001Good evening. I'd like to call to order the board regular board meeting uh for June 26, 2025. Can I get a roll call, please? President Walowski here. Vice President Boyd is here. McFerson here. Neil here. Carich here, Sanchez here. Also present are Dr. Solony, Mr. Bambour, Mr. Deli, Mr. Grass, Mr. Kaya, and Miss, if you guys would join me in saying the pledge of allegiance. I al to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. India. Um I need a motion to approve the agenda as presented. So moved. Moved by Tasha, second by Jared. Any questions or concerns? Roll call vote, please. Pearson. I Neil. I Jet. Hi. Sanchez. Hi. President Wowski. Hi. Six eyes. Zero
002Naz, one absent. Motion carries. Just want to give one quick uh district achievement board shout out. Um to congratulations to our Junth essay winners. Uh Jaden Ulis a third grader and no no uh Reed a sixth grader. They both read their essays at the villages celebration the Junth celebration and they were wonderful. Um the third grader I think needs to get on the stage. he had quite uh he was very animated and passionate um about his poem poem essay. Um so congratulations to both of them. Thank you to the staff for um putting that together and everyone who contributed. I know we had a bus there. Um so thanks to the bus drivers and transportation, everyone who um partnered with our village to make that happen. Um audience comments in uh consent agenda. I need
003a motion for the board to approve the consent agenda as presented. Moved by second by Synia. As a reminder, consent agenda items are those items business and personnel matters that are routine in nature. Any item may be moved from the consent agenda to action items with discussion. All items are approved with a single motion unless removed before the roll call vote. And for recording purposes on the consent agenda tonight, we have the regular board meeting minutes open and closed of June 5th, personnel report including um a pair of professional resignation and a hiring of the summer custodial and a teacher as well as the coffee paper purchase approval in the ACA eligible insurance certification list. Can I get a roll call vote, please? Neil, Izz. I Wowki. I person motion carries. All right. Now on
004to um action items with discussion in a motion for the board of education to um open discussion for the approval of the contract between the board of education and the Westchester educational association. Moved by Rose. Second by Deshonda. Any um questions, concerns? Um if you want to say I, you know, I just appreciate the WA. I know they had um they had met with their membership. They voted last week and then there was quite a few members that were out. So they, you know, they talked with us and they wanted to make sure that everybody had an opportunity. So they opened up another time, another week, which was yesterday. and we got the call about like 4:00 that it had passed and we're pleased and you know I mean I think to the team that
005we had um Stephanie you and Anna and Rose and then our um our staff that were you know I thought the process was it was you know very respectful. Um we listened to the concerns. we try to come up with an agreement that would um meet the needs of the staff and and continue to keep us in good financial. So, I am pleased and I know there's two uh two union members here. Well, there's three union members here, two executive board members here, but our our union president is here to sign the contract. Yeah. And just to echo that, I think um from the board perspective, it was a a really healthy uh conversations. I think we always um go into them and learn a lot, which is which is useful. It's good to um
006you know, hear from the people that are in the trenches, if you will. Um so I think it was it was a good experience and I think a positive um it's my second time to be on um a negotiation team and it it was just as positive as the first one. help and you know I want us to continue that I mean they did we talked a little bit in there just about the different stressors that are on teachers and on all educators now so it's just making sure as we move forward that we're giving them voice and and working with our staffs that they're able to communicate those things and continue to have a healthy relationship any questions concerns roll call vote please I Sanchez. Hi, President Wowski. I McFerson. I motion carried. Yay.
007Do you want And now you don't have to stay. You're welcome to stay. Oh, that's okay. I appreciate the offer. [Music] You want to sign now? You want us to sign too? So that way it's all done. rubber. Wow. That's right. didn't get so she dates everything. Oh, you did you like it? Yeah, it is. Oh, yeah. So important father. I thought about that. No, I mean we could uh we're just moving here. A motion to admit that. Would that be all right? I mean, how long is it? It'll take us a little while. We're gonna I'm gonna make a motion to amend the agenda to move the uh acceleration acceleration up. Is that okay? So, is it funky to do it at this point? Like just uh I got to write it out. To
008move you moving just that up, right? Are you flip-flopping discussion items? No action. Um, we could we we did the one. Is that all right? We did the one action items with discussion. You could do one or you can do all. It doesn't matter. I just didn't know if that's what you had. Yeah. Do you guys mind if we flip all of them up? Is that easier? It really does. Um, I'd like to make a motion to amend the agenda in order to move up discussion items with no action to come after uh action items with discussion. A WA contract and approval moved by Cynthia. Oh, I guess I nipped it and Cynthia seconded. Is that okay, guys? That way we have our audience members and we can get that done. Even though they're probably
009um half You're welcome to stay the whole time as well. I Ortiz I zero moves one absent. What was your second? Uh I moved and Cynthia seconded. Thank you. All right, then that puts you up first, Stephanie. Okay, thank you. So, our first item is the acceleration program discussion. Okay. Oh, yep. I got that question. No action. Thank you for moving us up. Yeah. Um, so I have two of our fabulous teachers here joining me today. Go ahead. Hi, Bridget Welsh. I teach sixth grade language and social studies here. I'm Chris Lansky. I currently teach the LL teacher at the intermediate school, but I taught fourth grade donor. Perfect. Um so just a quick kind of where this went while after I was tasked from the board. Um I met with all the teams and
010then I sent an email out just to get you know to get their feedback and then I met um I met with all them got feedback and then we uh met for a couple hours uh last week just to talk about talk about what where we're at um and what what are our suggestions and what are our recommendations and where do we go from here. Um so we did invite we did involve the teams not as much as we would have liked because of the time frame that was given end of the year there's a lot of things that are going on um but pretty much I would say their feedback echo is echoing what is in our in our presentation and because like I said we do I don't want to say it yeah
011it's it's it's it's definitely a we thing everything with us is we flow together we're not a top down place where we tell you what to do and we involve teachers. They have a whole lot of input. Um so we just want to make sure that we were all part of this process. Okay. So um we do recognize that we're accountable for the growth of all students and across the entire achievement spectrum, not just those that are um below the proficiency. I I will say um being here this is my fourth maybe my 14th year our focus was on it used to always be on the high kids always be on the high kids and then co hit and it it kind of changed the way things are there's just gaps with even our high
012kids are still they have gaps all kids have gaps right now I don't I don't care if you're scoring in the 95th percentile or you know you're in in the 10th or below there all all kids have some type of need right and that's what we really are looking to meet all of their needs Okay. So, here are is a data point that we looked up. Um, so what I did, the board had asked me in the beginning of the year, maybe, no, maybe it was in dece December, January, I don't know, it was not the very beginning of the year, but I built a cohort of students. So, what I did was I looked at the 85th percentile and above. I looked at their whoever was in the 85th percentile above in um fall.
013And then what I did was I followed them in the winter and then I followed them in the spring. I wanted to see what well like we said are they making the growth that they that they need to be to see if we are meeting their needs. Um so out of those students we had 73 students that again I did not take any other kids in the winter. I didn't add kids back in there. This was 73 throughout the year that would have qualified for this um data point. of those 73 36 met or exceeded their growth goal which is 49% of students at that time. Uh so then I now so the total number of students 85th percentile and above that's for everyone in the whole district. So right now if we look at
014all of our students we have 93 students um at or above 85th percentile which is only 11% of our current students. And then if you look at our IAR data from last year, we do not currently have this year's um but if you look we look at that we have 26.28% of our students who are meeting exceeding. Okay, so we have a little bit more data. Um so on the first column on the left there's the top 85th percentile and the fall map. So those are I broke it down by grade level. So that's our 73 kids by grade level. Um, I don't think I need to read those individually, too, but that's that's where we're at. And that's uh whoever met or exceeded their growth targets. So, like I say, first grade, 54% of
015those students met at the end of the year, their growth goal. Again, those are those cohort kids, just the 73. Then I looked at all the students in the entire district that take math test and what did where did we sit with um our 85th percentile and above for spring. Um and again that was yeah the numbers are right there. You're questioning why the numbers don't match. Like for first grade for example there 13 kids in the fall but in the spring 15. So two more kids at Yes. Yes. Yes. So that's I I took everybody else, right? So the middle the middle column is everybody throughout the whole year. I added I added them in. The first the first column I just focused on the 73. Okay. So those are our numbers of kids
016who are 85th percentile and above in the middle column for the whole school. And then again there is the AR data for the entire school who tests which is third through 8th. And there's who are meeting or exceeding. I mean basically that's state standards right this is what the state is saying our kids should know but the the percentage of exceeding is a lot smaller than that it makes up a very small portion of that of those meets and exceeds that's like about 1 or 2% yes it's well yes there it's up there yeah this is last year's data we won't have this year's data because they're changing the cut scores so we don't expect the data to at least September right which makes things challenging and makes planning challenging because we can't get kind
017of instant feedback on the most important state. You know, the course most important assessment the map is a test that we use right as a point but it's not the state test. Any questions about that? All right. So, what does this data tell us? So, what we kind of discussed and what we we we've received from this data. So, as we said, 73 students scored in the 85th percentile. Uh, were at or above in the fall and 49% of them or exceeded their goals. Um, which, you know, it does highlight that there is an opportunity to engage and extend our students, right? I we're not saying we're doing it perfectly. We're not saying we're doing, you know, but we are doing because if we weren't doing, we would have I I think far less. I
018mean, we 49% is is pretty good. Is it is it great? No. Could it be better? Absolutely. And I think that is one of the pieces that we we took away from all this is this was an eye opening and that we do need to be better in this. We are not saying we're perfect and it needs to stay the same. But I don't think what we don't think there there has to be this overhaul of what we're doing, right? We in the last four years and since I've been in this position and and more with the primary voting, but I'm just speaking now district-wide, we've done a lot. I I think that Trish you could even sit back there and say the same thing like we have transformed what I what we are doing
019in classrooms. Um not even just with the shift from the state with the the whole literacy plan and um you know with with co and just the difference in the way we're teaching reading I you know we see we see a lot of math ma math growth because we and we've had that program for five years. We have became we have become really really good at teaching our math and our kids now are on like now we're getting these kids where they're coming up and they already know the vocabulary they already know because we've been doing it since kindergarten right so those kids that started in kindergarten are coming through the the ranks right where HMH this is our second year and I would say even this might be our third year middle school's different
020because you guys did um a year earlier than pilot right yes they did they pilot all together. That's how we want to do that. Um, but even then COVID happened. So, not even solid in-person instruction where we could see your mouths and and actually learn from a person in per, you know, in real life, right? Um, and then you throw in structure literacy. That changed two years ago where we have kids in we have we are now asking our our um third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers to teach reading. They and I'm not saying they didn't learn how to teach reading, but they didn't learn how to teach reading that that grade level. That wasn't that wasn't our focus. That's K that's K2. That's where we learned this at third grade. Maybe we had a
021couple outliers, right? But now we're looking at this year. Our third graders struggle when they came in to third grade. They were very they they were very they were striving. Most of them were striving. uh if you look at their at their data now they made huge gains and they're going to continue to make huge gains but again we are filling gaps right and I think and I and I believe I feel like as a group we believe this that we have become so focused on the gaps for all the students is that what are we doing with the kids that don't have any gaps right that what what are we doing to modify curriculum for them right okay so again if this data does suggest that we need to explore strategies And how do
022we effectively challenge these students? Things that we we know how to do but we've forgotten because we because we're told three times three times a week we got to meet with the low kids and then we got to meet with with do we have two days to meet with everybody in between which is the best right? So, how do we and this is what we have to problem solve, right? Like, how do we make time and make sure that we are meeting the needs of those higher students? Because I think sometimes a lot of times we they get it. They're on tap. They they know what's going on and and and they still have their their activities they have to do, but how do we increase the rigor for them, right? Or and the strategies
023for them. Um, and again, I think that overall, if you look at our data, that our top performers are a very small percentage. It's it's it's 11%. To put things in perspective, too, just our ELA scores, the number of kids in grades three through eight who met their target was 56%. And that 56% you're going to have those kids that are in the 85th percentile that, you know, 49%. So, as a whole, as a whole district, we're about 56 50%, you know, right around average for what kids are making their targets, their growth target. Their growth target. Yeah. Correct. Correct. which is what that's the number she's showing. The 49% is the kids who were in 85% of whom met their grow. Correct. Um so again it's 11% of our students are scoring in the
024top 83% that's in math. It's even less if you look at I scores which when you compare it to the state um also we are talking about this our our school is small our district is small. We have 94. You want to tell me exactly how many? 887 that are taking it that are taking the test, right? Oh, right. You can't even count that. But I think No, just in general. Anyone want to count? No, that's about that's about enrollment. We got a little bit more. Are we Well, maybe this this year I don't either way. either way. But to have to do certain types of programs when you take out clusters of students, you have now grouped you you've made just one group of of striving learners that makes it very hard to talk
025to to to to teach and to for them to have modeling. And we'll talk about all that as we go further. Um but I just want you to keep in keep in mind too is our over all our population is small. I mean, my son, they have an actual um entire um accelerator program and it's not accelerated, they call it gifted. You have to be in the top 5%. We don't have we have 13 students that would qualify by kids um acceleration criteria at this school. Um districtwide district wide 13 kids in our district who qualify using gifted programming standards. Okay. So and again we in order to get our math acceleration numbers we we've we've lowered our standard to 85th percentile. Again we don't think that they can't do it but if we wanted
026to have a rigorous gifted program it would be 90 95th and above and we we have our standards are 85. Um so just want you to keep that in mind too. Our our 2024 I exceeds was 2.7%. Okay. In ELA in ELA. So when you say we're 32% meeting or exceeding two 2.7% is exceeds and again I you know you can play we can be play the devil's advocate and say well I mean to me honestly that means we're not meeting the needs of a lot of our students if we're having I think we have 100% of kids that are fully capable of of meeting all meeting and exceeding our our the state standards. I have no doubt that they can do that. Um so that's what we need to look at too is I
027what we're going to propose raising the bar everybody we're all right so what are we currently doing right because we're coming to the table talking about a small group of kids but that doesn't mean that they don't have needs in the same way that other kids have needs. So as you know you hear us talk all the time about like skill-based and flexible group instruction. So yes, it be the three times a year we look at benchmark data and we use that to make those initial groupings, right? But from day to day as you're working with kids and this task, oh like who can write an analysis like and that's not even measured on the math test, right? So I need to use my formative data as a teacher to look at their writing and
028and pull groups based on these kids really have it and these don't. So like with my high students, you know, coming from so I had one section of language arts last year, but I'm also coming from a place of having taught language arts for 20 years in the district. So and she's currently the only gifted teacher qualified. Let's say that. Well, you won't say that. So looking at my students, right, that's not just based on that 85th percent. Someone might be at the 83rd percentile, but they are a really high performing student or an absolutely gifted writer that I have to address and pull them in a group and work with them even just one-on-one sometimes if that's that one kid out of my 24 students who needs that. So maybe during independent reading, I'm
029having very different discussions with that child and I'm gearing, you know, like guiding them toward a very different level of text than I would someone else, right? And I'm not accepting graphic novel after graphic novel after graphic novel. You know, we have the discussion as I remember our media specialists back when I started would tell kids like, "Yeah, candy is great, but if you eat too much of it, it's bad for you, right?" So, we we have that same discussion with kids about their books and a lot of the research is like it has to be really tailored to those individual kids. And we have like, you know, I had 24 kits this year in my language arts section, which is a really nice number to be able to meet with kids. You know, when
030it starts to get bigger sections, it's tough to have to get to everybody in the same meaningful way. Even less is better. You know, when I've had section or years of 20, it's like, wow, the number of kids I can see. Um, but anyway, so those groups change, right? They they change based on what this text seems challenging for someone within H.M.H. Um, so we are assessing whether they're getting them. Can they identify theme? Are they getting it? Can they make make that identification to a more universal theme that's not just tied to that one text? Can they go a little bigger? Um, so there's different things we're doing within language arts. And then as a social studies teacher, I'm seeing that too, right? As I'm pulling non-fiction text and I'm providing the scaffolding that's
031needed for my students who need support with the text. I try a lot more in social studies to I'm going to give texts at different levels for my students. Whereas like within HMH it's like here's the text that's all like a rigorous text and we're all doing the same. I do have different levels of what I'm passing out to students and they're constantly why is his text different than mine? And I'm like it's okay because we all need different things. So I'm going to make sure you do have the you know above grade level text to read while the kid next to you is reading something that's at fourth grade level. So within content areas at the middle school that gives us an opportunity to meet the needs of higher students. Can we do more
032for them? Absolutely. And and we'll talk about that in our upcoming slides. Like how can we be more intentional? Make sure all teachers are really aware of what are the best strategies and what it's I think sometimes what happens with these kids. It's like oh just give them another couple problems or give you know and like we don't want that, right? How do we increase the depth of what we're asking them? I think we've also been given more permission recently with 8 now that we are a few years in to figure out where we need to change it and modify it to fit our students needs. I think at first we wanted to really be with fidelity following into a T. and we've done that for a couple years and now we see all right
033that might this text might not work right with what we're trying to teach or this is kind of missing within HMH or this group needs more here that you know they're not getting like I realized I'm like how are the words static and dynamic characters never used within HMH and that is like higher level thing so I just begin like teaching that to my class and really hitting that with my higher kids am I necessarily using that same language I use it with the whole class, but I'm really pushing it with my higher kids in our groups and our, you know, individual discussions. So, it's noticing those gaps within HMH that we now have the permission as teachers to fill and do what's best and see what our kids need. Um, talk a little bit
034about wind time at W and because that looks a right. So, we're doing all the same things they're doing at MS in the buildings at IS and PS. um is NPS had the um benefit of having a special time help when what I need and last year I believe or early this year I started dividing this looking at data based on their benchmarking data and figuring out what did the students need in math and reading. So for example we would take the kids sort their data look at it and like we would break them up into four groups. It was I just looked up was phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. And we be like, "Okay, these kids really need another dose of phonics. So, they're going to go to this teacher and get like an
035intense phonics lesson a couple times a week. These kids are okay with phonics, but they really need vocabulary work. So, they're going to go to this teacher for 40 minutes a couple days a week." Um, and then we kind of the teachers give them a pre-est and a post test to see the progress. And it was successful in every grouping that we every time we did it. And the students saw a lot of progress. We saw a lot of progress. We saw a lot of kind of confidence level building because they were like this is what I needed like it helped in the classroom. Um and then we come back as a team and do it all over again um for math and they do it again for reading and it's constantly circling. It's fluid.
036Whereas a couple years ago we did have wind time still but our low student or our strivvers I like that word better. Sorry. Our strivvers would go into their intervention groups and every teacher had a stver intervention group and other kids were just sitting there and you know our students are fabulous but 40 minutes a day five days a week that's a lot of independent time for kids and you know so now they were doing meaningful work and all of that but I think we're seeing more success in these more guided intentional groupings and then we are also working within the language department and starting to look at priority standards and look at like what each grade level needs to focus on to build from grade to grade. That's something we're in the process of
037doing. And again, we're looking to see like, all right, now that we're in HMH, how can we improve where we've been in the last couple years? So, that is part of it as well. Um, looking at showing an exemplary work at different levels, right? Okay. So like yes, this is the meeting, but making sure to show the students who need that extra push like this is what the highest level work looks like and and showing them that and like giving them that as a guide so they have something to strive for as well being very explicit and like here is your target um within language arts. So, great. All right. So, areas of growth that we as a team have we've talked about um ongoing assessment. I and I this is something we've been talking
038about for for a couple years here in Westchester and it's kind of now just here we go, right? We we've been preparing and preparing and like I said the past four or five week we've just moved mountains and so the things that we're doing differently and this was the next thing on our list and this is what we need to start looking at. Um I I think in teaching one of the hardest things to do in general is to find time right I we try to give them all the time we possibly can and it's very difficult and teachers need time to know what their students need. We do a really good job right now when for the um when it's the the of learning the assessment of learning. So assessment of learning is looking
039at benchmark data. It's looking at the four pieces to to reading you know comprehension back that is of learning core learning is daily. It's it's embedded into what we do every single day, right? And that is hard because they don't have Okay, middle school, I'm sorry, I am going to say this. It looks very different because they have teen and plan every single day. So, they they really can do they have a lot more time embedded into their day than than um A5. They do get they do get a plan, but they don't get a team. So, where they can collaborate together to talk about, hey, here here's what my results were for today from teaching. What do I have to do differently? how can I look at this? Um and and again then it
040goes back to you know manpower right so I could have this the specialists provide you know look at all the data they have to go through it and they say hey look at you gave this assessment today this is this student this this student didn't understand it this is how we have to do it differently for tomorrow that's fine that would be perfect that's what we really need to be moving towards however the specialists are doing what all they're meeting with teachers and meeting with students right so they don't have the time in their day to think they and again we can all we can look at scheduling but um we really need to start looking at formative assessments and how we're doing it and what are we doing with that information right and I
041I think Bridget's example of this is what she does in her classroom that's what she does is that guaranteeing that's what all of us are doing same thing it it it's not right and until you become an administrator and some kind of specialist or some kind of someone where you just visit classrooms and you can see you realize all classrooms are not equal they don't look the same and our goal our goal as educators in general, but I think that's something that we've been working on the last couple years is continuity, collaboration, working as a team. You do something really well, what do I have to do so to do that as well? My class. Thank you. Right. Going into classrooms. We go and teach classrooms all the like we want to go and see
042what people are doing to learn from each other. Um but again, it's time. Um okay. So like I said, we need to purposely intentionally plan next steps based on that daily formative assessment and we need to look at preassessments. One of the pieces that bridges has incorporated and we are using is they do have pre-assessments already made for us. Um I HMH is is starting that and they're doing this piece that's called class craft that we talked about before where they are doing ongoing form of assessments for the teachers. So they can get that data immediately and they and that changes how you know how they teach in that moment, right? That's the piece we're missing that in the moment teaching and that's what the HM Yep. That's a new piece that they're adding this
043year. Um and it's it's supposed to come with preassessments too. So once we get that we're so we're meeting to talk about all and this is all part of this standards based alignment that we're working on. This is all going to be worked on during the summer. We have we have a team right now. five, nine teachers on on the team. Um that we're going to start looking at the prior the priority standards that we're talking about and making learning targets all that. Um but within that piece, we do want to look at um just the different differentiation, right? And it's not just giving more to give more because that's, you know, that's not what we want. We need to look at know the content, the process, the product, the environment, what whatever it might
044be. We need to now be intentional and as a team h how do we and again I don't want it to look like that in your room and not in your room but as a team how do we make this look better right or how do we make this look different for these students and it really comes into identifying those students I I that's that's a piece that's and again you don't want to say it's missing but we we all know who they are but do we ever talk about them at we spend so much time looking at the names of the kids who are not eating, right? That it's not as often that we are like specifically looking at all right these seven kids and like even our conversation we talked like are they
045grouped in a way that we can like they have language arts even maybe not necessarily at the same teacher but even at the same time because like there's plenty of research that shows like meaningful grouping of these students together that they're with at least two or three other kids who are really the high other performers. If you as a teacher are going to pull a group, but you have one kid and the other teacher has one kid and the other teacher has one kid, how can we ensure once we're aware of who these two or seven or 12 kids are that they are grouped in a way that make it easier? Right? It's it's challenging to find time to meet these students needs. So, we have to at least put logistical things in place that
046make it easier on the teacher like, okay, I have these three at the same time in this classroom. I can group them together. So that's even a simple start, right? Who are the kids and when do they have language arts? Like can we look at even if they are across the hall from each other, if a specialist is coming, however, you know, once or twice a week to meet with them, can they at least come out of language arts together? Um, and again, we're not advocating for like a pull out or anything, but like looking at let's start where like making sure we know where these kids are when they're getting language arts and how we can them together, right? not isolating them from everyone else, but make sure that they are at least grouped
047in a way that they are with a couple other kids who are similar students, similar performance. And like to piggy back on that just a little bit, it when like when our teachers put their data in for like the module assessments and things like that, um it comes up like red, orange, green, I think. And as teachers, we like to be successful, right? And when the bread comes up and you see all these students that did not make that standard, you get really teacher. Our teachers are very reflective there and go, "Oh my gosh, what did I do? How can I do it better? Like what did you do?" I mean, those conversations like Stephanie said that are taking place. Very rarely do we take time to celebrate and go, "Oh my gosh, those six
048kids were in the green." You know, it's because we're always looking at what else can we do better to fix that the strivverse area. So those conversations are taking place. I think we just need to get better at ting across the backlight colors there, so to speak. Just as like a quick understanding of like what a pretest limitations are in language arts. Math and language arts are so different. Math is such concrete skills, right? Can you do long division? Can you not do long division at the end of the universe, in the beginning? language arts, you're given a passage to read and that particular passage might ask you to identify character development and things like that. But the post test is cannot be the same passage. So you're still being asked to analyze character development,
049but with a different text that you may or may not have background knowledge about, that you may or may not have interest in. So maybe your ability to analyze character development hasn't changed, but the text itself, there's so much that goes into how a student interacts with a text based on what they're coming to that text with. So it's just such a different, it's not as concrete of like I can or I cannot do this. So much of it is text dependent. Like when I think back to one year where my students were asked to read on the at the time, Mark or whatever it was, it was a text about looms and the the bird and I remember a student coming back like after it, you know, I can't help them with that. They
050had no idea that it was about a bird that they had just read because they had never heard the word loon used in that context. And like how is that a fair assessment of this kid's ability to understand or do these different things when they truly didn't know? Or like in another example, I had a student this year, it was asking them a vocabulary question and they didn't know the definition of any of the choices. They knew the word, but how can they, you know, so it's like there's so many things. It's like we can teach as many words as we can at the end of the day if they don't know what the words and the answer choices mean. There's just so many things, so many factors that and I'm not in any way
051trying to like discredit Matt. There's a lot of things. It's just a lot more like I can do trigonometry or I understand slope and or sign and all of that. Well, and it all builds on itself, right? So, when you can't do this, you're not going to go any higher until you have this piece, right? Yeah. Yes. Thank you. Yeah. So again, we need to focus on our tier one, our core that's going to everyone. We want to see more students in this higher achieving like 85%. That's we're not even talking giftedness. We want to see everyone's scores improve. And that's where looking at priority standards and how we can change HMH and really raising the bar for everybody is the goal, but also intentionally focusing on what does that look like? How do we
052do that for the kids who are already like that's working for them? They they're getting it already. Um we're not like language arts. Again, I know we accelerate within math. That looks very different within language arts. Like again, coming from a lot of experience with this like looking to take a sixth grader and put them in a seventh grade class. In my experience and the research and the reading we've done, like tasks are not that different. The differentiation can still be done for a sixth grader within a sixth grade classroom. Putting them in a seventh grade classroom, yes, it's different texts, but the tasks again, we're asking them to analyze character and theme from second grade on, right? It's how we meet with that student with the text they have and the tasks that we
053bring to them with that task or with that text and with their individual reading. Like we've really did a nice job in these past couple years to bring back our focus on that independent choice time as well. That's, you know, kind of went away a little bit at the beginning. Like it's like, oh, I don't know. Let's really focus on just everybody doing the same, but we brought that back. And that is a really nice place for us to individualize our focus with groups of kids, but also with individuals and really push them to you don't want a second grader reading a text that's super high because maybe it isn't content or just things they don't have a you know life experience yet or are ready for, right? We don't want them reading a high
054school novel about 17 year olds as a eight-year-old, right? But can we find the texts that are appropriate for them that are challenging and can we talk to them in a way and ask them the questions and that's where like our depth of activities we want to look at and how do we get our teachers the professional development they need to look what does a higher level task and discussion questions and what type of things can we bring to that without putting them in a higher grade level. Um, also speaking from experience, it is a very common thing obviously within education to do homogeneous grouping, right? To have a a gifted or like the honors class or things like that, right? That happens very commonly in high school and yes, the middle schools do it
055as well. Um, Stephanie said it earlier, you're not that big of a school or a district, right? So if I'm working with a hundred kids and we did this in the past, I had how many years we did it? And it was about three or four years that we did it before we just went back. We made it better of a year, but it still look great. So we took the top, we filled a section of 25 kids who were that 85th percentile or above or some who were close, who were the high percentile. We just took the half tide, we took the top, right? Top 25. We met as teachers. We group them together and yeah, was that period fabulous? Yes. Like was that like a great period of my day? Yes. Um what
056the impact it had on my other sections did not make it enough of benefit. I lost the models in my other sections. It was incredibly difficult to pull small groups within my other sections because the independent work skills were not strong enough. So I ended up having to teach whole group most of the time in all my other sections because like if I pulled a group whether racist behaviors or lack of skills or lack of things. I can't tell you how many times I went crying to Greg Leman and said like this isn't working. It's not like I cried more in those years than many years of my career. Um it was incredibly difficult. So yeah, it was great for those kids, but until and again that was with trusting that I knew what I
057was doing with those 25 kids and and we did different things, but we can do those different things with those small groups within a classroom if we train our teachers to do that and show them what that looks like. So that is kind of um what we're looking at. We need some intentional professional development with our teachers to make sure they know what that looks like with those small groups within the language arts classrooms and that they're grouped in a way that allows them to be pulled together but not that pulls them away from everybody else. And we're looking at curriculum compacting like okay so using like a simple one if we are doing a grammar or writing lesson and this kid clearly has master it. Why are they sitting through a lesson on what
058are common and proper nouns when they know that, right? So like what can we do differently? And again, that's starting to look as we're making changes. We've been so just following HMH. This is what curriculum says. We're following it with Fidelity, giving us that permission to make those changes. These these kids don't need that. I don't care if it's what MAP says or what I you know, what I see in my classroom, we're moving on to something else with them. and and again that that whole curriculum compacting that is based off of you our embedded formative assessments right that we need to continue to develop um we we I really believe this class that we're going to be getting with our new HMH series is going to transform how we're doing for how we're doing
059formative assessments again I'm am I going to say formative assessments is not happening no I know what's happening I've seen exit tickets go out I've se I've seen what they're doing what do we do with it after we get that date. That's the piece. And I and I'm not saying that nothing is happening in all classrooms, but I I would say consistently throughout it's not happening consistently to all of our classrooms. And and it's not because they don't want it want to be doing it. It's they don't know how and they don't have time and they don't and I think they have resources. after this I think we have a lot of resources but I think it's it comes down to time and and how how can I do this effectively and efficiently without it
060taking three days to plan right um okay so what will this look like so to strategic next steps for supporting our high achieving students um so we need to like we talked about we need to intentionally focus on those students scoring percentile and higher like like we talk about they teachers need to know who it is, what does it look like, what are their needs. Um again I do believe that we over the last couple years we have a very good picture of what our students need what what their areas and efficiency are. But again I think that's for our our strivvers. It's not. We need to really know, okay, what do our hired kids need, right? What what what do they what what do they find exciting? What do they want to learn about?
061Whatever it is, they need to be more part of the process than they are right now. Um uh we need to do it needs to be professional learning. I we we really need to work on what it looks like and we need to again I I don't think it has to be anything that's ground shaking because I do believe in pockets we are doing this we are doing this work. Now it's how it giving me time to go see how Bridget does it or or Miss Laskkey, you know, it just what does it look like? And if it's working for you, how can I do that too? And having those conversations, being more intentional with that piece. Um, and again, so we did look at, we pulled the data for the students that scored at
062the top 85th percentile and above for spring. And we've looked at who those kids are, and we've intentionally placed them for next year. they are going to be with a group of students. Um it's the numbers aren't high. So it's two kids in a class basically that we'll make so we'll make sure that they are with those two kids that they do have convers they can. So research will tell you that they just need to have a conversation with the peers and it doesn't even have to be a conversation with the teacher. It's being able to have those higher level conversations about what we're reading and what we're doing together. Right? So we have um potentially make sure they are with like I said it's it's literally the highest grade that we have is will
063be our current eighth graders and there's eight of them after that it's one kid one kid and we did make it to two so they're not because you want to have someone to talk to right um and again sometimes there are other kids like this is 85th percentile just because someone's at the 87th percentile doesn't mean we're like sorry you know or sometimes we have a kid who's at the 70th percentile but like what we see in the classroom room, we see a different level of depth of thinking. But sometimes, to be honest, what's measured on a MAP test doesn't do a great job of measuring critical thinking and coll, you know, like problem solving kind of things that we see in our higher performing students. That's not the best measure of what ELA, high
064performing, to use the word giftedness look like, right? Sometimes we have to see what we see in here in our discussions. No, and that's the whole professional of what you're doing, right? Um, but yeah, just making sure that these students are doing different kinds of activities. You said that the whole different differentiation piece we need to we need to beef up and and and as well as a scaffolding. I mean, they're used interchangeably, but there's a difference and we need to make sure that teachers do know what that is and what that looks like. And we talked about the the collaboration. I think we've been working on this for years throughout all the raids in Westchester and we we're we're there. We just again we still need we've got some room to get better. And
065Stephanie's writing her dissertation on collaboration all the way through. I am I am too. That's it. It's it's there's a lot to it. And actually, one of the I wanted to put this in here, but I didn't want to bore anybody with it, but I think it's an amazing statistic that most differences between um scores is not between school district school district, it's between buildings, between different classrooms. So, you will see usually when you go, they're all going to the same matter what school you're at, but when you look at their uh score span between your different teachers, that's where that's where the matter. So the point of that is is that we have we have teachers who get 100% of their kids meeting and exceeding their growth. What are they doing in their rooms
066that we all need to be doing? And the problem with that is we know who they are. They are people who don't want to say who they are. They are people who are embarrassed because I don't want them people to talk about me and think I'm think I'm a goody goody or like what? But that those are that's the trust piece that we have to build the vulnerability. And I will tell you we are building it. I I have I I cannot believe how many times this year I've said just to I asked alone just my head how many times I think that they're being vulnerable and truthfully vulnerable where they're having this conversation saying I need like it's amazing what we've been talking about lately. Yeah. We were not when I first joined the
067word we were not there as a district and you can see it. I mean it's better. It's coming and you could feel the difference in the teams. They they're helping each other. It's and we have we have to stop and honestly this is one of the things I was hoping we could do but it's okay but um just it's not my kids it's our kids right we need to it doesn't matter what classroom you're in and this whole piece of intervention sharing kids it's scary and it was and I you could talk about it too right it was hard because if these are my babies I don't know because if I don't do good it's going to reflect on all of us but this is all of our babies Right. And we're we're we're moving
068in that direction. I'm not saying we're 100%. I'm not even saying we're we're 85%. Well, we're above 50. The fact that I had teachers say they wanted to do team goals for for um for um evaluation speaks volumes because that would never come out of somebody's teacher's mouths who said that to me. I was like, you really like no. Yes. That's because you're only as good as your weightless link, right? We all have to be better. That's that's the point. and and through that we need to look at the like we talked about the curriculum earlier like are we asking the right questions are we looking at the curriculum and saying okay these students already have this they can let's let's push them deeper while I teach these skills and again it's coming with it
069needs help right they need they need people to help them with this they need to have they need to learn the skills they need the time it's not that they can't and they don't want to it's just there's a lot of barriers that we need to take away and And I will tell you for those of you all on the negotiation team, I think one of the biggest pieces that I was eye opening to me is I know I have I know I know like everyone I don't want to say they hate me but I know you guys do but I but we push right we push we push we push we push we push right and and she'll tell that I'm going to play right there. I she hates that I push her, but
070you know what? She doesn't. And she look at she's got a smile on her face right now. So, we also have to know when can we not push too hard, right? And I think that I've I think I've done a really good job of pushing just enough so that they still want to work here. But but we need to keep going, right? And I I just feel like if I if we came into the teachers uh you know starting August you know 18, hey guys, we have this brand new initiative which they already think I've got 50 of them, right? She'll tell you what they are. She's got them all written down. I'm sure with PCL, but um it's just we have to this has to be a natural part of what we're doing, right?
071It can't be something that's added on. They see the value. They know we've talked about this now that we have to make the changes and it can't be something that's top down saying, "Hey guys, this is what you got to do because it's not going to work. We're not they're not going to buy in." And I that's the one thing I've learned about our staff is that they until they feel it and they want to do they know it's right. We're not going to change. They can tell us they're doing it in the rooms. It's not it's going to be the same thing. Um and it doesn't make them bad people. It makes them human. That's what humans do, right? I close my door and this is what's happening. Um, and we do feel that
072if we're focusing on a tier one and doing the things we're talking about, then the numbers of kids that are above 85th percentile are going to increase significantly, right? And and I you know since I've been here we have you know I think it and I don't ever want to think that they're a forgotten group but because they are achieving because they pick up things quicker sometimes we just by nature like we are just you know talking and everything that we talk about the numbers that you see when we look at our scores and we're not wherever we're at like we're just honing in on the the percent that can and so we cannot forget about those kids and so when I you know when we look at the data we started having this conversation
073when we ran a number like well thankfully 50% actually 49% are actually doing it with us not really even being that intentional like so 50% of those kids are still making targets because I could go into a million different things about the MAP test and how difficult it is to make your target when you're in the 85th percentile there's a whole bunch of research on that and I'm not going to bore you with but it is not as easy so going from the 85th percentile down to the 83rd does not mean that you're like losing steam there is things like you talked about too, the passage that you read in the fall might be a different passage or maybe you weren't in a good mood or maybe whatever it was. You know, when you're going
074from the 85th percentile down to the 40th percentile down to the seven, like that's problematic. But there is a standard deviation of three to five on any test. And so that test when you got that 85, you might not have really been at 85. So there's there's a lot there. The the point is that we have to absolutely think about every kid and the kids that are scoring really well. Um we just have to have those convers like we have to be intentional. It has to be led by Steph and and myself and then the team. You know, we have to make sure these conversations are taking place that we're looking at it. You know, we have different ways to track students. We're looking at the percentages. We know that the the MAP score that
075we could look at the data the last three years of what our kids getting into PMSA are and I can tell you the 85th percentile is way high like 66%. It's 66%. 66% has been the average get. So we know that it was 61 the previous year. Yeah. So, you know, I know people are very concerned about getting into PMSA, but we could see like with the 85th% like um it's like there's a lot of stuff that we we have to look at and and I do believe that we have to involve students in the process. You know, I I think a lot of what is is happening is maybe they're bored intrinsically your own motivation for doing better and being better, right? And that involves the knowing and and this is that whole uh
076the sales that we're making letting them see what a good like this is where I'm I'm shooting for letting them know here's what I what I have to know but here's how I can extend and being part of that piece we we don't have that developed right now and that's what we're working on this summer and the whole school year but it's them having I mean we do make growth goals but again do they actually understand what that means like just having them be a bigger part of their education or I want to do something different. What does that look like? Right. Um I'm going to channel my inner data now because I know I get this question every year at every state of the school. Are we doing small group? Are we actually doing
077small group? say we're doing it and that's like still, you know, we have to it's about we're doing it, but like as you you hear them talking about it's it's really starting to be very focused and it's being, you know, very intentional. And I think that the planning that's taking place now in the front end is not just, you know, a couple years ago when we started it, we were just, you know, we were putting people out there and they were taking groups. They, you know, now the teachers are actually sitting and they're going over things. They're they're sending each other to classes. So it's absolutely grow like we are nowhere where we need be but we are a long way going a really and I do believe and we're seeing in the scores I
078mean look at the math growth it's that was five years in and now it's it's coming right um and then the last piece is just how do we involve families as well right families we it for a full circle this is not just a teacher teacher teacher problem it's a we all are a team how do we do this together um giving reading challenges is having, you know, giving projects to do at home. Again, it it might feel like homework to parents, but you know, want to extend some type of learning. I mean, that's Dion. Let's be honest. That's exactly what that is. D teachers do nothing. I love Miss Blair. She facilitates all of it, but the parents are are the ring layers of all of that, right? And if they didn't have that
079parent, they would not have a team. Okay? So, but it's it's bringing the parents into it. And and and that's the whole piece with our uh our parent parent engagement committee. How do we keep the parents involved? How do we get them to feel safe to come to things? Because where would we we struggle with that even, right? Getting parents to want to come and to feel like it's something they need to be like these are all things that we have to this all incorporates into into our scores into our you know our accelerated kids with you, right? Um, and again, I just our goal is to deliver the right content to the right student at the right time and the pace and and that's just going to take it's going to take work. And
080I I do I am not standing up here saying we are not standing up here saying that we can't do it. We will. We just need to we need to learn how and how to do it effectively and efficiently really without also taking anything away from right students who need it the most and that vast majority in the middle who also sometimes get like okay so much energy goes into that red group and that next group that it's like we don't want to forget about the middle ones either and we're working with 80 minutes and what are we getting done in this you know creative with how we're using staff in different ways to support each other because We can have co-eing and we can have more time with you know in front of a
081staff that is beneficial to everyone the students and the staff alike. So how we can be creative that way with our scheduling. Well thank you for diving into this and presenting and I and before we start with the questions just like as a reminder we were talking about this recently. were, you know, we're pretty much the same age, but like when we were in education, like you education was taught at one level. Like, you know, teachers weren't teaching at a variet in that that same classroom. Like there just wasn't this level. Um maybe got pulled out for a gifted program or something, but you taught it at one level. So, we you know, like we have made great strides in trying to do um the small group instruction and the differentiation. So, you know, I
082know we're we're getting there. Um, but I threw it out to anyone who wants to start with the questions because I know we have some. Yeah. You want to go first? Go. So, thank you guys for being here, especially in the summer and I think Westchester is very lucky to have teachers with a lot of experience and um you're sharing that with us and we appreciate it so much. Um, I think we as a board have high standards for our students and you guys, you know, are recognizing that those high students often get, you know, left with us, which is why we're here to talk about how we're going to meet the needs of the high performance. So, my first question, and bear with me because I have two questions, um, was that I was
083under the impression that we were already doing year one instruction and looking at rigor, right, at the state of the schools. We've been talking about it like we know that this is important for every So, have we not been doing that or are we just starting it now? No, we have been absolutely and as we said like it's been like all right, let's make sure we're following our new curriculum with fidelity and now a couple years in, how can we now even raise the bar for everyone as you said like these enrichment opportunities. We don't want that. We want to make sure those kids are encouraged and pushed to do that but also not exclude others from you know things like that too. So no we have been working. Okay. And so when we're talking
084about these students that are in the 85th percentile and above right we're not talking about tier one instruction right this is not your chunk that we're trying. They have already mastered the skill that even exceeded the skill. So how are we meeting the needs of these two right because these are your outers who we spend a lot of time our drivers and our performing are getting them. So, I guess that's my question here is I still don't feel like I'm hearing tier one. I think it's very valuable. Um, but I feel like we're still not meeting the needs of these high performance students because we are just focusing or we we agree with that's that was the whole point of this is that we need to be better. It's the whole differentiation piece. And again,
085I think it happens. We have uh choice boards in all of our classroom that are but do they all have low, medium, high choice boards every classroom? Um does the rigor look the same in all of the classroom? So I think it's just being more intentional with that piece as well like collaborating sharing here's what I'm doing which I I know we are doing but again feel like it's very surface level and I also don't think it's necessarily fair to say that these students are getting nothing from tier one the vast majority of like% you know they're not coming to it like they've mastered absolutely everything within the form they haven't there are things that are still like oh they didn't get that last year or they don't understand that and a lot of the
086texts within HMH are written at a level that is above like the current grade level they are in so they are still getting that same text yes as the kid next to them who maybe needs a lot of support with that text but some of these kids still need the support even with this you know as we're reading about the amygdala and how the right like there's like science text within HMH that sixth grade 10 11year-old student is not picking that up and getting out of it what they should without the teacher support. So they are getting things from the core, just without as much support and scaffolding that their peers might need, but they're still g they still need some guidance with these texts to look at things more closely to look for. Like
087we look at signposts, like maybe they're not realizing, oh, this character in this moment, they're understanding what's happening in the text. they're comprehending it, but are they reading deeper into what that character is going through and the character's motivation and things like that? So I don't want to discredit and say like they absolutely need something totally different like they need to be pushed more within that and given you know different and that's where the independent texts come in and that's where we can guide them to texts that are really at a different you know text than their peers but um they are getting things from this core instruction like I am confident in what I see my students getting whether they are the kids in the red or the kids in the bring I'm confident
088that they are growing and learning with our core production. Do they need more? Yes. But and so what I'm saying is that how are we meet how are we meeting those needs? If for example they still need the guidance of the teacher and the teacher is only meeting with them once a week that's not enough right and so I am pushing it to another we need something else because one time a week that the teacher is meeting with them one time a week that the interventionist is pulling them out is not going to give them those skills is not going to top right and I'm not saying they're not getting anything I'm all about the HM curriculum you know the teachers are doing a good job but I know that they're probably the interventionist is
089maybe would it help for us? I I don't know if we've looked at this, but we have 36 kids who by saying we're meeting their needs, we're meeting them. I mean, that's the data. So, what are those teachers doing in those those 36 kids that are actually making their growth in the 85th percentile? I think it has a lot to do with the kids themselves, too. But, so I think but we I think, you know, so there's a couple different things we got to look We got to look at what the kids are doing. So it's like it's we have some data points and we have kids that are so I'm interested out of those 36 are are a couple in one room or a couple at one grade level. Is there a specific grade?
090Yeah. So like no but I but I I think that there's opportunity instead of us like you know so well and like for an example and this isn't in a group but like our our essay winner our sixth grade who won the Junth right first of all she was pushed to do that and she did that and she worked individually with her language arts teacher who edited and proof read and you know like guided her through that writing process that she was encouraged to do. Her teacher also gave her Shakespeare to read for her independent reading that no one else was reading and they were meeting individually to discuss that during lunch time. That's not like a group thing. That's not happening within HMH. That was a teacher recognizing that this girl needed more, was
091motivated to take more and you know like having those we use that independent reading time that is daily to talk to kids about what they're reading and push them and have those discussions and and give them the things beyond HMH during that independent time. Can you know as we take this next year and we look can how can we make sure regardless of their language arts teacher that that's happening right as a teacher going above it how can we make sure that but our teachers are not required to exactly so how can we find a way to make sure that it happens because it's not happening yeah and do we look like you know we've talked about in our discussion like do we find ways to have a win time at middle school can we
092implement that within six weeks. No, that's a huge schedule change that's gonna mess everything up right now. Like, and we don't want to just again throw this out there be like, let's give it a shot. Like, we want to take the time to start like and okay, we're trying. Like, it might come to December and be like, okay, we we're getting some we're doing what we can. We're sharing what we know. We're making sure. But the end of the day, like the time isn't there to meet them more than once a week. So, what do we look at? Do we look at a different study hall for these kids? Maybe they don't need regular study hall. Maybe they have a daily 20 minute thing, but then that's staffing, right? Do we need an additional person?
093And that's not something we're doing in the next six weeks either. Put it out there like so that we can get because we need a little bit more consistency for these people. We can't have a teacher who I mean that's above and beyond. And there's another one in third grade, but you know that that is going on her lunch break to teach this kid because she recognizes I got to give her Shakespeare in sixth grade. And so I want to come back to this about exposure to the higher level is what we need. And so what we want to create a program that takes it off the teacher right and cost effective you know going to the next classroom getting that higher that next level content the vocabulary the comprehension. You have kids that know
094the skill, they don't know what a moon is because they're whatever grade that was, fifth grade, they read it, you know, they were able to answer the skill because the skill stays the same. Right? You're doing main idea in eighth grade and second grade and kindergarten, right? But they don't have the vocabulary. They don't have the higher content, the higher level text so that they know what you know what I'm saying. But a text is something we can use in any classroom. Yeah. But again, you're asking one teacher who's teaching them So and that's where I think we need to support where we are now as a team saying here we have these five learners who are you know took a preassessment or whatever it might look like they have these skills what are we
095all going to do in our classrooms for these students so we're all doing it the same okay we're going to pull so we're planning together right so I'm not a silo like I'm teach I have to play by myself you we're all we all know here's these six students what do we need to do well and that's when we do groups right are like guided liter circles that happen multiple times throughout the year. And we do group the kids like we group kids like we had some kids like my kids reading Agatha Christie in sixth grade. That's a group of students who can read that versus I'm not going to give that to the other kids who are reading because of Wind Dixie. So we also use literature circles as a time to group kids
096and provide this is your text. do have these three to choose from which are higher level texts and we're going to over the next six weeks we meet in small groups and that's not just once a week like they're meeting multiple times throughout the week with their small group of kids reading the same thing. But yeah, how can we make sure it's happening more often because also at some point if they're being pulled more often then we have there's less time realistically there's less time for the kids in the red and there's less time for the kids the vast majority in the middle. So, we need to start with making sure we are using the time we have and the strategies make sure that all teachers have this. Can we as we move forward if
097we're not seeing the results like look at ways to be more creative? Like we also talked about can we use advisory but I'm like just gifted they can't they don't want to miss out on that like bonding time with their small group of students like that's not fair to them. We don't want them to miss out on that just kind of like that's a meaningful time those 18 minutes. again maybe it is study hall but who's going to do that now right like so we have to look at is there someone who works across build I don't right so we have to it's there's a lot of options that we can move to once we know that we have a solid foundation of making sure that we have these in place and if we think
098okay now we have this in place and we need whatever it might be then we can look at that but to say that to stand up here and say right now we need to hire a new teacher we need to do all this I I don't feel confident saying that we we need to do that we haven't even started with the people and that are on the floor doing it, right? And they would tell you the same thing. They when we talked about at intermediate doing uh um you teach all the math, you teach all the reading content special to make them concept specialized. Yeah. Again, sounds like a great concept, right? Yes. They've done it before. Um, but they just they literally looked at me like I had eight eyes and they're like, "We
099can't go back to that. We can't go." And I was like, "Wait, that's just an idea. We don't have to." But again, we have to think through what works for what's what's best for the kids and what's best for what our environment is. With the math the way it is right now, we cannot I I could not scheduling wise, I could not say, "Okay, you're third grader, you're going to go to fourth grade during this during their ELA time because math dominates our schedule." K8 K I I that that is that trump shrunks everything. If we wanted to change that I I then we could maybe look at some flexibility but as of the way the scheduling is and I because I've already talked to Shauna and Laura about it. There is physically no way
100possible that I could say I I mean a one or two kids but to have I mean the amount of kids that we have for math right now we have to it dictates the way things but I'm not because we have so many kids the focus is on math. Is that what you're saying? No. No, because we are doing the math the way we're doing it. That dictates our schedule. So like Lord, like so specials can't be at a certain time throughout the whole district because all everyone's moving at the same time. There are so many moving pieces that that you don't even realize. So are you saying like basically if we were I'm going to say looping. I know that's not the right word, but if we were looping kids up in math and
101in reading that schedul, and again, I'm not saying it couldn't work. I would say the probability of it being like if someone's doing both. Correct. I also think there's a greater need to move kids up in math because it is truly different things being taught from one grade level to like or two grade levels apart in math. Whereas within language arts again there are more opportunities or options to differentiate in a way that cannot happen in math. If you are teaching your class a completely different math that that you know I've mastered that I need to move on to the next. It does just look and work differently. Um I don't know of many districts where you take a third grader and put them in a fifth grade ELA class but you hear that very
102regular. There are some but like I mean and and I guess let me get to my next question then because here on slide eight right it says uh which one does eight going to slide eight reality here's a reality yeah okay so without providing professional learning and improving tier one it doesn't matter what grade students are accelerated to where is the research to back that up that's a big thing and I know tier one is very important I I agree with you guys. It it's going to definitely push up your 50 60 70th percentile, but that's your tier one. So, where is the research, you know, for what we're talking about here? Because there I can show you there's research for accelerated reading that it's cost effective that it's very impactful and you know, there
103are different ways to do it. You can just create a hole where you're just pulling out and you have or how we're doing our map where they're hopping over to the next. Right. Right. I and I I do I agree with you. There are ways to do it. I we can't do that in two months. Oh yeah. So that's what I know. So that's what I'm saying. We what we want to do is we are not saying we are we don't think that we could do all these things. We need to teach the teachers is we need to because like I said you they will only have more of the same. They don't know how to differentiate within their classroom. Now I can push you're just reading harder text but you're still doing it the
104same way you were in the other classroom. If you take a sixth grader and put them and I can give you another book and a teacher who doesn't have the professional, you know, the understanding or skill set of what it looks like to differentiate for that student, their experience might look very similar to what it looks like in their sixth grade classroom. Just because they're reading Frederick Douglas versus, you know, whatever the sixth grade text is, they might have a very similar experience and still only be seen once a day. And it's not a big difference if you're just putting them in a different grade level with a teacher who's not necessarily trained in or like understanding of what that higher depth looks like or how to have a one-on-one conversation with a kid reading,
105you know, that appropriate text for them during, you know, their their independent time and things like that. That's where we have to make sure all our teachers because our focus has been on the lowest of students and how do we provide intervention? How do we teach how to read? How do we teach We're right. We're looking and again I I don't disagree that we we can do it. I think we need a year to solve and build it. That acceleration program we're doing now that was four years of working and changing and working and changing and working and changing. It didn't just happen. No. And I'm not saying two months. But I'm saying but but that's the wheels in motion. But see that's the thing is they are. Yes. Okay. And I I would not
106I would not say that we are they're not. But I I I think this is the wheel emotion that it helps all students and then if we don't see the growth that we need to see and again it wouldn't be just waiting until fourth quarter right this would be ongoing we are constantly looking at data and if we're saying okay we're not meeting his need or need whatever it is how we what are we going to do differently right now that's the conversations we have to have in that moment with that formative assessment piece right yeah um I'm gonna pause you for one second I just want to give someone else a chance to ask some questions if you have some Cynthia, did you have any more? No, I mean my last one was, you
107know, what you answered the last one just, you know, are we what's our hesitancy for an accelerated but if we're trying to put the wheels in motion and you know do our foundation, you know, then yeah, there is absolutely no hesitation. I'm not saying two months. That's un that's what we've been given and to even to even to even get a team of of the teachers I have and the conversations we've had surface level we've already done a lot that we are are moving in that in that direction and I don't I don't mean to say oh yeah and I hope we don't feel like that but I do want higher standards last week I think like I think looking at HMH version three coming in too because there are slight differences um like We
108got the demo from Stephanie and I did take a little bit of a deeper dive than maybe others did. And you know like in the version two in a one module you might teach 15 different strategies like you might have theme character you know and it looked at a very surface level so don't come back and quote me on it and like say like Chris said but it looked like it was way more focused like a module might only focus on four. So then it does allow the teachers within the classroom to get a little bit deeper for those kids at that 85th percentile because it's not like you're doing theme on Tuesday. Okay, now character analysis on Wednesday now this where there isn't that time to really dig deep. So if my surface level
109understanding as Stephanie is saying I might be correct on that one. Um thank you. And you know it might help the teachers to kind of dig deeper for those higher achieving kids. And then I know in our building I think at the primary school too we are um you got to remember too reading has changed since co and that whole science of reading that came out and you know co seems in our heads so long ago but really in the world of education that it's not and it changed all of those systems. Um, but we have adopted some of the Jenn Jennifer Saravella strategies and we have her books and you know I know for sure those books came out a lot of them you know teachers were overwhelmed they kind of just sat and
110you know but now teachers are cracking them open and looking at them and they'll say like if students can do this then have them do this if students can't do this have them do this and stu you know teachers are having those conversations. So that's just another part of that PD that we get from our coaches that's helping um kind of push all students but you know every student everyone through the process not like got the process but you know I've got just next. Okay. Um so I have a couple questions too. I'll just ask the first um too. I want to make sure that I heard you guys correctly um in terms of ideas for pulling the students out and grouping them. You aren't intending to group all of the higher achievers in one
111classroom or no. Making sure that they're in a cluster of like two to four. It literally is no one's like by themselves. It's two students and the biggest group would be um our eighth grade. They have eight but making sure they have this conversation. Yeah. One class and no so we don't want to go back down the way. So that might be four and four. It might be three and two. That's helpful. I had a whole Yes, we want to go back down. I thought that's what I heard. I just wanted to make sure. Yes. Um the other question um is I'm sure you all have already done it but have you considered the students who are great test takers and then are not performing well in the classroom and then vice versa are poor
112test takers but are doing phenomenal in the classroom and how that feeds into that you know fluctuating 85 percentile. Yeah, because I mean we're looking the 85th percentile is only MAP schools, right? So that's a test taken in September and then again in December. So it's not like they're not stuck in a group from what they did in de in September. So when we see as I was saying like within my classroom, if I see a student who is at the 75th percentile and just really showing that they've mastered this or they got their understanding text at a different level or they're writing at a different level and absolutely we're pulling them in a group. And similarly, yeah, if someone is well, they have a really high score, but they are struggling. They're in a
113different group because they're not able that to to function and this isn't meeting their needs in this group. I need them in a different group. So, yeah. I mean, that's teachers are not just using MAP scores. Absolutely. And they can put all the test data into intofront and we we look at that. We look at how we're doing on each of the standards. Yeah. It's it's a map and that's a new thing that we're doing, right? really. I mean that it's it's some it's a starting point. That's kind of all it is to be honest. Like it's how do we day one we don't know these kids that well. They're new to us. What does this data show? How do we start with them? But then the very next week we might be like it's
114not the right group for them. Can I tag team real quick? And do you guys I know you guys use Fastbridge. Do you guys use Fastbridge at middle school or is that is that another data point that's helpful? Because again, if like when I be like, "Oh, this kid scored really high." If I'm like beginning of the year, I'll go back and look at their their scores from fourth, fifth grade, like is this a sometimes someone will score really high and I'll be like really? And I'll go back and be like, "Oh, that was an outliner. They must have just had like a really great day because they have not been there for the last three school years." Um, and then fast bridge is another thing to look at like they, you know, we use
115it a lot on the lower end. poorly on math and actually they're a really great mass bridge. So, and then what's happening in the classroom? So, it's another thing to compare and look at each other. Yeah, I have two more short questions um on one of the slides on next steps um about engaging students in their own learning. What are some of the ideas um that you're considering or that's shown in the research to motivate students who have the ability to go higher but are um but aren't and that's a personal question but I think that's you know also um relevant to a lot of students that have the capability to be you know to be move from meets to exceeds um but they're not motivated you know because it's not cool to you know
116be super smart or you know you don't want to lose your friend group or you guys are goofing off in the classroom because it's fun and we don't have each other in the next class. Um so that's one of the things that I think is really important to me. Um, and I would love to hear, you know, any information on the, you know, research or what you all are considering in terms of that. And I think that's an area we need to also learn more about because I think for too long we focus too heavily on like your goal that score and that's one piece and when I think back to yours where I've had like a student her goal was to read every book by Margaret Peterson Havoc by the end of the year
117and she did and she was motivated and that was a lot of books and she was super into it. So how do we find the thing that motivates that? Because for her it wasn't a score, right? So how do we find like wait you is it a book series? Is it is it entering writing contest like you know the kid who wants to write a novel? Okay, how do we support you in that and and help you keep track of your goal and not just be like that's great, you know, like how do we make that part of their educational experience? You know, there's something that Stephanie put up here about the family connection. So like we have them for x amount of hours and that's why we so important to work together because I
118could tell you that we got to think about sometimes we talk about these scores and kids are hearing this. So when they're taking these scores and they score below an 85th percentile now they think they're less than. So then that messes with their with their heads too. So it's like we got to have this conversation about what is what is good? What is you know continue on that path like what is the end? Oh, and and just because you talked about the 85th percentile, I think Miss Glo said it and I been looking obviously this is important. The 85th percentile is what we set. Okay. But if you look as a breakdown, generally a student is considered accelerated, they score in the 95th percentile or higher nationally on standardized assessments such as math, I you
119know, uh or state test. 85th to 94th is often labeled above or advanced but not typically accelerated unless paired with other indicators like classroom performance teacher recommendation. 95th percentile and above is the common threshold for gifted accelerated programs grade or subject level acceleration eligibility for enrichment. So if we go back to when we had this acceleration why we started because we were under the policy of the I the only state that we had to have an acceleration policy. So we looked at our numbers and if we went by 95% we would have maybe one kid in there. So we kind of brought it down and to where we were at and math was like okay we could wrap our heads around math reading. So, you know, I I guess just for for the question like
120when we talk about 50 50% of the kids are making like what is an acceptable I'd be interested to hear from the board like what's an acceptable rate of kids making targets you want to see for all of our students and in our accelerator like so if if this number today if she pulled the number and it was 75% of our kids in 85th percentile are making a growth target would that have been acceptable would we feel like we you know we have to do more for them or do we like what is that is there a number is there something that we feel is is it a hundred I don't know you know like what is the acceptable number like because when I look at like I try to set the target with the
121with the knowing statistics math will tell you 50th percentile that's where the kids land if you're above 50 percentile if you're in the 55th percentile that's like 85% better than the country so I'm interested in knowing like when we talk about statistics like what is an actual acceptable number where we're not obviously we we have to meet the needs of the kids like and that's I think what it is but like what is an acceptable number for us well first off it's rhetorical but it's also in order to answer it now but it's something for us to really truly think about so I don't have an answer to that um um because you know I would say 100% of all you know and of course we want it all right but so One, you know,
122thing that I am impressed and happy about is that our idea of accelerated is beyond what, you know, sort of national standards are because that 5% um I I'm in a number of ways opposed to, you know, gifted programs. So, for us to go beyond that and try to have more students being challenged in a different way, I'm I'm happy about that. I'm just concerned that I had similar concerns with the math acceleration that have been sort of alleviated. I want to make sure that the students who need additional support because they're at that higher level doesn't um detract from students who are close to that level. And that's and I heard you guys say it a lot um that you you know agree you're not intending to um take anything away from any of
123our learners driving you know um and so forth. But that's one of the things that really really concerns me you know the students who may be at the 70th you know but if they get that great teacher they may be in the 91st you know percentile. Um and so that's not a question but it's just sort of a statement. um that you know it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy if we tell kids you know kids believe it in their heads if they believe I'm so I'm this I'm that and like that's why we you know the the language that we use with them the way that we treat them they will they will rise to the way that we we're treating people. I also you know the family engagement piece I think is
124really important because at least in our family both of my boys cuz they're amazing because I'm mom but They they're both very smart and my youngest is doing much better, you know, than his older brother. And I can see the difference because Malcolm, sorry, put him out there is really smart, but when he hears that Isaiah is, you know, got straight A's or he got 100% and he only got a B, then that B becomes a C. And so, you know, that's another piece that I think is really important. I'll get to my last question. I hope it's quick. Um I I don't know if it's true, but it seems like there may be a um a gap between fifth and sixth grade with our students um in terms of their test scores and their
125not ability but maybe motivation in learning because of that. You know, you were in sort of a structured one class, you know, and now you're moving around. And so I want to hear or have you guys you know um considering your research what can also be done so that the students that would have been in that 95th or the 85th or the 70th percentile don't have a huge drop in their sixth grade year or their seventh but it is two different tests just so we've historically seen K through five and map specifically because there's a that K through five and then when they get to six I meant since I was a principal and sixth grade scores too. Exactly. There's a gap. So, it's all the switching, right? I'm not really But I But you're
126talking about the social just the piece of them getting now they're there's a lot more respon. Yeah. Exactly. And so I think that's a factor that, you know, we should also think about and consider because this it's clear that our students are very capable. And if they're showing that in, you know, K through five regardless of the school building, why is there a that much of a difference when you get to question? Yeah, Ros is up next. I just have a comment, but I'm going to quickly piggyback on what you said because I just I feel like it's a changeover of the school. It's a changeover of the whole atmosphere. It's a changeover of everything. You see it from primary to intermediate, intermediate to middle and you see it huge from middle to high school.
127And so it that's just something that I'm not sure how that they could really prepare them for except maybe I that I'm actually not a functioning habit. So that's going to happen like everywhere. But I just wanted to say since I've had three kids come and go through this district, the strides that have been taken have been amazing. Um math of course, but even in ELA, um seeing everybody working with the kids individually is really impressive. I also find it I feel bad sometimes because I don't know how you guys as teachers are expected to work and teach every single student individually. It's very hard. It's it's a big demand. And I think what you said about making sure all teachers are doing things the same is hitting the nail right on the head because
128I've had so many different teachers and I have seen years that they have thrived and I've seen years where they've done nothing and it all comes down to that teacher trying to get a sense of what they need. I had wonderful as well dropping folks off before her maternity leave during COVID for my daughter who needed something more because she was doing nothing. And I know that's not always the case, but when you have that and you have a teacher that's really focusing on students and I know time is a problem and I know that, but I just want to say like we see it and appreciate it and um I think if you guys can start just there, it's a really good start to the plan. You're up next. I'll make this quick. Um
129I think that I heard you guys name a I want to celebrate that you named some things that you're already doing that I think you don't understand are helping these enriched kit the to enri uh uh improve enrichment. Um so first of all you are um let me get to that in a second. you mentioned uh the is it version three of the new HM I when I went through I had a a guest pass and I was able to see that the new version is uh meeting and exceeding like the current standards of what we're doing so they're taking that standard four and that might be the focus standard for the unit but they're also not forgetting about let's just say standards one two and three so I think that's really important um and
130then when you're in grade grade five six, seven, and eight. It's the same exact standard. So, there's no reason to go back to change your scope and sequences or to align them. The only thing that's changing is the text complexity. And this is what I think along with one other small shift that could really make a big difference in our numbers because Phil, the only thing that would make me unhappy is not seeing growth at all in those 85th percentile and higher. So, um, one of those things is, um, the kids need to be reading across the genres because they're not going to pass those standardized tests if they don't have if they're not exposed to different vocabulary. I myself do not like sci-fi books. I don't like mystery books. And when I'm asked to
131go and model teach those lessons, I have to remind myself what those words mean because those are I just don't read those books. So that's something I'm trying to improve in my own practice as an adult as an adult because I can't be seen on as a professional if I don't have this experience. So I think that the kids aren't exposed to lon because they haven't read that about those birds. But what are we doing to expose them to these different genres? I think that's a starting point and I think that's something that in August that's one small thing we can do is do we have the resources to provide the teachers with higher level texts to meet the same standards they're teaching in tier one. Okay. The other thing I think you need because
132you're you're saying you're going to provide your teachers with professional development. They pay me $5,500 a visit. I don't get that money. The company does to provide this PLC to provide PLC's for teachers and to walk them through. So that's what you need is uh once a week for teachers at that grade level to have this focus PLC that you know you attend once a month each grade level as a director of curriculum and you're making sure that they're meeting that they're looking at the writing analysis. They're looking at the benchmark data. Those are the things that I I hear you talking about. We do that already. So like I said I wanted to elevate that. Right. We need to Exactly. We're surface. We need to get deeper. So, so but making those PLC meetings
133purposeful, that's another way to increase the rigor and to increase that enrichment for your students because then you're looking at the writing analysis, you know, week one of kids at in um that are on on the stop lightss, right? And then week two, you're looking at the next level. Week three, you're looking at the next level. But always looking at just a couple of kids at a time, not the whole group. So you can see what is it you're missing? What is it you need to improve on? And then you can make immediate change the next week. Yeah. So, I think that um I was all over the place, but the PLC meetings and then do the teachers have the resources to give that higher level text, the multiple genres because I think that's one
134way to really meet the needs of those higher level readers. Um and then I have some other things that I can email you more information on and you can share, but I'm doing some work on um you're not going to charge us. She's a friend on the floor. I can't pay you for I don't get any of that money for for a little bit. So, she's already Well, that's how I got access to the next version of HMH, which if I can finish that and then I'll come back to this is they have accountability talk which you mentioned is something you're encouraging. um they have um they have in context studying of um you mentioned grammar vocabulary but you mentioned them and I'm not saying you're doing it this way but you mentioned them in
135isolation h is doing it whole version three in version three in version two it wasn't so and that's what then Natalie Wexler who it wrote beyond the science of re of learn of reading which is studying the science of learning I said that really quickly did you get it okay got it she's talking about knowledge building the use of accountability talk the use of elevating tier one she's and this is just I just did this all like in the month of um June and July or uh June and I have like to present on this in July so that's why I'm talking about it but she really talks about if you're doing these things um in context not in isolation um and then this piece of knowledge building and that's what are the texts that
136we're using what is it how are we modeling what we're teaching teaching the kids because that's what's going to take this the higher level kids to that higher level. And there's a lot of research lately about the knowledge gap, right? That kids are being presented with text that they have no background knowledge on that they may have in years past with the way with social studies things, right? And I'm seeing that even as we added more social studies back to fifth grade like kids coming to me again with an understanding of some things where I was yeah because they hadn't had social studies and then they're being asked to read these things and it's a really challenging but that's the knowledge building because the new HM they're incorporating science and social studies so that you
137can then gain that additional knowledge in those court in those court um texts. Um, and I I read and I also saw that you're starting off at, let's just say fifth grade, you're starting off at 5.1, fifth grade level, and then the text gradually increase. So, the text complexity within the year of fifth grade is going to change. So, they're going to end the year learning a sixth grade text. And that was what I was able to see when I looked in and dug in a little bit deeper. So, um, that's all. Um, I think dirty head. I just want to know what we need to do to get this done in two months. I have to do it. This is like really complex and really nuanced. And so I guess my question is hopefully
138simple. I just want to know like what are we using to measure the success of an accelerated program, right? because it seems like I'm just hearing I mean we it has to be quantifiable in some way but are we just measuring I heard fast bridge I heard map when you know because I there are immeasurables here I've been in your classroom you're an exceptional educator I always think like I want my daughter in this class someday right so that's an immeasurable thing um so how are we measuring the success if we're asking staff to do more and to you know go to some extra training or whatever it's it it's an ask right So how are we measuring the success? Is it is it just scores just fast bridge and math right now? I guess
139I would say is I hesitate to say let's add more and more assessment right because that takes away from scores. I mean honestly I think at the end of the day that should be our goal right that is a state that is a state test that all students are are should be at this certain certain level right um if we look at day-to-day tasks if we look at conversations that are taking place if we go through and and we're walking in classrooms and we're seeing the different types of small group instruction happening actually what tasks they are doing that is going to be a big temp um and yeah like looking at the percentages like that's why I say like I don't when I when I I I reached out to NWA you know and
140I said like how many what percent of kids in the 85th percentile like what is the average or like 50%. And so understanding to like what is going to be our our definition, right? Right. Right. I just think like like I said, I think that what us not and I I I use Access to the Access is a test that our EL students taken for several years. We were only having like three, two, four kids. Two years ago, Stephanie had this idea to like, let's be super intentional. Let's bring all the kids in. Let's talk with the Let's have a conversation. Provide knowledge. Yeah. provide knowledge and since then we've seen the numbers. This year we had the most we've ever had like 23 kids just by by some of it low hanging fruit and
141eventually you got to get deeper and I I feel the same's going to happen here. I think you know seven years ago when I got here and we we started looking at this math thing there was absolutely we when we moved away there was an uproar. I mean we had a million people in not a million but it was a ton of people that we had at is in the auditorium I mean in the lunchroom and they were upset that we were moving away from the gifted rooms and we were going to go this different way and people were upset but then we had to show that every time the data started showing look at our kids acceleration now you look at our math scores they are doing better I I think I say 50%
142is average I want to be closer to 60 closer to 70 I do and I know I I think I you know when I hear parents and people are here like you're like this is great you guys want to talk about this but like what is it doing for my kid today right like you don't think that we don't have the I hope you don't think that we don't think less of your kid. We don't think that they have time for them. Like we are trying to do this right and just trusting in us that we have been through this that we know that this is the path. We are absolutely going to be having conversations about all of our kids and especially our Hayichi like that will be at the forefront. You know Stephanie
143and I we know that's our our marching horse until we you know however we work through this year and what we is communicating consistently with the board and telling you here's here's where we're at. Here's what we're seeing. You know, we because we have to talk to our teach all of our teachers like the teachers on this committee know but like hey guys I could say hey for the last two you know if you got nothing like two hours of time you can watch this video and you could hear like what we talked about for two hours at the board meeting like what the importance so staff need to understand prek through 8 like this isn't you know something that's important so let's identify the kids let's understand who they are let's talk about it
144you know Stephanie knows in our meetings with admin once a month when I meet with them, let's go through our kids. How are these kids? Like we're going to have these conversations. That's what's going to happen. And when we did do the um accelerated the math acceleration plan, like we had to it was the state law was coming and and so we had to throw something together and we did and it was bumpy and made and the first year the first year we did it, we had our specialist do it, but then we're like we have to change it up. And now we went to high then Stephanie went to the high school because the plan was to send our eighth graders, seventh to eighth graders to proise. Like how the heck are we going
145to get them there? And why are we going to put a kid in seventh grade in a high school and if they had to go to Heath or West so that we we got a teacher to get so like we will we'll move with it like you know just have faith that we're going to do this and you know obviously you're going to hold us to it. You know we're not going away. So you got to so next steps the I assume like this it really runs through your ELA committee. Is that who it's kind of built or professionals we have meetings set up and those are ongoing meetings like throughout the year. Well, I'm trying to think of like when when could we expect like you know when would you want to update us
146next? And it doesn't have have to be at presentations time too. But right um well I in my board meeting I my board I know you do your reports are I always do it there. I'm meeting with them. Um we haven't picked a date exactly which I'm trying to see which one works the best. Um I I would but we don't do one in July. So my August you would get I I could Yeah. We got to talk to our principles. They what our principles are we got to look at. I've seen these ladies more in the last as soon as Kumar gets me that video. I'm like I'm going to send it to 12. I'm like homework watch this out. Actually, you too. I've seen you more than the principles the last couple weeks.
147So, and we only get to report. So, I'm thinking of like like a formal like when should we put it on the agenda next? Like we can we don't have to nail down a specific time, but like you know should I actually October, November? Check. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh, you're going really far out. I I So what this is what I was I was wanting to do. Um I want to create a dashboard. Okay. And in that dashboard I would have a key they're called KPIs key performance indicators. And one of those would be tracking students and seeing you know it would be ongoing. So after every assessment they they take we would see how are they doing and and you could it would be it would be a dashboard where everyone can
148see it. Not just us that are privileged to it. It would be here's what you're you hear this you too. You're going to help me do this. Okay. I know what you're thinking in your head right now. Um, but then it would be ongoing information for everyone to see how this is going to go along with our new strategic plan and it wouldn't just be this accelerated be for all different areas indicators, right? But then that way you would know in real time where we're at and where it's going. I think that that would speak a lot of with what I'm sure you guys want to know, right? Um, and then from there, what are we doing? I would love to also um whenever the formal date is and I know Stephanie you do it
149in in your updates but um you know any interim measures that you all think oh you know what let's try this and see how you know effective it is before we have like the next big push awesome final thoughts just want to say thank you guys how hard it Thanks. Thank you. Thank you. How much we like you, right? Um, okay. So, I had to get a refresher from Laura about what my agenda or my motion was. So, it was to move all of the discussion items up. So, we're going to go through the discussion items with no action and then we'll go back to the one go back. Okay. Okay. So, next we have the um fiscal year energy contract discussion and no one wants to stay for the fiscal year discussion. All right,
150Dennis, you're up. Energy contract update. It's just a brief contracts are coming up. I'd like to start looking into it. plan to come next month with some parameters. If the board approves and contract terms are favorable with those parameters, how many years are we? Well, I'll keep them short because I'm things getting better. Okay. But I'll come with specific practice. Any questions for the energy contract? for guest point. Okay. Um and then um we'll begin with our first readings and again these are sort of our nor our our new process so that we were kind of combined the discussion with the first reading. Um and it's going to look like a lot but as Laura sort of highlighted there for us with the comparisons these are updates related to the title n um Texas case.
151So the first one is the first reading of policy 2-260 uniform grievance procedure. Um so the items in green Laura correct me if I'm wrong or just moving back to what it was. Anything where you see a note in any of these policies where it says updates are related to title X is almost everything's just kind of going back to what a lot of it is just language. Um, that's what you'll notice. Or even just shifting around, right? Yeah. So, keep it in one spot and leave it there. Whatever. I had a question on this. Um, and I know you guys probably told me a million times. How do we get the revisions to the policy that we re or have our first like who's doing it? is that council or is it a combination
152of folks or um I it's it is if we need it. So we um subscribe to press which I have no idea what that stands for. It's the it's part of um IASB does the legal um so we get those provisions. we pretty much go. Um so when you look at the version that says um Laura always gives us our current version, the press version and then sort of the comparison is her tracking changes. Um so then we um you know kind of work our way through the footnotes. Again, these are the title one changes. So like you know there probably isn't a lot of discussion but normally if it was like a kind of a new update we hadn't seen before we'd as a board just kind of have to work our way through
153the footnotes that are in press and then if there's something kind of unusual or that we have comments of those are the ones that we would take. Okay that was that was more of a question people who run press it's it's already this has already gone through lawyers. Yeah, but not our Okay, that was Yeah, that was kind of I knew we had we modeled it off of press, but I didn't know if we did additional changes um based on our district specifically too. Um if there were anything, you know, and I think each look usually um are legal, they'll give us a heads up if they know something's coming. Um and if we get totally stuck on something, then we'll we'll definitely bounce it. little table sometimes and then bounce it back. Gota I
154mean we told you that a million times. I know. I mean I should just be kicked off because I'm on this accelerated program. That was that very very probably quick um here. Welcome to the board presentation. Um yes. So any other questions on the first reading on policy 2-260? Are we okay going with the press update? These are not action items, correct? No. So, what will happen is they will be on if everything's okay, we'll go at the agenda. Okay. So, you'll never have to until another court case. Right. All right. So, next one is the first reading of um policy 2-265. It's the title N grievance procedure. um again mostly word smithing um and some sentences moved around. Thank you for including these notes for it. Yeah, you can see in like the fourth
155paragraph it's literally the exact same thing. They just you just need something to do. But my favorites is when they change like they choose or they go back and forth between. So we are okay with joining the press for 2-265. Yeah. Okay. Um identity protection usually has a few robust conversations here, but this one looks like minor changes just adding cyber security. We actually just updated it and they updated it again. So that's why there's not. So this is not a title one one. No, this it's not. But it's the cyber security. This is connected to Sofa, right? Is that what they refer to it as? So it puts all the responsibility back on you for Jacob. All right. So going with press is okay there. All right. Moving right along. F first reading of
156policy 5-10 equal opportunity and minority recruitment. On the notes updates are related to title 9 ruling in the new laws to include reproductive health decisions and family responsibility. Any questions or concerns there press close some of these I'm confusing um next to G first reading of policy 5-20 workplace harassment prohibited these are updates related to title N. So these are just going back to the title N coordinator. Questions or concerns on that one? So we'll go with press on that. H is first reading of policy 7- 7-10 equal educational opportunity. um updates related to title 9 ruling. Um again that's that sexual sex discrimination and sexual harassment is basically kind of that shift backwards or back to the sexual harassment. And I love how they capitalized policy that change. That was a critical change. Critical
157change. So we're going to go with press on that one. Stop me if I'm going too quick. If you want to talk, if someone wants to talk through anything, I'm just going to keep pushing through. Okay. Uh, first reading of policy 7-20, harassment of students prohibited. This is related to title 9 ruling. Um, sex instead of sex based, it's sexual. Okay. Okay. Going with press on that one. All right. Um, first reading of policy 7-180, prevention of a response to bullying, intimidation, and harassment. These were also title N update rulings. Title N ruling updates. That one's just like the title, right? including the on the website. Oh, right on the district's publicly accessible website. Okay, we're not fancy enough to have a not publicly accessible website then. So, we'll go across on that one. Moving
158on to K. First reading of policy 7-185, teen dating violence prohibited. Um, these are related to title nine. Is that title N coordinator? Oh no, I'm on the wrong one. I'm so sorry. I think C was a duplicate because do you see how that the same thing as actually So that actually might have been an error. Oh yeah, this is pretty much word for word. Yeah. See it to. Oh yeah, it really is. I think good. So it's already in B. Good catch. Okay. So, we'll go with press on that one. Then, um L, first reading on policy 7-250, student support services. This adds info about article 26A, domestic and sexual violence. have a design as a school the superintendent or designation and inform all school personnel. Is that where you're at? Number four, where
159I'm in the comparison article 268. Oh, John. Sure that makes for school building as a resource person for students or victims of would you is that something you would keep or do you anticipate that to somebody and at least one staff member oh I'm sorry you superintendent is ensuring that at least one staff member in each building is designated as a resource person. So, is that something that Do we want that? Is that something that that person would need to be trained for? I'm sorry, what was that? It's it says uh we'll ensure that at least one staff member in each school building is designated as a resource person for students who are parents, expected parents or victims of domestic or sexual violence and offer these services required by Illinois State Code. Wouldn't that be
160our social social workers? Social Yeah. As long as we have Yeah. would want to agree to something that we're not prepared to do. No, absolutely. You're right. Obligated because I believe they're already involved in situations like this. You're right. Yeah. If we're not capable of doing it, we don't put it in, right? No. Okay. So, press is Are we okay with press on that one? Yes. Okay. Um and then last one, M. uh first reading of policy 7-255 students who are parents expected parents are victims of domestic or sexual violence. So this is a brand new policy. The law is effective July 1. So this also has to do with that article. So is press basically also new? Yes. Okay. They're the word for word the same. Okay. Were there any footnotes we need to
161that were optional? I didn't notice anything that was off. And um going back to press it some things. Sometimes we do have to look at the footnotes because it's put out for all districts and so we're just K through eight. So sometimes we can chop things that are not um you know they'll spell it out usually for us. I didn't check these. I'm just going to scan them real fast. Any is anyone see any optional footnotes? I don't say require. Which one is that? Footnote 15. Okay, a second. I'll just read it. Note 15 says, "This provision also requires districts to review and revise any procedures that act as a barrier to article 26A." Maybe it's I think it's the law, right? I think it's at the top of this book, too, isn't it? Oh,
162maybe not. It just refers to it, right? Um but I think it's only if you have a barrier this procedure interview like if you had a policy saying pregnant can't you know what I mean like something like that that's the way I sort of had some sort of something that conflicted with with the law but you couldn't have that. What does it say? I think it's saying the the policy says at least once every two years uploaded we have to do other the board reviews and makes any necessary updates to this policy. So this policy is forcing us to look at it every two years instead of sitting on it for a while. Same thing the bullying one and the attendance one every two years. All right. So we'll go with press on that. Okay.
163And then we'll see again we'll see all of these on the second reading. As Laura said, they'll be on consent agenda, but if something comes up, we can always pull them individually out of consent agenda and put it under discussion items with uh action items with discussion. Okay. All right. So now we are going to go backwards and go back up to action items with discussion. Um, so we were we left off on B, which is bills, claims, and payrolls. So I need a motion to open discussion for the approval of bills and claims uh in the amount of 1,20,725.75 and payrolls in the amount of $1,168,9456 in authorized payments. total long pages. Is there anything you want to highlight for us? No, we're right on track when it comes to our revenues within 3%
164of our expected range. Expenditures are about 8% and people will be at 1.1. Any questions for Dennis? I roll call vote please. President Wizowski. Hi. Pearson. Hi. Neil. Hi. I peritch. Hi. Sanchez. I zero nays. One absent. Motion carries. Right. Next. Um, I need a motion to open discussion for the approval of the resolution authorizing an abatement transfer to the capital projects fund from the working cash fund. Moved by Desanda. Second by Jared. Do you want to highlight anything here? This is a recurring transfer we do to fun project July. Any questions or concerns? I remember that from All right. Roll vote, please. Pearson. Hi. Neil. Hi. I zero. Motion carries. All right. Next. Um, and a motion to open discussion for the approval of the resolution to transfer money from the educational fund to
165the debt service fund as presented. Move by Jerry. Second. Second by Gina. All right. Again, um, this is moving money from the educational fund to the debt service fund to pay. Okay. Questions or concerns? Okay, call vote, please. Neil, hi. Izzowski. Hi, Peterson. Hi. I zero next motion carries. Okay, one more resolution here. Um, I need a motion to open discussion for the approval of the resolution designating interest earnings for fiscal year 2425 as presented. That was Cynthia. Cynthia and I know we do this every year, but you want to highlight anything for us? This is just a resolution design so that we can freely transfer amongst our fun. without designating every questions concern. All right, please I President I Neil I motion carries. All right. Um, next I need a motion uh to open
166discussion for the approval of the pre-authorization using the bus lease checks move. Shondaanda second by Cynthia. There's a memo in there, but anything you want to highlight? This is just the bills. The timing of the July meeting gets tricky. It does. A lot of these payments are due of July with the timing of our July meeting. I often times a lot of money by pre-operating you as well. Perfect. And they're included in there. And will we then um at the July meeting we will officially approve, right? questions, concerns. Okay, roll call vote, please. I President Wesowski, I Pearson I absent. Motion carries. Right, we're going to do that one more time. Um, I need a motion uh for the to open discussion for the pre-authorization of paying the general liability and work workers comp payments
167as presented. By Rose, second by Desanda. Same drill for our general liability and workers comp questions, concerns. All right. Roel vote please. Sanchez. Hi. President Wasowski. Hi. Pearson. Hi. Neil. Hi. Ortiz. I it's I zero nays one yes. Motion carries. All right. Um to H. I need a motion uh to open discussion for the approval of the construction phase 2 plan as presented. Move by Cynthia. Second by Gina. There's a memo in there, but this one is sort of um making a an amendment if you will of construction phase two. We did present the phase one that say approved. This is uh other ideas that you have come across. That's some additional funding for PSJ that some of these projects u most notably we're focusing on some of the items we're getting being getting noted
168on during our preschool for all. Um one of those items is playground out there is not age appropriate. years. I can't tell you why it's there. No, but why are they saying it's not appropriate? Is it too hard or too? It's not for older kids. Just on that side of the house. So, I know it's laughing, but feature provided with the number of budget to do 35,000 will not happen just not going to happen by August but that doesn't is also located a little bit memo located kind of a height screen area that's uh very close to the playground doors there are like utilize this also has to stand reductions on the walls so to bed in provide plenty of area for children around players sit down relax and watch the children that's I think
169I missed that when I was reading the memo. So when the I was thinking the new one was going right where the old one was. So it's not. Are we taking So we're keeping that one. Oh, nice. Yeah, I totally missed that. This little triangle area right here showing us. So the that the current one triangle right there. Oh yeah, right. And there's a sidewalk there. There's the old we run the sidewalk kind of parallel to that sidewalk and then connect it on the edges of the buildings, put in a couple of gates where people can get in and out, benches out there, nice little playground, we'll leave some grass area for children, play it'll check all the boxes on that PFA. And where would the access be? Like where would the exit door? The
170kindergarten door they would swing around supervised, you know, they come out and very fun process. And uh we'll have a nice playground for so that would essentially I can't I totally missed that. Sorry. Like I was thinking it would replace the old one. So the old one stays because there's still first graders there that can kindergarteners too, right? Kindergarten first still, right? So there's no sense it down and five. Let's leave it there and build a new one too. Nice. Has they ever did this before? They have. They have. Okay. All right. So this is Yeah. We're trying. We got some money from PFI. Let's improve our program. Is there any concern with that being so close to the kindergarten rooms? I asked the same question. I mean, that's going to be because when the
171kids are the preschool kids are out there, they're out there when the kids are at lunch. Okay. Like that, but I had the same question. I know it's pretty close right there windows when I'm sure. Yeah. And they assured me no. I don't think it'll be a problem. Yeah. And so that would allow the other thing I was, you know, thinking when I was thinking it was going to be, you know, being the other one being torn down. I thought, okay, what are we going to do in the downtime, but we really don't have downtime? This is going to be great. It'll work out very nice with the exception of the lead time, right? If we get the actual materials, I wish we could have it done school. Not going to be possible. No many
172zip lines. [Laughter] bring home. What's that? Didn't know the house. But and if it has a fence, it is Is it going to be lockable, self-closing? Like would people be able to access it? Just part of the PFA requirement is when the kids go in there, it does have to be for sure. Yeah. Got a runner. Yeah. Then they can awesome. So there is another part on that. There's currently a sinkhole where kids Where is that? So it's actually in the playground black dot area where the kids play. I got to get that one fixed. On the south side of for lunch. Yes. So the big one the big toy as they call it. Yes. Yes. Do they still call it the big toy? out. There's some cones out there kind of making sure nobody
173runs over it. But when school resumes, that's a safety hazard. Yeah. Don't know what's underneath it causing the problem. But I got to cut that black top. Yeah. We have black. What's that? The heat can do that. It can, but so kind of straight pipe underneath I think is probably more like that. But I have we already have black top work going on at the media school starting July 9th. I'd like to at that time rip this open and start looking at there as well. We've already cost it out with this company like the black top thing I know about. Let's find out what's in there. It's causing the damage. Fix it. Get some pricing on that. Benchmark it just to make sure that it's it's good cost that they're giving us. I've worked with
174Franco Plumbing for other comparable issues. Probably not to this size, but we've had drain pipe problems before. So, I I have no rough ballpark of what this should cost us. Long as it's coming back with the nose, I'd like to fix it, get this back up and running those kids just to make sure it's safe and nice smooth surface to play. Is it um because I don't see a date on this. I know it's pri priority. Is it potentially fixable before the start of the school year? Oh, this this will absolutely be fixed. I can't depending on but what like what if we find something? Well, right. We still will get nothing left and done. Can't have kids out there playing on closed. Right. Right. Right. Or closed. Yeah. But even a if it's a
175damaged pipe, it's not possible repair, right? They cut out the twoft section. That's a black top back. Okay. I guess it is still We still got July and August, right? We do. Yeah. Coincidentally, I have black top people out there. So, it's just like, okay, I got a board meeting coming up. We got a problem. Let's fix it. Let's fix it. And then there's just one more on there. The uh indoor cubbies. That was another one that we got. I was touch outside of the PFA room. They don't like that. I like to solve that problem for them by building some custom cubbies that would be outside very much so on the boot rails. We'll leave the concrete on the boot rails so that when the kids come in and put their wet boots from
176the snow and stuff like that, it'll be on concrete. But then we'll build some custom cubbies that will comply. Making sure there's room to put a coat, a backpack, and stuff will no longer touch. I think it's more of like a will there be like a spot for them to put like a They always need to have extra clothes like that they leave there. Cuz I've done preschool and there's usually a little like shoe box that you can put where you're going. In fact, I was going to reach out to my son's school. So, because I know they have cubbies and I want to see if I can get it in the classroom. And this is this is in the hallway cubbies, not in the bathroom cubbies, right? Hallway cubbies. Oh, wait. Cubbies because that's
177currently they have books and that's where the anchor f I don't think there's hooks. Do the cuz lockers the kids have flips? No. That's I put in there that this is going to cause a cascading effect. Every teacher is going to watch this. Yeah. Be prepared. I guess can we just let the belongings touch for a few years? I mean it's been like this for time and time and we'll slowly implement this over the next couple like it. You said we're getting I don't want to say dinged but we're it's being noted on the I mean, we're still what? Gold Star PFA program, I believe it is. So, it's still a great program, but let's enhance. Did you say we were getting some money from them, too? Is that Well, the cubbies help with that,
178too, or no? So, normally our PFA grants is $77,600, and we're getting,000 this year. So, we have the money for partially funding this playground. We're going to replace some furniture. We're going to replace some chairs. We're going to do the cubbies. We're going to try to get as much separate. Well, that mean that seems like it's a good use. Yeah, we're trying. Because it does have to be spent on the program itself. Sure. Right. Sure. We've already covered salaries, so let's add the very exciting. Great. That's it. All right. Any questions or concerns on those? All right. Roll call vote, please. Hi, President Weski. Hi Pearson. Hi Neil. Hi Ortiz. I zero one absent. Motion carries. I need a motion to open discussion for the approval of the fiscal year 2026 tenative budget as presented
179to schedule the budget hearing for September 18th, 2025 at 6 o'clock. Publish the notice of the public hearing for the state and display the tenative budget in the district office as specified by state. Second, we are on. And while you're getting that loaded up, I'm going to tell the two secretaries I'm going to step out to the restaurant. Keep going without me. I'll be right back. Actually, I think it's her screen. Oh, was that our chocolate? Yeah. Thank you, Robert. No. Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Ready? Yeah. All right, let's do this. Oh, we're having technical difficult. Mr. Ben, we got our tactical shaking his head. I did this game last meeting and then it just keeps shutting off. We all have president. Fantastic. See it again in September too. That was funny. The
180purpose of the budget to meet the minimum requirements by Illinois law for a district with expending tax satisfy minimal financial information. And if you do pull it up on the screen, Jacob, I won't I won't be exceptions. Tenative budget public notice requirements must be developed with both revenues and expenditures provided to you. Notice of publication, we have a little tenative a Chicago time there to fulfill that requirement. The hearing we established on September 18th and it does have to be approved by the board of education by September 30. I think that requirement as well. filing requirements. I take care of these after the board has authorized the public budget. that you file with the county state board of education as well as regional office education the township treasure I publish on the website all by
181October 31st besides those we're approving this now so it'll be on display for well over 30 days anybody wants visit have anyone take me up on this is the 16th year of school education but I'm waiting this could be my here. Um, some budget assumptions. This hasn't they haven't changed. So, I'm going to go through some of the the higher level ones here. Property taxes 97%. These were that's the big component that I brought down during CO just to know what could happen collection. We brought this back up to our typical level slightly below. We're typically around 98%. I tend to budget the payroll certificate for taxes based on reductions for 2425 tax rules interested lunches tuition increase slightly just based on the 2425 collections and the project expect a slight decrease. So I didn't
182quite bring it all the way up to the 24 25 interest just a little bit some of the state sources and this this one's one that get nervous about because you just never know what the proration may be when it comes to certain categorical payments. When it comes to transportation, it's typically 80%. That's pretty pretty standard, but we are finding out similar correlations when it comes to some of the other category. Federal revenue again funding going away stronger connection grant. This is one of the main years for this. pretty much the last the I look forward to that 77 million so I'm hopeful for that but if they don't then we would expect to go back to the pre-COVID levels for expenses salaries budgeted based on 2526 staffing collected bargaining agreement that was approved is
183built into this nice Thank you. Yes. Employee benefits as well based on bill increases purchase services. Just meeting with departments and determining what kind of purchase service needs we're going to have for the year supplies materials budget and baseline increases that we're seeing as far as uh pricing and then just anything from the departments that they told me that they're going to have as capital outlays. It's based on need. I think the department is this one's very specific as far as what kind of capital we're going to need. And then some of the big ones, technology, which we've already gone through. We have a curriculum renewal coming up this year. There are some some big uh necessarily capital curriculum, but a big expenditure revenues hasn't changed much from the uh previous one. This is pretty
184well spot on. I did add in the transfers. $130,000 for the working cash to capital projects as well as that $21,000 transfer is in this document. Expenditures change slightly. U couple of things to note when it comes to these numbers. Don't know what the actual staffing is going to be for any benefits. So I do take the conservative budget highly when it comes to insurance. Family insurance awesome $2,000 piece for the district. have some numbers built in. I think there could be some room on that. Typically when I do that, it does end up being a reduction less of deficit spending that I was actually quite pleased once we have in terms of our known expecting wasn't as bad as this year. I attribute that a lot to movement of students throughout the school right
185off the high school. The expenditures um grants are another one and we're talking about these numbers. They're not finalized yet from Illinois state board of education. I haven't even submitted or started transportation well started that actually haven't submitted it. So that one typically gets done in the early July and then I submit it to the state and at that time I'll get actual estimate. So in this one I had a tenative placeholder budget don't expect the overall budget to change by 3 to 5%. This is those are very very close to number typically when it comes to expenditures by very confident that based on numbers that we've saw before presentation the bill section you look at the treasures report everything but just at that 100% mark so I'm very pleased with that the overall revenue
186collection % right now with one month remaining most of our property taxes everything collected we're going to be right at that number the numbers are getting much much much more accurate more comfortable overall look I like this page because it kind of brings everything together for you does look scary when you see a $ 1.5 million reduction but just keep in mind $900,000 is related to capital projects we about $175,000 preum number in this budget. We back that number off too. $300,000 for purchases that will recur. And you're referring to the new HM for which is about right is about 400. Right. Right. So we're in our final year this year and we're at that. So we're being too much technology capital improvements that's great. It's tentative right now. It's going to change but come
187September a lot. I'd say less than 5%. Great question. Questions about the tenative budget. Can I count each of you coming? Send us an invitation. We'll be there. No, for the attended to Yes. Come review it. I'll come it. I told you at our orientation I would be that person. You would be thrilled. And we do have it available. I print it off every year. Put it on the shelf. When are you posting it? posting the article. Yeah. Or is that what you're putting on display or So I'll publish the article, send them on Monday, publish that again on Tuesday next week and it's on display at 3:00. Anybody's welcome to come in and sit on the show the summer days. There it'll be. We should all go, you know, pair up over right hand.
188This is what I love about the job. When it comes to the numbers, this is this is the fun part for me. Oh, this I I'm glad it is fun for you. That means you're in the right job and I am fine staying on this side of the table. All right. Questions or concerns before we vote. All right. Roll call vote, please. President I mean motion carries. Thank you. Thank you. All right. So, um, next Jay, I need um motion to open discussion for the approval of the sixth grade optional outdoor educ education educational tour scheduled for September 17th through 19th, 2025 as presented. Everybody and this is the traditional Camp Timberly um tour. Um, Mr. Lean included a letter there sort of um describing that uh the cost is going slightly lower which is
189unusual. um in his other um in the PDF he has a lay a breakdown of the price for last year and this year what that sort of incorporates um the activities uh that they select and each kid participates as they rotate through um pretty much three days um that they're there and then I think what I like about it is that he does there at the bottom include the cost of the previous year trip so you can kind of get a sense of um you know how it's how it's been since uh 2008. Um any questions? I have one just clarifications. So in I'm I'm hoping that you probably know about this, but in his memo he talks about one of the factors that led to the decrease with that was the cost of the
190staff stipens and the substitute teachers has been removed from the budgeted cost. Um so does that mean I assume that means that that's just now part of the district budget. So we obviously this is the first year we're doing it for Timberly or did we do it last year for Timberly? We do it last year but we did it. Yes. Yes. I love it. I'm not say I'm all for it. I just want to make sure I understand that it is happening. The cost rising. I thought it would be beneficial to try to get more kids to be able to afford to go on the truck. So, it wasn't as expensive as what I read about and I thought, yeah, let's give it a shot. Love that. Um, great. Thank you. questions or concerns, please.
191I s motion carries. Great. Next we have the um a motion for the to open discussion for the approval of the inter intergovernmental agreement between West 40 intermediate service center in Westchester school district for the regional safe school programs the high needs alternative learning programs and the ALAF the alternative learning opportunities program moved moved by Gina I can second it so correct me if I'm wrong but This is something that we do um every year in anticipation of needing it, right? So, you basically set it up um so that it will be available to you if we have a student that needs it. Okay. Doesn't mean that we have one in there, but just in case we have to go into the agreement for the um for all three for the regional state schools, the
192high needs and questions or concerns for that. Roll vote, please. Neil, I walowski. Hi, Pearson. I motion carries. I need a motion to open discussion for the approval of the fiscal year 2026 consolidated district plan as presented. second get like buzzers, right? Like little buzzers for us. Um, okay. This is our um consolidated district plan. Stephanie, anything you want to highlight for us? Yeah, just two quick things. I mean, pretty much it's the same stuff. It's different. You know, it really is. Um, except uh we added the incoming kindergarten piece to um summer school jump start for the students that we that we've identified as um striving. They're going to have they just haven't had any schooling yet. And and did you identify them through that that um well, what do you call a kindergarten?
193Yeah. Yeah. Yes. So, we are offering it to we uh nine nine nine nine students. Yes. So, I'm excited about that. U Miss Wilson will be our teacher for that. Um excited about that. And then we also have a PAR in that classroom, too. Should be great. Um how long does the the jump start? It's say summer school. Three weeks. Three weeks. Three weeks. It's four. It's all days. So, do they go four days a week? Three weeks. Yes. Yep. And then um we offered this year. So last year, Miss Cadis did this after school program for our accelerated uh math kindergarten students and they really didn't show up really. It wasn't beneficial. So this year we did a an accelerated kindergarten just boot camp for one one week. back four days and just get
194them the just the resources, the things to work on in the summer so that when they come to um you know when they go to second grade math they were ready. So the two exciting things that we did offer this year and that's a summer. It's over, right? It was the first week when we got out. Nice. Yeah. Awesome. And they all paint. So which is great to see too. Oh, that's wonderful because kindergarten is its biggest. Yeah. Yeah. I remember you and I had a lot of conversations because I wasn't ready for my first one to make that jump. So, yeah. Um, and with the the kindergarten students that were identified, did we get 100% participation 50? Yes. Well, of the nine that we invited, yes. Okay. Those are the all nice. Miss, what
195about that the intermediate camp? Is that new or is that something you've Oh, what um Miss Worth is doing? Mhm. Is it the Yeah, she's doing something similar too with the students. Uh and that's the jump from 5th uh to No. Yeah. Fourth to sixth. Yeah. Yeah. She's doing the same thing there as well. She did do it in person though. They have more technology skills, so she just gave them the information they needed in an email. Yeah. Right. That was Hasn't even started yet. It's like in a couple of weeks I think Miss Ortha is doing it. I don't know who's doing it. That's the third graders. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no. That's not the same thing. That is that's our camp that's that's camp that's um camp Thrive. Is that new? Thrive.
196That is new this year too. That is Yes. But that's not anything to do with summer school. Yeah. So what is thrive? It is um what the learn like social emotional stuff. Miss Met and Miss uh Night Rider are doing it. They're offering it to the middle school students. They're fourth and fifth. Um a week for third, a week for fourth, a week for fifth. Um and they'll just like make how to play games, taking turns, just things that we're seeing. Yeah. Great. Yes. Yes. I'm sorry that that's not coming out of the same thing as far. It's not coming out of this budget, but it's still there. Yes. Okay. Absolutely. Wonderful thing. So yeah, we offered something like this like an enrichment camp a couple years ago with um sports camp. So we decided
197to try this more structured or you know just this is what we're looking for. So we'll see. Any questions about the consolidated district plan? Okay. Roll call, please. I mean, motion carries. I need um I Well, first I got to open table. Okay, I'm going to open the discussion. We're probably going to table this. Okay. But I think I need a motion uh to open the discussion of the approval of the in installation of cameras provided by the Westchester Park District and the Westchester Police Department onto school district property near Gladstone Park as presented. Moved by Cynthia. Second. Second by Gina. And we can discuss this. You can let us know a little bit about what's happening, but we probably are going to table it. We were looking for a little bit more information from
198legal. Yeah. Go ahead. So, the parks and the police are teaming up to put cameras in all of the park. I think they've seen an increase in concerns and they want to be able to monitor Gladstone Park. We own a piece. They reach out to me to get permission to put a camera there. So in talking you know with data I had mentioned something to the lawyers but it's best if we get like anou and best that we have something like about liability because there's always liability. So we I don't have it ready. So let's table this and then I'm supposed to talk with them early next week. Um that I told them that with expectation that we bring something forward. I told I reach out to the police and village. I hope that you
199know if they got camera there to go for the other not there yet, right? So the boss and we have an intergovernmental agreement for the the parks to sort of maintain the land over there at Gstone Park. So where if you um think of it, there's like a path that comes off of Westchester Boulevard. There's like a little walking path. So roughly, correct me if I'm wrong, um our piece is that path south to um uh to the the railroad tracks basically. the baseball field. I was going to say that field that's there. There's two baseball field. The one that's south. Yes. Like to the uh I don't remember what church is. Yeah. So that that land is technically always on there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know why. No, I know. But so so
200the use of the of the parks is part of the intergovernmental agreement. So I just asked Phil to maybe reach out. So the good news is we don't they don't want us. They don't want not to pay for anything. This is they're taken care of between the police and the fight and the parks. It's just about permission. So, I'll get, you know, I'll work with the real estate park and then we will bring something and if comes back and says they come back there, we're good just to see what the liability is like. Well, it's supposed to get just in place or Yeah. Like, do we need I don't know. What am I? Oh, I'm sorry. A memorandum. a memorandum of understanding that we're allowing you to I understand but just more like is it
201enough you don't even need that if you have an inter cameras there on your property why couldn't you look when it's outside situation that's not a school right that's kind of what the legal part is going to be yeah maybe that's a good point where like we don't own the cameras even though it's our land we don't have access to the camera Most people probably don't know we don't own that. Right. Right. True. True. Yeah. So, just in more of a Is there anything we need to do before we give permission cameras? So, we'll table this and I'll come back in July. When you come back, will they will you have a um diagram of where there? Um I can ask that. Yeah, I'd like to see that, too. Yes. Okay. So, I'm going to
202make a motion to table this discussion um for the July meeting. Do you need anything else, Laura? Yeah, I got it. Okay. So, the motion uh to do I need a first and second for that? Yes. Okay. So, I will make the motion to table. Can I get a second? Second. Rose will second the motion to table the discussion. Roll call vote please. Hi Iki. Hi I Mcerson. Hi I Neil. Hi Ortiz. I six eyes. Motion is table. Thank you. All right. Now we are onformational items. Um the correspondence as you can see there the board received correspondence from the Illinois Policy Institute. Um this is one that they uh typically send to us about um this fair share provision. I think we get it every year. If not you won't get it from now
203on. It's now from the the during the bargain. So uh board president's report. It's been a long meeting, so I'm just going to move it forward. Um, legislative report. So, I will be clear because uh I I feel like sometimes when I'm doing this, I'm like, I don't know what this means and I have to look it up. But the most exciting thing is that I put a little link on there for you to check out some schoolhouse rock. Yeah. Nice. But just so one of uh President Trump's um well not let's see the ESRE funds that I was talking about where Illinois was one of the 17 states that appealed the taking away um and then Trump with his um AI order basically trying to take away power from states to establish their own
204state laws and make it more federal at least for 10 years. So, um, that was the big one. Yeah, the other ones you guys can read in there since it's in. And I also put in a new little section that just has updates to some of the other um, you know, bills that were passing. So, the private school vouchers, the AI, that's on the last page there, the the grants for charter school, and there's like three uh civil rights suits for different um schools in Illinois. Okay. So, like Skoi and Chicago was one. So, it's on there, too. If you're interested in I go into more detail, it's nine o'clock. That's great. Thanks for including the links, too. That's always helpful. Took a a page from Delakos. I know her her reports have so many
205links in there. It's so good. Awesome. Thank you. Um I I ate SB West Cook this summer. They just had their reorganization meeting um where they officers and had a dinner and that was it. Nothing else till the fall meeting. Till the fall. Perfect. And then we, this next is sort of our new space for anyone who wants to report on the representatives uh the board representatives, the committees that you um so yeah, because we have the Fourth of July parade coming up. Um and so Laura said her and her son are going to come and sit on the bus and hand out the candy to you guys so that you guys could, you know, throw it. And I don't know what time we're meeting at the intermediate school or I have not gotten anywhere
206in the village yet. Yeah, I I'm going to put a message out to the staff tomorrow just like who wants to just show up like so you could I mean a lot of times we meet at the district office and we'll decorate and then we'll go over by it's not really is you're going to the spot which is on but people can park at you park at walk down you can park here I mean whatever you Like when you get down there, you want to get out of there. Like whatever. Yeah, I do that every year. I don't win. Yeah, there's no there's no fun way. But I'm out of here. If you know that, I think it starts I think it starts at 9:00. So we would probably meet at like if you wanted
207to help direct. No, I think it's 9, but I think here around 8:30, 8:4 and leave about 8:45. So, we'll be quick and I I'll set something next. Okay. And then any obviously the board is welcome. You know, we'd love to have you guys walk. Um I think some of us walk with I don't walk with my my kids. There's elsewhere in the parade, but if you're if you want to have um your kids join us, that's great. Um do we have we're old our old t-shirt and maybe just get something for What did we say about the t-shirts? that come. The issue is right now the WPC doesn't have a vendor they're working with. They're working on that. Um, so I talked to someone this week. I don't remember when I heard last week.
208I don't know. I talked to someone, but it's really the W like I can't I don't want to move forward with anything because it's really their thing. So like we've used in the past to get shirts from was their vendor vendors. Right now I don't have someone to like order just a couple shirts. Yeah. So like we could order so for example like you guys if you wanted to do like your own shirts you could order a t-sh like you could do something from like custom ink but like the non minimum price it's like $40 for a t-shirt. Right. So but the timing too it's like I might have a t-shirt. I'm sorry. I have I have a t-shirt lady. So if you if I got um who would need one I know you definitely
209need you would want one on those I would like the last one I had was you have a logo I can send you okay let me reach out to the t-shirt lady and see if she could pull off seven t-shirts. Um I also got a t-shirt lady too. Okay. Yeah, I'll check. I thought we were saying we could all just wear like white or red or white. What about Do you guys have any extra of the t-shirts we gave out for Is that what we gave out for the staff? We have extra shirts like like this and the blue. Do we have a shirt for staff appreciation? Because that's wearing that would be fine too. It does not say staff on it. No, but it has her life is light. What do we think of
210that? Yeah, that's because I thought the athletic one would be better and I was dying myself. That idees of this for us to wear it. We have extras. I know we have I know we're out of all I know, but we have some small. So, do you want to check on that? And we'll check with our t-shirt people and see what we can find out. Yeah. And we have the blue. We have navy blue ones as well. Yeah. Um, and some lighter light blue one, but the navy blue has black on and I want it regardless of how we order. Awesome. Represent the school. Is there something on the back? There was t-shirt that I would like a restaurant. Okay, we should get white shirts and red marker. do that. Oh, okay. Any other board
211representative reports? All right. Um, FOYA requests. We had um was there one and one one, right? Oh, no. Two. Two. Thank you for handling that. Uh, superintendent report. Well, this is what Laura has been doing for the last couple weeks. See the sucker? How did she do it? It's got a little message on here. It says, "Make life easier. Register tonight. 7:15 early bird deadline. 7:31 general deadline our website." And on this side it says public schools 25.6 registration is open now. Nice. Are you passing those out or is that for the parade? That is for parade. There's other special instructions for our parade this year. Yes. No. Yeah. This will break it too. So, we got to be strategic. We have a list of all. So, there will be candy throwers and candy. I
212love it though. That's cool. So, Laura's spent many hours. [Laughter] So, that's that's one thing. Um, thank you to uh Stephanie Boyd, Sean, Cynthia, and Dana. We all were at the Junth. The walk. It was really nice. It was cool to see our kids. They did a really good job. It was a really nice event and glad we were there. As I said, July 1st registration, July 4th parade, and thank you again to the bargaining team I met finding out yesterday was important. You know, a lot of work went into it. Um but stable now for three years and uh next up WSSA. WSSA next year. Yeah, I'll put a memo out to the I have a parent square going out in the morning just letting them know about the contracts. I think it's important
213for everybody to know that you know we have striking. Um perfect questions for Phil about his report. All right. And sugar reports. Um as we mentioned, we have one from all eight of them. Um they are such good information. I definitely think I might have to start counting who puts the mo most links. I think Laura Laughen is starting to like put a few links in there. She's coming for your title, Stephanie. Um, we do not have administrative reports in July. Um, they'll be they'll be back in August. Any questions for the ones that are here or any that you want to ask and you can follow up with? Um, audience comments. All right. Um, I need a motion for the board to retire into close session to discuss appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or
214dismissal of specific employees. Litigation when an action against, affecting or on behalf of a particular public body has been filed or is pending before a court or administrative tribunal or when the public body finds that the action is probable. In which case the basis for the finding shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of the closed meeting and for collective negotiation negotiating matters between the district and its employees or their representatives or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more class of employees by Cynthia by Jia Here it is. Please I zero none over 904. Four.