School Board Meeting: June 17, 2025

001good evening I would like to call to order the regular meeting of the Newport News School Board for Tuesday June 17 On behalf of the members of the school board and Dr Mitchell I welcome each of you present this evening and those who are watching on TV and online A quorum is present to transact the business of the school division We will begin tonight's meeting with the invocation and pledge to the flag Here to do the honors is Dana Jones executive assistant to the superintendent Good evening everyone Good evening I am honored to share the invocation and lead the pledge of allegiance For the invocation I am reading a poem titled Never Give Up Never give up Reach inside Give it all you have As long as you're alive you can keep on trying Never

002give up Discover how strong you are Don't let anything or anyone bring you down Instead be someone who lift others up by not giving up and inspiring others and all you achieve Never give up And now if you would join me by standing for the pledge of allegiance I pledge algiance 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 Thank you Thank you Miss Dana And while we have you right before us we just want to say thank you so so much If I talk loud maybe she'll hear me And that we appreciate her support of Dr Mitchell and of the school division It it it's no easy feat We appreciate you so much Thank you

003[Applause] So the next item on tonight's agenda is school board recognition So Dr Mitchell please join me at the podium Everyone looking so serious this evening I have the honor of presenting our recognitions this evening We'll lead off tonight with an acknowledgement of service for Razvan Verde the student representative to the school board In honor of his distinguished service to the school board and Newport News Public Schools he's receiving a resolution an award and et resolution of recognition presented to Razvan Verde 2024 2025 student representative to the Newport News School Board Whereas the Newport News School Board approved in 2004 the creation of the position of student representative to the school board to increase board awareness of the views of students and to provide a peer with whom students could share ideas for improving education

004And whereas Razvan Verde a senior at Warick High School was elected according to the approved procedures by members of the student advisory group on education And whereas Mr Verde served in this capacity from July 2024 through June faithfully I'll say that again faithfully attending meetings of the school board And whereas Mr Verde served as the facilitator to the superintendent's high high school student advisory group on educating meetings And whereas Mr Verde actively sought student ideas on educational issues and pursued information and experiences that would assist his efforts to provide valuable insights during the discussion of school board meeting agenda And whereas Mr Verde diligently fulfilled all of the duties of the position of student representative while also continued to excel in his advanced coursework Check this out y'all In the international bachelorette program and serving

005on the Virginia Secretary of Education student advisory board the governor's school for science and technology student advisory board the rights and responsibilities Handbook advisory committee National Honor Society Warwick Debate Team Warwick Key Club, founder and president of the Warwick Yousef Club and other school organizations When do you sleep? now therefore be it resolved by the school board of Newport News that Razvan Verde is to be highly commended for exemplary service dedication and commitment during his tenure as a student representative to the school board And it says in witness thereof we have here unto set our hands this 17th day of June 2025 and it is signed by each member of the school board and the superintendent Congratulations Well done [Applause] I also want to recognize joining him tonight is his principal Miss Tiffany Thompson And

006any family and friends that are here with us tonight please stand Thank you I would like to add though Newport News family that Mr Verde has been accepted to Princeton University for the fall Yes Give it up And we wish him all the best in his future studies I told him "Please enjoy the journey It goes by so fast." Um so I'd like to thank you once again for your service to Newport News public schools Job well done [Applause] We're going to come down school board members and take a photo The National Association of Music Merchants Foundation recognizes outstanding efforts by teachers administrators parents students and community leaders who work together to ensure access to music learning ing for all students as part of the school curriculum Each year the organization designates the best communities

007for music education We're proud to share that Newport News Public Schools is named to this list for 2025 Present this evening to accept this honor are Katie Sheen Smith the instructional supervisor for visual and performing arts come on up And Tony Mata visual visual and performing arts instructional specialist Would you please both come forward just you tonight Congratulations [Applause] I would like to share that Newport News Public Schools offers music instruction beginning in kindergarten and increasing in both instructional and performance opportunities as students move up through high school These include more than 15 high school music courses including advanced placement courses and many opportunities to perform in community concerts throughout the year This is the eighth time NNPS has received the best communities for music education recognition for our incredible music program and its many

008components So Mrs Sheehan Smith and Mr Ma we thank you and please share the acknowledgement with us and your music educators and their students Congratulations That's awesome We're going to take a quick photo Okay Spring 2025 VHSL region and state individual champions Next we'll move into recognitions in the arena of outstanding Virginia High School League programs Tonight we're thrilled to recognize the achievements of these talented students and athletes for the spring season and we will ask that each of you please remain in the front until we take a group photo Our next honores this evening are individual region and state champions for the outdoor track and field season Please join me in congratulating them as their names are called for them to please come forward from Warwick High School The relay team of Sincere Bryant

009Give it up Aaron Longston Jillian Perry Kiana Robinson [Applause] and I also want to add that region 5B champion in the girls 4x800 meter relay They're not with us so we're going to still give them hand of applause We're also going to recognize them Ariana Long who also um participated in the region 5B champion in girls 1600 meters And finally again from Warwick Ariana Long region 5B champion in girls 3,200 meters Awesome stuff also from Warwick Nathan Cochran Is Nathan here Nathan participated in the region 5B champion and boys 1600 meters And once again from Warwick High School Nathan Cochran region 5B champion in boys 3,200 meters Warwick's head coach named is James Highmith and assistant coaches are Ron Beton Jasmine Lot Dex Moore and Jarius Reed Please give them a hand of applause From

010Heritage High School Tyler Clark region Tyler here Come on down Tyler Come on Todd Come on down Region 3A champion in girls 100 meter hurdles Wow Also from Heritage we have Gianna Darden Gianna here But let's give it up for her Region 3A champion in girls high jump Heritage's head coach is Ray Pard And assistant coach is Jackie Baitman Please come on down Come on and join us From Woodside High School please join me in congratulation congratulating Dean Collins Are you with us this evening okay come on down Everybody's shy tonight [Applause] We are congratulating him on winning the class 5 state championship and boys boys triple jump He added this to his indoor state championship during the winter to take home all the hardware They actually [Applause] Woodid's head coach is David Garary and

011assistant coach is Marsha Parker If you're here please join us Come on down We want to say congratulations to them We want to take a moment to recognize any family members in the audience We want to say thank you for bringing us your kids Thank you That's right We also like to thank principles and athletic directors who may not be with us here this evening Heritage principal Dr uh Erling Hunter and athletic director Jamie Pler You're here No Or let's give it up for him Yes And we also want to recognize war principal Tiffany Thompson and athletic director Lucas Brown If you want to join us up here as well come on up And Woodside Principal Dr Mary Hardesty assistant principal Michael Bellamy and athletic director Eric Battle Come on up We want to thank

012you as well We're going to come around and take a quick photo Join us right here in the middle [Applause] Our next honores this evening are individual regional and state champions for tennis Please join me in congratulating them as their names are called for them to please come forward from Menchville High School Victoria EPS and Aaron Priden If you're here with us they participated in the region 5B girls doubles champions And also from Menchville once again Victoria region 5B girls singles champion if she's with us this evening [Applause] And finally don't go anywhere Tori Just this past Saturday Menchville's Victoria EPS won the state class 5 championship in girls single tennis We're so proud of you for this achievement That's awesome Menchfield coach is Adrien Rylander Congratulations to each of these outstanding students athletes Come

013on up That's great We also want to take a moment to acknowledge any family members in the audience You stand as as well Let's give them a hand We will also like to thank Mitchville J uh principal Jason I'll be nice today Paula and assistant principal uh William Hustler Come on up Come get a picture We thank you for all of your support Our next honore Yeah come on Join us Our next honore is the individual state champion in creative writing Please join me in congratulating Woodside High School's Kea Tibs state champion in the poem category If you would please come forward if you're with us That is awesome Woodsidi's creative writing advisor is Olivia German Mlan Are you here with us come on and join us We also want to take a moment to

014acknowledge any family members with us Please stand Again we also would like to thank principal Dr Mary Hardesty assistant principal Michael Bellamy and athletic director Eric Battle who may be with us here this evening And they are Stand up and be recognized for us as well as NNPS athletic director Lee Martin Mr Martin if you're with us come on up We'll get you in the picture as well as we congratulate all of our individual regional and state champions Thank you all for your support It takes a village We're all going to gather around and Kelly's gonna get your picture [Applause] Next we would like to congratulate the Menchville High School girls soccer team which won the region 5B championship Please join me in congratulating them That's right As your name is called please come forward

015McKenna Black [Applause] Caitlyn Candle or Kayn Candle Sarah Cash [Applause] Charlie Daltry [Applause] Ariana Deay [Applause] Nara Diggs Cameron Rora Patchet [Applause] Leilani Porter [Applause] Lizette Sanchez Alyssa Wear Abby Watson Ariana Wells Autumn Williamston [Applause] Menchville's Head coach is Lorenzo Pontes and assistant coaches are Nicholas Diggs and Clayton Patchet Come on up Congratulations Menchville Good job We want to take a moment to acknowledge their family members and supporters Would you please stand come on y'all [Applause] We'll also like to thank Mitchfield Jason principal Jason Holler and assistant principal William Husseckler who's again with us this evening Thank you for all This is awesome Women's soccer Yes Come on around We're going to take a picture [Applause] All I want to know who's the goalie on the team That's a hard y'all That's a look That's

016a hard position Yeah So NPS family our next honore is the Menchfield High School girls tennis team which won the region 5B championship Please join me in congratulating them as their names are called for them to please come forward Hazel Benoa [Applause] Kylie Campbell Shakara Catino [Applause] Shayon Diggs [Applause] Isabelle Driver [Applause] Victoria EPS [Applause] Isabella Garcia Ia Proman [Applause] Matilda Deti [Applause] and Aaron Priden [Applause] Menchville coach is Adrien Rylander Are you here with us this evening come on up We want to say congratulations to Menchville We want to also acknowledge any family members that are in the audience Would you please stand awesome Again we would also like to thank Mitchville principal Mr Jason Holler and assistant principal William Husdeckler [Applause] We will also like to thank NNPS athletic director Lee Martin Thank

017you again for all your support And I'm going to have everyone come around and we're going to take a group photo So at this time we're going to take a 7 minute break so that our presentes and guests and their families may leave if they wish to do so You're certainly welcome to stay Of course during the break you'll be the viewing audience will have an opportunity to view this month's school board spotlight So we'll stand in recess for about seven minutes Thank you [Music] One educator from each school was selected to represent the 1,900 talented teachers that devote their lives to educating encouraging and inspiring our students to greatness Newport News Public Schools honored the 2025 to 2026 teachers of the year at a banquet at the Newport News Marriott at City Center The

018evening gave school leaders schoolboard members elected officials community leaders and families the opportunity to recognize these 42 amazing educators From preschool to 12th grade these teachers represented every grade level as well as model teachers reading specialists special education services gifted services and English as a second language And even after their day jobs end many of these dedicated educators continue to serve their school and community as tutors mentors coaches or leaders of afterchool clubs Combined these teachers of the year offer 644 years of teaching experience After each educator was honored three deserving teachers were selected from each grade level With 15 years of teaching experience Michelle Young a reading specialist at Jenkins was chosen as the elementary teacher of the year Sarah Watson an eighth grade lead science teacher at Hines with seven years of experience

019was recognized as the middle school teacher of the year And the high school teacher of the year is Kylie Davis who teaches government and law courses at Menchville with seven years of experience From these three amazing candidates Michelle Young was selected to represent Newport News Public Schools as the 2025 to 2026 Divisionwide Teacher of the Year Congratulations to all of our teachers of the year who represent an exemplary family of educators in Newport News [Music] Christopher Newport University's domination on the basketball court is fueling success in the classrooms at H Highenwood Elementary School This school year CNU and Hidenwood formed a partnership titled SLAM which stands for student leader athlete mentor Every month CNU's assistant basketball coach and director of community outreach Roland Ross organized players and coaches with CNU's men's basketball team to visit

020Hidenwood Players took time to support literacy growth by reading to first grade classes They also hung out at lunch talking to students about their lives as collegiate student athletes and inspiring the young students to work hard so they can one day attend a college or university And a small number of fourth grade boys were selected to spend extra time with the players and coaches each week to learn important life skills and basketball fundamentals These students were selected based on their individual needs to benefit from additional supports and positive male role models Each mentoring session started with a team huddle and a discussion about that day's life lesson to build responsibility social growth and citizenship CNU's incredible athletes also worked with the students on passing shooting and ball handling skills to build confidence on the court

021For CNU's student athletes this meaningful experience opened their eyes to how they can have a positive impact on the lives of younger students by being present setting an example and giving back to their community As the school year came to a close the fourth grade mentees were invited to visit CNU's campus to see where their mentors train practice learn eat and live for several months a year For most of these elementary students this was their first time stepping foot on a college campus sparking emotions of wonderment and awe They were also greeted by CNU's director of athletics Kyle McMullen and offered words of inspiration and wisdom from head men's basketball coach John Poran On the captain's home court inside the Freeman Center the Slam mentors and mentees enjoyed one last session together building character and

022gaining the skills to lead with heart and play with purpose Whether it's in basketball or in the game of life these young Heidenwood Huskys are learning that their strength lies in building positive relationships working hard and looking forward to new possibilities and bright futures Whether they're driving students to school ensuring a safe environment for all scholars reaching out to parents with additional resources or supporting our classroom educators there's a massive team of dedicated and caring professionals who support the learning process every day At the Newport News Marriott at City Center deserving employees were recognized for their service at the exemplary support staff of the year awards banquet Representing every NNPS school and eight administrative departments 50 employees were recognized by school leaders the school board and elected officials for their dedication and commitment to all

023students Honores included instructional assistants security officers office staff custodians technology support specialists bus drivers family and community engagement specialists and a range of other positions that are crucial to ensuring that every one of our 26,000 students receive the attention and care needed to graduate college career and citizen ready The weather was perfect for the 53rd George Green Field Day where hundreds of students enjoyed a special day in their honor The annual event is named after a beloved NNPS physical education teacher who was known as a child's best friend and made great strides in the 60s and 70s to offer quality programs for students with disabilities Organized by the NNPS Health and Physical Education Department the field day kicked off with each school parading into Todd Stadium to a thunderous applause provided by student volunteers cheerleaders

024school leaders and educators Johnson Elementary's Crimson Thunder Riverside Elementary's Boom and Bears and Warwick High's marching band added their own music to the enthusiastic atmosphere On the field the special athletes enjoyed rotating through many fun activities as PE teachers student volunteers and community partners provided an amazing field day experience for every student Fridays are already great but Newport News police officers make them fun For the third year police officers spent their free time each month visiting six elementary schools during their lunchtimes at Carver Jenkins Kilm Creek Newsome Park Sedgefield and Stony Run elementary schools Students and officers anticipate the joys of Fun Friday giving youth and law enforcement an opportunity to build relationships laugh together and just have fun With many officers visiting consistently the students foster a positive trust in our city's law enforcement

025at an early age And the officers take a genuine interest in the students asking them about sports and hobbies outside of school while motivating the students to work hard on their academics making fun Friday a meaningful and necessary investment for strengthening community relationships [Music] I hope you enjoyed this month's schoolboard spotlight And during our regular meetings we provide time for the public to address the school board These opportunities are scheduled in the early part of our agenda and towards the end of the meeting As advertised citizens may submit comments via email up until 30 minutes prior to our meeting time to be included in the official meeting record For those of you joining us in person the board considers this an opportunity to listen to your comments Please understand that we will consider your concerns

026We ask that you comply with our three minute time limit As you begin your comments a green light will come on A yellow light signals that you have 30 seconds remaining and a red light and beep indicates your time is up As your name is called please come forward We first have uh Reverend Natalie Chamberlain and after uh Reverend Chamberlain Jackie Batterson Good evening members of the school board and Dr Mitchell I'm Reverend Natalie Chamberlain My pronouns are she her I'm part of a broad coalition of citizens who've been attending these meetings for the past two years We support equality and the respectful treatment of all children including trans and other LGBTQIA youth School is ajourned for the summer break and the tyranny of the urgent is a bit less pronounced You have time to

027consider how you will protect the most vulnerable in the district classrooms when classes resume in the fall. The current political climate means that people's very being can be weaponized against them Trans students are particularly vulnerable Policy JBP makes this worse rather than better Unfortunately under the current regime trans students are not the only ones who need your protection Any student who looks like they might be an immigrant is liable for arrest Disabled children are being demonized It doesn't end there Children of active military and veterans are now targets In fact anyone identifying as female is vulnerable under this regime This is not the time to try to be neutral or invisible Children's lives and well-being depend on you I know you care about your students and I know this political climate is overwhelming no matter

028what your party affiliation or lack thereof might be I would ask don't let in action make your decisions for you Protect our children. Jackie Batterson Good evening My name is Jackie Batterson and I'm a resident of Newport News As part of their commitment since 1991 the CDC every two years surveys grades 9 through 12 nationally to provide data on health behaviors and experiences of high school students both private and public In 2023 3.3% of the surveyed students self-identified as transgender and an additional 2.2% 2% identified as questioning These students said that they experienced a higher prevalence of violence, poor mental health, suicide ideiation and unstable housing than their cisgender peers The study found approximately 40% of transgender and questioning students were bullied at school Approximately 26% of transgender and questioning students attempted suicide as compared

029to 5% of cis males 10.7% reported unstable housing to bring this home to the Newport News public schools in a school the size of Menchville High School with approximately 1,800 students We could expect there to be 59 transgender students and 39 questioning students The findings in the report underscores the need for interventions to create safe and supportive environments having supportive teachers, safe housing and affirmed name and pronouns used consistently. This means in this school system when you state in your mission statement that you want to take care of all the students in your care then you need to care for your transgender students with a safe and caring environment and addressing them as they choose to be addressed with their preferred pronouns and names Also because many have no one to turn to at home

030then allow your teachers to be available to these students I will end with a quote from former Attorney General Robert F Kennedy Every time we turn our heads the other way when we see the law flouted when we tolerate what we know to be wrong when we close our eyes and ears to the corrupt because we are too busy or too frightened when we fail to speak up and speak out we strike a blow against freedom, decency and justice Please do the right thing and change your procedure JBP for our students Thank you Next card is David Brakman and then Adam Marorrow Good evening board members I'm David Brakman He him I'm disappointed by your continued refusal to change a single word of Youngkin's discriminatory model policies even where they obviously overstep VDOE's alleged legal

031authority The state law on model policies explicitly does not include athletics Therefore I again ask you to remove or reverse section H in procedure JBP and stop preventing trans kids from playing affirming sports in spite of the written support of their parents and of the Virginia High School Championship League The intent and tone of procedure JBP is not something Newport News can take pride in during this or other months quote "Offering quote alternative facilities where you can opt out of ever using the same bathroom that a trans kid was once in does the opposite of quote promoting privacy and safety." And I failed to see any good reason for persisting in that lie for the past two years I hope you will consider the impact of having the main authorities in your life growing up

032constantly saying that you're not real or calling you names that don't fit And I hope you will reflect on the kindergarten lesson of treating people how you would want to be treated And I hope you will change to become an authority you can be proud of Adam Marorrow I think he's coming Good evening ladies and gentlemen of the school board My name is Adam Marorrow I'm a resident of Newport News Um I just want to point out some facts that you might not have been aware of Uh recently the Utah Department of Education did a thorough and scientific investigation on what it was like having trans kids in schools what was good for their health what was good for the health of the students around them This was invest this investigation was in with the

033goal of supporting policies like Governor Youngkin's But what it found was the complete and utter opposite That policies like JB19 section 8 are actively harmful not just to the students they directly affect but they're corrosive to the broader learning environment And uh while I'm up here I'd also like to take a moment to state my support for the collective bargaining of rights of the Newport News public school employees including teachers bus drivers custodial staff and uh I'm sure there's others I'm forgetting who are working hard to make a good education environment for our children Thank you Thank you Last two cards Eric Burton and after Eric will be Mary Voss Good afternoon I'm coming up here to let y'all know that we have employees out there that want to do what's best for these students

034Our goal as you all know at the school board is to make the students career citizen ready and college ready Now with that said we have some employees that are being told "No you can't do that Your job is just to drive a bus Your job is us to either go clean a bathroom or serve some food instead of doing these goals." I'm going to give a prime example We have an employee that was given a choice Their choice was either to resign from coaching working with their students or resign from bus driving He was working with those students before he even became a bus driver So he gave up bus driving Although we have a shortage he should not be given a choice where he has to pick from one or another I don't

035see why we can't do both By working with just a little bit of the schedule you can free that person up a little bit to still be able to achieve both goals We have people that want to help out with the schools They want to help out with the students but we're told "No that's not your job Focus on your job." We have custodial staff that love to work with students but they're told they need to clean the bathrooms where they could be doing a midday instead If we can just try to find out where we can let these departments start working together and start working with these students these students do love to try to find help outside of just the classroom Thank you Mary Boss Hello Uh Mary Voss NNPS parent teacher and

036graduate Um a big thank you to Dr Mitchell and um all of the board members uh for giving all of our hardworking NNPS staff and teachers a $1,000 bonus and $200 in additional funds to partially offset taxes Um thank you so much for heeding the NEA's request to reward all of our employees not just the instructional SOQ positions funded by the state It's greatly appreciated Uh NEA members continue to advocate for contract negotiations Collective bargaining would ensure that staff and teachers have a voice in their working conditions which directly impacts the learning environment of our students Research indicates that when educators can negotiate on issues like class size planning time and professional development student outcomes improve Moreover collective bargaining has been shown to enhance teacher and staff retention and attract highquality educators and school workers

037Our educators and school workers are the backbone of our educational system We understand the daily challenges and needs of our students By granting us the right to collectively bargain you empower us to ed advocate for what our students need Uh when ad and when educators have a seat at the table through collective bargaining the entire school community benefits uh negotiations can lead to agreements on things like class sizes planning time access to support staff professional development opportunities all of which contribute to a more effective and supportive learning environment for students Um I'd also like to speak in support of a sick leave bank for district employees A sick leave bank is more than a policy It's a reflection of our values as a school district community Um it allows employees facing serious illness injury or

038family medical crisis to access additional paid leave donated by colleagues Uh this is how we can support one another when life takes an unexpected turn Um we already asked so much of our educators and staff and providing this safety net is a powerful way that we can uh show each other um as a school district that we care uh reports on sick leave banks by the American Association of School Personnel Administrators shows minimal financial impact and high employee satisfaction Um some may worry about costs but sick leave banks are employee funded and carefully regulated Participation is voluntary Staff donate unused leave to a collective pool which is then distributed only after strict eligibility reviews Uh this model doesn't burden the district's budget but provides huge returns in staff well-being productivity and morale Um and finally

039uh please respect and protect our LGBTQ plus students in our schools and please continue to protect our students um from ICE in school buildings Um in at a time when anti-trans and anti-immigrant rhetoric and legislation are escalating nationwide it's more important than ever that our district sends a clear message Every student belongs every student is safe every student is respected Thank you very much for your time like to thank everyone for their comments and thought this evening We really appreciate you coming and sharing So we will now move on to section three the consent agenda which includes 3.01 minutes from the regular meeting May 20th 2025 3.02 financial reports including the revenue and expense reports for May 2025 Child nutrition reports for May 2025 3.03 The personnel report 3.04 VDOE authorization of signature in absence

040of division superintendent 3.05 the budget transfer At this time can we have a motion to approve the consent agenda yes madam chair I move to approve the consent agenda as presented Thank you Dr Best Do I have a second second Thank you Mr Hunter Any discussion madame Clerk please call the role Best for Brown for Harris for Hunter for Alger for Aman for Surels law For Motion passes 70 Thank you We will now move to section for our action items for the evening 4.01 We have some personnel actions So Dr Mitchell Thank you so much Madame Chair Um as you stated we have some personnel actions tonight I will be speaking to you about several individuals that I am recommending for positions here in Newport News Public Schools I'd like to begin with Mr Ruben

041Casus Um I am recommending him as program administrator three at Enterprise Academy He has a master's degree in educational leadership from North State University Mr Cases also currently works as an assistant principal here at Hines Middle School So I am recommending him for the program administrator three position at Enterprise Academy Mr Justin Conurs is being recommended as a secondary assistant principal of instruction and operations at an achievable dream middle and high school He has the educational specialist degree in educational leadership at Old Dominion University He currently is serving as the acting assistant principal at an achievable dream middle and high school I am recommending Dr Dyron Ford as principal of Heritage High School Dr Ford has a doctorate of education degree with a concentration in educational leadership from Argusy University He currently works as a

042director of secondary instruction with a neighboring school district and has in fact worked for Newport News public schools in the past as a teacher and an assistant principal Moving on I'm recommending Miss Naima Gibbs as the principal of H Highenwood Elementary She holds a master of arts degree in educational leadership from Regent University She currently serves as the assistant principal at H Highenwood Elementary School Miss Debbie Hudgens is being recommended as principal of an achievable dream middle and high school She currently holds a master of education degree in administration from Regent University and she currently works as the acting principal at Achievable Achievable Dream Middle and High School Moving on I'm recommending Miss Patrice Thomas as the administrative assistant for Stony Run Elementary School She currently holds the education specialist degree in educational leadership and

043supervision from ODU and she currently works at Stony Run as a professional school counselor And rounding out the group of recommendations tonight I am recommending Miss Amanda Van Dyk as assistant principal for Riverside Elementary She holds an educational specialist degree in educational ethics and administration from ODU She currently works as a teacher at Deer Park And she would be if you approve this tonight the very first member of our new aspiring leaders cohort to be uh promoted from a teacher to an administrator So that concludes my recommendations Great Thank you so much Do we have a motion yes we do Madame Chair I move to approve the superintendent's personnel recommendations for Mr Ruben Carus Car I'm sorry Carus as program administrator three at Enterprise Academy Mr Justin Connors as the secondary assistant principal of instruction

044and operations at an achievable dream middle and high school Dr Dyron Ford as principal of Heritage High School Miss Naima Gibbs as principal of Hadenwood Elementary Miss Debbie Hudgens as principal of An achievable Dream Middle and High School Miss Patrice Thomas as the administrative assistant for Stony Run Elementary And Miss Amanda Van Dyk as assistant principal for Riverside Elementary Do we have a second second Thank you Mr Brown Any discussion madam clerk please call the role Best for Brown for Harris for Hunter for Alger Aman for Surles law for Motion passes 70 Wonderful Let us be the first to congratulate Dr Mitchell I do think you have a little more to share with us I do And I know that this is one of the meetings that is highly watched to see who else is

045being transferred so people know who their administrators will be So at this time I am pleased to announce that Miss Karen Basmore Pson will be the principal of Kittton Middle School Miss Stephanie Bean will be the principal at Booker T Washington Middle School These are all transfers Miss Ryan Daniels be will be the assistant principal at Passage Middle School Miss Michelle Gunner will be the assistant principal at Richneck Elementary Miss Oriel Robinson Taylor will be the principal of Huntington Middle School Dr Natia Smith will be the program administrator at Point Option Dr Regina Stafford will be the assistant program administrator at Enterprise Academy Mr William Taylor will be the assistant principal at Hines Middle School And Mr Carl Williams will leave uh the assistant principal role at Enterprise Academy and his placement is to be

046determined at this time because we still have positions we need to fill and of course we take our time to make sure we have the best fit and the best match So at this time those are transfers Oh I have one more miss uh Sharita Holland um if you recall at our previous board meeting you approved her as a principal but at that time it was to be determined So Miss Holland will be the principal at uh BC Charles Elementary School Thank you so much So we'll move on to action item 4.02 federal funding applications Dr Mitchell I believe we had a presentation previously Yes we did Miss Letha Brooks came before you Oops Miss Letha Brooks came before you to present the funding uh proposed funding plan for our federal funds and we are

047asking you tonight to uh reflect on that presentation and then to vote and we are hoping that you will approve Thank you Do we have a motion yes madam chair I move to approve the federal funding application plan as presented Okay Do I have a second second Thank you Mr Hunter Any discussion madame Clerk please call the role Best for Brown for Harris for Hunter for Alger for Aman for Surles Law for Motion passes 70 Thank you We'll finally move to um action item 4.03 the biianial division literacy plan Dr Mitchell I know we had a presentation here too Yes we did We had a presentation by Miss Lori Wall and I believe Lori is here in the event that you should have any additional questions As you know she came before you to share

048with you the division's plan in moving literacy forward In that plan the state does require certain components and of course we have complied with those components and some additional things as well So at this time I am asking that you uh consider approving that plan so that we then can submit it to the state department Thank you Do we have a motion for the plan yes madam chair I move to approve the bannual division literacy plan as presented Do I have a second second Thank you Miss Harris Any discussion one one question Just after uh once the plan is approved and we are in the process of implementing the plan how often will the board and or the public receive updates on the progress against the plan that's a great question Mr Brown and I

049will sit here and say we could most likely do it quarterly Okay and if things change I will let you know Quarterly sounds good All right Thank you Any other comment or question from board members okay Madame clerk please call the role Best for Brown for Harris for Hunter for Alger for Aman for Surles law for Motion passes 70 Chairman Surles Law Thank you We will move to section five reports and information 5.01 2025 2026 rights and responsibilities handbook Dr Mitchell Thank you Madame Chair As you know every year in the past it has been Dr Geron Ransom who has come before you to talk about the changes or proposed changes in our student conduct handbook otherwise known as the rights and responsibilities Tonight you have Dr Shayla Woodard coming before you Um and she

050will talk a little bit about the process and then share with you some recommended changes Thank you Dr Woodard Good evening madam chairs law vice chair best members of the school board and Dr Mitchell Thank you for the opportunity to share the results of the rights and responsibilities handbook committee's work for the upcoming school year This presentation outlines proposed updates to the code of conduct driven by our review of current discipline data school needs and best practices As a reminder our rights and responsibilities handbook is a vital tool in our mission to ensure that all students graduate college career and citizen ready It provides guidance for students families and staff while outlining the many options available to address student conduct This year the rights and responsibilities handbook committee focused on examining the code of conduct

051to ensure it reflects current behavioral trends and supports appropriate disciplinary responses The committee also reviewed the threat assessment process identified areas for greater clarity in the good behavior policy and proposed updates to strengthen our leveled response framework The revision process includes several key phases As you know each year we form a committee to review the rights and responsibilities handbook This committee is comprised of students parents teachers staff members and community members individuals with both the expertise and vested interests in student success We begin the process by reviewing guidelines and recommendations from the Virginia Department of Education Then we gather input from this diverse group of stakeholders to inform proposed changes Once those recommendations are finalized they are reviewed by senior staff prior to being presented to the school board for school year 2025 2026 One

052of the key recommendations from the committee is to elevate RB7 teasing taunting verbal confrontation and verbally inciting a fight to a level three offense for secondary students This change gives administrators the discretion to issue a short-term suspension when these behaviors are escalating towards aggression The goal is to create a buffer where students have planned to deescalate and schools can maintain a safe learning environment The committee also recommended updates to the level response framework For level three responses we suggest adding schedule changes as an intervention tool This allows administrators to separate students in conflict without removing them from school For level four responses we propose adding school reassignment This can be used in cases where a change in environment is more appropriate than a prolonged suspension especially if safety or continued conflict is a concern The

053committee conducted a comprehensive review of all behavior codes that currently require a threat assessment We want to ensure that assessments are reserved for situations where there is a credible risk to safety and not used for lower level incidents that may not warrant that level of scrutiny The committee reviewed the current requirement that a threat assessment be completed for BSC13 engaging in reckless behavior that creates a risk of injury to self or others and recommended its removal This recommendation reflects the reality that BSC13 often applies to lower level behaviors like horse play or impulsive actions that may be unsafe but are not necessarily threats By removing the automatic requirement we allow schools to respond more efficiently and proportionately If a situation involving reckless behavior does raise concerns about a potential threat a threat assessment can still

054be completed at the discretion of school staff This change allows for greater flexibility while supporting student safety and accountability The committee also reviewed the good behavior policy which has been renamed the good behavior record review During this process the committee identified areas where the language needed to be updated to better reflect our current focus on restorative practices and student engagement We are recommending revisions that will simplify expectations make the process easier to communicate with families and help reinforce a consistent and positive school culture across all schools The committee reviewed the conflict versus bullying chart which provides important clarification around behaviors that are often mistakenly labeled as bullying It serves as a valuable tool for distinguishing between the actions that are frequently misunderstood or misidentified in school settings The committee has recommended its inclusion in the

055rights and responsibilities handbook By clearly defining these behaviors we can more effectively guide staff responses implement appropriate student interventions and communicate with families This approach helps prevent the overlabeling of students while still ensuring that concerning behaviors are addressed appropriately and consistently Due to recent changes in state law specifically Virginia House Bill 1961 we have updated our student discipline policy related to cell phones and smart devices Under House Bill 1961 students can no longer be suspended or expelled just for using these devices Starting next school year if a student repeatedly violates the cell phone policy it will now lead to a level two disciplinary response which include stronger interventions but not out of school suspension Level two consequences are considered more moderate interventions and may include loss of privileges restorative practices or parent conferences but they

056do not rise to the level of out of school suspension This change reflects our commitment to compliance with state law while still holding students accountable and using progressive discipline to support positive behavior change In summary the rights and responsibilities handbook committee is proposing the following updates Reclassify RB7 as a level three offense for secondary students Add schedule change to level three responses at school reassignment to level four responses Remove the threat assessment requirement for BSC13 Update the good behavior policy for clarity and alignment with current priorities Incorporating the conflict versus bullying chart into the handbook as a resource for schools and families and revision of the cell phone policy to align with the guidance of House Bill All proposed changes aim to better support student development while maintaining a safe and structured school environment As

057I close I want to give special recognition to the members of the rights and responsibilities handbook advisory committee This dedicated group of parents teachers administrators students and community members spent countless hours many well into the evening reviewing our practices challenging assumptions and working collaboratively to improve how we support students and respond to behavior Their commitment to thoughtful datadriven decisionmaking and their willingness to engage in honest dialogue helped ensure that our recommendations are both meaningful and practical Having a group that represents every part of our school community and that's willing to become true experts in students rights and responsibilities is something to be celebrated If any of our committee members are with us tonight I'd ask you to please stand Wow great Thank you all for your hard work your insight and your dedication to the

058success of all Newport News public school students Pending your feedback and approval we will finalize these revisions for implementation in the 2025 2026 school year Communication will be key We will ensure that administrators staff students and families understand the updates We also plan to provide targeted professional development to ensure consistent application of the new guidance Draft copies of the 2025 2026 rights and responsibilities handbook will be provided for your review before approval Our goal is to ensure that our code of conduct continues to support positive student behavior and school safety across all our schools Thank you again for your time and leadership I welcome your questions and feedback on these proposed changes Thank you very much for your presentation So let's see Do we have any questions or comments regarding the rights and responsibilities handbook

059Mr Brown so I'll just ask the same question that I ask um each year which is just in regards um to can we receive an electronic copy of the rights and responsibilities handbook draft with the changes marked in some other color highlighted in some other color just so that um it's clear which which are the proposed changes versus which is the uh legacy portions of the document And then the second question is just um in regards to uh prior to next board meeting how soon uh you know do you need the feedback in order to try to make some any kind of integration or response So to your first question I have printed copies here tonight for you all that have the changes already marked in green and yes you will receive a electronic copy

060as well Um and the next board meeting being on the first So feedback as soon as possible but with the understanding that um Dr Mitchell and I have talked about um different meetings that we may need to have So we understand that there is some space if we need to meet one-on-one to discuss um some of the proposed changes but maybe by the June 28th All right And I will take advantage of the offer for a one-on-one uh meeting because I I historically I'm one that always needs some talking to regards to responsibilities handbook So I'll take We'll be happy to meet I look forward to it I have a question Yes Miss Alger Yes Um the threat assessments who's usually responsible for the threat assessment at the building level so each school has a

061threat assessment team that consists of an administrator a mental health professional a teacher and their school resource officer Okay So it's okay And then so um by eliminating that I I noticed that the slide that has the before and after So threat assessments will be utilized for kids still um involved in self harm Yes ma'am And are more um more serious cases Yes ma'am Okay All right Thank you Yes Um just a question on those that are sort of in the trenches of you know building administration and making sure on the change to the cell phone um options keeping it at level two Do we do we feel like we have enough tools in our toolbox to make sure that we're able to have the rules followed as best we can yes Um once you

062receive your copy of the rights and responsibilities handbook you'll be able to see all of the responses that range from parent student conference to in school suspension that can be used to address repeated cell phone violations Okay Dr Best Okay Thank you for that report It was very um thorough and I do appreciate it I like the fact I have a comment then I think I have a question The you started off with the trends and responses I thought that was really good like what what kind of issues are we having and and how are we going to address those So the responsiveness piece I really like to commend you on that Um the RB7 in particular and then the schedule changes My question for that one is can you share a little bit of

063the conversation because I'm just thinking about some of my conversation with parents because we get those calls sometimes and they'll say they told me my child can transfer and my child is the one being bullied I want the other child to transfer So can you tell me a little bit about the conversation and maybe how that's going to work or is it too early i'm just curious Um so in meeting with the committee when we were discussing um adding schedule changes first of all elevating the RB7 to a level three and then adding schedule change to um that level three If there are two students who are in verbal confrontation or having um issues going back and forth verbally administrators can meet with the students and first try restorative mediation And if that does not

064work then they will look at doing possibly a schedule change to reduce some of the conflict between those students Um I believe it's going to be a case by case basis and the convers the school will look at the students and holistically um what will be best whose schedule will be best to be changed because sometimes it may be that the person who is the victim may have to change if their um schedule is not one that can be accommodated I I respect that because it is different circumstances for different type of um things Um the um conflict versus bullying chart I think is really really good because now it seems like everything is categorized as bullying So it's good that we're trying to clarify that I think um for um parents and students and

065and can see the escalation and the difference and things like that So that was really really good And then I have a note for myself with removal I don't I can't even remember what it did that so never mind But thank you Thank you Other comments yes Miss Harris I don't have a comment I just have a quick question for clarification So the threat assessment team um it it consists of an SRO a teacher admin administrator and a social a mental health professional So it can be the professional school counselor the school psychologist um school social worker and that is determined those four places on the threat assessment team is by law That is what is required by law Um person in those positions having expertise in those areas have to be present in order

066for the threat assessment to take place And Dr Woodard it also could potentially be the therapist in the school Yes ma'am Other comments or questions dr I'll thank you in advance for your commitment to supporting the board to get you to your deadline and thank you for such a thorough presentation Um but I can't I'd be remiss if we don't have an opportunity to thank um the advisory committee It was neat to see you here this evening and thank you for your commitment to Newport News Public Schools We really do appreciate it Thank you Thank you all Have a great evening You too [Applause] Okay we will now move on to section five reports and information I'm sorry will section 5.02 the 2025 2026 student fees Dr Mitchell do we have a presentation on that

067yes we do Yes we do have a presentation We have Dr Rogers who's who is at the podium and he will share with you the um student fees for this coming year As you know we give a presentation every year in the event that fees have changed for your benefit but as well for the benefit of our viewers and our audience Thank you Dr Rogers Thank you Dr Mitchell Good evening Chairwoman Surles Law Vice Chair Dr Bess Dr Mitchell as well as members of the school board This evening I will share the proposed student fees for the school year and the presentation does outline our fee setting process our commitment to equity for our students as well as the specific charges by program area We'll begin our annual fee review by we begin our annual

068fee review by collecting requests from our schools as well as our departments in the school division These are carefully reviewed in collaboration with the department of school leadership the department of teaching and learning and budget and finance Our principles as well as our supervisors are given the opportunity to provide input on those fees and once they finalize a fee schedule is shared with the Newport shared on the Newport News public schools website and with our schools I do want to emphasize that no student is ever denied access to resources or participation due to due to the inability to pay We do have support services in place that are available to assist our families by including f flexible payment plans options as well as providing other opportunities for them to have those fees paid For our

069middle school students in the arts our fees cover instructional resources as well as materials Art chorus and theater classes carry a nominal fee of only $5 per year or per semester depending upon the grade level Band and orchestra resource fees remain unchanged at $10 per year while instrument rental fees are $35 for the first year and $50 for subsequent years Uniform costs do vary by school and are handled at the building level At the high school level the structure is similar to that of the middle school level Fees for our classes are $7.50 per semester Theater courses carry a $10 fee per year Instrument rental follows the same schedule and tier model model $35 for the first year and then $50 for subsequent years Uniform cost for band coral as well as orchestra programs also

070vary by school For our middle school students who are enrolled in technology engineering and business courses or consumer science courses they'll continue to see modest fees that range from $3 to $8 depending upon the grade level as well as the course type These fees cover consumable materials as well as handson instructional supplies For high school career and technical education programs fees remain consistent Semester courses carry a $5 fee while year-long courses are set at $10 These support materials in areas such as engineering business medical sciences and trade education And relative to our technology replacement costs these reflect the actual cost of lost or damaged items For example AC adapters are $20 protective cases are $10 and LCD screen replacements are $45 In order to replace full device replacement for damage beyond repair or even theft

071that's capped at $480 for driver's education behind the wheel that remains at $225 for in for Newport News public school students and $250 for non Newport News public school students Physical education items such as locks they are provided at no charge for students with a $55 replacement cost if they're lost Heart rate monitors are also provided with up to a $150 charge if they're lost or damaged Charge of replacement for the monitor is $15 Relative to textbooks library books and supplies fees for lost or damaged textbooks library books and calculators are calculated based on the prorated value of those items And this ensures fairness based on an item's age and condition at the time that they are lost or damaged So relative to student tuition rates out of division and non Virginia resident tuition rates

072are adjusted annually for 202526 the next school year The rate of for out of division students is $6,390 and for non- Virginia residents is $13,771 These reflect incremental increases over recent years and tuition waiverss remain available for children of Newport News public schools employees and they are subject to review So for context if you look down below on the slide here's a look at the number of students who paid tuition in recent years And last year we had four students that were tuition paying students In prior years that number did range from two students to nine students And again waiverss for employee students are common and do help reduce overall figures And at this time I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may not that you may not have Slip there right you

073may have And I do have members of the team here who are ready and able to answer any questions that I may not be able to answer for Thank you so much Board members do you have questions at this time regarding fees dr Bess thank you for the report Sure Mine is in reference to driver's ed Yes ma'am Are there any type of waiver programs for extenduating circumstances and then can you take care of that on a payment plan as opposed to one lump fee so I'll have to get some additional information relative to that The uh driver's education uh is a little different because it's not stuff that they have to do um through Newport News Public School So That's correct But it is something that they're required to do in order to get

074right So Dr Best I will say that we will certainly look into that because I think it could be a barrier for some of our students All right Thank you Okay Other questions or comments thank you for your presentation Dr Rogers We'll move on to section five also reports and information 5.03 new and revised policies Dr Mitchell thank you so much Madam Chair And last but not least Miss Tracy Brooks is going to come before you as she typically does to talk some policy and um new and revised or new or revised Great Thank you Dr Mitchell Good evening Madame Chairman and Vice Chairman members of the board and again Dr Mitchell It's a pleasure to share highlights from several newer revised policies in the school board governance and operations chapter with you this evening

075The policy committee which fac facitated the review of the chapter included two schoolboard members principles teachers administrators and our school board and school division attorneys Now the approach to this chapter was different from previous chapters given that this chapter addresses how you as a school board will operate and conduct business Now while the policy committee and the superintendent are providing suggestions ultimately it is up to the school board to determine how you would like to operate from governing your meetings to matters regarding board officers board member conduct and other areas Now once those decisions are made we will make additional policy revisions as needed Now initially we worked to streamline the text of several policies to reduce redundancy and to make them more concise We also worked to clarify the language and review policies to

076update code of Virginia citations and cross references to other policies and to reorder them in a more logical sequence This led to our work to restructure the policies related to meetings from your organizational meeting to board retreats And that is what I will focus on this evening Now a couple of years ago our school division attorney shared a proposal with board members to restructure and recode the school board's meeting related policies So we incorporated that work in our review of the board governance policy chapter The structure begins with revising policy BEA called board meetings to form an overarching policy with six other policies within that framework And they address your organizational meeting your regular board meetings and special board meetings Closed meetings which we also refer to as closed sessions schoolboard work sessions and retreats

077And it concludes with a policy on the rules for conducting these meetings So I'll take a moment to speak briefly to each of these As I just mentioned our rei we revised our board meetings policy to become the overarching policy in the framework and it provides an overview of the meeting related policy structure The main text of the policy also follows the school board meeting requirements and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act or FORIA This next policy addresses the actions that the board will take at your annual organizational meeting such as electing a chairman vice chairman and deputy clerks We added the requirement that the chairman will appoint board members to boards and commissions that the board has former relationships with to make it consistent with our current policy on board member service Often in

078past years the chairman announced board member committee assignments at the organizational meeting However it is currently not required by policy Our next policy called regular board meetings addresses the rules that apply to each section of the business meeting agenda from the consent agenda to action items For example in the public comment section of the meeting agenda the policy states that all public comments should be germanine to the business of the school board It also states that the school board will not entertain comments regarding any pending student discipline or official employee grievance matters which is included in the policy to limit public comments from creating undue bias or prejudice during schoolboard deliberations Our next policy states that a special meeting of the board may be called to address one or more specific items of business The

079policy maintains the provision to allow the chairman or any two members of a board to call a special meeting with at least 24 hours written notice to each member And in keeping with the code of Virginia all special meetings are open to the public We added a new exhibit to the policy that specifies the order in which business will be conducted during that meeting This next policy addresses closed meetings which are conducted only in those limited circumstances permitted by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act The policy was recoded to fit the new policy structure and we also added a new procedure to incorporate the meeting requirements in the state code from convening the closed meeting to certifying the conduct of the meeting We recoded our current policy on schoolboard work sessions and retreats to fit

080within the new framework for meeting related policies As you are aware work sessions or retreats provide the opportunity for board members and school division staff to discuss topics of interest in emerging issues They also include board member development and leadership sessions And again with this policy the committee added a new exhibit to address the order of business for these sessions Our last policy this evening expands our current rules of order policy to include all of the rules for conducting meetings as contained in the 11th edition of Robert's rules of order newly revised The policy also specifies the information that the meeting minutes should contain and how they should be posted Now we are extremely excited this evening to share that this is the last policy chapter in our five-year timeline for reviewing all 11 policy

081chapters And as we work to finalize this chapter with the school board over the next month or so we also will begin to work on the policy changes resulting from recent general assembly legislation so that we may bring those before you in the fall And as I mentioned earlier there are several policies with provisions that the board may want to deliberate further and make additional changes And if so we will revise the policies accordingly So with that said we anticipate at next steps that several new and revised policies will come before the school board for action at your July 1 organizational meeting And those that may require additional discussion will be placed on your agenda for your August 19th school board meeting And once approved we will post the new and revised policies procedures and

082exhibits on our school division websites and we'll disseminate them to schools and public libraries So this concludes my report this evening I would like to say a special thank you to our dedicated policy committee members for their leadership in completing the review of nearly 500 policies and procedures that have come before the school board over the past five years So um thank you really good work with the committee Thank you so much So on behalf of the policy committee we thank you for this opportunity and we thank you for leading the work Yes Thank you so much It has been a joy Board members do you have any questions at this time we do have kind of our marching or I'd make a comment I so this is a great milestone and again thank you

083to the committee for all the work that has gone into the last five years I believe we are the first board to have done such an endeavor to go through our entire policy manual from beginning to end and do a complete review and revision of every single policy in our manual and to commit to the work of doing it again So we're starting right over and we're going to start right back over in the in the first chapter again and be a board that continuously reviews our policies and actually makes our policies responsive to the needs of our community So I think that that was great work that the board um has taken on and I want to commend uh the board and also commend the committee for doing the uh the the amount of

084work and support that it took to get us to this point because it was it was a five-year commitment and we got another five years ahead of us So we do and we do appreciate because many of you have served on the committee and we appreciate your leadership and help guiding us as we try to bring those drafts before you and to bring them to action So thank you so much Thank you Any further comments from the board at this time thanks Thank you So 5.04 the attendance report 5.05 the membership report 5.06 the construction report Board members you've received a copy of this report Are there any questions at this time okay Hearing none we'll move on to 5.07 07 comments by the superintendent Dr Mitchell Thank you so much Madame Chair We just

085celebrated a phenomenal occasion of graduation for our students and their families A total of 1,63 graduates from our six high schools received their diplomas between June the 5th 7th and the 8th The class of 2025 received approximately 2,400 college university and military institution acceptance offers and they earned more than $75 million in scholarships We are so proud So we do congratulate each one of them and we're proud of them and we wish them all the best in their next steps Our valued Newport News public schools employees who are a very integral part of our student success were honored at our school division's exemplary support staff of the year banquet It was held on May 29th An honore from each of our work sites was recognized and we had an absolute ball celebrating with them and

086appreciating them on that night The Newport News Education Foundation celebrated the accomplishments of our school division top students at an annual salute to success student recognition dinner that was held on May 21st Um congratulations to all the students who were honored on their um great work for this year and we see that you are in the picture So we recognize you once again We'd also like to thank all of our sponsors and golfers who supported the fourth annual Newport News Public Schools and Newport News Education Foundation Golf Classic It was held at Kil Creek on June the 12th We had more than 100 golfers which was our largest field ever and it was a great event that will benefit the foundation Brown Edwards certified public accountants and the city of Newport News Economic Development Authority

087served as bronze level sponsors and we certainly appreciate their support An important note that I want to share about this summer Newport News Public Schools is participating in the USDA summer food service program once again this summer Free meals will be provided to all children and teens on a first come first come basis at 20 different locations throughout the city The days and times are listed on our website And finally our schools and offices will be closed on Thursday June the 19th in recognition of June the Junth holiday And starting this Friday schools and offices will be on summer hours So they will be closed on Fridays through August the 8th So that concludes my comments Thank you so much for leading us through a wonderful school year Thank you [Applause] We will move on

088to item six Another opportunity to hear from the public Are there any cards zero We will move on to the agenda where matters by the school board and we're going to begin with Mr Verde Good evening everyone I can hardly believe that this is my last time speaking here as the student representative When I joined the board at the beginning of this year I hoped that we'd find ways to make every student's voice count And thanks to all of you we truly have through the superintendent's advisory group on education which I had the pleasure of co-heading to different initiative that initiatives that take into account student perspective We've had opportunities to give feedback on mental health resources the rigor of academic programs and many different aspects of our education And I truly believe that students

089ideas and feedback have and will continue to to contribute positively to this district Thank you to the board for listening and acting when student ideas came forward And thank you to Dr Mitchell for helping me guide our conversations with students And since our work is never truly done to the incoming student representative you're inheriting a role that asks a lot but gives you a chance to be part of a wonderful community that is working for positive change Keep asking the tough questions and never be afraid to speak up It has been an absolute honor and privilege to serve on this board Thank you to everyone for your support [Applause] Mr Hunter Oh it's me Oh thank you Miss uh Chair I will say a few words today I'm going to start off with um Mr

090Rasmin So let me tell you it's been a pleasure having you be seated next to me right i I I love I love students and um you've been professional in everything you've done how you handled yourself your demeanor your actions the advice that you gave uh to your fellow students uh to the board to the superintendent and uh just to the community and all I mean they were so profound and enlightening Um meant much to me And listen I look forward to you uh on your next journey as you go to Princeton University and let them know that great things are happening Congratulations It's been a pleasure Thank you Mr Hunter Attorney Aemon Sure Don't get to call you that much It's dangerous Thank you And I will echo what Mr Hunter said It's I've

091enjoyed working with you Mr Rasmin on the on the school board Um I wish you the best at Princeton next year in your future endeavors Um and just to everyone have a good summer read a book and we'll see you guys back in August Mr Brown All right I'll I'll echo the same comments Mr Verde It was really wonderful and a a privilege and an honor to have you serving with us on the board Uh you have been a great light Uh and you've given us great insight into the student voice Really appreciate your perspective and everything that you've brought Uh and don't make us miss you because you can always come back and talk to us right so don't Yeah So don't make us miss you And I want to thank the um uh

092class of 2025 had a great class I want to thank superintendent I I smiled and said I got my paper So so I asked for this every year um which is which is our graduation statistics and Dr Mitchell put that together for us um this year So I am going to brag for a moment and because I because I have the numbers in front of me So almost more than half of the class graduated with a GPA of 3.0 or higher Get this More than three 316 students graduated with honors 351 of the of the graduates graduated with highest honors And we've reached a real a real milestone When I first got onto the board we were working very hard to try to get to a point where every student got at least one CTE

093credential We now reached this graduating class got 2,000 over 2,000 CTE credentials So that amounts to now not only is it one it's two for every graduate right that's awesome So that is really um fantastic work to class of 2025 and Mr Verde you represent them very well uh and he's an example of our class and class 2025 has really left a great mark and a great legacy to follow So uh it's now time to of course we transition to the next school year and in doing that transition I've been talking about about our transportation and our school zones and our bus stops and I'm going to continue to talk about that because it's really important that we I think as a board tackle that work and now is the time uh in the summer

094to really take on that work We heard tonight in our work session about uh the situation which is really we have the allocated positions right but we don't have the manpower that meets those positions So if I'm read that correctly uh from uh director coats we have a 300 demand signal and a 200 capacity right transportation right and transportation So so you got you got a demand signal of of at least 300 you know routes that need to be filled a day and you got 200 people to fill that So that is not a um uh that's not a a failure of operations That's that falls upon I believe the board to make some harder policy decisions about what we do with our with our department with our zones so that we can make sure

095that those 200 people who are very dedicated to transporting our students every day receive the are in the best position they can possibly be in to uh operate and and work for our students and and bring them to and from So you can't I believe you have to set people up for success and not for failure Setting them up for failure would be going into the next school year with that 300 demand signal with 200 people and thinking that somehow we're going to hire 100 people between now and in August because we know that that's really not realistic That's not going to happen So we have to make some tougher um decisions and choices And it is best for us to do that now because right now is the time that we have to communicate

096to families Here's where your new stops are going to be These are the zones that we have These are the routes that they're going to have in the fall Easier for them to plan than for us to get to the fall and find out oh no we know what we we we're experiencing what we already know which is that you can't have 200 people do 300 routes And it's it's really it's really it's it's very simple math You don't even have to be a mathematician to understand that right so I implore this board um we've been talking about it for the last couple of months We really need to take this on seriously as a uh a legitimate uh either work session or special meeting and make the decision look at look at the data

097that we have um and make the make a real legitimate decision that alleviates that that pain that pressure point so that we can have a successful year because we know right now that that is bleeding into the academic work the academic day right so students missing buses or the buses being you know not being so late or or anything like that happen that that eats into the academic day that hurts the the learning time and we're we're on we know we have this graduating class we know we're on the rise so 2026 we're going to make it even stronger by making sure that we get all of that support structure in place the way it needs to be So thank you Miss Alger Yes Uh first of all um Mr Verde uh thank you and

098it was quite an honor to serve with you Uh for sure And I know you're going to be keeping us updated in terms of what's happening And uh and I want to thank your parents for trusting us uh with your child's education And to me that is the greatest honor for our families to send their children and know that we are going to take care of them And uh so thank you for that And I want to thank the audience and um all the people that have been working behind the scenes I've been saying this all all along You're you're here because you care and that matters so much to us And uh and we will continue to do the hard work Um just like um Mr Brown had indicated you know there's some uh

099really uh important decisions that have to be made and we will continue to work together as one voice uh to make sure that we make those things happen so that we have a better school year for the upcoming year Thank you Miss Harris Mr Ferd probably I've had probably the least amount but um just as as rewarding and every time you speak I I find you very composed and just very impressive Um so thank you for the short time but um fruitful fruitful time um that we spent together I wish you nothing but um success as as you go into your new chapter and um it's very it's I'm very proud to to know that you are a product of Newport News Uh I hope you come back um and and share share your knowledge

100as you as you go on to new adventures But uh definitely been it's been a pleasure Um just quickly wanted to to speak to a little bit of my my first experience going to I think I said six graduations uh three promotional ceremonies which I was that I spoken at um a GED graduation ceremony um and many many more and a partridge in a pear tree is what I I kind of um alluded to but in in essence uh the experience has been so enriching Um it was very hard not to get emotional and um just seeing all the familiar faces the kids that you see in the community um that you share ball games with um tears with uh share resources with with these parents in these communities um birthday parties all of the

101things Um it was so rewarding to just see them cross that stage Um some with tears in their eyes Um uh some doing dances and all kinds of funky things Uh but it was it was just it was extremely rewarding to be a part of that and to be so close to that energy I know we talked a lot about the different energy that all the schools um brought So I just wanted to share with you all who are so much a part of the process um whether it be advocate advocacy um parents administrators um heck of a job I know it gets tough it gets rough We don't always agree Sometimes we have to agree to disagree Um but but we're all in it for the right reasons and and you can see um

102across that stage that the the common denominator of of these students really creating a path for success is because of all the people in this room And so just wanted to say thank you all We appreciate you all coming out and and doing what you do And um yeah been a great Thank you We're glad to have you Dr Best Okay Good evening everyone And I too would like to just say ditto to what everyone has said about Mr Verde So these two seats chair and vice chair to many people these are the coveted seats on the school board But for me the coveted seat was that seat because when I sat in that seat for about four years and I got to sit beside the student representative and just like Mr Hunter said you

103get to know them extremely well when you sit beside them So I'm I'm a little jealous because I didn't get to sit beside you but I did get to interact and I got to experience and got to know you and and like Mrs Harris said you're so inspiring so composed Whenever you speak I'm listening attentively and I usually walk away with something And so I just would like to say congratulations And I cannot wait until the day 'cause he's going to blow up and I'm going to say I knew him when I got some pictures I got some pictures of when we were together So congratulations and and just very very proud um of you And I would like to congratulate all the class of 2025 um graduates um as well We're very very proud

104of you And as Mr Hunter say great things are happening in Newport News and I would just like to encourage parents students everyone to just enjoy your summer break but please please please read just read Thank you Okay Well Miss Mr Verde I'm going to say the appreciation that I have for you in that seat was when it got tough up here we look down there and you are our why You're why we do what we do here and you're a great example of that and we wish you all the best And I'm not even telling you goodbye because you're going to come back even on breaks and you're going to come and tell us how things are going and know that we're here too to support you afar Yeah Yes For sure Exactly It

105gets cold up there in New Jersey you know So when it's cold up there it's warm down here We can visit So um I'd also like to just um lift up Dr Mitchell and um her team You guys had a fantastic year and we really appreciate all of the care you have for the students in Newport News Uh it shows day in and day out You all do not waver and that is to be commended and we really do appreciate you for that So thank you Thank you Making sure I make contact eye contact with all of you Um this evening does mark uh the final meeting that I will preside over as a chairman Our organizational meeting for the upcoming year will be on July 1st Um it's truly been a joy to work

106alongside the superintendent and her mighty team um as we've all focused on moving the division forward Um it's been an honor to serve this board and to serve each of you uh in doing the work that's been placed before us I could not have done it without this lady She is amazing She's an amazing support She has amazing insight and she has the uh knack to keep me straight So uh the responsibilities that we've carried have not always been easy but I've always appreciated the dedication the thoughtfulness and the commitment each member has brought to the table I also want to extend my sincere gratitude to our board clerk for her steady support and professionalism throughout my time as chair So thank you all It has been a privilege and good night [Applause]