001Okay. Um, no long opening remarks uh from me. Um, I will instead turn it over to Dr. Collins to get us started. All right. Um, we are going to have our awesome science Olympiad students recognized first. I'd like to invite up Miss Dina Papis up to the podium who will kick off this awesome celebration of the smartest students in the United States of America. Good evening. The Science Olympiad is a powerful compliment to the Next Generation Science Standards, emphasizing hands-on learning across science, engineering, and real world problems. This year, we're proud to have 118 fourth and fifth grade student participants across the district. Our district 64 Science Olympiad events go far beyond. They're about curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Students learn by doing. They adapt, they test, they redesign, they problem solve, they polish their skills,
002and they work side by side with peers in a supportive and exciting environment. This event would not be possible with the incredible efforts of our event coordinators, our parent coaches, our parent judges, our custodial staff, our administrators, and our support staff. A special thank you also goes to Lynn Barbez. [Applause] Lynn organizes all the event kits and is instrumental to much more behind the scenes um and all the compliments that we get as they she couldn't make it easier for anyone. Thank you all for your commitment, organization, and passion. Now, I'd love to recognize the students who excelled in each event. We have the aerodynamics. Each team member built and launched a paper airplane aiming to stop as close as possible to a target. In third, please from Carpenter School, grade four, Yuna Louie and
003Carabot. In second place from Field School, grade four, Joey and Jeff Wilson. And in first place from Carpenter, grade five, Brody St. John, Leon Petra Pino, and James Powers. The next event was the egg drop. The teams designed and built eight catchers that successfully cushioned the drop of an egg from increasing heights. I'm going to All of the winners. Third place from field grade four, Keegan Moran, August Lazaro, and Parker Hunt with a height of nine feet and extra special t-shirts. In second place from Franklin, grade five, George Canis, Salvator Chichoni, and Nathan Shufeld with 10 feet. And in first place from Washington School, grade five, Liam Frigo, Jackson Bradford, and Ian Dalby Jones with a height of 11 feet. The mystery box. Students use senses other than sight to identify the characteristics of hidden
004objects. Recording weight, length, texture, and material type. In third place from Roosevelt School, grade five, Elena Roth and Ava Spiegelman. In second place from Franklin School in grades four and five, combo team, Juliet Gianini, Annabella Geianini, and Claire Pomier. In first place from carpenter grade four, Soair Lee Wong, Arrestes Rivero, and John McNelis. The rubber band catapult teams built a catapult device to launch a rubber band toward a target. In third place from field, grade four, Evan Corkerin and David Bennett. In second place from a combination Franklin and Washington, grade five, Christians Chrisopoulos, Constantine Chrisopoulos, and George Constant. And in first place, Washington grade five, Lucas Mucula, Isaac Wilmarth, and Cameron [Applause] Matuk. The last event was the structures. Using only 250 round wooden toothpicks and one stick of modeling clay, students constructed the tallest
005freestanding structure they could in 30 minutes. In third place from field, grade five, Maximanovich and Graham Myers with a height of 17 in. [Applause] In second place from Carpenter School, grade four, Victoria Rabbitzka, Stanley Stassu Wakinets. Oh my gosh, sorry. Wagoska and Matthew Reeki in 21.75 in. [Applause] And in first place from field, grade four, Oliver Smelinsky and Philip Draws with 27.75 in. A huge congratulations to all our fourth and fifth grade participants for their creativity, teamwork, and problem solving the district 64 2025 science Olympiad. Thank you all so much. We're going to take a picture, so stay there. Okay. [Applause] parents, if you want to come up and take pictures, too. We'll make sure we share our picture that we're taking with the district camera. So, it's a very high resolution camera with you
006as well. Congratulations students. Students and families, you are welcome to stay for the rest of the board meeting. It's they're super exciting. Or you you feel free to uh take off tonight. Uh if if whatever you know stack of Angels are welcome. Yeah, congratulations. All right, moving on with our celebrations, we'd like to invite up Mr. Baldoff and Mr. Degman from Carpenter to present their shining star awards. Well, thank you. Uh, welcome board of education, Dr. Collins, district administration, Carpenter staff, families, students, science olympiad winners. Uh, I'm Brett Bolaf. I'm the principal at Carpenter Elementary School. Next to me is my wonderful assistant principal, Mr. Shawn Degman. I've been doing this for 13 years coming up uh and highlighting Carpenter School. And I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous uh this
007year when I we moved to kind of the new format of recognizing Shining Stars. And the reason why I was is because as you know, Carpenter was uh you know, we were found to be one of the 20th best elementary schools in the state. So obviously obviously you're going to have a lot of shining stars in your carpenter staff and your students and in your parent community. So we were a little bit nervous about uh you know who we were going to find as our shining stars. So Mr. Mr. Dman and I met with our leadership team uh team of teachers at the school building and we were talking about the different ways that we were going to pick our shining stars and we didn't know if we were going to do it by you
008know survey or we're going to do nominations and at that meeting it became super obvious at that point in time one of our teachers had said what about Mr. Vander. And then everyone went, "Yeah, yeah, Ben, yeah, Ben, Ben Fander, everybody. Ben Fander, Ben Fander, Ben Fander, Ben Fander." Went around the room and it was like unanimous through our leadership team that our new technologist, Ben Fander, who's been with us this year, has made such a positive impact on our school climate and culture and helping out our students and staff that it became unanimous that he became our shining star. So, we wanted to have Ben come up here and have a seat. Um, and then also the same thing happened with our This the same thing happened with our students. You know, we have
009about 435 students or so at Carpenter School. So many wonderful students. We weren't quite sure if we were going to have teachers nominate, you know, students from their home room, from their grade level. And at the same meeting, it was Genevie Sue. Genevie Sue. Oh, yeah. I had Genevie Sue. I had Genevie Sue in my class. Oh, she she comes down and helps out all of my kids. She does all the It became unanimous that Genevie Sue was going to be our shining star as a student. And then Mr. Degman and I went through all of our positive office referrals that we do. They're called green slips. And Genevie Sue's name was all over that doc all over that document. So we want to welcome up Genevie Sue up here too. And Sean and I
010Sean and I talk a lot, but then Sean had the wonderful idea and he did all the work. He wanted to make sure he let everyone know that. He did all the work to put together these wonderful videos which are video testimonials of our staff and students that are recognizing Mr. Fander and Genevie. So please enjoy the videos that Mr. Degman put together so thoughtful and he's always pleasant and he'll drop everything just to come and help you out on the spur of the moment. So, thank you Ben and congratulations. Mr. Ben's the best because he's nice and he fixes our iPads. Hey Ben, congratulations on being Carpenter shining star. There's six words to sum you up. You are on top of it. You are always there in to help the students and us teachers
011with our technology issues. I hope you have enjoyed being at Carpenter this year as much as we have enjoyed having you. Thank you, Mr. You're the best person ever. without imager 26. And so when you heard Mrs. Norman say he drops everything on top of Looks like we have to swap out devices. So, while we're doing that, um, Mr. Degman is going to be the principal next year at Hooverwood Elementary School in Betavia, Illinois. Um, my ex-stopping grounds and we're very excited for him and his family and all the great things that he's going to do as a principal. And we're very lucky that he was able to impact all the things at Carpenter and make sure that we have the great, wonderful school that we have. And he had a great mentor to work
012with, um, the best. and he's now going to go on to great things and do wonderful things for that community. So, congratulations to you, Mr. Dman. We're going to miss you. I'd like to congratulate Ben on the shining star award at Carpenter. Ever since he's been here, he's hard worker, approachable, so thoughtful, and he's always pleasant, and he'll drop everything just to come and help you out on the spur of the moment. So, thank you, Ben. And congratulations, Mr. Ben's the best because he likes and he fixes our iPads. Hey, congratulations on being carp. shining star. There's six words to sum you up. You are on top of it. You are always there instantly to help the students and us teachers with our technology issues. I hope you have enjoyed being at Carpenter this year
013as much as we have enjoyed having you. Thank you, Mr. You're the best tech person ever. Ben is always quick to respond to staff requests for support. He embraces learning and problem solving in his role as technologist at Carpenter. He's always welcoming to teachers and students who come to him for help. And he is a great collaborator and member of the tech team at Carpenter. Shout out to Mr. Men for helping Mrs. Johnson. I'm Joey and Mr. Ben helping us out in Tech Friday and we really and we're very happy to have him. Thank you, Mr. Ben. Ben is truly invaluable. No matter the issue, big or small, he tackles it quickly, never once complains, and even when it turns out to be something I could have done on my own, he does it with
014a smile on his face. His positivity, reliability, and quiet patience make him an absolute rock for the team. We're incredibly lucky to have him. Mr. B is the best because fixes our iPads and he's super helpful. I'm Kaylee. I teach second grade at Carpenter. Having been a part of our staff this year has been wonderful. At the beginning of the year, my projector broke and when he was coming to fix it for me, I had mentioned that this wasn't the first time it had happened and he took it upon himself to order me a brand new projector and come in and have it installed before the kids got to school that day. Whenever my kids have any issues with their Chromebooks, he's always so quick to solve their problems, and he's so kind and so
015helpful. Mr. Ben is the best because he fixes almost every piece of technology in the school when it's not working and and not um doing something the way it should and and when it's glitching. The best Mr. Father, help us with the Thank you, Mr. [Applause] Hey Genevie, congratulations on being carpenter shining star. It was such an honor to have you in my third grade class and to see you these last couple of years in our carpenter cougar den. What I think of when I think of you is how you are always ready and willing to help others at school. And not You always ready and willing to do it. You do it with a smile on your face. Thank you for being such a good role model for your fellow company members. Genevie is
016the best grade because she's kind. I want to congratulate Genevie. She so deserves this special award. She is somebody who persists and is creative and collaborates. This is one of her pieces that we have hanging in the hallway. And I just want to say that She is somebody that we can truly use as a role model for other people at our school and that we're so grateful that we've had her as our student. Best wish is always Genevie. Any day you get to see Genevie at Carpenter is a better day because she is uh someone with such a positive attitude. She uplifts other people around her. She's so helpful. Um, Genevie has wonderful manners. She goes out of her way to look for um ways to be caring for others. For example, I've seen her
017walk um kindergarteners on their way to their cougar dens. Um she just kind of looks out for people in a in a polite and uh really thoughtful way. Um and she is a very hard worker. She doesn't give up when things get hard. And I really appreciate all the uh times that I've gotten to spend with her in fourth grade and seeing her really throughout the building. Genevie was one of my best friends because she never puts anyone down and she's always really kind. Jenny is also one of my best friends because she always motivates you. She's really smart and she's funny and is really nice and she'll help you with anything and we're so happy she got elected to be here. [Music] A little message from the CFC. We are so glad Genevie was
018chosen as a shining star. You truly make a better place to be. Genevie, you always go above and beyond in every way. You are so dependable and always volunteering for classroom helper jobs and always doing your job with such care. You're a naturalb born leader. You always help before it. Your upbeat demeanor and pleasant personality bring positive vibes to her each day. You always encourage others to do their best and you support your classmates presentation. And you're so inclusive to all students. You're always flexible and willing to work with anyone. You're a great listener, always focused and participating in class. As a patrol, you really took on the role and went above and beyond which was noticed by the staff members, the students, and the parents. You always make everyone valued, appreciated, and respected. Last
019of all, your kindness and your impeccable manners are seen by all. Therefore, you're a terrific role model for others all the time, and you can motivate others to do the same. We appreciate you so much as a person, as a student. Genevieve was always ready to learn and always came in with a positive attitude. She was very eager to learn and worked hard at everything she did. I remember Genevieve being very compassionate towards others and being a good friend to others. Even to this day, Genevie always has a big smile on her face, greet you with a big, "Hi, Mrs. Commanda, and is always willing to go above and beyond." I know Genevieve loved gymnastics when she was in first grade, and I know she still loves gymnastics. Keep working towards your dream, Genevieve. You
020are a shining star. Genevie is the best because he's super helpful, kind every She sees us, she gives us a hug, and she's the most supportive. Coming up with something nice to say about Genevie was very, very easy. She is hardworking. She's bright. She's really everything that makes up such a great student. She has all the qualities. She's talented. She's responsible. She's confident. She's very eager to learn every day. But even more than that, she is kind. She's thoughtful. She thinks of others before herself. She's friendly. She's accepting to everyone. She's always smiling and she's always caring for all the people around her. And we are all very blessed to know Jenny Carpenter shining stars everybody and thank you for the Sue family for being here and for uh Ben's wife for being here and
021supporting them. We'll we'll do a picture um just in a in a moment once we have uh just one more award recognition ceremony here for our those who excel award winners. So, every year the Illinois School Board puts out a those who excel award uh ceremony and call for proposals across the state of Illinois. And every district is invited to take uh just a moment to think about those wonderful individuals who spend so many hours making sure that all of our children and the other staff members that we have have their needs met to make to to have this wonderful thing that we call schools take place. And we so lucky that we have so many wonderful staff members that it's always a challenging situation for all of our principles and other administrators to figure
022out who we're going to nominate. And each year we've been lucky that all of our award winners have been accepted at the state level and they're recognized across the state of Illinois um just to make sure that we we know how much we appreciate them and how lucky we are to have them working here in district 64. So, I'd like to invite up our principles now who are going to briefly speak about all of our those who excel in award winners. And can we also have the winners uh come up right now and just stand over to my left, your right, at the front here together. And then as your name's called, you can just step forward. And then uh the administrator who is recognizing you tonight will just get a brief moment to tell
023us all of the wonderful things that make youu and why we are so lucky to have you teach your work here in district 64. Well, I guess I'll go. I'm right here. Uh Brett, principal carpenter. And it's my privilege and honor to recognize a fantastic teacher on one of my favorite second grade teams in the district, Mrs. Renee Jerzac. I know we're keeping it short. So, if I had the opportunity in time right now, I would ask each and every one of you, what's your like favorite song that makes you happy, that makes you want to sing, that makes you want to get up and dance and just feel really good, that would set this board of education meeting up in such a positive way. Can't do that. But I want you to think about
024it and I want you to imagine that's the way Renee Jerzac's class starts every single day. You got 8:55. You walk in her classroom. The kids are all sitting around. They're naming her favorite happy song to sing and dance because that's the way her day starts to make her kids happy, feel that they enjoy being at school and getting ready to learn. I was walking through the hallway today. I was telling our fourth and fifth graders to please stop running as they were coming in from recess. And Mrs. Jerzac's walking in front of me and getting hugs from all the fourth and fifth graders. And I'm like, what? What is going on? And that to me was symbolic of exactly the type of impact that she's had on our kids, not just this year, but
025from years past that they remember her so much. I just wanted to read a couple things that parents had written about Mrs. Jerzac and some things that some of the students had written about her because I think they're they're going to be the best testimonials. These are all different parent comments by the way. She has changed our daughter for the better and we see it daily. She is so happy and loves to go to school because of her. She creates a safe and supportive environment. We are so h lucky to have her. The seamless way Mrs. Jerzac is able to instill a strong sense of self-confidence in the children while keeping learning fun is a sign of experience and excellence. She understands the character of our children and helps them to nurture their core while
026equally teaching them life skills, values, and book skills from her kids. She's my favorite teacher. She's very nice and silly. She she makes me she makes me laugh. She makes me laugh, too. Mrs. Jerzac is a very great teacher and makes me happy all the time. She makes me feel valued and loved. She's very kind and I look forward to sharing my weekend hockey and sports successes with her every Monday. Mrs. Jerzac is the best teacher in the world. I really like how you make our day very happy and very joyful. That's who you are, Renee Jerzac. Congratulations. I'm Kevin Dwire, principal at Roosevelt Elementary School, and we're uh here honoring Kristen Chrisman, who's our school nurse at Roosevelt. And Kristen just waves hi to everyone. Kristen is being honored tonight for her dedication and
027commitment to our Roosevelt community. As I'd like to say, we all count on Kristen and all the great work that she does in the health office, and every moment counts. By the numbers, Roosevelt has 675 students, and the health office manages well over 12,000 documented health matters in the office this year alone. Behind those numbers is Kristen Chrisman, a person whose grace, character, knowledge, skill, and dedication to others is certainly worthy of their special recognition. We're so grateful to have you on our team, and we're counting all those thank yous. Congratulations. I have the pleasure of honoring two Franklin staff members today. Um, I have Beatric one of our kindergarten teachers at Franklin. Um Beatric is being honored for um the those who excel award because of her dedication to her students in her classroom.
028As a kindergarten teacher, you are a child's first experience sometimes with school. We set them up for success. We create a loving community and we get to see those children continue to thrive. Walking into Viet's class is one of my favorite things to do because those kindergarters have such a sense of pride in their work. They are eager to show us what they know and I know that comes from all of the work that Beatric does to make her students feel empowered and loved and cared for. Um I really think that this recognition is important because Beatatric was nominated as someone early in her career under five years and I have had the opportunity of seeing from a first year teacher to where she is today. And the amount of dedication that she has given
029to professional growth and development on her own for wanting to be the best teacher she can be for her students is so commendable. Um she has a significant role in making our kindergarten team the best it is. She is dedicated to her students. She is shaping their lives and is able to see their successes. So it is my honor to acknowledge Beatatric's hard work and dedication to all students at Franklin and I am so truly proud of her. I also have the privilege of getting to honor Natalie Shoots, one of our teachers at Franklin. She is a dedicated educator to district 64 and is being recognized for those who excel. Um she is also one of the few at Franklin who is distinguished as a national board certified teacher and has had the opportunity to
030various grades and most recently CFC and prim primary challenge of Franklin. Because of all of these uh experiences that she had in her national board certification that just goes to show her prestigious recognition and her understanding of content knowledge, her instructional differentiation and practices and her continual professional de development and dedicated to teachers. When I think about Natalie and being in her classroom, I've gotten to see her as both a home room teacher and CC teacher. One of my favorite things that I know about Natalie a classroom community unlike anything else I have ever seen. Students are so proud to be part of team shoots that they have water bottles that they proudly use for years and years and years after swag that they are dedicated to and they are so excited to share what
031they've learned their time with family. I think one thing that we cannot underell in education is students when they feel they belong and they feel like teacher who cares about them, they blow exponentially higher and achieve things that we don't even anticipate. And I think when I think of a good teacher and I think of what I want for our students to experience, Natalie shows those things to her students and that is evident in their growth in their time with her um whether it's been in the home room or now in her CMC position. So I am so proud to honor Natalie today. It is an honor to work alongside her. It is an honor to work alongside Beatric and I think that this recognition could not two better Franklin staff members and I grateful
032for all they do for our Franklin community. Hi, I'm Maria Solius. I'm one of the assistant principles at Emerson. I am honored to talk about Karen. Um Karen is an amazing amazing asset to our Emerson community. She brings over 17 years experience as our technology elective teacher. She teaches everything from computer skills and programming to broadcasting film production, digital citizenship, and more. You've probably seen her work with our WMS episodes that she puts out her Karen and her crew put out every week for our community. If you come into our halls, you would see Karen and her crew, interviewing staff, interviewing students, um sending out surveys, taking pictures, taking videos, and then they put all that greatness together and produce some amazing things for our students each and every week. Um it's an honor to
033get asked by Karen to be interviewed. I I love to be a part of her work and so do the students. Each week the students receive a gift every Friday morning and that wouldn't have be possible without Karen. Um Karen, you said you're you go above and beyond in everything that you do. You are committed and you're dedicated to your students. When I first started at Emerson, I was in awe in how much time Kieran actually spent in the building. But she puts so much every single project that she does, whether it's for PTO, for our students, for a committee, you just go above and beyond. And this is you're so deserving of this award. You do everything and you excel at it. Congratulations, Karen. Hi, I'm Samantha L. I'm the assistant superintendent for student
034learning and I have the privilege of honoring Carrie Meredith tonight. Carrie Meredith is the assistant for student learning in our district. And she's worked in district 64 for almost 30 years. I'm sure she doesn't want me to tell everyone that, but she she has been here forever for us, starting at Roosevelt and then working at the district office. And as many people know in this room, when you work at the district office, people don't always know you, right? Because you're not in the schools. But everyone knows Carrie because Carrie does everything in the district. Literally everything student learning Carrie touches and she does it so well. Alicia Smiser and I will sit in meetings and say to ourselves, "We need Carrie to do this because she's the only one that could do it." And it's
035really true. Carrie, I don't want to say she's in charge of because I'm supposed to be in charge of it, but she is instrumental of anything data assessment. um practices that we have around grant funding, budgeting, rostering, helping teachers and students get into programs, curriculum, figuring out how to do it. A hundred times a day, I'll say to Carrie, I don't know how to do X, Y, and Z. And she'll say, I'll reach out to someone or I'll Google it. She she's just so hands-on and will help me with anything. In my first year in this position, Carrie, and even today, she still does this, would come in my office and say, "I think we should be doing this at this time of the year." And I'd say, "You're right, Carrie. She she just knows
036everything." And you can't find that in a district or or even in any organization, someone who just understands everything, wants to make it better, and knows the system and what the processes. Carrie is kind. She's wonderful. She's so thoughtful. She thinks of everyone else in our office, including our teachers, our principles, our staff members. Uh, this year alone, ISBY changed the A and ISA platform to a brand new platform. For weeks, Carrie watched videos that is put out by herself. I could hear it from my office. And then she'd come to me and say, I think we have to do this, or I think we need to figure this out. And then when ISA and AR came around, she was on the phone with principles, emailing assistant principles, all of this for everyone, going way
037above and beyond. Who who could figure out a new system for Miss V overnight, right? Nobody. But Carrie can and always will. I couldn't imagine doing my job without her. I I I'm sure the principles are nodding and everyone in district office would agree. We We can't lose Carrie ever. We'd all be lost. We'd be running around like chickens without our with our heads cut off. So, thank you, Carrie, from the bottom of my heart for for helping me, helping our kids, helping our teachers, our staff, everyone here. We love you dearly. All right. So, we we're going to go in the back now and do some pictures. We'll do the shining star award winners first and then we'll switch over to our wonderful book award winners. Congratulations everybody. Thank you. Uh the last thing
038is just that on May 5th that starts education educator appreciation week and uh that's going to be a great opportunity for us to celebrate all the wonderful teachers, teaching assistants, nurses, school psychologists, school social workers, school counselors, librarians, you name it. Um it takes a lot of people to get through the school year and if you're looking to um maybe brighten up one of your educators day, just a quick note to them makes a huge difference. Um and they they very much appreciate that. So thank you in advance. We'll have more to celebrate at that point. Okay. This is the point of the meeting where we welcome public comments. Each speaker is given three minutes to address the board. Comments may be made on almost any matter related to the operation of schools, but we
039ask that you refrain from making comments concerning individual students or staff members. The board uses this time to listen to community questions and concerns, but will not respond immediately to requests for information. Additionally, the board cannot take formal action on non-aggenda items. Contact the board president by email if you wish to discuss your topic further. Please come forward to the microphone and state your name and if comfortable your address for the minutes doesn't seem like we have anyone for public comments. So we will move to board committee reports. Um, Rachel, do you want to report out on the education committee? Yeah, I'm gonna report out on both of them today. Um, so I'll do the education committee first. So, we met um on April 1, April um to talk about the middle school and finishing
040up that process. Um, it's really really exciting. So, things I kind of want to focus on because Samantha and committee members are going to present on that um is just a little bit of how long this process has started and stopped a few times. Um it's really exciting to see but also for us just thinking about what our so it's kind of a twoart of the review that you're going to reason item is really just based on the schedule to us. Um nothing is changing contractually. There's the start and end time prep but it's more in terms of that shift like that is coming for approval. So there's going to be more I just wanted us to be focused on what's really exciting and like really really great work and structure um by that whole
041committee and really thankful to have so many staff that want to participate with like hours and hours of work that they did outside of school and on their own time research a really good solution for students appreciate everyone who's not here that any questions from anyone otherwise we have the great team here to ask those questions tonight and then policy um met on April 7th and we did our yearly look at data which is required of us by 100 and looked at comparing both type of incident by suspension suspension and by school. Um I think that was really great to hear teacher feedback on that data or staff feedback that was there. We also had some present at the meeting in addition to that was really helpful to hear different discuss about what is going
042on how we're working to improve and tighten those policies. So speaking of tightening up some things um we also discussed some changes what we're going to vote on tonight our And so those changes that are proposed last year we made a lot of changes and a lot of that was just restructuring the district made a lot of changes in terms of streamlining it making it easier to use for students to the office of students that it causes throughout the school. Um just really clearly defining the cell phone policy to make sureist and then um didn't make any changes but just had some discussions around students and also protecting our students at the same time. And then um part of the data was did a really great job of um defining how they're looking at behavior
043through an MTSS and work systems especially inreased behaviors at ages where you don't want to necessarily have larger for kindergarten. Exciting to learn about question who deliver the office for me to students alternative. Yeah. they still can get food cereal with milk again. Yeah, we want to we still need to work the details out with um how that would work. But yeah, the whole point is that we don't want students to obviously go hungry. Um so we're going to have to work through how to figure out what that would look like. But absolutely because parents go to work Door Dash. The other thing is is just elaborate in middle school have to be locked up. Why not? So the the smart watches don't have to be locked up. They have to be in school mode.
044cell phones have to be. Yeah. So there's there's no we talked about this a little bit like I think there's a wish that like obviously if a student has a smartwatch they've just become such a distraction for a whole host of reasons that all of us know. Um we've always wanted them on school mode that actually that's the same as it was prior. It's just trying to reinforce that piece. Um, I think there's a lot of conversation here and in education at large about just smart devices in general as they grow more prolific and what do we do to mitigate that? Principles have to deal with this all the time and it's a huge distraction from the learning environment. So I I this is going to be a conversation every year of what to do
045and as the technology changes what that looks like. It's the cell phone piece at the middle school and just making sure when we say the cell phone's away, what we mean by the locker, it's nowhere. It's like you know you're texting. So the difference in terms of technology that was discussed in the meeting that terms of devices and then also think about the offatch. So I think that's where there is difference. based on some of my kids ability to activate TV. Yeah, I know. I just think there was like a consideration for loss of and I'm not saying that my point of view but that's I think long run become an issue right that's already talking about different possib for walking to and from school. That's what brought up. So, sorry, just so that I'm
046clear, if an elementary student has a phone that they bring to school, what's the polic So that needs to be the phone needs to be away and out of sight. And then from there, one of our elementary is here. They could talk more about this. It's it's probably going to depend on what what situation specifically is in the building, whether or not the kids are where the kids are putting their backpacks, what away means. Am I doing this correctly? Thank you. So I think with the construction, there'll probably be some conversations discussions about, you know, if there's cubby areas that all of a sudden start to like like for instance in the the kindergarten classrooms, those are a little bit different from storage perspective for students um than maybe one of our older classrooms. So
047there the the administrators in the buildings are going to have to figure that out. um which they they have to figure out every year anyway. But as as the buildings get updated that might provide some different students. Um, we always get that question. Um, anytime there's a comparison between schools and um, what I would say is that it doesn't mean I think instantly we we try to find meaning from that. It doesn't mean that there's worse behaviors going building compared to another because of anything to do with the culture or or a lack of responsiveness from the adults or the environment or anything of that nature. Sometimes u the building principles if they have a circumstance um that is taking place in the school, it literally could just be locked. You could have a situation
048between two students that turns into five students and all of a sudden you've got five disciplinary consequences that you have to issue because of maybe some students getting into something and it was just a weird Friday and all of a sudden you've got another Um I think what Allison um has done a great job with and she she talked today at our community coffee with quite a few of our community members about this is now that the principles um have started meeting collectively with their teams and kind of getting their processes a little bit more aligned um across the whole district that question is something that they can start to examine and look at. Sometimes it is the coding of the data too. Sometimes it's the situations that are happening inside the school. Sometimes it's
049a kind of a combo of both. Um, and those are the conversations that are happening between the two middle schools and all of the elementary schools about when X behavior happens, how do we all deal with it so that it's being handled consistently and fairly and um we can ensure that when we do have data, it's as reliable as possible. There's a lot of questions about the reliability of that data um just like there were last year. I would data on um the the suspensions and the um some of the bullying um investigations that we've had that is much more stable across the board. The principles have done a great job at communicating that when we get into some of the less intense disciplinary consequences. I absolutely would say the principles are are just having
050more conversations about okay so that happened in your school. This is how this was dealt with. my school maybe a little bit different. It should probably be the same page. Um, which can also impact obviously the larger ones too. So, um, there's always going to be that question of is one school having something happen that another school's not or are they responding differently? And I think now we can say that conversation is probably going to be most appropriate um, next year because the data is getting more and more tight to actually figure out what's happening, what responses taking place, what pro-social behavior systems are being put into place where um next year the entire district before the students come is going to be training on champs and that's a new thing. So it is a
051commitment to a consistent environment across all of our classrooms for our students and in particular at the middle school when a student has to basically figure out what my behavior system and what my expectations are from my home room teacher compared to my science teacher who might be different compared to my art teacher uh compared to my my broadcasting teacher. Those could be four different systems that they have to navigate. We're trying to bring it back to as much as human possible. So that should help some of that close consistency pieces. And then the other piece that I would say from the data perspective, especially at middle school that happens is students just have more freedom. We want them to start experiencing um a day where they have to make some decisions with their time.
052And so I know when the principles take a step back and look at that data, a lot of times it's usually when there's um less supervised moments, we'll call it lunch, hallways, recess, things of that nature. And so I know the middle school principles are having a lot of conversations about how they they still want those students to have as much time as possible, but they want appropriate behaviors to take place and um what kinds of what kinds of behaviors do they need to teach so students really understand what's appropriate, what's not. The last thing I'll always say is that they are kids who make the best decisions they know at the time and sometimes we wish they would make better decisions, but that's why they come to school. So um I' I've always had
053situations where people say like, "When are the kids going to learn that like they can't do that?" I'm like, "They will not. They will figure it out and we will we will teach them the best we can and they will eventually graduate and they will make different decisions when they when they're adults, but they are children who are they they're old children, not young adults yet. That's a big difference. And I think sometimes we want them to be young adults and they're just not they're just big kids and they are getting there and they're doing the they possibly can and sometimes they just make a bad choice and that's okay, right? And so what I will say is our data when you compare it to other schools is very we have we have great kids.
054We have wonderful staff. They do the best they can. So we're not seeing any behaviors that are anywhere out of the ordinary with the greater educ it's a really good question. I feel like I didn't say what the second part of the middle school is. I just said what the first part was. So the first part they're talk about tonight the schedule changes but any changes in terms of howurriculating would beurricul part of this process focus overall. Great. Any other questions? Rachel should move to the superintendent update. Uh yeah, um want to acknowledge Mr. Lily again and his excellent work. He's built to protect D64. Um We can we can fire that up real quick. Uh website. So that shows the community. They can go click on Actually, Chris, do you want to talk about
055it real quick? The graphic is all his too. Yes. Uh that's our like construction hub for all the referendum related projects. If you scroll down, there's a bunch of uh tiles for each school and that's kind of where we're going to put all the regarding the school and those projects there. Um if you for example click on Washington and then so that has the whole scope of what's being worked on and then there's some renderings like right now there's the playground renderings there as we go through the project as well with updates of photos and then the construction budget of what we initially had versus where it is via the bid and yeah and then the protect D64 is just a natural kind of of the protect our building, protect our children and preserve our
056future. And so we kind of convinced that and got away from the referendum branding just because there already was vote in the past. So kind of clear up any confusion with that. So we don't think we're going back out again for a vote, but also while being as transparent as we can with everything that's happening over the next two years. I I I was just gonna say I very much like the fact that you put in the budget and the actual date with a little asterisk. So it may not be final but it allows at least some level of track. I really appreciate that agenda came out last week. Thank you. Yeah, Ben and Adam signed it there. So thanks. All right. Yeah. So Chris did a great job putting that together and we'll keep
057updating that. And then speaking of that, we are gonna have one big groundbreaking ceremony on May 15th at 5 o'clock. Um we do have t-shirts, so we hope people will come to that and um spend just a few minutes with us. And then we eventually hopefully two years from now, we'll have one big ribbon cut. So that one will be a huge massive party for two years. Um the the groundbreaking will be a good time. That's um Yes. Yes. Yes. Um so uh just a a wonderful celebration as we kick off this entire project. Looking forward to that. Um the next meeting that we do have uh will be a very brief celebration of all the great work that this board has done and then the receding of the next school board too. So uh
058we will have cake and who doesn't love cake? And so just just a brief celebration of of all the things. We've got a couple of things that we'd like to share with all of you and and celebrate our outgoing board members and some things that like to give you and then uh we'll turn the page and go on to the next round of work for the next board. So, um that is coming up and looking forward to and all your requests have been filled and we're excited for the end of the school year. That's my report. Great. Thank you. Okay, moving on. We are now at the approval of student device purchasing plan. Good evening. Everyone can hear me. Um so based on an established refresh cycles that we have in the district each year
059the district plans and budgets to purchase new devices for our students in conjunction with our onetoone digital learning program. As a reminder, right now in grades K1, students are on iPad devices, which are refreshed every four years, and students in grades two through eight are on Chromebooks, which at um second grade are refreshed every four years. So then they get a new one in sixth grade, and that takes them through to eighth grade. Um so pretty much every year we purchase new devices for our second graders and our sixth graders. And then this year we're looking to refresh those kindergarten iPads. Um every year we try to do um our due diligence and kind of review existing models of devices. um because there's always changes in the market. However, this year we did do a
060more comprehensive process called the student device evaluation and I know I talked to the board a little bit about that last year and I'm glad we were able to accomplish that. So, I'll talk a little bit about what that entailed, but the goal behind that was to ensure that our existing onetoone digital learning program and the associated devices with that still support the district's vision, mission, and strategic plan as well as our curriculum and um is affordable and sustainable for the future. So, um I had a graphic in my memo, but our 1:1 digital learning program started about 11 years ago in 2014. At that time, um we were Chromebooks grades three through eight and then we had shared iPads in the classrooms for K12. Um in 2016, we switched second graders over to Chromebooks
061take home and those iPads were still in the classroom for K1 um but they were shared and then in 2020 we went one to one um for grades K8 with iPads still in the K1 classrooms. Um during the device uh student device evaluation, my department digitally surveyed as well as met with staff, students, families, as well as some Illinois school districts um in order to gain feedback regarding our program as well as other programs that are out there. So um a few things about that. We had a device feature survey that we shared with all staff and that was asking them about different features that they use on the devices. Um which ones they think are important, how important the onetoone access is at home and at school. We had about 26 staff members who
062completed that survey from all of our uh schools. We then had staff listening sessions at every school. So my department met and made ourselves available in every school within the district and we had questions. Um so that was an inerson um listening session with staff as well as students. So we uh had samplings of students in every school that we met with and asked questions and gathered uh some feedback from them. We also conducted a family survey. Hopefully some of you filled that out. and that was gleaning feedback from families around how those devices are used at home and how important it is for students to have access to the device at home. We also did a second grade take-home survey to glean some feedback from second grade teachers around the need for the devices
063going home and the impact that it would have if they maybe didn't go home. And then finally, I did reach out. I have a pretty large network with other um Illinois technology leaders in Illinois at 51 school districts were able to fill out the survey I asked and that was around what their programs look like from devices to onetoone to shared devices. So we had a lot of data to look at. So this last month, March and April, we really uh dug into the data and based on the responses, we have a few changes to our pro to our onetoone program that we'd like to move forward with. First of all, we'd like to move our students in grades two through eight to a different Chromebook. We still think Chromebooks are the best, but um
064currently they're on a flip convertible uh Chromebook with an active stylus that's built in. And um based on the feedback and responses we have, we feel like it uh it would be beneficial if we move them a touch screen but to a clam shell device. So the device will not be convertible, won't flip 360 degrees, but rather it would flip flat. Um, and there would be no active stylus built into the device. Um, they could still use a stylus of their own, but it wouldn't be something that would be built in. Um, so no more fees for lost styluses. Um, we would also we would also like to move uh these Chromebooks to a different protective case. Currently in our uh six through eight um our six through eight devices are in a hard shell
065case. It's kind of a clear case. Um, and our our second and through fifth graders are carrying around bags with a strap. Um, the bags with a strap don't seem to be very popular. So, um, I'm proposing that we move to a hard shell protective case for everyone, but it has an embedded carrying handle on it. So, therefore, it's easier for them to transport it because that was something that we did hear from our six through eight students who do carry them all day. They wanted it easier to carry, but those devices should fit in the student's bag. So, it's not an extra bag for the parent for the student to have to carry it. Grades K. um grades two through through five. Uh we'd like to um keep the second grade devices in the
066classroom. So based on the feedback, there wasn't um and and this was not only um family survey, the entire staff survey, but also that second grade teacher survey. Um there really doesn't seem to be a lot of assigned learning that's happening um in in second grade. And so we felt like, you know, it wasn't really purposeful to be sending them home. So we're going to keep those in the classroom in carts and at the end of the year they'll start they'll start going home for over the summer. at the end of the second grade. And then in K1, we'd like to keep the students on iPads, but we want to switch to a a different um different case. The case they have now is a little uh too rugged and it's not as functional for
067the students. So, we're currently exploring some different cases and we'll get those in the hands of some kindergarten teachers to take a look at. So, after we um landed on those, we did a device cost analysis. So, we reviewed some different devices out there and we landed on two that we'd like to move forward with. For kindergarten, we'd like to stay with um the iPad. It's going to be the newest version, which is the 11th gen, and it's 11 inch Wi-Fi iPad. And then for grades two through eight, it would be the Lenovo 500e Gen 4 clam shell touch device. Um, we then requested proposals from four different vendors for the pricing of those devices. So, I'll start with the Chromebooks. Um, the pricing was in the memo and the total pricing I did want
068to point out is for the device, but also warranties associated with the device, um, protective cases, Google enrollment, and other services that come with that. Um, I did want to mention last year we spent $357.50 per device. Those were a larger feature set on the device. So, switching to the clam shell and the touch um is saving the district some money as well. So, that so that is that is something to point out. Um, we anticipate we would need about 1,025 devices for those second and sixth graders for next year. And that also is taking into account devices as students move in during that four year um and threeyear refresh cycle. We also are adding 500 additional devices to the purchase this year. The reason behind that is um due to current trade wars and
069tariffs, we have talked to a lot of our vendors and we've been told that we should anticipate 30 to 40% increases in devices. And at the quantity that that we buy, that can be close to $100,000. And so we were able to work out um we worked closely with several of our vendors, IT7 being one of them, and they had quantity of the stock of these devices state side. And so we were able to get our hands on them at the current price without tariff pricing and then they will actually hold on to those devices for us and those warranties will not start until next year. So we saw that as a win and we do have money in the budget and so we allocated those funds for those devices. So that will save the
070district some money next year as we look to refresh those second and sixth grade devices. Um so I so I am bringing uh recommendation to the board for all 1525 of those Lenovo devices knowing that 500 will be used next year's refresh cycle. In terms of the iPad quotes, I had one quote from Apple Inc. there. Um, Apple Incorporated is really the only vendor that offers uh educational pricing on new or current iPads. They also offer free management of their products through Apple School Manager. So, they're the main vendor that we work with when we purchase any Apple devices from our MacBooks to our Mac minis to our iPads. Um, I did want to point out that the price for the device that we're looking to purchase for the iPad is $324. The last time
071we bought a refresh of devices was when we expanded our kindergarten um full day kindergarten and the devices were $294 uh a piece. So, it's been about three years since then. So, inflation and cost the price has gone up. But we've been tracking enrollments and we feel like we can purchase 450 of those iPads and those will last us four year based on fluctuations in enrollment and any breakages or anything that we would need to change out during that time. So I am bringing a recommendation to purchase the 450 of the 11 in 11th gen iPads uh for the kindergarten students for this year. Um are there any questions? question. I know they're four years old, but iPads usually have value. Yes. Is that contemplated in this? Um, so we do we will then sell
072them back and that is revenue that we see for the district or or we also we change um right now we're looking to upgrade some of our iPads and our LRC's which we have available for some of our maker spaces and some of um some of the grade levels who don't have iPads are on Chromebooks but there are some apps that they utilize on the iPads. So we'll refresh those using those kinds. Okay. So it'll be some value whether it's And then there uh no the carrying cases are only on the Chromebooks. The iPads stay in the classroom and so the the only places that they might transport it is during to the LRC and the LRC um or the L's have bags the students carry their books in and potentially their iPads in. So
073we didn't see a need for a carrying case for the iPads. But do you have any protective things? Yes, there will be a protective case. that extra um that we're still working out what case to go with, but we've budgeted about 20 to $25 per case and that's also built in. It's not a part of the 324 as an additional cost. Y the last question is you said about it savvy on the 500 devices great idea, great plan, but just just are we paying them ahead of time for those devices and do we know anything about their financials? how how secure that payment would be if we pay them now versus you know all of a sudden they go out of business. So I just just trying to get a sense from I mean they
074they'll hold on to the existing quantity for us. We can certainly hold on to it ourselves. The reason for them to hold on to it would be then the warranty wouldn't start until next year paying them now but we would be paying them now. Yes. So there is kind of a risk there that we most probably should just look at their financials and understand as a company or I'm just worried about they ever went out of business because everything that's going on right now is that there's also that risk is increased as well as the risk. So we we've worked with IT Savvy for a number of years in terms of buying our devices. Obviously things are changing now but um we feel pretty we feel confident in in this decision. I also think like
075I We're looking to save money, but we can certainly look to potentially house how house those ourselves um in the district and hold on to them. Yeah, I would just say look at the financial statement and see if you know how much capital they've got, you know, if they start eating away at the capital the next few quarters. I don't know if they're a public company, but then you might want to might want to call those machines. Absolutely. I mean, we we're certainly keeping an eye on everything. Um, you know, including projectors and other devices that are not on here. Um, trying to just make sure that we can purchase them and get them in stock and on hand when when we need them. Oh, very good. I like the Thank you for the way
076of talking about styluses. Yeah, that I don't have to talk about really happy. Really glad you took that decision. Yeah. And of course, you know, we'll be phasing these devices in. So, and sixth grade will get the newer devices, but knowing that third graders, fourth graders, fifth graders, seventh, and eighth graders will be with their current devices until those refreshes are over. So, you might still deal with a stylist depending on the age of your child for a couple years. Any other questions? Thank you. Have a motion. I move the board of education approve the purchase of Chromebook devices from IT Savvy in the amount of $652,962.50 and the purchase of iPad devices from Apple in the kindergarten refresh cycle in the amount of $145,800 for the annual refresh cycle of our one to one
077digital learning. Great. Great. Karen had the motion and Rachel had the second. Let's move to a vote. Yes. Yes. Yes. Kennedy. Yes. Thank you. Great. We are now moving on to A4 which is the approval of the middle school schedule. I have Dave here with me tonight, not only to answer questions if there are any to help me present all of this, but I just have to acknowledge them and Tessa, who's not here, for all of their work through middle school review. All the district office administrators had their hands in middle school review in some way, but Maria, Tessa, and Dave sat with me for literally hours, probably hundreds over the school year to make this happen and do all the planning behind the scenes. And I I don't say thank you to them enough.
078I just call them and tell them to meet me at the district office because we have to do something. But I couldn't have done this without both of them because they're both at the buildings and can just make everything happen. So, we're we're thrilled tonight to come to you to talk about our middle school review process that in in some ways part one is hopefully coming to a close, although we'll start part two. So, this is really exciting work that we've done this year. Uh tonight, there's really four things that we can talk about. I want to go through the committee process with all of you. What does that mean? What is a middle school review versus a program review as Rachel mentioned? and in that what is the new schedule that we're proposing for
079the 2627 school year. From there, part two is that programming or those structures for 2627. So, we'll show the board what's to come. And then lastly, if there's any questions, we'd be happy to answer any of those tonight. So, to begin, it's always important to think about why why are we starting this again or why are we doing this at all, right? So, there's really two pillars that we think about when when we began this committee. We always want to maximize academic student achievement in our district, right? We want to think about those pillars and how we can make that better. In tandem, we also want to ensure that we have student wellbeing and development and that both of those are really around best middle school practices, right? Scheduling practices, but then also how do
080we make sure that students are safe and secure. From there, for our academic achievement, we really want to look at what programming we're giving for ELA and math. Is it rigorous? Is it standards aligned? What does that programming under our curriculum look like? And on the other pendulum of this, which we know is really important to our district, our staff, our parents, our kids, is an engaging elective program that provides future readiness skills. So, you'll see these really five pillars through our middle school review. Hopefully, as I stated, we want we always want to maximize student achievement. It's the whole purpose that we have all these wonderful kids here. So, our committee had to analyze our data. We had analyze as administrators and then as a staff we really had to look at this and
081one thing that we're noticing through our reading data in particular with NWA and I you'll see map data up here NWA is that we're not hitting those growth targets that we've been setting for ourselves now when you see the targets of the 88th percentile 89th percentile and 87th percentile those are for sixth seventh and eighth grade and that is an average of three years data preandemic, right? We want to return to prepandemic targets. So, that's what we want our kids to be achieving. Again, as you can see, the trend line is not going up, right? It's having a little bit of a decrease or a dip there. And currently, our kids in sixth, seventh, and eight are at 77th, 83rd, and 71st. We want our students to excel. We want them to grow, and we
082want them to achieve as much as they can. Along the lines of looking at our MAP data, it's always important to look grow targets, right? It's the reason that we have kids go through a grade level. How are they growing and excelling? MAP or NWA will say that your spring targets should be about 50% for an average growth rate. So, as you can see here for ours over the years, we've been around that. We've dipped down a little bit within 22, 23, and 24. Um, but but the other question I also ask and I talked to the committee about is do we want to be average? We want to be at 50%. Obviously, we want to start growing and we want to set realistic targets, but are we comfortable with students sitting at only 43%
083growing or only 38% growing, right? We want more students excelling than that. Another point to think about is our percentile rank. So, this is where we stand when compared to other districts in terms of growth that are also taking the MAP test. So, as you can this trend line does go down and we range between the 38th percentile and the 42nd, right? So, a district that's as amazing as ours, we want to show a better percentile than surrounding districts, right? We want to be competitive and have that percentile grow. Another important thing to think about are our comp districts, the one that we said as a school district last year with all of you and where we rank amongst those, right? similar demographics, pupil per um per per pupil spending, excuse me, um and similar
084resources that we're giving our students. So if we're doing those same things, we obviously want to see similar gains. So this data is growth by district for AR. And as you can see, we really are at the bottom band. Not that the data is is bad, but we want to have more than a 45 or 50% growth. We want that to be higher. very similar to our map data. Um, if you're wondering why we only have comp data for I to other districts as opposed to NWA, this is publicly shared through the Illinois report card. Districts don't typically no district is willing to really share their their map data. It's kind of a hidden hidden gem, so to speak. So in summary, our achievement is below our targets and our growth is below that 50%
085right which is deemed average. So we want that to be better. Hence thinking about a middle school review. If our data is bad, there's two things to think about our programming and teaching and instruction and then also what are we offering kids during the school day. Right? Research shows there's two things that increases quality of instruction and quantity of instruction. So that was another pillar that really pushed us through this process. This is what Rachel mentioned before, the difference between middle school review and a program review or a curriculum review. And you'll see here that under a middle school review, which is year one or part one, we really focus on our effectiveness and quality of a middle school as an institution. everything that we do inside of Emerson and Lincoln. We look at academic
086performance, school, climate and culture, and then the structures, which is the schedule, which is what we're presenting to you for approval. On the flip side, part two of this process is a program or curriculum review. And here is where we're really looking at curriculum programs within our middle school. This could be specific subject areas, specific interventions or initiatives such as advisory, um specific So, our talented and gifted program, we did a review for that this year. And then any courses or activities that we offer within the district. So, you'll see tonight that next year we'll focus on program review. Before I start talking to you about our pro our process for middle school review, I have to honor all of these people that are up here. Although our wonderful administrators did a great job, these
087teachers from Emerson and Lincoln, so many different content areas, met with us for eight months, we had eight different meetings and they gave up 52 hours out of their classroom, right? That's eight sub plans that they had to make. That that's that's selfless work that they were doing with us. So I I just want to thank them again for all of their valuable input as we went through this process. We couldn't have done it without that amazing committee. We mentioned this earlier today. Although we started a middle school review this year, there is a bit of history around this. Um, and sometimes it's frustrating history, sometimes it's humorous history, but it's the history of middle school review. So, this process really started in 2006. Some minor changes were made to the sixth grade schedule. And
088someone uh yesterday in PD even chuckled that we've been in a 25-y year pilot for sixth grade. And now that we've finished this, it's it's ended that pilot and then we also have a new middle school review. Um, we started middle school review in 2017. I started as a teacher, assistant principal, principal. Dave was on it with me as well. It ended because of COVID. We didn't make any changes. We didn't pick up until this year. And then next year, we're hoping to do more planning and then in 2627 have an implementation of our new schedule. Our staff were presented these five parameters last year and we sat as administrators and thought about what we needed and what would be appropriate to go in to set us up for success. So one of those is
089a common bell schedule. Um I think all of you Rachel you don't have a kiddo in middle school yet but you may have noticed that if you're in sixth grade, seventh grade or eighth grade it's all over the place. The schedule changes drastically. So common bell schedule was really important for us. um elective classes, thinking about the minimum number of students and making sure that we're providing that equity and and watching that. We don't want those to go too low. Staff FTE, thinking about how many kids are sitting in front of certain teachers. Um one thing that we were very thankful to the board for is that no full-time staff will lose their job through a middle school review process, which has been very um nice to hear during our committee time. appreciated that very
090much. And then lengthening ELA and or math. Our main priority here was were those reading scores. So we went in already saying to everyone, we have to change that quality of instruction, quantity of instruction. We sit at 50 or 60 minutes right now for ELA. We have to change that in order to change our scores as well. With that, if any of you have looked at a middle school schedule or thought about it, it's like a stacking D. Everything has to fit. So we can't decrease minutes, right? We couldn't support going down, but it has to fit within. So if you're going to 80, you have to have multiples, right? So you'll see tonight that we are lengthening math, um, which is which is great. So we're really excited about that, but it's necessitated when
091you have a common bell schedule. And then finally, we wanted to do a review of our current elective classes, which we did this year as part of our middle school review process, prepping for next year for program review. So, I'll talk about that because we want to talk about um how relevant and high school aligned we are. So, academic achievement and growth, we talked about tonight. That's one piece of data our committee looked at. Three other were our discipline and attendance trying to think about our advisory program. How are we culture and climate and then two other were really stakeholder voices student voice through focus groups and then staff and community survey. So I'll talk about that just a bit. One piece of staff survey from our committee that came out after I think our
092second committee meeting um was really showing our priorities and what we felt were our student needs. We put all of this data in front of everyone and this is what staff said. We do need longer ELA. We do need a common schedule and then all those other pieces. So, it was nice to see that our parameters were also aligning with what staff was thinking. And then here it's what impact the following priorities have on student needs. So, do we need these items to make students successful? And again, priorities and parameters were aligning this committee. The stakeholder feedback, I have a summary here. Now, there are there are more items that came through from the stakeholder feedback, and I'd be happy to share any of that if anyone wanted to see some of the raw data.
093But, um, we met with students. Thank you to our our librarians for helping me facilitate that and then kind of tabulate all of the data. But, I went to Emerson and Lincoln. I met with about 150 students total, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, and asked them about eight questions within a span of an hour. And these were the four biggest things. They want to have connections to adults. They like the teaming process. They enjoy having a home room teacher. And during the day when people are in the hallway, the lunchroom, they like that interaction. Many commented about how Dave's always in the hallway giving high fives. The elective teachers are always there for them. Um they also talked about having strong core and elective offerings. They wanted many eighth graders, interestingly enough, talked about how
094they want to have a rigorous core program, but they also really value their elective classes. They wanted to have choice. They thought that was really, really important and was going to set them up for success in high school and beyond. This third bullet point came out from every stakeholder group. It was important for everyone to think about the possibility of breaking up the day with core and elective classes. Right now, eighth grade has core all in a row. Seventh grade has core all in a row. Every group thought that that was a need, which we agree with as a committ. And then finally, unstructured times are really important to them. Lunch, recess, hallway, any time that they can interact with pairs, which is also something we considered within the schedule. Our families, we sent a
095thought exchange out um about,00 different stakeholders filled that out. So, a really nice response rate. We asked current middle school families, um families who are in ele elementary schools within our district or in Jefferson who will be filtering up to fill this out. And they talked a lot about how core is a priority and it really was was a distinction from core and elective but elective is the next thing. They want students to have a rigorous core program under ELA math science and social studies but choice for elective program was right there second and important to them. Um another big strong component for the family survey was that we wanted to support our diverse learners but also those on the other end of that of our accel accelerated and gifted and talented programming. And then
096again, break up the academic day with the core and electives. And then finally, our staff survey. We had every middle school staff fill out this survey. All of them. I even said to David Maria, "We're missing 32." And they said, "No, those are the committee members." Everyone filled it out. It was amazing. So, the biggest things that came out is we want a strong elective program. We want teachers to still be able to team and meet with one another during the day to talk about kid needs. We want to break up the academic day. A wide majority of staff did say that we needed more ELA time. So even those not on the committee understood that that there was a need there. A common bell schedule and terms was important to our staff. So for
097terms, if you don't know, some classes are an Eterm, which is six weeks. Some classes are a trimester, 12 weeks. Some classes are a quarter, 10 weeks. And some classes are a semester, 16 weeks. I don't even know. I just I just made that one up. But a half a year, right? So, kids are moving in and out of those different terms. Staff are moving in and out of those different terms. Sometimes staff can't start a new term and their schedule gets a little bit wonky. So, was one thing that we had to consider as a committee. How can we be common but also common in those terms. Um, another point that Alicia and I are having a lot of conversations about is is there a possibility for co-taught science and social studies? That was
098a strong theme in our staff survey. And then finally, if we're going to have a new schedule, are there any opportunities for crossgrade level interaction? Could a sixth grade student possibly, if there was a need, be in a seventh grade elective or core class? So all really great feedback, many things aligned which were wonderful. Um, of course the students will say they want seven minutes in the hallway. You know, obviously things that we can't do, an hour of recess, things that we can't do, but they had some really good insight. Um, next part of this process is we had a great collaboration meeting, actually two of them with district 207. We were able to take some of our committee members including core teachers over to Maine East. We toured their facilities and then we met
099with their department chairs at Maine South and Maine East under the CTE program, career technical education, health and wellness and fine arts. And that really encompasses all of our elective programming except for world language. So we were able to have strong conversations about what they do and what we're doing. And then on the flip, the district 207 department chairpersons came to Emerson and Lincoln for about for hours to our facilities and actually watched teachers teach their elective classes and understand what we actually do within the classrooms and then they sent us a very wonderful feedback, very thoughtful feedback that was very helpful for our teachers and for us to think about as we start curriculum review next year. Just a summary here for each group. there was much more that they had for us to
100consider, but in terms of the board and the community, there's a few points that that I can go through. So for CTE and that programming align with our industrial tech program right now, we have a strong foundation for hands-on learning, right? Kids are in classrooms working with their hands, but 207 doesn't see how we align right now with their CT program fully. Our fax department, while there is some alignment, can start thinking about other topics that would be forward or or have that alignment with some future readiness skills. For example, we have sewing. District 207 has interior design. How could we start thinking about that possibly through a curriculum review? Not that we h you know have to go down that pathway, but giving us some good ideas for opportunities. And then finally, how can
101we integrate technology engineering design elements to modernize our inte um engaging students in game play, so pickle ball, volleyball, basketball to teach some of those skills. Um our the structure and length of our units differ. So 207 really prioritizes some gameplay and some standards over others. So asking us to also think about that. And then the other thing that we agreed upon is that we need to do more collaboration between both districts to talk about these skills because we're sending kids to them with some that they don't touch upon and then we're also sending them to 207 with some that they've never seen in district 64 yet. So just kind of that that collaboration is important. And then finally, fine arts was very specific of how we can change things or tweak just to make
102them a little bit better. Thinking about how we can clarify our course offerings. They do recommend moving instrumental music to the school day. That's the model 207 currently has. And then how could we update course offering names to match future programming or how could things be changed to match new technology or or new innovation that's happening under a fine arts umbrella. Really interesting. opportunities for us from here outside of any of that programming to really happen next year. We had to come down to the actual work. H how are we going to look at schedules and analyze this? So Dave, Tessa, Maria, Tim, Gle, and all the middle school administrators and I grabbed as many schedules as we could from across the country. Hundreds. I mean, we just have tab tab tab tab tab and
103spreadsheets. We came down to 25 because those 25 would fit our fac our spacing, how we structure things, and had a common bell schedule. From there, we brought six to the committee. Six that were going to one work for facilities and spacing, six that met our parameters, and six that fit some other structures of classes that we had to think about for our students. And with our committee, we just kept reducing down, really looking at a SWAT analysis. What are the strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities, the threats with each schedule? And from there we came to two and then finally we we had a recommendation for one from our committee with all the feedback that they were able to get to give us. Um it's really interesting in that in any review or program review
104middle school review we're always taking this consultative feedback from teachers but the process really seemed to be smooth when when we moved through this which was really exciting. So anytime there's a major change, I always think to myself, what am I getting that's exactly the same in my world and what's changing? Right? When when you teach any minute detail of change, it can be lifealtering or seem like there's an earthquake, right? So we want to make sure that people understand not everything is changing, but there are some start and end time is the same. The prep and teen times, we want teacher collaboration, lunch and recess will be exactly the same. All of that contract will stay exactly the same. There's still four core content areas, math, ELA, science, and social studies. 12 elective choice
105slots, which we'll talk about in a few minutes. We'll still have six grade exploratory classes. We still believe in the teaming philosophy and want students to have that opportunity with teachers. and then home room and advisory will still be in our schedule to support students well-being um and to implement some of that programming that's important in our district. What's different is that we now have will have hopefully a common bell schedule. There won't be any large chunks of core like our students currently see. We will be moving the schedule to all trimester. So no more e semester corner trimester. Everything will be uniformed. There will be three periods for seventh and eighth grade electives. And while that's reducing one period, I will explain about how that still gives 12 elective choices, which is really cool
106for our students. The length of core classes are changing, which means our team configurations will look a little bit different. We'll have them, but they will look a little bit different than what we currently know. There will be no core elective classes. So core teachers will no longer teach an elective class. They'll only classroom. Um, and this structure is is obviously different from what they're used to in a current teaching day. So, our our proposed schedule um this says grade X, Y, and Z right here because we haven't delineated whom is grade six, seven or eight. We need to think this out a little bit more and process it with the teachers to make the best decision. And some of this is dependent on what we We're thinking about eighth grade science, which which schedule
107is going to help us have the most successful eighth grade science. So, if you look at grade X, you'll see that a student will start in home room just as they do right now. They'll go to two elective periods. So, it could be arts. That's just a filler there. And then they would go to PE and or health. So, one change that that we decided to make in order to preserve our elective choices was to put health into PE for a quarter. Now, And you're probably thinking it's not a trimester and it's a term change. It's still within that PE class which is on trimesters technically. So in a scheduling way it all it all kind of evens out in the end. From there a student would go to ELA for two blocks of 40
108minutes or 80 minutes. They would have lunch and then here's where they would have science and then social studies for 40 minutes each. Or they would be on a block rotation of AB. They science for 80 minutes one day, social studies for 80 minutes the next. We're still collaborating with the science and social studies teachers, asking them to give us a recommendation of what they think is going to fit best, especially for their lab structure. Sixth grade is very different in terms of lab and lab safety than seven and eight. So, we're having a lot of conversation and discussion with them. So, that will be a decision that'll be forthcoming. And then a student would have another elective period and then their double block of math for 80 minutes. Um on Wednesdays we would still
109have an extended home room. So all of the classes would shorten just as they do right now. Students would be in their home room or advisory for programming, cultural awareness, team building, service learning projects they do 32 minutes on Wednesday. So that would stay the same. my text. So, I apologize. I had to point that out. Um, as you'll notice here, these are what's proposed right now for 2627, but we're going to be undergoing curriculum review and some other programming conversations. So, this could change, but right now, these are sixth grade trimester rotations. Um, and trimester choices for seventh and eighth grade. Now, a student could still elect to take world language for a full year. It's optional, but that is something that they could still take in seventh and eighth grade. So, these are
110the current elective choices for seventh and eighth grade. And as as I've said over and over again, preserving choice was important for staff, students, and our committee. So, right now, a student will take one period of They will also take required electives. In seventh grade, they're in pink, health, an ELA elective, art, and music, which leaves them with five choices. In eighth grade, they'll have PE all year, and then they have to take health and an ELA elective. So, right now, they get 12 pure choice options between seventh and eighth grade. In our new schedule, we had a lot of committee conversations and then conversations with individual departments about how we could still preserve 12 elective choices. So, the only required class with this proposed schedule would be PE and health. Otherwise, everything would be
111pure choice within this schedule, which is really nice that those students will have those opportunities to pick the classes that they're really interested in. So, for next steps, we're obviously here talking to the board about approval of a new schedule. Um Dave and Tessa and Maria and I are going to be building mock schedules for 2627 and power scheduleuler. They are so excited to do that with me. So after we build the actual schedule or they build the actual schedule for 2526, we'll build a a pretend or mock one for 2627. As you all know, once you put something into a system and it kind of starts to make all the chips fall, you you figure out the kinks, the rotations, how the system will start to track students, which you don't want to have,
112how you have to start then handchuling kiddos and and all of that good stuff. So, we we really want this to be a foolproof process for 2627. And then in addition to that, we then want to start talking to families, community, and students about the changes that they would see in 26 It'll be another important part of the process. Next year is where the programming review will really start. Um um there there are a few different things under training and PD that will have to take place. Our teachers for ELA and math are currently in a 50 or 60 minute model. They'll be going to an 80 minute block. So we can't just throw them into a classroom and say figure out how to teach 80 minutes or just have the kids do homework for
11330 minutes, right? We want that instructional time to be spent as best as it can. So we'll be doing professional development for our core teachers. Um in addition, health will be going into PE. So obviously there's some change in scope and sequence that we'll have to think about. Our sixth grade rotation will all go to trimesters. And as I said before, some are on a six week, some are on a 10 week. So we'll have to then also think about what add content is put in or what content needs to be taken out and how we can shift that around. And then finally, industrial technology and family and consumer sciences will both undergo a curriculum review um with the middle school administration and then committees next year. Um hence our our conversations with 207 and
114starting to think about some of that alignment. So that'll be exciting work for some of the elective programming. And then in 2627 that would be the first year of our new schedule. But in addition, we always want to have an evaluation cycle and seek feedback about how things are going. So we would ask our middle school review committee to come together periodically just to evaluate how how things are going on in 27. I told them they were going to have to talk and then I just did the whole presentation. Does the board have any questions? They're going to answer all the questions. I have 27 questions. Okay. Um, no. Um, no questions. I think just real gratitude. Um, Rachel and I and the education committee got an opportunity to see I think a twohour version
115of this, the exact same presentation that you all showed to the entire staff. So, we not only saw this version, which is incredibly helpful, but really a much more detailed version and really got to talk through um what this looks like teachers and really talk at length and in detail of all of the work that you put in throughout the year. So just immense gratitude not only for all of the work that the committee has put in um and all the thinking um that you have put into vetting 25 uh schedules although it way down to one but also in walking Rachel and I through um all of your thinking over that kind of two hour process and answering all of our questions because it was really helpful for us as committee members to really
116have that deep understanding and be able to share that with the whole board as well. So, thank you. Um, and I think my kind of overarching like summary of kind of where we landed is, and this is an oversimplification, I think is that the schedule that we have landed at I think does a really nice balance of both giving us the add time that we need for ELA and math to make sure that our students are set up for the growth that we want for them. Um while also preserving the things that really I think um different stakeholders across the board have said that they really value and I think really make us unique. So everything from um student choice around their electives as well as the really rigorous and elective programming all the way
117to the advisory programming that I think um brings a element of service learning, social emotional learning and um team bonding that really makes us special and unique and lays the foundation for experiences that I know my kiddo and many other kiddos have really enjoyed. So really appreciate both kind of the pushing us forward um where we are where we need to go but also preserving what makes us unique and special and doing that in such a thoughtful way which I know is really difficult but appreciate the entire work on that as well as the we thank all of you because making any change is stressful or hard but I hope you agree it was fun right like you let us do that job this is exciting work and in the end it was and Samantha
118won't say it here she's got the modesty you know with that as well I think you know while as much of this work was a challenge and a lot of from the committee. So not only the gratefulness appreciation of everybody's commitment to this process to be able to lead that process with the various stakeholders differ is a challenge and throughout all of it while still understand it did not lose sight of what our goal was with regard to this. So I think Samantha's leadership throughout all this has been really big. I'd also like to express my appreciation. I know you know about two years ago went through the process of hiring ban. One of the key discussion items that we had was around the academics and the challenges coming out of co and this is
119just one piece of that but very difficult piece that you said 20 25 years you know let's hope it's not 20 25 years the next one it takes to achieve the next review but there's the end of this process I'll talk about that phase one here that we're reaching tonight it's a huge achievement and really moving us in the right direction. Really appreciate all the hard to consider and just thank you. Any other comments, questions? Um, thank you so much. Um, and can we have a motion? I move that the board of education approve the adoption of the new school as recommended by the administration and the school committee. Gareth with the motion and Rachel the second. Any discussion? Okay, let's move to the vote. All right. Kennedy, yes. Yes. A thank you. We are
120now going to move to A5 of the 2025 27 principal employment contract. You want to come up. I move that the board approve the 2025 2027 contract. We have any discussion to Yes. We are now moving on to A6. I move that the board approve the 2025 to 2029 assist. Any discussion or any questions? These are tough ones. That's all I got to say. Great to Yes. Okay. Moving on to A7. I move that the board approve the new collective bar agreement between the SSC and the board of education effective 2025. Any discussion? Yes. Just real quick note to thank our administrators who participated as a part of that team and to the SSC members who were part of their negotiating team collaborative process. Thank you. Yes, we all of the hard work that has
121gone into it. My gratitude as well. Okay, we are now moving on to a A8. I move that board approve first amendment superintendent 2024 to 2028 employment contract. Second. Any discussion? You know, Mon Monica, I just wanted to add that the board in close session uh did give Ben an evaluation just so we just clarify that. Thank you, Denise. Yes. Okay. We are now at A9, the consent agenda. Um, anything that we need to take out of the consent agenda? The only thing for me is the approval of minutes of the March 20 um, 2025 regular and close meeting just because I'm going to have to vote present. So, if we want, we can take that out so that I can vote. You know, I think Monica, you can still vote yes on it. Um,
122isn't that correct, Ben? That's I thought we could. Yeah. Well, then let's keep it in. I think that's why we have that have it in there, but yes. Thank you. If we mess it up, we'll redo it. Garrett has nodded his agreement. as our resident expert. Great. Okay. Then have a motion. I move that the board approve the consent agenda for April 17th, 2025. Second. Any discussion? Yes. Yes. Yes. We are now at the um A10. Any new business? We're in the fourth quarter. And do we have a motion to close the meeting? All those in favor? I I. All those opposed. It is 9:00 and we are um closing the regular board meeting. Thank you everybody. Thanks everyone.