone. He's like, "And then this one time we were on scooters during COVID because [laughter] there was nothing else to do and we had to make

047content and videos for the kids and Jason and I were the only ones allowed in the building." Um, a couple months ago, our fifth graders had an egg drop planned. They read a book. They made all of these contraptions. We were hoping for good weather. Jason agreed he was going to go on the roof very safely. He had it all set up and then did it snow icy. >> Okay. The the temperature was terrible. Um, and he's like, "Yeah, we can't go outside." And I'm like, "Okay, well, we can resc no. I got it all set up in the cafeteria." So, you go into the cafeteria. He's got everything set up. He's got hazard cones. He's got the lift in there and he made these fifth graders incredibly happy. So, while it was in the

048cafeteria, um Jason was up and down the lift a good 10 times with some contraptions uh so that the fifth graders could execute their egg drop as they wanted to. Um and I say that it's not by accident that shortly after um all the nominations came in shortly after, give it about a week and I'm tallying the votes. The day I tallied the votes, it just happened to be that our day started with part of our building was a little bit cooler than expected and like, "Oh man." And so teachers on one end of the building were getting a little little frustrated and wearing coats and they're like, "It's a little cold down here. It's a little cold down here. Like what's going on? It's a little cold down here." Um, and when one might

049think that a head custodian would be stressed about that, Jason's like, "I'm working on it. I'm doing the best I can." He's smiling. He's laughing. He's just making sure that things continue, business as usual. And then I had to message him later. I'm like, "Okay, Jason, like people are getting upset about this." I said, "You know, some kids went home and they said it was too cold at school." And he's like, "Well, if you want the sheet that tells the temperature of every room for every hour. I have that for you. It never got into a dangerous zone. Nobody was ever at risk. Like everything's fine." Like, "Okay, send me a picture of that sheet just in case." Um, and then today, the day that [laughter] the day that Jason gets recognized, it's about 1:30,

050which is usually about when Jason's leaving. So, we got lucky that Jason was still in the building. Fire alarm goes off. [laughter] All right. Everyone kind of looks around like I'm like, "This wasn't planned. Like, get out." Jason calls me and I'm like, "Do you know what's going on?" Nope. Nope. No one knows what's going on. He's like, "Okay, I'll call this person. I'll call this person." We're calling back and forth. You'd have no idea that we had an unplanned fire emergency happening because Jason just remains calm. He's like, "Yep, this is Jason. Okay, I'll take care of it." Um, so Jason, we appreciate everything that you do for Parkside. You're recognized across the district as someone with longevity, someone that people turn to, and maybe we shouldn't be saying how great you are because

051every now and then we get the call, Jason's not working today. He's got a fill in over here, he's got a fill in over there. So maybe we shouldn't say any more great things about you because we want to make sure that we don't lose you or nobody else steals you. But we appreciate everything you do for Parkside. >> Thank you. [applause] >> [applause] [clears throat] >> Uh, congratulations. Um, I'm not sure how to sum that up to be honest. [laughter] I guess what what I heard is that you sound like exactly the type of person I would I would want to have as a as a neighbor, uh, as as a friend, as a as a fellow community member. Um, and so I just to approach every day of work with with that kind

052of orientation to life and vision and supporting other people. Um, I I admire you and so just want to say thanks for all you do. Congratulations. And you can again, you got the floor. You can give whatever kind of speech you want. [laughter] >> Well, uh, thank you to the, um, schoolboard members and administration. Uh, thank you to, uh, Jenna, Rich, Todd for trust me with the building. Uh, thank you to uh, Greg, Gayen, and Lisa. They do a great job with cleaning the building and help me out a lot. Um, thank you to my family for being understanding for me going into the building at odd hours of time and having to go do other stuff. And, uh, thank you to the my co-workers, the great co-workers are amazing. Uh they're very hardworking, very

053caring for the students and they put up a ton of stuff from me and my THAT [laughter] [applause] OPTIMIST. SO, thank you for all you do for kids. [applause] All right, we're going to get a picture of all the award winners up up front here. We'll get out of the way so we're not in the background of the [laughter] every award winner, staff and and students, come on up and look for [laughter] Can we come this way? >> My littles. Can you guys Can we form like a Can you guys come together? Scarlet, you want to come stand here? Come over here. Perfect. >> Awesome. Thank you guys. Big smile, Jason. [laughter] >> Thank you guys. >> Make sure to smile. >> That's almost for me. I do. I have to learn this. [laughter] >>

054I don't understand it. >> I'm going to cry. [laughter] hurt you too much. [laughter] >> You did great. >> [laughter] >> I walked in my kids. [laughter] >> How you doing? >> It happens. I missed the timing on my you can all stay for the rest of the meeting joke. So [laughter] >> before you out pretty good here. Okay, let's uh let's keep it rolling. We've got um that that was really beautiful. So thanks everybody for >> that's awesome >> being a part of that. Um okay, we got our our consent agenda next. Is there any board member who wishes to remove an item from the consent agenda? >> Hearing none, I would entertain a motion to approve the consent items as presented. [clears throat] >> Um, are you going to read them? >> Yes.

055>> Okay. >> Oh, do we make sure Sure. Make a motion. >> Yeah. Motion by Teresa. >> Got it. Second. >> Second by Is it >> Terry. Same by Terry. I'll read these in for the record. All right. Our consent items. We got five items tonight. Uh first, approve the minutes of uh our last meeting, January 26th. Approval of professional uh retirement, Patrick Murphy, uh Monroe High School special education teacher. Approval of support staff retirement, Donna Buer, Abraham Lincoln, special education aid. Approval of support staff hiring. Jennifer Eri, North Side accounting secretary. approval approval acceptance of community donation from [clears throat] the Green County Women's Club, the hats and mittens for students. Much appreciated on the donations and a huge thank you to our our staff who are retiring. Any other comments before we take

056a vote? >> I was going to echo that. Thank you. I mean, Pam Murphy I saw in his letter was 25 years. So, thank you for that. That dedication is amazing. And um same with Donna. I don't know how long she's how many years but a long time and has had a huge impact on >> Abe Lincoln. So I'm huge thank you to both of them because that's a >> incredible dedication incredible value to our district. >> Other comments >> totally agree that we will be missed [snorts] >> that. [clears throat] All in favor say I. I >> she carries nobody sign in for public comment. >> Danny, >> no. [laughter] >> Call you out though, right? >> Sorry. Anytime there's somebody who's a non-administrator, I do [laughter] an ongoing routine for me. Okay. No

057[clears throat] old business tonight. On to new business. Item 8A. We've got approval action item. Uh approval of the school guidance school guidance and counseling plan. Turn over to administration. >> Yeah, I'll turn it over to Amy. this is a plan she's been working on. So, I'll let her jump into it. >> So, um just to start out, this is um required by Wisconsin state statute um to have a comprehensive school guidance and um counseling program and it does have in the requirements um everything that you should have and this plan does um demonstrate all of those um requirements. So, just want to say that in the beginning and that this is not just me putting this together. of this was in collaboration with school counselors played a heavy role, school psychologists, um principles ran

058through it. Um so it it allies have been um put on it to to review. Okay. So our plan is starting off with um as most most great documents with a mission, vision, and um some core beliefs. So, I'm just going to read pieces of these because I think that they're very um instrumental into what we try to accomplish in our guidance and counseling program. So, under the mission statement, it's a comprehensive, equitable, and developmentally responsive pro program. Um we look to empower each and every single student no matter where they come from. Uh because we want them to achieve academic success. We want to strengthen their social emotional skills. Um, at the end of the day, we want them to be responsible, resilient members of our community and wherever they go, we want them

059to be successful in career and vocational pathways. So, it is like it's really all-encompassing if you think about it. Um, so it is it's really important work um that we do and it takes it takes everyone um to accomplish that. Vision statement is every student will graduate with a knowledge, skills and character to thrive academically, socially and emotionally and to successfully navigate post-secary education, training and career pathways. Our core beliefs are that all students can learn at and achieve at high levels um when they are provided with the appropriate supports and resources and that that falls on our shoulders making sure that kids get what they need. We have the strong belief that their social emotional development um is so critical to them being successful in school um whether we're talking about academic achievement um

060or just lifelong learning. We do believe that um it should be developmentally appropriate. It needs to be data informed and um it needs to be a multi-ter counseling program that really targets kids where with whatever they need. We believe in um collaboration among families, schools and community partners. Um we we feel that um in our collaboration together that also leads to greater student success. So the guidance program object objectives there's four of them. It's academic development, career and vocational readiness, social emotional growth, um and then equal access. So, if you go down into the next two areas, it just it just breaks it down a little bit more specifically about what it looks like in Monroe. Um, under the counseling delivery framework. So, we we use that term a lot about RTI or multi-tered systems

061of support. And what that means is that the tier one is for everybody. Tier two is more targeted. Tier three in this role is really responsive to students that maybe are in crisis um like suicide risk assessments um behavior support plans kind of whatever kids need or their families need in terms of support. I'm going to go back up to that that core that tier one um that is especially important with our elementary students. So K through five, they all get 30 minutes of guidance um every week. and also in sixth grade it's called positive action right um so and we use a we use a curriculum called second step for that um so that is a to me it's it's something that a lot a lot of districts do but in Monroe we have

062made that a priority we we know and believe that that's very important that we give students um some of those critical skills in in an ongoing basis um and I I am hearing more and more that some districts have gone away from that so again credit to to the school district for um prioritizing the mental health and social emotional skills for students. Um I'm going to keep going down and I'm going to talk about the the data collection that we keep. Um as you can see it's the academic data is really important but we also collect data on the social emotional side. We look at um behavior data whether that's like attendance, discipline referrals, nurse visits, we even track um and behavior incidents. We have um screeners for students um all throughout um third through

06312th grade. Um so a couple of times a year they take they take those surveys and then we respond to those surveys. Um there's always a followup and sometimes kids don't need extra support but sometimes they do. Um and then we work with families on what we think they need. We we have climate surveys. Um so we're not only looking at individuals and how they're doing, but we pull group data together to make sure that our students are feeling good about school and about themselves and um what's going on in the world. our counselors do and school psychologists um have systems set up so that um they're tracking the interventions that are happening um and then looking to see are those successful are they not successful um and then what we need to do for

064follow-up if necessary postsecary data um that is something that uh we're we sent out a survey Jeremy right and probably pretty poor response rate >> pretty low Um, and I will say today Todd and I had the pleasure of pleasure, right, of going to Seesaw all day and um, it's a lot of that uh, portrait of a graduate work and making sure that students have that career pathway. Um, so I am really excited. I know Ta is just as excited and we'll be talking with the um, administrators more about this tomorrow and um, school counselors. [clears throat] Um, we've we're starting to have more conversation about making sure that students at a very young age understand the role of careers, understanding more about themselves and their own strengths, what they need to build upon, so

065by the time they do get to high school and beyond, they're prepared or or have an idea and a direction on where to go um and what they would be good at. So, you don't have to have it all figured out, but we'd like to help them on that um that scary pathway sometimes. So people who are instrumental to this, I had mentioned the school counselors, they really they lead a lot of this work. Our school psychologists um they're right there at the table all the time. Um and sometimes one will take the lead. They just they work so well together. So sometimes one will take the lead with something but um and then another time it'll be their school counselor. But they are really um the stakeholders and the gatekeepers I would say of

066this entire system. Administrators are also huge in this process. um because well the lead the leaders of the building, right? And so um the the collaboration um and support for one another um in all the buildings is just phenomenal. And then of course it takes all teachers and staff um in order to implement any sort of um a program where you're taking care of kids. It takes everybody hands on deck, paying attention to kids, communicating with another um with one another and collaborating. The next um part is about the family family and community engagement. And I will say that this is an area where we know that we probably um probably need to be more intentional um particularly with the third bullet point about family education and empowerment. Um workshops, informational sessions, like what can

067we do to help um help parents um when they have challenges with their with their children and just just educating overall. um we know that that that's an area probably that we could we could be doing a little bit more um and be more intentional about the program goals. So we decided on five program goals and this is for between now and the end of the 2728 school year. Um so the first one is increasing uh increased student well-being and we're going we want to measure this um by the use of the best screener which is the one that we we do with students um fourth through um 12th grade and we this is a stretch goal. I want to point that out because we want to decrease that elevated risk range down to 10%.

068We're currently um and we've been this high not it's not um it's not concerning this 18.8% 8%. Um, but also we we would love for um that to decrease down to 10%. So that that would be a that would be an amazing goal to reach. Improving academic success, we decided to attack this by looking at the attendance rate. Um we would like to increase the attendance rate from 93.7 to 97%. Um and there's so much we've talked about this so much happening in the buildings to um help with that. And then that decreasing the chronic absent rate at the same time we're we're around 40%. We would like to drop that to 30%. So what qualifies is chronically absent is you you're missing 10% of the school year. So we really don't want kids to

069miss more than 10 days. That's our goal. But the chronic absence rate is 18 days. So you think that we think about that we have almost 40% of kids missing missing a lot of school. Um, so that's that would be a great goal if we could achieve that one as well. Um, post-secondary readiness. We want to ensure that a 100% of graduates complete a meaningful career or color or career readiness plan that reflects their individualized goals um and those pathways um by the end of the 2728 school year. Mental health supports, uh, we would love to standardize that tier 2 or that at risk classification identification process. That's more for grades K through eight. Um and that's just how we would get there is that we would um be able to identify them and then

070we would be able to follow up with strategic target targeted plan um and then measure the effectiveness of that. So that's something that our school counselors um are they every school year it seems like as a principal I saw this like you start off with great intentions at the beginning of the school year and then you get so caught up in the the individual crises that happen and then you you lose that small group um the small group time. So that's definitely an area that we would like to improve on. And then the family engagement piece and we do think that um by engaging in that Monroe uh portrait of a graduate work that we would love to have finalized within a couple of years that will include all stakeholders and we think that it

071will just be an incredible process of of get getting everyone on the same page about what we want for our mineral students all through school. So, it's a long plan. Yep. Great goals. We'll achieve them all. Any questions? >> Question. >> Yeah. >> Excuse me. On the program goals, postsecondary readiness, um, is that something that you would envision kind of like junior year of high school, the kids would have that plan. I'm thinking about, you know, when they're applying for colleges and that kind of thing. >> Yeah, great question. So, this is a conversation that we just started having a little bit more in depth. Um uh to me it's it's before the junior year. Um and I think our school counselors would agree with that at the high school level. Um we would love

072to um try some uh maybe more beginning planning in middle school and so by the time they kids kind of know beginning of high school what they're interested in at least. >> Yeah. At least do you mind if I >> Yeah. jump in. Um, so you got, you know, we probably have as many if not more path pathways than ever right now in high school, which is a really great thing, >> but a lot of them start branching off in that junior senior year with the launch program and and all the cap and dual credit and all that kind of stuff. So, this plan kind of starts to align all of those things, but then we're looking at, can we push it lower? Can we make uh the classes in ninth and tth grade line

073up with some of those pathways? So kids get a little taste of it and experience so they have a better idea of where what they want to do once they get that junior senior year rather than just I don't want to minimize you know the first two years but it's kind of like generals in college and then you jump into it but can we give them that taste earlier and even even earlier than high school possibly. So that's kind of what we're trying to do. It's it's probably going to be some hard work and some change. Um, but we really want our kids to get exposed to what's out there, what they might like, what they might not like earlier on. >> That's great because that was my next question. I mean, if [clears throat]

074it has to be finalized, so to speak, by junior year, I think that freshman sophomore year is a good time to whether it's AP classes or otherwise to get a taste of, you know, what they might be interested in. >> I want to just it it won't be finalized their junior year. So, like that's the other side of this is we don't want to lock them in. they're still in high school, they can still try something junior year and say, "Nope, that's welding is not for me." And then go on to something different. So that's the beauty of high school. >> Amy, do you want to talk a little bit about Zello and how that program's used? >> Yeah, I was actually just gonna >> Great. Great. Um, so Zello is a program that actually

075is it's state funded and it's a it's a free program that's available to all public schools in Wisconsin. And what it is is it's actually available to elementary students. We just learned this today. This is this is a news flash. Um where they do start to like become more exposed to all the careers that are out there. And then that process continues through middle school, through high school. And so one of the some of the features on that are that not only career exposure, but like what are your interest areas? What are you good at? um you even have the ability to maybe like you you're building your portfolio so to speak but it doesn't look like our portfolio would but so by the time they would you know they would just keep adding to

076it and they would be enhancing it. So they would it's a better understanding of themselves and their skills and their aptitu aptitudes interest areas and then you know planning that out of what that will take whether it's courses certain courses that they'll need to take um or experiences um in the community and it will help us better plan um and getting kids those opportunities in the community whether it's in the community or in the school. question. Not sure if this [clears throat] Amy or Jeremy question. You referenced the kind of survey low response. I'm guessing that was like postsecondary kind of after they leave. What are they doing? >> Um do you have a sense for just roughly speaking what how does our what do folks do after graduation? Four-year college, two-year college, workforce, military,

077what what's the current state of that? And then like do we have a perspective right now on what that ratio or kind of division should be? >> It's really changed over the last 10 to 15 years. I think >> I do know Monroa used to be a town where 60ish plus percent went to a four-year school at least their first year and now we're down closer to 30%. Um which kind of reflects the careers that are out there I think and the cost of education and all the other things. Right. So, um, the good part of that is we've seen an increase in youth apprentichips and the trades and all of that as well. But that's that's how maybe the demographics of our high school have changed and maybe our community as well. So, we

078do track some of that stuff. Um, probably another 10% in the two-year college range, whether that is just going to get an associates degree in like business or whatever it might be or going to a trade school through an assoc through a two-year technical college, too. I don't really have military like percentage [clears throat] gym. It's a small percentage. Probably 5% or less. I would say the rest are going into the workforce. >> And we just heard some I mean there we don't have the necessarily the local data on this but the national data of and I will say students that end up going to college only like was it like 50% end up graduating from a university. >> Well in the first year I guess slide or whatever you want to call it still

079continues. It used to be 60% went to college for Monroe and then 40% after the second year. And that's really similar for us. I mean, we're at 30%. We're probably down to closer to 20 after the first year. >> 50% was >> we would really like them to know what they want to do. College is too expensive to experiment, right? >> So true. >> So if you need to go to college, you absolutely should, but you should know that you need to go to college for whatever you want to do. It's probably not a great investment to go for the experience anymore. is what I would say [laughter] >> questions for administration. So this is this is an action item. Yep. Okay. just to provide that general context. So, this is this is a plan

080that, you know, originally it was brought to our attention, my attention after we went through some budget work and we had uh a parent ask about, you know, whether or not this plan was in place and the honest answer was what? Um, and this is not something that's actively um communicated from DPI. There's no accountability with it in terms of uh checking with people and making sure it's there. As I talked to a number of my colleagues across uh multiple districts, many and [clears throat] most do not have this kind of plan in place, but given our awareness that it's necessary, um Amy and the team put this together to make sure that um we're meeting that that obligation and really what we're doing is trying to provide a summary of the services that are

081provided in our district. And I think you know Amy said it certainly I'm proud of the work that this team has done over the years and the board has invested in a lot of resources over the years to make sure that our kids get the support and care to keep them safe and help them be successful in school. So um this is something that Amy and her team uh going forward will continue to monitor. Um but um we would recommend that the board approve this plan as presented. Thanks for the [clears throat] context, Joe. With that would uh move. All right. Motion by Phil, second by Nikki. Any discussion before we vote? I just want to thanks for being responsive to parent feedback and thanks to Amy and the team for putting putting together kind

082of the the clear summary of what we're doing. Appreciate the work. Okay. All in favor say I. I. >> Nay. Motion carries. Okay, next up is the Key Club State Commission. I believe this isformational. >> Yep. >> Turn it over to Jeremy. >> Um I brought it to you all because it is an overnight trip and so I usually bring it to the board. If there's an overnight trip for this, all the details should be in your board docs. I think usually it's an >> it says information on the agenda and then action on Jeremy's right up. So >> So it's a really nice opportunity for our key club students, our leaders. They get to go to our state or district convention with other Wisconsin key club chapters and upper Michigan key club chapters for

083it's really leadership. They get an opportunity to to interact and and meet with different leaders and kids from around our state and in Michigan. Um, in there is the itinerary that they have. Um, there'll be two staff members going with a male and a female to chaperon up to 14 students. We're not exactly sure who we're going to have yet. One thing writing on that is the basketball game I think in the first round of the playoffs. When we win that, some of them won't be able to go. Um, so, but the rest will. So, that's that's kind of what we're waiting on now. Um, but I would ask for your support in in letting them go. They tried to get this going last year. um weren't able to do it, but now they got

084it going this year and I think it's a really good opportunity [clears throat] for our students to network and to get some leadership skills. >> I was going to ask, is this something that's been done in the past? Just >> um we have not done it to my knowledge, but yeah, the conference has been there. >> I know in the past they've done it. I don't know how recently [clears throat] they've done it. I know this group of students went and talked to the Kuanas Club and they were very excited because they're like, "We used to do this all the time." And so they're very excited they're doing it again. >> What did I go to when I was a senior? I don't remember. >> That's when they talk about we used to do it.

085It was >> okay. [laughter] >> Pre pre Mr. Jackson >> building exists. So [laughter] >> we did there was you know took a long time to travel that far. [laughter] >> Well and I can say having um been in Guanas now for a long time I'm really excited to see how this key club has grown. It is really cool and um back when Susan was running it and Tom it it's it's just awesome. >> There's a group that wants to go when they came and presented wants to go to the national like leadership thing. So they're like they're really fantastic. So >> in the next few years I think that's >> great leadership skills leadership skills and they get to >> Yeah. And then hopefully they stay here and join the Quantis Club because it's

086an aging group. >> I'm really young so well. Yeah. help bring [laughter] that air change down. >> Get out of the way. >> I don't have any problems here tonight. >> Okay. [laughter] Any >> So, it does need a motion or it doesn't. >> Well, it's any any other questions on on kind of the content of this before we figure out procedurally where? >> So, then are we okay just to do a motion to approve as presented? We don't need to amend. Okay. >> So moved. >> Motion by Mike F. Second by >> any discussion before we vote. >> Okay. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Nay. Motion carries. >> Okay. Thanks for the advisers for taking this on. >> It's a weekend too. Friday. >> Exactly. Okay, >> two more uh new

087business items. We got our uh high school building project update. >> Yeah, I'll just kick that off. You may uh have noticed within board docs, I did up upload a uh an update that's hot off the presses from one Mr. Tyler Mantley who's working hard late this evening. Um but wanted to provide uh those visuals. Uh bottom line is the pro or the project continues to uh move along at an incredible pace. There's a lot of cool things going on out there. Uh the baseball softball scoreboards are up. Um I went out there uh at the end of the day to drive by. I don't know if you did, Ron, to check out the red perforated metal uh facade that's going up. And you can see that there, which provides a dramatic u amount of

088color for the building that um uh is really beautiful. and that's going to allow us to ultimately get the Monroe High School signage up there. And as you can see from the updates, there's things like glass going in. There's um partitions going in the bathrooms. Um there's a variety of, you know, whether it be floor covering, ceiling tile, um the acoustical tiles in the fieldhouse. There's just a lot of work that's that's happening that's making it look and feel um like a like a real school. Um so, uh Ron, what do you want to add? Yeah, we we had our OAC uh last Tuesday and so they do a a six week look ahead. Um you know, one thing that was nice coming out of that is uh I had asked them uh probably about

089a month or two ago from my experiences up in Eagle River of you know, invariably there's a window that you know someone forgets cocking on or an entrance way that doesn't get insulated correctly. And so I said, "If we have any cold weather, let's make sure we're checking out the building to make sure we're trying to find that." And to their credit, they'd actually went out and uh got a fleer camera uh for doing that. And so with that uh the one benefit of our nice cold stretch is they had a chance to really go through the building uh with the camera and look for any issues and and actually the building uh looked really good. So that was good to hear. uh their safety scorecards at 96%. As we look forward to the uh

090next six weeks, uh there's a little two-eek look ahead on on the summary you got online. They're doing a lot of ceiling and floors throughout the classroom areas. Uh the auditorium is really coming along mainstage with the rigging is doing a great job. our uh Bill, our consultant on the project, and uh you know, Bill's usually rather reserved and I won't say pessimistic, but uh came out on site and actually said he was really pleased. It's for where they are at this stage in the project. He says it was one of the best previews that he's ever had. So, I was happy to hear that uh because that was pretty effusive coming from Bill. Um they're going to continue working on the auditorium obviously over these next six weeks is probably the biggest area that's

091getting focused upon. Uh the when I talk about the flooring in the ceilings uh certainly the epoxy flooring is now basically done in the locker rooms and in uh the kitchen servery uh probably done in uh uh family consumer ed by now because they're moving to that at the last week and then they'll be moving from there to the egg classroom. So, making great progress there. Uh, in the fieldhouse, um, um, I think the next big thing is probably the bleacher installation. They don't have that scheduled scheduled, but, uh, that's that's what they're hoping I'll get done soon. Uh, and then the track floor installation is looking uh, to be the week of 316. uh in the M room. Uh I think in the even in the next two weeks, they're hoping to start with

092some of the dryfall painting and get some of the first coats of paint on some of the walls and so kind of bring some of the the light uh to that room to to help finish it out. And then uh trying to think if there's anything else. Oh, in the kitchen area where'll be uh uh now that the floor is done in there, they'll be moving toward uh kitchen equipment installation and stainless steel and uh you know, we have our own uh dishwasher that's going in there. So, all those things are kind of in the mix. And so, uh that's from the big picture. And probably the most exciting thing uh for me is I've spent the last uh couple three work days uh going over all the financials. And as we've said all year,

093we're you know, we're on schedule, we're on budget. Actually, what I did say is, you know, our our contract completion date is considered 618. They're still hoping to have the building basically buttoned up by April 30th. Uh we have outside work such as surfacing the track, surfacing the tennis courts, uh other items that we'll be doing. And then, as I always remind people, that doesn't mean the building's done. We got to install all of our furniture in that same window uh after the school year is done. We have a number of things such as teched equipment and and weight room equipment and kitchen equipment and the existing high school even the phone systems and some of the wireless access that we got to move over and install over the summer. So, uh you know it

094will be still a work in progress even though for the most part official construction is done. Um but the exciting thing tomorrow is uh we got a financial review uh that I've been preparing for on my side. I've also have CGS and Huffman Ke both preparing from their side. So Tonyy's going to be bringing his budget uh and we'll be talking about what does the construction contingency look like. Uh Ryan will be bringing his budget, what does the owner contingency look like. Um and from my side of the world, you know, I'm making sure all those numbers coales with what I have and I'm tracking on my budgets. Uh, and then the good news is we'll be looking at all of our owner purchases that we need to have done and many of them we're

095in progress with. Uh, or you know, some we've already ordered, some we know what they're going to cost us. And so, uh, bringing all of those owner purchases that that are on the back end into that equation. And so then we can uh, uh, and I'll also be I have an update of our, uh, investment projections from PMA. Uh, so we'll be looking at the revenue side. We need to adjust our grant dollars that are in there a little bit just because when we first started this way back then, we were like, "Oh, we've got a million and a half of of grant dollars." The reality is the the addition uh cost about 1.26 million, whatever it was. And so we're taking that other $240,000 to pay for uh our building uh trades construction teacher

096for the three years. So that means I got to adjust my revenue projection for the project down to that number uh to the real number uh that's just the construction costs. And once we have all that pulled together, we're going to review the alternatives and then on uh February 24th uh at the next board meeting, Huffman Keel CGS will be here. They'll be bringing back all that information. They'll be bringing back what some of the alternates that the board looked at at the start of the project and didn't choose. and then based upon what our ending amount available is see if we want to prioritize some things uh to consider on the back side of the project here. >> So, you'll be ready next. >> Yes. Yep. [clears throat] >> Possible for you to bring

097I'm still getting some questions from community members on like the the the bond proceeds that we gain. So, We issued the referendum. We got the funds from the referendum. You guys with the consultant invested them very very wisely. So we actually made more the referendum dollars than we paid to to take out the loan basically, right? And but there's these fun little arbitrage rules that say you can only make so much. Well, actually you can't make anything. It's super confusing to people, especially as we go into a referendum, to understand, well, how are we going over what the original referendum is in total, and how do we still have extra, and why can't we why do we have to spend that versus trying to offset some of the the funds we're asking for in referendum.

098So, I I don't know if that's possible to come up with that, but since we're having that financial discuss, >> some of that in our FAQs and certainly we can we can go a little more in depth into that. That's that's >> something like how do we keep it super high level and simple and understandable. I don't know if that's even possible. >> Yeah. And and that's always a thing is like you know even I'll reference back to your question right there's there's the high level part but then there's some people who want some of those you know nitty-gritty details. And so it's like how do you you know not lose 80% or 90% of the people while trying to answer the question for the five or 10% who really want some details. And so

099but yeah we can work on that. Um it's you know as the short answer uh as as we've said in the FAQ is you know the proceeds from um the bonds are for the construction uh of the school. Obviously, we could sit there and not invest those and get no additional dollars, but we invested those dollars. Uh so that over these years now that we've actually been in the course of construction, uh I think right now the the numbers you guys have been looking at would show that that 88 million basically became 96.5 million, right? And so, and that's after we pay that rebate back to the IRS, which says you can't make more uh in in interest than you know what your what your cost of of the bonds were, right? And so, um

100yeah, we'll circle back to that. I can give some more details on that. Uh but that's uh that's some of the answers that are out there right now, but we can give a little more context and color to that. So that was it. [clears throat] >> Any other questions for administration? >> Thanks [clears throat] for another exciting update on the the new high school. Last topic for new business is our referendum update. I'll turn it over to Joe. Yeah, just a couple quick uh points to share and certainly the board can ask any questions you may have. Um since our last board meeting, we held a community listening session on January 27th at Northside Elementary. Uh we were thrilled with the turnout even though it was an incredibly cold night. Um we had a great

101turnout. I think we estimated around 50 community members plus uh board members and administration on hand. A lot of good discussion. Um, I think multiple perspectives were shared and everyone came away feeling like they were heard and had a [clears throat] better understanding of uh the issues uh as they relate to the the upcoming referendum. So, we're excited about another successful community listening session, which again, we're continuing to uh host those opportunities uh not only between now and April 7th, but um I believe we've made a commitment as a district to continue to offer um opportunities in the future beyond the referendum work. Um uh we had a meeting with the Monroe Chamber of Commerce. Um attended their meeting on February 4th. um shared some information um and that went really well. A lot of

102good questions, a lot of good feedback, a lot of positive feedback about the work that the district is doing to share information. Um and then we have a number of other presentations scheduled throughout February and March. So Ron and I in particular will be uh making uh the circuit and making sure that everyone has what they need. Uh Ron and I are also uh presenting at uh each of the schools to share information with the staff so that they have their questions answered. Um we're doing a lot of work on social media. You may have noticed some video work, some posts, sharing the information from the FAQs, uh just so people have access to all of that information. Um and then we have another uh opportunity for community listening session. Um that one's going to

103be um at Aster Assisted Living Center on my birthday. So what better place to spend my birthday with than with the good folks at Aster. Um that'll be on February 11th at 2 p.m. Um thankful that they're willing to host us. Uh just so the board knows the way in which we handle some of those listening sessions. it may they may be modified depending on um uh the group we're talking to and um the way in which we think it'll uh be best received. So some of those might be a little bit more informal meaning rather than a halfhour presentation. We may if we have a smaller group it may be just facilitating some dialogue because we've had some great success with that. >> Ron, anything I missed? >> No, that's great. Uh, do you

104have a listing of the upcoming community listening sessions? >> I do. Um, if you look on our district web page, um, which is monosschools.com-referendum, [clears throat] um, you will see a number of resources. One of those resources is the list of upcoming listening sessions. Um, so if you haven't taken a look at that page, please do. Uh, we have a a number of resources. We're also translating those into Spanish right now. And then there's also a super fun uh PowerPoint video with uh my my little bubble of me talking for 25 minutes if you really want to hear that presentation for the 17th time. That's where you can find it. So um but we'll continue to add to that page [clears throat] um as resources are developed because um we're trying to provide a one-stop

105shop for all that information. and then we'll continue to post that um on social media as we roll through the weeks. >> Thank you. >> Thanks, Joe. Other questions for Ron. Okay. [clears throat] Appreciate all you guys are doing. All right. On toformational items on reports. Okay. Wordsmanship administration. Anything else you want to share here, Joe? >> Uh just said it's uh bus driver appreciation week month, which is week. Um so tomorrow morning we'll be having breakfast with our uh bus drivers and uh expressing our gratitude for [clears throat] all the work that they do. And um we're fortunate to have group of dedicated people that take such good care of our kids and make sure they get to and from school safely. So um looking forward to that because that's always a good time.

106Ron does a great job coordinating that. >> That's at the bus garage >> 8:00. Yeah. If you'd like to come out. Easiest time to catch them is when they're done with the route before they go on for the rest of their day. Yeah. >> The pictures always look like they have fun. Um, okay. On [clears throat] the boardsmanship side, >> oh, can I I'm sorry, I forgot one more thing. Um, at the last meeting, I had mentioned that we were going to, uh, discuss the, uh, potential sale of the Bower Education Center. We decided not to do that tonight because we didn't have all of our board members present. So, um, our plan is to slide it till the second meeting in in February. Correct. Yep. Okay. >> Just in case anyone's keeping score from

107home, we wanted them to know that we didn't forget about it. Appreciate you naming that. Okay. Um, so we had multiple board members attend the uh the WASBY the Wisconsin Association of School Boards convention January 21st to 23rd. Um, we don't necessarily [clears throat] have to go kind of down the line. I everyone doesn't need to kind of share key takeaways or anything, but I think it'd be good just to play back a couple of things that um, board members took from that experience both for each other, but also for anybody who might be might be listening. I went to um a session that was based on the Oshkosh Area School District um building up their literacy program um which was like the work that they've done is just absolutely incredible. But what I found

108most interesting was that they um are also facing some serious budget cuts. And I think that um reaching out to them and learning how they plan to prioritize continuing this literacy program in the face of um budget cuts could be useful to us if we get to that point. Hopefully we don't. Um but I think that they would be a good resource in seeing how to keep things prioritized. Yeah, we got a connection there. >> Yeah, I know. [laughter] I mean, >> he wasn't there, so I had to go instead. [snorts] >> By the way, happy work day, Joe. >> Thanks, Phil. [laughter] >> So, [clears throat] I mean, it's it's a it's a convention I think well worth attending. For me, I think uh you know, just talking to board members from other districts

109is really helpful. The common theme in a lot of the seminars that I breakout sessions that I attended were related to school financing referendums. Everybody's sharing the same, you know, challenges that our district is with state funding and that not that being, you know, is not sufficient to carry school districts. uh referendums. Um I think the other thing worth noting on referendums is uh you know there's property taxpayer fatigue. We're not the only community that's up against that. It's everywhere. I think probably [clears throat] because everybody's running operating referendums and they just keep doing it to fill those structural deficits. So, uh, you know, it it was really insightful, I think. And for me, a big part of the convention is sharing stories with other school board members from around the state. I would say

110that clearly the the focus of the convention was on school finance and referendums and everyone and state funding and that's um kind of a big challenge for not just us but every pretty much every district um and so how people are navigating that and and trying to make change. She also went to a number of sessions on early literacy and development and how school and a couple on how different schools are um working within communities to help uh provide child care. >> Yeah, I think I would add and echo what everyone has said about the the finance theme. Um, I think for me it's always the different breakout sessions are also good uh confirmation of all the great work we're already doing. >> Absolutely. >> Um, when you hear the examples that are are done

111by the other districts to know that, yep, already doing that. Oh, that's fantastic. We've got that one nailed. So, I think that's really great um and and affirming. And then um I also went to some on on school safety one that was really and again a lot of that work we're already talking about but some of it you know will be fixed by being in the new building which is exciting too. >> Um so it was always always great. I've always enjoyed them. I did not win a chair. Sorry to all the people in the district that got to put their name in the hat to try to get the chair for their office. I did not win one this year but it was it was great. >> Don't underell it. I mean our board

112was represented well at the hall. you guys took out of there armfuls of stuff. [laughter] >> Really well done. >> As someone who's newer to trade shows, that that was uh I [laughter] feel like I was just getting my my my toes in the water this year. I did not come away with anything special but some pens that don't really work that well. [laughter] They have a big trade show that people get a bunch of free stuff. You can enter drawings. So, congratulations to those of you. I'm not sour at all about this with those of you who came away with >> with a couple victories. Um, [laughter] three things for me. So, uh, on this theme of kind of talking to other board members, I talked to, um, I went to this like networking

113event and talked to a couple board members from Possi who just passed a referendum and they shared that that that was actually an easier process than uh, right now they're going through a consolidation and trying to figure out what their mascot, no, not the consolidation, trying to figure out what the shared mascot is going to be. [laughter] New school is so Um >> that was one takeaway. Uh if and when we get to the point of consolidation, we are keeping the cheese makers. >> [laughter] >> Um, I went to a a presentation, a fascinating um, just strictly from a legal perspective on Title Nine and and just the fact that there are some big outstanding Supreme Court cases that that could really have a big impact on how um, we navigate uh, some student [clears

114throat] safety and and welcoming uh, environment issues uh, over the next couple of years. And so that that was good to get a heads up on. And then uh one one session on long-term facilities planning that just uh is kind of a newer content for me that I feel like I learned a lot on how to do that in a vision- driven way uh which which felt really um eye openening for me. It's really cool to see. So thanks everybody for for sharing a couple takeaways from from the WASBY conference. Okay. Uh board of education correspondents. I don't have anything here. Uh committee reports. Nicole >> I don't have anything. EIE met last Tuesday and >> [clears throat] >> um great news on the fundraising uh front. We made over $1,000 more than we made

115the previous year um with our fundraisers and donations from sponsors. So, thank you again to all the sponsors in our community and outside the community who gave money to the EIE Foundation. Grant information is going to be going out to teachers shortly. Um because grants are due April 1st and so hopefully >> pardon it. >> Oh good. >> Um we talked about it. I didn't know it had gone out already. >> So thank you Joe. >> Oh [clears throat] sent that out. >> Melissa. Well, that's [laughter] good. That's good. Somebody's had >> We're doing stuff we didn't even know we did. >> Feeling pretty good about it, too. [laughter] >> Hopefully, teachers teachers will apply for the grants because we have money that we would like to give away to those teachers. So, if they

116have innovative ideas for the classroom, they need to apply for those grants. >> Awesome. >> Cara Carpeter. Cara Carpet. >> There you go. She's on the board. That's great. uh curriculum met tonight and got a presentation on the new math the the elementary math um curriculum and implementation and a brief kind of midyear data update on where the district's at. So, thank you to Todd and the whole group that came to present >> Mike. Uh the policy committee will be meeting Can you remind me again? >> 16th. >> Yeah. Next. So before the next meeting, policy committee will meet. >> Doesn't happen very often. So I figured I'd let everybody know. >> Next week, Monday. >> And then at the uh next uh board meeting, we will have our auditors. Uh they'll probably be joining

117us from online. Uh just uh you know, keep brief. Plus, they're going from a long ways away. But uh and now especially if we're moving the B conversation, we'll try and keep on schedule with their conversation. >> Um, [clears throat] uh, just reminder for me that our our next meeting is not going to be Monday the 23rd, but it is Tuesday the 24th and I will not be in attendance for that. So, Teresa will be uh, running that meeting. [laughter] >> Pressure. Nothing else on it. >> We'll make sure the video doesn't work. >> Was he telling us not to come? Is that [laughter] >> Please be here. [clears throat] Um, okay. Uh, press not here. Representative, we are going to go into close and adjourn from there. >> Yes. >> I think we probably

118>> will at 6:30. Um, >> 6:15 or 6:30. Sorry. Thank you. >> Thanks. Okay. So we are going to going to close. I'll read this out. So according to Wisconsin statute 19 19851C to consider employment promotion compensation or performance evaluation date of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdictions or exercises responsibility specifically to consider issuing preliminary notices of non renewal proof. Wisconsin statute to wit review of personnel issue. Entertain a motion to go to closed. So move by Phil second by Mike F. >> Nikki, yes. Jim, >> yes. >> Mike, >> yes. >> Nicole, >> yes. >> Teresa, >> yes. >> Terry, yes. So, >> yes. And then there's no business. So we'll adjourn from close. We need our laptops. [clears throat] >> Nope. >> Night everybody. >> Thanks everyone. Thank you.

119Thank