001good evening I'd like to call to order the regular meeting of the Newport News School Board for Thursday April 24th 2025 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 a school division We will begin tonight's meeting with an invocation and pledge to the flag To do the honors are two students from Jenkins Elementary We have Payton Dean and Maria Is it Maria maria Peterson First Payton will come forward and deliver the invocation She will be followed by Maria who will come forward and deliver the pledge So Payton will you please come to the podium you may introduce yourself and then get started Good evening My
002name is Payton I am a fifth grader at Jenkins Elementary School I am the student council president at my school I am happy to deliver the invocation for today's schoolboard meeting Did you know that April is National Poem Month no I did not It is And I have created a poem for you Thank you As a student of Jenkins I stand with pride In Newport News public schools we learn and thrive Each day brings a lesson a challenge to meet with teachers who guide us and friends we greet In the halls of our school where dreams come alive for encourage to grow to question and thrive From the colors of math to the world's history we unlock our knowledge We build our story At Jenkins we're jaguars bold and strong With hearts full of hope
003we all move along Our spirit is bright Our future is so clear We're leaders and learners year after year To the school board we offer our thanks for giving us guidance and filling our ranks With your support we reach for the sky and dream for big and dream big and bright as we soar up high So I thank you today for the chance to be here to stand as a student with a voice so sincere Together as one we continue to grow and share the wisdom we're destined to know [Applause] Very nicely done Thank you Okay stand up and do it 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 and liberty and justice for all Thank you [Applause]
004how impressive both of you were Um let's see Payton I heard mumbling up here We need a copy of your poem Yes Okay Thank you so so much We have some family members and school supporters uh visiting joining with our students Would you all please stand [Applause] thank you so much for taking time to bring them uh to our meeting tonight It really does help us focus on the important things Thank you The next item on tonight's agenda are the school board recognitions Dr Mitchell would you please join me at the podium tonight Good evening everyone Welcome to the uh school board board recognitions portions of our agenda this evening Good evening I have the honor and privilege of recognizing some outstanding members of our school community this evening Activities and athletics enrich each student's
005school experience and play a major part in building skills such as leadership and teamwork Dedicated coaches teach and mentor as part of the overall educational experience Our first honores this evening are team members and coaches from Warwick High School 2025 Blue Crab Bowl Championship team Please join me in congratulating them as as their names are called for them to come forward Gwyneith [Applause] Conaway Darwin Rablier DeLeon Elijah Jones Elijah Jones Forgive me Elia Wayne Riddle Elmar Elmer Sierra Balz Rudolph Valquez Lazada And may we also have Warwick's head coach is Tristan Rivera and assistant coach is Victoria Allen [Applause] The blue the blue crab bowl is Virginia regional's competition of the National Ocean Science Bowl The blue crab bowl showcases some of the Commonwealth's most talented science students as they display their mastery of ocean
006oceanic knowledge by winning boric advance of the NOSB national finals competition on May 17th and 18th on Zoom Congratulations Warwick [Applause] We want to take up Stay Come on pass me Don't leave me yet We want to take a moment to acknowledge their family members and supporters who are present this evening Would you please stand and be acknowledged you want to say thank you All right We also want to thank Warwick Principal Tiffany Thompson and assistant principles Jessica White Ottoman and Michael Edwards who may al also be with us this evening I want everyone to gather around Schoolboard members please join us up front so we can get a photo Hallelujah [Applause] Next a move into recognitions in the area of outstanding athletic programs Tonight we're thrilled to recognize the achievements of these talented students
007and athletes for the winter season and we ask that each of you please remain at the front until your photo is taken with the school board Our next honores this evening are individual regional and state champions in the indoor track and field season Please join me in congratulating them as their names are called for them to please come forward From Heritage High School Marcus Doure region 3A champion in boys long jump All right [Applause] from Woodside High School Dantree Walls region 5B champion in boys 55 meter boys 55 meter hurdles and boys 500 meters That's a whole lot Also from Woodside Am an Ania Anasia Daniel region 5B champion in girls 55 meter hurdles And also from Woodside Aia Hampton region 5B champion and girls shop All right come on down From Heritage High School
008we're proud to recognize the class three state championship girls for by 200 relay team of Giani Darden Okay Gian Jala Beasley Tala Clark and Shanti Brown Ashanti Brown Heritage's head coach is Ray Pard and assistant coach is Jackie Baitman [Applause] And from the Woodside High School please join me in congratulating Dean Collins for winning the class 5 state championship and boys triple jump So you did that three times Come on Woodid's head coach is David Garary and assistant coaches are Marsha Marsha Parker and Keith [Applause] Holland Congratulations to each of these outstanding student athletes We want to take a moment to acknowledge their family members and school faculty who are here to support them you stand to be recognized Absolutely Stand on my Thank you for coming out We're going to take a quick photo
009School board members please draw me to the front And any principals come on in I I see you Don't be shy Come on These are not [Applause] Next we would like to congratulate the Menchville High School girls basketball [Applause] which won the region 5B championship Please join me in congratulating them as their names are called for them to come forward Kiara Bagwell Kendall Bagwell Oh keep it in the family Okay Amen Bird [Applause] McKenley Davis Taniah Hen Jordan Holder Damonte Hyman Quierra Jones Maline Leech [Applause] Naa Reed Jaden Rose Olivia Rivera and Michelle Willer [Applause] Menchville's head coach Adrien Webb and assistant coaches are Jonathan Bias and Jimmy Clemens Ryland Harrison Sean Harrison Desan Hyman Terrence James and Harold Legit Takes a village y'all Takes a village Congratulations Menchville [Applause] We want to also at
010this time take a moment to acknowledge their families and members and supporters who are in the audience Please stand We want to recognize you Thank you for being here As school board members come on over We're going to get a photo Should we stand right here um You are not right here Thank you [Applause] NPS fam I would also like to thank Menchville principal Jason Holler assistant principal Dr Nicole Arrington and William Hustler Stettler and athletic director Jenny Nuttycombe who may be with us here this evening Wave All right Thank you for being here Our next honoree is Woodside High School boys basketball team which won the region 5B championship Please join me in congratulating them as their names are called for them to please come forward Silus Barksdale Marcus Brown Jr [Applause] J Jaden
011Dietrich Amari Hanby Terrence Hayes Darnell Jarrett Christian Laura Marlon Montichue Kayn Morrison Tyler Otis Trenton Smalling Isaiah Sterns Avon Tucker Derell Tyler Maria Wells Stevens [Applause] Woodside head coach is Stefan Welch and assistant coaches are Jeffrey Hall Michan Chandler Octavius Langford Marlon Montichue James Dixs and Eric Bagnan Congratulations [Applause] Woodside We do want to take a moment again to acknowledge their family and members of supporters who are present this evening Would you please stand to be recognized [Applause] we will also like to thank Woodside principal Dr Mary Hardstein assistant principals Michael Bellamy and Grace Foley and athletic director Eric Battle who may be with us may be with us this evening If you are please wade Thank you for all you do Again we're going to get a quick photo Schoolboard members please join me
012[Applause] I also want to acknowledge Dr Arav Davidson from Woodside High School If you are here please come and wave You want to say thank you Newport News family our final group tonight to be recognized this evening is Woodside High School's boys indoor track and field team which won both the region 5B championship and state class 5 championship I do want to share that some of them are away at a meet tonight so many of them are not here with us So we're going to start off with Matthew Acasta Rivera If you're here please come forward Daryl Boyd Xavier Canfield Dean Collins Ziane Derby Jared [Applause] Flowers Deir Granger Joseph [Applause] Hood Mason Mompoint Mason Mom [Applause] Point Zephaniah Fellacius Nathan Perez Lopez Jir Perkins Blow Kalia Stokes Aaron [Applause] Treble John Trey Walls and
013Evan Yarrell [Applause] Woodside's head coach is David Gary and assistant coaches are Marsha Parker and Keith Holland Congratulations Woodside Come on up As I said many of them were not here tonight because they have a meet probably winning some more medals So we do want to take a moment to acknowledge their family and members and supporters this evening Would you please stand to be recognized yes Again we would also like to thank Woodside principal Dr Mary Harvesty assistant principal Gracie Foley and athletic director Eric Battle who may all be with us this evening We want to say thank you Thank you So for the last time school board members come and join me over here [Applause] All right So at this time our board recognitions have concluded but the our viewing audience uh we'll get
014the um NNPS spotlight At this time those of you who would like to leave you are welcome to do so but you are welcome to stay for the remaining of the meeting and we'll see you in about six minutes [Music] And then we need some With about 50 school days until graduation Newport News Public Schools celebrated the class of 2025 with a high energy senior rally held at CNU's Freeman Center The rally invited seniors from all Newport News high schools and alternative learning sites for a day of celebration fun competitions and encouragement as they look forward with great anticipation Students were enthusiastically greeted by principles and school leaders before formally being welcomed by school board vice chairman Dr best and see a new president Bill Kelly who hopes to see many of these graduates enrolled
015as captains next school year The senior class enjoyed stories of truth and inspiration from Dr Adolf Brown III a master teacher educational psychologist servant leader and business owner Through his own powerful life story he encouraged the senior class to work hard through every obstacle show up ready to help others and grow beyond where they are to seize the future they want In between speeches of encouragement students danced cheered and expressed an overload of school spirit Fun games pitted schools against each other with students cheering on their peers to victory Superintendent Dr Michelle Mitchell wrapped up the festivities by proudly sharing her expectation that every senior in attendance will also graduate on time in June rallying the class of 2025 to finish strong 10th grade students in Newport News public schools are ready to dive in
016The soon to surface Maritime Engineering and Environmental Studies Academy offered a boat launch for interested students giving them a splash of what to expect before the lab school opens its doors next school year 53 students from all six high schools were invited to a day of hands-on maritime exploration while gaining valuable college and career readiness skills The event was co-hosted by Old Dominion University and Newport News Public Schools who are partnering together to offer this specialized maritime academy When students arrived at the ODU Brooks Crossing Innovation Lab they began constructing a motorized vessel The engineering challenge demanded creative problem solving and collaboration to successfully design and build their boat with limited supplies and time Right outside the innovation lab the student teams tested their boat's speed and stability while encouraging each other through friendly competition
017During a provided lunch students were encouraged to talk with local maritime employers and ODU educators to explore the rewarding career and college opportunities that the maritime engineering and environmental studies academy will provide future enrolled students Gildersleeve Middle School hosted an amazing event for their most special students to shine Organized by family and community engagement specialists educators and assistants the GLOW event gave students an opportunity to play games be active and socialize with peers and adults in a fun safe environment designed just for them With glow tape and black lights illuminating the gym students received flashy swag as they visited a variety of engaging stations Games sports sensory activities and a literacy station kept students involved and smiling for over an hour Educators staff and police officers took time to attend supporting the students and playing
018games alongside them And just like any good party free snacks treats and a goodie bag kept the students energized for more fun For students and staff at Gildersleeve Middle School it was a glowrific day for everyone Students engaged in a friendly war of words during this season's battle of the books Since October 10 elementary and middle school teams from Newport News public schools have been reading and practicing gaining the knowledge necessary to compete with schools across the city and region To participate in the annual book knowledge competition students in grades 4 through 8 are given a list of 12 grade appropriate books to read They practice after school with their coaches by answering questions about each book testing their understanding of characters setting and plot In late February Newport News Public Schools hosted a preliminary
019battle at Menchville High School Based on their performances and scores Charles General Stanford and Kiln Creek elementary schools advanced to the city finals while Fitzgerald and Passage advanced at the middle school level In early March Main Street Library hosted the Newport News City Finals to crown the top readers and learners from across the city During this intense battle General Stanford Elementary earned first place and moved on to the regional battle in Williamsburg where they earned an impressive second place For these dedicated students the benefits of participating in Battle of the Books includes enhanced critical thinking skills improved reading comprehension a boost in confidence a commitment to goal setting and the often overlooked byproduct of simply having fun with their teammates and friends Middle and high school students experienced firsthand what working in the shipyard can
020be like The NNPS STEM team partnered with Huntington Ingalls Newport New Ship Building to host the themed engineering design challenge titled High and Dry Master the Crane Command the Dock The secondary challenge took place at Crittenden Middle School home of the science technology engineering and mathematics magnet program Each middle school was represented by student teams from all three grades while each high school sent two talented teams During the multifaceted challenge students had to become certified crane operators draw digital blueprints for their own custom crane purchase building supplies using a limited budget and construct a fully working gantry crane capable of lifting as much weight as possible This realworld challenge replicated a number of different STEM careers while emphasizing teamwork communication and problem solving for the student teams to succeed The top winner for middle schools
021was Passage's sixth grade team followed by Gildersleeve's eighth graders and the seventh grade team from Ella Fitzgerald Among high schools Warwick's team one placed first leading Menchville's team two and an Achievable Dreams team one Warwick's top team was also recognized as the overall winner among all secondary teams competing Crittenden's eighth grade team and Ella Fitzgerald's seventh graders were honored with a special five C's award for displaying creative thinking citizenship critical thinking collaboration and communication skills I hope you enjoyed this month's schoolboard spotlight 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 meeting As advertised citizens may submit comments via email up to 30 minutes prior to our meeting time to be included in
022the 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 We 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 have uh Reverend Natalie Chamberlain and then after that will be Jackie Batterson Good evening ladies and gentlemen of the board I'm Reverend Natalie Chamberlain My pronouns are she and her I'm part of a broad citizens coalition that have been attending these meetings for nearly two years now We support equality and the respectful treatment of
023all children including trans and other LGBTQIA+ youth I was invited by Dr Mitchell to be a part of the strategic planning steering committee that has been convened to look at where the district is and where it's going One of the things that I have noticed is that all the educa in all the education speak there's a disconnect between espoused and lived values Any document that talks about all children of the district and yet singles out one group to be otherred is not very honest LGBTQIA children and youth and especially those who are trans have been othered These children and youth are not concepts for discussion but flesh and blood people deserving of the same respect and care as every other child in the district We're asking for your assurance that you're doing everything in your
024power to protect the queer community and especially those who are trans in your district We are here in a visible way because they are not always so visible I am asking you to live by the values you claim in your district documents And I remind you just how important that is with all of the other people who are being othered by the current regime in Washington Kathy Patterson Good evening On April 5th I had the opportunity to rally and protest what is happening in our country along with over 5.2 million concerned citizens This past holiday weekend over three million turned out on a holiday We are demanding an end to a billionaire takeover in corruption that is occurring an end to the slashing of federal funds for Medicaid Social Security food banks benefits to working
025families and an end to the attacks on immigrants transgender people and other marginalized communities This federal administration is trying to make extinct our transgender community This is only the beginning I have been asking you to give our transgender children the same respect and ensure their dignity as every other student in the school system You have a decent policy in JB However your procedure JBP takes away the rights of a number of your children who identify as transgender to be addressed by their preferred pronouns and chosen name I do not know why this was changed but since it follows this governor's desires I expect it was due to intimidation from Richmond Now I am sure you will be feeling the same from Washington as they are known to attempt to hold funds over the heads of
026others Since this is an independent school district I would expect that maybe someone would stand up and say enough to the interference from political outsiders Someone maybe just anyone I will end this evening with quotes that are particularly relevant from two different people Terrible things are happening outside Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes Families are being torn apart Men women and children are separated Children come home from school to find their parents have disappeared That is from the diary of Anne Frank January 13th Secondly life is never easy There is work to be done and obligations to be met Obligations to truth to justice and to liberty John F Kennedy Thank you for your time [Applause] Next we have Jim Batterson and following will be Jessica Allen Good evening And I'm
027Jim Batterson from Newport News I'm here tonight to talk about a $1.5 million home is a billion million dollar line item in your budget for next year and that's the lighting of elementary school athletic fields Um I'm here to ask you not to put lighting into the Hidenwood fields Uh give you a little history of those fields They uh sit uh with u established neighborhoods and houses on three sides separated only by a thin line of trees The houses were built between 1955 and 1961 and preceded any ball fields on that field The um history a little bit more is in the 60s the parks and rec put in some little um uh simple sand lot infields and some back stops and they ran some simple games for a number of years in the 60s
028But since that time it's really become a actually a beautiful facility as the um nonprofit Little Leaks have come organized Little leaks have come in and improved the fields and put in fencing and grass and and all those things However in the 90s a survey was done of by Newport News public schools of the neighbors on those three sides and they clearly said they did not want lighting and they did not want electronically amplified sound on those fields And so far the schools have held to that and we haven't had either amplified sound except on opening day and we haven't had lighting So I'm asking you now to remind you of these things because you're a little younger than I am that this history is there Uh oh and that time parks and rec said
029they do not put lighting into established neighborhoods I know of no neighborhoods that can be more established than these that have been there for 70 years Please do not impact negatively anymore on the quality of life and by those neighbors around these fields I I I ask you that tonight and wanted to make you aware of that situation Please do not put lighting in the Hidenwood fields um with your with your budget item this next year Thank you very much Thank you Mr Patterson who actually served on this board as chair We appreciate your time today and then Jessica Allen Hi I'm Jessica Allen I have two kids in the public school system and this is our first year with school buses Um and to say it's been a rough one is an understatement Um
030since the beginning of the school year our school bus has been habitually late by I'm talking 30 minutes Um I've called transportation many times and I've been met with a series of excuses traffic delays from previous stops being understaffed etc Um while I can empathize with those situations I can't continue to use those as reoccurring reasons why my children are late for school and why I'm late for work It's just unacceptable Um the situation turned from inconvenient to dangerous when I put my kindergarten son on the school bus that had arrived late And by the middle of the day I was called to let me know that my son was not at school that he was marked absent And I don't think that it's too much to ask that parents don't go through that moment
031of panic of where is my child that I put on a school bus um while the school staff puts eyes on their kid He was fine He was at school A lot of checks and balances failed that day but the first one was the school bus not being on time The last straw has occurred over the last month Um I noticed on the app that the school bus was way out yonder So I canceled my morning meetings and I took my kids to school and I spoke to somebody and explained the inconsistencies and issues we've been having over the school year Um it was at that time that I was told that there is no bus driver assigned to my kid's route and we should expect 30 minute delays to an hour There was no
032formal communication from transportation to let us know that I'm thankful that I have a job that allows me to stay with my kids in the morning where I can get them on the school bus or get them to school if the bus just doesn't come which has happened I know there are a lot of parents that don't have that luxury and we live in a world where we have to be considerate of the evils out there We lost Newport News students earlier in the year to gun violence at a school bus stop and we have yet to see action when it comes to the buses being an hour late or a bus driver not coming at all My question today don't need an answer today but my question today is what actions are in place
033at the moment to rectify this we cannot let students stand outside waiting for a bus for an hour It's unacceptable It's unsafe And I don't think I'm asking too much for this to be looked into Thank you [Applause] Frankman and Mary Boss will be next Good evening board members Remove section H from procedure JBP and remove harmful lies from its section G Ranking children is not the point of school sports The point of all of this is to make students college career and citizen ready which supports support through physical health and social connection Telling people "No I don't believe you I don't care that your parent believes you You're not real That's does not support social connection School systems should def for the purpose of ranking School systems should defer to championship leagues to set
034rules for what chemicals constitute an unfair advantage and for how long Supposedly we have the current procedure JBP because parents didn't get enough of a say in their children's education In section H they still don't Only the governor gets a say in our school sports despite state law saying that he doesn't get a say Also gender is not a decision let alone one that someone else can make for you It should be obvious that what haters have to spend so much time and energy enforcing is not a natural order as they claim People are like this and have always been like this Another way to promote college career and citizen readiness is to stop repeating hateful lies that have a causal effect on kids not reaching adulthood and on kids reaching adulthood without a support
035network for those pursuits quote alternative facilities where you can opt out of ever using a bathroom that a trans person was once in does the opposite of promoting privacy and safety and you need to stop saying that rubber stamping what the superintendent says or the governor says or what somebody else says is a dereliction of the power and responsibility to represent your constituents in this office Stop hiding from a vote Thank you Mary Voss Hello Uh Mary Voss an NPS teacher parent and graduate and secretary of the Newport News Education Association Uh the NEA advocates for contract negotiations for NNPS employees in order to give our hardworking staff and teachers a seat at the negotiating table for improved working conditions pay and benefits teacher and staff working conditions or student learning conditions So stronger contracts
036benefit our students through negotiations such as smaller class sizes more planning time more restroom breaks seniority and job security and increased safety measures Uh we now have five employee groups that have majorities of NEA authorization cards signed in support of um the union representing them at the negotiating table transportation custodians plant services security and nurses Uh with teachers and instructional assistants quickly approaching majorities as well NEA is ready to get started with these five employee groups that have majorities knowing that additional employee groups will soon exceed majorities as well and join them NEA is in the process of verifying these groups authorization cards with VA After the verification process um Dr Dr Graves wanted me to share that he will present an affidavit to the school board that NEA has majorities in these employee groups
037Um NEA looks forward to working with the board to create stronger contracts um which will of course benefit students very much as well as our teachers and staff Um in addition the NEA is advocating for $1,000 bonuses for staff and teachers through matched funding from the proposed general assembly budget which includes a line item for recommended $1,000 bonuses for all state employees um which of course includes NNPS teachers and staff Thankfully the governor did not veto the recommended $1,000 bonuses for state employees Um and you may recall on our recent NNA budget survey 94% of the um nearly 300 employees that we polled um strongly support these $1,000 bonuses for NNPS teachers and staff Uh please follow the spirit of the general assembly's recommended $1,000 bonus for state employees which includes school staff and teachers
038Uh finally I asked the school board um to protect our vulnerable students from attacks by the Trump administration such as trans and other LGBTQ plus students and also immigrant and migrant students in our district Um please stand up for these vulnerable children and teens by striving for the most respectful and non-discriminatory policies possible um such as the changes um to JBP um that was recommended by other speakers tonight um in protection of LGBTQ plus students Um and I do want to say thank you again to the board for limiting ICE's access to school buildings um to what is legally required by by law so that they cannot um terrorize their students at school Thank you for your time and consideration Last card I have is from Joyce Blow Good evening Um I'm a bus driver
039Been a bus driver for 20 years I'mma piggy back off the parent that says something about the buses being late now Um we're about 100 drivers short So if you have 70 between 80 call outs what can you imagine about them telling us you got to double a run maybe two runs or three runs out of one school which means kids is normally in school at 7:00 probably won't get to school till 8 or 9:00 Then that goes on to the B school Then it goes on to the C school And their favorite word is we'll take a late And um at this point seem like every time they hire new drivers they don't last a month probably not two weeks One problem is the behavior the lack of the accountability of behavior in the
040administration of the school So when the drivers the new drivers see that it's not going to work they up and leave We losing drivers like we lose socks in the washing machine Um it's too many bias situations and prejudice in transportation against certain people against certain groups It's too much favoritism and disrespect on the job If you speak up for yourself then you retaliated against The rules apply to certain people and don't apply to other people Um if you plan on hiring new drivers they're not going to last long If things are not changed in the so-called White House if we are already short-handed we need to fix the problem instead of adding to the problem and put more work on the drivers Cuz once these drivers started calling out you get put some more
041work on other drivers then they going to start calling out Then you put work on another driver then they're going to start calling out All I can say is good luck on finding drivers for 25 [Applause] Thank you for your comments and coming to share your thoughts with us this evening We will now move on to section three the consent agenda which includes 3.01 minutes from the work session on March 5th 2025 3.02 minutes from the public hearing March 12th 2025 3.03 minutes from the regular meeting March 18 2025 This also includes 3.04 4 financial reports including the revenue and expense reports for March 2025 and nutrition uh child nutrition reports for March 2025 3.05 the personnel report 3.06 easement on Warwick Boulevard wide sidewalk 3.07 07 the budget transfer At this time can we
042have a motion to approve the consent agenda madame Chair I move to approve the consent agenda as presented Okay Do I have a second second Thank you Miss Aman Any comment or response uh just one one question about the sidewalk Um as I understand or just want to confirm the sidewalk will allow students to walk to school um at passage Is that that's correct okay Okay Other questions please call the roll Hunter for Alger Aman for Best for Brown for Harris for Surles law for Motion passes 7-0 Thank you We'll move on to section four action items We have 4.01 special education annual plan Dr Mitchell will take an update there Thank you Thank you Madam Chair As you recall last month Vivian Matulo director of special education came before you to prevent the proposed
043special education uh spending plan Tonight we are asking you to approve that spending plan I believe that her department took a lot of time um to look at the funding what needed to be done what our students need and I am in full support of the spending plan that has been presented Thank you very much Do I have a motion madam Chair I move to approve the special education annual plan as presented And do I have a second second Sec Oh yes Thank you Miss Harris I heard from that end Any discussion all right please call the roll Hunter for Alger for Aman for Best for Brown for Harris for Surles law for Motion passes 7-0 Okay thank you so much We'll move on to section five reports and information 5 We have I did
044it again Four points I skipped that personnel action I need to put it on another line 4.02 Personnel Actions Dr Mitchell please let us know who we have Thank you very much Madame Chair Tonight I'd like to recommend Dr Evette Smith as the executive director of human resources Dr Smith has a doctorate in educational leadership and supervision from Windgate University She currently works as the assistant superintendent of human resources and professional development with Wayne County Public Schools We are excited about the level of experience that she would bring to us Not only does she have a wealth of knowledge in um human resources but she also has been a school-based leader she has been a teacher an assistant principal a director of curriculum So she has a wide lens and experience in school districts Yes
045you can go to We have a second one that I am recommending Mr Robert White is the new executive director of public information and community involvement Mr White has a master of arts degree from Liberty University He currently works as a communication strategy advisor for Fleet Marine Forces and Atlantic Marine Forces Command He has also worked as a public affairs manager and a graphic design manager illustrator for the United States Marines Do I have a motion yes Madame Chair I move to approve the superintendent's personnel recommendations for Robert C White for executive director public information and community involvement and Dr Evette Smith for executive director human resources And do I have a second miss Aman Thank you Any discussion madame clerk please call the roll Hunter for Alger for Aman for Best for Brown for
046Harris for Surles law for Motion passes 7-0 Great Thank you so much Thank you We look forward to meeting them in person Thank you Now we'll move on to section five reports and information We have 5.01 the comprehensive advanced learning plan So Dr Mitchell who do we have with us joining us with this report this evening we have Mr Daryl Pancratz joining us We are excited to share a forward-looking presentation that outlines our comprehensive advanced learning plan This is a strategic vision that um really tries to ensure that every student in Newport News public schools has access to a rigorous academic opportunity And Mr Daryl Pancratz is our executive director of teaching and learn Yes ma'am All right Well good evening Chairwoman Surles Law Vice Chair Dr Best School Board and Dr Mitchell Tonight I'm
047excited to provide an overview of our NNPS comprehensive advanced learning plan Newport News Public Schools is committed to providing access and opportunity for all students emphasizing that advanced learning can be achieved by all Our advanced learning programs magnet schools and specialtymies are designed to challenge students academically and prepare them for future careers The advanced learning plan was created through the advanced learning design team that was comprised of about 30 members from school leadership the department of teaching and learning and input from administrators The plan outlines a strategic vision to ensure equitable access and advanced learning opportunities for all students It integrates goals strategies and actionable steps to expand that access the opportunity and the support and aims to create pathways that lead to academic and professional success for every student in NNPS Our plan includes
048six critical goals that I will be discussing in the slides to follow Goal one enhancing and expanding opportunities Goal two strengthening program alignment Goal three improving communication Four expanding student support systems Number five forging partnerships with higher education and industry And finally number six monitoring and measuring that success Goal number one is to enhance and expand opportunities for all of our students The plan will address this by expanding student access to magnet and specialty programs by hostingformational workshops updating our digital and print resources and offering additional opportunities connected to those programs In addition we will be partnering with our ESL department to provide equitable access by translating our applications and all of our digital print resources which has not been done previously And finally we will increase the number of underrepresented groups in advanced level
049classes at the secondary level by ensuring that all high school students earning a standard or advanced diploma will enroll in at least one advanced level course annually This will provide all students an opportunity to challenge themselves in an area that is of interest to them In addition to the previously mentioned opportunities we have developed a communication plan that I will be discussing further in this presentation In accordance with our gifted plan that was recently approved by you the we will prepare students for gifted identification by providing opportunities to build critical and creative thinking skills at younger ages We will also expand our pre-advanced placement courses at the middle school level to include strategies and targeted courses In the fall we held a magnet and specialty programs preview night We estimate that about 400 people were
050in attendance and this was an opportunity for our magnet directors and principals to interact with the community and discuss their programs and showcase them In that effort in the fall we also did branding of our current magnet programs and did a revamp to all of their logos On the slide you will see the logos for each of the magnet and specialty programs offered in NNPS Schools were also issued popup banners with their school logos which you'll see on the right side of the slide above They were given table overlays which are on the left hand side and redesigned one-page brochures These were all used at the preview night and individual school openhouse nights that followed afterwards These were then sent with the schools so that they now have branding materials and kind of have a
051toolkit of a take your show on the road Um I provided you brochure examples in the folder that each of you have as well as our comprehensive advanced learning plan for you to see as reference Goal number two is to strengthen our program alignment The teaching and learning team will work to develop clear pathways so that counselors and families have all materials outlining feeder schools and advanced programs at all levels We will also align curriculum at our program to ensure alignment with current industry standards In addition we will be auditing each program to identify strengths and where we can address improvement areas for each school In this work we have already had committee meetings with program specific supervisors to align their efforts in helping with these programs We have also gathered feedback from teachers parents
052and students to identify areas of need And we have also implemented magnet and program administrator meetings to align the work of our advanced learning in each of their buildings Goal number three is a big one So we're going to go through each one of the things identified on the slide that you see in front of you Goal number three is to improve our communication And we have eight steps that are listed on the slide above Number one is we're going to create an interactive course guide launch We will be developing an interactive online course guide that will empower users to explore personalized pathways from preK through 12th grade This dynamic tool will guide families and staff through a journey across all grade levels highlighting advanced learning opportunities at each stage Participants will have the option
053to navigate through various options to visualize educational pathways tailored to the NNPS offerings supported informed choices at every step of the way Number two will be our advanced program playbook We will develop a detailed division level playbook for internal stakeholders It will include links to the administrator handbooks roles procedures courses partnerships recruitment processes and professional development This will streamline the management of magnet and specialty programs with clear guidance for program execution Number three we will enhance our magnet website We will update the NNPS website for better family and community engagement clearly define program pathways and create uniform interactive showcasing unique aspects of each pathway making the framework more comprehensible and accessible for our external stakeholders Number four we're going to expand our extended learning story So broadening that extended learning content to include diverse experience-based
054activities and provide thorough information on our summer programs and additional opportunities emphasizing student learning experience beyond traditional classroom settings for student growth and opportunities Number five is our social media strategy We will enhance our social media presence to promote programs We will utilize Instagram to share success stories magnet branding and increase awareness We will also use this to highlight NNPS advanced learning programs through engaging content that captures community interest and boost student involvement Number six is our magnet program branding initiative We will incorporate advanced learning program branding into all of our school merchandise create program specific t-shirts and school spirit items to foster pride We'll establish magnet spirit days and special events to celebrate achievements enhancing unity and community engagement within the student body Number seven will be our magnet professional development framework This will
055outline a professional development plan for staff related to program implementation This will focus on training that aligns with program responsibilities ensuring administrators and teachers are prepared to support advanced learning and specialty programs effectively within their buildings And number eight we're going to create a magnet administrator handbook This will ensure administrators are well equipped with a comprehensive handbook outlining each program partnership recruitment strategies and advisory processes The handbook the handbook will serve as a vital resource to guide effective program management and align with advanced learning goals at each school Goal number four is expanding student support systems through mentoring tutoring and counseling programs We will provide targeted academic support for students in advanced courses In addition we will expand our summer readiness programs to students in 6th through 12th grade Previously it was 9th through 12th
056This will include AB and IB prep in the summer as well as summer boost opportunities for students to get a jump start before entering the next year with an advanced course We will accomplish this through our summer school programs and embedding advanced summer opportunities Goal number five is involves forging partnerships with higher education institutions and industry leaders We are expanding partnerships with higher education and industry to provide more opportunities for dual enrollment internships and a track for students to earn an associates degree before leaving high school We will also collaborate with local business partners to increase internship opportunities for our students In an effort to increase our dual credit program we will need to invest in our teachers We are working with Christopher Newport University to help create a pathway for teachers to become dual
057enrollment certified Many teachers have a master's but it may not be in the content needed to teach the course We are establishing programs that will allow teachers to obtain the 18 graduate hours in specific subjects to teach the dual enrollment courses We are focusing on English math science and social studies as our first cohorts Goal number six is our monitoring and measuring success goal We will conduct annual reviews for all of our programs in Newport News public schools We'll be looking at key indicators such as enrollment trends program completion rates academic outcomes and post-secondary placements Also in goal six we will be joining the magnet schools of America organization This will strengthen our programs by each of our magnet and specialty programs becoming nationally certified magnet schools This will provide structure as well as create
058a framework for all of our programs to work for work from to be successful We will also enroll two members from our executive team into the executive leadership academy that the magnet schools of America provides This provides professional development for district leaders who are responsible for magnet program administrators In addition we are including a stipend for our elementary and middle school magnets This will allow for another staff member to be invested into the magnet program other than just the principal as it currently stands Through the organization all magnet program administrators will attend professional development that will work on them as leaders of magnets and gear them to deliver PD for their staff This will align with the efforts of all staff knowing about the magnet and being able to speak about it This will also
059provide guidance on how to make our magnets stand out in their specialty areas Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to present our NNPS comprehensive advanced learning plan and I can now answer any questions you may have Okay I know we have a few questions I'm just going to make a statement in one presentation I think you covered concerns from almost every board member up here and I'm very very thankful now I will let the next yes and this is more for maybe those watching that may not you know say you have an elementary schooler and you're learning some of this can you explain a bit more about um dual enrollment and how that versus early college what are those two types of things absolutely so the dual enrollment courses Those are courses offered through
060most likely VPCC um for students to be able to take at their high schools um and earn that college credit as they're going through Early college would be them taking usually their English class during the fall semester and then being able to go over to the college in their spring semester to complete courses at the at the school Early college is a semester at a co the college whereas dual enrollment would be earn credit but you could be at your high school to do that Correct Yes ma'am Other comments or questions yes Um I had attended the the preview night which was excellent I mean I I think there was more there were more than 400 people honestly Okay I'll take it My question is um how many of the folks that came or how
061many applications did you actually receive as a result of all the marketing and everything that's been done I can tell you at least I don't know if it was you know the effect of the preview night but on time applications this year for elementary was 597 middle school was 423 and high school was 410 Wow And that was on time applications Um the magnet application portal closed December 16th And is this different than prior years uh yes ma'am We saw increases um especially at the high school level um from there So yes and it was great because at that event they were able to go speak to the high schools see exactly what the high schools could offer them and all the schools but we definitely saw increases at the high school level Yes ma'am
062Okay Mr Brown Yeah So my question uh is as well more so for the community in in regards to Golden Five forging partnerships So if I am a uh if someone is a leader at a company uh or they own a small business and they would like to partner with us how how should they and how can they get in contact with us and what are the kinds of types of opportunities that you're looking for those uh companies to provide to Newport News absolutely So they can definitely reach out to my office Um we are we have a committee that's working on specifically those partnerships And so what we're truly trying to strategically develop is those companies or those business um that are in our community that align with that magnet program So like for
063instance we have aviation at Denbigh So what aviation companies are out there that can align with us and work with us or at Heritage we have the STEM magnet program So engineering math all those things that we can do So please feel free to reach out to us That would be great Um and we like I said we have our team who is also reaching out to businesses that we've identified Um we've created a spreadsheet with I think it was a about a hundred businesses that we've identified so far that align with our current magnet programs Dr Um oh yeah Um one of the concerns regarding the magnet program because I will ask people and I try to encourage and always push it especially as we get closer to the deadline for people to apply
064is that there is a I guess and I'm going ask you to speak to this like misconception that you can't have a quote unquote challenging child And I've had people say "Well I'm I'm not gonna apply to that because they're going to deselect my child." Or if the child is at their home or assigned school they're not going to work as hard to help them If I put them at a magnet school they'll say they're not doing well or they're not adjusting well or they're not a good fit And they'll put them out And and that's I've heard you know a couple of people say that And I've assured them no wherever your child goes we put forth 110% to help them to be successful So can you speak to that a little bit because
065they're concerned about deselection that's I keep hearing that understandably and absolutely and we have looked at our whole process of applications um but it is a lottery system right and the students are coming in there we're picking through a lottery it's going through um so we are not deselecting students based upon levels or anything like that because we will make sure that if they are selected to go to those programs through the l or through the lottery we have the supports that they need to be successful at the programs that what they're concerned about if they are selected if they get in a program then after they get in the program being deselected not so much getting into the program but being able to stay in the program Not at all So we are making
066sure that we can service all students that are selected into those programs and make sure that they can be successful So you're telling the public there's not a high turnover We don't get a high number deselected students and that type of thing No ma'am Are y'all listening out there yes Absolutely Thank you for that clarification Mr Verde Sir so good evening First I wanted just to thank you for all the amazing work you've been doing I wanted to say that even just this year I've already noticed tangible improvements in the IB program at Warwick And I wanted to thank you for your consideration of student concerns And also just wanted to give a little shout out to the Warwick administration for all the work they've been doing for that I did have one concern I
067was just wondering about um if there's anything being done to perhaps set up a pipeline to improve student attendance to the Governor's School for Science and Technology from Newport News as I do believe we have fewer students than say York County and other other districts The classes I have there have relatively few students from Newport News And that is part of our plan as well Um and we've been working with our advanced department Miss Dr Dr Beckerite our gifted students as well to work on our process to make sure that we have enough students applying to those programs Um and so making sure that the applications are at the schools where they need to be making sure we've translated them in certain instances so that way we will have more students applying to those programs
068And Mr Verde if I can also add that while we have uh um students who obviously are in that program one of the differences between our district and your county is our students have so many other options So that always plays into it Sometimes students have too many options right they're not sure which thing they want to do but I do know that the committee is working on attempting to increase those numbers as well Yes ma'am All right Thank you so much Yes Thank you Thank you Any other questions or comments we appreciate your presentation Thank you very much Appreciate it We're on to 5.02 2 the attendance report 5.03 the membership report 5.04 construction report members you have received a copy of these reports are there any questions at this time hearing none we'll
069move on to 5.05 comments by our superintendent Dr Mitchell Thank you so much Madame Chair I will begin my comments tonight with sharing that middle and high school students representing each of our secondary schools um in Newport News participated in the school division's engineering design challenge which was held March the 28th at Crittenden Middle School Mr Devin could you advance the slide for me thank you Warwick High School's school team one was the overall and high school division winner and Passage Middle School's uh sixth grade team was the winner for the middle school division We certainly want to thank our partner Newport News Ship Building for serving as our community partner for that event Gildersleeve Middle School hosted the Christopher Newport University and Newport News Community Walk on April the 1st And as you can
070see the CNU President William Kelly and Gildersleeve principal Roland Noel were there exchanging greetings and gifts The band was there the cheerleaders were there to welcome their neighborhood visitors with music It was an allaround wonderful experience I do want to thank some of our special participants Delegate Shelley Simonds Senator Danny Diggs Police Chief uh Chief Drew who comes to everything and of course school board member Lisa Surles Law was there as well Moving on students at Denbigh High School's aviation academy This all of these things are exciting but I think this excited me the most today The Denbigh Aviation High School Academy continues to assemble lockers that are used on the International Space Station Many people were not aware of that and they recently received photos of one of their autograph lockers that is right
071now in use on the station So since 2016 our students have worked on the lockers as a part of the NASA HUNCH program And hunch stands for high school high schools united with NASA to create hardware So a wonderful opportunity for our students Katherine Johnson Elementary School was honored with a very prestigious Christine Darden STEM community partnership award on April 17th at the Innovations and Family Engagement Symposium It was held in Raleigh North Carolina A cross departmental collaboration worked together on the STEM night event that was recognized The Darden Award recognizes individuals and schools that have made significant contributions to enhancing STEM education and impacting family engagement So we are excited about that award Of course for our school board members Newport News Public Schools hosted the 2025 Virginia School Boards Association Tidewater Regional Spring
072Networking Forum right here at Woodside High School on April uh 22nd The event included dinner judging of the events art contests and music provided by our students and groups as well as a business meeting And we can say that our very own Mr Verde was there and did the introduction of our keynote speaker and our keynote speaker was a former student representative Mr Jordan Moody We were very proud and I will tell you that the other school divisions were quite impressed with um the program that was put together and with our two young men April is the month of the military child and Newport News public school students and staff wore purple to show our support for our military connected students on purple up day on April the 16th as part of this month-long recognition
073We want to thank our schools and community partners for joining in this celebrate celebration and honoring this very important part of our school community April is also a month dedicated to awareness of and acceptance of autism It has been a time to acknowledge and show support for students and staff who are affected by autism each day in a variety of ways And Madame Chair I'd like to say this concludes my comments and remarks for this evening Okay Well thank you so much We appreciate the bunch of exciting things going on And I know as we're getting close to the end of the school year your report's going to get longer and longer and longer There's a lot of goodness there But I will say as Mr Hunter says great things are happening in your forecast
074We'll move on to item six another opportunity to hear from the public Are there any additional cards thank you We will now move on uh to the agenda section for matters by the school board We will begin with Mr Verde So as I've often done this year I'll um start by just sharing some of what's been going on with SAGE So um every SAGE meeting we have a part where students share what's great about their school so that we can learn about different high schools than the ones we go to And to help capture their thoughts and incorporate them in a school division video presentation the Channel 47 TV team attended our meeting yesterday to tape individual students as they shared what they like most about their school And we were really excited to have
075be able to have so many student voices incorporated in that video and um to also be able to discuss what we could improve about Sage next year Our last meeting will be in a couple of weeks and um I believe it's May 7th We will be electing a new student representative and um seniors at that meeting will also be able to share their plans for uh pro postgraduation Uh speaking of seniors I hope that all of my fellow seniors are doing well and um I wish everyone a wonderful rest of the school year Thank you uh Mr Mr Hunter Oh thank you lady chair Great things are happening in Newport News Schools That being said I'mma yield my time to Well thank you just name it Sure Um I will just echo what Mr Verde
076said We're all back from spring break We got about a month or so to go So don't let up on the gas Keep pushing forward and finish the year strong Perfect Miss Harris it's been a busy busy last um few weeks Um I did want to shout out uh Soundscapes I was uh able to go on a tour at Carver Elementary School and meet some of the students that are part of that amazing um program and see them actually practice their string instruments um and prepare their ensemble pieces And so I I really just wanted to shout out that program um that's housed at at two other I think Discovery and then Greenwood as well Um so yes I wanted to shout out um the team there Uh thank you uh council chair woman um
077our our school board chair for um inviting me to the PTA awards uh reception uh on on Monday That was also a wonderful um uh site to see 30 I believe 30 awards were given out uh to students in a variety of categories uh dance visual arts Um it was it was a plethora of of of uh talent that is within Newport News public schools So thank you for that Um the again the Taiwan regional uh networking forum where we had an exceptional speaker uh Jordan Moody who is near and dear to my heart Um but it was great to see all of Virginia represented all the school boards represented and coming together um and getting rejuvenated and and and motivated through that talk Um this morning we attended the Peak Childhood uh Rise and
078Shine breakfast uh which is a a a new site I don't I don't think it's quite open yet Is it just yet the Newport Newport We're working working on um opening up that new site um to to provide early child care um at a at a at a at a level of education and enrichment that um I think is really going to change the game um to provide families an opportunity to leave their kids in a safe um environment um where they can go off to work and know that their children are being uh fulfilled And the last I have to shout out my daughter who was in Gloucester um at the outdoor track meet and uh she placed first in the long jump um jumping 17 feet So um she is uh uh that
079was her goal and she met her goal So I'm excited for her So I wanted to shout her out Marley great job Keep up the hard work And uh that's all And she is a elephant now Your son is Ella Fitzgerald All right Shout out to Woodside Awesome Miss Hower Yes thank you Uh I know it's the end of the year and uh that means that assessments are really kicking up and a lot of intervention and I just want to you know uh tell everyone to just stay strong Uh um you we'll be out there all hands on deck We know how that is uh at the end of the year So I I know that um we're going to do Uh absolutely great I also want to thank uh the United Jewish uh community
080of Virginia Peninsula They invited us to the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony Um I was able to attend and um there was a student from Gildersleeve that wanted um that was presented an award there and which was really great for his artwork So um you know we're doing great things throughout the community to represent and be ambassadors on behalf of the school system And Mr Brown All right Well I'll echo uh Miss Alger's comments to uh please finish strong Uh make sure that you uh hold tight to the end all the way to the end of the year You're in the home stretch now So uh please uh keep up the routines that you've been doing that have made you successful to this point You want to maintain that discipline all the way through to the
081end of the school year And we look forward I know that we all look forward to seeing you come across the stage uh in early June We're looking forward to uh seeing everyone and hearing about your great plans for postgraduation Uh to my fellow board members it is uh it was an honor that we were able to be the host division for Tidewater region for the Tidewater region for the Virginia School Board Association uh networking event which was hosted at Woodside High School And uh by all uh by all accounts we put on I think a world-class event and we had two great uh student speakers who uh who represented our our division very well and we have a lot to be very thankful and proud of Uh we have a student representative a former
082student representative who's actually coming back to our school division to be a teacher And so that speaks I think very well of the division and the types of investments that we we've made uh we can see the fruits of our investments and that's what's always very uh enriching uh I think to to me as a board member We got to see a lot of that tonight The investments that we made into uh extracurriculars and and athletics We saw the students come forward and uh receive those awards that that is I believe a result result of the types of investments that we made through our budgets and uh and making sure that we provide opportunities for kids to uh do those activities and grow And then lastly I'll say just along those same lines these we
083have some tough decisions to make As as always education is a tough business that there's there's challenges uh and tough decisions to make but um the decisions only get harder the more time that goes by And we know that I think we know now that there is some hard decisions that we need to make around our transportation and around our our zones for our schools to make sure that we're optimizing within the budget that we have uh and the resources that we have the number of routes and the distance travel that kids are going to school and um looking at um via via our own policy the levers that we can pull via policy what is the optimal mixture that we should have And the the longer that that goes on the harder the decision
084becomes and the bigger the budgeting impact gets You know transportation I believe this year is now is going to be roughly about $28 million of our budget It only gets bigger and the impacts of those decisions or waiting only gets tougher So I hope that we do tackle uh looking at our our our school zones and looking at our um our policy via uh transportation uh very soon at a at a work session uh sooner rather than later so that we can address the concerns that we we know are out there within the community and set ourselves up for next year to be a very strong year Thank you Mr Brown Dr Best thank you Um couple of things for spring break Um a shout out to Katherine Johnson's Crimson Thunder under the direction of
085Mr Tyrone Tyrone Hodges And I had an opportunity to follow them during spring break And they performed in West Palm Beach Florida And they actually had a large uh number of parents probably maybe 40 or so family members that accompanied them Many of them they drove or they flew So they had a really good support group there but they really represented Newport News Public Schools Um they're really an elementary drum line that performs if you haven't had an opportunity to see them or hear them They perform at a high school level And the people in Florida they have a really expanded uh community drum program but they were thoroughly um impressed and they brought home about three first place um trophies They did extremely well Also a shout out to Crimson Thunder at Katherine Johnson
086Elementary School Second thing is I'm just going to continue to encourage I'm going to just really start pushing this Boys and girls you have to read Just find something that you're interested in You're just going to have to read Get a book You don't have to read all the time Keep it near you and whenever you have a free moment read And parents read to your students Read with your students And you model reading for them um as well So we just going to have to just keep pushing that out there And finally to all of the Newport News staff members as a former staff member as a former educator this is one of the hardest times of the year I know that you come back from spring break and you have to make it
087to Memorial Day You say "Can I just make it to Memorial Day?" And then when you get back from Memorial Day you got to make it to the last day of school I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart all staff members for all that you do to get us there We've been receiving such good news from our leadership team as to the hard work that you've been doing And boys and girls we know that you're going to rock it out on those tests So so thank you staff teachers Hang in there We believe in you And boys and girls make them proud for all their hard work Thank you Thank you Dr Best Uh my comments are one um tonight to me showed our budget in action Um being able to see
088our students come as as Mr Brown mentioned um those are things that we've invested in and it's such a joy to be able to see that the students are engaged and it's helping propel them Um another thing that has been on my uh my heart is this board I just want to thank this board for keeping students the main thing It is a hard thing to do uh sitting in a political seat but you all have seriously kept the main thing the main thing and I'm really proud of that Um and then the last one that I'm just thoroughly proud of are our staff Uh you guys are what makes our children um be able to grow and glow and move forward and be the great that they are And it is a tough time
089of the year We all find ourselves doing this for everything we have to go through But but let's straighten up uh let them see us get through it in a way that is honoring and in a way that really speaks to our excellence in Newport News public schools So thank you Have a good night Meeting adjourned