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All right. Good evening. Like to call
the uh September 10th, 2026 meeting of

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the Bedford Council Board to order. Um
Miss Johnson, will you call?

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» Mr. Daniels,
>> here.

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» Dr. Heot
>> here.

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» Miss Doson here. Mr. Hill
>> here.

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» Mr. Hullbrook
>> here.

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» Mr. K
>> here.

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» MV
>> here. Mr. Chairman, you have a quorum.

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» All right. Thank you. 1.03, approval of
the agenda. Do I have a motion to

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approve the agenda?
>> Purpose on the first second.

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» Second.
>> Second by Mr. Hill. Any discussion? All

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those in favor signify by saying I. I.
Any opposed?

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Agenda is approved. Please stand for the
pledge of allegiance.

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To the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for it

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stands one nation under God indivisible
with liberty and justice for all.

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And then we just will pause for a moment
of silence.

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» All right. Thank you. All right. 2.01
DAA presentation. Welcome back.

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» It's good to see you all again. Um
we are back. We have a little over 60

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slides. So, I'm sorry. And a couple
other things to show you. Um, I am going

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to cover I'm going to recover some
ground um because I think for some folks

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um you know uh in the public this might
be the first time they're seeing these

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things. Um so I just want to make sure
we're covering everything and that we're

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all on the same page when we talk
through it. We get to full screen there.

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Um and I know you know this is this is
the start of that uh you know tougher

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and frankly more emotional discussion
for the community. Um and and for all of

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you. So, uh you know, let's go through
this the the whole presentation. Feel

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free to jump in with questions. Um and
then we'll kind of talk about next steps

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towards the end. So, a little bit of
agenda today. Um I'll start out again

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kind of reminding everyone who we are at
DAA. Um we'll talk a little bit about

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why we're here. Um then we're going to
jump into really the two decisions that

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that we have to make. Um and what what
of those decisions we need to make

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tonight. [laughter] Um, number four,
then we talk about when, kind of the

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timeline. Number five, we're going to
talk about how we inform those decisions

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moving forward. And then we'll get to
that point of actually getting through

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what what we need uh tonight. So, who
are we again? Uh, demographic analytics

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advisors. Um, I know that's a mouthful,
so a lot of folks just call us DA. Um,

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we're a small firm of demographers and
data scientists headquartered in Vienna,

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Virginia, so just up north. Um, we work
mostly with public school districts on

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enrollment forecasting, capacity
studies, utilization analysis, and

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redistricting. Um, you know, we bring
the demographic method. Um, and then you

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all bring the local knowledge, and it's
been great to work with the board. Um,

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I've already received some emails from
the community, um, and with the

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administration to really bring that
local knowledge to the work that we're

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doing. Um, a little bit about how we
work. We use a lot of the key primary

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sources that you would expect of these
types of um, studies. We also use

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reproducible code. So any other person
could kind of rerun this from the

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source. And we measure and really you
decide. That's that's probably obvious.

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Um I am Chris Dick. I'm the president
and founder of Demographic Analytics

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Adviserss. Um I'm former Census Bureau.
I used to run the part of the Census

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Bureau um that does all the projections
and forecasts for the United States. Um

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I also have two other principles who are
not who've helped with this who are not

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here tonight. Beth Geros and uh Dr.
Ronald Pau. Um between the two of them,

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they have over 50 years of demography
experience at the public at the local

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and federal level. Okay. So, what did
you all ask us to do? Um Bedford County

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Public Schools asked us to help the
board make consolidation and

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redistricting decisions that will hold
up over the long term, not just over the

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next couple years. So, we're going to
forecast where the children will be,

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measure how the buildings are used, test
the options, and put the uh results in

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front of you. That's really, we had a
meeting in August uh that started that

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discussion. We are going to uh get a lot
further in that discussion today. So, we

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started out forecasting enrollment,
measuring capacity. We've really moved

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to testing the op options and we're also
going to talk about how we're going to

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support the community conversation um
today. And through all of this, we keep

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the board and the administration
informed. Okay. So, why are we here?

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This is the kind of reminder part. I'm
sorry we're going to go over it again. I

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just think it's important to underly
this discussion. Enrollment uh in

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Bedford County has really it has been
falling. Um and it continues to fall and

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we and we forecast it to continue to
fall. Uh K12 fall membership peaked in

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2006 at just under 11,000 students.
We're down to under 8,500 um as of last

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year's data. Um that's about a fall of
22% which is roughly six average size

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elementary schools worth of children
just to give you an idea. This is K12

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obviously so it's not not comparable
there but um our forecast for 2035 with

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development included um gets us from a
range from 7,600 students to up to um

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about 8600 students with the central
forecast um which generally we think of

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as the most reasonable at uh about 80
8350 80 8366.

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So in the high case the most growth we
would really defend over the next 10

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years is about 1.5% growth in um in K12
enrollment. Uh none of the three

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scenarios returns the division um to
like the larger growth back to like

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2006.

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So what does utilization look like? The
other problem is not just that

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enrollment is declining but that the
buildings are unevenly used. So if we

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look at utilization, which let me define
that really quickly. Utilization is uh

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enrollment over capacity. Um if we look
at utilization, we have some schools

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that are very close to being completely
full or even overutilized. Uh looking at

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you, Forest, Bedford, uh even New London
and uh Thomas Jefferson kind of creeping

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up that way. Um and we also have some
schools that are underutilized. So these

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are schools like Stewartsville, Big
Island, uh Otter River, and Huddlestone.

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So really the problem is then we have
empty suits and full ones at the same

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time. Um elementary utilization division
wide is about 71%.

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Um usually for a declining district, we
would want to target somewhere um

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between 80 and 90% is really really kind
of the target we're looking for for

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divisionwide utilization. And the spread
between the fullest and emptiest

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elementary school is 55 points. So if
you think about that, that would mean

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you have one school that's close to 100
and one school that's under 50.

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So one of the things that we needed to
make sure to do when we were building

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our forecasts was not to just assume
that our our forecasts could be built

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off of just what had happened in the
past. We also have to look at things

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like plan developments. So, this is just
a map of all the development that is

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planned throughout the district. Both
those that have been built already and

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are still being filled. Um, those that
are underway and those that are either

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proposed um or kind of unspecified what
uh stage they're they're actually in.

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Um, one of the things you'll you'll note
is kind of where a lot of this

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development is happening. We see a lot
of it in the northeast uh kind of the

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forest corridor um of the district. um a
little down by the lake as well. But as

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we'll talk about, these two different
kind of waves of development are

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bringing different differential student
yield to the district.

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So what does development impact look
like? Uh attendance zone by attendance

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zone at the elementary level. Um the
county's planning file holds about 30

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just over 3,500 units with about almost
1,700 of them not yet built. weighted by

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kind of how often each entitlement stage
is actually completed. We would expect

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about 991 of these to be built in our
projection period. Um so in general,

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Bedford builds about 284 homes per year.
uh the forecast own trend already

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carries uh 354
uh units per year expected just because

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it was fitted on the construction from
2021 [laughter and clears throat]

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to 2024 um which was a higher
construction level than if you go back a

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few years from there. So the net effect
on the division strangely if you look at

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the development pipeline is development
is actually kind of slowing down

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um and the net effect on the division is
actually to decrease the growth overall

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but that's not true everywhere. Um as we
can see on the chart to the on the right

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hand side of the slide here um
specifically in New London Forest and

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Thomas Jefferson we are actually seeing
gains that are above and beyond historic

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average. um in the other attendance
zones, elementary attendance zones

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throughout the district, we are seeing
it actually uh decrease uh historical

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trends.
Do feel free to stop me if you have any

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questions at any time. So once we have a
number of

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uh developments that we think could be
hitting, we also need to look at how

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many students are going to come from
each completed unit. And one of the

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things that is very very important,
especially in a place like Bedford, is

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to look at smaller levels of geography
other than just the district by itself

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when looking at student yield. Because
if we think about it, you know, a new

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home down by the lake is going to be
very different than a new home in, you

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know, the forest attendance zone, New
London or Thomas Jefferson. And we see

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that in the data. So what we actually
did is we um brought together your

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student attendance uh attendance data
from this year and years past, matched

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that together with your assessor
database at the county level and

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actually looked when those homes were
built because we have year built um did

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they bring children into the district or
not? And this is the outcome of that

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analysis. So we see uh for elementary
school ages um New London is bringing in

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0.14 kids per new unit. Forest about the
same at.13 whereas Huddleston is

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bringing in about 05. Monita about the
same.

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Okay. So this goes back to that idea of
gross impacts of

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new development versus net impacts of
new development.

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So students in newly built homes, we
really want to start splitting them out

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in how we think they might enter school.
Are they in district relocations?

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Are they new to the district moveins?
Or are they new to the district moveins,

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but they enter in kindergarten just like
any other student who had lived here

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longer would have done. And so the
answer to that question is the majority

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or I would say uh the plurality are not
new to district moveins. Um

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the largest group is actually that
organic entry but coming in new. So

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folks move into Bedford County before
their kids start school and then they

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start school in kindergarten stay with
the group. Um the new to district

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moveins are those folks who are coming
maybe moving in when they have a third

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grader. Um So that's about 32% of those
new builds and 30% of uh the new builds

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are actually in district relocations. Um
so maybe from the same attendance zone

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or even from a different attendance
zone.

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So what does this mean? Overall Bedford
County is a growing county with fewer

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children than it had in the past. Um the
county population grew between 2010 and

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2020 by 16%. Um at this point only 15.2%
2% of residents are school age which is

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uh which is ages 5 to 17 which is down
about 3 percentage points over the last

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20 years. Um the county is really it it
is it's adding people and losing

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children at the same time which let me
tell you I do a lot of this work. You

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are not the only district where this
happening. This is happening a lot of

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places.
So the reason for this is really your

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age structure. And if we look at this I
know we looked at a bunch more of these

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today. I had to show one population
pyramid. Um, but if we look at it, you

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look at those older ages. Again, for
those who haven't looked at a population

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pyramid before, uh, the dark blue is
males, light blue females. Um, we start

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at ages 0 to four, go all the way up to
85 plus. And what we see is the, you

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know, the large bulge that you see in
population in Bedford County, um, starts

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at that 55, uh, year age group and kind
of goes up to the 65 to 69 age group.

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And just another note, um you know,
overall births are obviously still

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carrying the load for how you are
bringing students into your schools. Um

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but that number is kind of decreasing
over over time or just barely growing

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like slowly and your migration is really
uh is bringing in adults but not

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children.
So why does this not fix itself? births

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are kind of generally stagnant. They're
about flat. Um, in migration is less

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child-heavy than it once was. Overall,
the US has less children than it did uh

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in, you know, say 2008. So, in migration
is going to necessarily be lower in

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children. And new homes, uh, that mostly
hold students. Uh, the for the forecast

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is really already counting because you
are already growing.

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And the decline really is cohort size,
not students leaving. So you're having

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smaller entering cohorts. It's not like
you're having a rush of fourth graders

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leaving. It's it's really once you have
them, they're generally staying. It's

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really that smaller and smaller cohorts
of kindergarteners.

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So at the end of the day, um we have a
set of buildings that's sized for almost

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11,000 students. We're now serving about
8,500.

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Um, and the forecast says that gap is
going to persist or potentially get

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worse. So, to me, in my professional
opinion, really the question is not

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whether to adjust, but how much and
where. And that's where we're going to

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move to next. So,
I know everyone probably hopes this was

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the last time you would ever see me. Um,
and that we would make all those

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decisions and uh then you you all would
go on your merry way. However, I think

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that we probably still have um some
decisions to make over time together.

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So, two decisions that really need to be
made. The first one is how many schools

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to consolidate? [snorts] Obviously,
Steuartsville has already been decided

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by the board for school year 2728. The
open question, which we started talking

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about in August, is is a second
consolidation warranted

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and if so, which building? The second
question then becomes how do we balance

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utilization and relieve some of the
pressure in the high utilization schools

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and use some of the extra building space
we have in [clears throat] low

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utilization schools. So
really not redrawing the maps even with

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just the Steuartsville closure is not a
tenable option and I'll talk through

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kind of all the different things we
looked at but um that's these are kind

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of the two key decisions that we need to
be looking at.

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So decision number one, Stewartsville
has been decided by the board. Is a

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second closure um warranted?
[clears throat] Stewartsville um is the

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least utilized elementary school in
every demand state at 44%. Um the

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capacity math really ranks at first in
every scenario to close. Um and the

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board so really the board's decision
matches the data in our study beyond

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Steuartsville. um at a 90% planning
ceiling. So that kind of optimal for a

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declining if we're just talking about
utilization, optimal for a declining

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school district. Um the math really
supports one further consolidation

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today. Um and two really most likely in
in the low case. Um capacity is really

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going to set the range for us. Um
capacity is where we're thinking about

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RA the the tough fiscal decisions we
need to make. But fiscal decisions

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aren't the only decision, the only ways
that we make these decisions. So just

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because the numbers say it doesn't
necessarily mean that that's the right

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thing for Bedford County. And that's
what you all will have to wrestle with.

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So decision number two, how do we
balance utilization and relieve

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pressure? Uh there really is no leave
the lines alone option obviously with

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Steuartsville 243 students. they have to
be assigned somewhere and

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we can get close to assigning them all
to one school but we can't quite assign

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them all just to one school. Um how many
students change schools scales with the

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decisions that you all make. Um so
depending if you close more schools

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obviously more students need to move.
Um

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and the lines really help us to
understand what the count doesn't show.

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And we're going to talk through a lot of
different things here. bus rides,

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subdivision, uh subdivision stain hole.
Um but really there's a lot of different

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data points that you all uh can and
should consider

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divisionwide. Um
the the the pressure is real in in the

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northeast of the district.
The question I think becomes, do we

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relieve that pressure by redrawing
boundaries

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or is it a potential that you all need
to look at something like building a new

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school in the Northeast? And really, I
mean, we can talk through the the math

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on this and and we have a slide on this
specific thing, I believe, uh, in a

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couple slides. Um but the math would be
really hard for building a new school

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and not um redrawing boundaries because
of the fact of where the high

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utilization schools are and how they're
already kind of next to some schools

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that could use additional students.
Let's put it that way. Okay. So those

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are the two decisions that really need
to be made here.

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The question is when.
Okay. So, where have we been with this

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project? Uh, we started in June. Um, we
kind of had a a kickoff with with the

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folks internally and then on the 18th of
August, I came down here and did a board

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briefing on enrollment, demographics,
building use and started talking about

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capacity only, utilization only. What
did the numbers say for consolidation?

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Today we are taking that discussion and
moving a step further. We're talking

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about options, maps, and data. Um, we're
going to talk about, you know, some of

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those town halls on boundary alignment.
I know that have been announced already.

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Um, or any additional consolidation
between the tomorrow, basically today

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00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:40,080
even, um, and the 6th of October, it
sounds like you all are collecting

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feedback on the options and passing it
back to me to make sure that there isn't

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any changes I need to make to our
analysis.

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Um it sounds like on the 8th of October
um we're talking about a potential

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public hearing for the four options that
we're talking about here or the one

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00:21:54,720 --> 00:22:03,120
option depending on where decisions go.
Um

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before the board uh before that vote um
that is in the next line here um for the

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special call meeting. I would update
options based on all the feedback that

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you heard both in public hearings as
well as in your town halls. Um, as well

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as another way that we'll talk about at
the end. Um, and

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then the the plan would be to have a
special called meeting where the board

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votes on one or the four options.
After the vote, we then would move to

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finalizing zones. So, one of the things
that you'll notice today is you have a

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00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:43,440
kind of thick packet. Um,
it could have been, so it's like this

264
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:49,200
thick. It could have been like that
thick. Um, but I kind of wanted to show

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00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:54,880
you all all of the options that we were
looking at and how we were prioritizing

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those options. So, what you have here
are four different options that we're

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going to talk about with three different
map drawings for each of them. and

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they're all kind of scored on a bunch of
different metrics. And so we'll talk

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through [laughter] kind of how to read
this. There's also at the front of the

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page there's a how to read this packet.
This packet will be posted publicly

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tomorrow um along with the slides and um
it'll really help us to kind of go

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through and think about how we make
these decisions. So once we draw those

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once decisions are made on which
consolidations uh do or do not move

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forward, we will then draw a final set
of maps for only the option that you all

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vote on. That takes into account all of
the public comments, all of your

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feedback, all the district's feedback
that we've gotten kind of from now until

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then. Um the plan would then be to have
a public hearing on the 12th of November

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on the selected uh option and the
recommended maps. Uh again, we would

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make a final update to those maps before
the 8th of December where you all would

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then get to look at those final set of
maps and have a vote hopefully on the

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10th of December. So this is this would
be a proposal to get us to a spot where

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we could make these decisions um for for
the future long before we would need to

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actually implement all of them for 2728.

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Okay, I'm going to take a breath for two
seconds because I've been talking a lot.

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Any questions thus far?
>> Any questions?

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00:24:26,799 --> 00:24:32,640
» You have a public hearing on October 8th
and another one on November 12th.

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00:24:31,279 --> 00:24:39,600
» Yep.
So the public hearing on the ETH would

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be to a public hearing about which so if
we remember we have two decisions. Um

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if we decided one or two schools closed
um the p the first public hearing would

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be about those consolidations.
The second public hearing would be about

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the drawing of the lines. So, one thing
I will say, not to like tip my hat on to

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00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:05,440
where we're going in this discussion,
one of the things we need to talk about

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00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:09,440
tonight is does the board want to
consider a second consolidation or not?

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[clears throat]
And so that is

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my suggestion then would be if you are
going to consider a second consolidation

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would be to have that
um public hearing about the

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consolidation first and then go through
the map drawing process a final time

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00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:37,520
even though you already have a lot of
options to really get the best maps that

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you possibly can for Bedford County and
then have a public hearing about those

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final maps on the 12th of November.

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» Okay,
>> questions.

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00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:59,520
» Okay, so how do we inform these
decisions? Um, we've talked about a lot

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00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:05,200
of data. The first thing I want to talk
about is building the building option.

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Um before before we really get into the
boundaries, um we wanted to give a new

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00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:18,320
school every potential advantage it
could have. Um I did not actually go and

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00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:23,279
look at a realistic site. I looked at
the most optimal site. Um so this could

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00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:27,679
literally be someone's house. Like this
is not this is not real. I want to be

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00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:33,200
very clear. [laughter]
Um but this is drawing a new school in

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00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:41,840
the most advantageous site to relieve
pressure at um at Forest specifically.

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Um it's a 500 seat elementary placed at
that geometric center. Um

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00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:54,960
it fills to 386 students relatively
easily. Beyond that it's kind of hard to

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00:26:52,400 --> 00:27:00,720
make transportation work.
um only 100 of them come from Forest.

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00:26:58,559 --> 00:27:07,039
The rest actually come from Thomas
Jefferson and Boonboro, which doesn't

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00:27:03,039 --> 00:27:12,240
really need relief. Um and it adds seats
to a division that already has 1500

315
00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:17,760
empty seats, and it would make you very
kind of topheavy in the Northeast, which

316
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:23,200
population density of of elementary of
uh enrollment says is right. But then

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00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:31,279
transportation becomes a really really
really hard thing. So to me this seems

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00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:35,919
like a tough thing to be behind
and as we'll see it might be much easier

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00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:39,440
to redraw boundaries but I did want to
have it as an option for you all because

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00:27:37,919 --> 00:27:43,520
this is something that if you were
serious about it we could do much

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00:27:41,279 --> 00:27:49,120
further research into and actually make
a real proposal with not a you know fake

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00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:54,720
plot of land.
But that's so that's the first thing.

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When it came to drawing boundaries, we
tested every lever we could find. Um

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00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:06,880
we had 15 structural options across six
different families. The families were

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00:28:04,399 --> 00:28:10,640
just drawing boundaries,
consolidation,

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00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:14,480
pairing campuses, which we'll talk about
that in a second.

327
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:18,799
uh like it's basically consolidation,
but it's looking at the paired Bedford

328
00:28:16,159 --> 00:28:24,720
Primary, Bedford Elementary, grade
pairing, which would be creating new

329
00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:30,080
paired camp uh paired schools. And then
we also looked at uh the multi-track

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00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:36,159
year uh as well as the calendar
multitrack year um combined with further

331
00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:39,840
closure. Every option for now is keeping
middle and high schools unchanged. I'll

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00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:43,760
talk more about that at the end. Um,
there's a reason we're not talking about

333
00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:48,080
middle and high school right now. And
every option is measured really against

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00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:52,559
the same do nothing reference. So, at
the end of the day, you all are looking

335
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:58,320
at
four options here. Uh, we had 15 that

336
00:28:56,000 --> 00:29:01,840
you could be looking at right now.
>> Thank you for not letting [laughter]

337
00:29:00,559 --> 00:29:06,080
» I figured if I give you that much
information, you're just not going to

338
00:29:02,799 --> 00:29:10,240
look at it. But um this is th this
packet is enough that you'll be able to

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00:29:07,679 --> 00:29:14,240
really get the idea of where where we
could go with each of these potential

340
00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:18,720
consolidations.
So the full menu before I talk about

341
00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:25,440
what we actually ended up giving you. We
tested most of the schools that could uh

342
00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:29,679
that that made sense to have a
consolidation. We actually not on this

343
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:34,880
list tested every single elementary
school. We tested closing, we tested

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00:29:32,159 --> 00:29:39,520
consolidating forest. Um, we tested
consolidating every single school. What

345
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:44,159
we're reporting information on is this
full menu. Um, there's option numbers

346
00:29:42,559 --> 00:29:48,880
which we use and it just makes it easier
for people in uh slides if they print

347
00:29:46,799 --> 00:29:59,840
them out and they're looking at the two.
Um but we have just as a comparison

348
00:29:53,279 --> 00:30:04,320
point A Z is not A Z and A Z F do not
actually close Stewartsville. It's

349
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:09,760
boundaries only and boundaries pushed to
the limits. And one of the things that

350
00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:15,200
you'll see is it doesn't really solve
our problems. Um so this kind of

351
00:30:12,159 --> 00:30:23,440
supports the Steuartsville decision.
A1 is Stewartsville plus boundaries.

352
00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:31,200
Um, B1 is Stewartsville, Big Island. B2,
Otter River added to that. B3, Monita.

353
00:30:26,799 --> 00:30:37,360
B4, Huddleston. B5, Montvail. Um, you'll
notice B9 and P2 are the only two that

354
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:41,760
have three schools. Um, that's because
if you start going, we did actually

355
00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:46,399
test, you'll notice we jumped from B5 to
B9. We did actually test other three

356
00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:51,440
school closures and none of them we
couldn't get them to converge uh on an

357
00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:56,480
actual map that worked. So B9 is
Stewartsville, Otter River, and Thick

358
00:30:53,039 --> 00:31:01,520
Islands. P1 is Stewartsville and Bedford
Primary. P2 is Steuartsville, Bedford

359
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:07,120
Primary, and Otter River. Now, the
reason that P1 is being treated

360
00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:11,679
differently than all the B classes is
because there's an additional discussion

361
00:31:08,799 --> 00:31:15,440
we'd have to have about preK here. um
and where prek would go. Would it go in

362
00:31:13,679 --> 00:31:19,919
Bedford Elementary or would it go
elsewhere?

363
00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:27,600
And then we also did a few other things.
We looked at grade pairing um which was

364
00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:37,039
basically taking the two rural schools
uh that um have the lowest utilization

365
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:40,960
and pairing them making 1K2 135.
Um, I will say right now we ended up

366
00:31:39,679 --> 00:31:45,600
ruling that out because the
transportation just we couldn't make it

367
00:31:42,799 --> 00:31:51,600
work. Um, the other thing that we looked
at were year- round calendars. And the

368
00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:57,919
issue here is um from work we've done
kind of in in other districts, you

369
00:31:54,320 --> 00:32:02,320
actually unless you can do it in a lot
in a lot of your schools and frankly in

370
00:31:59,919 --> 00:32:09,919
less rural areas, you actually end up
adding teachers. Um, so you add up and

371
00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:14,720
you end up adding expense. Um, and it
doesn't necessarily uh solve all of your

372
00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:19,600
utilization problems. There's more on
that kind of in the report, but um, just

373
00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:24,480
wanted to to highlight that. So, how did
we score these things? We scored them on

374
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:27,600
multiple different measures. Uh, we
looked at enrollment balance, which is

375
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:32,880
the spread between the fullest and
emptiest school. We looked at capacity

376
00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:37,679
headroom. So just utilization at the
fullest school against that 90% planning

377
00:32:35,279 --> 00:32:41,760
sealant ceiling. We looked at
transportation which is there's a couple

378
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:47,360
ways that we looked at transportation.
The first one is the bus ride time in

379
00:32:45,679 --> 00:32:52,399
the morning
for the 90th percentile rider. So this

380
00:32:50,399 --> 00:32:58,000
isn't like that long tail of folks who
have very long rides, but it's the folks

381
00:32:55,039 --> 00:33:03,840
who are at the kind of long ride, but
not not that long tail. So it's the the

382
00:33:00,159 --> 00:33:09,200
90th percentile of that that group.
We did also look at the worst ride as

383
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:14,000
well. Um we also looked at the typical
ride which is the median here uh bus

384
00:33:11,519 --> 00:33:19,840
ride across all riders simulated per
option. We looked at the number of

385
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:26,320
children who would be over 60 minutes on
the bus in the morning. Um, currently

386
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:31,279
that's about 30 in the mornings today.
Um,

387
00:33:27,919 --> 00:33:35,519
the number of buses to hold us to hold
every single student under 60 minutes.

388
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:40,399
So, if we just added more buses, could
we solve the problem?

389
00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:45,760
and the number of rides that were
lengthened by 15 plus minutes and route

390
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:49,919
minutes overall. So if we're looking at
all those elementary trips, one note I

391
00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:56,320
want to talk about, I just said a lot of
things about transportation, we have

392
00:33:52,000 --> 00:34:00,720
built a bus routing optimizer that is
very good for this planning type of

393
00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:06,399
work. They are not actual bus routes. It
is not the same as your bus routing

394
00:34:02,159 --> 00:34:10,399
software. So expect a an error of
somewhere between three to 5% on our

395
00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:14,480
measurement just so you have that in
your head.

396
00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:18,879
But it is very good for planning and
it's very directional. We also looked at

397
00:34:16,879 --> 00:34:22,399
subdivision integrity. So we looked at
recorded plats um and how many of them

398
00:34:20,639 --> 00:34:28,240
were divided between two schools. Fewer
is better. Um we looked at schools in

399
00:34:25,919 --> 00:34:33,119
the target band. So that 85 to 90%
utilization. How many of the schools

400
00:34:29,679 --> 00:34:39,440
could we get there? Um grade cohort
depth is looking at how spread out the

401
00:34:36,879 --> 00:34:44,399
children are between grades so that we
can have the right number of sections in

402
00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:49,040
schools. If we start looking at below 30
students for one grade in one school

403
00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:53,520
that can become a little more
problematic.

404
00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:59,200
We also looked at compactness which is a
mathematical measure. Um, you can think

405
00:34:55,440 --> 00:35:04,400
of it as does the thing we drew drew
look like a normal shape, a square or a

406
00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:09,839
circle, or does it look like this thing
that has like weird pieces coming out of

407
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:12,640
it? Um, if any of you think about like
on the political side like

408
00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:16,000
gerrymandering, you think of some of
those maps that are like really long and

409
00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:22,880
they have these weird things drawn on
them. That compactness is a way to

410
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:26,320
measure that. Is it compact or not? Um,
community disruption is another and this

411
00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:30,880
is the share of elementary schools,
elementary students who are changing

412
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:34,240
school and then needs balance which is
the gap and economically disadvantaged

413
00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:39,839
share between highest and lowest share
schools. We also have operating savings.

414
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:44,480
Um, we won't talk about it a lot
tonight. We we had an assumption through

415
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:48,400
talking with the administration that the
operating savings are going to be

416
00:35:45,839 --> 00:35:52,079
relatively similar across schools. Um
and we'll talk about what that what that

417
00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:56,160
number is for each and every school in
the discussion. So basically that just

418
00:35:54,160 --> 00:36:00,240
scales with you close one school it's a
number. You close two schools it doesn't

419
00:35:57,839 --> 00:36:04,160
matter which one. It just it's that
number times two.

420
00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:10,000
Okay.
So hard constraints first and then we

421
00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:14,160
look at scores. Um first and foremost
every zone has to be a whole connected

422
00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:17,839
piece. We're not creating little islands
or anything like that. you have to

423
00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:23,920
actually be able to draw around the zone
everywhere. Number two, we want no

424
00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:27,680
school over capacity um either today or
in 2035.

425
00:36:26,079 --> 00:36:30,720
We want no school empty by accident.
That sounds silly, but you know, when

426
00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:37,680
you're optimizing these things, you
could do that. Um scores are also

427
00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:41,359
relative. So, as we're scoring these
things, we are looking at all the

428
00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:46,160
numbers, but then we have all of our
drawings of all of our maps, and we

429
00:36:43,119 --> 00:36:50,880
score them on a 0 to 100 scale um to to
really look at the 15 different options.

430
00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:56,800
The waiting is really yours. We've done
five different waitings and we'll talk

431
00:36:52,640 --> 00:37:01,040
about them. Um but if you
have a different waiting that you want

432
00:36:58,079 --> 00:37:06,160
to look at, that's a a decision that we
a discussion we can have. So after

433
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:10,960
August 18th, I think most everyone said
we want to see all options and this is

434
00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:14,720
kind of showing you all options. Um some
things are not scored just to be clear.

435
00:37:12,720 --> 00:37:19,040
Things like facility condition, um
program placement and staffing are on

436
00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:22,079
the district's kind of side. These
things are really much more on the

437
00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:26,960
student and transportation side of
things.

438
00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:33,760
So what fell away and why? Um
Stewartsville and Monita um we were able

439
00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:39,440
to make it work. Um but on the numbers
it really doesn't stand out. Uh there's

440
00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:45,040
a 41 point spread. Um 58 children over
an hour on the bus and it's never better

441
00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:51,200
than 14th under any waiting. 14th out of
15 on any waiting. Um G1, which is the

442
00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:57,920
grade pairing of Big Island and Otter
River, um we split those two out and the

443
00:37:55,440 --> 00:38:02,160
transport on every single measure was
just not optimizable.

444
00:38:00,079 --> 00:38:06,960
I mean, it it was it was optimizable. It
was just not a good optimum. Um, if we

445
00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:11,839
looked at the multitrack year-round
calendar, um, a multitrack calendar is

446
00:38:09,599 --> 00:38:18,240
really probably not feasible for the
district to operate, um, on in an in an

447
00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:22,240
economic feasibility sense. Um, and the
options kind of that depend on it

448
00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:28,079
therefore fall out.
B1 and B5, um, we set aside on the

449
00:38:26,240 --> 00:38:31,680
numbers. Basically, they were best on no
criterion. Um, and they were never

450
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:37,920
better than fourth under any any
waiting. Um, A Z and B4, uh, they were

451
00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:43,200
carried by the rules that I set. Um, I
said A Z had to be there, but we

452
00:38:39,839 --> 00:38:50,079
actually ended up with A ZF being, um,
kind of the floor, um, that that we

453
00:38:45,359 --> 00:38:57,040
wanted. And, um, B4, uh, leads only on
need balance, but, uh, children over an

454
00:38:53,280 --> 00:39:01,839
hour was very not good and it moved a
lot of students. So,

455
00:38:59,839 --> 00:39:06,800
Okay,
what you all have been waiting for. Four

456
00:39:03,599 --> 00:39:10,880
structures really stand out. So the
first one is Stewart'sville and boundary

457
00:39:09,599 --> 00:39:16,960
alignment. So this is the decision
you've already made plus doing boundary

458
00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:22,240
alignment on that decision. Um
B1, which is Stewartsville and Big

459
00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:27,680
Island. It consolidates the second least
utilized building, gives us a narrow

460
00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:32,400
spread. Um, however, I will say, as
we'll note when we're looking, it's one

461
00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:38,160
of the hardest ones to optimize on
transportation of the four options. Um,

462
00:39:35,359 --> 00:39:42,160
Stewartsville and Otter River uh is B2.
It consolidates the third least utilized

463
00:39:40,079 --> 00:39:45,839
building. Uh, it has the narrowest
spread of the four and the fewest

464
00:39:43,599 --> 00:39:49,920
children passed an hour on the bus bus,
but it also has the largest number of

465
00:39:48,079 --> 00:39:55,839
students that are moved to get to that
number. And then finally P1 uh

466
00:39:53,280 --> 00:40:00,480
Steuartsville and Bedford Primary folds
that uh prek to one building into

467
00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:04,960
Bedford Elementary. But then we also
need to talk about how do we how do we

468
00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:10,400
house prek? Would we have to move some
students out of Bedford Elementary into

469
00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:14,560
another attendance zone um to to move
prek in there or would we have to move

470
00:40:12,240 --> 00:40:21,359
prek prek elsewhere? So that would have
to be part of the discussion there.

471
00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:24,480
Okay. So, first and foremost, one of the
big questions we have, and we answered

472
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:29,119
this a little bit before, but I wanted
to provide more data. Would

473
00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:31,760
Stewartsville have been first? Yes. Uh,
if the board had not acted,

474
00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:38,800
Steuartsville is the building that the
data would have pointed to first. Uh, it

475
00:40:34,079 --> 00:40:44,240
was 44% utilized. Um, 559 seats for 243
students. Um, we were also able to draw

476
00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:51,440
new maps that, uh, transportation wise
made sense, as we'll see. However, if we

477
00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:57,119
only redraw the maps in a way that kind
of optimizes for transportation and the

478
00:40:53,760 --> 00:41:02,319
balance that we can get. Um, we still
have a 32point spread throughout the

479
00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:08,480
district. Monteale would be at 89% today
and Big Island would be at 57%. So, one

480
00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:12,079
school stays under 60. Um, and 41
children ride over an hour versus 31

481
00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:18,880
today.
Um, so it fixes the fullest school, but

482
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:23,920
not necessarily the emptiest ones. So, I
do want to talk a little bit because

483
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:28,640
we're starting to get to the point where
we have the slides. We also have this

484
00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:32,560
packet. The same information and
actually more information is in this

485
00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:37,359
packet. Um, and again, this will be
available on the website tomorrow. Um,

486
00:41:35,119 --> 00:41:41,119
but what you will see on the right hand
side here is a map with all of your

487
00:41:39,359 --> 00:41:45,440
attendance zones, but then you see
different colored areas and each of them

488
00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:51,119
has a number and they're much easier to
read, not on the screen, but in your

489
00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:56,400
packets. Um, because those numbers then
tell you, uh, for instance, number one

490
00:41:54,079 --> 00:42:00,640
down in the southwest corner here is
Stewartsville to Good View, and that's

491
00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:05,119
211 students.
So, you can go through and do that. Also

492
00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:10,079
in the packet you will notice that we
have some zoomins

493
00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:16,000
um which actually zoom in on wherever
those changes are happening. So for A1

494
00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:20,640
we have a zoom in um kind of down in the
south part of the district. We have one

495
00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:24,160
in the northeast and then we have one uh
and then we have one in the northeast.

496
00:42:22,079 --> 00:42:28,960
Those are the two spots. Um and you'll
see some of them have up to three

497
00:42:26,079 --> 00:42:35,440
zoomins on them.
On the next slide, we have what I like

498
00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:41,280
to call our attendance matrix. And this
looks at what school today students are

499
00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:46,960
attending. Um, and that's in the rows.
And then in the columns, we have schools

500
00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:50,319
under the um example that we're talking
about now or under the option we're

501
00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:53,839
talking about now. And so what you'll
notice most of these you want to see

502
00:42:52,240 --> 00:43:01,440
like the big numbers are on the
diagonal, right? because Bedford today

503
00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:07,680
570 students 572
students if I could speak in the future

504
00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:12,240
572 students um so that would be that
that's kind of how we read that but then

505
00:43:09,599 --> 00:43:17,359
if we go down that first column good
view then moves 51 students to Bedford

506
00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:21,200
and one of the big reasons there is
right good view is having to take a lot

507
00:43:19,359 --> 00:43:26,560
of students from Steuartsville so we
have to move some students to Bedford

508
00:43:23,359 --> 00:43:31,760
and then move all of those Stewartsville
students into um good view. So that's

509
00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:36,960
kind of how you read through this
process. Another thing that you'll have

510
00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:41,839
in the packet is you actually then also
have what we have at the bottom of the

511
00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:45,760
table but in chart form which is um
utilization for each of the schools in a

512
00:43:43,839 --> 00:43:50,240
bar chart.
And so at the bottom of the table here

513
00:43:47,359 --> 00:43:54,160
you have the utilization as the
attendance zones are drawn today.

514
00:43:52,640 --> 00:44:02,240
utilization
today using A1 and utilization in 2035

515
00:43:58,240 --> 00:44:07,200
using the A1 proposal. And so I'm not
going to spend a ton of time on each of

516
00:44:05,599 --> 00:44:10,240
these examples, but I think it's
important for them to be in the slide

517
00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:14,480
deck um for everyone to be able to look
at them. Um but I do want to go through

518
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,000
a couple different ways that we measured
the these things.

519
00:44:15,119 --> 00:44:20,560
» Hang on one second.
>> Of course. So, we've got we got several

520
00:44:18,240 --> 00:44:24,160
we got like 18 minutes, 17 minutes, but
I just want to tell the board because

521
00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:26,960
they have to go back. We're going to
have to go back at some point, but if

522
00:44:25,359 --> 00:44:30,560
you have questions, I guess my
recommendation would be just maybe just

523
00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:33,839
start shouting them out because
otherwise it may be getting kind of

524
00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:35,520
confusing. So, Yep.
>> I just wanted to

525
00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:40,160
» absolutely
>> kind of run that way.

526
00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:42,480
» Yep. And so, I will say I'm gonna I'm
going to go through the high level of

527
00:44:41,280 --> 00:44:46,800
each of these right now. I'm not going
to go into a ton of detail, but one

528
00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:52,000
thing I want to I want to be clear with
you all and for how we are having

529
00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:57,280
community discussions on these and how
the community is engaging on these

530
00:44:55,280 --> 00:45:01,760
A1 isn't just one option. There are
different ways that we can optimize the

531
00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:07,200
drawing to do different things. So we
can also try to balance the data more

532
00:45:04,319 --> 00:45:12,079
and that's what A1 drawing number one
the balance priority um that's what that

533
00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:17,920
does. Um
and you can see kind of the outcome of

534
00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:22,319
that. Drawing two is really focused um
we call it the utilization. So it's the

535
00:45:19,839 --> 00:45:26,480
same consolidation uh with utilization
priority um weighted first. So against

536
00:45:25,200 --> 00:45:31,440
the first drawing it cuts the number of
children riding over an hour um by a

537
00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:35,839
lot. There's only 18 now instead of 41.
Um but it also is cutting it against

538
00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:40,079
where you are today which is uh
currently 31 students in the morning. uh

539
00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:44,800
with more students changing school
though. So larger impact to the

540
00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:49,280
community but better better outcomes for
utilization and transportation and it

541
00:45:46,720 --> 00:45:53,040
holds the fullest school at 90% today
instead of focusing on balancing

542
00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:58,720
utilization and make sure that we no one
goes over 90%.

543
00:45:55,599 --> 00:46:02,640
So there's that. Um we then have
Steuartsville plus Big Island. So Big

544
00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:07,119
Island is the smallest and second
emptiest building. um consolidate

545
00:46:05,520 --> 00:46:13,200
consolidating it and redrawing the
corridor gives a new 18-point spread. Um

546
00:46:10,240 --> 00:46:15,839
which is obviously much better. Um and
the deepest grade corsets we can have

547
00:46:14,800 --> 00:46:22,319
just because we're getting rid of the
smallest school. Um however, the full

548
00:46:19,599 --> 00:46:29,839
flest school is Good View at 92% today
and 94% in 2035. Uh the emptiest is is

549
00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:36,160
kind of Huddleston at 75%. Um and the
quarter seats sit close to today's line.

550
00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:40,880
The other thing I'll note is um in order
to have the drawing work,

551
00:46:38,720 --> 00:46:46,240
the compactness isn't quite as good um
as as we'd necessarily like it to be. So

552
00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:50,880
we're again we're going through where do
the students go? We can see that the big

553
00:46:48,319 --> 00:46:55,760
changes here are still Stewartsville um
to Good View 192, but now more of the

554
00:46:54,000 --> 00:47:01,640
Steuartsville students are going to
Montail um than they were in some of the

555
00:46:58,160 --> 00:47:01,640
prior drawings.

556
00:47:01,839 --> 00:47:08,319
So this this one is going to push some
of the other house or other schools over

557
00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:13,040
the 90% then.
>> Yeah. And so the thing that I want you

558
00:47:11,839 --> 00:47:18,079
all to be thinking about as you're
looking at this. I am not asking you

559
00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:22,560
today and no one here is asking you
today to say

560
00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:27,599
we want to close X we want to
consolidate X school. What the question

561
00:47:25,440 --> 00:47:31,119
we are asking today and why we want to
go through this just so you all have an

562
00:47:28,880 --> 00:47:37,760
idea of what's in your what materials
you have is do we want to look at

563
00:47:34,480 --> 00:47:42,640
further consolidation versus just
Stewartsville and boundary redraws and

564
00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:46,480
if we do these three are the ones that
we would suggest is are those the three

565
00:47:44,960 --> 00:47:50,000
that you all would want to continue
considering so just have that in your

566
00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:53,760
mind we don't we don't necessarily need
to get to like oh this line is good here

567
00:47:52,319 --> 00:48:00,240
this line's good there don't worry about
that today. That is a discussion we're

568
00:47:56,000 --> 00:48:07,520
going to have between now and December.
So B1, we can also do a drawing um with

569
00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:11,599
more balancing priority or focusing on
compactness. So shapes that make a

570
00:48:09,359 --> 00:48:16,240
little bit more sense. And again, we can
kind of go through that process.

571
00:48:14,079 --> 00:48:20,240
Um if we look at Stewartsville plus
Otter River, um again, Otter River sits

572
00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:24,800
between Bedford and the Forest Corridor.
so it students are absorbed by its

573
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:29,680
neighbors um that have room. Uh B2 has a
17-point spread which is the narrowest

574
00:48:26,720 --> 00:48:33,599
of the four. Um and 37 children passed
an hour on the bus which is the fewest

575
00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:39,599
um of the four at this drawing. There
are other drawings that make it better.

576
00:48:35,920 --> 00:48:46,000
Um so kind of watch outs here. Uh the
fullest school here is Boonboro uh which

577
00:48:41,839 --> 00:48:53,119
would be at 90% in 2526 enrollment. Um
and Huddleston at 90% in 2035. Uh the

578
00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:59,200
MTS would still be Big Island at 74%.
Um it is the biggest move of the

579
00:48:55,359 --> 00:49:06,720
consolidation plans uh with 722 students
having to change schools.

580
00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:12,640
» How many under an hour
>> on this one? So So if we look at this,

581
00:49:09,119 --> 00:49:17,920
the children riding over 60 minutes um
would increase by six students.

582
00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:22,280
» Is that on here somewhere? Um,
>> it's right at the top.

583
00:49:18,960 --> 00:49:22,280
» Yeah, it's right

584
00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:29,040
» the top of this page.
>> Yeah, right here.

585
00:49:26,640 --> 00:49:33,119
» So, it's sorry on this page, but you're
also

586
00:49:30,960 --> 00:49:38,400
as a as another another piece of this.
We also are going to have um an

587
00:49:35,920 --> 00:49:41,599
interactive map that you can look at
that will have all of these metrics

588
00:49:39,629 --> 00:49:45,200
[clears throat] on it as well. Um, and
again, that's something that will not

589
00:49:42,960 --> 00:49:49,680
only be available to you all, but will
be publicly available as well.

590
00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:51,119
» When will we have that?
>> Tomorrow.

591
00:49:50,160 --> 00:49:53,520
» That'll be tomorrow as well.
>> Yep. And I'm going to show it to you

592
00:49:52,640 --> 00:49:56,480
tonight.
>> Um, we just need to get it up on the

593
00:49:55,440 --> 00:49:59,440
website.
>> Yeah.

594
00:49:57,280 --> 00:50:03,200
» Um, probably make a couple little tweaks
before then

595
00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:11,440
» and also any of your feedback if tweaks
need to be made before it goes out. Um,

596
00:50:07,599 --> 00:50:19,599
okay. we can also focus the optimization
more on transportation instead of um the

597
00:50:16,880 --> 00:50:28,000
compact priority and so that has a
different impact right so um sorry I'm

598
00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:31,359
going all over the place here um
everyone stop looking at the screen so

599
00:50:29,440 --> 00:50:38,640
you don't get motion sick um if we look
at the transport priority um we see the

600
00:50:34,319 --> 00:50:44,079
number of students again is at 37 um for
over 60 minutes, but the number of buses

601
00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:49,119
to hold to 60 minutes goes down. Um, and
the number of rides lengthened to 15

602
00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:54,079
plus minutes goes down as well.
And again, uh, we have the matrix here

603
00:50:51,440 --> 00:50:58,000
that we can kind of talk through.
Um,

604
00:50:55,920 --> 00:51:02,800
we also have ones where we focus on
waiting um, needs balance. So, this is

605
00:51:00,160 --> 00:51:09,359
kind of that um, making sure there's a
balance on um, uh, like income

606
00:51:07,520 --> 00:51:14,079
inequality. basically um throughout the
district. Um so this is the same

607
00:51:11,599 --> 00:51:17,839
consolidation with that weighted first
against the first drawing. It raises the

608
00:51:15,680 --> 00:51:23,440
number of children riding over an hour
um with fewer students changing school

609
00:51:19,599 --> 00:51:29,440
and holds the full flest school to 92%.
Um so you kind of see all of those

610
00:51:26,079 --> 00:51:33,040
statistics there.
And then the final piece is

611
00:51:30,880 --> 00:51:37,599
Steuartsville plus Bedford Primary.
Bedford primary um is a real building

612
00:51:35,839 --> 00:51:41,200
with the same model saving as the other
candidates. I want to be very clear with

613
00:51:39,119 --> 00:51:46,640
that. I think all of us are on the same
page there. But the open question is

614
00:51:43,200 --> 00:51:50,880
where prek would go. Um and we would
need to name a home for it. Uh the

615
00:51:48,800 --> 00:51:56,319
district and the board here uh is when I
say the district. Um so

616
00:51:54,559 --> 00:51:59,920
just the first drawing of this does
increase the number of children writing

617
00:51:57,680 --> 00:52:05,839
over 60 minutes. Um but we do have ones
that work a little bit better than that.

618
00:52:02,079 --> 00:52:09,920
But that's this is a one option for it.
And then need need balancing priority.

619
00:52:08,240 --> 00:52:14,640
Um we actually decreased the number of
students riding over 60 minutes by a lot

620
00:52:11,680 --> 00:52:20,720
as well. Um
and then a utilization priority also

621
00:52:18,559 --> 00:52:26,960
decreases but not as well from the first
drawing the children over 60 minutes.

622
00:52:24,640 --> 00:52:30,880
So if we [snorts] look at the four
structures side by side at their best

623
00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:34,640
drawing out of the drawings that we've
done so far out of the optimizations

624
00:52:32,559 --> 00:52:39,440
that I've done without any community
input

625
00:52:36,480 --> 00:52:45,680
um what we are looking at is today at
the very top a full school at 95% spread

626
00:52:43,200 --> 00:52:52,240
of 46 points zero students moved
obviously um typical rides 22 minutes

627
00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:57,760
the long ride uh 90th percentile is 41
minutes over 60 minutes, we have 31

628
00:52:54,880 --> 00:53:02,559
students, 31 elementary students. Um,
and rides that increase by 15 minutes um

629
00:53:00,559 --> 00:53:07,599
is zero because they can't increase uh
if they're now. Um, and then this

630
00:53:05,040 --> 00:53:12,079
measure of how many extra buses would we
need to send out in the mornings to hold

631
00:53:09,440 --> 00:53:18,800
everyone under 60 minutes is uh in this
optimization seven.

632
00:53:14,720 --> 00:53:23,119
So, if we look at A1, uh we can see the
fullest school is down to 89%. So, we

633
00:53:21,280 --> 00:53:29,359
solved some of that problem. The spread
is still very high at 34. Um, students

634
00:53:26,559 --> 00:53:34,319
moved is 516. Typical ride doesn't
change. Long ride doesn't change that

635
00:53:31,440 --> 00:53:38,720
much. Uh, changes by a minute. Um, over
60 minutes, we actually decrease. And

636
00:53:36,640 --> 00:53:43,280
252 students actually increase their
rides by 15 minutes. Um, that's going to

637
00:53:41,440 --> 00:53:49,760
happen when you close a school and
redraw boundaries. Um, and buses to hold

638
00:53:46,400 --> 00:53:54,079
60 minutes is um is again seven. But
here we get that savings of one closed

639
00:53:51,599 --> 00:53:57,760
building of just over a million dollars.
The next three, I won't read all the

640
00:53:55,760 --> 00:54:04,559
numbers. You all can uh read them as
well and you will have these slides. But

641
00:53:59,760 --> 00:54:09,200
the general idea here um is that uh each
of these drawings

642
00:54:06,880 --> 00:54:12,880
increases um some of the long rides and
some of the rides 15 plus minutes by

643
00:54:11,440 --> 00:54:17,119
necessity because you are closing
schools. um but they do it

644
00:54:14,559 --> 00:54:21,280
differentially and so that is one piece
on the transportation. The annual

645
00:54:19,280 --> 00:54:24,880
savings is obviously another piece. With
one school it's just over a million

646
00:54:22,880 --> 00:54:32,559
dollars for the district. With two
schools it's over 2 million. Um but with

647
00:54:28,000 --> 00:54:38,000
all of these options we can draw
a set of boundaries that works.

648
00:54:36,000 --> 00:54:42,640
That is really the takeaway I want you
all to have today. And we can even tweak

649
00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:47,200
these a little bit more and maybe
optimize them a even a little bit better

650
00:54:45,200 --> 00:54:51,359
between now and December. But just in
the work that we've done thus far making

651
00:54:49,440 --> 00:54:56,480
these first set of drawings, these are
all workable um workable attendance

652
00:54:54,720 --> 00:55:00,720
zones.
So drawn at its best B1 and B2 beat

653
00:54:58,880 --> 00:55:06,559
Steuartsville and boundary alignment on
spread. Um P1 does not. Uh the narrowest

654
00:55:03,680 --> 00:55:11,920
spread is B1. Few children over an hour
is A1. Fewest students moved. Also A1.

655
00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:16,000
Um, makes sense. You're only closing one
school there. Um, typical rides stay

656
00:55:13,920 --> 00:55:20,079
within one minute of today's 22 under
all four. And the long tale of rides is

657
00:55:18,240 --> 00:55:24,640
really where they differ and what you
all might want to be thinking about as

658
00:55:21,839 --> 00:55:28,599
well. P1 also just to reiterate leaves
open the prek question.

659
00:55:28,720 --> 00:55:37,680
Okay, so we talked about last time the
numbers do potentially support on

660
00:55:33,760 --> 00:55:42,480
utilization three consolidations. Um, so
I would still say that's the case. On

661
00:55:39,359 --> 00:55:47,599
seats, yes. I would say on buses for the
for a district like Bedford County, it

662
00:55:45,280 --> 00:55:51,680
might be kind of tough. Um, on
utilization three works, B9 and P2 have

663
00:55:50,079 --> 00:55:56,640
the narrowest spreads on the menu and
the largest saving largest

664
00:55:53,638 --> 00:56:01,440
[clears throat] savings. Um, on
transportation,

665
00:55:58,480 --> 00:56:07,359
uh, B9 somewhat holds today's line, but
that long tail is problematic on B9. And

666
00:56:05,280 --> 00:56:12,799
a reminder that B9 is Steuartsville,
Otter River, and Big Island.

667
00:56:10,480 --> 00:56:17,200
Um 806 students would have to change
schools. Um and two communities uh two

668
00:56:15,839 --> 00:56:24,640
additional communities lose a building
at once. So um really the low forecast

669
00:56:21,920 --> 00:56:28,400
is where a third consolidation
in my opinion on the fiscal side of

670
00:56:26,480 --> 00:56:34,000
things becomes more necessary than
optional. But I would also say that at

671
00:56:30,880 --> 00:56:39,680
this point the utilization numbers
support it but kind of barely support a

672
00:56:36,880 --> 00:56:44,880
third school. Um I think in in my
professional opinion your decision is

673
00:56:41,599 --> 00:56:49,920
probably more on one versus two, but
that that is my professional opinion. Um

674
00:56:48,400 --> 00:56:53,359
so this is just kind of looking at the
the six different ways that we've drawn

675
00:56:51,680 --> 00:56:58,160
the boundaries
um and what each of them trade in terms

676
00:56:55,520 --> 00:57:02,799
of ride burden. um estimated minutes
past 60 for all riders, compactness,

677
00:57:00,799 --> 00:57:09,599
number of students moved, subdivision
split, and the need spread.

678
00:57:06,720 --> 00:57:13,839
Um and then the same thing for the best
drawing for bus rides. Um again, all of

679
00:57:12,559 --> 00:57:18,799
this information is going to be totally
available to you all. The point that I'm

680
00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:22,880
trying to make here is these are these
are decision these are workable maps if

681
00:57:21,280 --> 00:57:27,920
it's a discussion that you all want to
have and have with the community.

682
00:57:26,079 --> 00:57:33,440
So,
what do we need from you all tonight?

683
00:57:30,480 --> 00:57:37,359
The decision we need tonight is do we
move forward to town halls on

684
00:57:35,520 --> 00:57:42,400
Steuartsville and B boundary alignment
only or also looking at an additional

685
00:57:40,000 --> 00:57:46,240
consolidation. So, the reason that I
need to know that is because I want to

686
00:57:44,480 --> 00:57:52,640
give you all materials to bring to those
meetings, big maps, um you know,

687
00:57:49,520 --> 00:57:58,640
additional things like this. um and I
need to know what to include in those

688
00:57:55,040 --> 00:58:04,319
materials. So, um Stuartsville and
boundary alignment only would be really

689
00:58:00,240 --> 00:58:08,799
much more focused on the maps that are
drawn and talking about those actual

690
00:58:06,799 --> 00:58:13,760
boundaries. If we're looking at an
additional consolidation, we would have

691
00:58:10,559 --> 00:58:19,760
that plus the discussion about should we
be consolidating that additional school.

692
00:58:17,520 --> 00:58:23,359
um our read of the data. Um the second
consolidation really does fix the

693
00:58:21,760 --> 00:58:27,839
imbalance that the study was
commissioned to address. The capacity

694
00:58:25,440 --> 00:58:33,920
map supports it in every demand state,
but those are numbers. That's not the

695
00:58:31,119 --> 00:58:39,760
community. That's that's not uh the only
thing that you all have to decide on. Um

696
00:58:36,559 --> 00:58:45,040
so that that discussion is different in
kind, not just in degree. So,

697
00:58:43,200 --> 00:58:50,079
I guess that's that's my biggest ask of
you all. Before we get there, middle and

698
00:58:48,480 --> 00:58:54,960
high school boundaries, I didn't forget
about you. We need to settle the

699
00:58:51,920 --> 00:58:59,839
elementary path first. Uh, every option
in this deck then leaves us needing to

700
00:58:57,520 --> 00:59:04,720
create reasonable pyramids for each of
the attendance zones.

701
00:59:02,880 --> 00:59:09,200
But we don't want to do that and then
make this, you know, again, I said I

702
00:59:07,599 --> 00:59:12,079
gave you guys this much. It could have
been this much. If we added middle

703
00:59:10,640 --> 00:59:16,240
schools, it could have been this much.
So, we want to take this down to this

704
00:59:14,720 --> 00:59:22,559
and then add middle schools and high
schools. Um, [clears throat]

705
00:59:20,559 --> 00:59:28,240
what we can do to help in terms of
materials. So, number one, these

706
00:59:26,079 --> 00:59:33,520
packets, you will have those. They will
be out there publicly. We can work on

707
00:59:31,040 --> 00:59:38,079
large format maps, ones that make sense
for any town hall meetings that you're

708
00:59:35,200 --> 00:59:42,079
having. We also, which I'll show you
just very briefly because I know we're

709
00:59:39,920 --> 00:59:47,200
short on time. Uh, and we have an
interactive app that not only allows

710
00:59:44,720 --> 00:59:52,319
folks to go in and look at each of these
options and kind of, you know, go back

711
00:59:50,960 --> 00:59:56,559
and look at each of the metrics for
them, but it also allows them to give

712
00:59:54,319 --> 01:00:00,480
feedback through the app. So, if they
have questions, concerns about things,

713
00:59:58,880 --> 01:00:05,920
they will be able to put feedback in
that app as another way to give feedback

714
01:00:03,040 --> 01:00:11,760
additionally to the town halls. Um all
of that information we will collate and

715
01:00:08,559 --> 01:00:15,839
we will give to the board. Um and then
also the summary sheet for drawing which

716
01:00:13,680 --> 01:00:21,200
is really this thing. I know it's more
than three pages now with the focus ends

717
01:00:19,200 --> 01:00:24,079
but those are all things we can provide
and if there are other things that you

718
01:00:22,559 --> 01:00:30,160
think might be helpful please feel free
to bring them up and we can see what we

719
01:00:26,079 --> 01:00:33,200
can do. So this is kind of the where
this goes from here. I'm just going to

720
01:00:31,520 --> 01:00:38,559
leave that up because that's just
rehashing the schedule. Um, any

721
01:00:35,839 --> 01:00:42,599
questions before we talk about
potentially the

722
01:00:42,880 --> 01:00:49,040
» what you want to move forward to town
hall meetings?

723
01:00:45,200 --> 01:00:53,839
» We got 30 seconds for uh public comment.
>> So, we can we hold the questions till

724
01:00:51,760 --> 01:00:57,839
after we do public comment and then we
can continue to go get some answers and

725
01:00:55,599 --> 01:01:00,920
we'll we'll we'll go right down. Yep.
>> All right.

726
01:01:01,280 --> 01:01:08,880
20 seconds early. I think we'll we can
go for it. All right,

727
01:01:06,480 --> 01:01:15,599
» we're going to move on to 6.01 public
comments. I'm going to find my sheet

728
01:01:11,200 --> 01:01:19,680
here. That'll get us on time, I guess.
I don't know if I have a sheet

729
01:01:17,119 --> 01:01:23,760
somewhere.
It's on me. I'll find it. There's the

730
01:01:21,520 --> 01:01:28,480
one. I've got a lot of there's a lot of
paper trying

731
01:01:27,599 --> 01:01:32,319
» back of your blue.
>> I don't know somewhere. I might need

732
01:01:30,640 --> 01:01:36,799
some help.
>> I have to really read.

733
01:01:34,160 --> 01:01:40,280
» Should have memorized some.
>> You got another copy.

734
01:01:41,280 --> 01:01:48,799
» I am a man so I usually cannot find
anything.

735
01:01:46,240 --> 01:01:54,000
I know where my pen is. I get a lot of
help. All right, we got it. six o'clock.

736
01:01:52,582 --> 01:01:57,359
[laughter]
>> All right. The public comment portion of

737
01:01:55,599 --> 01:02:00,160
tonight's agenda is limited to 40
minutes. Speakers are asked to state

738
01:01:58,720 --> 01:02:03,839
their name and voting district. The
school board is here to listen to your

739
01:02:01,440 --> 01:02:06,559
comments um but will not engage or
respond to speakers during this

740
01:02:04,960 --> 01:02:10,160
40-minute period. Please remember this
is a public meeting and that we expect

741
01:02:08,319 --> 01:02:15,440
all speakers to refrain from foul,
profane, abusive or hateful language um

742
01:02:13,040 --> 01:02:18,480
uh during their comments and or anytime
in attendance during this meeting. We

743
01:02:17,040 --> 01:02:22,000
also ask that speakers keep their
remarks objective and about the school

744
01:02:20,160 --> 01:02:25,040
in nature. Please keep all comments
limited to matters related to the public

745
01:02:23,680 --> 01:02:29,280
schools and any comments that are
harassing or amount to a personal attack

746
01:02:27,440 --> 01:02:33,359
against any identifiable individ
individual whether board member or staff

747
01:02:31,440 --> 01:02:37,920
or student or having the potential to
cause unnecessary delay or disruption to

748
01:02:35,440 --> 01:02:40,720
this meeting are prohibited. This is a
public meeting for public matters. If a

749
01:02:39,440 --> 01:02:44,559
speaker is not present when their name
is called will proceed to the next name

750
01:02:42,640 --> 01:02:48,240
on the list. An individual who has not
signed up to speak may not substitute

751
01:02:46,240 --> 01:02:51,760
for that time slot. Individuals will
have four minutes to address the board.

752
01:02:50,079 --> 01:02:55,200
An alarm will sound when an individual
has 30 seconds remaining and a second

753
01:02:53,440 --> 01:02:58,720
alarm will sound when the allotted four
minutes have expired. When this second

754
01:02:57,119 --> 01:03:02,079
alarm sounds, please discontinue
speaking and allow the next person in

755
01:03:00,319 --> 01:03:05,920
line to come up to the podium. Should
you be unable to finish your comments,

756
01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:09,440
please send or give them to Mrs. Johnson
and she will give them to board members.

757
01:03:07,599 --> 01:03:14,240
Please do not adjust the microphone at
the podium as it has been positioned

758
01:03:11,040 --> 01:03:19,880
with optimum audio quality. All right,
public comment tonight. First on the

759
01:03:16,160 --> 01:03:19,880
list, Amanda Bryan.

760
01:03:21,839 --> 01:03:25,160
» Good evening.

761
01:03:26,480 --> 01:03:33,839
So, uh I'm Amanda Bryan. I live in
district one. Um, since March, I

762
01:03:32,000 --> 01:03:37,920
personally and members of our community
have spent a great deal of time trying

763
01:03:35,760 --> 01:03:41,760
to rebuild something that has been
missing from this district's

764
01:03:39,359 --> 01:03:46,960
decision-making process, and that is
meaningful community participation.

765
01:03:44,400 --> 01:03:51,039
And that lack of participation is, in my
opinion, something that has happened

766
01:03:48,799 --> 01:03:55,039
from both sides. Parents don't
participate if they feel their voices

767
01:03:52,799 --> 01:03:59,119
aren't heard or valued. But if parents
don't show up, leadership doesn't think

768
01:03:57,039 --> 01:04:03,280
it's worth the enormous time and effort
that is required to solicit and

769
01:04:01,039 --> 01:04:08,480
incorporate feedback. It becomes a cycle
that repeats and grows into what we have

770
01:04:05,359 --> 01:04:13,039
now. A process that at least appears
essentially free of meaningful parental

771
01:04:10,880 --> 01:04:16,640
and community input.
Now, a problem like this that has

772
01:04:14,720 --> 01:04:21,760
developed over a period of time will
also take a period of time to correct.

773
01:04:19,599 --> 01:04:27,280
Complex problems require complex
solutions. For our part, I and other

774
01:04:25,760 --> 01:04:32,400
community members have encouraged
parents to attend meetings, follow along

775
01:04:29,839 --> 01:04:37,440
with the process, read documents, ask
questions, continue showing up even when

776
01:04:35,200 --> 01:04:42,319
we have believed decisions have already
been made.

777
01:04:39,599 --> 01:04:47,119
I have said publicly that our political
processes work best when the community

778
01:04:44,480 --> 01:04:53,039
remains involved, engaged, and unwilling
to back down simply because we may lose

779
01:04:49,599 --> 01:04:58,319
a vote. I said these things because I
genuinely believe them.

780
01:04:55,839 --> 01:05:03,680
I want to believe that parents in this
board can continue to come to the table

781
01:05:00,799 --> 01:05:08,000
in good faith and establish a productive
working relationship. But that becomes

782
01:05:06,160 --> 01:05:12,160
much harder when the board says it wants
collaboration while its actual choices

783
01:05:10,319 --> 01:05:15,440
communicate something different.
Tonight, we're hearing from DAA the

784
01:05:14,000 --> 01:05:20,000
redistricting proposals that could
affect families throughout the county.

785
01:05:17,839 --> 01:05:23,920
The district has also today, I believe,
announced a series of town halls

786
01:05:21,599 --> 01:05:27,680
intended to give those families an
opportunity to participate.

787
01:05:26,160 --> 01:05:34,400
But take a look at where those
opportunities have been placed. There

788
01:05:30,319 --> 01:05:38,559
are six announced town hall stops and
four out of the six of them are very

789
01:05:36,960 --> 01:05:42,880
centrally located in the forest
district.

790
01:05:39,920 --> 01:05:48,319
There's not a single town hall at
Stewartsville, Good View, Stanton River,

791
01:05:45,760 --> 01:05:53,599
or anywhere else in that part of the
eastern end of the county. I'm sorry,

792
01:05:50,319 --> 01:05:59,119
the western end of the county.
That is not geographically balanced

793
01:05:56,640 --> 01:06:03,920
public engagement. The families affected
by redistricting should not have to

794
01:06:01,440 --> 01:06:08,880
travel across a county this large to
reach a process that is supposedly

795
01:06:05,920 --> 01:06:12,960
designed to include them. Particularly
when four of those six opportunities are

796
01:06:11,119 --> 01:06:17,520
concentrated in one portion of the
county. This is not just about

797
01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:20,640
convenience. Parents are working.
They're arranging child care, managing

798
01:06:19,359 --> 01:06:27,200
homework, dinner, sports, and
transportation. And each one of you are

799
01:06:23,119 --> 01:06:30,480
as well. We recognize that
every additional mile and every

800
01:06:29,039 --> 01:06:34,079
additional minute minute minute of
travel narrows the group of people who

801
01:06:32,160 --> 01:06:38,319
can realistically participate in those
conversations. If this board wants

802
01:06:36,240 --> 01:06:43,920
representative access, it m it
representative input. It must create

803
01:06:40,640 --> 01:06:48,079
representative access. This concern also
cannot be separated from what was said

804
01:06:45,760 --> 01:06:51,520
during the August board meeting. While
chairing that meeting, the vice chair

805
01:06:49,599 --> 01:06:56,400
said he had been alerted to the fact
that public comment is not really a

806
01:06:53,760 --> 01:06:59,440
necessary part of our meetings. I
understand that that might have been

807
01:06:57,520 --> 01:07:03,599
intended as an observation about what is
legally required and maybe even

808
01:07:01,200 --> 01:07:08,799
frustration about lack of parental
involvement, but that's not how it lands

809
01:07:05,920 --> 01:07:13,520
with parents. Public comment may not be
legally required at every meeting, but

810
01:07:10,480 --> 01:07:17,920
public participation is not a favor that
this board bestows upon its

811
01:07:15,440 --> 01:07:21,760
constituents. This board is made up of
elected officials and listening to the

812
01:07:20,000 --> 01:07:27,039
people you represent is part of the
responsibility you accepted when you

813
01:07:23,599 --> 01:07:30,480
sought these seats. Thank you.
>> Thank you.

814
01:07:28,960 --> 01:07:33,480
Next up, [clears throat] Elizabeth
Manzel.

815
01:07:34,079 --> 01:07:41,119
» Good evening. I'm Elizabeth Manel,
District 6. I have close ties to the Big

816
01:07:38,720 --> 01:07:45,839
Island community and here to address the
need for a prek program at Big Island.

817
01:07:43,920 --> 01:07:50,400
Due to federal funding cuts, their Head
Start program was cut. In the Big Island

818
01:07:48,480 --> 01:07:54,960
community, there are no daycarees or
church preschool programs. Bedford

819
01:07:52,799 --> 01:07:58,079
County has six title one elementary
schools. Seven, if you count Buffford

820
01:07:56,640 --> 01:08:03,119
Primary and Befford Elementary
separately. Five of these schools have

821
01:08:00,400 --> 01:08:08,079
VPI programs. Big Island Elementary is
the only title one school that does not

822
01:08:05,599 --> 01:08:14,079
have a VPI program. What are the
qualifications for VPI's income

823
01:08:10,480 --> 01:08:19,120
eligibility? At or below 200% for the
2025 federal poverty guidelines, which

824
01:08:16,880 --> 01:08:23,759
is for a family of four, is an income of
$64,300.

825
01:08:21,679 --> 01:08:30,400
The Big Island community's median income
is 40,000. The median income in Forest

826
01:08:27,120 --> 01:08:34,719
is 82,000 and there are two VPI programs
in the forest communities, New London

827
01:08:32,400 --> 01:08:39,040
and Thomas Jefferson. I'm not saying
there's not a need for BPI in the forest

828
01:08:36,719 --> 01:08:44,080
communities. I'm emphasizing that the
need is as is as great in the Big Island

829
01:08:41,679 --> 01:08:48,080
community. Yes, the population and
school enrollment are different. Yes,

830
01:08:46,319 --> 01:08:52,560
BPI requires a certain number of
applicants. The Head Start class that

831
01:08:50,400 --> 01:08:59,040
was cancelled this year had seven four
year olds along with some on a wait

832
01:08:54,719 --> 01:09:04,560
list. In 2003 2004, Montville Elementary
started a prek class with just eight

833
01:09:01,759 --> 01:09:10,000
students. That year it was funded by
Title One funding. The class grew into a

834
01:09:07,679 --> 01:09:15,520
full VPI class that's still in existence
today. Big Island Elementary has 17

835
01:09:13,120 --> 01:09:20,719
kindergarters enroll this year. Future
kindergarteners in Big Island community

836
01:09:18,080 --> 01:09:25,839
deserve a quality preschool. It is time
for you, the school board, to recognize

837
01:09:23,520 --> 01:09:30,560
the importance of preschool availability
and for the Big Island community to know

838
01:09:27,759 --> 01:09:35,040
that you see them and no child feels
left behind. Despite lack of federal

839
01:09:33,440 --> 01:09:40,000
state funding, I believe if we work
together, we can gather the necessary

840
01:09:36,960 --> 01:09:45,679
resources to have half a prek class with
one teacher. In addition, in response to

841
01:09:43,279 --> 01:09:49,759
the DA representation
tonight, when you look to redraw

842
01:09:47,520 --> 01:09:54,320
boundaries for school districts, ple
please consider the soio economic status

843
01:09:52,000 --> 01:09:58,880
of the community as families with the
least financial resources should be put

844
01:09:56,719 --> 01:10:04,239
in situations to be furthest from their
school.

845
01:10:01,520 --> 01:10:08,960
Small rural schools serve as a community
center for its residents. For students

846
01:10:06,560 --> 01:10:13,040
sent school outside their community, I
would ask what is the data on parent

847
01:10:10,880 --> 01:10:20,239
involvement as compared to parent
involvement when students or attend the

848
01:10:15,760 --> 01:10:24,159
their community school? Thank you.
>> Thank you very much. [clears throat]

849
01:10:22,400 --> 01:10:29,280
Uh as of right now, that is everybody
who has signed up. So if there's anyone

850
01:10:27,280 --> 01:10:32,719
else who would like to speak, you can
you can speak at this time.

851
01:10:33,040 --> 01:10:39,480
All right. None. I will now close public
comment.

852
01:10:39,520 --> 01:10:49,159
All right. So, let's go back.
It's 2.01. Uh, you can take take back

853
01:10:45,600 --> 01:10:49,159
over where you're at.

854
01:10:49,689 --> 01:10:58,640
[clears throat]
All right. So, going back to kind of

855
01:10:54,880 --> 01:11:00,800
where where we were. Um,
switch [clears throat] back over to my

856
01:10:59,520 --> 01:11:08,000
slides.
Um maybe wait for it. There it is. Um

857
01:11:06,159 --> 01:11:14,239
we have where this goes from here. I can
also I will show in a few minutes um the

858
01:11:10,800 --> 01:11:19,040
app that we have as well. Um but I did
want to see if there were any questions

859
01:11:16,080 --> 01:11:24,719
first. Um or if there if you all wanted
to talk about the the consideration that

860
01:11:21,520 --> 01:11:28,640
I brought up.
Um,

861
01:11:26,880 --> 01:11:32,320
» so why don't we ask the questions first
and then we'll come back and the

862
01:11:30,000 --> 01:11:34,719
decision is one or two Stewardsville and
move the boundaries or would we consider

863
01:11:34,320 --> 01:11:37,199
two?
>> Yep.

864
01:11:35,199 --> 01:11:44,120
» Miss Johnson, when we get there, do we
need consensus or how do we do that?

865
01:11:41,120 --> 01:11:44,120
» Um,

866
01:11:44,320 --> 01:11:52,000
you could do consensus. Um,
or you could it could just be whatever

867
01:11:50,000 --> 01:11:54,159
the board as a majority decides. the
board could agree to just go with

868
01:11:53,280 --> 01:11:56,719
majority.
>> Okay.

869
01:11:54,480 --> 01:11:59,280
» Um being that it was not an actual, you
know, an official action item on the

870
01:11:58,719 --> 01:12:03,360
agenda.
>> So I can just go one or two and just

871
01:12:00,800 --> 01:12:06,640
have every board member say we count
them up. Okay. We we'll do it that way.

872
01:12:05,679 --> 01:12:10,960
All right. Well, we'll start with
questions if there's any questions.

873
01:12:07,840 --> 01:12:15,120
We'll start over here. Mr. K.
>> I don't have any real questions. I I do

874
01:12:13,280 --> 01:12:20,640
have an interesting observation, I
think, or I find it interesting, but I

875
01:12:17,760 --> 01:12:24,640
am quite boring. Um [laughter]
if we were looking at just the uh

876
01:12:22,960 --> 01:12:29,600
Storzville consolidation boundary
realignment, I noticed we currently are

877
01:12:27,120 --> 01:12:37,600
showing nine schools under 80%
utilization, one over 95, but just under

878
01:12:33,600 --> 01:12:44,800
that one measure, we then go to five
schools under 80%. So we drop four

879
01:12:40,800 --> 01:12:50,640
schools go over that 80% uh metric. Um
and our 95% school which is going to be

880
01:12:47,840 --> 01:12:56,960
your forest elementary school drops to
an 84%. So that gives us a little bit of

881
01:12:55,040 --> 01:13:02,960
balance there so that we can actually
you know continue to that growth area

882
01:12:59,199 --> 01:13:07,120
but into the 2035 projection we then go
to four. [clears throat]

883
01:13:04,640 --> 01:13:13,679
So it's still it's still going to that
growth area that we're seeing. Um my my

884
01:13:11,199 --> 01:13:19,920
big fear would be if we if we did go to
a closing a second school that's going

885
01:13:17,440 --> 01:13:25,840
to hamstring us a little bit and I'm
super not happy about the the bus rides.

886
01:13:23,040 --> 01:13:31,440
Um, so
to me, um,

887
01:13:29,679 --> 01:13:36,640
with all this data that we have, which
is I'm not going to lie, it's it's a lot

888
01:13:33,520 --> 01:13:41,120
of data to pour over. So, I almost need
to I almost need to digest it a little

889
01:13:38,480 --> 01:13:45,600
bit, but
in my mind, we're getting

890
01:13:44,239 --> 01:13:50,560
essentially what we need to do by
redrawing a district map and still

891
01:13:48,400 --> 01:13:54,880
allowing us an opportunity to grow
because at the end of the day, the

892
01:13:52,239 --> 01:13:58,880
projections for 2035, that's an optimum
projection. It might go lower, might go

893
01:13:56,239 --> 01:14:03,360
higher, but none of us saw COVID coming.
None of us saw anything like it. and we

894
01:14:01,840 --> 01:14:09,679
have no idea what the future holds. For
us to sit here and say we do is is a

895
01:14:06,000 --> 01:14:16,800
little bit flippant. So, I'm really
struggling to consider closing a second

896
01:14:11,760 --> 01:14:20,400
location at this time. Um,
how long do we have access to these

897
01:14:18,719 --> 01:14:24,800
maps? I remember you said in our
initial, but I can't was it like 35

898
01:14:23,040 --> 01:14:29,600
years or something like that
>> to to the to the interactive map.

899
01:14:29,040 --> 01:14:33,520
» Yes, sir.
>> Yeah. you you have you have 12 months of

900
01:14:31,760 --> 01:14:36,400
of access to the tool. Yeah.
>> Okay.

901
01:14:34,480 --> 01:14:40,960
» Um
>> so realistically

902
01:14:38,239 --> 01:14:48,400
in [clears throat] my opinion or in my
my mindset if we were to uh consider

903
01:14:44,239 --> 01:14:52,000
that option I guess it's A1.
>> Am I doing this right?

904
01:14:49,360 --> 01:14:56,000
» Okay. We consider option A1. It gets us
where we need to go and gets us there

905
01:14:54,239 --> 01:14:59,280
comfortably.
uh it's the least disruptive of

906
01:14:57,760 --> 01:15:04,719
everything
and it still saves the school division

907
01:15:01,199 --> 01:15:08,880
quite a bit of money. So I I'm I'm a
little tempted to that. If you go if you

908
01:15:06,400 --> 01:15:13,360
look at anything else,
I'm concerned

909
01:15:11,120 --> 01:15:19,239
we're going to be
hurting should should the tide change a

910
01:15:16,000 --> 01:15:19,239
little bit different.

911
01:15:19,360 --> 01:15:26,560
One one thing I will note on that
statement is there are different

912
01:15:24,159 --> 01:15:32,239
drawings for all of these. So some of
the two closure options actually do keep

913
01:15:29,440 --> 01:15:37,840
all of the schools under 90%. And
balance them more. So like for instance

914
01:15:34,320 --> 01:15:43,520
this one that's up here right now B2. Um
this one actually keeps a much cleaner

915
01:15:41,040 --> 01:15:49,280
Sorry, I'm just going to go I'll bring
this with me. Um

916
01:15:46,560 --> 01:15:53,120
but but yes I think actually having a
little more time to bring into the data

917
01:15:51,280 --> 01:16:01,440
because if you look at this one
utilization out at 2035 you're going a

918
01:15:56,080 --> 01:16:08,640
spread 87 here 78 85 86 88 90 is your
highest 88 84 89 89 um so we keep all of

919
01:16:05,920 --> 01:16:12,159
them under 90 it's just a qu we have to
optimize different things and that'll be

920
01:16:10,159 --> 01:16:16,640
part of the discussion if we go that
direction but I do I do just want you

921
01:16:14,560 --> 01:16:21,280
all to be making a decision based off of
off of that fact that it is possible to

922
01:16:19,520 --> 01:16:26,239
draw these so that they are more
balanced than the one than the one you

923
01:16:23,360 --> 01:16:29,360
were talking about.
>> Well, and and again I I understand that

924
01:16:28,800 --> 01:16:33,760
y
>> um the other thing that scares me about

925
01:16:32,000 --> 01:16:38,000
that though is when you're looking at
that same option

926
01:16:36,080 --> 01:16:43,040
» uh how many kids are displaced? How many
kids are moved total?

927
01:16:40,400 --> 01:16:48,719
700.
>> Yeah, that one would be 722 students.

928
01:16:45,520 --> 01:16:54,800
» So, it's 9% of our entire student
population is displaced.

929
01:16:50,320 --> 01:17:01,120
» Yeah, it's 19% of elementary students.
>> That's a that hurts. [laughter]

930
01:16:58,960 --> 01:17:06,719
That's a lot.
>> It is it is it is a disruption and that

931
01:17:02,880 --> 01:17:09,520
is part of the decision for sure.
>> You know, we have tough decision to

932
01:17:08,080 --> 01:17:14,080
make. no matter what we do, it's going
to disrupt, right?

933
01:17:11,199 --> 01:17:17,760
» But if we can minimize that and still
achieve our goal, I think that's

934
01:17:17,199 --> 01:17:21,520
kind of
>> I'm going to save most of my comments

935
01:17:19,600 --> 01:17:24,960
till after everyone talks. But I I do
want to also say

936
01:17:23,348 --> 01:17:29,360
[clears throat and snorts]
it's also incumbent on us that if there

937
01:17:27,520 --> 01:17:33,600
if we look at another option and there
is a lot of savings, let's just say

938
01:17:31,520 --> 01:17:36,800
there is. We still remember we've got
reversion coming up. We have CIP that

939
01:17:35,600 --> 01:17:40,719
we're not going to have any real money
for. We just heard from somebody that

940
01:17:38,400 --> 01:17:45,920
says VPI is super important. We have
other savings that we could pour into

941
01:17:43,040 --> 01:17:50,080
our students, into our staff. There is
some disruption, but is there other

942
01:17:47,600 --> 01:17:54,640
things that we can do that are not only
mitigating, but helping us excel in

943
01:17:51,679 --> 01:18:00,320
other in other avenues? So, I want to be
cognizant of that. So, I I think that we

944
01:17:56,960 --> 01:18:02,480
got a one thing we say tonight is is
great, but we still have a lot to really

945
01:18:01,840 --> 01:18:08,400
chew on.
>> Yeah.

946
01:18:03,440 --> 01:18:15,280
My my fear is and this is a great amount
of data is you know it's hard for me to

947
01:18:13,120 --> 01:18:19,760
say I agree it's a lot of it's hard for
me to say we should take any options off

948
01:18:16,880 --> 01:18:24,400
the table with you know getting an hour
to look over 60s some pages worth of

949
01:18:22,400 --> 01:18:28,719
data it's hard for me to go all right
let's eliminate one of the options when

950
01:18:27,840 --> 01:18:31,679
» I haven't
>> looked at them all

951
01:18:29,520 --> 01:18:36,640
» I haven't had a chance to really dive
into these No, no offense to you.

952
01:18:35,040 --> 01:18:40,239
» You provided a ton of information, which
is which is great and exactly what we

953
01:18:38,320 --> 01:18:44,000
asked for. It's just
>> I agree with you. I don't think that

954
01:18:42,080 --> 01:18:47,360
that might still be the option we land
at, but man, it's hard for me to go, all

955
01:18:46,000 --> 01:18:49,520
right, we should take it off the board
and then

956
01:18:48,239 --> 01:18:52,320
» No, that's what I was going to ask was,
do we have to have this answer to you

957
01:18:51,120 --> 01:18:55,280
tonight or could it be
>> I think that directs us the town hall

958
01:18:54,159 --> 01:18:58,800
meetings we're going to be having.
>> Well, I mean, that's another

959
01:18:57,199 --> 01:19:02,480
» Yeah. Well, let's let's let's be honest.
I can I can be perfectly honest with

960
01:19:00,320 --> 01:19:06,239
you. I'm not I don't predict the future,
but if we say we're going to look at

961
01:19:04,239 --> 01:19:09,760
considering closing two schools, those
town halls are going to be like

962
01:19:07,600 --> 01:19:13,440
everyone's going to say do option one,
don't close a school, right? Or they're

963
01:19:12,320 --> 01:19:17,120
going to say, well, if you close two
schools, just don't close my school. And

964
01:19:15,040 --> 01:19:21,040
I get that. We know that that's what's
going to happen. I I think we need we

965
01:19:19,360 --> 01:19:26,000
certainly do need time to digest this
information so that we can you informed

966
01:19:24,000 --> 01:19:29,520
us a lot, but I'm I'm not I couldn't go
and talk to somebody on the street about

967
01:19:27,600 --> 01:19:32,960
it with any
>> depth of knowledge or confidence. I'm

968
01:19:31,120 --> 01:19:37,400
not just talking inside of my mouth.
>> And it you know, at the same time

969
01:19:38,080 --> 01:19:44,960
that I I guess that's where I'm coming
from. If if I have to choose tonight,

970
01:19:42,080 --> 01:19:48,760
» I got to go lobster. I I because I
because I can't I can't wrap my head

971
01:19:47,199 --> 01:19:52,880
around anything else at this point.
[clears throat] So I think I need more

972
01:19:50,400 --> 01:19:56,960
time. I just
>> I'm not smart enough to figure this out

973
01:19:55,520 --> 01:20:03,040
in 20 minutes, guys.
>> Yeah. To to to be clear, I'm not I'm not

974
01:20:00,080 --> 01:20:07,120
asking you guys to say one or two. I'm
just asking, do you want to take two off

975
01:20:05,360 --> 01:20:12,560
the table or keep it on the table? That
is the only question I'm asking.

976
01:20:09,360 --> 01:20:15,600
» I'm sorry. I need I'm maybe I I need to
be very clear about that. That is the

977
01:20:13,920 --> 01:20:17,600
question I'm asking. Do you want to have
those options when you have your town

978
01:20:17,120 --> 01:20:22,400
halls?
>> Okay, that makes it way

979
01:20:20,400 --> 01:20:26,960
» at this point. [laughter]
>> Someone just smack me for now.

980
01:20:24,480 --> 01:20:32,239
» I think we might. [snorts]
I think we might still come to that same

981
01:20:29,120 --> 01:20:36,560
conclusion. Um, all right. It's not
>> Man, it'd be nice to be able to take

982
01:20:34,560 --> 01:20:38,560
this evening and work through
everything.

983
01:20:36,880 --> 01:20:41,679
» To Chris's point, we have a fiduciary
responsibility.

984
01:20:39,440 --> 01:20:46,880
» Absolutely. you.
It's really uh Mr. Haggler said it

985
01:20:43,920 --> 01:20:51,520
before, it's really hard to run a school
under that 60%. Because the the math

986
01:20:50,000 --> 01:20:55,760
doesn't wipe math out. You have Otter
River with a a fourth grade that's got

987
01:20:53,920 --> 01:21:00,400
34 kids in it and so you have to add a
second teacher. I get it. So, I don't I

988
01:20:58,400 --> 01:21:07,760
think we shouldn't take any option off
the table except for uh closing [snorts]

989
01:21:04,239 --> 01:21:12,080
three schools to me is nutty. So that's
that's an option I I

990
01:21:10,000 --> 01:21:15,600
» look like it did that one did come up.
>> Yeah, it's it's

991
01:21:13,600 --> 01:21:19,440
» you guys and I I want you guys all to
jump in too and this is a full-on

992
01:21:17,920 --> 01:21:23,840
discussion.
>> Well,

993
01:21:20,960 --> 01:21:28,719
I mean I I had mentioned before I didn't
want to just keep putting band-aids on

994
01:21:25,600 --> 01:21:32,640
everything. I wanted to just do it once
and let people settle where they're

995
01:21:31,040 --> 01:21:40,560
going to be.
Um, that being said, um,

996
01:21:37,440 --> 01:21:45,360
closing two schools, I'm I mean, I guess
I'm an optimist. I'm hoping there's more

997
01:21:42,640 --> 01:21:51,760
babies coming. [laughter] I'm I'm hoping
that the economy changes and we actually

998
01:21:47,760 --> 01:21:55,679
start seeing healthier people and more,
you know, stay home moms who can

999
01:21:53,920 --> 01:22:01,679
actually still have children and take
care of them. I um

1000
01:21:59,679 --> 01:22:06,639
and that we don't have to have two
people working all the time so that we

1001
01:22:04,320 --> 01:22:13,440
can have more children and healthier
families. Um but I know that's not what

1002
01:22:09,520 --> 01:22:21,360
reality is right now. Um
so I'm a little more um I'm a little

1003
01:22:18,159 --> 01:22:27,360
more careful to not close two schools.
That's that doesn't give us an option um

1004
01:22:25,360 --> 01:22:32,880
to have to reopen something else, you
know. [clears throat]

1005
01:22:30,159 --> 01:22:37,600
Yeah. I It's hard to sell schools, too.
So, it might still be there even if we

1006
01:22:35,199 --> 01:22:42,280
don't actually have it running. So, I
don't know how that would work either.

1007
01:22:42,560 --> 01:22:46,880
Um,
as everybody has said, it's a lot of

1008
01:22:45,679 --> 01:22:51,280
information and it's something I want to
digest as well, but I also do want to

1009
01:22:48,960 --> 01:22:57,440
hear from administration and the
different areas of the buildings and

1010
01:22:55,280 --> 01:23:02,000
you know how much needs to go into a
building, all of the buildings that have

1011
01:22:59,199 --> 01:23:06,639
been mentioned or transportation and how
difficult that would be to find seven

1012
01:23:04,159 --> 01:23:12,000
additional bus drivers when we already
struggle. Um, so I think I want to hear

1013
01:23:09,199 --> 01:23:17,679
from our administration as well before
we take anything off the table.

1014
01:23:16,320 --> 01:23:21,000
I mean, that's where I'm at. I just I
need more information.

1015
01:23:22,320 --> 01:23:31,520
» Um, I too am reticent to to close two
schools just because of the community

1016
01:23:29,120 --> 01:23:37,800
backlash that would happen with that. I
think it would be very difficult to

1017
01:23:33,440 --> 01:23:37,800
swallow. Um,

1018
01:23:39,040 --> 01:23:48,400
but Steuartsville we know needed to
close and remember the the backlash that

1019
01:23:44,719 --> 01:23:55,600
we got from that u because it it's an
emotional decision and I think if we did

1020
01:23:51,280 --> 01:23:59,239
two or three schools we could all just
have to watch our backs.

1021
01:23:59,760 --> 01:24:05,280
» Can we we might have to take them at
savings to buy kevlar you know.

1022
01:24:03,679 --> 01:24:08,800
» Absolutely.
But no, it's, you know, and we need to

1023
01:24:07,040 --> 01:24:13,040
hear from our constituents before we
make any decisions, too. You know, so I

1024
01:24:11,440 --> 01:24:16,400
think all the options should stay on the
table.

1025
01:24:14,080 --> 01:24:20,400
» Um, you know, a million dollar savings
is not something to sneeze at when we've

1026
01:24:18,800 --> 01:24:25,920
got
a big shortfall coming.

1027
01:24:23,760 --> 01:24:30,239
So, yeah, we're all going to be
digesting this information and we need

1028
01:24:28,719 --> 01:24:34,639
more.
>> I've got one question for administration

1029
01:24:32,000 --> 01:24:38,928
here. Um,
GP is our I think our fifth largest

1030
01:24:37,040 --> 01:24:44,080
employer in Bethford County or in
[clears throat] the top you know you

1031
01:24:40,000 --> 01:24:48,800
talk to um do we have a responsibility
to keep Big Island there as part of any

1032
01:24:46,880 --> 01:24:53,360
type of agreement with GP when it came
in I have heard that but I don't know of

1033
01:24:50,480 --> 01:24:56,320
any exist I don't have a record of it
>> I don't have anything in my files with

1034
01:24:55,120 --> 01:25:00,400
anything like that
>> I've always heard that

1035
01:24:57,760 --> 01:25:04,639
» and I would say in essence really
>> you can't really buy in future school

1036
01:25:02,159 --> 01:25:07,748
boards you know this is school board at
city right now. That's your

1037
01:25:05,920 --> 01:25:12,280
responsibility to make decisions. You
[snorts] can't really buy a future

1038
01:25:08,960 --> 01:25:12,280
school board.

1039
01:25:15,280 --> 01:25:21,679
» I would say there's also a couple things
I know a lot of division or you know

1040
01:25:19,520 --> 01:25:26,320
counties are considering a you know a
sales tax increase. I don't think we're

1041
01:25:23,760 --> 01:25:30,480
one of them. Um as of as of right now I
don't think that we are. And that's so

1042
01:25:27,840 --> 01:25:35,040
that's assuming that doesn't ever come
up and doesn't get done. We still have

1043
01:25:33,760 --> 01:25:38,800
What are we going to do to help fix
these schools? So, yeah, we have a

1044
01:25:36,480 --> 01:25:43,840
million or$2 million dollars of ongoing
savings. What are we gonna, you know,

1045
01:25:41,360 --> 01:25:46,960
HVAC is going to go out, roofs are going
to go, parking, all the things that we

1046
01:25:45,360 --> 01:25:50,800
have to deal with on a CIP level. So,
what's that ongoing savings? So, that's

1047
01:25:48,800 --> 01:25:55,199
something else to consider. The other
thing is you don't want to also be like,

1048
01:25:52,400 --> 01:26:00,560
hey, we're just taking this away. So I
would ask staff if you had which you're

1049
01:25:58,480 --> 01:26:06,960
going to have a million. If you had two
million, what would we do with that to

1050
01:26:03,199 --> 01:26:12,080
better our education for our kids to to
help our staff? What would we do? What

1051
01:26:09,040 --> 01:26:16,000
would we put that money into? Now this
board will change and of course we need

1052
01:26:13,600 --> 01:26:20,800
to approve that stuff. But your best
foot forward, what would make the

1053
01:26:17,600 --> 01:26:25,280
biggest positive impact on the division
if we did that? And I understand, Mr.

1054
01:26:23,600 --> 01:26:27,920
Kins, I understand your point. What if,
and you know, what if you and Dora,

1055
01:26:26,719 --> 01:26:31,600
right, and people going to start having
more kids and we're going to fill these

1056
01:26:29,440 --> 01:26:35,920
up? Obviously, it would depend where
they go. We still have a couple

1057
01:26:32,960 --> 01:26:40,639
buildings that we could add on that we
could add on a wing tube or something.

1058
01:26:38,800 --> 01:26:44,159
We already are ruling out because I
guarantee if you put the sit the

1059
01:26:42,320 --> 01:26:48,400
situation in there for like if we had
the perfect spot and we could spend $50

1060
01:26:46,239 --> 01:26:52,080
million that we don't have to build an
elementary school that we may need, you

1061
01:26:50,639 --> 01:26:56,239
can move kids around a whole lot. You're
going to need more buses, but you would

1062
01:26:53,840 --> 01:26:59,520
alleviate the the 90% problem
everywhere.

1063
01:26:57,120 --> 01:27:03,040
» But where we if if we're considering 1
million or two million, we definitely

1064
01:27:00,960 --> 01:27:07,280
it's going to take 25 years to get to 50
million. So

1065
01:27:06,080 --> 01:27:11,199
there's a there's a couple different
things that we do certainly need to

1066
01:27:08,880 --> 01:27:15,280
consider. My recommendation would be not
to take anything off the table. Let us

1067
01:27:13,199 --> 01:27:18,080
have a chance. We have to do that. We're
going to have town halls pretty much

1068
01:27:16,960 --> 01:27:21,280
know where they're going to be. But this
is going to be very important to hear

1069
01:27:19,679 --> 01:27:24,800
because in each of these four there's
other different options like sub

1070
01:27:23,199 --> 01:27:27,840
options. And I think once the public
sees that and looks at it, they go,

1071
01:27:26,159 --> 01:27:32,239
"Hey, I get it. If you have to do this,
this one is the best ride or whatever."

1072
01:27:30,639 --> 01:27:36,435
Um, but I think we shouldn't take
anything off the table. We should just

1073
01:27:34,400 --> 01:27:38,639
approach the town halls head
[clears throat] on and we're going to

1074
01:27:37,360 --> 01:27:43,600
try to make the best decision we can
make for the county. Not just for right

1075
01:27:41,040 --> 01:27:51,840
now, but as we get into the future. So,
>> is there am I the only person concerned

1076
01:27:49,040 --> 01:27:54,960
if we close too many schools that kids
are gonna parents are going to start

1077
01:27:53,199 --> 01:28:00,480
pulling kids out of our division and put
them in somewhere else?

1078
01:27:58,239 --> 01:28:05,280
I'm I I have a concern about that
personally. Um

1079
01:28:03,199 --> 01:28:09,040
my my alone in that
>> I think anytime you you put a school

1080
01:28:07,520 --> 01:28:11,840
system into a
>> state of flux.

1081
01:28:10,000 --> 01:28:18,960
» Yeah. You're going to have it's going to
take a little bit to even back out. So I

1082
01:28:16,480 --> 01:28:23,520
I would agree with you in the short term
absolutely but I don't I don't know. You

1083
01:28:22,320 --> 01:28:28,320
might know this from your experience
with other other school systems. Once

1084
01:28:26,239 --> 01:28:32,880
you put the And right now we're in a
state of flux. Um, you know, how long

1085
01:28:31,360 --> 01:28:37,600
does that take to kind of even out? Do
you have a a metric on that?

1086
01:28:35,120 --> 01:28:41,600
» So, let let me just say, and this is why
this is always so hard. There's no

1087
01:28:39,280 --> 01:28:44,800
perfect decision. No one no one wants to
be making the decisions to consolidate

1088
01:28:43,120 --> 01:28:50,400
schools, but you also want to think
about two different things. Um, is it

1089
01:28:48,560 --> 01:28:54,480
possible that closing additional school
pushes some families out of the

1090
01:28:52,239 --> 01:28:58,966
district? Yes.
Is it possible that not closing down

1091
01:28:56,480 --> 01:29:02,560
another school over time pushes some
[laughter] folks out of the district if

1092
01:29:00,639 --> 01:29:06,320
enrollment declines and class sizes get
really small and they decide they want

1093
01:29:04,239 --> 01:29:09,679
to go elsewhere as well? Yes, I've also
seen that happen. I've seen school

1094
01:29:08,080 --> 01:29:15,600
districts where they haven't made those
decisions and some of the school sizes

1095
01:29:12,560 --> 01:29:20,480
get so small and you get to like one
classroom situations where let's just

1096
01:29:18,480 --> 01:29:25,199
say your kid's having a hard time with
another kid. you don't have another

1097
01:29:22,480 --> 01:29:29,120
classroom to move them into in that
school in that particular school. Like

1098
01:29:27,520 --> 01:29:33,679
you start have you start running into
more of those situations when you have

1099
01:29:31,360 --> 01:29:39,679
lower utilization. You also just have
less programming often times when

1100
01:29:36,320 --> 01:29:42,960
utilization gets lower. So um I would
say

1101
01:29:41,199 --> 01:29:46,781
neither of these neither of these are
decisions that I would want to be making

1102
01:29:44,800 --> 01:29:50,239
either. These are very hard emotional
[clears throat] decisions, especially

1103
01:29:47,679 --> 01:29:53,040
for folks like many of you who not only
are on the school board and obviously

1104
01:29:51,520 --> 01:29:57,040
care a lot about your community, but
also probably grew up in the community

1105
01:29:54,880 --> 01:30:02,800
as well. And so have those ties to each
of these buildings. So um I know that

1106
01:30:00,719 --> 01:30:06,960
was a very long- winded way to say this
is a very very hard decision, but I

1107
01:30:04,960 --> 01:30:12,000
think in both directions you can have
both negative and positive outcomes.

1108
01:30:10,000 --> 01:30:16,239
And you know some of the positives of
the consolidation are the opposite of

1109
01:30:13,679 --> 01:30:20,960
what I just said. you have larger, you
know, less schools doesn't always mean

1110
01:30:18,480 --> 01:30:27,199
larger class sizes. It means more
sections and that can give flexibility

1111
01:30:23,679 --> 01:30:31,040
to school districts as well. And um more
programming can be with with savings.

1112
01:30:29,520 --> 01:30:35,760
You know, the question you asked like
that is a potential thing that that

1113
01:30:32,639 --> 01:30:40,560
exists. And then on the on the side of
not not closing um a school down,

1114
01:30:38,719 --> 01:30:45,120
obviously you have the like community
not being as frustrated. Um, but then

1115
01:30:43,760 --> 01:30:49,520
are you just kicking the can down the
road for another 10 years and you get to

1116
01:30:46,960 --> 01:30:54,480
the spot where you have to do this again
and maybe you have more decline because

1117
01:30:51,920 --> 01:30:58,719
of some of those issues.
>> Yeah. I [clears throat]

1118
01:30:56,960 --> 01:31:02,400
there's been a debate over Stewartsville
for several years and I'm sure parents

1119
01:31:00,880 --> 01:31:06,000
when it was talked about two years ago
were like I'm I'm you know for that

1120
01:31:04,480 --> 01:31:10,159
amount of time they've been thinking
about that. It's in the back of your

1121
01:31:07,199 --> 01:31:15,280
mind. And if we don't do if we let's
just say we we like we really should do

1122
01:31:12,560 --> 01:31:20,239
it, but we we're not gonna, we're going
to just cause a lot of instability, I

1123
01:31:17,920 --> 01:31:22,960
think, too. So, I I think if we make the
if we make a move, we need to make a

1124
01:31:21,760 --> 01:31:26,560
move. That's why we're sitting here
doing the entire looking at the entire

1125
01:31:24,719 --> 01:31:29,679
county as a whole and not just trying to
go, well, what about this? What about

1126
01:31:27,760 --> 01:31:35,920
that? Let's look at the entire county.
Let's try to make the best decision we

1127
01:31:31,280 --> 01:31:39,040
can make now. Um, so
>> yeah,

1128
01:31:37,120 --> 01:31:44,800
» I just wondered, you know, the Otter
River area, we're looking at forest the

1129
01:31:42,560 --> 01:31:51,199
forest area continuing to grow out,
which that's what usually happens

1130
01:31:47,920 --> 01:31:55,600
and we closed Otter River,
we'd have to be sending them to Big

1131
01:31:52,719 --> 01:31:58,000
Island or, you know, I don't
>> you have [clears throat] to add on to a

1132
01:31:56,639 --> 01:32:00,000
school in Forest or
>> Yeah. I mean,

1133
01:31:58,639 --> 01:32:05,199
» there would have to be a line shift
again and then maybe they go into the

1134
01:32:02,320 --> 01:32:09,920
Liberty zone somehow some way.
I don't know if that what I mean, we're

1135
01:32:07,600 --> 01:32:13,120
we're we need time to dive into each one
and this is going to be out there. We're

1136
01:32:11,920 --> 01:32:16,400
going to start hearing from people and
we're going to have a couple of town

1137
01:32:14,880 --> 01:32:21,360
halls and we'll have chances to ask
other questions as as well. I don't

1138
01:32:18,880 --> 01:32:27,520
know, you know,
I'm sure we'll start hearing from board

1139
01:32:23,520 --> 01:32:30,239
of supervisors as well on these. Um, you
know, because they're going to get

1140
01:32:28,800 --> 01:32:33,920
they're going to get calls and stuff,
but that that's absolutely going to

1141
01:32:31,360 --> 01:32:38,080
happen. But if you did look at another
school, you know, we have to be

1142
01:32:35,760 --> 01:32:43,040
practical here, too, and go what makes
the most sense, which what school would

1143
01:32:40,400 --> 01:32:46,560
be, you know, you know, our river would
be something that's kind of like it's on

1144
01:32:44,560 --> 01:32:50,239
221, it's right there. Like, I don't
know. You have to look at the schools

1145
01:32:47,760 --> 01:32:53,840
and go you don't want them sitting there
vacant. What could they be? Could they

1146
01:32:52,000 --> 01:32:57,440
be anything? Is there anything to that?
I don't know. But this is all things

1147
01:32:55,280 --> 01:33:01,360
that have to be considered. You have to
consider all of it. So,

1148
01:32:59,440 --> 01:33:08,400
» well,
Big Island is definitely under utilized,

1149
01:33:04,800 --> 01:33:11,040
but a community up there.
>> That's the other thing. Like the bus

1150
01:33:09,600 --> 01:33:12,960
rides are probably pretty long.
>> Yes,

1151
01:33:11,679 --> 01:33:16,800
» they're already long.
>> It's not a straight line. There's

1152
01:33:15,440 --> 01:33:19,280
mountains in the way.
>> There's mountains,

1153
01:33:18,320 --> 01:33:22,800
» you know, it's just
>> 122 or 501 head.

1154
01:33:20,560 --> 01:33:27,040
» Yeah, you have to either go or
>> and I mean I I'll say speak speaking

1155
01:33:24,639 --> 01:33:32,239
both for Hotter River and for um and for
Big Island, Big Island definitely

1156
01:33:29,199 --> 01:33:37,040
increases the transport transportation
the most under the most if you look at

1157
01:33:35,199 --> 01:33:43,600
the most optimal transportation option
for all of them. Uh

1158
01:33:40,480 --> 01:33:47,600
is the worst on that. Um, if you look at
Otter River, to your point, I know it

1159
01:33:46,239 --> 01:33:52,000
seems weird to be closing a school
that's like in that growth area, and

1160
01:33:50,560 --> 01:33:58,960
that's the reason why you have to move
the most students. Um, but it actually

1161
01:33:54,719 --> 01:34:04,080
balances relatively well. Um, so it's
it's also closer to other schools. So

1162
01:34:01,360 --> 01:34:07,360
like the transportation burden is lower.
>> There's buses that you have to buy

1163
01:34:05,679 --> 01:34:11,760
because we're buying we're buying buses.
And you know, we'd looked, oh, seven,

1164
01:34:09,760 --> 01:34:14,960
that's not that many. We need seven bus
drivers and that seems to be not the

1165
01:34:13,600 --> 01:34:19,440
easiest thing in the world. I guess
seven bus drivers is easier than 30.

1166
01:34:17,679 --> 01:34:23,280
When you were putting that number, you
were saying that was the number of buses

1167
01:34:21,520 --> 01:34:25,440
to make sure all kids are 60 minutes and
under.

1168
01:34:23,679 --> 01:34:27,840
» Yeah. So this was like putting a new
constraint on everything

1169
01:34:26,800 --> 01:34:32,159
» which we don't have now
>> which we don't that's that is not a

1170
01:34:29,360 --> 01:34:35,600
constraint that we have. Um, so just to
explain that a little bit, one of the

1171
01:34:33,520 --> 01:34:41,120
things that we want that I wanted to be
able to um, talk through is

1172
01:34:39,520 --> 01:34:44,880
the way that we were optimizing
transportation

1173
01:34:43,040 --> 01:34:48,560
assumed that you were running buses the
way that you were running them now. But

1174
01:34:47,120 --> 01:34:52,320
one thing you could do if you had
schools that were further away is run

1175
01:34:50,000 --> 01:34:55,440
more buses out those routes. Uh, Randy,
I know you you brought that up and so

1176
01:34:53,760 --> 01:34:58,639
that was something we wanted to test. So
that's where that number comes from of

1177
01:34:56,800 --> 01:35:00,560
like how can could we fix some of the
transportation problems with running

1178
01:35:00,000 --> 01:35:04,400
more buses
>> and and look if you're saving some money

1179
01:35:02,719 --> 01:35:07,840
and you put in there I think that you
know that alleviates a concern of

1180
01:35:06,320 --> 01:35:11,040
parents for sure
>> and what time do you have to get up you

1181
01:35:09,520 --> 01:35:15,199
got these kids at the bus stop it's
incredibly dark

1182
01:35:13,040 --> 01:35:19,120
» and then at at you know what time did
they get home and pretty soon it's going

1183
01:35:16,719 --> 01:35:22,320
to be dark at 5 and you know you see
buses and they're getting there it's

1184
01:35:20,239 --> 01:35:25,920
like is that an afterchool program no
they're just getting home now it's a

1185
01:35:24,080 --> 01:35:29,520
long day for kids and then they got to
do homework and they got, you know, if

1186
01:35:27,280 --> 01:35:34,159
they want to do any sort of
extracurricular activity or go to

1187
01:35:31,120 --> 01:35:39,831
church. It's it's a lot. That's a lot.
So, I would certainly be up for looking

1188
01:35:37,520 --> 01:35:44,800
at keeping bus rides as short as we
[clears throat] could if we had to do

1189
01:35:41,360 --> 01:35:48,400
something. That's a that's a, you know,
something that we would have to

1190
01:35:45,920 --> 01:35:51,520
consider. You don't want to add a bur,
you know, do a burden, which could be,

1191
01:35:49,760 --> 01:35:55,040
and maybe it works out good, which it it
could, but then Oh, oh, by the way, now

1192
01:35:53,360 --> 01:35:59,840
you're on the bus another 25 minutes.
That's a long long thing it took. So,

1193
01:35:57,840 --> 01:36:03,840
» can I just add I think with A1, let me
just in looking at A1 with Stewart with

1194
01:36:02,560 --> 01:36:09,199
boundaries. It's boundaries for the
whole district, not just there, but A1

1195
01:36:06,239 --> 01:36:13,360
was taking care of basically the
consolidation of mainly Stewartville and

1196
01:36:11,199 --> 01:36:16,719
Good View, but moving kids so we
wouldn't have to add on a mobile or add

1197
01:36:15,440 --> 01:36:18,560
on to Good View. Is that correct?
>> Correct.

1198
01:36:17,120 --> 01:36:21,679
» So all the all the maps on there,
>> they don't all go to good they don't all

1199
01:36:20,080 --> 01:36:24,320
go to good view. And then also we move
some students out.

1200
01:36:22,400 --> 01:36:26,320
» So that would alleviate the the cost or
the need for mobiles at Good View.

1201
01:36:26,000 --> 01:36:30,760
» Correct.
>> Okay. Thank you. Just wanted to add

1202
01:36:27,760 --> 01:36:30,760
that.

1203
01:36:34,239 --> 01:36:40,280
» So
looking at this

1204
01:36:42,056 --> 01:36:49,600
[laughter]
um well can we not an accountant.

1205
01:36:48,000 --> 01:36:55,679
» Is there is there a big difference,
Randy, between the CIP needs for Big

1206
01:36:52,639 --> 01:36:59,280
Otter and for for Big Island and for
Otter River

1207
01:36:57,840 --> 01:37:02,239
» over the next 10 years?
>> Let me take a look at that with the

1208
01:37:00,400 --> 01:37:05,360
facility. We can look at that. Let me
get my maintenance and look at what our

1209
01:37:03,760 --> 01:37:08,320
needs are and when things are coming on.
I don't have that in front of me, but I

1210
01:37:07,119 --> 01:37:13,040
can bring that and get that out to the
board as soon as I can. as far as when

1211
01:37:11,199 --> 01:37:16,639
are the you know we we track the big
things the roof the HVAC you know and

1212
01:37:15,280 --> 01:37:22,080
things like that when are those coming
up and a lot of the HVAC have been taken

1213
01:37:19,360 --> 01:37:26,320
care of over the last four years so you
know the needs on that hopefully the

1214
01:37:24,400 --> 01:37:33,440
last 20 25 years on that we'll see with
this new um when you ask me my opinion

1215
01:37:30,239 --> 01:37:37,679
um I've been guiding the board really on
what the future is on we've had

1216
01:37:35,520 --> 01:37:42,639
declining employment I think this data
is putting a a lot of great data in

1217
01:37:40,560 --> 01:37:45,600
front of you that we were able we we
were able to do at a top level but not

1218
01:37:44,080 --> 01:37:51,920
in this level and so I appreciate what
DA has brought to brought to the table

1219
01:37:47,360 --> 01:37:56,320
here. Um we do have reversion coming to
there's a gap in funding that's going to

1220
01:37:54,000 --> 01:37:59,360
come we have set aside funds but not to
the level that it's going to go away

1221
01:37:57,600 --> 01:38:04,400
from the state. So that has to be
addressed either with more revenue or

1222
01:38:01,840 --> 01:38:08,639
some cuts. Uh we still want to continue
to be competitive and pay and give those

1223
01:38:07,280 --> 01:38:13,280
raises when they're on the table for the
state that requires local match. Um I

1224
01:38:10,960 --> 01:38:16,320
think somebody was saying that if you do
uh have some savings, maybe there's

1225
01:38:14,960 --> 01:38:21,520
other programs want to add. Well, that's
added cost and then the money that was

1226
01:38:19,520 --> 01:38:25,920
set aside has allowed us to do quite a
bit in the CIP uh capital improvements

1227
01:38:24,480 --> 01:38:30,239
across the board. We'll be able to do a
lot more this year and next year, but

1228
01:38:28,239 --> 01:38:33,639
after reversion, if all that money moves
over to the operating

1229
01:38:33,840 --> 01:38:38,480
then you might have some lane years
where you can do CIP. There's not much,

1230
01:38:37,199 --> 01:38:41,840
you know, you can do. You're gonna have
to build that fund back up with

1231
01:38:40,000 --> 01:38:44,159
reoccurring funds over long term. I
don't think it's going to happen

1232
01:38:42,719 --> 01:38:48,719
overnight. I don't think you can just
find five million to fund that every

1233
01:38:45,920 --> 01:38:52,400
year. And I would peg that CIP probably
around five to six million a year to

1234
01:38:50,800 --> 01:38:56,719
maintain all of our equipment, long-term
on our buildings. So, I didn't answer

1235
01:38:54,480 --> 01:39:00,400
your question, but those are the three
things I see as concerns going

1236
01:38:58,953 --> 01:39:04,960
[laughter] forward from the accounting
side. And I and I know we don't have

1237
01:39:02,080 --> 01:39:08,000
everything laid out in the CIP plan
before you never know when emergencies

1238
01:39:06,960 --> 01:39:13,840
are going to happen, things are going to
break, but if could we also get just a

1239
01:39:11,440 --> 01:39:18,000
breakdown of like got the next five
years planned out scheduled maintenance,

1240
01:39:16,239 --> 01:39:22,719
» could we get that broken out to okay, if
we eliminated X school,

1241
01:39:20,800 --> 01:39:26,560
» it would it would also not only get the
million dollars in savings, but it would

1242
01:39:24,000 --> 01:39:29,600
also eliminate these CP.
>> The maintenance department is actually

1243
01:39:27,600 --> 01:39:32,239
looking we got a plan almost out 30
years. Yes.

1244
01:39:30,480 --> 01:39:35,920
» So, we roll things on when we think it's
coming up to end of life. But then we

1245
01:39:33,920 --> 01:39:38,719
evaluate, can we get another two or
three years out? Just because we say

1246
01:39:37,360 --> 01:39:41,840
it's end of life doesn't mean we replace
it. We're looking at how the, you know,

1247
01:39:40,560 --> 01:39:44,400
how's it operating?
>> If the roof has no leaks, we're not

1248
01:39:43,280 --> 01:39:47,119
going to do it next year. You know,
we're going to we're going to kind of

1249
01:39:45,360 --> 01:39:52,080
get more out of that. But we have that
out 30 years. Yes. That comes into play

1250
01:39:49,199 --> 01:39:54,239
as far as if a school comes off, what is
that for you?

1251
01:39:52,880 --> 01:39:56,880
» So, the million-dollar statement is just
an operation.

1252
01:39:55,280 --> 01:40:03,040
» Yeah. Nice.
>> Doesn't have to be that sport decision.

1253
01:39:58,560 --> 01:40:07,360
I'm saying it's the number one savings
only that's reoccurring savings and and

1254
01:40:05,199 --> 01:40:12,320
I would say that's really on the
administration side in the building

1255
01:40:09,119 --> 01:40:15,040
custodial nutrition principal clerical
teachers

1256
01:40:13,520 --> 01:40:19,360
» on the counselor
>> well counselors probably but basically

1257
01:40:17,040 --> 01:40:22,320
the teachers go with the kids
>> because you're going to have more kids

1258
01:40:20,960 --> 01:40:25,440
in other schools the teachers will flow
on what's with them

1259
01:40:24,000 --> 01:40:29,080
» so not really a big reduction on
teachers [clears throat] Anything

1260
01:40:29,520 --> 01:40:35,159
else?
Questions, comments,

1261
01:40:38,320 --> 01:40:48,080
but if we save this money, does that
mean we get less from the board of

1262
01:40:45,440 --> 01:40:54,639
supervisors so that we basically don't
save anything? I mean, as far as the

1263
01:40:52,480 --> 01:40:58,400
» is that a possibility?
>> Yes. I mean

1264
01:40:56,560 --> 01:41:05,840
» I mean that that's working between the
boards. Um there is a gap with reversion

1265
01:41:01,600 --> 01:41:11,119
and working with reassessment tax rates
additional funding to make up that gap.

1266
01:41:08,719 --> 01:41:14,560
Um do we need you know is this board
required to do all the lifting to make

1267
01:41:12,480 --> 01:41:19,280
that cut or is there additional revenue
that's negotiated supervisor? So

1268
01:41:16,880 --> 01:41:24,400
anything's possible. But as we continue
this process of being or seeing

1269
01:41:22,239 --> 01:41:29,760
uncapacity school under capacity
schools, we will get less money from the

1270
01:41:27,040 --> 01:41:36,000
state to continue to fund those. So
where does that fall? It falls on the

1271
01:41:32,560 --> 01:41:42,239
local government. And so there has to be
a discussion. I I I could probably X out

1272
01:41:38,960 --> 01:41:44,880
half of my report here. Um what I would
urge you to do, and I think you've just

1273
01:41:43,360 --> 01:41:48,800
said it, is don't take anything off the
table tonight.

1274
01:41:47,199 --> 01:41:52,239
The town halls are going to be robust.
They need to be robust. [clears throat]

1275
01:41:50,800 --> 01:41:56,800
She's right. We do need to get the
public involved. But at the end of the

1276
01:41:54,400 --> 01:42:01,520
day, there still needs to be a
consideration. As many of you have

1277
01:41:58,880 --> 01:42:07,280
mentioned tonight, reversion. It's
coming. Are we prepared for it? You're

1278
01:42:04,400 --> 01:42:12,320
going to hear uh later tonight that
we're we're moving on an abbreviated

1279
01:42:09,440 --> 01:42:18,320
budget because the county has asked us
to do that because they're considering

1280
01:42:15,199 --> 01:42:21,920
um reassessment property tax, those
kinds of things. So, there's a lot of

1281
01:42:20,000 --> 01:42:27,679
push right now. When you look and add
all those up, there's a lot of variables

1282
01:42:24,800 --> 01:42:32,800
and and those discussions need to be had
not only here and our finance committee,

1283
01:42:30,159 --> 01:42:37,360
but they need to be had down the street
because at the end of the day, that's

1284
01:42:34,320 --> 01:42:41,840
their responsibility is to fund us. If
if we keep going down in capacities,

1285
01:42:39,520 --> 01:42:46,880
correct me if I'm wrong, Randy, but if
we have 19 schools and they only fund us

1286
01:42:44,400 --> 01:42:50,719
for 16 schools, who pays for those
extras?

1287
01:42:49,199 --> 01:42:54,320
any positions or anything that's not
recognized by the state is on locality.

1288
01:42:52,400 --> 01:42:56,880
» It's on the locality. So those are
discussions that need to [clears throat]

1289
01:42:55,440 --> 01:43:01,440
be had
>> and and and Mr. Dupair, we are having

1290
01:42:59,199 --> 01:43:04,880
those conversations with we we've we've
talked to our counterparts on the board

1291
01:43:03,600 --> 01:43:09,360
of supervisors. We've had several
meetings. We plan on having more. I

1292
01:43:06,880 --> 01:43:13,199
think they understand our position and
and Miss Pervvis, you're right that that

1293
01:43:11,280 --> 01:43:17,760
could be the case, but we have to
operate. We're net receiver, right? We

1294
01:43:14,960 --> 01:43:21,119
don't we don't make our own money. Um,
we have to make the best decision we can

1295
01:43:19,760 --> 01:43:24,960
with the cards that we have in front of
us and do the best we can. And we do

1296
01:43:23,360 --> 01:43:27,840
have to make the case to our our
constituents over there and say this is

1297
01:43:26,560 --> 01:43:31,920
where we're at.
>> I know they you tell us we we need to

1298
01:43:30,239 --> 01:43:34,239
make tough decisions and and we are. I
don't think we're shying away from our

1299
01:43:33,280 --> 01:43:39,360
responsibility.
>> I think they'd appreciate the fact that

1300
01:43:35,840 --> 01:43:44,960
we're trying to consolidate. So,
>> we're not taking any decisions lightly.

1301
01:43:41,119 --> 01:43:50,719
you know, we he hau for a long time and
um we talked to our constituents and um

1302
01:43:48,719 --> 01:43:53,040
we you know, if they have any thoughts,
we're going to bring them back to you

1303
01:43:51,679 --> 01:43:58,639
and say, "Hey, what about this? Let's
try it." Or, "Does it work?" I think

1304
01:43:55,920 --> 01:44:01,760
that's what we need to we need to do um
and have these discussions. But it's

1305
01:44:00,080 --> 01:44:05,440
also our responsibility that if
something doesn't work and we come up

1306
01:44:03,520 --> 01:44:09,199
and say this is the best decision we
think we have, it's our responsibility

1307
01:44:07,119 --> 01:44:12,880
to be honest and truthful and say this
is where we're at.

1308
01:44:11,119 --> 01:44:15,440
So, uh,
>> okay.

1309
01:44:13,760 --> 01:44:20,080
» Uh, can we go back?
>> Could you put the calendar up there?

1310
01:44:17,840 --> 01:44:23,040
» We were working with Chris on a
potential calendar. We knew about the

1311
01:44:21,840 --> 01:44:26,960
town halls,
>> but we had a lot of debate on executive

1312
01:44:24,800 --> 01:44:31,360
staff [clears throat] about doing public
hearings and we thought there should be

1313
01:44:29,040 --> 01:44:34,320
like two two rounds of these. So, I'd
like the board to consider you're

1314
01:44:32,880 --> 01:44:38,400
looking there's a to be determined up
there for the board to consider that on

1315
01:44:36,800 --> 01:44:41,679
October 8th there be a public hearing
really on these four options. That's

1316
01:44:40,159 --> 01:44:44,800
what you'd be hearing feedback. You'll
hear it at the town hall, but an

1317
01:44:43,040 --> 01:44:51,119
official public hearing on the four
options and then coming back and the

1318
01:44:47,520 --> 01:44:56,159
board making a decision
later in October to date to be decided

1319
01:44:54,080 --> 01:45:01,280
for uh a special call meeting. That's
what we're recommending. Um

1320
01:44:59,520 --> 01:45:05,520
but I, you know, we'll defer to the
board on that. That was just us giving

1321
01:45:03,360 --> 01:45:09,600
an idea that after you've done the town
halls after the public hearing, you've

1322
01:45:07,679 --> 01:45:14,560
looked at the data, come back later in
October sometime and make a decision not

1323
01:45:12,080 --> 01:45:19,199
on the final maps, but are we
consolidating one or two and then we

1324
01:45:16,960 --> 01:45:22,719
move into the final maps and get a
decision by December on the final

1325
01:45:20,560 --> 01:45:27,920
boundaries?
>> So that the to be determined date in

1326
01:45:25,840 --> 01:45:32,960
October would be selecting one of the
four. So that would not be one or two. I

1327
01:45:30,560 --> 01:45:38,400
mean it would but it would be which of
the schools if you did that or

1328
01:45:36,080 --> 01:45:42,719
» yes because whichever option there would
drive and it would take a while to get

1329
01:45:40,320 --> 01:45:46,560
those detailed maps and as Chris said
once you have that you get your

1330
01:45:44,960 --> 01:45:50,320
elementary doc down then you look at
your middle and high school. Then we

1331
01:45:47,840 --> 01:45:55,360
would do to to be clear. Then we would
look at we pick this one. There's as of

1332
01:45:53,280 --> 01:45:58,159
now there's three sub options.
>> There might be five

1333
01:45:56,239 --> 01:46:03,119
» that would be there may be more based on
town halls. Then we would have to have a

1334
01:45:59,760 --> 01:46:07,040
month to decide which of those three to
eight potential options now or three to

1335
01:46:05,360 --> 01:46:12,639
five potential options. We
>> go too late in October. We're looking at

1336
01:46:08,639 --> 01:46:14,960
November 12th for public hearing on
the maps.

1337
01:46:13,199 --> 01:46:18,719
» Yeah. I I'm I'm not going to shy away
from having public hearings. I think we

1338
01:46:16,719 --> 01:46:20,560
need to have both of them and I would be
okay with that schedule. We would have

1339
01:46:19,760 --> 01:46:24,159
to I guess pick a date.
>> It's tight, but we're still looking at a

1340
01:46:21,840 --> 01:46:28,400
December decision on that. Um because it
does impact the budget

1341
01:46:26,239 --> 01:46:34,320
» and so we we need to build a budget and
we need to know what's happening on.

1342
01:46:31,840 --> 01:46:40,239
» Did you folks have a date in October you
were kicking around?

1343
01:46:36,560 --> 01:46:44,719
» October 8 is the um first hearing that
is the October board meeting. We would

1344
01:46:42,719 --> 01:46:47,280
shift to a different venue obviously a
larger location.

1345
01:46:46,560 --> 01:46:49,760
» Sorry.
>> Um

1346
01:46:47,679 --> 01:46:53,920
» I hear St. Rivers's got a really nice
auditorium now.

1347
01:46:52,400 --> 01:46:57,600
» Well, we would then shift the November
one probably as well.

1348
01:46:55,440 --> 01:47:01,119
» Probably. Yeah. Oh, any Oh, yes. Anytime
it's a public hearing, absolutely. We

1349
01:46:59,199 --> 01:47:04,368
would not be here, but we would do it at
a centralized [clears throat]

1350
01:47:04,400 --> 01:47:10,560
» I'd like to do both of the new
auditoriums to be honest with you.

1351
01:47:08,880 --> 01:47:14,639
» The October dates up to the board on how
how much time they want to put October

1352
01:47:12,480 --> 01:47:18,760
8th and that they make a decision.
>> Is that much of a challenge on your end?

1353
01:47:20,080 --> 01:47:26,159
» Can I can I just bring one if you all
think that you would need any updates to

1354
01:47:24,000 --> 01:47:32,880
materials between October 8th and your
vote which we put in there. Um I would

1355
01:47:29,440 --> 01:47:37,760
probably like just give me a week I
think minimum for that. [clears throat]

1356
01:47:35,440 --> 01:47:40,320
So as you're thinking about dates so not
October 9th please.

1357
01:47:39,684 --> 01:47:41,840
» [laughter]
>> So,

1358
01:47:40,800 --> 01:47:46,239
» I mean, I've I've pulled some
allnighters in my time for for work, but

1359
01:47:43,840 --> 01:47:49,400
uh that would be probably not a very
good one.

1360
01:47:49,520 --> 01:47:57,840
» So, I ask a question, and I I'm not
trying to change it, but your last town

1361
01:47:54,639 --> 01:48:02,960
hall is on October 6th.
>> Do you foresee them needing anything for

1362
01:48:00,480 --> 01:48:09,199
that October 8th meeting,
and could you turn that around? So I my

1363
01:48:06,320 --> 01:48:12,880
hope and you know just I think it's a
good time to bring it up. My hope is

1364
01:48:10,560 --> 01:48:16,159
that as you all are getting feedback you
can bring it to me as you're getting it

1365
01:48:14,400 --> 01:48:20,880
instead of waiting until the end so that
I can be bringing it in. If that is the

1366
01:48:18,639 --> 01:48:24,760
case I think I can have any changes in
those two days. No problem.

1367
01:48:25,199 --> 01:48:32,320
» How should we do that?
>> We I was talking with the seeds over

1368
01:48:29,040 --> 01:48:35,600
here previously. Um we were talking
about gathering public data. Obviously,

1369
01:48:33,679 --> 01:48:39,679
I know you've got a comment section on
the website. We had talked about for our

1370
01:48:38,000 --> 01:48:44,639
maps that are getting printed out doing
a QR code on those that link to this

1371
01:48:42,320 --> 01:48:48,800
comment as well to where we can where we
can consolidate all the data and we get

1372
01:48:47,040 --> 01:48:52,560
while we're out there if anyone, you
know, we can get their data, but also

1373
01:48:51,040 --> 01:48:56,800
they're able to put anything down in
writing so we can aggregate it together.

1374
01:48:54,880 --> 01:49:01,520
So, you know, if you and I are out there
for two hours listening to people and

1375
01:48:59,119 --> 01:49:05,600
then sitting down at the computer after
I get home and we're going, "God, what

1376
01:49:04,159 --> 01:49:10,075
did that person say?" This would give
everyone an opportunity to to have not

1377
01:49:08,320 --> 01:49:13,920
only give feedback to us as board
[clears throat] members, but also give

1378
01:49:11,199 --> 01:49:20,239
feedback to where we don't have to rely
on, you know, I turned 40 last week, so

1379
01:49:16,719 --> 01:49:25,600
my memor is going off me,
>> right?

1380
01:49:22,080 --> 01:49:29,840
Okay. Um, so are you asking Mr. Haggler
for us to say are we good with that

1381
01:49:28,080 --> 01:49:33,920
schedule?
>> Yes. And then you have to decide now,

1382
01:49:32,320 --> 01:49:38,159
but you have to coordinate a board
meeting where we can get, you know,

1383
01:49:35,440 --> 01:49:40,320
everybody there and stuff like that.
>> So we can set it up venue and everything

1384
01:49:40,080 --> 01:49:43,360
like that.
>> I think if we want to consider this a

1385
01:49:41,600 --> 01:49:47,840
preliminary schedule, I I would be okay
with getting board consensus on that and

1386
01:49:45,840 --> 01:49:54,199
then we would we would just pick a date
that makes sense. have consensus on the

1387
01:49:51,199 --> 01:49:54,199
tot.

1388
01:49:54,480 --> 01:49:59,280
» Yeah. Yeah. I mean, everyone kind of
said that. So, let's see. So, why don't

1389
01:49:57,760 --> 01:50:04,080
we go around and say, do we have
consensus um that we should not take any

1390
01:50:01,679 --> 01:50:08,320
of these four options off the table?
>> So, quick question. Uh do we need to get

1391
01:50:06,320 --> 01:50:13,440
unanimous consent or just majority
consent?

1392
01:50:10,719 --> 01:50:18,560
» That really is the chairman's decision
how he wants to run the meeting, whether

1393
01:50:15,520 --> 01:50:24,400
it has to be unanimous or majority. Um
unanimous is always better. It carries

1394
01:50:20,639 --> 01:50:28,480
more weight obviously. Um otherwise it
should to carry more weight than that.

1395
01:50:26,960 --> 01:50:32,239
We need to be an official vote which we
can't have because it wasn't on the

1396
01:50:29,600 --> 01:50:36,239
agenda and we can no longer add you know
>> um you can do consensus but I I I think

1397
01:50:34,880 --> 01:50:39,840
majority was everybody wanted to keep
all options on the table.

1398
01:50:38,080 --> 01:50:44,320
» That's what I'm going to ask for is
majority consensus. So

1399
01:50:42,639 --> 01:50:46,639
» to not take any option of the four
options off the table.

1400
01:50:46,000 --> 01:50:49,199
» Yes.
>> Yes. Yes.

1401
01:50:48,000 --> 01:50:50,239
» Yes.
>> Yes.

1402
01:50:49,760 --> 01:50:53,360
» Yes.
>> Yes.

1403
01:50:50,719 --> 01:50:59,440
» Yes. That's unanimous. Okay. So, that's
the first thing. Second thing would be,

1404
01:50:56,080 --> 01:51:04,960
do we want to get consent to approve
this preliminary agenda? Does that sound

1405
01:51:01,920 --> 01:51:08,960
right, Miss Johnson? The calendar.
>> Okay.

1406
01:51:06,159 --> 01:51:14,239
» Just FYI, I will not be here on the 8th.
I can try to get answers.

1407
01:51:12,639 --> 01:51:18,000
» We can set that up just so you can hear
the public comment or or you can watch

1408
01:51:16,880 --> 01:51:21,119
it after. That's fine.
>> And just to make sure kind of feed off

1409
01:51:19,679 --> 01:51:24,800
that question, we're not necessarily
planning on a vote on the case. We're

1410
01:51:23,119 --> 01:51:28,719
just gathering more information.
>> It's just a hearing. Yes.

1411
01:51:26,320 --> 01:51:33,840
» So, it's not obviously important for you
to hear, but I I don't think we're going

1412
01:51:30,480 --> 01:51:37,452
to be making a vote on on this on that.
>> Okay. So,

1413
01:51:34,880 --> 01:51:40,800
» probably 15.
[clears throat]

1414
01:51:38,400 --> 01:51:44,159
All right. So, um let's see if we have
consensus to approve this preliminary

1415
01:51:42,880 --> 01:51:47,280
calendar.
>> Yes.

1416
01:51:46,000 --> 01:51:48,880
» Yes.
>> Yes. Yes.

1417
01:51:48,400 --> 01:51:53,599
» Yes.
>> Yes. There you go.

1418
01:51:51,840 --> 01:51:58,400
» All right.
Is there anything else?

1419
01:51:55,360 --> 01:52:04,400
» Um does the board want to while we're
now together consider that date for the

1420
01:52:01,599 --> 01:52:08,560
special call after
um

1421
01:52:06,719 --> 01:52:11,560
after October? after the October
meeting.

1422
01:52:13,440 --> 01:52:18,159
» I know that you t you have some travel
at that time. So I I just want No,

1423
01:52:17,679 --> 01:52:22,239
because
>> sometimes your everyone's opinion is

1424
01:52:21,920 --> 01:52:27,599
important.
>> If we're looking at if we're looking at

1425
01:52:23,599 --> 01:52:32,000
doing it on Thursdays, I can do the 22nd
is the best date for me.

1426
01:52:29,119 --> 01:52:36,000
» It does not have to be Thursdays, but
>> just throwing that out there.

1427
01:52:33,760 --> 01:52:42,639
» Let's not do it that day.
>> This is for the vote. Could we do it the

1428
01:52:39,199 --> 01:52:47,593
following week? 15.
>> 152

1429
01:52:45,573 --> 01:52:47,593
[cough and clears throat]

1430
01:52:49,199 --> 01:52:52,840
sometime that week.

1431
01:52:52,880 --> 01:52:59,360
» So you're there. You're here that week.
The week. Okay.

1432
01:52:58,018 --> 01:53:02,960
[snorts]
>> I can

1433
01:53:01,599 --> 01:53:06,320
» I can do the 15th.
>> You can do the 15th.

1434
01:53:03,840 --> 01:53:09,520
» I can do the 15th. I can't I can't do
any other day that week.

1435
01:53:08,880 --> 01:53:12,920
» That's exactly right.
>> We'll make it work.

1436
01:53:13,119 --> 01:53:18,978
» You got a week, Mr.
>> We'll make it work.

1437
01:53:16,480 --> 01:53:21,920
» I would have spoke up if it didn't work.
[laughter]

1438
01:53:20,159 --> 01:53:25,440
» I need you a Starbucks gift card or
something if that helps.

1439
01:53:24,159 --> 01:53:29,280
» We can do the 15th.
>> Okay. So, is that going to be at 5 again

1440
01:53:28,320 --> 01:53:35,760
or what time?
>> Yeah, that that'll be in this building.

1441
01:53:32,320 --> 01:53:40,159
» No. Well, This is not a public hearing
special call. This is action only. Then

1442
01:53:38,639 --> 01:53:43,040
we'll probably be here
>> because that's the only thing we will be

1443
01:53:42,400 --> 01:53:44,480
doing,
>> right?

1444
01:53:43,360 --> 01:53:48,400
» So, it should be
>> You've heard everybody at that point up

1445
01:53:46,480 --> 01:53:52,119
to what you're going to be voting on at
that point. So,

1446
01:53:52,639 --> 01:54:00,480
» gotcha.
>> Okay. Well, we'll send that out. We'll

1447
01:53:56,719 --> 01:54:04,960
make sure people know. And uh All right.
>> I would probably Chris, correct me if

1448
01:54:02,719 --> 01:54:08,159
I'm wrong. Um you had so many for our
contract so many times that Chris would

1449
01:54:06,480 --> 01:54:11,840
be here and stuff since that would be
you have all the data we'd be doing back

1450
01:54:09,840 --> 01:54:15,040
and forth you probably wouldn't require
Chris to be here for that vote because

1451
01:54:13,599 --> 01:54:20,080
hopefully you've got all the information
be doing the back and forth by the time

1452
01:54:16,320 --> 01:54:23,599
we get there unless you want
just

1453
01:54:22,560 --> 01:54:27,040
» I didn't know if you needed to be here
for that one or not

1454
01:54:25,199 --> 01:54:30,320
» I would leave it up to to you all if you
need to be here

1455
01:54:28,320 --> 01:54:33,599
» my question is
>> is there a difference between you know

1456
01:54:32,320 --> 01:54:38,560
being available
via digitally or being in

1457
01:54:37,280 --> 01:54:41,840
» I mean I think we need to think about
what questions you would have for me

1458
01:54:40,719 --> 01:54:44,719
» I don't have many questions at that
point

1459
01:54:42,480 --> 01:54:47,520
» um and I but I do think some of that's
going to come out in the comments and

1460
01:54:45,840 --> 01:54:52,000
the questions that you're getting from
constituents and the questions that

1461
01:54:48,960 --> 01:54:55,119
makes you have um I can make it work if
you need me here I can also be here

1462
01:54:54,000 --> 01:54:58,880
virtually if you need me here
>> we set it up virtual if there's any

1463
01:54:56,719 --> 01:55:01,840
questions that okay yeah I don't have a
problem with that

1464
01:54:59,760 --> 01:55:06,560
» so so just so I'm understanding we're
having the public meeting on the or

1465
01:55:03,679 --> 01:55:10,320
public comment on the 8th and then on
the 15th we're going to vote on which of

1466
01:55:08,560 --> 01:55:13,280
these four we're going to take.
>> Yeah.

1467
01:55:10,719 --> 01:55:16,800
» But then we can still work on boundaries
and changing

1468
01:55:14,960 --> 01:55:23,599
» in November.
And then we have to do after that we

1469
01:55:19,280 --> 01:55:27,760
have to go back and do we'll have Okay.
>> Okay.

1470
01:55:26,239 --> 01:55:32,560
Have you left? Right. So, we'll be doing
another public comment on the boundaries

1471
01:55:30,080 --> 01:55:36,800
in November and then we're gonna have to
vote after that.

1472
01:55:35,040 --> 01:55:39,440
» Whatever we need to do, we'll do it.
>> Okay.

1473
01:55:37,520 --> 01:55:42,320
» Okay. I think we're good.
>> Thank you so much.

1474
01:55:41,199 --> 01:55:46,800
» A lot of information.
>> I And I'm going to give you one more

1475
01:55:44,239 --> 01:55:51,599
piece before I go, which is this site.
>> This will be live tomorrow. Um, and this

1476
01:55:49,840 --> 01:55:55,199
is where folks will be able to go look
at the scenarios. There there will also

1477
01:55:52,960 --> 01:55:59,199
be tabs on just the background data on
enrollment capacity and development. Um

1478
01:55:57,360 --> 01:56:06,080
but people will be able to select
different um of the drawings and it'll

1479
01:56:03,520 --> 01:56:10,239
redraw them and then you can select if
you want to compare to today or if you

1480
01:56:08,400 --> 01:56:14,320
want to compare to another one of the
drawings and it will give you a bunch of

1481
01:56:12,320 --> 01:56:18,080
in all of the metrics we were talking
about will be down here side by side.

1482
01:56:17,119 --> 01:56:20,800
» Um that's
>> so we have that.

1483
01:56:19,199 --> 01:56:26,400
» Does that change live as you're
selecting?

1484
01:56:21,199 --> 01:56:30,239
» Yep. Yep. And um the last thing is if
you want to comment, there is a little

1485
01:56:28,159 --> 01:56:33,599
comment thing here. I honestly might
change it to make it even easier to find

1486
01:56:31,760 --> 01:56:38,080
where to comment tonight before this
goes live. Um but you comment on this,

1487
01:56:35,520 --> 01:56:42,080
it brings you to this page. Um and it
allows folks to put in, you do not have

1488
01:56:40,000 --> 01:56:47,040
to put your name or email in. You may
just put the information in. Um but uh

1489
01:56:45,199 --> 01:56:52,639
if you want to, the name and email is
there. Um, is it about a particular

1490
01:56:49,920 --> 01:56:56,639
drawing or just in general? Um, and is
it about any any and all schools or is

1491
01:56:54,719 --> 01:56:59,119
it or you want to talk about a specific
school and what comment would you like

1492
01:56:58,239 --> 01:57:05,599
to make here?
>> What is the value in not requiring them?

1493
01:57:03,520 --> 01:57:11,280
» Uh, and this is completely up to you
all. Um, but the the ability to have

1494
01:57:09,280 --> 01:57:16,000
have folks say things without being
concerned about it being tied back to

1495
01:57:12,880 --> 01:57:19,280
them can bring more comments, but it can
also, just to be completely honest, as a

1496
01:57:17,760 --> 01:57:24,080
person who's done a lot of survey
research, it can also bring a lot of

1497
01:57:21,040 --> 01:57:27,679
garbage um into into it because people
could just go put a bunch of

1498
01:57:26,320 --> 01:57:31,199
» comments in there that are nonsense.
>> I don't necessarily need to see an

1499
01:57:28,800 --> 01:57:35,599
email, but I you know, if you believe in
something, put your name behind it.

1500
01:57:33,599 --> 01:57:40,000
» That's kind of how I look at it. So will
we have access to all of this?

1501
01:57:37,280 --> 01:57:44,639
» So all of all of this information um
will be collated and sent to the board.

1502
01:57:42,480 --> 01:57:47,360
I will also create some summaries of
information for you all.

1503
01:57:45,840 --> 01:57:50,719
» Certain things that people like if
something hits a bunch.

1504
01:57:48,560 --> 01:57:53,840
» Yeah. Kind of the sentiment of what
people are talking about, the topics

1505
01:57:52,320 --> 01:57:56,880
people are talking about. [snorts]
>> Um how did you aggregate something like

1506
01:57:55,840 --> 01:58:01,599
this?
>> There's I mean there's a lot of uh

1507
01:57:59,840 --> 01:58:07,599
basically like language models. It's
it's not like the AI that like LLM SP

1508
01:58:05,360 --> 01:58:11,920
style. Um, but basically natural
language models which were a lot of the

1509
01:58:09,199 --> 01:58:17,119
precursors to a lot of the current large
language models allow you to categorize

1510
01:58:14,239 --> 01:58:20,960
things. Um, as well as measure sentiment
of things. So if you've ever seen like

1511
01:58:19,280 --> 01:58:24,800
word bubbles and stuff like that, it's
it's

1512
01:58:22,480 --> 01:58:29,520
» um I have one final question and I think
we'll let you go. um when you were

1513
01:58:27,280 --> 01:58:32,800
coming up with with all of these um
there was all a bunch of different

1514
01:58:30,719 --> 01:58:36,560
metrics that you you were looking at.
You weighted all of those equally.

1515
01:58:34,800 --> 01:58:39,679
» So there were five different ways that
we tried weighting them and that's how

1516
01:58:37,920 --> 01:58:43,360
we optimized all the different that's
why you have so many different

1517
01:58:40,639 --> 01:58:47,440
optimizations. So we did things where it
was like we just we uh weighted them all

1518
01:58:46,080 --> 01:58:53,280
exactly the same
>> or we leaned heavily on creating balance

1519
01:58:50,639 --> 01:58:56,639
or decreasing transportation time. So,
those are all the different levers that

1520
01:58:54,800 --> 01:59:01,920
we can pull as you're getting comments
from constituents of like, hey, you

1521
01:58:59,440 --> 01:59:05,280
know, I I love that we got to very close
balance, but I'd really like to see if

1522
01:59:03,679 --> 01:59:10,960
we can get transportation down a little
bit more and still keep balance rel or

1523
01:59:08,560 --> 01:59:15,440
utilization a little better. So, those
type of comments I can always work with.

1524
01:59:12,719 --> 01:59:18,960
I've tried to squeeze as much of the
juice as I could easily in this

1525
01:59:17,119 --> 01:59:22,960
optimization. Um, but that doesn't mean
that there isn't a better one out

1526
01:59:20,542 --> 01:59:25,840
[clears throat] there. So, okay, cool.
>> All right. Thank you very much. Thank

1527
01:59:25,199 --> 01:59:29,760
you all.
>> Excellent job.

1528
01:59:27,679 --> 01:59:31,840
» Mr. Chair, can I make a motion to have a
quick recess?

1529
01:59:30,320 --> 01:59:37,199
» I was just going to bring you reading in
my mind. Can we take I don't know 10 uh

1530
01:59:34,960 --> 01:59:41,040
five minutes. We'll start with five.
>> All right.

1531
01:59:38,159 --> 01:59:44,520
» We're in recess.
Yeah, we'll read.

1532
02:06:04,560 --> 02:06:09,159
Just making sure everyone's back that we
need.

1533
02:06:10,719 --> 02:06:20,480
» Just going to move on to 3.01 BCPS
governance transition under discussions.

1534
02:06:17,920 --> 02:06:25,199
» This will be much sub. Good evening.
Tonight we bring before the board a

1535
02:06:22,800 --> 02:06:30,480
governance item regarding the format for
our schoolboard policy manual.

1536
02:06:28,239 --> 02:06:35,760
Staff has been working with SBMA on a
proposed model that would test every

1537
02:06:32,480 --> 02:06:40,719
policy against one standard. Does the
code of Virginia actually require the

1538
02:06:37,679 --> 02:06:47,440
school board to adopt the policy? Apply
to a current manual. This would take us

1539
02:06:42,800 --> 02:06:52,000
from 253 schoolboard policies to fewer
than 70

1540
02:06:49,280 --> 02:06:58,159
with the rest relocating to governance
manuals, administrative regulations or

1541
02:06:54,800 --> 02:07:03,920
handbooks. This changes more than the
manual size. It affects who votes on

1542
02:07:00,719 --> 02:07:08,400
what, how quickly changes can be made,
and how much oversight the board retains

1543
02:07:06,239 --> 02:07:13,840
going forward.
Melissa Ston will now walk through

1544
02:07:11,920 --> 02:07:18,400
specific suggestions for how
restructuring could be approached. Our

1545
02:07:16,400 --> 02:07:24,560
goal tonight is to give the board the
full picture and receive your direction

1546
02:07:21,440 --> 02:07:29,679
on how to proceed.
>> I should get points that when we went

1547
02:07:27,360 --> 02:07:33,920
over this in IGA, it was double the size
of what you're getting since the last

1548
02:07:31,520 --> 02:07:37,693
presentation. It's not fair that I have
to go after that. But

1549
02:07:35,360 --> 02:07:42,159
» say there's is there a 60 page slide or
[laughter]

1550
02:07:38,800 --> 02:07:47,280
» it's very concise. [snorts]
>> No, I will start to say that what you're

1551
02:07:45,040 --> 02:07:51,760
getting information from so that you
don't you wouldn't have to be overloaded

1552
02:07:49,520 --> 02:07:56,560
like me. I did make this notebook of
every email that I've received from SBMA

1553
02:07:53,840 --> 02:07:59,920
regarding this. So, I did condense it
down for you so that we don't have to go

1554
02:07:58,480 --> 02:08:04,239
through all that, but I brought it in
case there were questions.

1555
02:08:02,079 --> 02:08:09,920
So, first of all, like I said, on August
25th, the IG committee met to review

1556
02:08:06,880 --> 02:08:14,639
SBAMA's proposed governance transition.
This discussion included Dr. Hubach and

1557
02:08:12,079 --> 02:08:17,840
Miss Dobson. Following that meeting, it
was determined that this information

1558
02:08:16,239 --> 02:08:24,000
should be shared with the full school
board. I'm going to go over this in

1559
02:08:20,719 --> 02:08:27,440
summary form. You have six pages worth
of stuff that I'll tell you what page

1560
02:08:25,679 --> 02:08:31,760
that I'm on, but I'm not going to read
what's on those pages. I'm just going to

1561
02:08:29,040 --> 02:08:37,440
summarize it.
And I'm going to go over one topic at a

1562
02:08:33,840 --> 02:08:39,679
time. And if did you want to them to
have questions after or during?

1563
02:08:39,119 --> 02:08:45,360
» It doesn't matter.
>> Doesn't matter. Whatever you after.

1564
02:08:41,920 --> 02:08:51,040
» Okay. So, I'm going to repeat similarly
to what Dr. Cav just said just so you

1565
02:08:48,159 --> 02:08:56,239
understand the scope of the changes. So
what ASBMA is proposing is the approach

1566
02:08:54,560 --> 02:09:01,280
is to keep only what the code of
Virginia actually requires the

1567
02:08:57,760 --> 02:09:04,960
schoolboard to adopt as a policy. So if
the code of Virginia does not

1568
02:09:02,719 --> 02:09:09,440
specifically say a policy needs to be
created for this, it will no longer be

1569
02:09:07,040 --> 02:09:14,400
in our policies if we follow through
with the guidance we've been given.

1570
02:09:12,159 --> 02:09:20,960
By that measure, SBAMA predicts our
current manual, which we have 253,

1571
02:09:17,280 --> 02:09:25,920
and we add more. I mean, we may need
more than that would drop to fewer than

1572
02:09:22,880 --> 02:09:30,239
70. None of that content would be lost.
As she said, it would simply move into

1573
02:09:27,920 --> 02:09:34,960
other documents such as administrative
regulations or handbooks. And um this is

1574
02:09:33,360 --> 02:09:40,079
following along on page two of the
documents that you have.

1575
02:09:37,599 --> 02:09:44,639
Page three and four I'll summarize as
SBMA frames this as establishing a

1576
02:09:42,800 --> 02:09:49,040
clearer distinction between the
schoolboard's governance role and the

1577
02:09:46,400 --> 02:09:53,440
superintendent's administrative role.
Under this framework, the school board

1578
02:09:50,800 --> 02:09:58,400
retains authority over self-governance,
role clarity, school division direction,

1579
02:09:56,159 --> 02:10:02,719
and required guardrails through bylaws,
governance manuals, schoolboard

1580
02:10:00,239 --> 02:10:07,040
policies, and schoolboard regulations.
while the superintendent and staff

1581
02:10:04,320 --> 02:10:11,040
manage operational execution daily
handbooks and legal tracking through

1582
02:10:09,199 --> 02:10:14,960
superintendent procedures handbooks and
compliance books.

1583
02:10:13,040 --> 02:10:18,639
Again, wherever law requires something
to come before the school board, that

1584
02:10:17,040 --> 02:10:22,440
requirement would apply regardless of
which approach is chosen.

1585
02:10:24,560 --> 02:10:31,599
So now on page five, the benefits and
tradeoffs. The appeal [clears throat] of

1586
02:10:29,840 --> 02:10:37,360
this transition is operational
flexibility. Right now, because so much

1587
02:10:34,400 --> 02:10:42,000
procedural detail sits in policy, almost
any change, even a minor one, requires a

1588
02:10:40,000 --> 02:10:47,599
full public vote and a multi-reading
process. SPMA's model would move some of

1589
02:10:45,599 --> 02:10:52,320
that detail into handbooks that staff
could update directly.

1590
02:10:49,840 --> 02:10:58,880
There's also a compliance concern.
Reducing 253 policies to fewer than 70

1591
02:10:55,760 --> 02:11:03,920
would create a real gap if BCPS ever
left SBMA service or if SBAMA itself

1592
02:11:02,239 --> 02:11:07,679
stopped offering policy services
altogether.

1593
02:11:05,840 --> 02:11:13,920
Other Virginia school divisions tend to
use similar policy naming and language

1594
02:11:10,719 --> 02:11:18,880
largely largely because many rely on the
same or similar policy services. As a

1595
02:11:17,119 --> 02:11:23,760
result, it would be hard for us to match
what most other school divisions are

1596
02:11:20,480 --> 02:11:29,679
doing if we were now at 70 policies and
had to reestablish the remaining 183 or

1597
02:11:26,719 --> 02:11:34,880
more because more could be created after
we got rid of that that we removed and

1598
02:11:32,960 --> 02:11:40,159
placed elsewhere to follow suit with how
everyone else handles them.

1599
02:11:38,320 --> 02:11:44,320
You don't have a page on cost and
obligations, but I'm just I'm going to

1600
02:11:42,000 --> 02:11:49,599
talk a little about that. Regarding the
cost, SBMA has paused billing while it

1601
02:11:47,199 --> 02:11:54,880
completes its planning, so we do not yet
have a fee schedule. BCPS Legal Council

1602
02:11:53,040 --> 02:12:00,639
will also need to review the model
language before adoption and again on

1603
02:11:57,440 --> 02:12:05,679
every future update cycle since SBMA has
made it clear and multiple occasions

1604
02:12:03,119 --> 02:12:11,360
over emails with me that his guidance is
for educational purposes only and not

1605
02:12:08,000 --> 02:12:16,400
legal advice. So, we still need our BCPS
legal counsel to review everything

1606
02:12:13,840 --> 02:12:21,679
before using or adopting any SBMA
provided resources, whether that be

1607
02:12:18,719 --> 02:12:26,480
policies or relocated content. That is
real ongoing staff and legal time on top

1608
02:12:24,400 --> 02:12:31,679
of whatever the subscription for SBMA
itself costs.

1609
02:12:29,679 --> 02:12:37,360
What this means for staff, so I'm on
page five. Current policy content does

1610
02:12:34,880 --> 02:12:42,079
not disappear under this model. It moves
into other documents such as handbooks,

1611
02:12:39,760 --> 02:12:46,960
regulations, and manuals, including the
program of studies, employee handbook,

1612
02:12:43,920 --> 02:12:51,280
and code of student conduct. SBMA has
not specified whether it will draft this

1613
02:12:48,960 --> 02:12:56,960
content for us or whether that work
would fall to BCPS staff. Until SBAMA

1614
02:12:55,040 --> 02:13:01,520
clarifies its role here, we should
assume the work could fall to BCPS staff

1615
02:12:59,199 --> 02:13:07,199
and plan accordingly for the increased
staff time and training required to

1616
02:13:03,760 --> 02:13:13,440
implement and maintain this plan.
Lastly, we have attached a handout of

1617
02:13:10,800 --> 02:13:18,079
policy examples to show a set of our
existing policies and how they would be

1618
02:13:15,520 --> 02:13:22,760
categorized under the proposed SBMA
model. So that is my summary

1619
02:13:25,119 --> 02:13:35,520
if anybody has questions. So, I guess to
reiterate before your questions, um,

1620
02:13:32,880 --> 02:13:39,599
having this information, staff is simply
seeking board's direction on how to move

1621
02:13:37,679 --> 02:13:44,159
forward with the schoolboard policy
manual, whether we want to go with the

1622
02:13:42,239 --> 02:13:50,239
SBAMA approach, whether we want to keep
our manual as it is today. Um, we need

1623
02:13:47,520 --> 02:13:54,880
some guidance in that direction. So, if
you have any questions,

1624
02:13:51,199 --> 02:14:00,800
» so I know I'm next on my report, but I'm
going to forego it because I had two

1625
02:13:56,400 --> 02:14:06,800
parts tonight. And the first part was
asking [snorts] you to make sure that

1626
02:14:02,480 --> 02:14:11,599
you at least listening to Mr. Dick's uh
presentation that you leave everything

1627
02:14:09,280 --> 02:14:16,560
on the table because I think you're
going to hear feedback in town halls.

1628
02:14:13,679 --> 02:14:21,360
It's going to be important. Um it will
help you coming back in here to actually

1629
02:14:19,440 --> 02:14:27,840
make a good decision whether it be just
Steuartsville and redistricting or some

1630
02:14:24,400 --> 02:14:34,800
other combination. Um, but I think the
the community needs to see that this man

1631
02:14:31,520 --> 02:14:40,400
has put a a large investment into how we
save money. And one of the issues that

1632
02:14:37,599 --> 02:14:46,159
is probably the biggest for me is as we
approach um reversion and CIP and the

1633
02:14:45,040 --> 02:14:53,679
different things that are coming down
the down the pike in 2028

1634
02:14:49,679 --> 02:15:00,000
is that we be prepared in how we
structure our schools moving forward. I

1635
02:14:56,560 --> 02:15:08,239
think we're at a crossroad right now of
both the uh issue of redistricting and

1636
02:15:03,760 --> 02:15:13,040
consolidation and policy. So, um kudos
to you guys for keeping the the the four

1637
02:15:11,360 --> 02:15:17,760
options out there so that you can go to
town halls, have this conversation so

1638
02:15:15,199 --> 02:15:22,639
that the public can see and at the same
time I think it gives us a conversation

1639
02:15:20,639 --> 02:15:26,400
piece when we start having conversations
with board of supervisors. So, um, I've

1640
02:15:25,199 --> 02:15:30,320
already had several communications with
Mr. H once this meeting is over tonight,

1641
02:15:28,400 --> 02:15:34,960
knowing not knowing fully where it would
go. Um, we're going to start setting up

1642
02:15:32,719 --> 02:15:38,719
meetings for finance committees, chair,
vice chairs, like you did last year, so

1643
02:15:36,719 --> 02:15:41,920
we can start this dialogue before you
even have to make a decision. I think

1644
02:15:40,159 --> 02:15:46,079
it's important for them to hear why you
have come to this conclusion that

1645
02:15:43,520 --> 02:15:53,679
something has to be done. The the second
part of of my report tonight was really

1646
02:15:49,440 --> 02:15:59,760
about um this governance model. Um, if
you recall back in January,

1647
02:15:56,400 --> 02:16:04,960
I asked you for dual dual membership.
And I asked you for dual membership for

1648
02:16:01,440 --> 02:16:09,040
one reason. I felt membership and just
and I don't have a problem with SPMA.

1649
02:16:06,719 --> 02:16:14,880
Trust me, I understand the practical pr
principles behind it and everything, but

1650
02:16:12,239 --> 02:16:21,440
it it's not serving
as a as a

1651
02:16:19,280 --> 02:16:26,239
I'm going to use your word. you told me
not to in one of our conversations, but

1652
02:16:23,920 --> 02:16:33,760
it it's an ideology at this point. It is
not a structured system of how to get

1653
02:16:28,800 --> 02:16:38,399
through the legislation. And so when I
between Dr. Calbert, myself, and Miss

1654
02:16:36,160 --> 02:16:45,439
Sex, we've been mulling over this for
six months at at least. And and in that

1655
02:16:41,599 --> 02:16:50,319
process, that book is legit. That is how
many emails. and and in that process

1656
02:16:47,920 --> 02:16:53,040
things would change as to what your
responsibilities were and all of a

1657
02:16:51,679 --> 02:16:58,080
sudden now [clears throat] what our
responsibilities were and all of a

1658
02:16:54,080 --> 02:17:04,800
sudden it changed. So to me there's a
process out there right now that exists

1659
02:17:02,160 --> 02:17:09,840
that we have moved away from for
ideology reasons but it has put us in

1660
02:17:07,840 --> 02:17:14,639
isolation and let me give you an
example. I can go to a region five

1661
02:17:12,800 --> 02:17:19,679
meeting and hear a topic and not know
what they're talking about because we

1662
02:17:17,679 --> 02:17:24,880
don't have information from an
organization. Um, thank goodness when

1663
02:17:22,479 --> 02:17:30,080
I'm involved in region five, it is vast
bringing information to us. It's how I

1664
02:17:27,519 --> 02:17:33,519
get my information. So, there are times
when I have to ask somebody in a

1665
02:17:31,840 --> 02:17:36,800
neighboring county, what is this? What
is this about? Well, or what leg what

1666
02:17:36,000 --> 02:17:43,040
what are you doing with this
legislation? And so, if if we're not

1667
02:17:40,319 --> 02:17:47,439
going to have a organization that's
going to be our legal counsel, then

1668
02:17:45,439 --> 02:17:49,439
we're going to pay more money. there's
going to be a suggestion. We're going to

1669
02:17:48,719 --> 02:17:52,559
take [clears throat] money for it
because we're gonna have to go out and

1670
02:17:50,319 --> 02:17:59,120
get our own legal counsel. So, it is
going to raise the cost. But one of the

1671
02:17:54,399 --> 02:18:05,280
things I wanted to say is
Bedford County has a history, this board

1672
02:18:02,240 --> 02:18:11,040
has a history of making really good
moral decisions for the students and the

1673
02:18:08,479 --> 02:18:14,800
faculty and staff of Bedford. And you
can go back and look at certain policies

1674
02:18:12,960 --> 02:18:18,319
which I have done over the last couple
weeks and and kept them informed as to

1675
02:18:16,960 --> 02:18:24,240
what I was looking at. But I was looking
at at at some of the policies we have

1676
02:18:22,399 --> 02:18:30,719
and then going to surrounding counties
and looking at that same policy and ours

1677
02:18:27,760 --> 02:18:35,920
is 10 times better as far as giving us
coverage. Ours is in depth. Ours

1678
02:18:33,040 --> 02:18:41,840
protects where theirs is. Some of them
are more vague and they give wiggle

1679
02:18:38,559 --> 02:18:46,960
room. So, you know, you can take JBB for
instance, um, and it's about the

1680
02:18:44,719 --> 02:18:50,719
protection of students and parents. Ours
is so much more intricate than some of

1681
02:18:48,880 --> 02:18:56,960
the surrounding counties. Why? Because
you guys took the initiative

1682
02:18:53,280 --> 02:19:04,000
to make a good decision. So, one of my
fears is that while we are in isolation,

1683
02:19:01,920 --> 02:19:09,280
we're not getting good advice that we
don't have to pay twice for, if that

1684
02:19:06,319 --> 02:19:13,359
makes sense. So, I'm not I'm not
disparaging them. I think they serve a

1685
02:19:11,280 --> 02:19:20,319
purpose, but they're not giving us the
legal uh back backing that we need. And,

1686
02:19:17,519 --> 02:19:24,160
you know, you you heard uh Miss Saxon
mention if we were to go through and

1687
02:19:22,319 --> 02:19:28,880
convert all these, the manpower hours
would be unbelievable. And then if they

1688
02:19:27,040 --> 02:19:33,120
didn't exist 10 years from now, what
would we do? Would we go back? Would we

1689
02:19:30,319 --> 02:19:39,679
revert? Would we have to put it all in
in some type of um library holding those

1690
02:19:37,040 --> 02:19:46,240
policies? I I just don't think at this
point we can continue to be in

1691
02:19:42,000 --> 02:19:50,720
isolation. So, I'm going to forego my
board report because that was it. It's

1692
02:19:48,160 --> 02:19:54,800
just that I'm I'm trying to paraphrase
this county has [clears throat] made

1693
02:19:51,840 --> 02:19:58,479
decisions where it needed to be strong,
it was strong. Where it needed [snorts]

1694
02:19:56,160 --> 02:20:02,319
to contest something, it contested
something. So kudos to you guys and the

1695
02:20:00,399 --> 02:20:10,080
people before you who are stepping up
and being accountable. So to me as we

1696
02:20:06,000 --> 02:20:14,399
get to this process tonight, consider
putting us in a position where we're not

1697
02:20:11,680 --> 02:20:18,720
in isolation because I don't know how
many other counties are in a position to

1698
02:20:17,120 --> 02:20:24,240
actually be going through this process
with us. I I don't think it's very many.

1699
02:20:21,520 --> 02:20:27,760
So that's my concluding thoughts on
that. Hannah's summary of my report

1700
02:20:27,280 --> 02:20:30,880
itself.
>> That's it on 3.01. So you're done. So

1701
02:20:29,600 --> 02:20:34,080
now we could just do questions and then
we'll go to 3.02 or do you want to do

1702
02:20:32,560 --> 02:20:37,600
3.02 and then we'll do questions?
>> I think 3.02 is just an example. It's

1703
02:20:36,640 --> 02:20:41,280
just an
>> some examples. All right. Okay. Cool.

1704
02:20:39,439 --> 02:20:44,080
» It was the examples of if you had to
take it out, this is where it is. This

1705
02:20:42,960 --> 02:20:46,160
is where it would go.
>> Okay.

1706
02:20:45,200 --> 02:20:48,319
» In the process.
>> Okay. Um

1707
02:20:47,120 --> 02:20:53,600
» just discussion.
>> Yeah, this is just discussion. So we're

1708
02:20:50,319 --> 02:20:56,880
going to start over here for questions.
>> Yeah. Any any questions, Mr. KS or

1709
02:20:55,600 --> 02:21:00,680
anybody? I'd like to go. [clears throat]
>> I do have a question.

1710
02:21:04,000 --> 02:21:12,640
» Why are why do we even have to have any
of this information from any third party

1711
02:21:09,840 --> 02:21:15,680
for that matter? I is it just because
this is how it's been done and that's

1712
02:21:14,240 --> 02:21:19,200
how all the other places do it?
>> That's how you get to your policies.

1713
02:21:17,520 --> 02:21:23,120
Somebody has to give a legal perspective
of the of the law that or the

1714
02:21:20,960 --> 02:21:25,840
legislation that they make in Richmond.
And sometimes big divisions have

1715
02:21:24,800 --> 02:21:29,359
in-house attorneys.
>> Yes. Yes. We don't.

1716
02:21:27,200 --> 02:21:34,240
» So they'll give you a law, but making
that into a step into a procedure that

1717
02:21:32,479 --> 02:21:40,160
everybody can understand, everybody can
follow step by step. You need an

1718
02:21:36,640 --> 02:21:44,000
attorney to be able to do that. Um
because sometimes the laws are very

1719
02:21:42,000 --> 02:21:49,760
long, very convoluted. They have very
they have all these tabs and ties and

1720
02:21:47,040 --> 02:21:54,000
and that's what we rely on them for.
>> Well, it's a moving target, right?

1721
02:21:51,520 --> 02:21:58,720
Because because the legislative body in
Richmond is always changing laws and uh

1722
02:21:57,120 --> 02:22:01,760
» every time there's a new election, you
get a [clears throat]

1723
02:21:59,600 --> 02:22:04,080
a switch from left to right. You get a
new administration.

1724
02:22:02,399 --> 02:22:06,960
» That's what I was wondering. Why
wouldn't we just have legal counsel? I

1725
02:22:05,760 --> 02:22:09,920
mean, we already have it,
>> right?

1726
02:22:08,319 --> 02:22:13,120
» I mean, I know understand they're
offering this part of their package,

1727
02:22:12,399 --> 02:22:19,040
right?
>> I think I can explain that. So right now

1728
02:22:15,760 --> 02:22:24,000
we had Sans Anderson
review policies in the summer for us

1729
02:22:21,120 --> 02:22:28,720
because we were having we were behind in
our policies. So we had them review it

1730
02:22:26,399 --> 02:22:34,080
in the summer. So they do that with
whatever divisions want that done and

1731
02:22:30,800 --> 02:22:37,920
they do it at one time. So they divide
the cost by all the divisions that do it

1732
02:22:36,160 --> 02:22:43,439
and it's in a lump and they do it all at
once. But there's policies that come in

1733
02:22:41,359 --> 02:22:47,040
that may be due like they may come
through now and they may be due in

1734
02:22:45,600 --> 02:22:52,399
December.
>> So you would have to in a sense contract

1735
02:22:50,399 --> 02:22:56,479
Sansa Anderson to do all that work
singularly because no one else is really

1736
02:22:55,040 --> 02:23:00,399
having that work done. They're getting
their policies from another

1737
02:22:57,920 --> 02:23:06,399
organization. Do you see what I mean?
Um, so you're going, if you wanted if

1738
02:23:02,880 --> 02:23:08,880
you wanted to do it that way,
>> it's going to cost you a lot more

1739
02:23:08,459 --> 02:23:12,399
[snorts]
>> and we would only get it the one time a

1740
02:23:10,560 --> 02:23:16,479
year because
>> it Yeah, like she said, I mean, if if we

1741
02:23:14,800 --> 02:23:19,120
specifically want them to help us with
policies,

1742
02:23:17,840 --> 02:23:22,960
» we're paying a lot.
>> Not Not to say, do you have an idea what

1743
02:23:21,840 --> 02:23:27,280
that would cost?
>> No. Well, we don't know because we don't

1744
02:23:25,520 --> 02:23:32,080
know what laws go into effect, how many
policies would be created, how many

1745
02:23:29,280 --> 02:23:35,840
would be edited, what changed in them,
and then no matter who you pick, it's

1746
02:23:34,080 --> 02:23:38,880
always an interpretation of the law,
which is why we had IGA.

1747
02:23:37,439 --> 02:23:41,120
» That's what we're kind of getting at
was,

1748
02:23:40,399 --> 02:23:43,760
» you know,
>> well, I'm just

1749
02:23:41,840 --> 02:23:45,520
» neither organization is swayed one way
or the other.

1750
02:23:44,800 --> 02:23:48,080
» That's why
>> people have agendas. Yeah,

1751
02:23:47,040 --> 02:23:51,600
» everybody does.
>> I mean, I try I try to interpret law.

1752
02:23:49,920 --> 02:23:56,560
I'm not a lawyer. I mean, I question
what people give me, no matter what who

1753
02:23:54,160 --> 02:24:00,640
we're going with, but at least if we had
an I guess if you have an organization,

1754
02:23:58,640 --> 02:24:04,880
then you have a policy and then it's
quicker to say, "We don't like this

1755
02:24:02,640 --> 02:24:09,520
part. Can we change it?" And then we can
get Sans Anderson to review that

1756
02:24:07,200 --> 02:24:12,640
quickly. Do you see what I mean? It's
you're not starting from

1757
02:24:11,280 --> 02:24:16,634
» that's and that's why we have work
sessions and IGA because we didn't take

1758
02:24:14,614 --> 02:24:16,634
[clears throat]

1759
02:24:16,640 --> 02:24:21,760
» what another place told us in their
interpretation of the law and be like

1760
02:24:20,319 --> 02:24:25,280
we're automatically using that. That's
why we met and we would say well we

1761
02:24:23,439 --> 02:24:27,920
don't really like what that says. Yeah,
>> we're going to follow the law but we

1762
02:24:26,640 --> 02:24:33,280
want to word it like this. And that's
how what Mr. Jupair said how our

1763
02:24:30,160 --> 02:24:37,920
policies have sometimes improved way
more than what the law says or what an

1764
02:24:35,680 --> 02:24:40,319
agency gave us. But you had to have a
groundwork.

1765
02:24:38,560 --> 02:24:43,359
» We need a draft. We need something
>> and you have [clears throat] the right

1766
02:24:41,359 --> 02:24:47,439
to adopt it the way it comes.
>> You have the right to reject it. You

1767
02:24:45,040 --> 02:24:54,160
have the right to which used to happen.
>> What I don't like about the deal is

1768
02:24:50,640 --> 02:25:00,000
there's been several laws that the BSBA
had spoke out about how to vote

1769
02:24:57,920 --> 02:25:06,319
for parental rights things like this.
This was several years ago and I mean it

1770
02:25:02,720 --> 02:25:09,920
was complete contradiction what I would
believe in you know and I hate to give

1771
02:25:08,080 --> 02:25:13,760
these
somebody that money you know it's not

1772
02:25:12,160 --> 02:25:18,240
all about the money but I I don't like
to support them in any way shape or form

1773
02:25:15,680 --> 02:25:23,120
you know but I get what you're saying
>> now my biggest concern with what they're

1774
02:25:20,640 --> 02:25:29,200
saying to do with policy what SBAMA is
saying to do with policy and I'll just

1775
02:25:25,920 --> 02:25:34,160
use my department as an example all the
employee polic policies pretty much go

1776
02:25:31,840 --> 02:25:40,800
into handbooks.
So that leaves the control of all those

1777
02:25:37,359 --> 02:25:45,040
policies to me and Randy.
And some of those policies have money

1778
02:25:42,880 --> 02:25:49,280
tied to them.
Some of those policies are about sick

1779
02:25:46,720 --> 02:25:54,800
leave donation, sick leave bank, how
much we pay unused leave. That should

1780
02:25:52,080 --> 02:26:00,000
not be our decision. That should be a
board decision. Those

1781
02:25:57,680 --> 02:26:02,240
things worry me with going with this new
format.

1782
02:26:00,960 --> 02:26:04,560
» I wouldn't go with the new format
either.

1783
02:26:02,960 --> 02:26:07,920
» I don't think we should do that
>> as a board. We would be losing a lot of

1784
02:26:07,120 --> 02:26:12,240
» just so I can
>> the oversight of us knowing

1785
02:26:10,399 --> 02:26:15,760
» where something goes if it actually gets
put there if we're actually abiding by

1786
02:26:13,840 --> 02:26:20,000
the law if anybody's say the public
wants to find something. I mean right

1787
02:26:17,760 --> 02:26:24,080
now and I'm going to do whatever you
know I just go with the flow and give

1788
02:26:21,600 --> 02:26:27,680
you a job and I'm going to do it. But
right [clears throat] now the public I

1789
02:26:25,600 --> 02:26:32,160
mean yes we have these other documents
but right now the public goes to the

1790
02:26:29,280 --> 02:26:36,479
policy manual. You can search a word or
whatever it brings up anything about

1791
02:26:33,760 --> 02:26:39,920
that. Now the public is not even going
to know where to look for stuff and

1792
02:26:38,160 --> 02:26:42,880
you're going to go search through look
how long the employee handbook is

1793
02:26:41,359 --> 02:26:45,280
student code conduct all these things
and you're going to add more to it.

1794
02:26:44,240 --> 02:26:48,640
People aren't even going to be able to
find stuff. It's not going to get

1795
02:26:46,399 --> 02:26:53,600
updated properly. That's my
>> creat

1796
02:26:50,560 --> 02:26:56,800
issue. I disagree with this. I disagree
with this.

1797
02:26:55,920 --> 02:27:01,600
» That's what they're doing.
>> So, when they change their policy

1798
02:26:58,479 --> 02:27:04,720
services and there are only 70 policies,
then that's the ones they're going to

1799
02:27:03,200 --> 02:27:08,000
give you updates on. They're not going
to give you updates on the rest of them.

1800
02:27:06,720 --> 02:27:11,840
» No, we don't know that for sure.
>> Well, we don't interpretation because

1801
02:27:10,479 --> 02:27:15,040
they haven't said otherwise.
>> They haven't said otherwise, but

1802
02:27:13,439 --> 02:27:20,240
» but they're still going to require local
review. They still every policy you

1803
02:27:18,000 --> 02:27:24,240
have, they have to have legal review
from our council. Policies do, but if

1804
02:27:22,640 --> 02:27:28,560
we're putting stuff in handbooks, we
don't have to have lawyers look at that.

1805
02:27:26,240 --> 02:27:33,280
» How much is it? How much?
>> That's not entirely true.

1806
02:27:30,880 --> 02:27:36,399
» Doesn't the whole gave us a policy file,
do we then have the policy

1807
02:27:34,399 --> 02:27:39,280
» in order to get and then you have to pay
extra for their policy

1808
02:27:37,359 --> 02:27:42,160
» because we're trying to tweak it,
>> right?

1809
02:27:40,800 --> 02:27:48,000
Sans
>> Sans Anderson is a reviewer of legal

1810
02:27:45,280 --> 02:27:50,479
process. VSBA has a legal team and so
what they

1811
02:27:48,880 --> 02:27:55,920
» what the law
>> are passed in Richmond then goes through

1812
02:27:53,120 --> 02:28:03,680
VSBA and their legal team. They hand
down policy changes suggestions to us

1813
02:27:59,520 --> 02:28:06,399
which when then we decide upon and if we
have questions then we go to Sans

1814
02:28:05,280 --> 02:28:07,840
Anderson about it.
>> Yes.

1815
02:28:06,960 --> 02:28:12,240
» SBMA.
>> We can also ask them. That's kind of

1816
02:28:09,680 --> 02:28:16,960
what I was trying to say. Well put it.
You don't have to follow what comes out

1817
02:28:15,200 --> 02:28:23,760
of
uh VSBA. It is a it is a base and and

1818
02:28:21,359 --> 02:28:28,640
and the point was made before you know
governors change left right issues

1819
02:28:26,000 --> 02:28:33,120
change importance of this is no longer
there and all of a sudden it is again

1820
02:28:30,960 --> 02:28:38,080
and so you know it really does pay who
we put in office and how we vote and and

1821
02:28:36,399 --> 02:28:42,479
so
you have the ultimate decision as to

1822
02:28:40,240 --> 02:28:49,200
whether to take what they say and
actually put it into your policy. I

1823
02:28:46,479 --> 02:28:53,120
think the point that Melissa's making
too is as we change this whole thing to

1824
02:28:51,760 --> 02:28:57,680
where it goes to handbooks and things
like that, it will become less

1825
02:28:55,120 --> 02:29:01,040
transparent because you I I sat down
literally with Word docs. I know it's

1826
02:28:59,439 --> 02:29:04,640
not there for much longer, but just
literally going through policies and

1827
02:29:02,880 --> 02:29:09,920
then going to another county going
through theirs policies and making

1828
02:29:06,479 --> 02:29:14,399
comparisons and our I'm telling you, you
guys have done a good job. I mean, kudos

1829
02:29:11,680 --> 02:29:20,640
to you guys for for staying up with the
changes that had to happen. Um, if you

1830
02:29:18,640 --> 02:29:22,720
were careless with that, you would have
problems, but you haven't been careless

1831
02:29:22,160 --> 02:29:28,800
with that. So,
>> Mr. Duper, I I'll be honest with you.

1832
02:29:24,640 --> 02:29:33,040
Any I'm not for any kind of uh change
that offers Dr. Calvert any more power.

1833
02:29:31,638 --> 02:29:38,000
[laughter]
>> I say there's some I get rid of.

1834
02:29:36,640 --> 02:29:42,000
» YOU want to give me that? I think I'd be
the first one out. BUT [laughter] LET'S

1835
02:29:40,000 --> 02:29:49,120
GET AROUND THIS DISTRICT ONE PERSON, you
know. Um, but but I I tell you what's

1836
02:29:47,120 --> 02:29:54,160
got me a little bit. I actually kind of
agree with Mr. Hobbrook. Don't don't

1837
02:29:51,520 --> 02:29:57,760
freak out on me here. Uh, I don't really
want to give my money to anybody to be

1838
02:29:55,760 --> 02:30:01,840
honest with you. But we also have to
cover our Heiney

1839
02:29:59,439 --> 02:30:05,680
» and
uh I don't know how much legal fees

1840
02:30:03,760 --> 02:30:08,560
would cost for us to look at every DGO
policy,

1841
02:30:06,880 --> 02:30:13,840
» but I got a feeling it's more than we
can afford. That's I and I don't know. I

1842
02:30:11,680 --> 02:30:18,000
honestly don't. If I did, I' I'll
probably be a lawyer. But um

1843
02:30:15,840 --> 02:30:20,800
» do we have enough a number
>> when they did

1844
02:30:19,280 --> 02:30:25,600
» when they did the general review last
year of select policies that they were

1845
02:30:22,560 --> 02:30:29,359
doing for others? Um this would be more
but last year when they did a very

1846
02:30:27,200 --> 02:30:34,000
limited thing just on granting it was
like $4,500. But if they had to look at

1847
02:30:31,920 --> 02:30:37,640
everything that we were doing it it
would be a lot more.

1848
02:30:39,600 --> 02:30:45,200
» So I I'll just give you my best guess on
what would happen. We get a discount

1849
02:30:43,280 --> 02:30:50,240
with boards. There's different monies
moving. If we stayed only with SBAMA,

1850
02:30:47,760 --> 02:30:56,479
it's about $22,000 a year. If we were
only with BSBA, it would be $25,000 a

1851
02:30:52,960 --> 02:31:01,374
year. If you had dual, it'd be about 27
$28,000 a year because there's some

1852
02:30:58,960 --> 02:31:05,280
discounts and you're foregoing cost.
[cough and laughter] And if with VSBA,

1853
02:31:03,200 --> 02:31:08,399
you wouldn't have as much legal review.
It's only on those select policies.

1854
02:31:06,800 --> 02:31:10,640
You're going, we don't like this. Can we
do something with it different? That

1855
02:31:09,890 --> 02:31:14,720
[clears throat] would go to legal
review, but it be it would be minimal.

1856
02:31:12,880 --> 02:31:19,040
So, I'm just giving you the idea of what
the costs are on there.

1857
02:31:16,160 --> 02:31:23,600
» Um, so I have and I think in my mind I'm
conflating conflating

1858
02:31:21,280 --> 02:31:28,720
um these three dots and the eight dots.
So, I'm trying to figure out which one

1859
02:31:25,680 --> 02:31:32,800
we're we're really talking about. Um, so
with the government governance

1860
02:31:31,120 --> 02:31:39,600
transition,
really what we're saying is the SVMA is

1861
02:31:36,319 --> 02:31:47,359
going, hey, we're going to suggest that
you pair it down from 243 to 70 policies

1862
02:31:43,760 --> 02:31:52,000
and then a lot of those remaining would
go into a handbook. And just so I'm

1863
02:31:49,600 --> 02:31:55,840
clear on that,
as the board, we have control over

1864
02:31:53,920 --> 02:32:00,000
policy.
Executive staff has control over

1865
02:31:57,439 --> 02:32:03,439
handbook. Is that I just want to make
sure I'm understanding this. There's a

1866
02:32:02,080 --> 02:32:05,680
lot of words being thrown out that I
didn't

1867
02:32:03,760 --> 02:32:12,319
» There's very little understanding to be
had because SBMA keeps changing the

1868
02:32:09,040 --> 02:32:17,359
dialogue. They're they're I keep looking
at it and saying what are they trying to

1869
02:32:14,720 --> 02:32:22,000
accomplish by restructuring the
governance model and the best I can

1870
02:32:20,080 --> 02:32:28,000
figure is that they're changing it so
that they're not VSBA

1871
02:32:25,680 --> 02:32:33,680
and in doing so they're changing the
nomenclature so that looking at an old

1872
02:32:30,960 --> 02:32:39,680
policy there is no correlating new
policy. It just revamps everything.

1873
02:32:37,200 --> 02:32:44,479
every one of those 253 policies that
exist now to change them over to

1874
02:32:42,160 --> 02:32:48,160
regulations, the board has to review
them and vote on them and change it.

1875
02:32:46,399 --> 02:32:50,000
It's so it's a tremendous amount of work
for everybody involved

1876
02:32:49,280 --> 02:32:53,439
» individually
>> individually.

1877
02:32:50,880 --> 02:32:57,040
» And to make things more confusing for
everybody.

1878
02:32:54,960 --> 02:33:00,240
So it it really makes no sense.
>> That sounds like it's really worth about

1879
02:32:58,640 --> 02:33:02,640
$300 a month.
Well, and also when you turn it into

1880
02:33:02,000 --> 02:33:06,560
regulations
>> for 200 [laughter]

1881
02:33:04,240 --> 02:33:10,800
» you're still having to bring it to the
board and stuff, we're just having to do

1882
02:33:08,080 --> 02:33:12,960
the work and the company is not doing it
for us. [clears throat] We're not

1883
02:33:11,600 --> 02:33:16,479
getting the draft. Like I'm not a
proponent of any of the things. It

1884
02:33:14,479 --> 02:33:18,880
doesn't matter to me which one. We just
need one that functions for what we

1885
02:33:18,160 --> 02:33:21,600
need,
>> right?

1886
02:33:19,359 --> 02:33:25,439
» Helps us, gives us a draft, costs the
least amount of money because we, you

1887
02:33:22,960 --> 02:33:30,479
know, we have to be cognizant of the
amount of money of all of it. And if

1888
02:33:27,359 --> 02:33:36,319
we're if we're using SBAMA and we got a
new thing to do, okay, but then we're

1889
02:33:32,720 --> 02:33:41,120
also paying our legal counsel to pay to
look at it again. That's a big issue.

1890
02:33:39,200 --> 02:33:47,920
And we we just need somebody to give us
what we need so that we can have drafts

1891
02:33:44,240 --> 02:33:52,080
from a lawyer based on the law so we can
bring it in front of the board so you

1892
02:33:50,479 --> 02:33:56,560
can figure out how you want to word it.
And I mean, that's the easiest thing in

1893
02:33:54,240 --> 02:34:02,880
my own opinion because I do the job. But
again, I'll do whatever job whatever.

1894
02:33:59,840 --> 02:34:08,319
» My other concern, Stephen, is that we're
you're somewhat of a guinea pig for for

1895
02:34:06,319 --> 02:34:14,000
this because there's no other division
that we know of that we're aware of that

1896
02:34:11,120 --> 02:34:19,280
would be adopting this governance model.
And so it kind of puts us out on an

1897
02:34:15,760 --> 02:34:21,840
island of of all the Virginia divisions.
And

1898
02:34:20,479 --> 02:34:24,240
» a lot of it doesn't work. You're saying
it's not proven.

1899
02:34:22,800 --> 02:34:26,880
» It's not proven. That's right.
>> If there are others, we don't know. we

1900
02:34:25,920 --> 02:34:32,800
don't know about.
>> And if it doesn't work, we're going to

1901
02:34:29,200 --> 02:34:35,280
have to go back to the other model or
create a third one that doesn't exist

1902
02:34:34,720 --> 02:34:42,399
yet.
>> I did talk to the school court attorney

1903
02:34:38,160 --> 02:34:46,479
just briefly. Um, every one of those
policies moved would have to have action

1904
02:34:44,560 --> 02:34:51,920
and they would have to review where it
went and all of that. There would have

1905
02:34:48,319 --> 02:34:58,080
to be legal review on all of that. She
also said there would be increased cost

1906
02:34:53,760 --> 02:35:01,760
and time because like for example our
employment contracts would have to be

1907
02:34:59,680 --> 02:35:05,920
rewritten because they're based on the
existing policy that's out there. So

1908
02:35:03,600 --> 02:35:14,000
we'd have to rewrite the format of the
contracts. We would have to um defending

1909
02:35:10,240 --> 02:35:17,520
any case personnel whatever it you would
have to do it differently since the

1910
02:35:15,680 --> 02:35:21,520
documents were in different locations
because different weights of different

1911
02:35:19,680 --> 02:35:27,840
documents. a handbook is not the same as
policy. So all of that would change

1912
02:35:24,720 --> 02:35:34,240
which would add time onto all those
processes if you understand what I'm

1913
02:35:30,479 --> 02:35:38,479
» Dr. Calbert, if you if we stick with
SBMA

1914
02:35:36,319 --> 02:35:41,920
and we stick with the way we're doing
our policies,

1915
02:35:40,240 --> 02:35:46,720
» would we just not even know that there's
a policy change from the government or

1916
02:35:44,160 --> 02:35:51,840
or would the
I don't really know what they're doing

1917
02:35:49,200 --> 02:35:58,160
last year is we don't get updates. So,
one one of one of my biggest issues with

1918
02:35:55,200 --> 02:36:02,800
not being a part of VSBA, and I don't
want to give money to that ideology

1919
02:36:00,479 --> 02:36:06,880
either, but
they're supposed to be, and as much as

1920
02:36:05,280 --> 02:36:11,280
they can be, I think they try to stay
neutral, but

1921
02:36:09,040 --> 02:36:17,280
my biggest grievance is that it it
hamstrings all of our administration,

1922
02:36:14,000 --> 02:36:22,479
right? Mr. Deair is in the dark uh in
the superintendent meetings and these

1923
02:36:20,720 --> 02:36:28,560
guys are missing out on educational
opportunities as well. Um that I I think

1924
02:36:26,800 --> 02:36:32,808
it it
makes it more difficult for them to do

1925
02:36:30,399 --> 02:36:36,080
their jobs that we ask them to do.
[snorts]

1926
02:36:33,359 --> 02:36:40,560
» Dr. Hub, I have a question for you all
on the IG

1927
02:36:38,240 --> 02:36:46,160
and this is going all the way down to
eight. Um,

1928
02:36:43,280 --> 02:36:48,960
so what I'm hearing is we're not getting
supported from SVMA.

1929
02:36:48,080 --> 02:36:54,160
» That's the
>> from the J. That's what you guys have

1930
02:36:51,120 --> 02:36:59,040
have gone with. Why maintain a
membership with them as a as a board?

1931
02:36:56,160 --> 02:37:04,479
Like why do duel? Why not just do if we
if we have one that's not working and we

1932
02:37:01,359 --> 02:37:08,960
believe this other one's working,
why have them both? That that doesn't

1933
02:37:06,160 --> 02:37:17,040
make a whole lot of sense to me. Um, I
think that the sense in in the duel

1934
02:37:12,880 --> 02:37:21,120
is that the VSBA gives us the the
awareness of the law changes and the way

1935
02:37:19,439 --> 02:37:26,640
that it should affect our policies and
what we need to look at and review. Um,

1936
02:37:24,399 --> 02:37:33,359
that's number one. Provides the tools
for the executive team to do their jobs

1937
02:37:28,640 --> 02:37:37,680
the best they can do. Um, and it doesn't
absolve the IGA committee of the of

1938
02:37:35,840 --> 02:37:42,640
needing to do the due diligence to look
at those policies and to say, "No, that

1939
02:37:40,240 --> 02:37:46,880
is not right for Bedford County. Uh,
that is not what our constituents want

1940
02:37:44,399 --> 02:37:53,280
and we need it to be this way." And to
tweak them with Sans Anderson's stamp of

1941
02:37:50,319 --> 02:37:58,479
approval that yes, that's legal to do.
So, that's the plus side of the SBA.

1942
02:37:56,640 --> 02:38:04,640
SBMA,
they offer a perspective

1943
02:38:01,359 --> 02:38:09,760
that of the law changes that is very
different from VSBA and more in keeping

1944
02:38:07,359 --> 02:38:16,240
with what I think our constituents and
our board as a whole um feel. Uh so it's

1945
02:38:13,760 --> 02:38:22,640
more in alignment with with our values
and and u our current policy. I mean, I

1946
02:38:21,600 --> 02:38:27,520
know
>> that they have a a closer alignment um

1947
02:38:25,520 --> 02:38:30,479
with the way Bedford County just looks.
>> Yes.

1948
02:38:27,920 --> 02:38:36,000
» Ideology. But if they're not providing
any service, why continue? I there are

1949
02:38:33,920 --> 02:38:41,040
plenty of people that I agree with that
have subscription services to podcasts

1950
02:38:39,040 --> 02:38:45,280
and I don't
>> I don't have a use for all of them, so I

1951
02:38:43,200 --> 02:38:48,560
don't subscribe to their services. Why
would we go ahead and continue to

1952
02:38:47,120 --> 02:38:53,120
subscribe to the service if we're not
going to use that service?

1953
02:38:50,000 --> 02:38:57,760
» Right. And there's there's no mandate
that we would have to that that's

1954
02:38:55,520 --> 02:39:02,319
certainly an option before the board to
go back to VSBA and and and to abandon

1955
02:39:00,800 --> 02:39:06,880
SBMA. A lot of
>> Can I add one thing, Dr. Peubach? I'm

1956
02:39:04,000 --> 02:39:10,800
sorry to interrupt, but um VSBA is of
course a divisionwide

1957
02:39:09,040 --> 02:39:16,160
um
partnership or membership. SBMA is

1958
02:39:14,080 --> 02:39:21,520
individual board members. Correct. If
Dr. Hubach and Miss Doson want it to

1959
02:39:18,560 --> 02:39:25,280
remain with SBMA as members, fine. If
Mr. Collins, Mr. Hullberg said, "No, I

1960
02:39:23,359 --> 02:39:28,640
don't want to continue my membership."
Fine. It's individualized. So, it

1961
02:39:27,840 --> 02:39:34,399
doesn't have to be.
>> And that's how SBAMA is with most of the

1962
02:39:31,760 --> 02:39:38,319
Virginia. Correct. Individual
schoolboard member alliance. It is an

1963
02:39:36,080 --> 02:39:43,920
individual school board members.
>> Yes. Which Virginia School Board

1964
02:39:41,040 --> 02:39:48,880
Association, BSBA, says it in their name
that they're for school boards. However,

1965
02:39:46,080 --> 02:39:53,359
they provide any information to all
everybody that's around this table.

1966
02:39:51,040 --> 02:39:57,280
» So, is it really for school boards or is
it for everything? I've had the argument

1967
02:39:55,359 --> 02:40:00,640
with SBAMA, hey, you should consider
working with staff, which they've done

1968
02:39:58,800 --> 02:40:04,479
more work with this staff than any other
division. They're like, we're not really

1969
02:40:02,720 --> 02:40:09,439
doing that because we're supposed to be
for school board members only. I go, I

1970
02:40:06,399 --> 02:40:12,640
get it, but you're you're David and VSBA
is Goliath and if you want to get more

1971
02:40:11,359 --> 02:40:16,000
people on, you're going to have to offer
more services. That's something that

1972
02:40:14,399 --> 02:40:20,319
I've just told them. So, I'm gonna let
everybody else talk before I before I

1973
02:40:17,680 --> 02:40:26,240
get into my questions. But I I think
that here's what I would say about the

1974
02:40:22,000 --> 02:40:30,560
IG. We used to have VSBA and we had Sans
Anderson that represented us. And on the

1975
02:40:28,399 --> 02:40:34,319
IGA, we worked really really hard to
make sure the policies that we didn't

1976
02:40:32,560 --> 02:40:37,760
just take it verbatim before IGA was
there. That's what happened. They came

1977
02:40:36,160 --> 02:40:41,840
in, you know, it's on this sheet.
There's eight of them. They vote go

1978
02:40:39,520 --> 02:40:46,479
through. Um very rarely did anything get
called out. Um, we made a lot of changes

1979
02:40:44,640 --> 02:40:51,200
and work to make sure that this fit with
what Bedford County wants to do. Do I

1980
02:40:48,399 --> 02:40:55,359
have any doubt? I don't care if AOC was
given the the policies. We go, wait,

1981
02:40:54,000 --> 02:40:58,160
this doesn't make sense for us right
here, right now. This is the way we'd

1982
02:40:56,880 --> 02:41:03,120
want to do it. And they would make those
changes. They would go to Sans Anderson

1983
02:41:00,399 --> 02:41:06,880
or whoever, and they would say, don't
tell us why we can't do this. Tell us

1984
02:41:04,479 --> 02:41:10,800
how we can do it. And then Sans Anderson
would would help us. There were some

1985
02:41:08,479 --> 02:41:16,160
controversial policies that we passed.
Um, I don't know why patriotism one was

1986
02:41:13,760 --> 02:41:19,760
controversial, but it was. Um, but they
worked with us on it. So, they did they

1987
02:41:17,840 --> 02:41:23,200
did help us. Did it cost more money?
Yeah. But at the end of the day, do I

1988
02:41:21,680 --> 02:41:25,600
think we got the policy right? Yeah, we
did. I think at the end of the day,

1989
02:41:24,240 --> 02:41:29,359
getting the policy right is the most
important thing.

1990
02:41:26,800 --> 02:41:32,640
» I disagree with a lot of what VSBA does.
I know I said I was going to let other

1991
02:41:30,640 --> 02:41:33,920
people talk, but I'll I'll keep going.
Um,

1992
02:41:33,040 --> 02:41:39,439
» you're doing great.
>> Thanks. Sam Anderson works very closely

1993
02:41:37,280 --> 02:41:43,680
with VSBA as well. They talk at their
conferences. They give them legal advice

1994
02:41:41,600 --> 02:41:47,280
as well. Is there supposed to be a
separation? I'm sure that there's

1995
02:41:45,280 --> 02:41:49,680
supposed to be. Is there I don't know if
they're if they're aligned. They go,

1996
02:41:48,479 --> 02:41:53,840
"Well, this is what we've been doing, so
we're Why would we not tell school

1997
02:41:51,439 --> 02:41:59,040
boards we wrote the policy, why would we
tell them anything different?" Um, but

1998
02:41:56,319 --> 02:42:03,280
it would be up to IGA and I I have no
doubt in my mind that this committee

1999
02:42:01,600 --> 02:42:08,800
working with because I was on that
committee working with staff staff

2000
02:42:05,920 --> 02:42:12,880
always advises, gives advice and gives
consent and and when we say this is what

2001
02:42:10,640 --> 02:42:15,439
we want to do, they do it. They go this
is what we're going to do. We're going

2002
02:42:13,680 --> 02:42:20,560
to help get to the right answer, making
sure that we're protected and everything

2003
02:42:16,880 --> 02:42:24,479
else. So, I am on the fence on this
knowing like I know where it's probably

2004
02:42:22,240 --> 02:42:27,200
going to go and I get it ideologically.
I know where I'm at on it, but I'm I'm

2005
02:42:26,080 --> 02:42:30,880
just going to walk through some other
questions I have at at the end, and I

2006
02:42:29,520 --> 02:42:34,800
think it'll help everyone get to a
decision.

2007
02:42:31,680 --> 02:42:40,000
» So, I just want to lay it all out. If we
go with SBMA, you won't even know about

2008
02:42:38,720 --> 02:42:43,680
policy changes.
>> I don't we don't know that yet. I guess

2009
02:42:42,080 --> 02:42:49,520
that's accurate, right, Melissa?
>> They won't be policy changes like the 70

2010
02:42:47,920 --> 02:42:55,439
the 70 or so that they're going to keep
in policy. They would give us draft

2011
02:42:51,840 --> 02:43:00,000
language just like the SBA did, which
they've done with me since we started

2012
02:42:58,240 --> 02:43:03,439
working with them. But then I've been
told, "Hold off on all the stuff that

2013
02:43:01,760 --> 02:43:06,160
we've given you because we're changing
what we're doing." So that's why we

2014
02:43:05,120 --> 02:43:11,359
haven't been bringing policies because
that's just a waste of time for you guys

2015
02:43:07,920 --> 02:43:15,040
if we were to get rid of it. what the
the parts that we're not sure about

2016
02:43:13,040 --> 02:43:19,200
because they haven't specified in all
the emails that I've received. They're

2017
02:43:17,280 --> 02:43:22,720
saying that the content that's in our
current policies that's no longer going

2018
02:43:20,640 --> 02:43:27,600
to be policies all will be moved
somewhere into some handbook regulation.

2019
02:43:25,359 --> 02:43:29,040
But I mean, we can choose not to do
that, right?

2020
02:43:28,240 --> 02:43:31,040
» Yeah, that's what we're
>> But it can but they're not going to

2021
02:43:30,160 --> 02:43:35,600
update the policy.
>> It would be hard to stay with SBAMA

2022
02:43:33,359 --> 02:43:40,560
policy services and not go with their
format. I think that would be difficult.

2023
02:43:38,640 --> 02:43:44,880
Yeah, because I would I would I would
not know what policy they were

2024
02:43:42,319 --> 02:43:48,800
referencing because the it's not
letters. It's not even the same.

2025
02:43:46,960 --> 02:43:53,600
» They're in six sections. And
>> one of the reasons that they want to

2026
02:43:50,479 --> 02:43:58,319
downgrade to 70 policies is so that
there's not 253 of them for them to

2027
02:43:56,319 --> 02:44:03,040
review,
right? So that saves them a lot of work,

2028
02:44:00,800 --> 02:44:06,240
but at our expense.
>> You only have to re I'm sorry. You only

2029
02:44:04,319 --> 02:44:09,600
have to review a policy if there's a
change in the law.

2030
02:44:08,080 --> 02:44:13,359
Right.
But they're not even going to look at

2031
02:44:11,040 --> 02:44:16,960
what's in our handbook. They're only
going to look at what's in the 70

2032
02:44:15,279 --> 02:44:20,640
policies. If there's a change in the
law, does it affect any of those 70

2033
02:44:18,399 --> 02:44:22,800
policies? No. Good.
>> That doesn't matter if it doesn't affect

2034
02:44:21,840 --> 02:44:26,800
your handbook.
>> You would not be notified about it.

2035
02:44:25,040 --> 02:44:30,240
» I'm trying to be unbiased here. So
that's why I'm here because I don't take

2036
02:44:28,560 --> 02:44:34,160
it personally. It's not my department.
This is my job. We don't know what

2037
02:44:33,040 --> 02:44:37,680
they're going to do.
>> They haven't said it. They haven't said

2038
02:44:35,840 --> 02:44:39,680
they're starting over.
>> That's right. That's why there's no

2039
02:44:38,960 --> 02:44:43,279
answers.
>> Six sections of stuff that

2040
02:44:41,120 --> 02:44:48,000
» So you can't even make a decision. You
you're saying what you guys are saying

2041
02:44:44,800 --> 02:44:51,120
is even if we wanted to do this because
there's so much unknown at this time.

2042
02:44:50,560 --> 02:44:53,279
» Yeah.
>> We don't think we can do it.

2043
02:44:52,800 --> 02:44:56,720
» Correct.
>> And just because we would might

2044
02:44:54,640 --> 02:45:00,960
recommend to change to something just so
that we're protected doesn't mean in the

2045
02:44:58,399 --> 02:45:03,920
future we would stay with that. They got
themselves up to stuff. Did you guys

2046
02:45:02,479 --> 02:45:07,920
have a conversation with these guys on
the phone? Have you talked to them and

2047
02:45:06,000 --> 02:45:11,439
said, "This is our concerns. This is our
concerns that the attorney has."

2048
02:45:09,600 --> 02:45:15,359
» I will speak for me. They won't speak to
me unless you're on the phone.

2049
02:45:13,040 --> 02:45:21,600
» The only conversation I had with Shel
was because I had a question about what

2050
02:45:18,319 --> 02:45:24,720
policies that I have that we've paid for
say I wasn't going to bring this up

2051
02:45:23,439 --> 02:45:29,279
because that wasn't in the summary. It's
too much information. But we paid Sans

2052
02:45:26,640 --> 02:45:34,960
Anderson last summer. We have policy
sitting. I was at my last two policies

2053
02:45:32,319 --> 02:45:39,439
from VSBA because we do eight policies
at a time. We're behind all the time,

2054
02:45:36,720 --> 02:45:46,319
but we always have to follow the law.
Well, with SBAMA, I have had policies.

2055
02:45:43,359 --> 02:45:51,520
They've given me policies like in
different months over the years the time

2056
02:45:48,800 --> 02:45:55,680
we've had them. But I called her to talk
to her about what am I what am I

2057
02:45:54,160 --> 02:45:59,200
supposed to be working on? Am I supposed
to be doing any of these policies? Am I

2058
02:45:57,439 --> 02:46:02,960
supposed to be doing anything SBAM? I
mean not interviewing Sans Anderson gave

2059
02:46:00,800 --> 02:46:08,479
us or anything else that we have and she
said to me on the phone I mean of course

2060
02:46:06,319 --> 02:46:12,240
like you said earlier you turn 40 can't
remember stuff. Well, I'm 46, so I I

2061
02:46:10,640 --> 02:46:18,160
can't remember every single detail in a
conversation either, but she pretty much

2062
02:46:15,040 --> 02:46:21,840
told me, "Don't use anything that you've
had from us that you she didn't say that

2063
02:46:20,319 --> 02:46:26,800
you paid for, but to me, I'm like, we
wasted money because we paid for this.

2064
02:46:23,760 --> 02:46:31,040
We paid for SBMA and Sans Anderson, and
she said, "Don't do anything until we

2065
02:46:29,200 --> 02:46:34,640
decide which policies are going to be
still policies."

2066
02:46:32,960 --> 02:46:37,920
» So, none of that stuff moves forward.
Even even that doesn't necessarily make

2067
02:46:36,319 --> 02:46:40,319
sense because we could enact it and then
if we decide it's not going to be a

2068
02:46:39,200 --> 02:46:42,560
policy it's going to move we would just
move it

2069
02:46:40,960 --> 02:46:45,600
» right. I just asked though because I'm
just like I don't want to

2070
02:46:43,920 --> 02:46:48,960
» and they should get on the phone with
the IG.

2071
02:46:47,120 --> 02:46:51,040
» You go through the process of
information and action then we don't

2072
02:46:50,560 --> 02:46:55,680
even have
>> they should have got on the phone with

2073
02:46:52,080 --> 02:46:59,359
the with the IG and said hey guys these
are our concerns and they either go okay

2074
02:46:58,000 --> 02:47:04,240
because at the end of the day they don't
just want Bedford County to do this.

2075
02:47:01,120 --> 02:47:07,840
They would want every division to do it.
Well unless they if the attorneys are

2076
02:47:06,160 --> 02:47:11,840
advising that you shouldn't do it. How
could a division decide to do it? Well,

2077
02:47:10,080 --> 02:47:16,319
they're just saying it would be costly
to move it.

2078
02:47:14,640 --> 02:47:21,279
» I will say I've reached out to Shel a
few times, not a bunch. Um, she has

2079
02:47:19,200 --> 02:47:24,479
answered me. It's not always the answer
I want. Sometimes it goes around and

2080
02:47:23,120 --> 02:47:29,120
you're not really answering what I'm
saying, but she always takes my call.

2081
02:47:26,720 --> 02:47:33,279
She calls me back. She she does work
with me because I am the policy person.

2082
02:47:31,040 --> 02:47:37,520
So, she will do that. I'm not I'm not
saying they're all bad. They have good

2083
02:47:34,800 --> 02:47:41,439
things they send. It's just our policy,
our policy services is not working for

2084
02:47:40,720 --> 02:47:46,479
us.
>> And if we want to follow with what

2085
02:47:43,120 --> 02:47:48,880
they're doing, you all need to be aware
>> that

2086
02:47:47,840 --> 02:47:53,359
» you're not going to have the
authoritative part to approve

2087
02:47:50,960 --> 02:47:58,000
everything. It can get lost. It's going
to be in 50 places. We We still have

2088
02:47:56,160 --> 02:48:04,399
accountability. We still have I do
foyer, which I hate by the way, but I do

2089
02:48:01,439 --> 02:48:09,279
foyer. Well, that still applies. any any
fura stuff applies any all the laws

2090
02:48:07,040 --> 02:48:15,439
still apply no matter where we have this
>> and it makes it harder for us to be

2091
02:48:13,200 --> 02:48:18,560
compliant if it's in all these places
and all this is changing

2092
02:48:17,040 --> 02:48:22,560
» it's taking control of
>> you said

2093
02:48:20,399 --> 02:48:25,439
they sent the policy yesterday the state
said that policy about three or four

2094
02:48:24,080 --> 02:48:30,479
days prior to
>> so we took it basically and started

2095
02:48:28,880 --> 02:48:33,120
having that conversation
>> so

2096
02:48:31,359 --> 02:48:36,960
» but they didn't write the polic write
the policy. It was just they didn't give

2097
02:48:35,040 --> 02:48:41,520
us a law. They just said you need to
create policy for this because it's one

2098
02:48:39,279 --> 02:48:45,439
that doesn't exist.
>> So, we would be in charge of doing that

2099
02:48:43,680 --> 02:48:49,680
outside with our own
>> lawyer,

2100
02:48:45,920 --> 02:48:53,120
» which we did. I mean, the rate the uh
there's another one on here that we

2101
02:48:51,120 --> 02:48:56,800
created out of all cloth and we did it
and we had to go to Sans Anderson with

2102
02:48:54,960 --> 02:49:00,479
it. That would be the case if you make
your own policy. I mean, obviously, you

2103
02:48:58,880 --> 02:49:05,920
can Google which laws changed in
Virginia in 2026, and it'll tell you,

2104
02:49:03,680 --> 02:49:08,960
» but that doesn't it's like, okay, where
do we put

2105
02:49:06,319 --> 02:49:11,962
» you want to base your where do we put
it? Internet search.

2106
02:49:10,399 --> 02:49:14,560
» That's No, no. What I'm saying is
[laughter] even if

2107
02:49:13,040 --> 02:49:17,359
» even if it's accurate,
>> right?

2108
02:49:15,120 --> 02:49:20,960
» Like, okay, well, how do we search to
figure out which policy it's supposed to

2109
02:49:19,200 --> 02:49:24,160
go in and what does it replace?
>> Does it fall in line?

2110
02:49:22,640 --> 02:49:29,439
» And this is exactly what happened when
we very first went with SBAMA. And I'm

2111
02:49:26,720 --> 02:49:34,240
like, "Okay, I feel like an idiot here.
I've been and I mean I'm not an expert

2112
02:49:32,479 --> 02:49:38,240
and stuff, but like I took their stuff
and I'm like I spent hours and hours

2113
02:49:36,399 --> 02:49:41,200
just reading it." I'm like, "What policy
is independent is this?"

2114
02:49:39,520 --> 02:49:43,600
» And I'm defending you here on that.
That's what I'm saying. Like, "Oh, well

2115
02:49:42,160 --> 02:49:46,319
people you can find." Well, yeah, you
can see what laws change, but it doesn't

2116
02:49:45,200 --> 02:49:49,920
help you
>> with the policy. And by the way, even,

2117
02:49:48,479 --> 02:49:56,080
oh, you can search boards. That ain't
the easiest thing to do. [laughter]

2118
02:49:52,720 --> 02:50:02,160
» I can give you an example of the
Friday off before Labor Day, which we

2119
02:49:59,120 --> 02:50:08,800
were certain we fell into that category
because we met all these parameters.

2120
02:50:05,200 --> 02:50:13,359
So, one day, just because I wanted to be
prepared for this meeting, I opened that

2121
02:50:11,439 --> 02:50:17,760
law up
and

2122
02:50:14,880 --> 02:50:21,760
not not right here. So, I went down and
and at the bottom of the law, there's

2123
02:50:19,439 --> 02:50:26,240
these little blue links. I linked on
one,

2124
02:50:23,359 --> 02:50:32,560
read that, went to the next one, linked
on another one, and holy cow, we're

2125
02:50:28,960 --> 02:50:37,040
exempt from 2012.
And so that's the kind of tech, that's

2126
02:50:34,560 --> 02:50:42,479
the kind of digging that has to be done
because just because the law gets

2127
02:50:39,040 --> 02:50:46,479
rewritten this July 1st doesn't mean
that it hasn't been around for 20 years.

2128
02:50:44,720 --> 02:50:49,840
They just changed something. So now you
got to go back and you got to touch it.

2129
02:50:47,840 --> 02:50:55,359
So it's buried. Some of these laws are
buried three or four deep in transition.

2130
02:50:53,600 --> 02:51:01,200
» Do you have any questions? I want to go
through. Anyone else have any questions?

2131
02:50:57,840 --> 02:51:04,640
» I asked a couple.
>> The question the only other only

2132
02:51:03,040 --> 02:51:08,960
question I had is, you know, if you're
not getting the policies,

2133
02:51:07,359 --> 02:51:12,880
you're trying to dig, trying to find
them is what I'm hearing. and you want

2134
02:51:11,120 --> 02:51:17,600
somebody to be able to just go ahead and
write them and we can adjust those and

2135
02:51:14,640 --> 02:51:22,080
then go to Sans Anderson so that we can
>> take those instead of looking at this

2136
02:51:19,840 --> 02:51:25,840
document of the new law which could be
couple pages law and trying to create

2137
02:51:23,840 --> 02:51:30,640
your own policy.
>> I think we're afraid of going with the

2138
02:51:27,920 --> 02:51:33,760
new format because it's so different and
it isolates us from everybody else in

2139
02:51:32,880 --> 02:51:38,160
Virginia.
>> Okay. Um, I think we're lerary of going

2140
02:51:36,000 --> 02:51:41,840
to the new format.
>> And I think something Mr. James brought

2141
02:51:40,160 --> 02:51:49,200
up before, and this is kind of why I
made this suggestion in January is

2142
02:51:45,120 --> 02:51:54,240
because an organization like VSBA
is sanctioned by the legislators.

2143
02:51:52,319 --> 02:52:01,520
You know how that changes, but that's
the other side of the story. But but in

2144
02:51:56,880 --> 02:52:07,520
so doing that they have programs for
superintendents, for executives, for

2145
02:52:04,000 --> 02:52:13,120
board clerks, for every group that sits
in this room, board members and all. So

2146
02:52:11,040 --> 02:52:19,040
you you're in dialogue constantly with
the changes, whereas and I made that

2147
02:52:16,240 --> 02:52:23,359
suggestion to Shirley over a year ago
that that's where you needed to go if

2148
02:52:20,560 --> 02:52:29,920
you were going to be uh in in the hunt,
so to speak, and and become a

2149
02:52:25,600 --> 02:52:35,760
competitive group. So, you know, that's
that's my conversation to that.

2150
02:52:33,920 --> 02:52:42,240
» I think one one point that hasn't been
made and that is that when SBMA makes a

2151
02:52:39,680 --> 02:52:48,240
suggestion for their policy review,
their disclaimer is that we have no

2152
02:52:44,880 --> 02:52:52,399
legal team. There's no legal oversight
of this. So, you're going to have to get

2153
02:52:50,880 --> 02:52:54,640
your own lawyers to review this
material. So

2154
02:52:53,520 --> 02:52:59,760
» SBAMA says that
>> SBAMA says that

2155
02:52:56,960 --> 02:53:06,399
» um
>> um I think to sum it up my concerns

2156
02:53:03,840 --> 02:53:12,399
would start with being opened up to
liability. Um and then my concern really

2157
02:53:10,000 --> 02:53:17,840
as well is time and money which I don't
feel we have with in county and it's not

2158
02:53:15,439 --> 02:53:21,359
something that we just don't have that
luxury right now.

2159
02:53:19,359 --> 02:53:27,600
My only comment because I don't think
anybody answered Mr. Hell's question

2160
02:53:23,520 --> 02:53:32,960
about why we would keep the two. Um, and
I think that that is what we are doing

2161
02:53:29,600 --> 02:53:37,520
as a board is deciding whether or not a
dual membership is something that we

2162
02:53:34,800 --> 02:53:45,760
want to pay for individually. We can be
a member of SBMA. Um, but is that

2163
02:53:42,319 --> 02:53:52,399
something that we want to budget for
the board as well? Um, And I think I am

2164
02:53:50,240 --> 02:53:59,200
on the team of the more information that
we have the better um from every side.

2165
02:53:56,240 --> 02:54:04,479
Um so I think it's worth it, but I know
that not everybody sees it sees it that

2166
02:54:01,520 --> 02:54:06,960
way. So I don't think that really
answered the question, but I think

2167
02:54:05,840 --> 02:54:10,319
that's something that we're trying to
decide.

2168
02:54:07,600 --> 02:54:14,720
» Gotcha. I appreciate that. Anything
else?

2169
02:54:11,359 --> 02:54:21,359
» I think I think that because VSBA is a
divisionwide membership

2170
02:54:17,920 --> 02:54:27,840
that for necessity that that's something
that we should rejoin

2171
02:54:24,960 --> 02:54:30,960
and that as far as SBMA goes they they
offer valuable insights that

2172
02:54:30,295 --> 02:54:38,720
[clears throat]
uh I think are a yin-yang for looking at

2173
02:54:34,640 --> 02:54:47,439
the laws and I think that at least the
IG members should continue to be SBMA

2174
02:54:42,960 --> 02:54:50,640
memberships the cost difference $2,000
Yeah.

2175
02:54:48,479 --> 02:54:54,560
» Uh about membership
>> $2,500.

2176
02:54:52,560 --> 02:54:59,600
» I think it's 300 bucks for an individual
membership, something like that.

2177
02:54:58,080 --> 02:55:05,840
» Um but that keeps you getting their
emails and their insights on the new

2178
02:55:01,920 --> 02:55:08,800
laws and their coffee house meetings and
whatever else they offer, you know, as a

2179
02:55:08,240 --> 02:55:13,279
member.
>> Yeah, they're a very young organization.

2180
02:55:11,439 --> 02:55:15,760
They don't have a lot of budget. They're
they're asking individual board members

2181
02:55:14,720 --> 02:55:20,000
to sign up.
>> Some boards don't pay for their board

2182
02:55:17,840 --> 02:55:24,240
members to do it. Every board pays for a
VSBA. So, they have a lot of money. They

2183
02:55:22,240 --> 02:55:28,399
do policy. There's a lot. They're big
organizations. So, they have attorneys.

2184
02:55:26,399 --> 02:55:32,399
They have resources to be able to get
information out.

2185
02:55:29,520 --> 02:55:36,319
» It's just is the information good? We,
you know, and we've used them and we've

2186
02:55:34,560 --> 02:55:39,680
most of the policies fly right through.
They're a little controversial.

2187
02:55:38,160 --> 02:55:46,240
» You got to look and make sure it makes
sense for the county. Um,

2188
02:55:41,359 --> 02:55:50,160
» Dr. Ubach I I'm I'm of the opinion I'm
going to say I'm going to preface this I

2189
02:55:48,000 --> 02:55:54,720
was actually I was of the opinion we
should not be members of both

2190
02:55:51,359 --> 02:56:00,560
organizations. I truly I truly feel that
it's a we need to save as much money as

2191
02:55:58,399 --> 02:56:04,479
we can essentially. But you actually
make a very interesting point and

2192
02:56:02,960 --> 02:56:08,240
actually Miss Dobson and I spoke about
this last week and I've chewed on it.

2193
02:56:06,960 --> 02:56:12,560
There's something to be said about
having multiple points of view. There

2194
02:56:10,479 --> 02:56:18,319
really is. And seeing seeing something
from a different lens a lot of times can

2195
02:56:15,120 --> 02:56:23,680
open you up to something you didn't see.
I think I'm almost

2196
02:56:22,080 --> 02:56:29,200
there's something to be said about that.
>> One of the things that SPMA stands

2197
02:56:25,577 --> 02:56:33,760
[clears throat] out it it
it points out that the board is the one

2198
02:56:31,200 --> 02:56:39,600
that is in charge and most boards just
are rubber stampers to the

2199
02:56:36,000 --> 02:56:46,800
superintendent. offense, but it shows us
that we have more authority than

2200
02:56:42,960 --> 02:56:54,399
» what the SBA kind of promotes, and that
is just rougher standard. Um, and that's

2201
02:56:50,160 --> 02:56:58,640
my opinion. But, um, that's the one of
the emphasis that SBMA shows you what

2202
02:56:57,040 --> 02:57:04,960
kind of authority you have as a school
board member, what you can or cannot do,

2203
02:57:01,760 --> 02:57:12,319
um, based on law. Um but that's not
really emphasized in as as much through

2204
02:57:07,760 --> 02:57:17,439
the BSBA. Um and it also allows us to
see things on a more um yeah on a

2205
02:57:16,080 --> 02:57:24,080
different level on a different
perspective on what's going on locally,

2206
02:57:20,560 --> 02:57:29,760
what's going on nationally, so on.
>> So let me reply to her comment um and

2207
02:57:26,960 --> 02:57:33,600
apology. I am not of the person that
asks you for to rubber stamp anything.

2208
02:57:31,920 --> 02:57:42,000
» You know, you never have. Yeah.
>> And so to me, I've said it before,

2209
02:57:38,240 --> 02:57:47,600
this board in the past three or four
years that I have looked at it, um has

2210
02:57:44,880 --> 02:57:51,680
been very careful [snorts] to make good
decisions. So, you didn't hire a guy

2211
02:57:50,640 --> 02:57:56,399
that's going to say, you know what, let
me see if I can sneak this through. It's

2212
02:57:53,760 --> 02:57:57,359
not my personality.
So,

2213
02:57:56,960 --> 02:58:00,080
» yeah,
>> for what it's worth,

2214
02:57:58,399 --> 02:58:04,080
» and and that that is that is that is
true. But I will say I've been in a ton

2215
02:58:02,080 --> 02:58:09,200
of IG meetings and we've had policies
and there were uh things that came from,

2216
02:58:06,960 --> 02:58:12,880
you know, VSBA that say, "Hey, these are
the policies because the law changed.

2217
02:58:10,479 --> 02:58:16,080
This is what we want to do." And other
members of the staff that have been in

2218
02:58:14,319 --> 02:58:21,200
those meetings have said, "We don't want
to do this this way." We have our

2219
02:58:18,399 --> 02:58:24,000
thoughts on it, too. So, it's not just
you that's not a rubber [laughter]

2220
02:58:22,479 --> 02:58:27,840
stamp.
Everybody that's that's been at those IG

2221
02:58:26,000 --> 02:58:32,080
meetings has also said that. And I think
in the one of the things when we were

2222
02:58:29,520 --> 02:58:36,160
both on there is we would come to staff
when it comes to a policy and we would

2223
02:58:34,000 --> 02:58:40,960
talk to staff go does this policy give
you all the tools that you need to get

2224
02:58:38,960 --> 02:58:44,560
your job done and if it and they would
say yes or they would say no we need

2225
02:58:42,640 --> 02:58:48,640
this and we would we would look and and
try to do that try to make again the

2226
02:58:46,080 --> 02:58:54,479
best policy. Um all right I'll I'll
finish this up.

2227
02:58:50,960 --> 02:58:57,760
SPMA does say, "Hey, look, the board has
a lot of power and we want them to

2228
02:58:56,000 --> 02:59:01,439
understand that they do." So to go down
the 70 policies, I think there's a

2229
02:58:59,680 --> 02:59:05,040
reason why they're saying to do it. I
just don't think that it's very clear on

2230
02:59:03,600 --> 02:59:12,000
on why that is and that's what I'm
hearing from the IG and from staff, but

2231
02:59:07,359 --> 02:59:15,680
I had a couple of questions. So,
and I guess we probably don't know, but

2232
02:59:13,600 --> 02:59:20,160
eventually maybe there is a hybrid model
that's in there where there's the 70

2233
02:59:17,600 --> 02:59:25,279
policies that they'll review.
But if a policy if they're saying that a

2234
02:59:22,080 --> 02:59:29,920
policy does not is not required, does
that and that's true. Does that mean

2235
02:59:27,600 --> 02:59:35,040
that if you had that policy, if you
decide that you're still going to make a

2236
02:59:31,279 --> 02:59:37,359
policy that it has to be reviewed?
Yes,

2237
02:59:35,600 --> 02:59:39,439
» it's still if you make your own policy.
No matter what, you still have to review

2238
02:59:38,720 --> 02:59:43,200
it.
>> We always have. Okay.

2239
02:59:41,200 --> 02:59:47,359
» But if it's not a required policy, even
if we reviewed it, we would be reviewing

2240
02:59:45,359 --> 02:59:49,840
it to say, do we want to change the
policy? There's no law that says we need

2241
02:59:49,040 --> 02:59:52,880
to have it.
>> Okay.

2242
02:59:50,240 --> 02:59:58,560
» There are laws that the stuff within our
policies are in law. The law itself does

2243
02:59:55,920 --> 03:00:03,279
not say you must have a policy. That's
where SVMA is saying. I mean, I don't

2244
03:00:01,439 --> 03:00:07,920
know if it's actually 70 policies, but
>> yeah,

2245
03:00:04,160 --> 03:00:11,840
» 70 policies. The Virginia law says that
the the school division must make a

2246
03:00:09,840 --> 03:00:14,800
policy about this law.
>> We still have to do stuff with all the

2247
03:00:13,520 --> 03:00:18,640
other laws.
>> And if we have policies for it, it has

2248
03:00:16,720 --> 03:00:22,319
to abide by the law. Even though the law
doesn't say you have to have a policy,

2249
03:00:20,399 --> 03:00:25,680
» we can create, we can have the 70 and
then we can have 20 more if we wanted.

2250
03:00:24,240 --> 03:00:28,319
We would just need to review them on a
regular schedule.

2251
03:00:26,319 --> 03:00:32,720
» Well, we have policies now that we
>> That's what I'm saying. So that would

2252
03:00:30,240 --> 03:00:36,000
not if we went to do that that would not
change. We could then decide we wanted

2253
03:00:34,319 --> 03:00:38,960
to have a policy for
>> whatever.

2254
03:00:36,640 --> 03:00:44,399
» We would just have to talk about it in
>> but if the law changed

2255
03:00:41,600 --> 03:00:46,800
» and you had it as a regulation, you'd
have to go in.

2256
03:00:45,680 --> 03:00:50,319
» Am I correct?
>> You'd have to go in and make a change to

2257
03:00:48,560 --> 03:00:53,439
that regulation to like
>> like we do now. But you would have to go

2258
03:00:52,080 --> 03:00:56,479
ahead and check like if we're making
this change to the regulation, this

2259
03:00:54,800 --> 03:00:58,880
regulation
stay

2260
03:00:57,120 --> 03:01:03,680
» but the staff writes those regulations.
>> Even if it was a policy, we you know,

2261
03:01:01,040 --> 03:01:07,920
» their new government's model SBAS
redefineses those words so that they

2262
03:01:06,240 --> 03:01:11,760
mean different things.
>> They they've changed throughout the

2263
03:01:10,080 --> 03:01:15,439
emails. If you look through Melissa's
binder,

2264
03:01:13,520 --> 03:01:19,359
they're building the ship while they're
in it. [laughter]

2265
03:01:16,240 --> 03:01:24,960
» Yes. Um, they're changing the rules as
they go and they're also recommending

2266
03:01:22,319 --> 03:01:29,439
just so you don't lose that in all this
stuff we're talking about. We're getting

2267
03:01:26,960 --> 03:01:33,760
rid of policies and put them in other
places, but they want to change that

2268
03:01:31,520 --> 03:01:36,319
regulations all go through the board and
be voted on. So, you're really not

2269
03:01:35,359 --> 03:01:38,240
having less.
>> That's right.

2270
03:01:36,800 --> 03:01:40,240
» They're just not having what?
>> You're not having less to go through the

2271
03:01:39,760 --> 03:01:42,319
board.
>> Yeah.

2272
03:01:40,720 --> 03:01:46,160
» It's going to be in a regulation where
currently we don't bring that to the

2273
03:01:43,680 --> 03:01:50,960
board. It goes in Wednesday memo. If you
have an issue with it, you can tell us.

2274
03:01:48,960 --> 03:01:53,840
» IGA will talk through its staff on on
regulations. Sometimes say, "Hey, we're

2275
03:01:52,960 --> 03:01:57,359
gonna come back with it."
>> The regulations will now be approved by

2276
03:01:55,920 --> 03:02:00,800
the board.
>> So, you're taking you're having

2277
03:01:59,040 --> 03:02:03,520
information in action just like you
would with policies. That's what I'm

2278
03:02:02,240 --> 03:02:05,200
saying,
>> but they're not giving you the language

2279
03:02:04,800 --> 03:02:07,600
for it.
>> So, it's not a policy. It's a

2280
03:02:06,240 --> 03:02:10,160
regulation, but the regulation now the
board needs to vote on.

2281
03:02:08,640 --> 03:02:13,279
» It's still a policy, but it's called a
regulation.

2282
03:02:11,120 --> 03:02:17,040
» All right. So, there's a lot of It's,
you know, I don't speak Chinese and

2283
03:02:15,760 --> 03:02:18,720
Sounds like it's a different language. I
don't understand.

2284
03:02:18,319 --> 03:02:19,760
» So,
>> exactly.

2285
03:02:19,279 --> 03:02:22,560
» Okay.
>> So, that's the point.

2286
03:02:20,880 --> 03:02:25,439
» I don't think we need to do anything on
on that right now. That was just

2287
03:02:24,399 --> 03:02:28,800
discussion.
>> Do we want to go through right at it?

2288
03:02:27,359 --> 03:02:31,760
You want to jump?
>> No, we'll go right down. We'll go right

2289
03:02:30,399 --> 03:02:34,080
back to it.
>> I think we can skip the example.

2290
03:02:33,760 --> 03:02:37,760
» Yeah.
>> Yeah. Okay. [laughter] All right. We

2291
03:02:35,600 --> 03:02:41,551
skip. We did 3.02. We discussed And
listen, by the way, I I just want to be

2292
03:02:39,520 --> 03:02:45,040
really really clear. We all
[clears throat] know how hard you work

2293
03:02:43,279 --> 03:02:48,880
on this stuff and how much you really
care and you want to make sure that it's

2294
03:02:46,399 --> 03:02:52,399
right. None of this debate was was
calling any of that into question. You

2295
03:02:51,520 --> 03:02:58,399
do the work.
>> We came to talk because

2296
03:02:55,520 --> 03:03:02,479
I I don't I'm not biased any situation.
Like I don't go look and see like, oh,

2297
03:03:00,160 --> 03:03:07,680
the SBA leans my way or this leans this
way. I am black and white. What the law

2298
03:03:04,479 --> 03:03:12,240
says is happening. And and anybody like
I'm a meek person by nature, but anybody

2299
03:03:10,479 --> 03:03:16,240
this table will tell you. I will argue
with you. If you tell me something and

2300
03:03:14,560 --> 03:03:20,080
that's not what I think it says, I will
keep on keeping on with you.

2301
03:03:18,080 --> 03:03:24,000
» I know. [laughter]
>> ABSOLUTELY.

2302
03:03:21,600 --> 03:03:26,880
» THAT'S very good.
>> We we appreciate you. I want to make

2303
03:03:25,760 --> 03:03:29,760
sure that and nobody's [clears throat]
going to debate that. We definitely we

2304
03:03:28,479 --> 03:03:32,720
appreciate you and all the hard work
that you do. They always try to keep us

2305
03:03:31,439 --> 03:03:37,279
straight. And that's
>> one of the reasons I asked for this to

2306
03:03:34,240 --> 03:03:45,120
go to a work session was because I
wanted them to be able to kind of repeat

2307
03:03:40,160 --> 03:03:51,040
what she her frustration was. And so
when only four of you were able to come,

2308
03:03:48,880 --> 03:03:54,800
I kind of felt like this was too big of
an important discussion to only have

2309
03:03:53,279 --> 03:04:00,080
four of you present. So that's why I
cancelled the meeting. So yes, this may

2310
03:03:57,200 --> 03:04:03,600
have taken longer, but I think all seven
of you have to have an input on this. I

2311
03:04:02,080 --> 03:04:06,702
think that's I think that's fine.
>> And Dr. Cow said I could leave after

2312
03:04:05,359 --> 03:04:09,600
this. So do you have any more questions?
[laughter]

2313
03:04:07,520 --> 03:04:14,880
» You can. You're good. Thank you.
>> Is that a regulation OR

2314
03:04:12,880 --> 03:04:21,479
» she goes we give her a LITTLE BIT OF
POWER [laughter]

2315
03:04:16,960 --> 03:04:21,479
THE way she just told us it's the law.

2316
03:04:21,760 --> 03:04:28,319
» We're going to go to someformational
items hopefully quickly.

2317
03:04:25,359 --> 03:04:31,439
» 5.0 01 Dr. Woodford, school calendar for
2728.

2318
03:04:29,840 --> 03:04:37,840
» So tonight I'm presenting a draft
calendar for the 2728 school year for

2319
03:04:34,080 --> 03:04:44,960
your review. Um I created four calendar
drafts and shared them with staff. Um

2320
03:04:40,800 --> 03:04:50,720
and then um asked the staff to vote on
which of the four drafts they like the

2321
03:04:47,359 --> 03:04:55,520
most. I did make you a comparison
document because I think that's easier

2322
03:04:52,560 --> 03:04:59,840
to look at than four different drafts.
There's not a lot of wiggle room within

2323
03:04:57,760 --> 03:05:04,399
a school calendar. It's really like
start day, our ending day is always

2324
03:05:02,080 --> 03:05:08,880
before Memorial Day for graduation. So,
you're really playing with work days,

2325
03:05:05,920 --> 03:05:14,319
professional development days. Um, so I
sent the four drafts out, asked staff if

2326
03:05:11,279 --> 03:05:20,720
they would vote um on their calendar of
choice. We had 335 staff members

2327
03:05:17,600 --> 03:05:28,800
complete the survey. 50% of the staff
chose calendar draft 1. 11 and a half%

2328
03:05:24,399 --> 03:05:35,840
chose draft two, 17.5% chose d um draft
three, and 21% chose draft number four.

2329
03:05:33,680 --> 03:05:40,640
So therefore, I'm presenting just
calendar one draft for information

2330
03:05:37,920 --> 03:05:43,760
tonight and approval in October. And
it's the actually the calendar that's

2331
03:05:42,240 --> 03:05:48,240
most similar to the calendar we've
actually had for the last two years that

2332
03:05:46,319 --> 03:05:52,319
um staff actually worked on a committee
to create with their input. So

2333
03:05:50,399 --> 03:05:54,240
» did have a question about
I'm sorry

2334
03:05:52,960 --> 03:05:58,880
» about the footnote.
>> Uh it said it was based on 180 days. I

2335
03:05:56,560 --> 03:06:04,800
know in the this past school year we did
it off hours. So why that change?

2336
03:06:01,439 --> 03:06:09,680
» So I was able just the way the dates
fall for Memorial Day and the beginning

2337
03:06:06,960 --> 03:06:15,439
of the school year. I was able to give
work days and PD days the same number

2338
03:06:12,399 --> 03:06:19,680
and do 180 instructional days, which for
me is really important if we can because

2339
03:06:17,439 --> 03:06:25,840
I think the more days we have with kids,
the better. trying to balance that also

2340
03:06:23,279 --> 03:06:29,920
with giving teachers time to have some
work time and also their own

2341
03:06:27,359 --> 03:06:34,319
professional development. So this it's
just the way the dates fall within the

2342
03:06:31,920 --> 03:06:41,439
12-month calendar that gave me that
leniency. The law says 990 hours. Um but

2343
03:06:38,960 --> 03:06:46,240
we all know even if you bank time or you
you go two hours late, things just

2344
03:06:43,200 --> 03:06:51,920
aren't the same. So, I went for 180 days
because it's it's really kind of the

2345
03:06:49,680 --> 03:06:56,720
common structure for schools across
Virginia, even though you have the

2346
03:06:54,319 --> 03:06:59,760
luxury of just going 990 hours.
>> It's kind of long for me to understand

2347
03:06:58,160 --> 03:07:04,319
your hours last year. Not going to
change it up again. [laughter]

2348
03:07:02,319 --> 03:07:08,160
» Well, she's promised no ice and snow in
January. Oh, gotcha.

2349
03:07:05,760 --> 03:07:12,240
» Yeah. So, it's 180 days actually. How
many hours is that?

2350
03:07:09,359 --> 03:07:15,680
» Oh my. That that is a it's a lot. So
that's how we got

2351
03:07:13,359 --> 03:07:19,274
» more than what we would need.
>> Yeah.

2352
03:07:16,560 --> 03:07:22,080
» Because um [cough]
[clears throat]

2353
03:07:19,359 --> 03:07:26,160
» you really need 990 is the minimum
amount of hours.

2354
03:07:24,479 --> 03:07:29,439
» So
you want to always do more than that.

2355
03:07:27,840 --> 03:07:35,439
And even though the calendar last year
was based on 990 hours, it was still we

2356
03:07:32,720 --> 03:07:40,240
still surpassed that by a very adequate
amount. But it did last year give us an

2357
03:07:38,399 --> 03:07:45,200
opportunity when we had all of those
snow days. we were able to make up with

2358
03:07:43,439 --> 03:07:48,479
our bank time and so it gives us some
flexibility.

2359
03:07:46,399 --> 03:07:55,920
» Let's say something happens like that
again this year. We we lose a lot or how

2360
03:07:51,840 --> 03:08:00,560
many days we lost last year.
>> I think it was of us that we didn't have

2361
03:07:58,640 --> 03:08:03,680
to do virtual days. I
>> right

2362
03:08:00,960 --> 03:08:08,720
» I was a big big supporter of the way
y'all did that last year. Let's say mid

2363
03:08:06,080 --> 03:08:12,080
year we run into that again. Could we
switch back to the hours?

2364
03:08:11,120 --> 03:08:15,200
» Oh yes.
>> It's the minimum anyway, right?

2365
03:08:13,200 --> 03:08:19,680
» It's the minimum. So at the at the end
of the year, what I have to report to

2366
03:08:17,680 --> 03:08:26,399
the Department of Education is how many
actual hours students were in school at

2367
03:08:23,120 --> 03:08:30,479
each school individually. So uh remember
the year with Big Island, we had the big

2368
03:08:28,399 --> 03:08:34,160
wildfires and so they were out some days
that other elementary schools weren't.

2369
03:08:32,240 --> 03:08:41,200
So their hours were different. As long
as we meet 990, we're fine. Any

2370
03:08:38,720 --> 03:08:45,120
other questions on that?
>> All right.

2371
03:08:42,080 --> 03:08:50,240
» Is this
just information?

2372
03:08:46,720 --> 03:08:56,479
» So, I'm bringing you um 5.02 is regular
meetings for the school board in 2027

2373
03:08:53,439 --> 03:09:02,399
starting on January 14th running through
December 9th. Those are all at this

2374
03:08:59,760 --> 03:09:08,000
point in time scheduled 5:00 pm at the
school administration office. uh with a

2375
03:09:05,120 --> 03:09:13,399
special call budget work session on
March 18th.

2376
03:09:10,399 --> 03:09:13,399
Questions?

2377
03:09:15,600 --> 03:09:22,399
» Any questions? Question.
>> Getting a copy of this sentence.

2378
03:09:20,960 --> 03:09:26,240
» Want me to approve it? Yeah. But you can
just screenshot it. It's so funny

2379
03:09:24,800 --> 03:09:29,600
looking at this. It's like when they you
go to like go to a doctor's appointment,

2380
03:09:28,720 --> 03:09:32,720
they're like, "All right, you come back
in a year. Are you good morning or

2381
03:09:31,439 --> 03:09:35,439
night?" Like, "I don't care what I got
going on."

2382
03:09:33,920 --> 03:09:38,560
All right. Yeah, it sound looks good.
These are the You put these in first and

2383
03:09:37,359 --> 03:09:43,240
you schedule around it.
>> 5003. That is Mr. Jaggler.

2384
03:09:43,520 --> 03:09:50,200
» I was just verifying something. Um
>> March 18th for special call budget.

2385
03:09:50,399 --> 03:09:54,120
» Didn't we move that up?

2386
03:09:54,560 --> 03:10:02,080
Um I need to look at that. I thought
we'd move that up to February 18th.

2387
03:09:58,960 --> 03:10:08,240
» February 18th. That is true.
>> Yes. Is that not what's on the calendar?

2388
03:10:06,000 --> 03:10:11,040
» Well, he's getting he's getting ready to
give you an abbreviated.

2389
03:10:09,680 --> 03:10:16,080
» Um the budget calendar, we might need to
make a change to that board counter

2390
03:10:12,560 --> 03:10:20,880
meeting. Um so
>> the projection is um it is a bianual

2391
03:10:19,279 --> 03:10:26,240
budget that's already approved by the
general assembly. So there's already a

2392
03:10:22,399 --> 03:10:29,760
budget for the 27 28 year. Typically the
governor will make adjustments off of

2393
03:10:27,680 --> 03:10:32,960
revenues and stuff. So I I'd expect some
adjustments to come in December

2394
03:10:31,359 --> 03:10:36,800
sometime.
My goal would to build be to build off

2395
03:10:34,720 --> 03:10:41,760
the governor's. The general assembly
could change that like they did this

2396
03:10:38,479 --> 03:10:46,640
year, but we build off of that. And um
our goal would be to have a um a

2397
03:10:44,800 --> 03:10:51,200
superintendent's proposed budget to the
board on February 11th, regular school

2398
03:10:49,279 --> 03:10:55,520
board meeting. then come back the
following week on February 18th to

2399
03:10:53,680 --> 03:10:59,920
review and approve that so we can
transmit that over to the county and get

2400
03:10:57,840 --> 03:11:04,080
into the dialogue because they're going
to be going through a lot of different

2401
03:11:01,279 --> 03:11:08,240
stuff and if the later we wait to get a
budget over there in our ask then it's

2402
03:11:06,240 --> 03:11:12,160
like well they're not over here in time
to really be part of the conversation.

2403
03:11:10,160 --> 03:11:15,920
Uh they have reassessment tax rates set
next year. So the earlier we can get

2404
03:11:13,920 --> 03:11:19,600
them our need and request I think the
better. we're going to be dealing with

2405
03:11:17,680 --> 03:11:22,479
going into last year reversion. So,
we'll have all those documents, be

2406
03:11:21,279 --> 03:11:26,800
working through January to have
something to you guys on February 11th

2407
03:11:24,720 --> 03:11:30,720
and February 18th. That's accelerated
than what we've done in the past, but if

2408
03:11:28,479 --> 03:11:34,072
we wait till well into March, they're
well long in their budget process, and I

2409
03:11:32,479 --> 03:11:37,840
think we're late to the game. It
[snorts] also allows for more dialogue

2410
03:11:35,439 --> 03:11:40,560
for Mr. Deair and Robert His and also
for our committee members on the

2411
03:11:39,200 --> 03:11:44,319
finance, dialogue with the board of
supervisors and all of you once you pass

2412
03:11:42,800 --> 03:11:49,680
that budget to start dialoguing on that
gives you more time. So,

2413
03:11:47,200 --> 03:11:55,560
» so we had that set for February 18th, I
believe. Is that right?

2414
03:11:50,560 --> 03:11:55,560
» I am correcting it now on

2415
03:11:56,640 --> 03:12:03,840
» this correct.
>> Our decision regarding closing schools

2416
03:12:00,720 --> 03:12:08,160
and redistricting should be done before
you put together this budget. the

2417
03:12:06,720 --> 03:12:12,080
calendar you guys were kind of looking
at. Now, that could slide depending on

2418
03:12:09,840 --> 03:12:16,720
what happens and feedback, but a
December the December vote on that. That

2419
03:12:14,240 --> 03:12:20,160
way over the break and stuff and I'll be
working on preparing all the budget

2420
03:12:17,920 --> 03:12:24,240
documents, there'll be moving moving
moving figures on that what we have to

2421
03:12:22,479 --> 03:12:28,960
» so I can come back with the savings and
then we can decide what to do with that

2422
03:12:25,520 --> 03:12:31,840
and bring all that.
>> All right. Any questions?

2423
03:12:31,520 --> 03:12:35,840
» Okay.
>> All right.

2424
03:12:33,920 --> 03:12:42,848
» Additional action items 8.01. 1 dual
membership B SBA and SP1A.

2425
03:12:40,399 --> 03:12:44,800
I think we discussed that.
[laughter]

2426
03:12:43,359 --> 03:12:54,240
» I don't think we need anyone else to say
anything. So I guess I will do we have a

2427
03:12:49,120 --> 03:12:59,279
motion to dual do membership in both
both organizations.

2428
03:12:57,120 --> 03:13:08,880
» Mr. Chair, I'd like to make motion that
we rejoin BSBA as a division and that we

2429
03:13:06,000 --> 03:13:13,279
make it optional for SBMA memberships
individually.

2430
03:13:10,880 --> 03:13:15,680
I have a motion by Dr. Hubach. Do I have
a second?

2431
03:13:14,000 --> 03:13:23,040
» Second.
I have it right. Give it to Miss Dobson.

2432
03:13:20,240 --> 03:13:25,920
Uh any discussion?
Um all those in favor signify by saying

2433
03:13:24,960 --> 03:13:32,359
I.
>> I. Any opposed?

2434
03:13:28,720 --> 03:13:32,359
All right. Motion carries.

2435
03:13:34,800 --> 03:13:41,040
Just a reminder, if that anything
changes um and we get additional

2436
03:13:39,279 --> 03:13:50,520
information, anyone that voted in the
majority can bring it up for a revote.

2437
03:13:44,560 --> 03:13:50,520
All right. 9.01. Close session.

2438
03:13:50,969 --> 03:13:54,898
[clears throat]
Come on.

2439
03:13:53,840 --> 03:13:59,520
Don't ask me.
>> [snorts]

2440
03:13:55,200 --> 03:14:02,800
» I'm looking for papers first.
>> New rule. We each get both sets of

2441
03:14:01,200 --> 03:14:08,640
papers. [laughter]
I don't even know where

2442
03:14:06,000 --> 03:14:11,359
» on the back two sided. We're saving
paper. That's good.

2443
03:14:10,619 --> 03:14:18,960
[laughter]
>> All right. Pursuant

2444
03:14:13,279 --> 03:14:22,479
to code the Virginia 2.2-3711A1 2-3711A1
for the discussion consideration and

2445
03:14:20,800 --> 03:14:27,439
interviews prospective candidates for
employment assignment appointment

2446
03:14:25,279 --> 03:14:31,359
promotion performance to motion salaries
disciplining or resignation of specific

2447
03:14:29,439 --> 03:14:38,479
employees of Sanford County Public
Schools and pursuant to code Virginia

2448
03:14:35,200 --> 03:14:42,479
2.2-3711A2 2-3711A2
for discussion or consideration of

2449
03:14:40,080 --> 03:14:46,160
admission or disciplinary matters or
other matters that would involve the

2450
03:14:44,160 --> 03:14:50,960
disclosure of information contained in a
scholastic record concerning any student

2451
03:14:48,560 --> 03:14:55,359
of any public institution of higher
education in the commonwealth or the

2452
03:14:52,640 --> 03:14:58,359
state school system being student
091026A.

2453
03:14:58,800 --> 03:15:06,239
I move that we move into close session.
I have a motion by Dr. Hub. Do I have a

2454
03:15:03,840 --> 03:15:11,439
second? Second by Mr. Hill. Any
discussion? All those in favor signify

2455
03:15:08,640 --> 03:15:14,680
by saying I. I. Any oppose? We are in
close session.

2456
04:05:31,520 --> 04:05:36,800
Bever County School Board has convened a
closed meeting on this date pursuant to

2457
04:05:35,040 --> 04:05:40,800
an affirmative recorded vote in in
accordance with the provisions of the

2458
04:05:38,239 --> 04:05:45,199
Virginia Freedom of Information Act and
where section 2.2-3712D 2-3712D of the

2459
04:05:43,680 --> 04:05:49,040
code of Virginia requires a
certification by this school board that

2460
04:05:47,359 --> 04:05:52,960
such closed meeting was conducted in
conformity with Virginia law. Now

2461
04:05:51,279 --> 04:05:56,000
therefore be it result that the Befford
County School Board hereby certifies

2462
04:05:54,560 --> 04:06:00,000
that to the best of each member's
knowledge only public business matters

2463
04:05:58,319 --> 04:06:03,359
lawfully exempted from open meeting
requirements by Virginia law were

2464
04:06:01,600 --> 04:06:07,279
discussed in the closed meeting to which
this certification applies and only such

2465
04:06:05,840 --> 04:06:10,800
public business matters as were
identified in the motion convening the

2466
04:06:09,040 --> 04:06:13,120
closed meeting were discussed or
considered.

2467
04:06:11,840 --> 04:06:14,880
» Yes. Yes.
>> Yes.

2468
04:06:13,680 --> 04:06:19,520
» Yes. Yes.
>> Yes. Yes.

2469
04:06:17,120 --> 04:06:24,040
» Thank you very much. Um 9.03 No free
action on closed meeting items.

2470
04:06:25,120 --> 04:06:37,399
Uh Mr. Chair, I move that we follow the
recommendation of the executive

2471
04:06:32,640 --> 04:06:37,399
committee regarding student 091026A.

2472
04:06:38,960 --> 04:06:44,880
All right, we have a motion by Dr. Cubac
to have a second.

2473
04:06:42,080 --> 04:06:49,520
» Second. Second by Mr. KS. Any
discussion?

2474
04:06:46,720 --> 04:06:55,199
All those in favor signify by saying I.
>> I. Any opposed.

2475
04:06:51,840 --> 04:07:00,855
That is approved.
Consent agenda. Do I have a motion to

2476
04:06:57,680 --> 04:07:04,000
approve uh the consent agenda?
[clears throat]

2477
04:07:01,359 --> 04:07:10,160
» So moved. All right. Mr. Hill on the
motion. Do I have a second?

2478
04:07:07,040 --> 04:07:15,279
» Second. Mr. Hold Brook. Any discussion?
All those in favor signify by saying I.

2479
04:07:12,239 --> 04:07:19,600
I. Any opposed? Motion consent agenda is
approved. matters from the board. Miss

2480
04:07:17,680 --> 04:07:25,520
Pervvis,
>> um I had a STEM academy meeting and

2481
04:07:22,720 --> 04:07:33,040
everything this um was good.
Everything's moving forward. Um we'll be

2482
04:07:28,800 --> 04:07:39,640
we were signing up for mock interviews.
So um that's coming up in in November.

2483
04:07:40,000 --> 04:07:46,000
» All right, Miss Dobson.
>> Um next Wednesday we have a SEAK

2484
04:07:44,160 --> 04:07:52,080
meeting. uh the special education
advisory committee and um they are still

2485
04:07:49,439 --> 04:07:59,279
looking for a parent member for the
Stanton River zone. Um so if there's

2486
04:07:55,520 --> 04:08:03,359
anybody interested um reach out
um and also a teacher representative as

2487
04:08:01,920 --> 04:08:07,600
well. I think there are people
interested but but if a teacher is

2488
04:08:05,840 --> 04:08:11,279
interested joining as well
>> and that teacher can be from any of the

2489
04:08:09,680 --> 04:08:16,640
zones or
>> any zone. Okay.

2490
04:08:14,160 --> 04:08:20,640
All right. Anything else?
Dr. Huba

2491
04:08:17,840 --> 04:08:27,439
» Laurel board met uh welcomed the new
superintendent uh from Amherst there and

2492
04:08:24,720 --> 04:08:30,479
a few other directors and we pay the
bills

2493
04:08:29,520 --> 04:08:39,359
important to do.
>> Yep. Mr. Haggler's agreeing with that.

2494
04:08:35,199 --> 04:08:43,760
» All right. Uh Mr. cars.
I had notes.

2495
04:08:41,760 --> 04:08:49,279
There were a lot I'm too tired to go
over, but uh the only thing I'm I'm

2496
04:08:47,680 --> 04:08:55,120
pretty excited to see the start of the
school year. Um I think we we have a

2497
04:08:53,680 --> 04:08:58,640
long road ahead of us. We've got a
financial responsibility that's that's

2498
04:08:56,880 --> 04:09:02,640
looming and think we're going to make
some headways here in the next few

2499
04:08:59,920 --> 04:09:08,160
months. The only real thing that I'm
slightly concerned about and I have

2500
04:09:04,319 --> 04:09:13,439
spoken with Dr. Woodford about it is uh
this new attendance uh regulation I'm

2501
04:09:10,319 --> 04:09:19,279
I'm not super happy with and uh we had
discussed previously about adopting a

2502
04:09:16,319 --> 04:09:27,680
regulation similar to uh bodats which
had 16 days for high school and um

2503
04:09:24,800 --> 04:09:33,680
we've adopted one that has 10 days which
is 5% of the school year a little over

2504
04:09:30,160 --> 04:09:40,080
five and a half percent um
I think that that's um very rigid coming

2505
04:09:37,760 --> 04:09:50,000
from a policy of non-existence to a
policy of 5%. So, uh I would ask the

2506
04:09:46,000 --> 04:09:55,239
chair to consider uh taking a harder
look at that regulation and how we got

2507
04:09:52,080 --> 04:09:55,239
to it

2508
04:09:57,359 --> 04:10:03,520
» and that policy that uh regulation came
from um [clears throat] staff and IGA or

2509
04:10:02,239 --> 04:10:08,880
it was just
>> it's a regulation

2510
04:10:05,600 --> 04:10:14,000
» based on the policy that we had to
>> um it was part of it well the attendance

2511
04:10:11,840 --> 04:10:19,840
polic policy is totally different. We
met with principles multiple times. We

2512
04:10:16,560 --> 04:10:23,439
talked through um when should you
consider retention for large numbers of

2513
04:10:22,239 --> 04:10:28,160
absences. [clears throat] We were
dealing with chronic absenteeism,

2514
04:10:25,600 --> 04:10:32,640
dealing a lot with high schoolers who
leave early, missing one class, but it

2515
04:10:31,199 --> 04:10:37,199
doesn't get caught in the daily
attendance, things like that. So we work

2516
04:10:35,120 --> 04:10:41,680
several months with principles to come
up with uh you know looking at other

2517
04:10:39,680 --> 04:10:46,640
policies and talking about what's the
appropriate time. I think some of the

2518
04:10:44,319 --> 04:10:51,760
miscommunication which I've reached out
to all the secondary principles to to

2519
04:10:49,520 --> 04:10:56,239
say that we needed to talk about I think
the miscommunication is saying to

2520
04:10:53,840 --> 04:11:00,800
parents that 10 no matter 10 days you're
going to fail my class. That's not what

2521
04:10:57,680 --> 04:11:06,720
the regulation says. It says that you
could be you may

2522
04:11:03,840 --> 04:11:11,359
not get the credit. You have to be
notified. The parent has to be notified

2523
04:11:09,040 --> 04:11:15,840
if there's any danger that you would not
get credit. And there's also a waiver if

2524
04:11:13,680 --> 04:11:20,319
there are special circumstances
>> that we would need to consider. So, that

2525
04:11:18,160 --> 04:11:25,279
was all developed using other policies,
a multitude of other policies.

2526
04:11:23,120 --> 04:11:29,199
» Um, but if you want staff to relook at
it with principles, we can.

2527
04:11:26,720 --> 04:11:33,760
» I I think that um Mr. Kins brings up a
good point, but we just put this in

2528
04:11:30,800 --> 04:11:37,920
place. Correct. Okay.
We have the ability once we've now put

2529
04:11:35,760 --> 04:11:41,520
it into practice between principles and
staff and everyone to say hey you know

2530
04:11:39,920 --> 04:11:44,479
what we didn't anticipate some of these
things these are coming up and we can we

2531
04:11:42,960 --> 04:11:48,960
can then change correct
>> you have the ability to be flexible when

2532
04:11:46,080 --> 04:11:53,199
it comes to [snorts] that. So maybe um
it would we maybe should we would you

2533
04:11:51,520 --> 04:11:56,160
like to we just started maybe we get
some

2534
04:11:53,680 --> 04:12:00,239
» a little massaging is all I think
ultimately what we've done as well I

2535
04:11:58,479 --> 04:12:04,560
think some of the verbiage especially
based off the letter that we saw some of

2536
04:12:02,560 --> 04:12:07,680
the some of the language in that needs a
little bit softening.

2537
04:12:06,319 --> 04:12:10,640
» Okay.
>> I think it's probably better

2538
04:12:09,040 --> 04:12:13,920
communication with the teachers. You
know I think we were communicating with

2539
04:12:12,160 --> 04:12:16,880
the principles. I'm not sure how that
was relayed. You guys meet with the

2540
04:12:15,920 --> 04:12:18,800
principles every
>> every month

2541
04:12:17,359 --> 04:12:23,120
» every month and then [clears throat] so
maybe we could put something out maybe

2542
04:12:20,640 --> 04:12:25,760
some guidelines or some examples
>> and maybe that would be something that

2543
04:12:24,880 --> 04:12:30,000
we could do.
>> I I know in meeting with the principles

2544
04:12:27,680 --> 04:12:34,479
there was never the intention to try to
fail. Nobody wants kids to fail. They

2545
04:12:32,319 --> 04:12:39,040
don't want to deny credits. I think what
they were trying to do was give we were

2546
04:12:36,399 --> 04:12:43,680
trying to give them the support to say
to parents

2547
04:12:41,040 --> 04:12:47,520
you this is a possibility. So you need
to be aware of that when you're letting

2548
04:12:45,920 --> 04:12:50,880
your kids just
>> not come to school. And I know you met

2549
04:12:49,040 --> 04:12:54,239
with the principles and that I was
working more with elementary but I feel

2550
04:12:52,640 --> 04:12:57,760
like that's what
>> I don't think they want to retain a

2551
04:12:55,840 --> 04:13:02,159
bunch of kids and do three credits and
all of that for sure. But um we can talk

2552
04:13:00,399 --> 04:13:06,159
to them about communicating and we can
put out something to teachers about

2553
04:13:03,760 --> 04:13:10,720
better communication to families. We can
also put something out to families about

2554
04:13:09,439 --> 04:13:15,120
like [clears throat] clarifying some of
that so there's not that misconception.

2555
04:13:13,199 --> 04:13:17,760
So I'm happy to do that and then we can
see how it goes and if we need to change

2556
04:13:16,720 --> 04:13:23,199
the rag we will.
>> Okay. Sounds good. Sounds great.

2557
04:13:20,239 --> 04:13:27,520
» Thank you. Anything else? Uh we haven't
had any facility meetings. I think the

2558
04:13:25,120 --> 04:13:31,520
national's October 20th 22nd something
like that.

2559
04:13:28,960 --> 04:13:36,080
um
no updates. I think everything's done

2560
04:13:33,840 --> 04:13:41,439
except for [cough]
the HVAC

2561
04:13:38,000 --> 04:13:46,960
um on both projects.
That's it. But I did have a question in

2562
04:13:44,000 --> 04:13:50,800
regards to what Mr. K said.
Can attendance be the sole reason for

2563
04:13:48,720 --> 04:13:56,960
failure? Like even if they say they have
great grades, someone missed more than

2564
04:13:55,120 --> 04:14:00,479
» it depends on like you're required to
have so many seat hours to get credit

2565
04:13:58,720 --> 04:14:04,239
for [clears throat] courses.
Um

2566
04:14:02,239 --> 04:14:08,399
I think what you would have more of a
problem with if you just have unlimited

2567
04:14:06,399 --> 04:14:13,359
absences, you're going to end up in
truency. Like that's

2568
04:14:10,640 --> 04:14:18,640
» a reason to ask because that's
I remember

2569
04:14:15,680 --> 04:14:22,319
very well. I was charged with truency.
It was the very first year they had ever

2570
04:14:20,159 --> 04:14:26,960
had and the news was at the courthouse
with all the schools there

2571
04:14:24,960 --> 04:14:32,000
» and they were gonna fail me. I'd missed
78 days of English class.

2572
04:14:29,279 --> 04:14:36,640
» Well, there you go. [laughter]
>> Well, that's not

2573
04:14:33,920 --> 04:14:40,239
» I can PUT THAT IN REGULATION. [laughter]
>> 7 was the limit.

2574
04:14:38,000 --> 04:14:44,319
» But that's a great example. But I had
missed over the 10 days or whatever it

2575
04:14:42,159 --> 04:14:48,319
was back then, the eight days in some
other classes, but I had passing grades,

2576
04:14:46,560 --> 04:14:52,720
like really good grades.
>> And and I remember finding in the

2577
04:14:51,279 --> 04:14:55,680
school's policy, it might have been the
handbook, I don't remember what it was,

2578
04:14:54,159 --> 04:15:00,239
that a student's attendance shall not be
the sole reason for failure, what they

2579
04:14:58,399 --> 04:15:04,319
were trying to fail me, of course,
>> and and reason I asked, I didn't know if

2580
04:15:02,319 --> 04:15:11,040
that was still in effect. state law has
gotten very very specific about what we

2581
04:15:08,479 --> 04:15:14,000
as administrators have to do with
truency and students who are not

2582
04:15:12,560 --> 04:15:19,680
attending school.
>> Um and I think again with high school

2583
04:15:16,319 --> 04:15:26,239
courses, a child can attend school part
of the day and then leave one class and

2584
04:15:22,960 --> 04:15:29,840
miss 78 class periods, [laughter]
>> but then attend the mornings because

2585
04:15:27,920 --> 04:15:33,439
maybe they like those classes better.
>> That's what I come to.

2586
04:15:31,840 --> 04:15:37,600
» Yeah. So you might not get caught in
truency because you're attending

2587
04:15:35,920 --> 04:15:41,760
majority of the day but not that one
class. So I think again it just gives

2588
04:15:40,080 --> 04:15:45,279
» I think our teachers are are very
flexible about makeup work and trying to

2589
04:15:43,680 --> 04:15:51,120
work with kids and
>> these are this regulation is for the the

2590
04:15:48,080 --> 04:15:55,120
the group of kids who are just not
coming to school and their parents

2591
04:15:52,640 --> 04:16:00,479
aren't supporting us. And part of that
having to reach out to parents is to

2592
04:15:57,279 --> 04:16:05,040
also have that lever to parents to say
your child can't miss 78 days and still

2593
04:16:03,439 --> 04:16:10,159
pass this class even if they're getting
everything right. I mean, I just think

2594
04:16:07,199 --> 04:16:14,319
it's, you know, schools are held
accountable for chronic absenteeism. We

2595
04:16:12,560 --> 04:16:19,520
are held accountable with the with the
law for truency. Y

2596
04:16:16,399 --> 04:16:24,560
» um and so I think it is a a
communication to parents that we need

2597
04:16:21,120 --> 04:16:28,800
your help. And I'll just add above all
of that, we say that our mission is to

2598
04:16:26,640 --> 04:16:33,120
build citizens. And so we see this most
in the grade levels where our students

2599
04:16:30,640 --> 04:16:37,040
can drive and they're missing 78 days of
English 12 or government. And so we're

2600
04:16:35,199 --> 04:16:40,239
trying to reinforce the point. You don't
get to miss 78 days of work and get a

2601
04:16:38,479 --> 04:16:42,080
paycheck. This is your job. You have to
show up to an attorney.

2602
04:16:41,439 --> 04:16:47,439
» Yeah.
>> And we hear

2603
04:16:44,720 --> 04:16:53,760
five days work, too. [laughter]
I mean, now we hear a lot from

2604
04:16:51,199 --> 04:16:57,840
when you're self-employed. [laughter]
>> I mean, we hear a lot from our community

2605
04:16:55,359 --> 04:17:03,199
about how kids don't have the same work
ethic. We need to be So, part of that is

2606
04:17:00,720 --> 04:17:05,680
us trying to build like this is your job
right now.

2607
04:17:03,760 --> 04:17:09,279
» And I'm going to add there there's a
multi-step as Dr. Wicker mentioned

2608
04:17:07,520 --> 04:17:13,279
process of warning the parent,
notifying, walk through a waiver,

2609
04:17:11,199 --> 04:17:16,399
building an action plan. Like,
>> we don't want to do this. This is

2610
04:17:14,479 --> 04:17:18,880
paperwork and extra work for everybody.
if it happens. It's for a kid who

2611
04:17:18,479 --> 04:17:22,880
» really
>> we've bent over numerous different ways

2612
04:17:20,960 --> 04:17:27,120
to try to make sure this kid's
>> got a fair shot in them.

2613
04:17:24,000 --> 04:17:31,120
» And I do agree what the what Mr. Kins
was hearing and has been hearing is

2614
04:17:29,359 --> 04:17:35,359
teachers saying no matter what you miss
10, I'm failing you. That's not at all.

2615
04:17:33,359 --> 04:17:38,560
First of all, it's not our regulation
and it's not what we communicated.

2616
04:17:36,868 --> 04:17:42,399
[snorts] So, we need to clean that up.
Make sure that kids don't think that and

2617
04:17:41,040 --> 04:17:46,800
parents don't think that. Okay,
>> that would be good cuz I just got a text

2618
04:17:44,399 --> 04:17:51,040
from a certain wife that said that ain't
the way we heard it. And I Yeah.

2619
04:17:49,279 --> 04:17:55,520
» Yeah.
>> Well, I couldn't be at every class

2620
04:17:53,840 --> 04:17:59,793
making sure they were doing it right,
but I will make sure they get it right.

2621
04:17:57,760 --> 04:18:01,812
» Our AI, we could clone you here.
[laughter]

2622
04:18:04,000 --> 04:18:10,960
» That's all right.
>> Um, no, I I um very excited for the town

2623
04:18:09,279 --> 04:18:15,199
halls coming up. Uh, I just want to
thank the rest of the board members. You

2624
04:18:12,319 --> 04:18:19,840
know, we got 100% participation in those
thing the scenes for getting it all put

2625
04:18:16,960 --> 04:18:24,960
together. I think now the, you know,
getting to hear as much feedback as we

2626
04:18:21,600 --> 04:18:30,080
can. I'm excited for how that's going to
uh help shape this map, the interactive

2627
04:18:27,040 --> 04:18:36,159
tools. I was uh I was very nervous when
we hired this consultant. Y'all know me,

2628
04:18:32,960 --> 04:18:40,080
I don't like to spend money. Uh, but I I
would I've thus far been very impressed

2629
04:18:37,840 --> 04:18:44,159
with the product he's produced. So
hopefully we can keep on working this.

2630
04:18:42,479 --> 04:18:49,040
You know, 13 years in the making.
Hopefully we can go ahead and uh make

2631
04:18:46,560 --> 04:18:52,159
some headway there.
>> That's all I got.

2632
04:18:50,640 --> 04:18:55,520
» Well, I think that you were you've
proved your point. You're able to pass

2633
04:18:53,600 --> 04:18:59,398
because you read that policy and
regulation. Well, he can he can read. He

2634
04:18:57,120 --> 04:19:03,279
can do English. We'll pass it.
[laughter]

2635
04:19:00,720 --> 04:19:07,359
Um I had some stuff, but I think that
honestly a lot of it I could just talk

2636
04:19:05,040 --> 04:19:11,760
individually about. nothing really
dialed in that I could present or or ask

2637
04:19:09,359 --> 04:19:16,479
here, but I want to thank um I want to
thank uh all that hard work that went

2638
04:19:14,159 --> 04:19:21,600
into that presentation tonight. We have
a lot to chew on and a lot to lot to

2639
04:19:18,479 --> 04:19:25,120
really think about. Um this board again,
since we've all been here, we have not

2640
04:19:22,880 --> 04:19:28,960
shied away from making decisions, not
necessarily decisions we want to make,

2641
04:19:26,560 --> 04:19:33,439
but ones that we we need to. Again, for
the longstanding success of Bedford

2642
04:19:31,920 --> 04:19:38,080
County Public Schools, that's our job.
That's what we were elected uh to do.

2643
04:19:35,279 --> 04:19:41,279
So, uh, it was a lot. This was a long
meeting tonight. There was a lot of

2644
04:19:39,520 --> 04:19:47,840
information that we had to go through. I
thank all the board members for asking

2645
04:19:43,600 --> 04:19:53,840
good questions, uh, debating and, uh,
yeah, and I thought that your review of

2646
04:19:50,560 --> 04:19:59,199
of policy discussion, I think you did a
very very great job on that. I think you

2647
04:19:56,800 --> 04:20:02,640
really dialed in. I think made people
understand what we were talking about.

2648
04:20:00,560 --> 04:20:06,239
So, I want to thank you uh, for that.
But, thanks to everyone for here uh, for

2649
04:20:04,319 --> 04:20:08,640
being here. schools, schools, we're in
the thick of it now. I know kids are

2650
04:20:07,920 --> 04:20:14,640
probably looking forward to
Thanksgiving, but you got stick with it.

2651
04:20:10,720 --> 04:20:19,840
Show up all day and um and uh keep
getting after it. So, with that, that's

2652
04:20:16,640 --> 04:20:21,439
all I really have. So, uh do a motion to
adjurnn.

2653
04:20:20,960 --> 04:20:23,040
» So, moved.
>> Mr. Hullbrook, do I have a second?

2654
04:20:22,720 --> 04:20:28,000
Second,
>> Mr. Barnes. Any discussion? Nope. All

2655
04:20:25,920 --> 04:20:32,680
those in favor signify by saying I. I.
Any opposed? We're journ.