Regular Board Meeting - May 6, 2026

001Good afternoon. All right. Uh welcome to the Wednesday, May 6th, 2026 regular meeting of the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education. Um we are going to open uh with our national anthem, so I will ask you all to please stand. Good afternoon, everyone. I am so incredibly delighted to introduce to you 11 of the 40 members of the Johnson High School Chorus. They are going to be singing a four-part rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. They are directed by Ms. Courtney Thunderburk, who has uh she was hired mid-year uh 2024-25 school year, and she took the choir from zero to 40 in that short amount of time. >> [applause] >> And I will tell you uh that her choral room is one of the happiest rooms I've been in um it in the district. It's a place

002of joy, happiness, and rich learning. So, um would you please remain standing after the national anthem for the pledge of allegiance? Oh, say can you see >> [singing] >> by the dawn's >> [music] >> early light, what so proudly we >> [singing] >> hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes >> [singing] >> and bright stars through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts [singing] we watched were so gallantly >> [singing] >> streaming. And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof to that our flag was still [music] there. Oh, say does that star-spangled [singing] banner >> [music] >> O'er the land of the free >> [music] >> and the home of >> [singing] [applause] >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic

003for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> [applause] >> Adam Smashers. Thank you. Let's hear it again for Johnson High School. >> [applause] >> All right. Uh I'll accept a motion to approve the agenda. I move to approve the agenda with the deletion of item 9.01. Thank you. Second? Moved. All in favor? First this, this. Oh, oh, hang on. Let me get to my announcements. Uh, yes. Here we go. Announcements. We do have to be able to do that. Okay, uh, this evening we have our first budget hearing at 6:00 p.m. We have our business partner appreciation event and the location has been changed. It is tomorrow at is tomorrow at 5:00 at Woodville Tompkins High School. Uh, Laura Woodville. Laura Woodville, sorry. Okay. Volunteer appreciation breakfast

004uh, May 11th, uh, 9:30 at Savannah Tech. Uh, 17 White Bluff Road. May Day at Susie King Taylor Square on um May 12th at 10:00 a.m. Our SCCPSS retirement ceremony also May 12th at 5:00 p.m. at Savannah Tech. And we have our second board uh, public hearing on our 27 budget on May 13th at 6:00 p.m. here at Whitney. I don't remember anything. Any remembrances? I'm sorry. Hang on. Oh, there it is. I'm sorry. Okay, Junior Police Academy uh graduation uh Woodville Tompkins on May 14th. Graduation week, here we go. All right. Graduation week is May 18th through the 21st at Enmarket Arena. Students should love this next one. Last day of school May 21st. You can applaud. >> [laughter] >> Unless you guys want to stay over the summer, we'll we'll take Okay. Um

005Memorial Day May 25th. Uh that's a holiday for all district and school staff. Our June board meeting is on June 3rd here at Whitney. Make sure I got through all of them. Yes. On to remembrances. Uh Gwendolyn Reed uh head custodian date of passing April 15th and uh she was head custodian at uh Garden City Elementary School. If we all please stand for a moment of silence. >> On to the superintendent's report. Yes, and I could not be more excited to announce our April student of the month. The superintendent's student of the month for April is an 11th grader at Sol C. Johnson High School and is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, a rigorous program of study with high expectations and a demanding curriculum. His nominator, Amanda Finelli, said, "He represents the very best

006of Sol C. Johnson High School, the IB program, and SCCPSS in its entirety. He is a shining example of why public public education is the cornerstone of our society. Like many of our students, he has been faced with challenges in his life, but he meets them with perseverance and creativity rather than defeatism. He is proud of his school, he is proud of his peers, and his IB cohort, and he never shied away from telling anyone who would listen why education is important not only an individual at an individual level, but for our entire society." She added, "He is educating himself with the knowledge and skills needed to solve global issues, and he seeks to create a more just and peaceful world through intercultural understanding and cooperation." This scholar is a Governor's Honors nominee, member of

007the National Honor Society, Student Council Vice President, and a member of the superintendent's student senate. He also participates in track and field, cross country, and is a cheer manager, as well as a band manager. Through his church, he has participated in donation drives and helping feed the homeless. He also mentors younger track athletes, sharing proper technique, discipline, and mindset, guiding them both athletically and mentally. When asked what motivates him for success, our student said, "I am motivated to strive for academic success because people once believed that I couldn't." >> Bye-bye. And for a long time, I believed it, too. But it only took one person believing in me for me to begin believing in myself. And once I did, I started to enjoy learning, embrace school, and succeed on my own terms, choosing to shine

008despite every doubt placed on me. Wow. >> [applause] >> What an affirmation. Please help me congratulate Cameron Capers, the superintendent student of the month for April. >> [applause] [applause] >> Yes. >> [applause] >> Cameron will be taking home several gifts from our sponsors including Members First Credit Union, Advertising Specialty, Savannah Savannah Technical College, Georgia Southern University, Gulfstream, and Savannah Schools Federal Credit Union. In addition, Cameron and his English Language Arts class will receive copies of his favorite book Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, donated by our sponsor E. Shaver Bookseller. Again, congratulations to Cameron, his family if they are present today. I would love to have stand >> [applause] [applause] >> as well as the Johnson High Adams Smasher family and special thanks to his nominator Amanda Finelli and school principal Jamila Brown. Awesome.

009>> [applause] >> Thank you so much, Cameron. Please keep shining. You give me great hope. So, more applause to come with our superintendent's good news calls for applause. Georgia State School Superintendent Richard Woods visited the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System recently to celebrate the presentation of Georgia's prestigious Military Flagship Honors, Jan John Hancock Banners and Literacy and Math Leader Awards. These recognitions highlight schools that are not only meeting expectations but exceeding them in meaningful and measurable ways. 16 SCCPSS schools are recognized for their students' achievements. Congratulations to Charles Ellis Montessori, Coastal Middle School, Garrison K8, Georgetown K8, Hesse K8, Pulaski K8, Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah Classical Academy, and Savannah Early College. In addition, I'd like to add STEM Academy at Bartlett, Susie King Taylor School, Tybee Island Maritime Academy, and Woodville-Tompkins Woodville-Tompkins High School for

010receiving math and literacy awards. Let's give those 16 schools another round of applause. >> [applause] >> And I'll add that many of these schools were two-time awardees. Two schools, Garrison K-8 and Marshpoint Elementary, also received John Hancock banners where at least 90% of eligible students demonstrate proficien- proficiency in cursive handwriting, keeping that skill alive in modern classrooms. And since April is the month of the military child, we are very, very proud that Myers Middle School was named a military flagship school. The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire hosted the 2026 Youth Programs Peacemaker Awards Celebration. This event recognizes the contributions of young peacemakers and educators who are making a positive impact in school and in the community. Congratulations to some very amazing students that were acknowledged. Atlas Gordon the III, Keona Griffin, Sma- Samara Laster,

011Amar- Amariona Ruiz-Gomez, Olivia Jones, and Addison Murphy, who all received awards. We also want to acknowledge Raysha Stanley, Angela Corinthian, Gabrielle Brundidge, and Rihanna Brown, who were work- recognized as school coordinators of the year. Thank you also to the Savannah chapter of the American Institute of Architects who visited eight district schools to introduce students to the exciting world of architecture through engaging hands-on learning experiences. Participating schools included Groves High School, Savannah High School, Isle of Hope K-8, Hubert Middle School, and the School of Humanities at Juliette Gordon Low, Windsor Forest Elementary, Georgetown K-8, and Garrison School for the Arts. That those hands-on experiences are very important. So, thank you to the Savannah chapter of um architects who provided their time and expertise to our students. Congratulations are extended to Windsor Forest High School for taking

012top honors at the ninth annual Superintendent's Cup JROTC competition. High school cadets in the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force JROTC programs from throughout the district competed. And the Windsor Forest JROTC unit finished in first place for the rifle team, the color guard, and the squad drill. Jenkins High School finished in second place overall with New Hampstead High School finishing third. Finally, a huge huge thank you to everyone who participated in the annual book blankets and fun family fun literacy event. Thousands of students, families, and community members joined us for that beautiful day in the park to hear from celebrity readers, visit vendors, and enjoy student performances. Thank you to our vendors and every single staff member who played a part or role in making this event successful. Literacy is truly our North Star,

013and we thank each of you for your contributions to make that event happen. And you can find all of these stories and many, many, many more on our website at www.sccpss.com or follow us on social media. Thank you. Apologize. I would like to pass it to our students, our professional Senate for their report. Oh, it's our student Senate. We I don't think they have a report for this That's why our student Senate our professional Senate. Our student Senate. Yes. Good afternoon, board members and superintendent. My name is Shrila Patel, and I'm a junior at Savannah Early College High School. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our work of the superintendent student Senate. Student Senate was created to ensure students have a real seat at the table when decisions are made about our

014schools. Our purpose is simple, to create space for students to share honest feedback, bring forward solutions, and help improve the student experience across SCCPSS. We are focused on making sure that student voices result in actions that drive change. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Noria Middleton. I go to Savannah Early College. I am currently a junior. This year we worked to expand student Senate beyond our meetings. We hosted student voice sessions at every high school to hear directly from students about what's working and what can be improved. And we participated in many community events this year like Books and Bikes and Family and Fun and the After the Bell podcast to recruit more students and make sure student senate is reflects a wide range of the SCCPS experience. Our biggest lesson, students need to be

015heard. They have important ideas and when given the opportunity, these ideas can be effective and cause important change. Good morning. My name is Diamond Higgins and I go to Beach High School. One of our One of our goals was improving how students receive important information. Through our partnership with Savannah Arts Academy film students, we created student-led content focused on wellness, resources, and communication. Students are more likely to engage when messages come from other students. And this project is a starting point to make communication more relatable. The SCCPS [music] Wellness Center located at 409 Goebel Avenue implements strategies and activities designed [music] to improve the wellness and well-being of students, faculty, and staff within the Savannah-Chatham County Public [music] School System. In addition to working alongside schools and counseling departments, the Wellness Center offers services that

016extend [music] beyond the typical scope of school counseling and may include more intensive therapeutic interventions. The center aims to help these individuals develop the skills necessary for leading healthy and productive lives by [music] addressing their mental and physical health needs through training and education. Brought to you by the SCCPSS Student Senate >> [music] >> and Savannah Arts Academy's Film Department. Hi, my name is Marley Taylor and I attend Jenkins High School for their School of Engineering. I'm currently a junior and I'm going to be talking about our impact with policies. Last year we provided input on uniforms and attendance and we're grateful that our input resulted in some of the policy adjustments within our county. This year the biggest part of our work was identifying policy issues that directly impact students and offering practical solutions.

017We discussed grading, discipline, and cell phones. Our biggest takeaway is that consistency and implementation are key. We hope that the policy adjustments result in a more consistent student experience. We also hope that the application of policy gives students a chance to grow and learn from our mistakes. We hope to deepen discussion about topics we feel passionately about such as mental health and the role technology plays in our education. In Student Senate we identified problems but we also came prepared with solutions. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Sydney McCourry and I attend Woodville Tompkins High School. Next year we want to grow our impact even further. We want Student Senate to reflect even more student perspectives including students with very different school experiences. We want to continue giving feedback on our strategic plan implementation so

018student voice remains part of district decisions. Good afternoon. I'm Peter Shea Campbell. I also attend Woodville Tompkins. I'm a sophomore. We want to pivot We want to pilot small creative ideas in our schools that we can use to create meaningful change. For example, at Woodville Tompkins, we worked with our healthcare teacher, Ms. Hall-Houston, to accommodate the multiple learning styles. As a result, the class average for the assignment ranged from a 75% all the way to a 97%. Our goal is simple, making sure every SCCPSS student has a meaningful school experience to prepare them for the future. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Michael Grant. I'm a student of Beach High School. And with this we'll close with uh we'll close with this. Oh, wait. Let me get on the right slide. Okay. We'll close with

019this. Students experience school policies every day. And so, our perspectives should help them shape them. Uh we appreciate district leadership for listening to us this year. With all the changes we'd like to see, everything was listened to. And we hope that student voice continues to be a meaningful part of decision-making moving forward. We thank you, and we're happy to answer any questions you all may have. Questions? Dr. Bringman. Yeah, what's the um process by by which you um found yourself on school senate on the student superintendent? Were you selected, or is there a voting process in your school? Well, I can say for myself, one of my teachers introduced me to the idea of student senate. And when she brought it to me, at first I wasn't interested. I'm like, you know, it can't really

020it can't really, you know, change nothing. But once I looked into it, I'm like, okay, let me join it. See what it is." And then once we went to that first meeting, you know, it showed me that they were really listening. And you see all these people here who really can make a difference, and they're actually listening to your ideas, jotting down notes and stuff like that. And it really was like, "Okay, let me keep coming back cuz I can really make a change." The students apply independently. Actually, our application is open. And on the screen, the key or code is there. So, if any students are watching or parents watching and want to encourage kids to apply, please apply. Um they they self-apply, and it's selected by a committee of folks who facilitate the

021group. And we have right now three students per school. Ms. Grabowski. He went away. I have a question for one of our students. Um do you feel like you were able to hear the voices of other students at your school and be able to bring those voices forward um when you come to your student senate meetings? Good afternoon. My name is Nuri Medicine. Just wanted to introduce myself. Yes, ma'am. We actually, around December, before winter break and early January time, we held a charrette where we asked students about multiple different policies regarding cell phones, attendance, mental health. And we were able to see what were the biggest things for them within our school. And then we brought it back to student senate where we all we all brought our ideas together to decide what was

022more important or the most important things to talk about. Okay. Ms. Hall. Um you can stay for a minute. Do you feel that your group represents the wide broad range of students in our high schools? Or are most of you, you know, outstanding scholars, outstanding stars? Or is there a chance for someone who wants to grow, who may not be at the level where you are, to participate and grow through the experience. As you guys can see, I have a big smile on face. I am so glad you asked that question because I'm a perfect example of this. I am not the student that you I was not always the student that you see here standing before you today. Uh Shrila Patel here took a chance on me and sent me the QR code or

023the link to apply. And if you look at my sophomore year and freshman year compared to my junior year, you would be like, this is a totally new person. So, I definitely do feel like the representation is there. >> [applause] >> Mr. Smith. Just a weird question. As you represent the students of uh Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, um how do you all feel about the new cell phone policies? Honestly, from a perspective of what it has done, it definitely did help a lot. And that is an unfortunate that is a tough thing for me to say because if you ask my parent right here, I love my phone. But especially in classroom setting, it has helped for me to stay focused and stay on top of things. The best way that I do feel like

024most students feel is, what if something happens and we don't have our phones cuz they're in the box. So, when we have fire drills and teachers are like, oh no, go get this box. And they have to get the key and everything. So, one of the things we talked about or I heard amongst students from our school was like, if we could keep them in our bag or put our bag a certain place or how certain teachers be like, if I don't see it, I won't have to take it. And that worked for them in the same way as the box did. Thank you. No problem. Anyone else? Uh Dr. Bringman. Um and this is just a anybody can Do you all vote? Do you Do you have a Do you have an executive committee?

025Or is it It's all of It's all of It's all of them. There isn't a vote. Do you believe that when you came together, you could have held elections, elected somebody to be your representative of the Senate that then would have to come hang out with us once a month. So, y'all y'all think on that and get back to get back to the boss back there because that's where we would like to go, but y'all would have to decide who has to spend a whole day with us. So, that's a sacrifice. To clarify, do you mean like one person from the student senate? So, I say no because everyone in student senate has a different experience. So, one person being a executive member or being like a president of student senate would not represent the

026whole student senate. Like everybody has a different experience. So, putting a high achiever in the position of student senate would not represent student senate itself because that's not what student senate is. I love it. I love it. Fully understandable. Um and hopefully if we're all good board members, we don't represent ourselves. We represent a larger body. Um so, there would be a learning process for whoever that member might be to understand that they have to speak on behalf of the the student senate, that you have to speak on behalf of all of the schools. Of course, you're all high schoolers, but we're trickling down trying to to talk to elementary and middle cuz they've got things that they want to talk about, too. Um so, just float that idea. I don't know if y'all have

027another meeting, but I know y'all probably got a group chat um when you're allowed to have your phones out. >> [laughter] >> We would definitely love the opportunity to come and see the process, especially maybe uh I know the new budgeting system, all the new decisions. We would love to be included in there and actually have a perspective. So, we're not just complaining to you all like, "Oh, I want my >> [laughter] >> you know, yeah." Hang on. Yes. Go ahead. Um just to expand on what was stated previously, I completely agree with the fact that student senate is more of like a community and I completely agree with the fact that it shouldn't be just one person. Earlier within the school year me and Neriah we actually spoke at one of the meetings about

028the grading policies. It was both of us and I feel like that was extremely important because we had different perspectives, we had different standpoints, we had different things that we wanted to address. And although student senate is definitely, you know, addressing different perspectives as like one student. There's a group of us for a specific reason. Like, yes, I go to Jenkins, but she goes to Savannah Early College and we have different backgrounds. So, although we can look at what's happening within our schools or within our communities, it's more difficult to like kind of get a full perspective and talk about that full perspective when you don't necessarily come back like come from that full perspective. So, just having maybe a few people like three or two, I think would be the most important thing. So.

029Yeah, thank you. I think this young man wants to speak as well. Hello, my name is Omar Gantt. I'm from New Hampstead High School. Is there Is it possible that we could rotate one person every month? That's great. That way everyone can have an input. Democratic. >> [laughter] >> Solution oriented. I like solutions. It can be whatever we want it to be. Thank you. Yeah, Alan. Dr. Howard Hall and then you, Alan. Yes, how often do you all meet with your your student body? Anybody can answer this. I know that one person made reference to how she actually communicates with the student body. How often do you all actually um disseminate information to them or it's just more of of a casual encounter as you see them in the halls or is there a specific

030time designated to discuss different issues and concerns? Afternoon guys. My name is Michaela Wright and I go to New Hampstead High School. So in student senate we meet almost like every kind of month, but it's like we go off what happens during like each of our schools cuz we all go to different schools. We all don't go to the same school, but it's like we bring certain stuff from each of our schools and come together to make a decision or like if we want to change anything if that makes sense. So As or regarding your your school in New New Hampstead, how do you receive information from the students? Is it more of a casual encounter? Do you all have a specific time designated to um talk about any dress concerns? For me, it's kind

031of casual and our principal is very like involved if that makes sense. Like we go to our principal office and we're and we'll talk about it to her or like certain people might come up to me in the hallway and ask me like certain stuff or ask me like what's going to happen next year or in the future if that makes sense. Oh wait. It makes perfect sense. Good job. Thank you. To go in a little bit more detail. So we hosted a student voice session per school uh school. So for example, I go to Early College and let's say um Marley goes to Jenkins. So what we did is that one of the meetings we came together, we made uh those four topics that you saw on the previous slide. I'll go back to

032it. This um we had these topics and what we did is we had we took it back to our school. So for example, I'm just going to say based off our school. Me and Neriah and we took a few other students, took a whole group and we chose um various students from different backgrounds because Early College is a small school so we just had to pick out who we wanted to be at the session and what we did is we broke out into groups and we asked them, "How do you feel about this?" And we had a teacher in the room just to facilitate, but the teacher it wasn't the principal because of course if the principal was there the students are like, "Oh, hey." Hey. All right. So, from that we took it back

033to student senate because of course I have a different perspective on something and I could be missing a part of the picture and that's why student senate is that's how we represent the whole student population because if it's just a few of us on student senate then it doesn't necessarily do that. And so, the student voice we all had summaries of each of the categories and we took them back and we make a we made a screen sticker board. Um if anybody wants to talk about that. Yeah, but Good afternoon again. I'm Peter Shay Campbell and I'm here to expound on the green sticker solutions. There you go. Um so, the green sticker solution it's we took a bunch of ideas and we put them into different categories and the greens were the things that

034we felt like we could accomplish and it is also something we went over during our presentation. So, like at our school our thing was how can students be more engaged and how can teachers see higher scores? So, um with the health care teacher the specific lesson was over the cardiovascular system. If you didn't know what that is, that's the heart. We had to label different parts of the heart and she taught a lesson and she gave us a pop quiz. Basically everybody failed. So, she re-taught the lesson, but she did it differently. She showed us a video for the people with um auditory. She lectured us. She um gave us like a diagram of a heart, like an actual heart, and we did um like calling it out. Um we did small group discussions, and

035then we did small groups and talked about it amongst ourselves. And then she re-gave us a summative, and that's when that present percentage raised all the way to a 97%. Now, that's not the only green sticker solution, but it's just the one of them that, you know, we have. Okay, let me get Ms. Snowden, and then Ms. Ryder. So, um before Ms. Snowden speaks, I want everyone to meet our new District 2 representative, Ms. Mary Snowden. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Um my uh I'm I have more of a comment than a question. I want to commend this student senate. Earlier today in one of our sessions, uh my colleague and I expressed a concern that we have to depend on those of you who are now learning to take care of us. I think

036that this senate has proved that they are ready and able to come up to the situation. You have proved that you're a good thinkers, which is most important, good critical thinkers. You have come up with solutions. You have expressed yourself wonderfully, and I think you deserve a hand for your accomplishments. >> [applause] >> Brian? I definitely agree. You guys are amazing, and I wish that the um superintendent's professional Senate was able to meet with you all this year. I do wish that in the future that the new instructional support person of the year and the teacher of the year are able to meet with you all or the next group so that you all can all can share ideas with each other. But you guys are amazing. Good job. There are many many things in

037this district that I am proud of, but this student Senate concept is probably one of the things that I am most proud of. This operates and I want to acknowledge and have Shrada Nuziyata please stand up again. >> [applause] >> Because when I pitched this idea, because when I first got to the district, I would go to each high school and I would listen to each individual high school group tell me their and it just it wasn't enough for me. I wanted to put kids in a place where their voice and their agency mattered. Pitched the idea, Shrada took it and ran with it. And I believe every adult employee in this district should go to a student Senate meeting. Because when you talk about people coming to the table regardless of background, regardless of

038what's happened in the past and getting down to business and getting down to solution orientation, these kids model this every single and these are things that I see our adults struggling with to do. And I could not be more proud of you all. You are the epitome of excellence and the epitome of what the future of this district and the future of this world can be. So I appreciate you modeling that and I am so so proud of you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Mr. Hadiger. Thank you, Mr. Board President. Moving along on your agenda today into your Board of Education Matters section, we have several policies for your review including those that have been provided with some excellent feedback by our by our fine student senators that you heard here today. We also will

039be having a few proclamations to recognize our outstanding educators and school nurses across the district and of course we do have an adult meal price adjustment that will be a Board of Education action item. The first item on your agenda is item 6.01. This is Board Policy JAA, which is education equal education opportunities. Now, this is under the four-year review process of our policy review process and requirements that we have for the board. You'll note that in this one that there were mostly clean up language in here to specify correct title references and we really also wanted to make it very clear to the public and to our families and our students where you can find information regarding our 504 coordinator contact information in there as it relates to this area of the policy section.

040So, primarily clean up items on this policy. No real substantive language chain or change or meaning but only clean up. But there was enough change on the front end of it with the policy that this comes as a first reader. We'll come back to the Board of Education for second read and final adoption in June. >> Oh, hang on. Sorry. Yes, we do have someone that signed up to speak on this topic. Ms. Bryant, Ms. Angelisa Angelisa Bryant. Good afternoon. To Dr. Denise Watts and to all the board. I came to speak on JAA. I'm speaking on the policy JAA. And today I am concerned about everything being redirect, trust the process while trying to advocate for our children. Georgia law is clear. Under Georgia Parents Bill of Rights, parents have protected rights in their

041child's upbringing, education, and care. That includes participation, that includes access, that includes records, that includes partnership. Parents are not spectators in public education. We are part of it. We are the first teachers. We are not a student, but we are the parents. And schools are partners, not barriers, not replacement because education is not just academic. >> [snorts] >> It is safety. It is counseling. It is support. It is emotional well-being. It is the whole child. And if Georgia law protects parents' involvement, then no district practice should make parents feel removed from the table. When parents ask for records, procedure safeguards, or participation in educational decisions, those responses should be timely, clear, complete, >> [snorts] >> because when process becomes harder than parent trust breaks. And when trust breaks, children feel it. My mother taught me

042something simple. Yes is a complete sentence. Yes to respect. Yes to transparency. Yes to accountability. Yes to parent partnership. Because when parents and schools work together, children win. Thank you. Subject to any other comments from the board, moving along on your agenda, we have item 6.02, which is board policy JD discipline. You'll note that in this particular policy section that we had a a few changes that have come through that are representative of the review that our team has done through a fairly extensive process. This is a mid-period review. I'll note for the board that this came in part from a request received by a school council, Godby Station School Council. Of course, the board's reply to that request provided that we would do a review of this policy, and subject to that some modifications

043have been provided. You'll note that while you don't see extensive review uh changes in policy JD, much of that is going to occur in the student code of conduct. Uh there were components of it through this policy that we did need to see that we needed to line up some general language terms and references, especially as they refer to the student code of conduct. But when you see the actual enactment of our discipline policy that is really governed through the student code of conduct to operationalize the work of the policy requirements. Now, saying all of that, of course, we did by law statutorily we were required to notify the Godley Station School Council that this would be reviewed today officially by the board per their recommendation and their uh request to do so. Uh the

044Godley Station School Council president indicated they couldn't be here today, but did provide some comments that have been circulated with the board for your review, and we will post those to our agenda documents as well for public record. So, because there's been a lot of work with this and there's been some changes that have manifested over some time, uh to kind of walk you through that process and give you a bit more of a rounded understanding of the work that we've done, our chief academic officer, Mr. Derek Butler, is at the podium uh to provide you some key updates for policy JD. And again, this one would come back to the board in June subject to the feedback we received today for a second read adoption. Thank you, Kurt. Great afternoon, uh board. Uh I

045would be remiss if I did not acknowledge and commend uh our student uh Senate uh on the great work. Uh and then also want to thank them, as they've already shared, uh for their continued engagement uh and their contributions uh as it relates to our policies uh last year, uh and that has continued this year with both uh JD student discipline as well as our IHA grading systems. I'm going to briefly walk through as Kurt has already mentioned regarding the no material changes with regards to policy JD student discipline. We've shared with you at the last board retreat. Some of the changes regarding the specific language in the policy specifically related to personal electronic devices. As you'll remember, this really is aligned to the electronic device policy. So, this really ensures that we align with

046policy JCDAF where we provided some additional clarification to ensure consistent implementation and application of that particular policy. Again, as it relates to the regulation, very few changes related to that as well. What you'll note, however, in the regulation are things related to procedures, more specifically around wellness, chronic disciplinary students, and then just some small language changes related to the long-term suspension and expulsion process. And as we've shared earlier and Mr. Hedecker has already mentioned this as well, the most meaningful changes will take place in our student code of conduct. That work continues and we'll share that information with you as well for your engagement and feedback. But as you recall, the student code of conduct review takes place annually and more specifically this year, we'll be looking at the discipline matrix alignment defining the consequence

047ranges, providing some clarity to ensure the application of that uh more consistently. I will also make some changes and around the interventions, uh supports, uh really leaning into the whole child priorities. Uh and as we've shared and will continue to do so, uh we will uh engage all of our stakeholders uh as we refine that process. We do anticipate uh having that completed prior to the end of June. Uh so, uh we are happy to bring that uh to the board for a review. Uh although there are no uh official uh recommendations um from which we need from the board for that, but we'll certainly bring that uh to you for review because we've engaged uh you throughout this process. Uh again, uh very few changes uh within the policy um and the procedural aspects,

048uh but the biggest work will take place in the student code of conduct. I'll invite the board um for any questions at this time. Dr. Elsie Dr. Howard Hall. Um thank you. So, a couple things, um on the cell phones and for the benefit of our students since y'all are here today, you many of you probably know that the state uh legislature 2 years ago passed uh legislation that would not allow for um cell phones for K through 8 from bell to bell. And this past year they passed legislation extending that into high school. It has not been Well, it's sitting on the governor's desk whether or not he has signed it or not yet. I don't know. He did sign it. >> Okay. So, that has now gone into effect and will become effective

049in the following school year. That's the the latest we can pass it. So, please know that um that is something that we are obligated and mandated to do um from the state. On the um the uh shoot, there was one other thing I was going to mention. Um oh, on the matrix. Thank you for providing the the timeline of when that those will be updated. We've talked about it a lot and um also about how we communicate that out to our families. The code of conduct is a very thick and uh many ways very technical document. So, look forward to hearing from the communications team the ways that we will be rolling out that um information to our families. [snorts] And then finally, on the policy itself, this was a comment that I had forwarded

050um in advance under rule 13, the uh in the policy on page four, it outlines um obviously uh prohibition of the use of illicit drugs and it has a bullet list of everything that is prohibited and included in that bullet list are the over-the-counter or prescription medications. And I understand and appreciate the feedback from our team that prescription medications are um handled under another regulation and that there's additional language in the code of conduct. Um however, because it is listed in this as a policy under illegal substances, um it seems to me there needs to be some clarification made in this policy that we are not including um over-the-counter or prescription medications as illegal substances. So, I'm I'm happy to defer to the attorneys, but it's just something that doesn't seem to quite make sense

051when I read it. So, I'd appreciate if you all could take a look at that. Thank you. Received. Thank you. Albert Hall. Yes, thank you. I have more of a comment. Um even with a clear policy, enforcement varies from building to building. So, we really need to work on being consistent from building to building so that we won't have a gap cuz right now there's a there's actually a gap between policy clarity from school culture reality. Because schools have different cultures and if we're not actually enforcing those the policy the policies are clear. We understand the the code of conduct. But the problem is how it's implemented from school to school. How they're holding them accountable. Yeah. So I just wanted to make that so that's something that as the district really needs to work

052on as a whole to ensure that we are enforcing these particular policies. Um right now there's no the How should I say it? Um Defined and non-negotiable and flexible might help because we have some rules are more flexible in some schools than others, I would think. So that's something else to consider. Yeah. So thank you for that >> [snorts] >> Superintendent. Something as well, but thank you for raising that up again which is reflected in the few changes that we brought before you today. We recognize that the big lift is in the application of the student code of conduct. Also we recognize that there are opportunities for us to tighten a few things so that we can minimize the variance in the application. So a lot of the work will take place in that revision,

053but absolutely acknowledge and thank you for that feedback around where the big lift takes place. Dr. Watts. I'll just double down a little bit on my request of the team to look at the variance. Right now there's a wide range range of choices. And we want to give our school leaders you know, some choices, but right now it's it's wide open on a lot of things and so that's why you get a lot of that variance. Um so I have asked the team to look at that and the other piece um that I will be looking at next year is more calibration opportunities and principal meetings when we bring our principals together. Let's look at different scenarios so we can norm on how we respond to things so that we can just begin to train

054our build a muscle for when we see certain things happening. This is the route most likely we need to go. Obviously, there are going to be circumstances that are different. You know, different considerations, but we need to re-norm as a district because the variance and the lack of calibration right now is why practices There's not a baseline experience. Um is Hall then Dr. Bringman. Um my comment was basically about that, Dr. Watts. It seems like this is going to be the biggest challenge. How in the world can you monitor what's going on at Johnson, what's going on at Islands High School, what's going on at Beach? That the outcome this of the penalties are are taking That's going to be very difficult, and I guess we'd have to start with someone being responsible. It has

055to be an intentional uh means of doing that because otherwise I I just don't see how we're going to be able to do it. >> It will be very difficult, but it's not It being difficult doesn't mean we shouldn't pursue it. So, I'd like to note on that um what we're building in to help monitor is to do an audit of our PowerSchool entries for disciplinary infractions and consequences to make sure they are in alignment with the student code of conduct. Um additionally, um we will have eyes on that as we visit schools, but our monitoring pieces as is how we pull those reports and just randomly look through so we can do an audit to make sure we have alignment based on infraction to the consequences of the student code of conduct. >> [snorts]

056>> Um Dr. Barnes, the thing is with human behavior, you have many teachers who are able to uh downplay and resolve situations so they never even get to the assistant principal or the principal because they have those relationships with the children that they're able to do that. On the other hand, I may be one the least infraction there the referral is in front of the You see what I'm saying? So >> Absolutely. that's why I'm saying it's so difficult because certainly if the teacher can handle this um I don't know that the student needs to not find any uh any consequence Right. but if the teacher is able to handle it and redirect that kid that's wonderful. So this will be interesting to see how we kind of mad and mad but this is a

057human dilemma. I kind of think that we're going to have to really think hard about. Agreed. Dr. Ringman um both of you eloquently said have fun threading the needle. Yeah. Um we're appreciating teachers this week. We appreciate them all the time. We appreciate our staff. The discipline policy is one way that we show appreciation to make sure that it is equitable. It we try to make it if this then that across all schools so it will take some time for teachers to feel heard when they put in the discipline action and that their administration is held accountable to actually if this then that. I don't want to go zero tolerance but if this then that and if not explain why um and it will take a lot of time. I think it will. So thank

058you for doing those audits but I think there will be a lot of knee-to-knee conversations with um you got this one wrong but then tell them when they got it right too like yeah that was you did it that's how it needs to be done. Um and it's going to be a culture change but that's a good culture to cultivate. Yeah? Throw something at me if I'm saying something wrong teachers that are out there. Um but I I think that's where we got to go. Um so thank you. Um this one board member would I don't want to be there when you're having to right-size the if this then that cuz my goodness that's a massive document and a lot of tables. Um but this one board member would love to see a shift away

059from so much OSS. Um that doesn't mean I just want every student right back in the classroom cuz I want discipline to occur but I want learning to occur and learning really doesn't occur when they're in OSS. Um again it easy for me to come up with talk about this here thread that needle as well like how do we reach that student that we know needs to be separated for a minor time but not the hey you acted up so you get 5 days off. Have fun at home. 10 days off have fun at home. Um and your parents will get a letter from the courthouse now because you've been home so long cuz you've been absent. Um good job that that didn't come. >> [clears throat] >> Cuz I take my kid out of

060school all the time. Um so Yeah just got to be extra. So have fun threading that this summer. I'll look forward to seeing it and its implementation and I know we'll have to come back to it. Yes. That's okay. That's okay as long as we're moving in the right direction. Um and that teachers feel that when they take the time to put the disciplinary referral in it's actually going to be handled appropriately so that they don't learn the behavior of well nothing's going to happen so I'm not going to do it cuz there's extra paperwork. And if I may as well and thank you thank you uh Bringham and for um reiterating the importance of what we shared with the board in one of our earlier retreats that our strategy really is a balance of

061support and accountability. Uh so while yes, we are bringing forward to you recommendations for revisions to the student discipline regulation policy, we want to make certain that because we while this is Teacher Appreciation Week and we certainly appreciate our teachers and that accountability is important, we also have our students here and we want to make sure that we're providing them with the right kind of supports so that we are they have the opportunity to engage in those meaningful learning experiences. And so that is it's a complex scenario that we're working through, but I appreciate you bringing in the other perspective. Dr. Albro. And finally, we don't want to be oblivious to other stakeholders. We we tend to look at the teachers, but after the teacher, who's next? Your Dean of Students. For those schools that

062have Dean of Students, then who's next? Your AP. Who's next? The principal. Who's next? SSO. Who's next? You. Who's next? Chief Barnes. Who's next? Dr. Watts. So you know, there's a a chain of of command and order. So we want just don't want to stop with putting all the responsibility on the teachers because we do have other people in positions who are hired to do their job just as the teacher is. Thank you. Continue. Thank you, Mr. Board President and of course lots of content there and we remind that that will come back for a second reader adoption in June primarily because of those policy language changes on the front end of the policy, but as everyone is having that discussion there about really the management of behaviors, it made me reflect on my son's

063eighth-grade math teacher, Rihanna Brown, who is now the Dean of Students at New Hampstead High School, and I have stayed in contact with her, and she has talked extensively about the great work they're doing to be proactive and do things to get in front of students before they come disciplinary matters. And in fact, she will be speaking on May 13th in front of the Superintendent's Professional Senate on that very topic. So, if any members of the board are available on that day, you're certainly welcome to attend these final Superintendent's Professional Senate of the meeting of the year, where that will be a topic. Moving along on your agenda, board policy IHA is grading systems. This is a mid-period review. Again, extensive work that the administration has done here over various board meetings and academic excellence

064committee meetings and other areas where we've engaged. It's been quite clear that we needed to do a very robust review and extensive review system-wide of our grading practices. And it all comes down to the work that we really do to enumerate how we manage this in our grading systems, and that falls to board policy IHA. Now, many changes you'll note have been provided, and they all fall into the administrative regulation. The regulation provides a lot of clarity that we have offered, emphasizes many distinctions between classwork and student assignments, and reinforces grades assigned by the teacher of record. And really sets a a stronger level of making sure those deadlines are met by our educators to get those those grades in there as well. You'll also see some information on waiting that we went through in

065this board policy area to modify, and part of that came from some of the feedback we heard from students and families through this process. So, extensive process, no changes to policy. So, this is only coming to the board as an administration regulation review. So, this would not come back for a second reader. So, today we're here to feed hear the board's feedback. Subject to that feedback today, this policy will move forward as completed under this review for the administrative regulation or we'll go back and do continued work to come back with some updates. To give you a a deeper dive into some of the changes that we made, uh we do have again, uh Chief Academic Officer, Mr. Derek Butler. I will say he does have the one tweak on the policy side that is

066not material language change. It's only a consistency change in how we reference parents and guardians. So, that was added in there. So, the again, the primary changes are in the regulation and we will walk through those for you, uh Mr. Butler. Okay. Before Mr. Butler uh speaks speaks, uh we do have uh someone that that signed up to speak on this subject, uh uh Ms. Angelisa Bryant. Good afternoon again. Learning should never be punished. I'm speaking on the policy IHA. Policy IHA exists for one reason. Consistency. Fairness. Academic integrity. My child receives tutoring support through Mathnasium to help strengthen academic gaps and supporting learning. That is not avoidance. That is parenting. That is support. That is advocacy. Yet, I received communication that student work may not receive credit because outside tutoring assistance helps support that

067learning. That raises serious questions. If tutoring is meant to close learning gaps, why would academic support affect assignment credit? And if reminders were sent before GMAS testing about incomplete assignments, but credit concerns only surfaced after tutoring support was used, parents deserve clarity. My question is simple. What policy governs whether tutoring support affects classroom credit? And has this district ever used outside literacy consultants, math interventionists, tutoring contracts, or academic consultant to support student learning? Because if district used outside academic support, then parents should not be penalized for doing the same. A grade should reflect learning. A grade should reflect effort. A grade should reflect mastery, not who helped the child understand. Parents help. Tutors help. Teachers help. That is how our children grow. Children deserve consistency. Parents deserve transparency. And policies deserve compliance. Yes to accountability

068because confident children become successful adults. Thank you, Mr. Butler. All righty. Uh we'll try to walk you through very briefly uh the revisions noted in IHAR regulation. Uh before I do that, uh certainly want to recap, remind you of what we heard uh from all of our stakeholders. Uh these are some of the big buckets. Uh we heard that it was important to define key terms for shared understanding. Uh we talked about the baseline experience uh and that means that uh using the grading policy and regulation to improve consistency. Uh and one of those ways was to provide guidance on a minimum number of grades uh and ensure that grades were indeed aligned to uh required learning standards. We also heard it was important to prioritize regular communication of student progress uh by establishing greater

069clarity and guidance uh for the entrance of grades. Uh we also had some extensive conversations uh and you heard from our student uh Senate as well today uh using the green dot uh feedback process, the importance of demonstrating learning over time. Uh so provided some language around retake opportunities, but also noted and we'll walk through this in just a moment. Uh that it should not be extended to students who refuse to complete the original assignment. And then we also heard uh from our stakeholders to include our students and parents, uh there was an opportunity for us to review the category weights uh to ensure that they carried the appropriate significance in students' final grade. So, uh this is just a recap of some of the big bucket items Uh uh that really helped shape uh

070the changes that you see. Want to just very quickly uh name for you um at the top of the regulation uh this is where we made some significant changes uh to clarify although this was embedded uh per grade band, but we wanted to make sure that we provided this at the very top of the regulation uh classwork assignments and student assessments. We also from our conversation at one of our last board retreats, it was important to provide some clarity around uh district assessments and so wanted to uh reference that and so you'll see that language uh included that those universal screeners and district benchmark assessments are excluded from students' final grades uh acknowledging that these are tools used for progress monitoring only. Uh so, I'll pause there to see if any questions regarding the definitions

071of what makes up a grade or I'm happy to move forward. Um Okay. Anyone? Move forward. Yep, absolutely. Uh as shared earlier, consistency in grading practices across classrooms uh revisions reflect uh very small changes uh weekly grade entry uh standards alignment that language is small, but we wanted to make sure that that was important. I think it's also important to note uh we've heard this from our teacher senate uh we've heard this from our students as well as from our board. Uh there was an a need to uh to maintain some level of teacher autonomy. We talk about tight and loose and there's a balance that we played um that we've got to take into consideration, uh but that remains uh within the grading regulation. However, uh there are some guardrails um uh, that are

072embedded throughout. Uh, IE weekly grade entry, uh, the standards alignment, uh, as well as some of the re-take opportunities, uh, that uh, are noted in the regulation changes. This was one of the biggest conversations, uh, that we had as a board. Uh, and that's the structured approach to reassessment or retakes. And there are some language changes, uh, that you'll see from the last time that we had our conversation, uh, to make certain that the language, uh, is more student and parent friendly. Um, but the key requirement here is that reteaching, uh, occur before any retake is offered. Uh, students will have at least one retake opportunity for those student assessments. Uh, and thank you for the feedback. We'll make, uh, those changes to make sure there's consistency in the language, uh, that's currently in the

073revision. So, we will make note of that. Uh, and that there is a grade cap that applies. I don't think that that was something that we um, provided a lot of clarity on when we had originally brought the revisions to you, uh, but we did land that plane, uh, based on the feedback that we received from the board. And then finally, uh, the last significant changes uh, reflect the rebalancing of category weights uh, for classwork assignments and student assessments. I think that's going to be helpful, uh, particularly since we have updated uh, provided greater clarity around what constitutes a classwork assignment, uh, and what constitutes a student assessment. Uh, the other significant change is the minimum grade count. Uh, that was not in the previous regulation. Again, uh, guardrails, uh, uh but again, our goal

074is to improve consistency uh and experience for students. And so, that minimum grade count uh is included uh for each of the grade bands. The make- makeup work and communication uh has not changed significantly, uh but wanted to note that as part of um what's baked into the other revisions. Again, biggest takeaway uh in terms of our goal, the structure creates a baseline grading experience across all schools, uh while also ensuring that uh we maintain some teacher flexibility. Uh I'll entertain the board for any questions at this time. Um Mr. Kaczmar, then um Ms. Grabowski, Dr. Howard-Holcomb. Um couple of questions. So, the policy or the sorry, the regulation markup says uh has a lot of shoulds as opposed to musts, and I understand the flexibility uh dynamic. Um but for example, it says students

075who initially score below 75% on an assessment should be provided with an opportunity opportunity to retake the assessment. So, what if there are two science classes in a high school, uh one gets the opportunity to raise their grade 15 points, and the other doesn't, and that classroom says, "Wait a minute, why don't I get a chance to impact my grade as well?" So, how does that get administered school by school? Yeah, is it a shall? Is it a must? Um and I know that's an issue um because it ha- it happens in every school setting, but if one when you're getting judged on your GPA, and you get to fix your score in one class, and it don't in another, that's that's a problem. Um then later it says students who have not yet demonstrated

076mastery should have opportunities to receive re-teaching and be reassessed prior to final grades being entered, but not must. And then it says students will be allowed at least one retake attempt. So the shoulds and the wills are uh somewhat inconsistent. Um and I don't I you know, tell me which side you want me to argue. Um So yeah, so [laughter] the the the intent and the spirit of the change uh probably align not probably aligns more to the shall. Okay. >> Uh so that's the language that we need to uh include, we'll do that. But that's the intent. Right. And the next bullet point, the replacement grade on the student assessment should not exceed 80% comma, but it could be a 99 because it says should not shall. So we just need to tweak that.

077That's my first question. And my second question is we're moving to a balance of um classwork versus assessment. Mhm. Classwork was uh let me see here. Was 60 and now it's 40 percent and assessment was 40% now it's 60%. Or am I reading it the other way? Other way. So I guess my question is what's the rationale for reducing emphasis on assessment and increasing emphasis on homework if the goal is to show what you know and homework and classwork it's a much more variable um work product because you don't know where it came from. You don't know if AI did it. You don't know um what whether one student has internet access and the other doesn't. Um but an assessment is taken in the classroom and it shows what you know and how much you

078know. So, I I guess what's the rationale for reducing emphasis on the summative assessment, the summative product, and and emphasizing the formative, the you know, assignments, homeworks, etc. Yeah. So, there are a few things that I can unpack in your question. I'll I'll enter in from the homework piece um in that there's only a grade band that has the homework called out specifically. Um although, of course, homework is included in the defined classwork assignments. So, just want to be clear that there is not a uh stand-alone homework uh component for all of the grade bands. So, uh I do think again there's an opportunity uh to revisit the homework policy to have some more conversations around that piece. Uh so, wanted to start there just for some clarification regarding the homework uh component. Um largely

079the the change to rebalance the weights uh was driven by feedback from our um teacher professional senate, uh from our student senate, uh from our parents. Um and the other important piece to note uh with regards to acknowledging that all of the things that you shared regarding uh the unknowns uh with classwork assignments and uh homework assignments, uh where and when they are completed. I think it's also important to note that the student assessment is not just an in class assignment or an assessment. Um and so there are a couple different student assessment task that can be included. So just wanted to make note of that as well. But to your larger question, that was really what was the driving piece around the rebalancing of the assessments along with the other things that have occurred

080with regards to the regulation changes to include the retakes, the minimum number which is defined very specifically around the number of classwork assignments, the number of student assessments. So taking all of those things into consideration, it was important for us to really review the balance of those weights. So that's really the driving piece around that. >> I'll I'll talk to you more offline about that cuz I'm interested in the the science behind it. I'm a dad and a taxpayer, not an educator. But I've had three kids go through K-12 in this district. Some had four homework assignments and two assessments and they got home at 2:00 in the morning from a soccer game and then went and took assessment at 8:00 a.m. and they didn't do well and that tanked their grade because they had

081two assessments. So I can make the argument for more homework or more more classwork, less assessment. I can make the argument the other way as well. Um what concerns me and I'm glad we're requiring at least six classwork assignments and three assessments because I've seen you know, I can get on PowerSchool and there'll be one assessment and 37 classwork assignments and it's a week before the end of school. Um or I'll see five assessments and two classwork assignments. And so I get you know, part of it part of it to me depends on the teacher and their teaching style and how they want to run their class and what the substance of the class is. So, I'm almost, you know, maybe 50/50 is the right balance, but I'm I'm not negotiating percentages here. I just

082be interested to know more of the science behind class work. And some kids test really well and some don't. So, there's all those factors in. So, I'm kind of like 50 It's a hard thing. >> Yeah, and and I think you're right and we certainly can have that conversation offline, but just for full and full transparency, um there is research uh that might suggest otherwise, right? So, I just want to acknowledge that. Uh Mr. Kaschmira, then then uh Miss Hall. I'm sorry. Dr. Howard Hall, then Miss Hall. Um so, Mr. Kaschmira asked one of my questions, but on the balance of the assessments and the class work, didn't we flip that that was before Dr. Watts was here, but I feel like it was flipped? Like few years ago and now we're flipping it back.

083Am I remembering that correctly? Yeah. Yeah. So, it's it's just curious. You know, I think the pendulum always kind of tends to swing. Yeah. Um I had another question I don't know what it was, but I'll just make a a quick comment a around and and are you going to talk some Mr. Butler about what we talked about earlier about the the the uh credit recovery later? >> that, yes. Okay. Well, I'll tee you I'll tee you up for it. Um Well, we First, I'll do I'll make a comment and then I'll then I'll tee you up. All right. Um Grades are important. Um and it's the way by which we have to measure the academic achievement of our students. Um I hope in all of this, and I realize this is policy regulation discussions,

084so it's very like it is what it is. But earlier today we talked about just the intrinsic joy of learning and the intrinsic um building that sense of achievement within our students that that's really what's first and foremost the most important thing to do. And just making sure that in the discussion of the grading that that that doesn't get lost. Absolutely. Um because at the end of the day the students who care about their not their grade but how they're doing and if they're learning and if they're being successful, that's what's going to really matter. Um so I don't know, that's just a And that and that was a big part of, you know, y'all have heard me talk about my kids that in Montessori and that is that is intrinsic to the Montessori philosophy.

085It is it is really building a child's self-worth and that their own motivation and that's why you don't have grades in Montessori because it's not built around getting a grade, it's built around doing the best that you can do and always striving for better. I'll pause there because I see you wanting to say something. Well, I agree. I think this is another one of those humanity conversations. I think what we're trying to look at and what makes this difficult is the synergy between the intrinsic motivation and what I believe parents want for their kids is a good experience and experiences are not always graded. >> Right. Experiences, did you feel seen and heard and loved today and cared for? Right. Um against grades, which we know carry a lot of weight for kids who are

086applying for scholarships and next opportunities in life and even things they compete for internally while they're in school and then you also have G mass, which is another accountability. And so how do you find the perfect synergy between those two things is what makes this conversation so difficult while also honoring to some extent the teachers uh ability to have agency over his or her classroom. Yes. So, it's it's it's not easy. >> Mhm. Yeah, and I I fully know that. And I And I'll throw one more wrinkle or food for thought out there. You know, we we also talk a lot about the the soft skills. And really what makes for student success is conflict resolution, ability to self-pace, you know, all of these things that make for successful student but aren't necessarily graded. And

087I feel like once upon a time they were. Like you received like a civics grade, not civics as in do you know, but the conduct grade. So, um I wonder if that's something that bridges the gap between this discipline and um And I I think it's more than just conduct though. It's it's it's a bigger thing than that. Certainly, because the conduct grades that still exist within the regulation, um but to your point, uh looking at it more than just the Yeah. >> how we've traditionally assigned grades for student conduct. But I But I'll tee you up for the question the conversation we were having earlier. Um and I'm sorry that Ms. Campbell isn't here cuz I know this is one of her [laughter] hot topic issues. Uh can you talk a little bit about

088um the the credit recovery and in particular, and this is something that I did not realize until I received the email as a parent, that um we have a currently have a differentiation ninth grade students and 10th through 12th. And can you talk about kind of where we're going with that credit recovery model along with this? Yeah, certainly. So, we've had some conversations uh with the board on a few occasions regarding the credit recovery and grade recovery concept. Um what a board member uh Grabowski is referencing more specifically is how we um allow students to participate in the summer school experience. And so, um I'll go to the regulation first. In the regulation at the top, we've uh defined um grade recovery and credit recovery. Previously, we had not defined in the regulation grade recovery.

089However, grade recovery as a practice has been primarily for our secondary schools uh has been uh driven by sites and by the district for summer school, and that threshold has been students who uh receive a grade between 65 and 69 are eligible for grade recovery. And grade recovery is really just this short period of time not to exceed generally 2 weeks uh at the end of a semester to make up assignments uh and or recover learning um without having to take the entire course over. And so, for summer school purposes, um that is something that we've utilized to allow ninth grade students to participate in the summer learning uh rather than uh allowing ninth grade students who needed to take an entire course to participate because uh we prioritized our 10th, 11th, and 12th grade

090students because of the sense of urgency and their uh need to um receive credits um as part of their uh matriculation uh to graduation. Uh and I want to put an asterisk there as well for ninth grade. I'm specifically referring to a first-time ninth grade students. So those students who may be repeating ninth grade, those students are eligible for summer school to complete credit recovery. I know that may be somewhat complex, but let me sort of get to the point that I think Miss Grabowski and I were talking about and that is we will no longer be utilizing that practice of 65 to 69 because grade recovery should be happening along the way. And we have explicitly outlined that in the regulation. More specifically to the retake of student assessments. And so if students are

091um allowed that opportunity because they shall be provided with an opportunity to retake the assessment at least once across every school across the district, then we should have fewer students who will need to at the end of a semester cram in two weeks of recovery. So the concept is students having the opportunity to demonstrate their learning over time. So the practice of grade recovery 65 to 69 will no longer be something that we lean to as a way to allow a certain group of students to recover their learning. All students will be allowed to recover their learning over time and we've explicitly outlined that in the regulation. May I ask a quick follow-up? You may. Just as a as a quick follow-up and it's and it may be it ties more to the retention pol-

092or the promotion policy. Like has there been any discussion of having some sort of caveat around grade recovery or summer school. Like you're eligible for summer school if you get between a 60 or 69, but if you're not even getting a 60 in that class, then you know, summer school's not the right answer. You need to retain I'm not saying 60 is the right number, but just kind of that concept. So, I'd be curious not now, but at at some point. >> Whether or not I I would have acknowledged that um our next probably policy review will be promotion and retention. Uh >> [laughter] >> whether or not whether or not that actually lives She said it will be whether or not it lives in that particular policy, but I do think uh that's some

093good information for us uh as we develop our summer school guidance in general around students that are eligible to participate. So, thank you for that. Thank you. Dr. Howard-Hall. You kind of touched on it a little bit. When I think about grade recovery, I don't summer school doesn't come to mind at all for me. It's like throughout the year. And I think that one of the advantage of this is that it targets a specific gap instead of a student having to um take a full course. They can target on that specific skill, and sometimes that grade may be due to a death in a family. My granddaughter's grade suffered um during December because she had two deaths in the family. So, that's when it's important for grade recovery. You know, you never know what a

094child may be going through as um Mr. Cashmar um mentioned about his students his children having late games and then having assessment the first thing that morning. So, I that's that's a perfect advantage of grade recovery. But my question is for a credit recovery, students who actually are working on credit recovery especially during the summer, this may clear some summer school concerns. Are they only working on unmet standards? Because if they are, that will be enough time for them to work on those unmet standards as opposed to going through every standard. >> So, that's a very good question and I think one that the board has grappled with in terms of the time allotted for summer school, which is minimal compared to the semester, but credit recovery requires students to complete the entire course of

095study. And so, that's important to note for a few reasons, of which I won't get into details, but it has implications particularly for our high school students but credit recovery requires students to take the entire course of study, not just those standards that they did not meet in the previous semester. Okay, Mr. Butler, we have some expertise of these students sitting here. I'd love to know, although we don't have time today, but what their ideas are and teachers about credit recovery. That that would be very informative for us, I think. But, I want to go back and speak for a minute to homework. Any work that's done and given credit that's not done in the classroom. Because I learned long ago as a teacher and then as a principal, I used to love to promote

096science fairs at the school. And it dawned on me after a while that always our science fair winners, they had projects that the child himself or herself could not possibly have accomplished on their own. It was a family science project. It was not the students' project. So, I tended to either stuck uh calm down on the science fairs or make them where the science teachers gave classroom time for students to work on their science fair projects. So, we knew as judges that this was actually the work of the kids in the classroom. And the same thing with homework. I've heard parents say, "I check my students' homework every night." Well, if I'm a child whose parents are not capable of helping me with my homework or making sure of course I'm going to come to

097school and my grade is going to be different from the from the grade of a child whose family homework is a family project. So, I think when we're making these policies and this especially when we're putting weighted uh points and grades on them, that we have to really look at what we're doing and how not only how fair we're being to the kids who don't have this extra help, but how fair we're being to the kids who have the help, who haven't really done the work themselves. So, it either way you look at it that there seems to be a problem. So, I know that's not something we can solve today, but I think board members going forward we have to really think about the importance of work done in the classroom versus work that

098comes from home. I don't know how anybody else feels. Now, I'll go ahead and hear from our teacher of the year. Yes. >> [laughter] >> So, we had a lot of discussions at the Senate and one of the biggest um topics that kept coming up was about grade floors. I don't know if that's addressed in this, but I know that's a come up. >> [laughter] >> Yeah. So, uh certainly there were a lot of conversations um in Professional Senate. Um similar kind of conversation uh with our board. Uh it was not something that um and I'll just reference this as well that zero grade um where uh we thought we would get the kind of support and consistency um for that language. Um so, it is something that did not land in the final revisions.

099Um but, Ms. Hughes, we definitely want to uh bring as obviously this is a uh regulation that uh can change. Uh certainly bring that back to uh Professional Senate. Uh whether you're on there in the upcoming year or not, but I definitely want to continue to engage the Professional Senate in helping shape what this looks like. Yeah, I think that's just the conversations that I've had with other teachers is that we're kind of held it's like, well, the how is the student reflected and that's up to the teacher and that's up to grades. But, if we're not actually in control of of a large percentage of that, if you're having to assign a grade when you've received absolutely no work, I think that's it's hard for us to actually reflect what a student's able to

100do because we're being held to the policy. Yeah. And and I think the other piece that is important is that many of the changes um that are reflected here um it is the intent and the goal uh that that will help sort of offset some of the concerns uh when we talk about the retakes, when we talk about the weekly grade entries, because that communication with families uh will be more frequent, at least consistently across schools. Um when we think about uh providing uh some guardrails or some guidance uh for the minimum number of assignments. Uh so, I think it will be important for us to look at how those changes impact uh how students uh respond and complete assignments and how families engage. Uh and if there is an opportunity uh to bring this

101back to think about uh what might that look like in terms of how it can improve sort of the grading experience across all of our schools. But, I think it was important for us to get some of these core components uh in here as well that we heard from professional Senate and from uh from students as well. But, I I agree that was a a big topic of conversation uh and uh I'll I'll be delicate in saying it was conversation of contention um with regards to the flooring. Uh but, we left it out of this uh final copy. And then, can I if we just ask one more question. Did um was there any guidance as far as like having a retake of a test? Is there guidance as far as is this a retake

102of the exact same test? And where will these materials be provided? Yeah. So, the next step uh for us uh is to really think about how we operationalize this uh and we will be coming to uh the professional Senate uh to help us think about uh the rollout. Uh it is something that uh as Dr. Watson mentioned, uh as it relates to student discipline, it will be the very same thing as it relates to grading. Uh we'll be keeping a very close eye on what that looks like. Uh but, the implementation of rollout will be very critical. Uh there are uh the nuts and bolts that we've got to build out in terms of communication uh so that uh school leaders and I'll start with school leaders are communicating uh the policy uh in ways

103that teachers can execute with the greatest clarity uh for students and families. Uh but, the nuts and bolts uh what you've referenced is really going to be important for us as we build out the next piece. Dr. Breeman Yeah, Ms. Hughes. Um so this is literally what I do every time I give an assessment. Students are like, "Oh, I'm going to have to remediate." If they don't make an 80, they get another chance. Um and different professors do it different ways in my program, but a lot of times um and it is more work. So teachers, this will be initially more work. Um but I know you're all in it to see them be successful. So you you sit down with them if when you have the time. Be like, "Here, you totally missed this

104one concept. But you rocked it on these other five. Um I'm not going to put you in double jeopardy on those other five on another assessment. I'm going to make a new assessment. It's going to be shorter. And it's just over that one thing. So you kind of are hitting the whatever Yeah, the gap and and and students don't want to have to take it again. They're like, "I'll just be okay with my other grade." I'm like, "No, come on." Cuz cuz we most of our programs and most of our classes like they need that for the next thing. Yeah, like if you don't get this, you're not going to get that. Um and it does it's more work, but you eventually you have like your database of, "Okay, so if somebody misses that, I

105got my backup 10 questions for that. I got my backup 10 questions for this." Um and students, I think, at least the college level have been appreciative of being able to go back and go, "Oh, yep. I completely got that flip-flopped." Or you know, sometimes they forget to study a whole section. Like, "I forgot that I don't know we I know I've been there. I'm like, 'Oh, I forgot that PowerPoint.'" And you're like, "That's 10 of the questions on this 15-question test." Um so it takes a little bit of time. That's how I've done it. I have no clue how the district would operationalize it. That's would be one of the ways that as a teacher I think you'll find success in doing it with your student is saying, "Hey, you missed this." Or you

106just kind of missed one of everything. So I got to I got to go back to the whole thing. And now it's Is it a testing strategy? Are we helping them learn how to do better on assessments? Cuz unfortunately, that is education in America is assessments. Um So, that's one way to operationalize it. I'm not here to say it's the best way, but it is one of the ways to to do it. Do you have a question? And I will say this as well. >> I teach at Georgia Southern physical therapy, but I didn't know if they were yellow. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, so I mean What? I mean, always. Always. I I do want to just respond and put an asterisk. We are mindful of the lift Yeah, it's a big lift. >> on

107teachers. And what we want to do is really be cognizant of that uh as we roll this out. And so uh the feedback that we receive from teachers um over the next several weeks uh couple weeks cuz I know school will be out. Um but um that we get, we certainly want to take into consideration how prescriptive uh the district might be in terms of how we operationalize that um and or what kind of flexibility. So, that's going to be really important. Uh but we definitely want to um hear the voice, perspective, experience of the teacher um because obviously, uh the execution happens in the classroom. Ms. Kowalski. Um I'm glad you brought up the the question about the floor cuz that is something that has been discussed among the board. And maybe this will

108help minimize that a little bit because that retake opportunity is there, but I know it still is is a big is a big thing. But the other thing I was um going to throw out there was as you're looking at this, thinking about where test corrections fit in as an alternative to a whole new assessment cuz I know that some strategies that that teachers use now, which it kind of gets to Dr. Bringman's point, then you're really focused on the areas where they they need the help and might be a little easier lift on the teachers' families. I'll just brainstorm. Because to me, what you both of you are saying reflects a mindset shift around the point of this is that to for a student to be able to demonstrate that they learn. And learning

109does not always happen in the neat little box of the unit plan that the teacher prescribed. This is only going to be taught for 2 weeks, right? At the end of the day, I want the kid to learn. They have to take the assessment five times. If they know it at the end of five times, then I have accomplished my goal. But it is weighing that against the burden uh on the teacher. But again, the mindset shift is around the point of this is that students learn the material. Dr. Albert Hall. Just have a quick question about averages. If a student receives a NC, that's no credit. So, that's not really averaged with their um overall GPA. So, is there um advantage of having a NC as opposed to making a 29? An F. Ask

110your question one more time. In some cases, a student may receive a NC, no credit for a course. So, that's not being averaged in with their GPA because there's no credit. >> no credit, right. So, for students that make an F, maybe um a 29 or 40, whatever, that's going to impact their GPA. So, I know that uh um receiving a NC is a disadvantage because that means you have to retake the course. Right. However, it's >> help with GPA. >> Yeah, we reserve in their GPA, but If a student is savvy enough to pick up on that. Well, I know something that I'll That I can give to you. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to our board. Great feedback on that policy review. Again, that is an administrative regulation. So,

111we will take the feedback noted today and any changes that are applicable, we will apply that to that regulation so that we can get this finished and updated to our board policy manual for implementation for next school year. Moving on on your agenda under Board of Education action items, we have a few proclamations to adopt. Like to celebrate our school nurses with a board proclamation for School Nurses Week. Ms. Rauski? So, proclamation is presented to celebrate National School Nurse Day. School nurses are considered an integral part of education process contributing to the well-being of every child to ensure all students achieve success in school. We, along with the National Association of School Nurses, celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of school nurses everywhere and their efforts to meet the needs of today's students by providing and

112advocating for quality student-centered care. We offer gratitude for nurses not just on this National School Nurse Day, but in every opportunity throughout the year. Whereas, therefore, be it resolved that the following proclamation be adopted. Whereas, students are the future and by investing in them today, we are ensuring our world for tomorrow. And whereas, families deserve to feel confident that their children will be cared for when they are at school. And whereas, all students have the right to have their physical and mental health needs safely met while in the school setting. Whereas, school nurses have served a critical role in improving public health and ensuring students academic success for more than 121 years. And whereas student Excuse me, whereas school nurses address the home and community factors, e.g., social determinants that impact students' health. And whereas

113school nurses are professional nurses that advance the well-being, academic success, and lifelong achievements of all students by serving on the front lines and providing a critical safety net for our nation's most fragile children. And whereas school nurses act as a liaison to the school community, families, and health care providers on behalf of children's health by promoting wellness and improving health outcomes for our nation's children. And whereas school nurses support the health and educational success of children and youth by providing access to care when children's cognitive development is at its peak. And whereas school nurses are members of school-based teams, e.g., school health services, 504, IEP, disaster emergency planning, providing care, coordination to address the school population. And whereas school nurses understand the link between health and learning and are in a position to make a

114positive difference for children every day. Now, therefore, be it resolved that we, along with the National Association of School Nurses, celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishment of school nurses everywhere and their efforts to meet the needs of today's students by providing and advocating for quality student-centered care. And that we offer gratitude for the school nurses, not just on this National School Nurse Day, but in every opportunity throughout the year. All accept the motion to approve. All in favor? Yes. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for putting this on the agenda, too. Thank you. >> Nice to see you. Congratulations and thank you for all you do. Thank you for all you do. Thank you so much for all you do. >> [laughter] >> Thank you Thank you so much for all you

115do. Thank you for all you do. Thank you. Thank you. You're so welcome. I am. Oh my goodness. What a pleasure it is to meet I love virtual Thank you. Thank you for all you do. Next on the board's agenda, we have another proclamation to celebrate our educators across our school district as we proclaim teacher appreciation week. To recognize the valuable contributions of our teachers, the Board of Education would like to proclaim May 4th through May 8th, 2026 as National Teacher Appreciation Week. This year we're joining together to listen to and stand with the teachers and uniting to take action and demand our leaders provide the resources and respect educators deserve because every student, no matter the color of their skin or the zip code they live in, deserve educators who are caring, committed, and

116have the resources they need to help every student succeed. Teachers fill many roles as listeners, explorers, role models, motivators, and mentors. Teachers leave a lasting influence on all of us. Teachers make our schools and our community great. Thus be it resolved by the Board of Public Education that we do hereby proclaim May 4th through 8th, 2026 as National Teacher Appreciation Week and that all citizens take the time throughout the month of May to thank a teacher for their significant contributions. Mr. Roger Moss, Board President. Dr. Denise Watts, Superintendent. And from one teacher to another, happy National Appreciation Week to our teachers. >> [applause] >> Who second it? All in favor? All right. We've We've got some teachers? All right. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you. >> [laughter] >> Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate you.

117Thank you. >> [applause] >> Next on the board's agenda is item 7.03 and we have a recommendation for a school meal price adjustment for adult meal prices. All right. So, good afternoon. Based on the review conducted by the Georgia Department of Education in accordance to the United States Department of Agriculture National School Lunch and National and School Breakfast Programs, uh we are requesting a increase in our adult breakfast price going from our current price of $2.50 up to $3.50 as well as our a la carte items for both adults and for students. Those a la carte items are going up between $1.25 and $0.40 depending on the item. To break this down a little bit further, this means that as a student, if you're coming to enjoy pizza day on Wednesdays, which we invite you

118to enjoy, then it should you choose to select an additional pizza, you would pay that additional uh price. If you're an adult coming in for breakfast, and we invite you to come in for breakfast, you would now pay that new price as well. So, based on this recommendation, we are seeking approval to be in compliance with the requirements. Thus, be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board does now approve the school nutrition program meal price adjustments as presented including the increase of adult breakfast price to $3.50 and the proportional adjustments to the a la carte pricing effective beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Move. Second. Any discussion? Yes. I'll just quickly say that our our just to clarify, our students still receive free breakfast and free lunch. It's only if they

119want something additional and even with the proposed price modifications, um this is still very affordable. So, support motion. Ma'am, thank you for that clarification. All students will receive continue to receive one breakfast and one lunch free. Anyone else? All right, there being no more discussion, all in favor. I conclude your Board of Education matters for today's agenda to the Board President for the consent agenda and other action items for today's board meeting. Just as our screens went out. Okay, I'll accept a motion to accept to to accept our consent agenda. The moved. Seconded. All in favor. All opposed. Thank you. Next, we have our financials. Actually, Mr. Board President, we do have a number of items for the Board's recommendation today under strategic plan goal one, which is student achievement, and Ms. Rosalind Nathaniel will

120be on the podium to read the first item, 9.02, cell phone pouch and cell phone lockers. Good afternoon, everyone. Um item number 9.02 M26819 Really Fit E Trading Inc. District-wide cell phone pouch for high school and cell phone locker K8 purchase distraction fees free education. This purchase supports compliance with Georgia HB 340 and Georgia HB 1009, which requires distraction-free learning environments and prohibits the use of personal electronic devices during the instructional day. Two quotes were obtained and reviewed for each solution, including locking signal-blocking pouches for high school and locking cell phone storage boxes for K8. Um Ari Jones, a current SCCPSS vendor, submitted a quote for $277,041.50 for Tech Pro Protector cell phone pouches and $761,600 for Bretford Pocus storage stations. Really Fit E Trading Inc. provided the lowest quote for the Tech Pro Tech

121pouches at $253,785, while CDW-G, also a current SCCPSS vendor, submitted the lowest quote for Bretford Pocus storage at $739,500. Staff recommend that the board approve the one-time district purchase of cell phone pouches for high schools at a cost of $253,785 from Real Fiti Trading and the one-time district purchase of cell phone lockers for K-8 schools at a cost of $739,500 from CDW-G for a total cost of $993,285. On February 18th, 2026, the board approved $850,000 to fund cell phone lockers and pouches for students. In order to cover all high schools, an additional $143,000 $285,000 will be required. A use of fund balance is required to fulfill this expenditure. Thus, be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approve the one-time district purchased two vendors providing the lowest quoted cost including cell

122phone pouches at a cost of $253,785 from Real Fiti Trading, Inc. and the one-time district purchase of cell phone lockers at a cost of $739,500 from CDW-G for a total expenditure of $993,285. And be it further resolved that the board approve the requested transfer of the use of fund balance in the amount of $143,000 $285,000 in support of this expenditure. I have a permission. So moved. Second. Second. Thank you. Discussion, I'm sure there is. Just out of out of curiosity, are there any images of the of the boxes? Yes, we can provide that image. It should be included one of our board retreat presentations. We'll make sure we get that back to you all. Anyone else? Dr. Bringman. The law says that they can't have their phones in the school, correct? Hm? The law says

123they can't use their phones. It doesn't say that we have to manage them not using them. Actually, I think it does. I I think it there's some mention of what we have to do with them. The law says that if they come on campus with it, we have to store it provide for the storage. Yes. >> [laughter] >> Okay. Okay. That's what I needed to hear. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. I'll shut up. I think I know I think I'm where Mr. Bringman is. Um is there anything that prohibits us from renting these lockers? Renting? It makes sense to rent when we're Well, I mean, we charge for parking at schools. Why can't Why can't we charge for Yeah. So you're saying apply a student fee for the use of Yeah, but it doesn't have

124to be it doesn't have to be a large amount. But you add that up. I mean, we're spending a million dollars on lockers for cell phones. Um no, it'd be like a I mean, like a semester or a year or something like that. Um I think it's something we need to think about to offset the cost. I will just say this as well and not to add fuel to the fire uh but as we think about an annual budget ask as well, uh that will be something that we need to keep in mind particularly for our secondary schools um because those are individual pouches uh that where students will not necessarily uh be turning them in all the time just for uh sanitary purposes. Uh so uh there is likely uh to be in future

125budget request um an ask for funds to support uh the storage devices. All the more reason for us to think about this particularly for elementary I mean, I think the wait till 8th is still out there as far as a movement of trying to encourage parents to not get their kindergarteners a cell phone. Um No, It just I think it's worth So, consideration. I I let's keep discussing. Um I can support the lockers cuz that should be a one-time unless somebody's coming at them. Yeah. Um we get students to pay and families to pay for one-to-one insurance on their devices. Very few. No. Okay. Yeah, we do not require that necessarily. Oh, okay. I should have been paying that then, huh? Um y'all >> [laughter] >> y'all got me. Y'all got me. Good. I see

126you sneaky. But to your point and I had never thought about this so I appreciate you raising this as a consideration. If I'm a student and I come on campus and I keep my phone in my book bag all day, do I need a pouch? Well, just keep it at home. Well, keep it at home or keep it in my book bag turned off, do I need a pouch? Is this Well, but I think I didn't back to Then does that does that create something else that the teachers have to monitor if it's still in their book bag and I mean I I'm in support of the lockers. I'm not necessarily in support of us bearing the full cost of what that because I think there is the option to leave the phone at home.

127If it's not going to be used at school and you know for I I mean I understand I mean I've got a high school kid and he's going to put his phone in a locker his senior year. But that's a choice that we make as a family and if we can afford a phone and phone bill then I think we could afford you know a nominal fee for the locker to put it in. Okay, Ms. Snowden. Uh for high schoolers and uh with pouches I agree that there should be a nominal fee for students who bring their cell phone to school because and maybe we could frame it in a way that if on you only have to buy the buy the pouch or rent the pouch if you are a kid that brings your

128phone to school and you have it in your book bag but then you want to show that you got away with it so you take it out cuz somebody's going to do this. They're going to show that they don't have the pouch and they still have their phone. Well, then you maybe we would have the right then to confiscate the phone, have the parent pick it up and then that parent has to pay for a pouch. But then if uh the kid keeps it in his book bag and we don't see it they don't have to purchase the pouch. Maybe some kind of uh policy like that. So I'm so I'm sorry. I'm uh Mr. Butler, give me clarification on are we required to store the phones. We do have to provision some way to

129ensure devices are stored. Again, however, I think some good ideas are generated around how we manage that. I don't think that there is a you know, the best scenario, but these are things that we certainly have to consider as we operationalize this. The pouches provides us with probably less management issues at the high school. Can it be managed without the individual pouches? Certainly, but it would require some additional lift and the reality is many of our schools are currently managing it through the use of lockers. However, I will just Again, I've been using asterisks quite a bit today, but with the new legislation for 9-12, it is bell to bell, which is why we positioned the request for the pouches because that allows for the management of that much easier than a cell phone locker

130because students are transitioning from class to class. So, just wanted to make sure that the board had that context as well. Okay, Mr. Cashmar. All right, so I am not voting for this. I'm not spending a million dollars on lockers and pouches, and I don't think we have to. The law here, I'm going to read the law. That's always a good place to start. Um All right, we are required to adopt and revise as appropriate policies and procedures that as a minimum that at a minimum prohibit bell-to-bell access to personal electronic devices etc. Um And then here's the key. Establish appropriate methods for storing students' personal electronic devices, including but not limited to a student's locker, a locked pouch, or a designated place in the classroom. All right. I I disagree with the cell phone

131ban anyway cuz it takes away the obligation of personal responsibility. So do I. Georgia General Assembly took that discretion away from local districts. We have policies and procedures in place for rules violations. So later in the law, it says each local school system and public schools shall implement appropriate monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with our policies and procedures, ensure parents garden parents, guardians, and students are informed of such policies and procedures, review the effectiveness of such policies and procedures, and then each local school system and public schools encouraged to host student and parent engagement activities designed to promote distraction-free education. education. So to me, we emphasize for next year, "Hey, the General Assembly has banned cell phones in schools. If you're If you're angry about it, contact your elected representatives, not your local

132school board who does has no say over this. Our policies say you cannot have your cell phone You cannot access your cell phone. There's going to be a designated place in the back of the classroom where you can leave it. Uh if you violate these policies, we're going to punish you appropriately. Our recommendation is you leave your cell phone at home, leave it in your car, do not bring it to school. If If you we see you violating these rules, we're going to enforce progressive discipline. But I don't want to spend a million dollars to have to provide a a locker and a pouch, which is not a one-time purchase. We're going to be spending tens, hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to replace broken pouches, cracked lockers, uh etc. So, let's make this

133a personal responsibility issue, put it in the back of the classroom, and basically do what we did before, which is um Connie, put your phone away. Okay, Connie, you didn't put your phone away. I'm writing you up and I'm taking your phone and you can go deal with, you know, Principal Snowden. Um >> [laughter] >> Yeah, but we just we just actually enforce it and we tell people we're going to enforce it, but I'm not voting to spend a million dollars um to take away what we could teach through personal responsibility. Uh Ms. Hall, what about something like a coat check? You know how you go to a restaurant or somewhere and you check your coat in and you get a ticket and then when you're ready to go home, you give them the ticket.

134Something something that we could monitor cuz I agree. I don't want to There's so much we need. I don't want to spend a million dollars on this. Is there some way Yes, I agree. A million dollars is a lot of money. I'm also thinking about the implementation for a teacher where you go tell kids to go put all their cell phones in the back of the room. I guarantee you one is going to get stolen, broken, and then who is accountable? Then we're doing investigations on who stole my son's Apple 18 new phone. That eats up a lot of time, right? And when you deal with this on an individual student basis, it could put the teacher in a significant classroom management issue with one particular kid. And I think the sentiment of the team

135was to create a consistent routine so that regardless of the classroom that you're in, regardless of the school that you're in, the teacher and every teacher is going to implement the same procedure. But Dr. Thornton, >> it We have now where teachers do Some teachers do take cell phones. We have But we also have inconsistency in how that is done. And I think what the teachers ask of us is to have consistency so that they have a easier way to implement. And they don't have to say, "Well, the teacher across The kids will say, 'Well, the teacher across the hallway does it this way.' And you do it this way." And And that's where you get into the disciplinary situations that are handled in different ways versus a consistent expectation across the school. But I'm

136saying if you have that coat check person where the buses come in, and you have one in the front of the school, and every ninth grader hands their phone in, and Connie >> Connie, that's a nightmare. Have you seen the lines getting into the schools right now? >> That is a And then at the end of the day they got to come back and we got to find the the ticket and match it to the phone. But a million dollars? I just don't see No, not a We We're too smart. We can come up with something. Give us a minute to come up with something. We can come up with something better than this. Before any of us say another word, I would like to hear from a teacher. Teacher of the year. Miss Uzelac.

137from the audience. [laughter] I could have been sick today. I work at an elementary school, >> [snorts] >> so it's it's a little bit different, I imagine, from what it's like in high school. Um at the elementary level, it's kind of the same thing. We have Some teachers are taking them up at the beginning of the day. Some people it's leave it in your bag, I don't want to see it. Um if I don't see it, there's not a problem. I've worked in middle schools, I've worked in a high school before and that was always the issue I've heard from teachers is I don't want to be responsible. I don't want to be financially responsible for a $2,000 phone that gets broken. And I know that I have seen even in the elementary level when

138a teacher took them up and there was a shared location, a phone gets stolen. It just it happens and then it's it's a you're legally obligated, so I think that's some of the involved and it's a disciplinary investigation. Mr. Smith, uh Dr. Watts, as superintendent, I imagine that there's a class or a group of superintendents that talk about different things. Uh has this What's the group chat say about this? >> [laughter] >> What what are districts doing to approach this situation? And also, is there a price per bag or box? Just out of curiosity. It is I would have to get that itemized uh invoice for specific reference, but yes. And I would say most school districts that have gone with this blanket approach do provide storage. Yep. We visited school districts that this is

139the approach that they took. It's important to remember too the context of that law where it says school districts are required to provide a method of storage, whether it be a locker or a a box in the back of the classroom. That signals to families that cell phones are still coming into the building. So, our approach to this was to say, "What's the most the best way that we can safely manage those devices to avoid some of the challenges that our teacher of the year just explained, which would be laid at the foot of the educator. And that was also born in our experience with other schools that are currently doing this. We mentioned Coastal Middle has a process for schools to check it into a locker-like box. I think Johnson High School does that

140as well and other high schools. So this was a natural transition for us to step that way and operate operationalize it district-wide. And you'll remember when we did the mid-year allocations for district priorities, this was established as one of those price points where we were reallocating monies to to be ready for this. It added additional cost with the high school component with the governor now signing that into law where we were being proactive to add that to the purchase. So we purchased that prior to that signature happening expecting that it would. It did. And those pouches have been added to this which have up that cost to almost a million dollars. So born in experience that we have been doing it and born in a way to try to alleviate that pressure of managing a

141very complex scenario where the law says clearly you got to find a way to do that which signals phones are still coming into the schools. And we also learn from our our schools that have already implemented this. And almost I can't think of a scenario where some type of storage was not provided. For our schools that currently do it and do it consistently and do it well, there is storage provided. Well. Dr. Howard-Hall got it. Dr. Howard-Hall. I just I have a very close friend and Mr. Buckles knows her quite well. A high school teacher that has a pouch in her classroom. Now I'm not sure if she purchased this pouch. It reminds me of a shoe Yeah, that's what that's what most of them do. They put thing on the back of the door.

142>> Right, and it's Is it Those are not a million dollars for that. Why can't they do something like that? It's in the front of the classroom. The students know when they come to in their class, when they enter, they put them in a pouch, and then when they leave, they take them out. So, is is that type of Could we do something like that as opposed [clears throat] to investing over a million dollars in lockers and pouches? >> Okay, so uh Ms. Snowden, Mr. Kowalski, Mr. Kachmar, everybody. Okay, I first want to address that that is a teacher that is strong in in classroom management and discipline, and that varies from teacher to teacher. Um my question is, why can't we just uh purchase [clears throat] the lockers, not the pouches, because the pouches

143are going to be kept, lost, destroyed, but if we each school has a uh procedure where they're just the lockers, that would eliminate the consumables, and it might for real just be a one-time purchase. So, every classroom would have to have The challenge is with high schools, high school kids, cuz they would have to come back to their home room at the end of the day to retrieve the phones, and that is instructional time lost. So, that's why we went with the pouches, because they're mobile from classroom to classroom. And they're less expensive than the lockers. >> are more expensive. Yes. But, overall, over time, a better probably expense, cuz you're not doing the recurring cost. But, if you do the lockers for high school kids, they'll have to come back at the end of

144the day, cuz they change classes. Okay. 30 So, and also can't leave early, so they'd have to go back to their class if they left early to get it from the originating class. And these pouches lock. That I mean, that that is why other school systems are using the pouches is that they are locked. Kids can't get at them. Yeah. And the teacher has to unlock them at the end of the day. So, uh Mr. Kowalski and Ms. Hall just I'm sorry, Mr. Kachmar and Ms. Hall. So, um just to Dr. Howard Hall, I like in my son's school, that's what they do. They have the thing on the back of the door, but what happens in the high school is they still pick up the phone, but when they're changing classes, and so it's

145in their hand when they're in the halls, and right now they can use it, so it's not a big deal. So, that I think that would be the challenge of that. Um so, two comments. While I appreciate the proactiveness of high schools, that's high schools are not in our policy right now. So, I don't feel like the high school purchase is a purchase we need to make right now. We we unless we're changing our policy where it's going to affect for high schools in the fall, which we haven't discussed. Um I think we're just moving forward cuz we know it's inevitable. So, we're just >> Well, it is inevitable, but if we if we're starting with and and maybe that's the first question. Are we are we are we moving in this into high school

146in the fall? Uh so, that's question number one. And if we're not, then presumably it would be a year, so then we can wait and see how this works in the K-8 school system. Um and be able to make the appropriate tweaks. And then the other question I have is particularly at K-8 level, are we assuming that every like how many of these are we buying? And the the I think that the header of the agenda item is backwards cuz the pouches are the high school and the lockers are the um for K-8, right? So, it's switched. Are we assuming that every single student in K through 8 has a cell phone, and is that in fact what we're seeing in the classroom? Cuz it seems to me um that So, are we are we

147over purchasing what we actually really Yeah. need? So, I'll I'll start with the first piece in terms of um rather we whether we are actually implementing the high school component. So, that currently exist in the policy or the regulation uh that we adopted back in those revisions back in December. Uh the only difference between our current policy and the new legislation is the language around bell to bell. So, currently uh again, in anticipation of what what's coming, we moved forward uh with uh putting that provision in the regulation uh where it says uh student shall not use during instructional time unless specifically approved by school staff. So, that remains in there. So, we will likely need to come back uh soon uh to ensure that that language is consistent with legislation. So, that's just something

148wanted to make note of that. And then secondly, with regards to the lockers for K-8, the approach was to think about cell phone lockers for each classroom, not necessarily the number of students uh in a particular class. Because we don't know what those schedules will look like in terms of teachers and classrooms. Uh just in general, the the goal was to get enough lockers uh for uh each of those schools based on uh the current staffing um uh composition. >> [clears throat] >> Okay. Thank you. Mr. Cashmar? Um so, is the plan high schoolers will get a pouch, put it in there, it'll be locked, they carry it around day-to-day, and it gets unlocked at the end of the day? There's at concerts a lot of times they have them. You just walk up to

149the thing and you Okay. >> Put your phone in the >> plan. So, there's no teacher involvement? Minimal. Okay. And you get a pouch when you on your first day of school. Is that the plan? That will be the plan. Yes, sir. >> Okay. And then elementary and middle school, it's lockers because you're more static. Correct. >> Okay. So, I I still don't like the idea. Still I'm going to vote no, or we can table it. Um, but I was thinking about cars and parking. Um, my kids drove to school in high school. They had to pay for the privilege of parking. If they violate the rules of the parking lot, they lose their privilege. Um, we signed like 496 waivers, including in blood, that said, "Anything I leave in my car is my responsibility.

150It's not the responsibility of the school district. Please sign here in quintuplicate and say I agree in video, too." I mean, so we waived any, you know, the district got me as a dad to waive liability when my kid leaves their laptop in the car and the window gets smashed and it gets stolen. Why aren't we doing something similar here? Um, we don't think you should bring your cell phone to school cuz there's a bell-to-bell ban. If you bring it to school, you're going to pay us 100 bucks or 50 bucks for a pouch, you're responsible for it. But we're not handing them out. If you want to bring your cell phone to school, it has to be in a pouch and you're going to buy a pouch. And if it gets stolen, if you

151lose it, if you put your cell phone on the table in the cafeteria, if you put it in the back, it's on you, not on us. And we put that and you make them sign a document that says, "We're telling you don't bring your cell phone to school. If it gets stolen, it's on you, not on us." So I think conceptually that could work. I'm thinking about the kid who has to is responsible for younger siblings, childcare, the kid that may have to arrange with a parent, "How am I getting home?" or there's so many different scenarios. Uh we have kids that stay after school and may need to reach out to a parent. Uh so if you don't bring it to school, then you have literally cut off communication with parents and I don't

152Okay. I personally don't feel comfortable with that. >> All right, next next bad idea that you guys can shoot down. Um how about we implement a new Georgia General Assembly pouch fee and we tell all high schoolers there's a $50 fee to come to this to bring your cell phone and get a pouch. And the fee is courtesy of the Georgia General Assembly mandatory ban on cell phones that we didn't get funding for and we have to pay for. Let's do it. I know you're being Is that a real thing? Yeah. >> [laughter] >> I That's fine. I mean Let's do it. So But I'm still voting no on this unless we table it. So I I I'm I'm looking at the immediacy. What we need to do for the fall because The fall is

153here. What for because the fall is here, we have to do the K8. Mhm. We have to do something like K8. >> [clears throat] >> Um high school does not start until the law uh does not start into the until the 27-28 school The language in the law actually says no later than >> No later than >> So it's subject to a local decision, but no later than July 1, 2027 for 9 through 12. >> Right. So you know, I I think today we have to come to I I I guess I'm agreeing with Ms. Grabowski. Uh but I think today we have to come to some agreement on what we're going to do about K8. I'm sorry. Does this Does this figure show the K8 and high schools together or separate? Separate. It's already

154Dr. Bringman Oh, no, Ms. Howard. Let me ask this, Dr. Watts. Can we move uh this as a part of technology over to East Plass so that we don't have to pay out of the general fund and the fund balance? It wasn't in the plan. It could be potentially future, but not in this not in this because we've already that that has already been voted on. Okay. Dr. Howard We have to consider watches, too, the smart watches. And glasses. And and yeah, and the glasses. They Some students have smart watches. I have glasses. And some have those >> what what I've seen from other school districts all of those go in the pouch. That's why it's devices and not just phone. I mean, if you look at our regulation, it's devices. Right. It Well Yes,

155Dr. Brainard. Okay, good. I'm sorry to the district staff that got this past us in February. Cuz we already voted on this in February for $850,000 of it, but we were all asleep. Um and we decided today that we were going to talk about it. So, this literally is only an extra 100 So, So, we were good at 850, but the second we added that 143 on top of it, we're bad. [laughter] So, I'll just I'm going to call us out. I'm going to call us out. This has been a very productive conversation. >> [laughter] >> Um I do support the Catchmar General Assembly cuz I don't want it to be a reoccurring fee. I can see the upfront. I can vote for it on the upfront, but these pouches are going to lost all

156the darn time. Um and I am all for the you pay for a parking pass, you pay for the privilege to have phone. Um I mean, I'm right with you, Dr. Watts. I need my son to have the phone cuz that CAT bus doesn't show up all the time. Um and I need to know to get him. Um [snorts] and he needs to be able to call them and fuss at him. Which they got he got them on speed dial now, so um Yeah. But, I would like some district like plan for how do we not have this as an extra 150 grand every year for new pouches cuz Agreed. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'll just say that we we currently have in our regulation and I'm with David like [clears throat] kudos to y'all for

157>> [laughter] >> Sorry that this is now all this discussion. But, in our regulation we do say that we are going to provide for storage. So, if we're not going to, then we have to amend the regulation. The we Well, which is obviously an administrative thing, not a board thing, but it is in there. Um I just think that we need to to find a way to help offset the cost. The the cost to the lockers alone in the as a stand-alone item, uh Mr. Smith, is $739,500 from CDW. Which is less than the $850,000 that the board already appropriated for this fund back in February. Uh my my my fear is, and I don't want to beat a dead horse, but my my fear is that I think we may some people may be

158looking at a cell phone in a different light. Uh some people see it as a luxury and other people see it as a necessity. Uh for certain children, for certain families, uh they have to be able to contact their children. And for us to tag on uh a fee uh for them to have that that that opportunity of having a cell phone, uh that might be a strain on a family. And we must not forget that we have students who are homeless. Right? So, at what point do we say, you know, even renting a box or pouch? Yeah, how many times can we rent a pouch without it becoming a profit and us not actually paying for the box or the pouch? But, those are just concerns that I would just like to raise and

159keep us in consideration of some students need a cell phone for safety purposes, for connection, transportation to their families and parents and so on and so forth. So. I mean, and historically, we've always had mechanisms in place to address financial um considerations like that and certainly would not be opposed to that same sort of consideration for this as well. Um and I agree absolutely that there are different situations for different families. So, thank you for raising that. All right. Um can someone tell me where in the February 8th meeting somebody send me the links. I I trying to find that item. I know. Yes, they did. Yes, sir. That was uh February 18th. There was um under goal four a general fund mid-year budget adjustment, which was for uh spending priorities, and I will share

160that link with the board. Okay. There being no more discussion, I will call the vote. All in favor? Okay, understand. We have to have something in place for the fall. By law, whether we like it or not. >> [clears throat] >> We have to We have to amend We have to amend Yeah, we we would have We we need I I We would have to Exclude high schools? >> amend the motion. We would have to amend the motion. Would someone like to amend the motion? Yeah, let's finish this vote. Okay. Uh all in favor? We're where we need to be. All right. Thank you. Um All opposed. I'm I'm sorry, all opposed. Yeah. All right. Thank you. Passes. All right. Item number 9.03 um program investment RFP 24-07 district purchase of student HP [snorts] Chromebooks

161from R.E. Jones Educational Solutions E- um to be funded by E-SPLOST 4 funds. Um the division that owns this is Office of Technology and Business Systems Networking and Engineering. The Office of Technology and Business Systems requires requests Board approval to utilize the district's contract awarded to R.E. Jones Educational Solutions under RFP 24-07 originally approved by the board on March 5th, 2025 for the district-wide purchase of student HP Chromebooks. The requested purchase amount is $4 million and will support district-wide student device needs under E-SPLOST 4 and E-SPLOST 5. This request supports continued district-wide access to student devices and aligns with strategic priority number four by using an existing competitively procured contract for student HP Chromebooks. The source material state that the board previously approved the contract under RFP 24-07 and an original amount of $7 million

162on March 5th, 2025. Utilizing the awarded contract allows the district to continue procuring student devices efficiently through an established agreement and sustain digital teaching, learning, and assessment district-wide. Uh thus be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approve the purchase of student Chromebooks from Ari Jones Educational Solution using the district contract awarded under RFP 24-07 in the amount of $4 million and be it further resolved that the board does now approve the requested budget transfer in the amount of $4 million. Thank you. Been moved. Second. Discussion? Miss Hall? Um Dr. Watts, recently I sent an article from The Atlantic magazine and I I've sent several to the board and to some of our staff about the disuse of Chromebooks across the country because research valid research has shown that the more

163technology brought into the classroom the lower the achievement outcomes. I don't know how many of you've had a chance to read anything on this. At the retreat we talked a little bit about the importance of getting back to pen and pencil and paper with math and that kind of thing. So, I just wanted to know your since you actually did recommend this, what your thoughts are about us adding to our uh technology arsenal as opposed to beginning to look at um letting some of that go. So, as you look at this deeper, I hope that you are noting too that this is a combination of print materials, consumables, and technology. So, it's not just a technology driven um aspect. It's there's printed materials and materials that students will actually have access to in their uh

164hands so that we can make sure that there is a good balance. Um I would say philosophically I'm aligned to a mixed approach. Um we are preparing our students for a world in which technology is required and saying that we're going to take technology completely out of a classroom I think would be a disservice to our students because they would not be prepared to compete in a world that technology is just a fundamental skill you have to have. I believe in the approach of teaching kids how to use it responsibly and managing screen time so that there's a balance. So I am not against having some use of technology. I do not believe we should be all technology. And this is a mixed This is not just technology driven. Well, I I guess the more

165we try to align everything we do with our strategic plan and that to amount student outcomes it would be good to see uh and I again we have the monitoring question. But what does student achievement look like for students who are using less and and and maybe by a subject area. Who are using less technology in their math class than students who um primarily depend on their Chromebook. I think there would have to be a rigorous study. So that would be great for somebody to do a doctoral dis- dissertation on that. There would have to be um but I think it it be very difficult to extrapolate technology cuz it's always also going to be dependent on the quality of the teacher. It's also going to be dependent upon manipulatives and how well they're being

166used. I mean, there's so many factors that go into how a student achieves. To just lift out technology would be very difficult to to do and say that one is a correlation for the other. Okay. Well, I ask that all of my colleagues um do some research on this because it's pretty compelling. And then, this is also something that could be brought up at teacher senate just to get a feel for how people are feeling >> it's developmentally appropriate, right? Our younger students, to me, should have very much less when it comes to math. I think the research shows the best way to teach math is more hands-on with younger kids. The use of food has been substantiated as a high-quality way to teach fractions. Uh so, there is a lot of research. But, the

167older a student gets, and again, I have two college students, I know what the demand is when a student is in college and when they are moving into the workforce, it is a dis- it would be a disservice. And we would not be preparing our students for what they need when they get to college and beyond if we just said no technology. Mr. Belsky. I agree 100%. I think age-appropriate technology use is the key. Um but, with the shift in technology away from personal devices, our students are now going to be solely rel- reliant on our district-provided devices. So, I think one thing that we need to I'll support the Chromebook purchase, but I think one thing that we need to think about for future technology is maybe diversifying our electronic devices so that we

168have iPads available or tablets that allow for more creative expression than Chromebooks do. Um we all received an email from one of our teachers um expressing concern about the loss of cuz students do a lot of stuff on their phones for very productive reasons for their classes. So um I think as we move forward, we need to look at is our technology um meeting the needs of what we need for in all of our classes. >> And I have asked um our CTO um because you were going to get a budget request this year for a refresh of technology and we hit pause on that so that over the course of next year we could have a vision and a strategy and not just say Chromebooks for everyone and we think about what our younger

169students need versus what our older students need. Um and so that is one of the big rocks we have for next year is to really look at how we deploy technology. You know, when COVID came through, it was the go-to. We just everybody packed purchased Chromebooks and that's what we've relied on, but I think there's an opportunity now to reimagine technology and that's what I have tasked Mr. Robinson to do. Anyone else? All right. Uh Dr. Bringle I thought we were both Okay. >> [laughter] >> All right. I'll call the question. All in favor? Thank you. Continue. Awesome text to go. 9.05 Program investment RFP 25-26 audio enhancement annual contract first renewal. The owner of this is operation um operations and technology and business systems. On May 7th, 2025, the board approved the award of

170RFP 25-26 audio enhancement annual contract to Net Planner Systems Incorporated. For an initial one-year term with the option to renew for two additional one-year periods. The intent of the request for proposal was to select a qualified firm to provide audio enhancement and material as a turnkey solution for the district schools on an as-needed basis. The district has identified up to 15 school sites that will receive communication integration through RFP 25-26 under this renewal. [snorts] Additionally, technical support, system upgrades, security upgrades >> I'm sorry. I'm sorry. We're on 904. Since she's already started, can we go ahead and finish then go back? >> finish finish that then we'll just go back to it. Um the district has identified up to 15- excuse me, 15 school sites that will receive communication integration through RFP 25-26 under this

171renewal. Additionally, technical support, system upgrades, security upgrades, and replacement of peripherals in ongoing is ongoing throughout the annual renewal period for all district sites. This renewal shall also support work through the division of technology on an as-needed basis. The audio enhancement communication integration project includes upgrades to schools intercom systems, classroom communications, and classroom audio-visual system district-wide. Thus be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approve the first renewal of RFP 25-26 audio enhancement annual contract for an estimated total cost of $3,700,000 to Net Planner Systems Incorporated for upgrades to school intercom systems, classroom communications, and classroom audio-visual systems district-wide. I apologize. It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion? All right. All in favor? All right. .04 There we go. RFP 26-21 mathematics textbooks adoption. [clears throat] The owner of this is

172the Office of Instructional Excellence Curriculum and Instruction. The Purchasing Department received 16 proposals in response to RFP 26-21 mathematics textbook adoption annual contract. Um the firms that submitted proposals are listed in your packet, the 16 firms. The primary intent of this request was for proposed Excuse me. The primary intent of the request for proposal was to select qualified firm [snorts] that has demonstrated competency and possesses the ability and experience necessary to provide textbooks and other related ancillary materials and resources at all elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the district. The proposal was evaluated based on company experience and qualification and sample contract quality, functional, and technical approach, mathematics textbook rubrics, references, and cost. There were four firms short list to participate in the classroom pilot implementation and educator and educator parent community engagement review during

173phase two. Those firms were Carnegie Learning, Cengage Learning Inc., McGraw Hill, and Savvas Learning Company. Staff recommend the award of RFP 26-21 mathematics textbook adoption be made to Savvas Learning Company based on the comprehensive evidence across student engagement, teacher support, and technical integration including an alignment with HB 1030, HQIM, and multi-stakeholder data. Savvas Learning Company is being recommended for K-12 mathematics adoption as an instructional resource SSCCPSS. [clears throat] Uh the justification, mathematics is a comprehensive enVision mathematics is a comprehensive core mathematics program developed by Savvas Learning Company that supports the development of conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and problem-solving through a problem-based learning model. The program integrates visual learning, real-world application tasks, and digital tools to engage students in mathematical reasoning and discourse, built-in differentiation, embedding assessments, and interactive technical support, personalizing learning and instructional planning.

174Thus, be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approve the award of RFP 26-21, mathematics textbook adoption, subject to final contract term negotiations, to Savvas Learning Company to include licensing licensing, consumables, printed materials, and professional learning support. And be it further resolved that the board authorize the use of general fund fund balance in the amount of $4,688,719.24 for year one cost, and assigns $3,125,812.83 of fund balance for four-year cost for a total of $7,814,532.07 [clears throat] as detailed um in the payment terms in your packet. Have a motion? I'll move. Moved and seconded. Second. Um discussion. Mr. Bringman. We have the two payments that pays for the whole thing. We have in the um period of IV evaluation that's going to be reviewed every year for 6 years, but the payments

175stop after year two, correct? This isn't like a 6-year that we're going to be paying this much. That is correct. Okay. Do we get six years of like service? Is that why it's on that six-year evaluation? Okay. >> professional learning and the consumables, that's correct. Uh Ms. Grabowski. I just want to thank the academic team for the work that you put in and providing the opportunity for the community to see the materials. Um I know that's a lot of effort and you added additional days. So, just want to recognize and appreciate the work that went into that. Um and part of this evaluation. Anyone else? All right. All in favor. Wonderful. All right. Thank you. Item number 9.06 RFP 26-12 special education and behavioral support services annual contract. The purchasing department received 32 proposals in

176response to RFP 26-12 special education and behavioral support services annual contract. The 32 firms are listed in your packet. The primary intent of this request for proposal was to select qualified firms to provide individuals who can supply special education and behavioral support services to district sites. Uh staff recommends award to 12 of the highest scoring firms that are listed in your and are posted on the public website. The first annual contract is estimated at 8,059,680 dollars. The estimated cost is based on current third-party vendor staffing, quotes, and projected needs related to unfilled teacher vacancies from the prior year, as well as anticipated vacancies when direct hiring is not feasible. Special education staffing requires fluent throughout the year requirements fluctuate, excuse me, throughout the year due to the ongoing student evaluations and eligibility determinations that directly

177drive service needs. The performance period for these contracts will be for 1 year with the option to renew for an additional two 1-year terms. The funding source for this will be for various funds. Thus be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approves the award of RFP 26-12, special education behavior support services annual contract to the firms Ideal Hires Personnel, America's HealthCare, Eluma, The Stepping Stone Group, Positive Behavior Support, Backpack Medical Group, Row Health, RCM Health Care Services, Learn It Systems, Spring Health Integrated Care, AMN Allied Services, and Site About School Behavior at an estimated annual cost of 8,059,680 dollars. Moved and seconded. Discussion? Uh thank you for teaching me that there were words past >> [laughter] >> qualtenary for positions cuz I have never used denary or undenary or duodenary,

178but I'm going to try to have a time when I can use those now. Yeah. Building on that, I had the same thought [clears throat] that Dr. Bringman, do we need 12 firms to I mean to award this to Do we need Are they Are we not able to to meet our needs with like the top three? Or That's a lot. Yes. So because of the um various services and supports that students may need, it provides us with that flexibility. Okay. Uh and allows us to respond uh in a much more timely manner. Uh so there that's the the general basis of that. I don't know if Mr. Ray has any additional context. Yes, I'd add that um we used to do these separate. Um this is kind of done with human resources talent human

179resources to some extent together. So some of these companies also provide us nursing subs. Um and so some of the So, you know, it's it's not we're not widgets, right? So some company this this company might have a lot of nurses, other company may not. And so that's what happens throughout the year is they're it's transit. So we may find that we need the fifth or the sixth um company to be able to get the nurse that we need versus the first two that already have them contracted out somewhere else or something like that. Okay. Thank you. There being no more dis- uh discussion, all in favor? Thank you. The financial documents in your packet this month covers us through March 31st. Um all of these statements are set We're at 75% of the fiscal

180year and 75% of the school year. Um in our fund 100 general fund revenue, local property taxes are currently at 64.1% of the budget, which is a little bit lower than where we were this same time last year at 66. um collected. Total general fund actual revenues are at 68% of our budget compared to about 70% last year. For our general fund expenditures, our actual expenditures for teachers are at 72.3% of our budget, which is higher than the expected 61% for this point of the um of the year. Other support salaries are at 70.2%, which is a little bit lower um than expected. Um between 71 75%. Total general fund actual expenditures are at 68% of current modified budget compared to the same time last year at 61.6%. Um the only other fund that I

181want to um highlight is fund 600. Um and that is our school nutrition. Um school nutrition is currently showing a loss of $498,000. Um we budgeted $3.1 million in operating transfers from the general fund for school nutrition. At this point, we have transferred the entire amount that we have budgeted, and we anticipate a reduction in revenue in the months April, May, and June due to the students being served less meals, and revenue will decrease significantly while our salary and expenditures will continue um through June June 30th. At this time, we have no other significant concerns for any other funds. Take any questions that you may have. Questions? All right. Item number 10.02, a budget amendment for general fund midterm adjustment. The fiscal 2026 adopted budget includes $500,000 for an anticipated QBE midterm adjustment based on

182projected increases in average FTE counts and historical trends in the governor's budget. The state's midterm allotment reflects a decrease in the district's QBE revenue of $473,279 and increase in the charter school's QBE revenue of $451,415. In accordance with board policy DCA, the fiscal the FY26 budget must be amended to align revenues and expenditures with the state midterm allotment. The entries are highlighted on your in your packet for the reduction of revenue and the transfer of the funds as outlined for the charter schools. Thus, be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approved the amendment of FY26 general fund budget to reflect the following adjustments. A decrease of a $500,000 in the mid-term adjustment. A degree decrease of $473,279 in the district QBE revenue. An increase of $451,415 in charter school QBE

183revenue and corresponding charter school expenditures. An increase of $451,415 in in use of fund balance to offset the district's mid-term revenue reduction. These adjustments are made in accordance with board policy DCA to align FY26 budgeted revenues and expenditures with the state's mid-term allotment. Moved Moved and seconded. Discussion. There being none, all in favor. Okay. Item number 10.03, E class 5 budget transfer, temporary move admin personnel. On April 9th, 2025, the board approved the lease agreement of facility for administrative use located at Georgia Institute of Technology Savannah campus. The district relocated central office staff to the location in preparation for the future use and reconfiguration of the 208 Bull Street facility. Approval is requested to transfer $3,654,273 from E-SPLOST Contingencies and various utility accounts related to the 208 Bull Street renovations to E-SPLOST 5 temporary move

184administrative personnel, various accounts and contingencies. The various accounts include rental of land or building, energy, water and sewer, moving services, building acquisition and improvement, security services and contingencies. These expenses will be funded using general funds that were transferred to the E-SPLOST 5 project. The entries that will need to be made to our system are outlined in your packet. Thus be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board now approve the budget transfer from E-SPLOST 5 contingency and various utility accounts related to the 208 Bull Street renovations to E-SPLOST 5 temporary move admin personnel personal personnel various accounts and contingencies. Moved. I'll do the second that discussion. There being none, all in favor. Item number 10.04 E-SPLOST 5 Communications web-based subscription budget transfer. Approval is requested to transfer funds from capital programs computer

185software account to capital programs communications web-based subscriptions. This transfer is necessary to ensure accurate alignment with state code accounting and reporting requirements for the purchase of software. Approval approval of this request will support accurate budget management and continued operation operational efficiencies. The item that we have listed is a budget transfer from computer software for $1,075,000 to compute communications web-based subscriptions. $1,075,000. Thus be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approve the requested budget transfer to ensure accurate alignment with state code accounting and reporting requirements for communications web-based subscriptions in the amount of $1,075,000. Move. Second it. Discussion? All in favor? Item number 10.05 bid 25-34 milk products for school nutrition program annual contract first renewal. On June 4th, 2025, the board approved the award of bid 25-34 milk products for school

186nutrition program annual contract to DFA Dairy Brands Fluid LLC doing business as Pet Dairy. The award was to establish an annual contract for the delivery of milk products to district cafeterias. The performance period is for an initial 1-year period with the option to renew the contract for two additional one year periods. Staff recommend that the board approve exercising the first renewal option of bid 25-34 milk products for school nutrition program annual contract renewing the contract to DFA Dairy Brands Fluid LLC doing business as Pet Dairy for the period of July 1, 2026 through June 30th, 2027 at an estimated annual cost of $2 million. Thus be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approve the first renewal option of bid 25-34 milk products for school nutrition program annual contract to DFA

187Dairy Brands Fluid LLC doing business as Pet Dairy for an estimated annual cost of $2 million. Discussion? Mr. Hall? Um Miss Nathaniel, is Pet Dairy a local company? It must be if they're delivering milk. I'll go back and pull that, Miss Hall. I want to believe they are just over the line in South Carolina, but I'll go back and confirm that and get that to the board. Okay. And anytime it's possible to put the location, not to appreciate it because um I insist we try as much to do business with local companies. Mr. Hall? All in favor. >> [laughter] [laughter] >> Item number 10.06, East Blas 4, Hubert Middle School Renovations, Summit Corporation, GMP change order number one. On February 19th, 2026, the board approved the award of RFP C-26-03 CMR service for the Hubert

188Middle School Renovation project to Summit Corporation with a guaranteed maximum price amount of $17,171,793. Since the award of the GMP, district staff have been meeting with the architect and Summit Corporation to evaluate the feasibility of placing temporary modules on campus to be used as swing classrooms for the phases of the building under construction. These module classrooms will help alleviate overcrowding in areas not under construction and better facilitate the needs of academics. A suitable location has been found on site and the project team is ready to start work on the permitting and infrastructure work to support the modules. Summit has proposed a cost of furnishing and installing temporary modules on site including rental costs, site preparation, sidewalk access, canopies, mechanical ele- um electrical uh network connections, general conditions and fees for $1,535. Excuse me, This will

189also change the work sequence in the building and delay the site work in the area where the modules will be located. To allow for this time, the contract will need to be extended to 87 days with a revised substantial completion date for the project of October 25th, 2027. This work was not included in the original contract scope and will be an increase in the GMP contract amount. The new GMP contract amount is fully funded and no budget transfer is needed. Staff have reviewed the GMP change order and recommend board approval and the superintendent supports this recommendation. Thus, be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approves GMP change order number one in the amount of $1,535,500 for RFP C26-03. CMR services for Hubert Middle School renovations to Summit Corporation for furnishing

190and installing temporary modules on site and increase the total GMP to $18,707,293 for the project and add 87 calendar days to the contract substantial completion date. There's a resolution before the board. Is there a motion? Dr. Bringman moves. Is there Ms. Hall seconds. Any discussion? Yes. Ms. Hall? I'm thrilled about the renovation that's coming to Hubert. Are we saying, Mr. Nathaniel, that we didn't realize that we were going to need temporary modulars when the whole um approval of this renovation was made, that this is something that came up afterwards? I'm going to um I'm going to pass the opportunity to Mr. Jones or Mr. Carney to help respond. I know there has been some long There's been some changes in administration um of the site. And so, as we work through this opportunity, there has

191been differences of opinions. And I believe this is in the best interest of the the students. Yes, we had several meetings, community meetings, and there were a number of uh requests, uh one would we be able to move the students off campus, and how could we ensure that the students were able to get their education while they were there and having construction taking place at the same time. These modulars will both allow the students to to stay on campus uh while also removing them from the school where the construction will be taking place. I think it it will it will um meet the needs of everyone who was who was concerned about both the students receiving adequate instruction without interruption, as well as being able to keep the project on on a on schedule. Okay,

192Mr. Jones, I was at that first uh meeting, and it seemed like I recall that y'all had come up with a wonderful solution to do the work um that it was not going to interfere with student instruction. So, I'm just a little surprised that uh you know, but certainly if this is going to benefit the children, then I'm all for it, but um usually this is something that's decided, you know, early on. So, I'm just a little surprised to see that it was decided that these modulars were needed now, but if that's for the best, then then good. We had a number of conversations with the principal who was not involved in the beginning with the with the design, and he had some additional concerns that we wanted to be able to properly address. Any

193other discussion? All right, the resolution has been moved and seconded. No other discussion. All in favor? It's unanimous. Turning the meeting back to you, President Moss. Item number 10.07. Um contract M26813. Um the owner is Office of Technology and Building Systems. The description, Microsoft 365 Cloud Services is a suite of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools, including Word, Excel, Teams, and OneDrive that enable secure communication, file storage, and workflow man- workflow management. The justification, renewal of Microsoft 365 Cloud Services is necessary to support teaching, learning, and district operations by providing a secure standard- standardized platform for students and staff. Microsoft 365 enables classroom collaboration and productivity through shared documents and real-time co-authoring Word and Excel. Improves communications and virtual learning capabilities using the Teams and provides consistent backup file storage and sharing for institute ins- instructional

194and administrative materials, provides cons- on one drive. Maintaining licensing helps ensure reliability access for all users across schools, supports account security and information protection controls for students and staff data, and reduces risk and instructional disruptions that can result from fragmented or unapproved tools. Thus be it resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent that the board approve the Microsoft 365 cloud services renewal from CDW-G for a total cost of $775,243.36. And be it further resolved that the board approve the budget transfer and amendment as described. So moved. Thank you. Who is the second? Any discussion? There being none, all in favor. Thank you very much. That's it. We now have our public [snorts] appearances. I need to see the list. The list is not coming up. >> Olivia Payne Is Olivia Payne not here? Okay. Okay.

195Uh Angelisa um Bryant Good afternoon again. I know we all are tired. But I'm here on behalf of my child and the students. A budget tells the truth about priorities. This district manages approximately 940 million dollars. That is not just money. That is trust. That is responsibility. That is the future of our children. And budgets only work when systems work. And systems only work when policies are followed. State law matters. Federal laws matters. Board policies matters. And parents voice, it matters. Georgia does not educate just the man. Georgia supports the whole child. That means academics, safety, mental health, counseling, student support, and family engagement. Because education is not separate from the child. It is connected to the whole child. And parents are part of that whole child system. So, my question to everyone, is there

196any board approved policy that says that this district is responsible for only educating children academically, not their safety, counselor, support, or parent partnership? Because if there is no such policy, then we must stop acting like parents are outside public education. We are not outsiders. We are partners. And when systems fall, when grievance procedures are delayed, when records are incomplete, when staffing is overwhelmed at night, when policies are treated like suggestions, families feel it. Children feel it. I come here because, lastly, my child made a one on GMAS math last year. But guess what? She made a three out of four on math GMAS. And it was because of the help of Mathnasium. Other individuals in here use Mathnasium. But on April the 29th, I received an email from an educator that told me that the

197credits that she received would not be approved. Now, I'm confused because if everyone in here and others that I know in here use Mathnasium -nasium and their kids are up to the level, why is my child being penalized? We as parents must activate. And we must care about our students. Thank you for your time. Good night. I will now accept a motion to adjourn. Moved, seconded. All in favor? We will see you guys in a half hour for our uh other meeting. Our other meeting, our our budget hearing. I I don't