[0:06] Good evening everyone. Welcome to this meeting of the Canton City Schools Board of Education for Monday, September 14th here in downtown Canton. If you're in the audience, please silence your devices.
[0:21] And would you please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance? S1:
[0:23] To the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[0:39] If you're here tonight, we welcome you. If you are online, thank you for taking the time to navigate our web page. Mr.
[0:48] Gruber, would you call the roll, sir? S2:
[0:48] Mr. president, Mr. Parkes.
[0:52] Present.
[0:53] Miss Watkins.
[0:54] Present.
[0:55] Mrs. Brown.
[0:56] Present.
[0:56] Mr. Ross. Present. Uh.
[0:59] Right. Right along. Superintendent Talbert for recognition.
[1:05] Um, first of all, tonight we'd like to recognize our treasurer.
[1:09] Turn your mic on.
[1:12] Thank you. I'm usually loud enough. Um, first of all, we'd like to recognize our treasurer, Mr. Gruber, and his team. Um, they were recently presented with the Ohio Auditor of State Award. This award recognizes excellence in financial reporting and compliance with all state laws. And so we'd like to congratulate their team on winning this award. Um, we know it's a team effort, but it's great to, to, to be recognized for doing a superb job. So congratulations to Mr. Gruber and his team.
[1:48] Next, I'd like to have Miss Graham or the principal of Choices High School come up, and we're going to recognize our summer graduates for 2026.
[2:03] Thank you. Good evening. Board of Education members. Superintendent Talbert colleagues, teachers, friends, families, and most importantly, our graduates. I want to thank you all for your attendance tonight and the support you have given our graduates throughout their school careers. This group that I'm presenting before you today is a group I'm proud to call graduates of the Canton City School District. When I look at the names before you tonight, I see students who have overcome obstacles, setbacks in their lives, and in their educational journeys to make it to this point. I'll be the first to attest that we've shared sweat, tears, and a few tantrums along the way to get here. Families, thank you for your support. Support for these young folks has been instrumental in their success. I hope that through it all, we were able to build some relationships that will last a long time. Graduates, as you step into the world and make decisions both big and small. Keep your minds open. Seek out those who have earned your trust. Listen to their wisdom and value their counsel. The strongest choices are born when we humbly welcome the perspective of others. Present yourself as open minded, collaborative and trustworthy with others. Step forward with courage and quiet confidence. Remember that the only true failure is refusing to try at all. When setbacks occur and they will. Do not let them diminish your spirit. Treat every mistake as a lesson and every rejection as guidance toward a wiser path. As you navigate this vast world, seek out new opportunities and embrace them with purpose. Balance seriousness with joy. Commit yourselves to lifelong learning and above all, lead with unwavering kindness in every moment. Strive to offer the best version of yourselves. Take time to envision who you wish to become in five, 10 or 20 years. Picture that person clearly and let that vision guide your actions every single day. Your past does not define you. Your daily choices refine you. Build the future you dream of step by intentional step. Congratulations. You've made it to this milestone of graduation. And now I'd like to call their names and have them come forward. Hasan. Amara. Ash. Cope.
[4:33] Amara. Amara.
[4:38] Cali. Veronica. Ensminger.
[4:48] Matthew. Ryan. Moore.
[5:00] And two that were unable to make it tonight. Xavier James Stone and Jada Marie Williams. Congratulations, graduates. We're excited to see where life takes you.
[5:19] Okay, before we move on with the agenda, the board has an announcement I would like to make. And at this time, I'll turn it over to our colleague member, RJ Van Orman.
[5:28] Thank you, President Russ. Discussions started about the Canton McKinley Hall of Distinguished Alumni. And back in 2023, uh, with Superintendent Talbert about, uh, and the need for creating a formal recognition for McKinley alumni who have distinguished themselves through their accomplishments, service, and contributions. Each of our now defunct Canton City School District high schools had established ways to recognize their alumni, as has many other Stark County school districts. It was time for Canton McKinley to have a tradition of its own and to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of our alumni. After developing a mission statement, creating an application process, and establishing certain selection criteria, superintendent Superintendent Talbert gave us the opportunity to put together a committee and begin working towards our first induction ceremony in September of 2025. Fast forward to 2026, and we have just honored our second class of inductees, bringing the Hall of Distinguished Alumni to 39 current heritage and inductees. Um, and one patron of excellence. I'm extremely thankful to our committee members for their time, dedication and commitment, making this recognition a reality. Those board members include Scott Russ Kim Brown, Jeff Talbert, Sean Stranger, Mike Mulally, Stephanie Patrick, Heather Heder, Robyn Matulich, and Mike Schott. And we are especially indebted to district employees Heather Heder and Robyn Matulich for their countless efforts over the past two years. Their dedication and hard work have been instrumental in bringing this recognition to fruition and creating an event that properly celebrates the legacy of Canton McKinley High School and its alumni. On September 3rd, we had a tremendous honor of recognizing 12 incredible individuals as members of the class of 2026. Those members are Phil Hubbard.
[7:41] Doctor. Shakir. Abdullah.
[7:45] Amanda. Archer. Ronnie. I'm sorry. Kyle. Stone. Brannon Braga. Uh. Ronnie. Harris. Tanya. Strong. Walter. Cherry. Obie. Bender. Bender. Sister. Doctor. Helen. Lewinsky. Randy. Fletcher and doctor Norma Mercier. Each of these individuals represents the excellence, achievement, and tradition that make Canton McKinley alumni family so special. The committee will take a short break before reconvening later this year to begin reviewing nominations for our next class. If you know someone who deserves consideration for induction, a nomination link is available on our page through the Canton City School District website and our Facebook page.
[8:37] Our intention is to hold our next induction ceremony in late September or early October 2027. And lastly, the Hall of Distinguished Alumni is about more than just honoring accomplished individuals. It is about preserving the history and legacy of Canton McKinley High School, while inspiring future generations of bulldogs to see what is possible. And speaking of the future, I also want to, uh, to thank an outstanding young lady who served as our emcee for our event. And that was Anna Carney. Uh, she did an outstanding job, and, uh, her future is very bright. Thank you.
[9:19] Thank you, Mr. Van Orden. Uh, I'll make the motion to approve the agenda as written.
[9:25] Second.
[9:25] Any changes or corrections?
[9:29] There was just one this evening, Mr. President. It's on page 12, item number four. We're going to have a going to include someone else's name under the adjustments section. the gentleman's name is David Rowland, to now be included under item four. Adjustments on page 12. And that is it.
[9:55] Thank you sir. Roll call. Vote.
[9:58] Mr. Van Orman.
[10:00] Aye.
[10:01] Mr. parks.
[10:02] I.
[10:03] Miss. Watkins. Aye. Mrs.. Brown. Aye. Mr.. Ross. Aye.
[10:08] I'll make the motion to approve the minutes from our August 10th, 2026 regular board meeting. Second. Any changes or corrections? Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[10:18] Mr. Van Orman.
[10:19] Aye.
[10:20] Mr. parks. I miss Watkins. Aye. Mrs.. Brown. Aye. Mr..
[10:25] Russ? S1:
[10:34] Do we have anyone signed up tonight? S3:
[10:37] All right. Back to you, treasurer. Gruber for the Treasurer's report.
[10:45] Yes, Mr. President, I'd like to recommend this evening that the board approve items one through five under the Treasurer's report, with item number one being a lengthy list of donations, which we greatly appreciate.
[11:00] Item number two is establishing, uh, 2027 permanent appropriations in accordance with Ohio Revised Code section 570538.
[11:12] Item number three is making amendments to supplemental Estimated revenues for fiscal year 2027, in accordance with Ohio Revised Code section 5705.40.
[11:25] Item number four asking the board to approve the July 31st, 2026 monthly financial report.
[11:40] And the last item this evening is approving the district's deposit of S3:
[11:49] So moved.
[11:49] Second.
[11:50] Any questions or comments?
[11:54] Hearing. None. Roll call. Vote.
[11:56] Mr.. Van Orman.
[11:57] Aye.
[11:58] Mr.. Parks. I. Miss. Watkins. Aye. Mrs.. Brown. Aye. Mr.. Ross.
[12:04] Aye.
[12:05] Before I conclude the Treasurer's report this evening, Mr. President and board members. I'd like to give a current state of school funding, if you don't mind.
[12:19] Every child deserves a supportive, well resourced learning environment where they can thrive in our state. Access to high quality education too often depends on where a child lives, their race, or how much money their family has in the bank. The Fair School funding plan was designed to fix this decades old unconstitutional disparity. In 2025, Ohio's legislature abandoned the Fair school funding plan. The Fair School funding plan determined the amount of state funding provided to Ohio's public school districts based on local capacity and the actual cost of educating students instead of adequately funding critical investments in public schools. Ohio legislators prioritized $1 billion giveaway to Ohioans, making six figures or more in the form of school vouchers when it was in place. The Fair School Funding plan's formula considered each district's capacity to raise revenue through local funding streams, like property taxes or tax levies, and delivered additional state support to districts with lower levels of community wealth. Based on rankings provided by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Kansas City Kansas City Schools is the fourth poorest district in terms of local capacity in the state. The legislature's departure from the Fair School funding plan strips resources from districts that need them most, creating an uncertain funding landscape for all districts in the future. By choosing to abandon the Fair School funding plan in favor of the billion dollar school voucher giveaway, Ohio's legislature legislators ensure further cost shifting to local communities and future budget cycles based on fiscal year 2025 funding levels. The Fair School Funding plan would have increased state funding for K through 12 public schools by $3 billion over this biennium budget cycle, legislators chose instead to approve an increase of just $281 million, underfunding Ohio schools by more than 2.75 billion. Shifting the burden to fund schools from the state to the local community. Of the 600 plus school districts in Ohio, 161 will receive more state funding during this current biennium budget compared to what the school funding plan would have delivered. More than 63% of the districts that will see funding increase have very low or low student poverty levels. At the same time, this budget cuts funding for very high poverty districts by $34 million over this biennium, Leaving a $570 million funding gap. Because legislators opted to dismantle the Fair School funding plan, which was based on real and current costs of educating all students. Districts that rely on state support the most will see funding cuts, while wealthy districts will see increases in state support.
[16:00] In addition to underfunding, nearly 75% of all Ohio school districts, this budget plan further disproportionately favors wealthier districts through a so-called performance supplement. The performance supplement, which was added outside of the school funding formula as a supplemental funding source for qualifying districts, represents 38% of the $280 million increase over the biennium, estimated at $54 million per year instead of delivering funding. Corresponding with local need, the amounts allocated to local school districts are based on grades. On the Ohio School report card. The problem with basing funding on school report cards is that districts performance ratings strongly correlate with social and economic context in their surrounding communities. The vast majority of students in low performing school districts are identified as economically disadvantaged. As a result, these new performance supplements implemented by the legislature effectively funnel more resources to already well resourced schools, leaving poorer districts farther behind without providing the state support they need to catch up. Because the new performance supplement Formula favors wealthier districts with more capacity to raise local revenue. Lower income districts don't get their fair share of state funding. Districts with the lowest student poverty levels and higher community wealth are the beneficiaries of over two thirds of state's spending on the performance supplement component, though they represent less than half of Ohio's students. If you're wondering where the funding came from to support the performance supplement, look no further than our legislators eliminating supplemental targeted assistance and rebranding it as performance supplement in the fall of 2025.
[18:18] Without sufficient state support, public districts become increasingly increasingly reliant on local revenue sources, putting poor districts such as Kansas City schools that lack the local tax base to raise sufficient revenue in an impossible position. The performance supplement methodology exacerbates the cycle. The cyclical impacts of chronic disinvestment in low income school districts. The deviation from the fair school funding plan will ultimately harm already under-resourced districts progress, creating budget shortfalls due to dwindling state support. Ultimately, Ohio lawmakers failed to follow through on their responsibility to Ohio's kids, especially those in low income districts. A recent study on the educational costs of meeting the holistic needs of Ohio's economically disadvantaged students found that the previous Disadvantaged Pupil Impact aid funding formula was already inadequate To level the playing field for students who are economically disadvantaged. The study recommended a range of changes to the DPI, a formula such as establishing a minimum funding level per economic disadvantage student or replacing the funding formula completely. The needed overhaul of the existing DPI formula would have generated more equitable outcomes for all Ohio students, enabling schools to be more responsive to the to the unique needs of the students they serve. Instead, lawmakers did the opposite. The budget adjusts how economically disadvantaged students are counted using a direct certification process that designates students as economically disadvantaged if they are in public benefit programs such as Snap or Medicaid. Previously, students were identified as economically disadvantaged if they qualified for free or reduced price school lunch determined by a household income application.
[20:49] This change in how students are identified intentionally undercuts low income students and purposely undercuts DPIADPIA S3:
[20:58] Thank you. Treasurer. Gruber.
[21:02] Superintendent. Talbert. You're up sir.
[21:07] Mr..
[21:09] Mr. president, I recommend that the Board of Education approve section a Human Resources certified staff, which tonight includes retirements and resignations, leaves of absences, appointments and adjustment and adjustments.
[21:22] So moved.
[21:25] Any questions or comments?
[21:29] Hearing. None. Roll call. Vote.
[21:33] Mr..
[21:35] I.
[21:35] Mr..
[21:36] Parks I.
[21:37] Miss.
[21:37] Watkins I.
[21:39] Mrs.. Brown I. Mr..
[21:41] Russell I.
[21:44] Mr. president, I recommend that the Board of education approved. Section B human resources classified staff which. Tonight's includes retirements and resignations, leave of absence. Appointments, adjustments and determination.
[21:57] So moved.
[21:59] Second.
[22:00] Any questions or comments?
[22:04] Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[22:06] Mr.. Van Hollen.
[22:07] Aye.
[22:08] Mr.. Parks.
[22:10] Aye.
[22:10] Mr.. Watkins.
[22:12] Aye.
[22:12] Mrs.. Brown. Aye. Mr.. Ross.
[22:15] Aye.
[22:19] Mr. president, I recommend the Board of Education approved. Section C See Education Service report item number one, which is approval of overnight and out of state field trips.
[22:29] So moved. Second. Any questions or comments? Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[22:37] Mr.. Van Orman.
[22:38] Aye.
[22:39] Mr.. Parks.
[22:40] Aye.
[22:41] Mr.. Watkins. Aye. Mrs.. Brown. Aye. Mr.. Russell.
[22:45] Aye.
[22:48] Mr. president, I recommended the Board of Education. Approve section C Education Service report item number two, which is our plus 22 program graduates.
[22:59] So moved. Second.
[23:03] Any questions or comments? S6:
[23:06] Thank you, Miss Brown. Any other questions or comments? Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[23:14] Mr. Van Orman.
[23:15] Aye.
[23:16] Mr. parks. I miss Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr..
[23:22] Russ, I.
[23:25] Mr. president, I recommend the Board of Education approved section C Education Service report, item number three, which are our choices in McKinley summer graduates, which we recognize this evening.
[23:37] So moved.
[23:38] Second.
[23:39] Any questions or comments from the board?
[23:44] Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[23:45] Mr.. Van Orman.
[23:47] Aye.
[23:47] Mr.. Parks. Aye. Mr.. Watkins.
[23:50] Aye.
[23:51] Mrs.. Brown.
[23:52] Aye.
[23:53] Mr.. Russ. Aye.
[23:56] Mr. president, I recommend that the Board of Education approve section D Operations report, item number one, which are our Canton City School District bus stops for the 2627 school year.
[24:08] So moved.
[24:09] Second.
[24:10] Any questions or comments? Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[24:17] Mr.. Van Hollen.
[24:18] Aye.
[24:19] Mr..
[24:19] Parks, a.
[24:21] Miss Watkins.
[24:22] A.
[24:23] Mrs. Brown.
[24:24] A.
[24:25] Mr. Ross.
[24:29] You didn't see that. Mr. president, I recommend the Board of Education approved. Section D Operations report. Item two. A resolution declaring transportation impractical.
[24:41] So moved.
[24:42] Second.
[24:43] Any questions or comments?
[24:48] Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[24:49] Mr.. Van Orman.
[24:51] Aye.
[24:52] Mr.. Parks. I. Miss. Watkins.
[24:55] Aye.
[24:55] Mrs.. Brown.
[24:56] Aye.
[24:57] Mr.. Ross.
[24:58] Aye.
[25:01] Mr. president, I recommend that the Board of Education approved section D Operations report item number three, which is a resolution for replacement of the of roofing at steam. Um under the emergency provision.
[25:15] So moved.
[25:16] Second.
[25:17] Any questions or comments.
[25:21] Just want to comment that Henderson Roofing is a graduate of McKinley, the owner. So appreciate that roll call vote.
[25:32] Mr. Van orden.
[25:33] I.
[25:34] Mr..
[25:34] Parks I.
[25:36] Miss Watkins.
[25:37] I.
[25:37] Mrs..
[25:38] Brown I.
[25:39] Mr.. Ross I.
[25:44] Mr. president I recommend that the board of education approve section E superintendent action items item number one which is a second reading of the policy policy revisions. Um item number two which.
[25:57] I don't want to interrupt you. We skipped one.
[25:58] Did I skip.
[25:59] One?
[25:59] Yes.
[26:00] Oh, that's an important one. Okay. Mr. president, I recommend that the Board of Education approve section D Operations report, item number four on the positions approving the positions of Athletic sports performance trainer on the substitutes um temporary wage scale as listed.
[26:18] So. Moved.
[26:19] Second.
[26:20] Any questions or comments? Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[26:25] Mr.. Van Ulman.
[26:26] Aye.
[26:27] Mr.. Parks. I. Miss. Watkins.
[26:30] Aye.
[26:31] Mrs.. Brown.
[26:32] Aye.
[26:33] Mr.. Russ. Aye.
[26:36] Now, on to E. Mr. President, I recommend that the Board of Education approve section E superintendent. Action items one, two and three. Item number one is the second reading of policy revisions. Item number two is the first reading of policy revisions. And item number three is the first reading of changes to board policies.
[26:57] So moved.
[26:58] Second.
[26:59] Any questions or comments from the board?
[27:01] I do have a comment on section three regarding the extracurricular participation non enrolled public high school students. Um we did not address transporting students in there. We need to add that my suggestions that we add that we not be responsible for that. And also, um, the number of days they can sign up. Yes, there's one, but.
[27:30] It should be, it should be one. I believe we wanted to put like one week before the official start of the season is the last day. But we'll take a look at that. Okay. And for folks to understand that recently, um, the, the, the state legislature approved something called the Sam act, which allows students who, who don't attend our schools or attend a neighboring district that does not offer a sport to petition to participate on our sports teams. And so we can either say, no, we're not going to allow that to happen, or yes, we'll allow it to happen under these circumstances. So we are putting in rules, um, approving rules that will allow it to happen. But under these policies. And so right now, the policy does not state that we're not going to pick you up at your school and bring you here so you can. So we'll add that. Um, and then we'll make sure that we're able to amend, um, that sentence that says how long before the season starts because we don't want people coming after the season starts. Um, maybe because they pick to go someplace else and then didn't like that and then want to come play for us. So we'll get that before the second reading.
[28:43] Thank you. Any other questions or comments?
[28:47] The only other, I guess, question I would have in regards to that. Um, for a student who does petition to participate in one of these sports that we may hold, um, is there a financial incentive that we receive for those students?
[29:03] No. So that's right. So that I think that that's a big part of this. Um, Um, and, and it is a concern. It's not just a concern. Um, for, for us here in this district, it's a concern for, for all. And I've had a couple superintendents approach me about this already. Like, where does this, where does it stop? And, and is there, uh, something that's going to keep us students? So maybe they play for us this year and then their school doesn't have a team next year. Can they go to another school and can they play? And how is this going to be, um, monitored by the Ohio Athletic Association. Right now there's no rule covering it. And so there's a lot of things, um, that that can happen. Uh, and, and so we're said it's a new land for us. And so we're going to look at it and make sure that our policies not only, um, protect students who want to come play for us, but also protect our students. Um, with all this change that they can, they can have. Yeah.
[30:12] Any other questions or comments?
[30:16] Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[30:18] Mr. van Ulman.
[30:19] Aye.
[30:20] Mr. parks.
[30:21] I.
[30:22] Miss. Watkins. I. Mrs.. Brown.
[30:25] Aye.
[30:26] Mr.. Ross. Aye.
[30:29] Mr. president, I recommend that the Board of Education approve. Section E superintendent. Action item number four, which is the MOU with the Canton professionals educator associations for a flag football supplemental.
[30:42] So moved.
[30:43] Second.
[30:44] Any questions or comments?
[30:48] Hearing none. Roll call. Vote.
[30:50] Mr.. Van Orman.
[30:51] Aye.
[30:52] Mr.. Parks.
[30:53] I.
[30:54] Miss. Watkins.
[30:55] Aye.
[30:56] Mrs.. Brown.
[30:57] Aye.
[30:57] Mr.. Ross.
[30:58] Aye.
[30:59] With that vote, we officially make the flag football program an official sport with an official coach. Our flag football team has been doing an amazing job. It is now a sanctioned sport. Um, if you didn't get a chance, our our flag football team participated at half time of the last Browns preseason game. Um, they've been performing really well and we're really excited about the expansion of that program here for our students.
[31:27] Um.
[31:28] And then finally, um, on Wednesday morning or Wednesday afternoon, the state of Ohio will release their 2026 version of the state report card. And while the data is still top secret, um, I'm going to give you some of our data because it is our data. Um, and I'd like to start off by saying that we, we, we had, it's not a secret that we had a really tough year last year and spent the second half of the year really focused on making budget cuts and making a lot of change and putting a lot of change in place. And like I shared with our staff, um, I was really worried that we were going to take a drop in, in academic performance. And also like I share with my staff as we were looking into the data. Um, we didn't see that drop off. And that's, that's a testament to their hard work and commitment to what we're about in the Kansas City school district. Um, for the sixth year, sixth straight year, our performance index, you will see on the report card will go up. And, and the reason why I'm announcing that is because when you look at the report card, you're just going to see an overall number and it's going to say Kansas City schools receive this amount of stars. And then if you dig a little deeper, you can see that there's an academic achievement section, that there's a progress section, that there's a gap closing section, there's a graduation section, there's a K to three literacy component. Um, there's a college and career readiness component. And so you're going to see those components and you're going to see stars and you're going to see an overall star rating. Well, each one of those components means something. And and so that inside that academic achievement standard, right, which is how well students are performing based on the state standards and on those tests, there's a measure that's called a performance index. And that is a true measure of how well students are doing on those assessments. And that is a very powerful score. And and I am proud to say that every year since we since that first year where they didn't measure it from Covid, then that second year, that 21, 22 year where almost every district in the county had a lower than normal performance index each year. Since then, we've gotten better. And this past year wasn't any different. And and that is something that's really hard to do. If you want to look at it, you can go and check my math on the look up the archives for all the area districts. It is very hard for a district to get better each year and that is the reason for that is the performance index number is set based on the highest performing districts each year. So since 2020 122, the number to percentage points has gotten bigger each year that you have to get to move up. And so even though the the metric has got harder to get, we've improved. Um, and so that's a testament to our folks and their hard work. So we saw that happen for the sixth straight year. Unfortunately.
[34:41] We are going to see our overall stars drop from a 2.5 to a two. And so you're going to say, well, Mr. Talbert, how could that be if we improved? Well, there's a measure called the K to three literacy which was changed. Start this school year, um, which impacts districts like ours more than any other district. And there's a part of that formula that is based on whether or not a kid is promoted to third to fourth grade from third grade. And all kids last year, all kids who were promoted counted in that measure. This year, only kids who were promoted based on a cut score on a test. Counting. If you are promoted because your parents didn't want you held back then, that doesn't count. And so that reason alone pulled us from a two and a half stars down to a two. And it did so by a less than a 10th of a point. So you won't see how close we are to that two and a half stars. You'll just see two. But we're less than a 10th of a point away from having two and a half stars. What you. You also won't see is that on the. Unless you really dig deep that. On the third grade Ela test, we had more kids than we've had, that we've had than we had in recent years passed that test. Actually, more kids passed that test than we've had since the standards were increased. Um, I believe back in 2012. So again, we're moving the needle in the right direction. Some other highlights. Our Careertech program received five stars will receive five stars on Wednesday. That's up from four and a half stars. Um which is which was up last year from where they were before. They are doing fantastic work in our career tech department. Portage Collaborative Montessori School, which is probably the best kept secret in start counting, which we've got to do a better job of getting that out. Um, it is, although it's located in a building in plain local school district. It is a collaborative with the other county school district, but it is a Canton city school. And the students there are Kansas City school students and the teachers are Kansas. And it is a five star school building. Not only five stars in overall, but five stars in every section of the report card for the second year in a row. Choices High School is going to receive five stars in progress. Their students are making incredible growth. Canton Arts Academy, which we merged into Crenshaw and they received three and a half stars again this year. Worley elementary received three and a half stars, which is now Timken. Crenshaw Middle School also earned three stars, and Cedar Elementary earned three stars in academic achievement. There's a lot to celebrate. And when I say three stars, that means you are meeting or exceeding state standards. And so we've got great things happening all over this district. We are continuing to move in the right direction. And what I want to tell folks is that it's it is about doing well on these state metrics, but that is that metric is one point in time. And how well kids did sitting on a test. And in the Kansas City School District, we're about slow, steady and daily progress, doing better tomorrow than you did the day before and always picking yourself up and moving in a positive direction. And we are doing that and our staff is knocking it out of the park. So if you see a headline or something on Wednesday that tells you to look at the report card, um, please take the time to go deeper than just looking at the stars. See, hit the link, go and dig deep. And for the folks who don't want to do that, I've already talked to our communications team. We'll be all over social media making you do it because we're going to tell the story about our district. So, um, if you don't do it yourself, you won't be able to get away from it in your feed, will be putting it out there celebrating the work of, of our staff. Um, and then before I close, um, we had a heck of a summer. Um, and Mr. Gruber talked about how we were short funded and because of some of that short funding, we closed some schools, um, um, cut some bus routes, move people all around, started the building down over 100 staff members. Um, and on top of all of that, we put, implemented a new student information system. Um, we're, we're implementing a new K to six literacy program. Uh, we're starting, um, starting and working to create new career tech programs in our new, um, pathways program. And we had a, I believe a really good start to the year in spite of all of that change. And I can't say sit here and say that there weren't hiccups because there were. And I can't sit here and say that it's all been easy because it hasn't been. And we still got a lot of work to do. But when I sit back and think about all the things that could have gone wrong, when almost actually almost all, but maybe one of our elementary schools are essentially new schools. When you're taking new staff, new students, new neighborhoods, um, when you are basically saying, hey, every school building needs new routes. We can't just recycle the routes we've used. Um, when you say, hey, guess what? The way you take attendance is going to be completely new when we say that, hey, this software program used to talk to this software program and they used to do it automatically. And now they we've got two new programs and they don't know how to talk to one another. And we've got to figure that out. Um, it is taking a lot of work by our remaining staff members, again, down over 100 people doing jobs that they just, um, they're just learning there that maybe have been assigned to them up until the first day of school. And I just want to thank our staff. I couldn't be more proud of our folks, um, for what they did. Um, we had a, a, in spite of all of that, we had a really good opening. Um, I want to thank them for all the work that they've done over the summer, and I want to thank them for the work that they're going to do. And so that they understand. We know that it has been extremely tough, and that is probably going to continue to be extremely tough. And we're going to do everything we can to continue to support you. Um, our staff knows that this is the type of work that our students need in order to be successful. In convocation. I said, this is going to probably be the toughest year that Kansas City School has ever, ever had. And if you really want to know why, tune in at our next board meeting on the 12th when we'll do the state of the schools and we'll talk about our our all the new things that are happening. We'll talk about how we're going to address the areas where we need to get better on our report card. And we will also talk about our current financial state and what we're going to do to continue to move forward. So again, thank you to our staff for everything they've done. Um, I look forward to, to getting out to the buildings and visiting you guys, um, and supporting you as we continue to move forward. Um, and that concludes my superintendent's report for this evening.
[42:35] Thank you superintendent. Talbert.
[42:41] Any questions? S7:
[43:28] Thank you, Mr. Parkes. I got one. Are we going to do a board retreat? Digging into the state report card as we have in the past.
[43:37] We won't have a we won't have a board retreat, but we will have a very detailed meeting on the 12th board meeting. Um, and say you might want to bring a snack because that that will be a long one.
[43:51] What's that?
[43:53] Yeah. Yeah. Be ready.
[43:57] Yeah. At that at that meeting you might need you might not only need dinner, but you might need that late night snack because it will be, it will be a long one.
[44:07] Any other questions or comments? Miss Watkins.
[44:13] You know, listening to Jeff's report, um, about our finances and just the state of Ohio and what's happening to public schools. I don't know if it's appropriate, but I just encourage everyone involved in this district to use the power you have and vote. There's so many times inner city schools and cities, we get the brunt of everything because they don't expect us to fight with our our power of voting. And if you're not registered, there's many organizations out there. Um, the NAACP, Lila Green, there's so many, you can just call someone and they'll come to you. You can go to the Board of Elections. But this district is doing a lot of great things. We've had to make a lot of serious cuts that are causing us to readjust, but it's not going to cause us to do any less than what we have. And there's a saying that they say that if it doesn't kill you, it only makes you stronger. And as a district, we are strong. But I encourage everyone to just use your power and vote so our children can get the money, the resources, and the chances that they deserve. Because there are future. And it's up to us to do whatever we can to empower them and to fight for them, and to ensure that they have the same rights, the same ability, the same achievements as every other child in this world. And that's all I have to say.
[45:51] Thank you, Miss Watkins. And real quick Thursday night right here in this Timken comments, uh, the League of Women Voters will be doing a state of public schools, which includes a lot of the funding issues. Uh, our own superintendent, Jeff Talbert, will be a part of that panel along with other educators in Stark County. So I would encourage everyone to be here Thursday night with the For the League of Women Voters. It's what starts at 6:00.
[46:18] Yes. And it's been moved to the the auditorium. But it'll be okay. We have another event here on Thursday night.
[46:25] Okay. Miss Brown.
[46:30] Oh, I thought you were going to say something, I apologize.
[46:36] Any other comments or questions? S6:
[46:38] Okay. I'm sorry.
[46:39] You took it from me.
[46:40] Before. Before? Before we dismiss at our Careertech team. We have a lot of members here tonight. So I would like to recognize them for their hard work because they're here. Um, it's five stars is not an easy task. And you guys show up day in and day out and work with our students. And please know that it is greatly appreciated. Um, and, and we're going to continue to work. And as you've seen the plans with the pathways that continue to expand on your work that you're doing to continue to give our kids opportunities to graduate prepared for, for life and career. So thank you very much.
[47:27] With that, I'll make the motion to adjourn.
[47:31] So moved.
[47:33] Second.
[47:35] Second.
[47:37] Everyone have a good night and be safe getting home.