001It's 7:00 p.m. We'll call this meeting to order. Will you join me in the flag salute? I pledge allegiance 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. Let the record show that all board members are present. And we will now have an adoption of the consent agenda. All the following items, those items of a routine nature normally approved at board meetings, will be approved by one vote. We have to vote for that one. Hang on. We need a motion. Okay. Back it up. Do we have a motion to adopt the agenda? So moved. Second. Thank you. Call it out. Oh, I see. Ms. McAdams? Yes. Ms. Zimmerman? Yes. Mr. Wynn? Yes. Mr. Reyes? Yes. And
002I, too, the chair votes yes. All the following items, those items of a routine nature normally approved at board meetings, will be approved by one vote unless any board member desires to have a separate vote on any or all of these items. The consent agenda consists of a discussion, consideration, and action on the following items A through S. And let the record reflect that consent item M will be a separate vote. Do we have a motion? I move to approve the consent agenda without item M. So I Nope. Ms. McAdams? Yes. Ms. Zimmerman? Yes. Mr. Wynn? Yes. Mr. Reyes? >> Yes. The chair votes yes, as well. Item M, >> [clears throat] >> change orders for construction project as outlined in attachment M and authorize the board president, superintendent, or designee to execute the agreement.
003Any questions? Move for approval. Second. Ms. McAdams? Yes. Ms. Rowerman? Yes. Mr. Wynn? Yes. Mr. Reyes? Yes. The chair votes yes as well. We'll now move to information reports. USPA report, Matthew Copeland. Okay. UCTA report, Carrie Gunter. President McNeal, Dr. Federline, and members of the board, as we wrap up another successful school year, we want to thank the board, district leaders, and staff for their dedication to our students and our schools. Um we're proud of the work we've accomplished this year and appreciate the continued support. We're proud to report that UCTA is ending the school year with more members than we started with, showing um the strength of our association. And we just want to wish all of our members and certified staff a restful summer break. Thank you. Lead union site teacher of the
004year leadership development program, Ms. Jessica Hogaboom and Ms. Rebecca Peterson. And Ms. Cow. That's okay. >> [laughter] >> They have the good staff. Good evening, Dr. McNeal, Dr. Federline, members of the board. It is truly our pleasure to introduce you to a renewed, revamped teacher of the year program and I'm very pleased to have our own Rebecca Peterson and Jessica Hogaboom present this. This opportunity will provide our teachers of the year with leadership development and additional professional growth for our teachers, the first of its kind in the city of Tulsa. Thank you, Mrs. Calvin. Good evening. We are so excited to present Lead Union tonight. Um this is a new teacher of the year development program in partnership with Leadership Tulsa. Lead stands for learn, engage, advocate, and develop. Um as you may know, I
005had the distinct privilege to serve as both our state and our national teacher of the year, which means I was released from classroom duties for two years. Um where I got to travel, listen, and learn from students and teachers all over our state and nation. Last school year, I came back to Union or as I like to say, came forward to Union. Uh my heart so grateful to be home, but my head sort of swimming all these ideas I had seen all across our nation. And one of those ideas that was really at the forefront of my mind and my heart was a teacher leadership development for teachers of the year. When people ask me like what was the best part of your years of service, I say unequivocally the people, and particularly the 54
006other state and territory teachers of the year. Um we were introduced to each other through a leadership development program by CCSSO and we were brought together five times throughout the year to um learn from each other, to network, and to really be poured into and nurtured. And I just can kept wondering like what would it look like to take this national model and scale it to a local context. What would it look like to give our teachers of the year this just intentional time together and that like targeted leadership development. So we are very excited to present the program we've been working on for the last few months. We've created six sessions that are intentionally threaded throughout the school year. Leadership Tulsa will be taking the lead on three of the sessions. Union will be
007taking the lead on the other three. And Jessica is going to talk through phase one of that program. Okay. So session one is leading from within. We really thought that before we can ask teachers to lead others, we have to start with them. We want them to question their what they value, what's their leadership identity, and what really drives them. One of the things that we're really hoping that they get from this is just their overall identity that other people can also see in them. So for me, uh I'm typically seen as a systems leader. It's actually one of the reasons that I was pulled into this project. Whereas Rebecca is often a relational and culture building leader. And together we complement each other and levitate each other's each other's work. Um and that's what
008we're really hoping that the participants get out of this program and out of this first session is that they'll be able to identify their own leadership and then also find the strength of each other so that anytime they do need a transformational leader, a creative leader, they'll know who to call. The second session is about teachers and their stories. We already know that teachers have very powerful stories about their students, their schools, their community their communities, but we want them to be able to tell those stories in a way that is impactful, at the right time, with the right people, and that's really a skill that has to be developed. So this session will really help them shape that story so that they can tell it to the people who really need to hear it.
009And then beyond storytelling, we want them to be able to have those difficult conversations. And that might be advocating for a student, pushing back on a policy, or just contributing to a decision that they may have otherwise been silent in. The third session is about innovation in education. We all know that AI and technology in general is just moving at a rapid pace that is shaping and really changing how we are teaching and learning. But we don't want it to just be about the tools. We want it to really be spoken on the mindset so that we can help our teachers use technology to change but not completely get rid of the human connection that's so vital to this role. We know that there is risk with any new innovation. Sometimes we're quick to just
010jump in and see it as a new shiny thing, but we want it to be that they are really intentionally looking at this through a um change leader lens and rather than an early adopter lens. So, I see phase one as sort of the needed internal work that needs to happen sort of before that external work takes place. And then, um starting with session four and starting with session two or phase two here, we really start to kind of excavate that external work. So, session four, connecting beyond the classroom, um our teachers of the year to network and collaborate with community leaders. So, they'll learn simple ways to engage with media, community advocates, business partners. We know that we are at our best when schools are are for communities and communities are for schools. And
011the session is about strengthening those ties. Session five is kind of where things get real. Um this session is one of the sessions most closely aligned to our um leadership development at the national level. As state teachers of the year, we um we go to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to meet with our legislators. So, um one of the most powerful lessons I learned through this time of my training is that the goal of advocacy is to be asked back. The goal of advocacy is to build a relationship. And so, in this session, our teachers of the year will be bust to the capital um in Oklahoma City. And they'll meet with their state senator and representative and work on building those or starting those relationships. >> [clears throat] >> Because we know that change
012happens at the rate of trust, right? And then finally, session six. Um what really changed me in my years of service was when I learned that teacher voice is needed in all spaces. And I'm really lucky to have found my voice because people created that space for me. So, um in our final session we'll be creating that space for our teachers of the year. They'll be applying the lessons they learned throughout the year and then present a proposal to district leaders. We really want our teachers to walk away with a deep and visceral belief that teaching is leading and leading is teaching. So, in order to can make all this work, um we are looking at a somewhat different timeline, but the four pillars we really have at the forefront of this program is certainly
013the leadership development through the six sessions. It's also in-district networking. I love to say that I now have a friend in all 55 state and territories. Actually, the Utah Teacher of the Year from my cohort just spent the weekend at our house. He had tickets to Banana Ball and and we all went together. He just left this morning. Um how powerful would it be for our teachers of the year to be able to say, "I have a friend in every building in this district." This is also about portfolio support. Um so, supporting our site teachers of the year and their development of their portfolio. Um and also then supporting our district teacher of the year in the development of their state portfolio. And then lastly, it's about aligning to our state timeline. The state has
014shifted its timeline a few times in the last few years, which has created quite a large gap. So, um for example, Dr. Davis, who was announced as our District Teacher of the Year in January, his portfolio is actually not due until December. And so, we have kind of this gap. Um again, because the state has continued to sort of change their timeline and this um kind of adjusted timeline will will adjust or will sort of fix that gap as well. So, the timeline is that we are will actually announce and select and announce our site teachers of the year in the spring. And that will give them the summer, June and July, to develop their portfolio. And this is where they'll be able to opt into that targeted portfolio um development support. Then the district
015um teacher of the year will be announced in the beginning of the school year, September um September or October. We also are adding a district um rookie teacher of the year to the selection process, which is really exciting and they'll have the opportunity to be a part of Lead Union as well. And then in October, leadership phase one will begin. Um those are the first three sessions and that's also when our district teacher of the year will get that targeted support for their application for state. Phase two will be second semester. And again, if district teacher of the year is selected as a state finalist, they'll get that support for the interview process. And then um we'll wrap up at the end of the school year and the state teacher of the year is announced
016in June. So, it um it just continues to flow right into the next phase. So, for roll out, we are looking at um introducing Lead Union to the current site teachers of the year this month and giving them the opportunity to start the leadership cohort this October. And that's going to allow for us to seamlessly transition timelines and make sure we don't have any um un- make sure we have uninterrupted annual cycles of site and district teachers of the year. Okay, so we have a few anticipated outcomes. First, we really want our teachers to walk away feeling that they were developed as leaders, but we don't want to develop them out of the classroom. We would like for them to continue to use this leadership that will spread throughout their school, throughout the district. Broader
017engagement. We want our teachers at the table, not just when it comes to curriculum, but also when it comes to policy decisions, community partnerships. We want them to have real-world application. This shouldn't just be a program that's very theoretical or feels philosophical. We want these sessions to develop towards something very practical that they can take away that day to their classroom or to their grade level or even their whole building. And hopefully that will continue over the course of their career. We want to continue to develop a retention culture. We know that teacher recruitment and retention is a big challenge right now. We want our teachers to continue to feel valued and developed and heard because those teachers are more likely to to stay. And then long-term sustainability. Lead Union is really about investing in
018those teachers who are in it for the long haul. This program should help them sustain that passion and purpose so that we don't lose great educators to burnout or worse to other districts. So Colson's going to talk to us a little bit about how we anticipate doing all of this. Good evening. So with every new program it requires partnerships and funding and that's kind of where I I come in and I have reached out to several supporters either to give us funding for this program or to sponsor a session and what's really exciting is this has never been done and I think Sandy you had mentioned in the city of Tulsa, I think in the state this is the first program of its kind working with an organization like Leadership Tulsa. And so, we've got
019several asks that are that have been made. Um and we will also be presenting this to the Union Foundation um next month. So, that's all I have. Awesome. >> [clears throat] >> Any questions? Comments? I do want to add that we presented this to UCTA leadership and they are on board and very excited. As was mentioned already, we do leadership um we have leadership groups such as aspiring assistant principals and invite people in to grow their leadership abilities, but the focus here is for our teachers. You don't have to be an administrator to be a leader. And we want our teachers to be in those roles. So, this is a great opportunity. Well, I'll ask Oh. Yeah, so I'll say thank you. I think this is great and amazing. Thank you all for your work
020and what you've put into this. Thank you. Thank you. Absolutely. I gave me goosebumps the first time I heard this on the committee and then um came across a really powerful statistic that every teacher we retain in our school in the classroom for the community is roughly $250,000 retained back to the community. You think about all the lives that you touch. So, just incredible that we're building it within. >> [applause] >> We'll transition to hearings and correspondence. Okay. And we'll transition to the business agenda. We'll consider and take action on proposed board policy revisions to policy graduation requirements and policy 5,032 weighted grade and class ranking procedures as recommended Dr. Federline. Thank you, Dr. McNeal. Uh, last month you heard Dr. Nelson discuss these two board policy changes that were actually brought forward to us
021the idea for for from a high school student. Uh, this will allow us allow kids that run into some really serious issues in their own personal lives and for whatever reason fail a class, they'll be able to have a grade forgiveness policy that will allow them to retake the entire course. I think it's important to keep in mind that this is not just a a gift that we say, you know, we're you failed so you get to take it over. This requires a student to do all of the seat time and all of the work in person. Uh, we anticipate this being very rare. Uh, it is common throughout other districts in the United States and uh, we're asking for your approval for it tonight on both policies. Move for approval. Second. Ms. McAdams? Yes.
022Ms. Romerman? Yes. Mr. Wynn? Yes. Mr. Reyes? Yes. And the chair votes yes as well. On to personnel, consider and take action for the changes to the 2025-2026 early retirement incentive ERI program participation list. Jay Longacre. Thank you, President McNeal. Uh, this is an update to the ERI list. We had one staff member who started their program with Union, finished all the stuff with the state and forgot to finish their stuff with Union. Uh, the good news is they met all the timelines and uh, Dr. Federline approved them going ahead and retiring through ERI. And so these are just the updated numbers, just a minor change to what it is, but we do have one additional teacher on the ERI list with your approval. Move for approval. Second. Ms. McAdams? Yes. Ms. Romerman? Yes. Mr.
023Wynn? Yes. Mr. Reyes? Yes. And the chair votes yes as well. Thank you, sir. Will consider and take action on the addendum to extend agreement to the substitute staff placement agreement originally approved at the May 9th, 2022 board meeting with ESS South Central LLC in the amount of 1.5 million from general funds and authorize the executive director of human resources to execute the agreement and authorize payments pursuant to the agreement. Mr. Jay Longacre. Uh thank you. This is just a continuation with ESS, our substitute program. Uh they have done an incredible job for the district. We have averaged over 94% coverage for our openings. Uh when we talk to the other districts around us, they are thrilled to be at 70 or 80% coverage. So, that means every time there's 10 teachers out, they have
024two or three classes uncovered having to be covered by other teachers. Now, I'm not going to speak for last Friday or this coming Friday or the next Friday um as our absences are quite high, but even then we are still much lower than most of the districts around us and they have done a great job. And while we're are asking for that amount of money, uh we have not spent that amount of money, which is good news as well. How long is this agreement for? It is for the next school year, just 1 year. And they've not increased their prices for us. It's the same rates that we're at this year. Move for approval. Second. Ms. McAdams? Yes. Ms. Romerman? Yes. Mr. Wynn? Yes. Mr. Reyes? Yes. And the chair votes yes as well. Thank
025you. On the school operations, consider and take action on the agreement for architectural design services related to Bowers Elementary renovation project and award the agreement to WRA Architects Inc. in the amount of 244,600 from bond funds. Dr. Robinson. Dr. McNeal, Dr. Federline. >> [clears throat] >> Uh we're asking for your approval to approve WRA as our architect of record to start the um preliminary studies of a potential Bovers remodel for the next bond series uh in order to be ready to do that work pending the next bond series vote. Uh we need to have an architect in place to make sure uh that what we want to do, what uh possibilities are for Bovers um in order to hit the ground running once we do have the bond funds available to start construction. So, uh
026with your approval, we'll get release WRA to start those feasibility studies. You have a motion? Move for uh approval. Second. Ms. Adams? Yes. Ms. Romerman? Mr. [clears throat] Wynn? Yes. Mr. Reyes? Yes. And the chair votes yes as well. Consider and take action to accept the proposal for construction management services from Flintco LLC for the 8th Grade Center grease trap relocation project. Dr. Robinson. Yeah, this is to select a construction manager uh for this work. Um as you know, a couple of summers ago, we remodeled the entire 8th grade uh kitchen. Um part of that [clears throat] work was to install a new grease interceptor. Unfortunately, that grease interceptor has already failed. Um it was a a plastic polymer uh style grease interceptor, um and we would like to go back with a more robust
027material, either stainless steel or some type of coated concrete. We also want to move it out of the drive. So, all the deliveries, the dump trucks that um that service the trash there, the access to that grease trap is under the concrete there. So, we want to move that to the grass area. The manufacturer of the grease trap has agreed uh to give us a credit for the amount of the polymer grease trap, uh but we're going to go with a different product and relocate uh that as well. This is not a construction contract. This is simply to select the construction manager. Once they are selected, uh Flintco will then go out to bid for the actual construction contract. Move for approval. Second. Ms. McAdams? Yes. Ms. Rummerman? Yes. Mr. Wynn? Yes. Ms. Reyes? Yes.
028And the chair votes yes as well. Thank you all. Thank you, sir. Any new business? Okay. We will move to opportunity for comments from the audience and board members. These are the rules for this section of the agenda and they are as follows. Speakers should identify themselves. Each speaker has a total of 3 minutes for his or her comments, regardless of the number of topics the speaker wishes to address. The individual dignity of board members, district employees, students, and members of the public school should be respected by all speakers. This is an opportunity for you to be heard. It is not a question and answer session with the board or individual board members. This is not an appropriate time to place or address complaints against individual employees or students or complaints and grievances currently under
029investigation by the district. There are other processes under board policy which can address such matters. Should these guidelines not be followed, the board president may interrupt and terminate any presentation with or without prior warning. The total time allocated to this item is 30 minutes. Under board policy 1,800, the Board of Education president has the discretion to determine if topics are relevant enough to be heard, to establish the order of presentations. This includes the right to interrupt this section and move on to the next item. Each speaker will be addressing the board as a whole, and each speaker's remarks will be taken into consideration by the board because board members can only take action on previously established agenda items. There will be no action taken tonight on any non-agenda related matters addressed in the public comment.
030So, if we could have Mr. David Young, Marlana Young, we'll welcome you to the podium. >> [clears throat] >> You have 3 minutes and the floor is now yours. Good evening, members of Union Board, Dr. Fedeline, and district leadership. My name is David Young and I'm here tonight as a Union parent and the father of two Anderson Elementary students, one in pre-K and one in first grade. My family lives close enough to Anderson that we can see the school from our front porch. So, this is not just a district issue to us. It is a part of our daily life, our neighborhood, and our family story. First, I want to thank Dr. Fedeline for responding to the concerns about Anderson's future. His letter stated that Anderson Elementary is not closing and that there are no
031plans to repurpose the building. I'm thankful for that reassurance and I know many parents appreciated hearing it. But respectfully, reassurance needs to be followed by visible, long-term commitment. The concern many of us have is not just whether Anderson is closing today or next year. The concern is whether Anderson is being set up to thrive 5, 10, and 20 years from now. Anderson is more than a building. It is a neighborhood school. Families have bought homes, paid taxes, made sacrifices, and built their lives around the value of having a strong Union Elementary School right here in our community. Several years ago, my family intentionally moved into the Anderson attendance area. That decision came with sacrifice, including a longer commute and financial trade-offs. But we believed it was worth it because Anderson and because of Union. Tonight,
032I want to focus on two things, investment and transparency. First, investment. If Anderson is not closing and remains part of Union's long-range plan, then investment should reflect that. The HVAC issues at Anderson matter. Classrooms are too hot, too cold, humid, or inconsistent, it affects students, teachers, learning, and morale. Anderson needs more than short-term fixes. It needs strategic investment in HVAC, air quality, safety, playground shade, traffic flow, and the everyday things that help a school feel cared for and supported. These investments can and will help enrollment improve. Families notice when a school is being strengthened. They notice comfortable classrooms, safe facilities, outdoor spaces, and signs um that the district believes in the school's future. Strong investment helps attract families, retain families, and rebuild confidence. Second, transparency. Anderson families should not have to rely on rumors, partial
033information, or public's records request to understand the future of their school. We need clear communication, real timelines, and meaningful opportunities for parents, teachers, and neighbors to be heard before major decisions are made. So tonight, I'm respectfully asking the board and administration for a stronger commitment. Please commit publicly that Anderson will be and remain a neighborhood elementary school for the foreseeable long-range future. Please share the findings and next steps from the ongoing HVAC reviews. Please include meaningful Anderson infrastructure improvements in the 2027 bond package, and please involve more elementary school parents and stakeholders before major long-range decisions are made. Anderson is a special place. We'll stop there, sir. I appreciate you. I appreciate it. Thank you. Yes, sir. Good evening, members of the board and Dr. Federline. Uh [clears throat] and everyone else in attendance tonight.
034My name is Marlena Young and I am a Union parent. Nearly 7 years ago, my husband and I made the intentional life decision to move to the Union district, especially to the Anderson Elementary School. Uh at that time, our oldest child was only 10 months old, but we are long-term planners in our life and in our careers. That decision came with sacrifice, but we did our research, saved our money, and made a choice that we believe that Union was one of the best school district public school districts in the Tulsa metro. But, I'm here tonight to talk to you about my concern about class sizes, student-teacher ratios at the elementary school level, especially when the numbers appear to be above the Oklahoma law. Oklahoma Administrative Code says that the first grade through sixth grade students
035should not be assigned to teacher teachers or classrooms including more than 20 students unless a certain exemption applies, including the full-time a full-time teacher's assistant. But, tonight I'm not here to speak to you about numbers I'm here on a paper. I'm here to talk to you as a mom. Our first grader is doing fine academically. He's not struggling in reading or math, and quite honestly, I think that's why he's slipping through the cracks and his needs are easier to be missed. This year, he is becoming increasingly more frustrated with school. Uh he is a child that once looked forward to Monday mornings, now gets sick before we walk out the door for school. We've seen behavioral issues where there weren't before. We received phone calls and letters from the teacher. We watched his morale dip.
036He doesn't want to go to school. But, were there more than 50 students in his grade and only two full-time staff members, and no teachers aid to assist and manage the chaos. I can't blame him. When I brought these concerns to staff and administration, I want to say thankfully I was heard. They listened, they showed concern, and they showed care for our family. >> [snorts] >> But the answer I received is essentially that there's no budget. And because of budget constraints and because of being a district-wide issue, their hands are tied. And hopefully next year will be a better year. But respectfully, that is not enough not enough hope for my first grader. Union has stated a goal of a 100% graduation, and I support that goal. But my question is, how does allowing elementary
037class sizes remain overcrowded help us reach that goal? Sometimes as an elementary school parent, I can feel that the greatest focus and investment is placed on middle school and high school level. Which those things matter, but it but what about the beginning of the journey? What about the children who are still learning to love school? And what about the children who are failing? Who are not failing but fading? What about the students that are not disruptive yet but are quietly becoming discouraged? If infrastructure and class size um are not made a priority now, how can we expect to reach that goal? Union families deserve to feel that all students matter, not just the athletes or the students with the highest GPA, not just the students that their they are their issues are the loudest or
038the most measurable. Miss Young, well done. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Absolutely. We'll adjourn the meeting now. One thing, Dr. Maney, I just want to just really quickly uh I just wanted to thank uh Mr. Siddiqui, Miss Calvin, uh Miss Peterson, and Miss Hogaboom. Uh what you presented tonight represents an incredible amount of work. Uh I'm very excited about it. I'm excited about the impact that it's going to have on culture. I'm excited about the capstone presentations. Uh some of our best ideas come from our students and our employees. So, very excited about that aspect of it. Uh we talk all the time about treating and viewing teachers as professionals. Uh and this is some concrete action to really back up those words. And uh I thank you and very excited for the
039Teacher of the Year program and the partnership with Leadership Tulsa. Thank you. Any additional comments from board members? Okay. We'll transition to adjournment. Do we have a motion? Second. Ms. McAdams? Yes. Ms. Zimmerman? Yes. Mr. Wynn? Yes. Ms. Reyes? Yes. And the chair votes yes as well. We are adjourned.