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Can you hold that one up? Thank you.

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Good. Y'all good?

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Sorry.

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Good.

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Good evening, and welcome to the September 21st, 2026 Davidson County Board of

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Education Retreat. I will call this meeting to order.

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If we could please stand for the pledge of allegiance followed by a moment of

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silence.

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I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic

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for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty

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and justice for all.

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Amen. May be seated.

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Superintendent update, Dr. Slate.

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Just some key dates to remember, Mr. Chairman.

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Our next board meeting is October 5th here at David Townsend at 6:30 PM.

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Inside your board packet, of course, is the Board of Education meeting schedule.

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Please note that the retreat in February is also shifted to Davidson Townsend

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Elementary School as well.

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Thank you very much for that. Some operations, Mr. Johnson.

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Good

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afternoon,

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board. From operations this evening, I'd like to introduce Nicole Ray and her team

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from Performance Services to describe a method of construction called

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design build, and I would invite her to the podium at this time with her team.

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Thank

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you.

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Good evening, Dr. Slate, Mr. Chairman, members of the board.

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If it pleases the board, I wanted to present to you all tonight to expand on the

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facility needs survey material that was presented to you back in August.

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As Mr. Johnson had mentioned, my name is Nicole Ray.

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I'm a business development manager with Performance Services, and with me I have

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Dr. Rodney Shotwell, who I believe you all know, and also Bob Weede.

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So in August, our team had presented some high-level data and results of the

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five-year facility needs survey that's required by NC DPI.

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So for this slide, just a reminder that the average age of all Davidson County

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school buildings is approximately 55 years.

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And this is also a review slide that we had included in the August presentation,

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just highlighting the tremendous amount of need in Davidson County schools.

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Overall, the district has approximately $350 million in capital needs and deferred

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maintenance, which has increased approximately $250 million

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since 2020.

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While my company, Performance Services, presented the facility needs at our last

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meeting, we really didn't get a chance to get into who we are as an organization

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and why we provided this service to Davidson County schools at no cost.

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So Performance Services is a design build company.

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We have offices in Charlotte and Raleigh, as well as 19 other states.

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This slide is representative of a few of our North Carolina team members, but I

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want to highlight the fact that Dr. Shotwell, Lisa Jackson, and Dr.

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Beasley are all part of our team. You guys are familiar with Dr.

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Shotwell, but Lisa Jackson is a former superintendent of Pamlico County Schools,

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and Dr. Chad Beasley is the former superintendent of Allegheny County Schools.

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And I feel incredibly blessed to have such phenomenal North Carolina educators on

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our team.

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So our company is a little unique in that almost 90% of what we build across our 19

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states is K12. Our strategy and kind of our approach

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to our business is that we want to be our district partners' most trusted

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advisor. And the way that we support our school districts doesn't stop or start

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with just one project. So similar to how we've provided the facility needs survey

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for Davidson County Schools at no cost, we were able to help about a dozen North

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Carolina districts with their facility needs survey this year at no cost.

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We also have in-house grant writers and funding specialists who help our districts

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apply for grants like the Needs-Based Grant.

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We regularly offer no-cost roofing and envelope assessments.

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And then last but not least, we're proud supporters of several North Carolina

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education associations like the School Board Association with Ms.

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Ramona and Whitney and Leanne and that group.

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Also

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with North Carolina Public School Maintenance Association, so I'll be there at

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Atlantic Beach later this week supporting those guys with the operations team.

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And then also the Superintendents Association with Jack Hoke, and then last but

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certainly not least, NCAT with Brock Womble.

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So we feel really blessed to be able to come alongside our North Carolina education

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and partner in that way. So I'm going to turn it over to Bob Weede, who will tell

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you a little bit more about the Performance Services company profile and kind of

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how we got started.

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Thank you, Nicole. Again, my name's Bob Weede.

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I'm the director of design build for Performance Services.

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So I thought I'd spend a few minutes on who we are so you know who's talking with

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you. So

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we've been around for going on 28 years. I've been with us for 25.

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And we are a design builder, which means we have our own group, our own team of

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architects, engineers, project managers, control specialists, all one team, one

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point of contact. You don't get into a lot of the finger-pointing.

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We'll get into that in a minute. But we started out really focused on

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HVAC and controls. That was our bread and butter, and we've done thousands

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of HVAC, mechanical, electrical, plumbing projects to date, over 2,000 buildings.

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We currently monitor over 1,500 buildings through our performance assurance group.

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And so

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we benefit from an extensive knowledge of school buildings.

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The vast majority of our work, 87% of it, is in the K12 market.

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So we know schools, and there's very rarely a situation that comes up that we don't

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have experience on doing that. So we started out in that arena, and then really

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what ended up happening is our clients pulled us in to be more of a complete design

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builder. "We love what you're doing with our mechanical systems.

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Can you put this addition on? We love your process, your single point of contact."

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So that's how we grew into what we are, which is a full design build company.

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So we've mentioned design build. In construction, there's really three procurement

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methods. You have design build, which is one point of contact, single contract for

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both design and construction services. One person responsible for all that.

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Now, under the way we work it, we go out and competitively bid all the cost

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categories involved so that you're getting the benefits of the other two in terms

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of pricing, cost competitive bidding,

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but a single point of contact so there are no change orders with our projects, and

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we'll get into that in a minute. The other two methods around here are construction

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management at risk, and that's where you have a construction manager and an

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architect. The challenge is they both have their own individual contracts.

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Now they will partner together to some extent, but ultimately they are

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fiduciarily responsible to each company.

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And so you can get into this finger-pointing.

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"It's not my fault, it's their fault," and a lot of times the customer falls in the

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middle of that with either delays or change orders.

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The third method is design bid build, and I will tell you, I think

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Each of those have their strengths.

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If you're doing renovation work,

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if you're doing quick turn work, you want cost-effective solutions on something

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more than just a driveway or a parking lot or something, design-build really stands

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out well. If you have a great design and you're building a new

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school out in a field, and you work with a construction manager, that should go

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pretty well. If you're just doing a simple roof job or a parking lot, then

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design-bid-build might be your best solution.

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So each one has their best bet. Big thing about design-build, and I'll get into

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that, is single point of responsibility.

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So they've done numerous studies out there.

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Latest one was Department of Commerce and University of Colorado.

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They basically came back and said design-build's about 3% to 4% less, significantly

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less change orders. But the big thing, it's anywhere from 20% to 33% faster than

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the other methods. Now, I'm going to tell you, in these days, in these times, if

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we're shaving six months off a project, I'm going to save you money.

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And the reason is because we're all working together towards the same

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solution. And when we're going through, and let's say we're looking at your

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buildings like we did on your study, and we're going through that, I'm not just

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having my designer there. I'm having my project manager who's looking at it from a

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constructibility standpoint. So we're identifying those issues during design

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before they get out into the field, because that delays things and it costs you a

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lot more money. So we identify those, and then the other thing is, because we've

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done a couple thousand buildings, we do a postmortem on each one of those.

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What went right? What went wrong? What caught us? And they get identified.

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And so my engineer alone, just on HVAC, has an eight-page checklist that he

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goes through when we're going through a building on a design to make sure we aren't

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going to get caught on any of those.

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Because you put it in the drawings, that's a $20 issue.

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If I have to do a change order, that's a $200 or a $2,000 issue.

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So we address those, and it's one of the reasons we can do no change orders.

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So I mentioned that within design and construction management, you get caught in

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the middle a lot of times, because the designer's going to go, "That should've been

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on the construction guy." The guy's going to say, "That wasn't clear on your

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design." And the owner's left going, "I got to get this taken care of." And so it

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falls into your contingency or something along those lines.

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Did you have an interesting story on that one, Dr. Shotwell?

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I do.

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In one of my interim positions, I was able to put out for bid a new

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school project, and while we were working through it, one of the things, it was in

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Halifax County, I was in Weldon City.

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And what I noticed, that there were no true shelter in place that

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provided showers,

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food prep. They were using the community college, but the community college doesn't

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have a commercial kitchen. And so one of the things I asked them, because we had a

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small generator, I was like, "How much would a big generator cost?" Well, that was

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cost prohibitive. So the compromise was, we're going to put a switch on there,

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and then that way Emergency Management can have one of those tractor trailer

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generators come in for emergencies. And I said, "Great.

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Let's do it."

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The architect, the engineers,

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the construction manager, it took five weeks

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for me to get that answer, because they had to go from point to point to point to

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point. And the thing I have noticed working with this company, too, is that

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sometimes it just takes days, or maybe a week at most to get it changed, because

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they're all working towards the same thing.

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Because we were holding back money for change orders, and I know that's where,

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under traditional building, that's where they make their money, too.

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But for us, it was just ridiculous that I had to wait that long, because it ended

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up costing $332,000 to do that. But now Halifax County, if

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a big weather storm comes through, they can go there, and that place, Weldon High

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School, can be used completely without any power coming from the grid

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or anybody like that. And to me, I just think that's a big thing.

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Because the other thing that made me upset about that project was the bids came in

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first, $4.5 million over budget.

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That delayed them getting into school.

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Matter of fact, they just opened the school this past week.

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The kids had to stay out of school for a week so that the teachers could move in.

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Wow.

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It was supposed to have been ready during the summer.

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Here's the thing that they did. That was in June.

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September, all of a sudden, we come in under budget $138,000.

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But what they did is they went out and they actively recruited people to come in

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and do that second bid, and they did some value engineering, which I didn't like,

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but it didn't affect the overall aesthetics.

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My point is, that's what we do

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on the front end so that you don't get that delay.

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Because I kept trying to explain to my board,

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once we get the thing open, things will start rocking and rolling.

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But that delay cost them being able to move in in July as opposed to September.

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Thank you, Dr. Shotwell. And just to kind of add on to Dr.

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Shotwell's story, his process that took him five weeks in Weldon City, using

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design-build, would've been resolved in eight hours.

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It would've been resolved in a day.

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So I think we've kind of

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hammered home the fact that design-build is one team with sole accountability, but

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just to provide another visual aid, our architect, our engineer, our account

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manager, our construction, they're all Performance Services employees.

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We all wear the same shirt, have the same email extension.

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We are all one company, which does make the communication a lot better.

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Zero finger-pointing.

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Dr. Shotwell and Bob also both mentioned our no change order guarantee.

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So if there's a problem, we pay for it if it's a design error, but

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it's sole accountability, taking the risk off the district and off the board.

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Your neighbor over here in Yadkin County Schools just recently tried out

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design-build. So you all, I'm sure, have contacts over there, so feel free to reach

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out to the folks you know over there.

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But they have just been incredibly pleased with the design-build delivery method.

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They had a million dollars to spend. They wanted two roofs.

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We ended up delivering four roofs instead of two.

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We built credibility with them and also with their county commissioners by coming

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in under budget, so the superintendent was able to take his plan to the county

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commissioner and show that he was getting double, basically, the scope, and we

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still delivered $40,000 under budget.

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And they were very complimentary of our process and the speed, as Bob had

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mentioned, that we avoided delays that they had traditionally seen in previous

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projects with different procurement methods.

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So next steps, obviously, we did the five-year facility needs study for you all

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already. It was a very high level with Mr. Johnson.

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We would like the opportunity to maybe do something a little bit deeper or more

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concentrated or concerted. Again, we regularly provide facility studies at no

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cost, but I think we are all in agreement in this room that there is a tremendous

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amount of need here. And we would be more than happy to kind of help you all tackle

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some of those more pressing

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projects. And maybe just kind of start the relationship slow so that everyone can

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kind of get to know Performance Services, get to know our team, and at the end,

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what we hope for is a very successful partnership.

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So that's all we've prepared for today. I know we're just a little bit over time.

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My apologies for that. But any questions from the board? Dr.

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Slater,

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Davidson County.

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What ratio have you guys seen as far as success with the needs-based grant with the

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state, applying for that and having success there?

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00:17:44,058 --> 00:17:49,968
Yeah, so we just started applying for needs-based grant last year with

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districts. And so, as you're aware, there's a little bit of a science to that,

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right?

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Very much so.

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And so, I'm trying to choose my words carefully here.

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I feel like

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Dr. Slate has mentioned in the past that Davidson County may not be as competitive

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as maybe some other, more rural districts.

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That's not to say, let me switch and put my DPI hat on.

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00:18:21,828 --> 00:18:25,968
That's not to say that you shouldn't apply or that you can't apply, but there is a

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rubric, a scoring rubric, and if you all are interested in entertaining what the

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math on that looks like, we'd be happy to provide that in a subsequent bulletin.

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Any other questions?

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That's what I was going to ask.

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00:18:47,253 --> 00:18:49,473
And you said you guys have grant writers on staff?

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00:18:49,803 --> 00:18:50,763
Yes, sir. So

252
00:18:52,443 --> 00:18:53,403
our grant writer

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00:18:54,813 --> 00:18:59,793
hails from a previous life. She had an 83% success rate, so she was able to help

254
00:18:59,823 --> 00:19:03,784
Rockingham County Schools apply for the Renew America School grant.

255
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So she successfully helped them apply for that.

256
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I believe she also helped them apply for the COPS grant and was awarded.

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So for me personally, I've worked with her also in a previous life, and she and I

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applied for the COPS grant, the School Violence Prevention Program grant, I'm

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00:19:21,633 --> 00:19:22,774
assuming you all are familiar with that,

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for a district in South Carolina, and we were successfully awarded as well.

261
00:19:27,784 --> 00:19:33,723
So she's learning North Carolina, and learning DPI, but we will be applying

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for a few more this year.

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The grant successes are relatively moderate.

264
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Oh, I'm outside of my swim lane on that question.

265
00:19:44,524 --> 00:19:49,503
She has an Excel list that she keeps running that I would be happy to share with

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the success ratio and her total award. It's in the multi millions.

267
00:19:54,363 --> 00:20:00,123
Because she's a national resource for us, so she

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doesn't just support us here in North Carolina, she supports all of our states.

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So in Colorado, they have a BESS grant, and she has helped that team.

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In Arkansas, they have a different kind of community grant.

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She's helped that team as well. So we're-

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She's national.

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Correct. Yes, sir.

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Any other questions?

275
00:20:26,313 --> 00:20:28,024
I don't think so this time. Thank you so much for y'all-

276
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Yeah

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... coming and sharing with us tonight.

278
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No, thank you.

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The School Boards Association.

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Yeah, Ms. Ramona.

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00:20:45,784 --> 00:20:49,743
Yeah. Ms. Ramona, the North Carolina School Boards Association.

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00:20:55,113 --> 00:20:58,774
Well, good afternoon. What an honor to be before you today.

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With me is Amber Horton, who's assistant director of

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board development.

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I had the pleasure of meeting Donna.

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Well, she first encountered me last year at a dinner where I was not trying to be

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00:21:17,493 --> 00:21:19,653
funny, but I think I had a comedy show.

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And I promise we will be good today.

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But I wanted to say, one, congratulations on the awards that we were able

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to share with you guys. Appreciate all that you're doing for the

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children here, and I just want to

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acknowledge that what you do is you make a difference.

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Excellent, did I change that? I didn't?

294
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You did.

295
00:21:50,583 --> 00:21:52,774
I did? I wasn't touching it.

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And so here the comedy show continues.

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But I will say,

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we're not going to be long before you because we had a great session with you, year

299
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before. I believe it was last year.

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Last year.

301
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And so, we're going to continue with that conversation, but just a quick refresher.

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00:22:14,913 --> 00:22:19,024
We know that excellence in the classroom begins with excellence in the boardroom.

303
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We say that over and over. What happens at the board table matters.

304
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And so what you bring, what you do, it has an effect on student achievement.

305
00:22:29,643 --> 00:22:33,903
Congratulations on the scores. They were great everywhere, and

306
00:22:35,913 --> 00:22:40,923
that's a testament to the work that boards are trying to do to make a difference in

307
00:22:40,983 --> 00:22:41,973
every child's life.

308
00:22:44,373 --> 00:22:46,024
I'm not going to show you a good show.

309
00:22:46,953 --> 00:22:52,353
That's about a town council that was behaving badly and didn't understand that

310
00:22:52,743 --> 00:22:58,593
whenever you're the best show in town, good things probably are not happening for

311
00:22:58,623 --> 00:23:02,673
your community. And that's what we want to avoid, and that's what Amber and I will

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focus on today. So, the elements of effective governance, and I

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apologize, the font changed, but don't worry, we can get through this.

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00:23:12,513 --> 00:23:17,793
But elements of effective governance, there are three things I want to focus on

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00:23:18,153 --> 00:23:21,813
before I turn things over to Amber. One is the individual.

316
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What you bring to the table matters.

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And this is kind of small to see, but hopefully you can see it.

318
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Even with my no-line progressive glasses, that's really tiny.

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But I will say that the focus you have as an individual board member, the mindset

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that you bring, the mindfulness, the level of commitment,

321
00:23:47,943 --> 00:23:52,443
understanding your roles and responsibilities, and doing the things that you have

322
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to do to be a team member, all play an important role in

323
00:23:58,593 --> 00:23:58,983
being

324
00:24:00,843 --> 00:24:02,163
a happier board member.

325
00:24:03,964 --> 00:24:09,693
The second element is the board. What you guys do, and I will

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00:24:09,784 --> 00:24:14,433
start with, in her book, "The Essential School Board Book" by Dr.

327
00:24:14,703 --> 00:24:20,643
Nancy Walser, she identifies the common practices for school districts

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with increasing student achievement.

329
00:24:22,983 --> 00:24:28,323
They goal set, they identify the most important things that need to get done in the

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00:24:28,383 --> 00:24:33,784
district. They operate by protocols and norms, and we're going to talk a little bit

331
00:24:33,843 --> 00:24:37,503
more about that. They understand the critical role of the chair.

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That would be you, Nick. And then,

333
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they are involved in the community, and they evaluate themselves with some

334
00:24:46,323 --> 00:24:51,093
regularity. So what we are going to do is

335
00:24:52,593 --> 00:24:57,274
always look at the four critical building blocks of an effective school board.

336
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It's what we talk about in core training.

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00:24:59,643 --> 00:25:03,243
It's how we kind of summarize that work of the board that Dr.

338
00:25:03,483 --> 00:25:08,733
Nancy Walser talked about. And the first one is unity of purpose.

339
00:25:13,413 --> 00:25:18,663
Nope. Okay, graphic on. But your unity of purpose,

340
00:25:19,863 --> 00:25:25,263
it's the vision you have for the district, and you have to own that vision.

341
00:25:25,653 --> 00:25:31,323
It's your vision, your mission, your goals, it supports the common

342
00:25:31,413 --> 00:25:35,553
ground in which your school district operates.

343
00:25:37,203 --> 00:25:43,173
And if I'm not mistaken, you guys are coming up on completing your strategic plan.

344
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So you're going to be reviewing all of this.

345
00:25:48,483 --> 00:25:53,973
And one of the things that we like to do, and I'm going to let Amber lead this, and

346
00:25:54,063 --> 00:25:58,953
so that you hear a different voice, because that would be exciting and thrilling as

347
00:25:59,014 --> 00:26:00,003
we talk governance.

348
00:26:02,673 --> 00:26:04,893
Hey, everybody. Good afternoon. Hopefully, everybody's well.

349
00:26:05,283 --> 00:26:08,283
Like Ramona said, I am Amber Horton, and I have the pleasure of working with Ramona

350
00:26:08,343 --> 00:26:11,973
in board development. So when we were with you last time, we talked about these

351
00:26:12,003 --> 00:26:14,703
four building blocks, but we really only got through the first two.

352
00:26:15,243 --> 00:26:18,183
So we want to kind of do a quick review, set you up for some of your strategic

353
00:26:18,214 --> 00:26:21,483
planning that you guys are going to get into, and we've got a little bit of work to

354
00:26:21,514 --> 00:26:24,633
do with that. And then we're mostly going to talk about norms and protocols and set

355
00:26:24,693 --> 00:26:28,443
some protocols up for you all. With your unity of purpose, though, it's your

356
00:26:28,473 --> 00:26:31,533
foundation, right? Ramona always says, and if you've come to core training, that

357
00:26:31,563 --> 00:26:33,123
it's an arranged marriage, right?

358
00:26:33,214 --> 00:26:37,383
That you five together are an arranged marriage, and you are put together under

359
00:26:37,413 --> 00:26:39,603
some unique circumstances, and you've got to work through that.

360
00:26:39,964 --> 00:26:44,073
But each five of you, all five of you, came to the table with an idea about how you

361
00:26:44,103 --> 00:26:47,373
wanted Davidson County Schools to look and what you want it to grow and how you

362
00:26:47,404 --> 00:26:50,673
wanted it to progress. So that's one of the things we want to just take a second on

363
00:26:50,794 --> 00:26:53,943
and to think about. What do you want to see happen, right?

364
00:26:53,973 --> 00:26:57,873
This is all going to start to get into some of your work as you start to do your

365
00:26:57,904 --> 00:27:03,423
strategic plan. In your packets that I came and brought you, there's a folder here.

366
00:27:04,443 --> 00:27:07,863
One of the first worksheets that it has on there on the left-hand side is it says

367
00:27:07,893 --> 00:27:12,243
Daily News. And what we want you to do, and this is just a great starting point for

368
00:27:12,274 --> 00:27:17,253
you to kind of hear everything, but also for your staff in the rooms to also hear

369
00:27:17,283 --> 00:27:19,923
this as well, but we want you to write a quick future headline.

370
00:27:20,163 --> 00:27:24,483
So we want you to imagine that it is September 21st of 2036, okay?

371
00:27:24,633 --> 00:27:28,743
Ten years from now, there is a newspaper headline, and it comes out, and what would

372
00:27:28,803 --> 00:27:30,933
you like that to say? That's ultimately what we want you to do.

373
00:27:31,024 --> 00:27:35,283
So take a second right now, jot down on that piece of paper, in 10 years from now,

374
00:27:35,464 --> 00:27:38,283
what does that headline say? And this is something that we've done with several

375
00:27:38,343 --> 00:27:40,743
boards across the state, and it's actually very interesting, and it's very

376
00:27:40,803 --> 00:27:44,103
enlightening for your superintendent as well, and staff to kind of hear some of the

377
00:27:44,163 --> 00:27:47,733
key words and buzzwords that you all as the board would like to see.

378
00:27:47,973 --> 00:27:50,613
So we'll give you just a second, a couple seconds. I apologize.

379
00:27:50,613 --> 00:27:53,044
We'll give you a couple seconds to write what would you like your headline to be

380
00:27:55,848 --> 00:28:00,348
I love that y'all are still writing. I just want to say that. That's awesome.

381
00:28:00,678 --> 00:28:05,029
Anyone feel like sharing what their headline would be? I will. Do it. Thank you.

382
00:28:05,029 --> 00:28:09,498
I'm not still writing. This isn't a paragraph. That's all right.

383
00:28:09,589 --> 00:28:11,538
It's a headline.

384
00:28:12,258 --> 00:28:15,529
It's a headline. In bold print at the top of the page. I like it.

385
00:28:15,589 --> 00:28:19,578
All, double underline, Davidson County Schools exceed growth and improvement and

386
00:28:19,878 --> 00:28:24,798
100% graduation rate. Exceed growth, 100% graduation rate, all. All, emphasized.

387
00:28:24,798 --> 00:28:28,788
You getting that, staff? All. All. Perfect. Awesome. We love that.

388
00:28:29,089 --> 00:28:33,678
Thank you for sharing. Anyone else have something else they'd like to share what

389
00:28:33,828 --> 00:28:35,149
their headline would be?

390
00:28:35,238 --> 00:28:38,899
I'll stay on. Our schools are safer today than 10 years ago.

391
00:28:39,169 --> 00:28:41,538
Our kids are more successful

392
00:28:44,598 --> 00:28:45,498
today than 10

393
00:28:48,348 --> 00:28:50,808
years ago. Graduation rate is

394
00:28:52,368 --> 00:29:43,639
99%.

395
00:29:44,328 --> 00:29:47,748
Perfect. So we have safety in there, we have graduation rates, and I apologize, I

396
00:29:47,779 --> 00:29:48,618
missed that one in the middle.

397
00:29:49,068 --> 00:29:49,518
Successful.

398
00:29:49,698 --> 00:29:53,779
Successful. Awesome. Great. And from 10 years ago, you're really putting that

399
00:29:53,839 --> 00:29:55,669
growth in there. Anybody else have one they'd like to share?

400
00:29:56,598 --> 00:29:56,899
I'll go.

401
00:29:57,139 --> 00:29:57,468
Do it.

402
00:29:57,768 --> 00:29:59,928
Mine simply says, "The standard is the standard.

403
00:29:59,988 --> 00:30:03,348
Davidson County Schools continues to lead by example across the state."

404
00:30:03,438 --> 00:30:07,548
Ooh. That's good. Y'all getting that? Everybody-- That was good.

405
00:30:07,578 --> 00:30:08,058
Yes. That's my favorite so far.

406
00:30:08,118 --> 00:30:11,298
That's good. Standard is the standard. Yeah, I like that. Those are great.

407
00:30:11,328 --> 00:30:12,468
Are you leading Wake County?

408
00:30:12,738 --> 00:30:13,098
Huh?

409
00:30:13,128 --> 00:30:16,938
Are you leading Wake County? He's leading Davidson and that's great.

410
00:30:17,029 --> 00:30:18,589
Yes. There's no need for that.

411
00:30:18,649 --> 00:30:19,578
If we need to, we will.

412
00:30:19,608 --> 00:30:22,998
Standard is the standard. Standard is the standard. We love that.

413
00:30:23,419 --> 00:30:25,698
Anyone else want to share? You don't have to. Anyone else want to share?

414
00:30:26,868 --> 00:30:30,198
Sets the gold standard. 100% schools achieving growth.

415
00:30:31,669 --> 00:30:34,368
I didn't mention the graduation rate, but that's where my mind was going.

416
00:30:34,788 --> 00:30:38,958
And I also went to the expanding just classroom opportunities and being fully

417
00:30:39,618 --> 00:30:40,308
staffed,

418
00:30:41,598 --> 00:30:44,839
and being able to fill all of our positions and have the resources that we need.

419
00:30:45,169 --> 00:30:45,889
Yeah, growth.

420
00:30:46,339 --> 00:30:47,868
Setting the gold standard.

421
00:30:48,438 --> 00:30:48,589
Mm-hmm.

422
00:30:48,589 --> 00:30:48,798
Nice.

423
00:30:49,158 --> 00:30:51,139
Set the gold standard.

424
00:30:51,258 --> 00:30:54,348
Why not? Bring it home. Bring it home.

425
00:30:54,468 --> 00:30:54,738
Okay.

426
00:30:55,698 --> 00:30:58,908
There's no medal on the inside, so there's no spot to be.

427
00:30:58,998 --> 00:31:02,389
Davidson County Schools continues to move ahead with community interaction and

428
00:31:02,448 --> 00:31:03,078
improvement.

429
00:31:03,798 --> 00:31:05,928
Ooh, I like the community. That's different.

430
00:31:06,348 --> 00:31:06,348
Yeah.

431
00:31:06,378 --> 00:31:07,818
That's really good. Great.

432
00:31:07,878 --> 00:31:13,669
Either way, all of you have that vision of, yes, it's going to

433
00:31:13,728 --> 00:31:17,058
be Davidson County will be the place to be.

434
00:31:17,089 --> 00:31:17,868
Mm-hmm.

435
00:31:17,899 --> 00:31:23,419
And that with things are happening that are making me the envy of the rest,

436
00:31:23,958 --> 00:31:25,878
the central. Great. Okay.

437
00:31:26,208 --> 00:31:26,868
The PTECH.

438
00:31:27,438 --> 00:31:27,678
Huh?

439
00:31:27,708 --> 00:31:29,149
The PTECH first in the state.

440
00:31:29,208 --> 00:31:30,078
PTECH, there we go.

441
00:31:30,139 --> 00:31:30,649
Yes.

442
00:31:30,738 --> 00:31:32,118
Keep it PTECH. Yep.

443
00:31:32,118 --> 00:31:34,578
And the PEMA. No, let's just put every state.

444
00:31:34,908 --> 00:31:35,029
Yeah.

445
00:31:35,358 --> 00:31:35,538
Why not?

446
00:31:35,598 --> 00:31:39,948
Envy of the state. There's no reason why you can't shoot for that and cast that

447
00:31:40,008 --> 00:31:44,958
vision out. And what's exciting is you get to hear from the communities and to do

448
00:31:45,618 --> 00:31:51,258
these same kinds of exercises with them and to hear what is your vision, and

449
00:31:51,288 --> 00:31:56,328
making sure that they have vision that's not focused on improvement and moving

450
00:31:56,419 --> 00:32:02,089
forward, but it's focused on our kids have the best opportunity from a

451
00:32:02,149 --> 00:32:03,978
fully staffed gold standard-

452
00:32:04,639 --> 00:32:05,178
Mm-hmm

453
00:32:05,178 --> 00:32:10,548
... district, and we are making such gains that it will be the envy,

454
00:32:11,358 --> 00:32:13,998
the place to be. That's going to be so good.

455
00:32:16,758 --> 00:32:19,848
So, one of the things we also want to, and we add in this last question, so thank

456
00:32:19,878 --> 00:32:21,468
you all, one, for sharing and participating in that.

457
00:32:21,498 --> 00:32:24,438
It actually is really helpful to start to hear some of the buzzwords and some of

458
00:32:24,468 --> 00:32:28,068
the things and directions and thought that you all as a board are thinking, as

459
00:32:28,098 --> 00:32:29,779
you're working on your new strategic plan.

460
00:32:30,198 --> 00:32:32,658
But we want you to think about this last question, too, is what does your board

461
00:32:32,688 --> 00:32:34,968
need to consistently do to achieve your headline?

462
00:32:35,238 --> 00:32:37,818
And this isn't something that we're going to discuss right now, but we want you to

463
00:32:37,848 --> 00:32:41,899
think about, right? You all just shared improvement, growth, being the standard,

464
00:32:41,958 --> 00:32:45,558
being the best of the best. So what do you as a board need to do, and what does

465
00:32:45,589 --> 00:32:48,438
that look like? Right? A little help with that, though.

466
00:32:49,968 --> 00:32:53,238
We've got this visual for you. Just to kind of help see some of the alignment.

467
00:32:53,658 --> 00:32:58,818
We've noticed that boards sometimes get a little confused sometimes as to where

468
00:32:58,908 --> 00:33:01,938
everything sort of fits together. So we've got this for you here.

469
00:33:01,998 --> 00:33:05,298
You've got your superintendent goals, right? You have your board goals.

470
00:33:05,328 --> 00:33:07,038
What are things you as a board would like to achieve?

471
00:33:07,339 --> 00:33:09,468
You have your teachers who are working hard in their classroom.

472
00:33:09,498 --> 00:33:12,919
They're working on their PDPs. They are teaching, and they are setting their own

473
00:33:12,948 --> 00:33:17,029
goals as well. All of that's going to funnel into your strategic plan.

474
00:33:17,268 --> 00:33:19,399
And one of the things that we're going to encourage is that you continue that

475
00:33:19,458 --> 00:33:23,178
alignment. So what your goals are, are going to match directly to that strategic

476
00:33:23,208 --> 00:33:26,238
plan. Everything is going to funnel back to the strategic plan.

477
00:33:26,268 --> 00:33:28,968
So if the strategic plan says that we are going to have a graduation increase,

478
00:33:29,508 --> 00:33:32,688
everything that you do goes back to that point, and you can point to that.

479
00:33:32,988 --> 00:33:34,368
This is also something that's really good.

480
00:33:34,428 --> 00:33:37,339
Has anyone ever been stopped at the grocery store or somewhere, and you've gotten

481
00:33:37,399 --> 00:33:39,708
asked a question about why you're not doing something? Right?

482
00:33:40,128 --> 00:33:42,498
So giving you something as this is a good-

483
00:33:42,919 --> 00:33:43,518
That happens?

484
00:33:43,639 --> 00:33:44,899
It's a good discussion, I know.

485
00:33:46,128 --> 00:33:46,578
Oh, man.

486
00:33:48,169 --> 00:33:52,218
It's a good discussion point for people, for you all to say, "Well, we actually

487
00:33:52,248 --> 00:33:55,578
were working with the district in the northeast, and this really helped them." When

488
00:33:55,608 --> 00:33:58,998
you get stopped and you're kind of like, "Wait, what?" It gave them some

489
00:33:59,058 --> 00:34:02,508
communication points to be able to say that this is exactly the line that we're

490
00:34:02,538 --> 00:34:05,839
giving, according to our strategic plan goal four, whatever it is.

491
00:34:06,288 --> 00:34:09,678
It gives you just something to talk to and not kind of go, "What?" And then

492
00:34:09,708 --> 00:34:12,558
everything goes back and has your student success at the top.

493
00:34:12,618 --> 00:34:15,438
Now, that's what we're here for. We want our kids to do great things.

494
00:34:17,328 --> 00:34:22,458
So the second of the four, and we like to think of our four elements of effective

495
00:34:22,517 --> 00:34:23,808
governance as kind of like a table.

496
00:34:24,017 --> 00:34:26,868
If you're missing one or you're weak in one, your whole table's going to fall.

497
00:34:27,197 --> 00:34:30,378
So we did our unity of purpose. We understood what our visions, our thoughts,

498
00:34:30,498 --> 00:34:32,779
ideas. And then we have your role of the board.

499
00:34:32,808 --> 00:34:34,638
And this is something that I'm actually going to credit to Ramona.

500
00:34:34,699 --> 00:34:38,328
She created this cogwheel graphic and kind of put this together in her head to give

501
00:34:38,388 --> 00:34:42,319
a different representation, sort of the clock idea that we still normally do,

502
00:34:42,378 --> 00:34:44,779
though. But to say that you as a board have your roles.

503
00:34:46,008 --> 00:34:50,508
You have superintendent and staff have their roles, and you're working together in

504
00:34:50,569 --> 00:34:52,878
cohesion to make sure that your district is moving forward.

505
00:34:52,938 --> 00:34:56,868
In order to achieve your unity of purpose, this is going to be the most effective

506
00:34:56,928 --> 00:34:57,168
way.

507
00:34:58,908 --> 00:35:00,408
And we just think it's a good new graphic.

508
00:35:03,408 --> 00:35:06,228
Another visual representation, sometimes that's the best way as adults that you can

509
00:35:06,288 --> 00:35:08,868
learn is through experience and through visual representation.

510
00:35:08,928 --> 00:35:13,458
Just so you understand, you as a board are part of the ends, and your

511
00:35:13,518 --> 00:35:17,748
superintendent is the means. You are going to give the directive to say, "We would

512
00:35:17,808 --> 00:35:22,068
like to see graduation rate increase by X amount." And then you're going to give it

513
00:35:22,098 --> 00:35:24,288
to your superintendent and your district staff to get there.

514
00:35:24,768 --> 00:35:27,888
That's going to be that separation between your ends and your means.

515
00:35:27,978 --> 00:35:30,288
You all are going to give the directive, and then you're going to let your

516
00:35:30,348 --> 00:35:33,798
superintendent, who you have confidence in, and your district staff, you also have

517
00:35:33,828 --> 00:35:35,838
confidence in, to take that to the next level.

518
00:35:39,138 --> 00:35:40,248
All right, you ready for the good stuff?

519
00:35:41,058 --> 00:35:43,308
Yeah.

520
00:35:43,368 --> 00:35:48,468
Okay. So the third and fourth of our elements of effective governance are norms and

521
00:35:48,498 --> 00:35:50,988
protocols. And this is something that we've been talking a lot about.

522
00:35:51,048 --> 00:35:55,338
A lot of our boards are wanting to do this work, but not quite sure where to go

523
00:35:55,398 --> 00:35:57,138
with the work or how to get the work done.

524
00:35:57,378 --> 00:36:00,199
So that's what we're going to spend the last part of our time with you all is

525
00:36:00,258 --> 00:36:03,918
actually kind of getting into what does that look like and how can we do it as a

526
00:36:03,978 --> 00:36:08,268
board, and hopefully leave you with some hardcore stuff.

527
00:36:08,328 --> 00:36:12,708
Your norms are going to be your team culture. That's the behaviors of your board.

528
00:36:13,128 --> 00:36:15,618
We know that you all are in a great place right now. We've heard great things.

529
00:36:15,678 --> 00:36:18,918
We've heard that everything in Davidson is going very well. That's wonderful.

530
00:36:18,978 --> 00:36:22,458
This is a great place for this work to happen because it doesn't make it as mucky

531
00:36:22,518 --> 00:36:25,728
and as murky as it could be. It shows that your board culture, and you all have

532
00:36:25,758 --> 00:36:29,568
worked really hard to sustain a positive board culture. So those are your norms.

533
00:36:30,378 --> 00:36:32,418
Then your protocols, though, are going to be your processes.

534
00:36:32,478 --> 00:36:37,279
Those are going to be what actions that you take when a certain event has triggered

535
00:36:37,308 --> 00:36:41,478
something. When you get the complaint in the grocery store, when you get the

536
00:36:41,538 --> 00:36:46,098
wanting something on the agenda, when you get anything of that specific event, how

537
00:36:46,128 --> 00:36:49,398
do we do that? And how do we, as a board, want to agree that that's going to get

538
00:36:49,458 --> 00:36:53,328
done? So you want to make sure that you've got positive behavior, and that behavior

539
00:36:53,388 --> 00:36:55,668
is supported by certain specific actions.

540
00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:02,280
And sorry, you got it. No, this year you should.

541
00:37:04,471 --> 00:37:09,991
We did. And so finally, the third element of effective governance is, what is the

542
00:37:10,050 --> 00:37:16,020
board's job? And I love this graphic because it's similar to

543
00:37:16,110 --> 00:37:21,660
a clock, but the board's activities are on the outside, and all of the activities

544
00:37:21,750 --> 00:37:26,640
of your staff and superintendent are on the inside. The board sets direction.

545
00:37:27,030 --> 00:37:32,940
That is yours. As you begin to work on your new strategic plan,

546
00:37:33,210 --> 00:37:39,030
you're setting the vision. You're working with community to hear the mission and

547
00:37:39,090 --> 00:37:44,851
establish that. You do those types of things, and we usually do that well.

548
00:37:45,330 --> 00:37:50,101
You establish the structure, which is kind of similar to your policy role, because

549
00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:55,590
you make the laws of the land, and you keep your board attorney close by.

550
00:37:56,130 --> 00:38:01,140
I can't say that enough. Thank God he's here, so he can keep me in line.

551
00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:07,980
But you establish the structure by which the district can operate and that your

552
00:38:08,070 --> 00:38:09,930
staff can do everything they need to do.

553
00:38:11,310 --> 00:38:16,560
Usually at the bottom, creating a supportive environment, that's where you ensure

554
00:38:16,650 --> 00:38:22,050
that what you need to do, you're doing, with the proper culture and focusing on

555
00:38:22,110 --> 00:38:25,830
those things that are not the day-to-day

556
00:38:27,090 --> 00:38:29,460
staff items, which I know you don't do. Bless you.

557
00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:36,000
But just creating that supportive environment, and ensuring accountability,

558
00:38:37,770 --> 00:38:41,940
reviewing those scores and everything, that's so awesome, and then just keeping

559
00:38:42,030 --> 00:38:46,351
everything in order, all while you're providing community leadership throughout.

560
00:38:46,710 --> 00:38:52,140
So you're interacting with the community, and as Amber suggested, it's a good idea

561
00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:57,270
to have that elevator speech of, "Our schools are doing this to meet these goals

562
00:38:57,300 --> 00:39:02,400
that we have established." So you're having that conversation with them and it's

563
00:39:02,460 --> 00:39:05,790
keeping that connection with your community.

564
00:39:06,300 --> 00:39:08,670
And so if we begin with

565
00:39:10,290 --> 00:39:14,790
what's happening at the board table and the culture here, continuing from the

566
00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:20,640
conversation that we had last year, do you remember our norms activity

567
00:39:20,730 --> 00:39:22,500
that we did last year?

568
00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:24,241
It's okay.

569
00:39:24,810 --> 00:39:27,570
It's okay if not. That wasn't a test.

570
00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:33,390
But as Amber said, your norms are talking about how you behave and treat each

571
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:38,340
other. And I know that there's respect here, which is wonderful.

572
00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:42,150
If you don't have the norm-- You guys have election.

573
00:39:42,300 --> 00:39:44,070
Yes, I know you're having elections,

574
00:39:45,420 --> 00:39:51,060
Nick. So yeah. But if you don't already have your norms written down,

575
00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:58,020
write them down and use them as part of orienting new people to

576
00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:01,290
the board. You want to protect and to

577
00:40:02,610 --> 00:40:07,440
have available for anybody to see, "These are the habits.

578
00:40:07,530 --> 00:40:10,980
These are the ways we operate and treat each other.

579
00:40:11,310 --> 00:40:14,370
We treat each other with respect. We treat each other with

580
00:40:15,899 --> 00:40:17,221
kindness. We listen."

581
00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:24,660
And I know you have your policy 2120. We walked through that last time.

582
00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:28,741
The thing is, it's great to have

583
00:40:30,750 --> 00:40:35,340
what we call a cooperation agreement that doesn't supersede.

584
00:40:35,550 --> 00:40:41,130
Your policies are top, but your code of cooperation is an opportunity to plainly

585
00:40:41,221 --> 00:40:44,430
state how you want to get things done.

586
00:40:44,940 --> 00:40:50,700
This is sample norms from a North Carolina district where they took some

587
00:40:50,851 --> 00:40:55,020
things. They were in conflict, actually, when they created these.

588
00:40:55,560 --> 00:41:01,140
But look at just this list, and I know I shifted through a lot of different

589
00:41:01,230 --> 00:41:07,170
slides quickly, but we want to work on protocols. But look at number one.

590
00:41:07,950 --> 00:41:13,620
We treat board members, staff, and the public, mm, with

591
00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:18,480
respect, modeling the behaviors we want for ourselves and others.

592
00:41:19,410 --> 00:41:21,270
It's a very simplistic way of

593
00:41:23,280 --> 00:41:28,200
pulling out a small piece from your ethics policy, but saying it so plainly that

594
00:41:28,260 --> 00:41:32,971
this is how we behave all the time at the board table. This is who we are.

595
00:41:33,991 --> 00:41:39,960
So, they even have a violation. People who violate, board members who

596
00:41:40,020 --> 00:41:45,420
feel their colleagues have violated any portion of the agreement, commit themselves

597
00:41:45,510 --> 00:41:48,270
to talking one-on-one with the member in question.

598
00:41:48,690 --> 00:41:53,851
If they cannot reach consensus on resolving the matter, the issue is to be brought

599
00:41:53,940 --> 00:41:58,590
to the entire board. And I think what's so important is

600
00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:06,030
they understand and want to protect what they are doing, what they have.

601
00:42:06,270 --> 00:42:09,721
And having that good culture, having that

602
00:42:11,190 --> 00:42:16,080
understanding of how we behave and treat each other, it's worth protecting.

603
00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:20,820
Because if you don't protect that in an arranged marriage, sorry you have to hear

604
00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:25,140
this again, but in an arranged marriage, you can have these little cracks, these

605
00:42:25,230 --> 00:42:29,010
tiny little things that can start to be irritating.

606
00:42:29,491 --> 00:42:34,950
And then all of a sudden, you have a blowup that started from something that's so

607
00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:36,450
tiny. And

608
00:42:38,010 --> 00:42:42,270
I heard someone say we didn't all sit at the same dinner table and have the exact

609
00:42:42,330 --> 00:42:46,980
same values. And so what could be offensive to me, let me tell you, in my house,

610
00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:51,210
Mom didn't let one drop of alcohol in there.

611
00:42:51,601 --> 00:42:55,800
She's Pentecostal Holiness, so no. No alcohol in the house.

612
00:42:55,890 --> 00:42:57,241
Daddy didn't bring it in the house.

613
00:42:57,870 --> 00:43:02,760
But maybe things were different in your house, that it's okay.

614
00:43:03,510 --> 00:43:04,590
I've never had a beer.

615
00:43:05,820 --> 00:43:05,971
My

616
00:43:08,460 --> 00:43:11,910
mother's 87. I will not defy her to this day.

617
00:43:12,390 --> 00:43:12,721
But

618
00:43:14,610 --> 00:43:19,560
the same things, the same standards that were expected at your dinner table is

619
00:43:19,590 --> 00:43:21,690
going to be different from anybody else's.

620
00:43:22,140 --> 00:43:27,991
And so you want to have norms conversations to be able to not let any

621
00:43:28,050 --> 00:43:33,780
little crack break you from reaching that 10-year goal and those headlines you all

622
00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:38,790
set. Any questions on that? Because I'm going to turn it over to Amber.

623
00:43:42,900 --> 00:43:45,150
Okay, so you ready for some stickers?

624
00:43:45,660 --> 00:43:45,991
Yep.

625
00:43:47,190 --> 00:43:51,180
So in your packets, there was a collection of stickers.

626
00:43:51,241 --> 00:43:54,510
If you will please grab those for us. We're actually going to get into some work.

627
00:43:55,020 --> 00:43:59,280
Our goal is to at least leave you all with one developed protocol, and hopefully

628
00:43:59,340 --> 00:44:02,520
continue on your work from there. So let's get started, though, with what that one

629
00:44:02,550 --> 00:44:07,380
protocol is going to be. Just a reminder, protocols, though, are going to be the

630
00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:10,380
steps that you take when a certain event has been triggered. Right?

631
00:44:10,471 --> 00:44:15,210
Again, you want something put on the agenda, you would like to have a response to

632
00:44:15,241 --> 00:44:19,920
community complaint. Whatever the specific event may be, we want to make sure that

633
00:44:19,950 --> 00:44:23,700
we have, as Davidson County School Board, a way to help and address that.

634
00:44:24,450 --> 00:44:27,360
So here's our general process. So we're going to do that tonight.

635
00:44:27,420 --> 00:44:30,750
It's a general process, though, for how to facilitate that discussion.

636
00:44:30,840 --> 00:44:35,070
So first, right, we're going to decide what protocol is needed. Okay?

637
00:44:35,101 --> 00:44:37,680
There's going to be a lot. We've got some examples for you, so we're going to try

638
00:44:37,710 --> 00:44:40,290
to help decide what protocol we first want to do.

639
00:44:41,070 --> 00:44:44,700
We want to make sure, though, that we understand the issue, that everyone has

640
00:44:44,851 --> 00:44:48,300
access and the ability to share what they're thinking about the issue.

641
00:44:48,900 --> 00:44:52,260
One of the things that we found, too, is that sometimes particular issues can just

642
00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:53,880
be solved with going over your norms.

643
00:44:53,971 --> 00:44:59,730
It could just be having a conversation of, "Hey, remember, let's refer back to norm

644
00:44:59,880 --> 00:45:03,420
on our individual board member responsibility number 10," whatever it may be.

645
00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:05,190
Just kind of helping to review some of that.

646
00:45:05,730 --> 00:45:07,440
We want to make sure, though, again, everyone's got a voice.

647
00:45:07,710 --> 00:45:09,450
Then we actually want to write the protocol.

648
00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:11,971
And we're going to show you some examples that protocols can be done in different

649
00:45:12,060 --> 00:45:16,170
ways. Okay? It doesn't have to be this massive step. It could be a sentence or two.

650
00:45:16,471 --> 00:45:19,140
Whatever is the will of the board is going to work for you all.

651
00:45:19,170 --> 00:45:21,120
We want to work on that culture as best as possible.

652
00:45:21,930 --> 00:45:25,110
Then we want to also make sure that we are all clear.

653
00:45:25,140 --> 00:45:26,880
We're glad that we have our attorney here tonight.

654
00:45:26,880 --> 00:45:30,360
We want to make sure we are all clear in terms of any violations when we've written

655
00:45:30,390 --> 00:45:33,630
that protocol. And then we want to make sure, too, that we set at the very last

656
00:45:33,630 --> 00:45:35,820
step, that we set a when we're going to review.

657
00:45:35,971 --> 00:45:39,840
Just like you review your policies within a year, or you set that schedule for when

658
00:45:39,900 --> 00:45:42,480
you're going to review, you want to review your protocols as well. Right?

659
00:45:42,540 --> 00:45:45,900
Is it going to be as needed? Is it going to be in a year? Is it two years?

660
00:45:45,991 --> 00:45:49,020
Whatever it may be. Because, again, protocols are the will of the board and

661
00:45:49,050 --> 00:45:50,280
whatever you want them to be.

662
00:45:51,630 --> 00:45:51,810
So

663
00:45:53,070 --> 00:45:55,380
here's some other examples for you, just to kind of get your head around them.

664
00:45:55,471 --> 00:45:59,190
Visiting schools, communicating with board members, asking agenda questions.

665
00:45:59,221 --> 00:46:01,260
Those are all, again, examples of protocols

666
00:46:03,114 --> 00:46:06,624
I know this is a little hard to see. The two on the left are actually protocols

667
00:46:06,684 --> 00:46:08,574
that were written from boards in Virginia.

668
00:46:08,994 --> 00:46:13,704
Surprisingly, this is work that North Carolina has done starts.

669
00:46:13,855 --> 00:46:15,234
We've got several boards that started.

670
00:46:15,294 --> 00:46:18,114
We don't have many that actually complete it, and we hope that Davidson is going to

671
00:46:18,144 --> 00:46:22,074
be one of those boards that completes it and is able to showcase this.

672
00:46:22,494 --> 00:46:26,574
So this is in your packet, but on the left-hand side from Virginia, just want you

673
00:46:26,605 --> 00:46:29,724
to be able to visually see their protocols are two sentences.

674
00:46:29,874 --> 00:46:34,884
When it says how the board is going to set the agenda, it literally says the board

675
00:46:34,944 --> 00:46:38,994
chair, superintendent, and board clerk decide the agenda. Boom, done. One sentence.

676
00:46:39,054 --> 00:46:42,924
That was their entire protocol. However you want that to work for you is how it can

677
00:46:42,954 --> 00:46:48,234
work for you. On the right-hand side is actually a sample of NCSBA's protocol that

678
00:46:48,294 --> 00:46:51,773
we've done and a sample protocol on communicating with the media, and we've stepped

679
00:46:51,804 --> 00:46:54,984
it out. All right? It has one through five. It really goes into detail.

680
00:46:55,044 --> 00:46:56,544
We have some things for you to consider.

681
00:46:57,025 --> 00:47:00,204
We just want you to see and know that there is no one way to get this done.

682
00:47:00,264 --> 00:47:03,744
It is whatever is going to work best for the board. Okay?

683
00:47:06,204 --> 00:47:08,424
All right. So you got your stickers.

684
00:47:09,144 --> 00:47:11,904
Ramona here is going to be our Vanna White for you all.

685
00:47:12,355 --> 00:47:14,004
Aren't you so glad I brought her? Right.

686
00:47:14,605 --> 00:47:17,484
She is going to-- And I wish we were winning money at the end of this.

687
00:47:17,964 --> 00:47:22,855
What we've got, though, is that we have got six examples of protocols that are most

688
00:47:22,914 --> 00:47:26,424
common for boards that they kind of want to work on, and we want to ultimately

689
00:47:26,514 --> 00:47:31,044
decide right now with your board using stickers, to decide which ones are going to

690
00:47:31,074 --> 00:47:35,214
be most priority. So on your sheet, green, you're going to use a green sticker if

691
00:47:35,275 --> 00:47:39,054
you think that protocol for you as Davidson County Board is doing really well.

692
00:47:39,114 --> 00:47:40,194
You're like, "We're great. We're awesome.

693
00:47:40,224 --> 00:47:43,284
We don't need to talk about this." You're going to use the yellow if you're like,

694
00:47:43,374 --> 00:47:45,534
"Eh, we should probably get there." Right?

695
00:47:46,224 --> 00:47:50,064
Red is going to be, "Yeah, I think we need to work on that." And your blue is going

696
00:47:50,094 --> 00:47:52,164
to be, "This is not a priority right now." Right?

697
00:47:52,254 --> 00:47:54,114
So basically, green is going to be, we're good.

698
00:47:54,594 --> 00:47:57,384
Yellow is going to put some caution in there, like maybe something we should talk

699
00:47:57,444 --> 00:48:01,794
about, but not a priority. Red is going to be your priority, and blue is going to

700
00:48:01,824 --> 00:48:04,314
be not anything we want to talk about right now. Okay?

701
00:48:04,855 --> 00:48:08,904
So the six that we have for you, communicating with the superintendent, meeting

702
00:48:08,964 --> 00:48:14,874
agenda, responding to complaints, visits to campuses, confidentiality, and

703
00:48:14,934 --> 00:48:19,764
avoiding surprises. So what we'd like you to do is of those six in the boxes that

704
00:48:19,794 --> 00:48:23,124
are on the chart paper here, take your color. All right? Take your sticker.

705
00:48:23,184 --> 00:48:26,124
So let's just say it's a blue sticker for you for avoiding surprises.

706
00:48:26,514 --> 00:48:29,184
That feels great to you. You're like, "It's not a priority right now." You're going

707
00:48:29,184 --> 00:48:32,244
to put a blue in the avoiding surprises box. All right?

708
00:48:32,574 --> 00:48:36,234
So this gives you all a chance to kind of visually see what protocols you'd like to

709
00:48:36,264 --> 00:48:39,444
work on first. Questions for clarification?

710
00:48:41,214 --> 00:48:44,094
Awesome. If you all will take your chance, take a little stretch break, come up to

711
00:48:44,154 --> 00:48:45,594
the board here and place your stickers.

712
00:48:45,684 --> 00:48:50,394
Again, green is going to be, you're crushing it. We feel good. Right?

713
00:48:50,874 --> 00:48:53,034
Yellow is going to be something we should talk about.

714
00:48:53,874 --> 00:48:55,855
Red is going to be something we should definitely talk about.

715
00:48:55,914 --> 00:48:59,275
Yikes, we need to work on that. And blue is going to be, that's not a priority

716
00:48:59,304 --> 00:49:00,984
right now. We don't need to talk about it. Right?

717
00:49:04,914 --> 00:49:08,034
So of your six, again, communicating with the superintendent, meeting agenda,

718
00:49:08,124 --> 00:49:11,304
responding to complaints, visits to campuses, confidentiality, and avoiding

719
00:49:11,364 --> 00:49:13,434
surprises. Come on up. Come on down.

720
00:49:14,214 --> 00:49:16,105
Say hi to somebody if you haven't said hi to them yet.

721
00:49:17,784 --> 00:49:19,704
You are in kindergarten. It's fine. We're learning.

722
00:49:19,734 --> 00:49:20,814
Who doesn't like stickers?

723
00:49:20,904 --> 00:49:21,084
Yeah.

724
00:49:21,144 --> 00:49:22,044
So don't use

725
00:49:23,514 --> 00:49:28,254
green, yellow, red, and blue. You can't use any other colors.

726
00:49:28,824 --> 00:49:29,094
We don't-

727
00:49:29,994 --> 00:49:31,044
Only your primary ones.

728
00:49:31,194 --> 00:49:32,184
Yeah, only primary.

729
00:49:37,044 --> 00:49:38,994
I don't know what you mean by avoiding surprises.

730
00:49:39,775 --> 00:49:41,904
Well, great question.

731
00:49:42,025 --> 00:49:42,564
Oh, yeah.

732
00:49:43,404 --> 00:49:45,984
No, that doesn't mean. Not at all. That's a great question.

733
00:49:46,584 --> 00:49:50,784
If you don't have to wonder what it means, that's a good thing.

734
00:49:50,874 --> 00:49:53,034
That means nobody's surprising you.

735
00:50:28,855 --> 00:50:30,084
See, that's good. That's great.

736
00:50:44,514 --> 00:50:44,544
That's okay.

737
00:50:44,605 --> 00:50:45,264
That's okay.

738
00:50:47,904 --> 00:50:53,334
Well, we talk about avoiding surprises sometimes in the arena of

739
00:50:54,624 --> 00:51:00,294
if you're out in the community, which all five of y'all are, and somebody comes up

740
00:51:00,355 --> 00:51:04,824
to you and asks you something that's going on in the school system and you don't

741
00:51:04,855 --> 00:51:08,364
know anything about it, that's a surprise you don't want.

742
00:51:08,904 --> 00:51:11,334
Or you can be like me and never go to school anymore.

743
00:51:12,655 --> 00:51:13,104
Correct.

744
00:51:14,514 --> 00:51:18,775
But then it's also-- I mean, Ramona, you can jump in here, too, if you think I'm

745
00:51:19,315 --> 00:51:22,554
wrong, but also that's a two-way street in

746
00:51:23,785 --> 00:51:26,875
if you have questions before board meetings-

747
00:51:27,414 --> 00:51:27,444
Mm-hmm

748
00:51:27,474 --> 00:51:28,134
... see if we can

749
00:51:29,994 --> 00:51:33,234
at least let them, let your staff know, Dr.

750
00:51:33,294 --> 00:51:35,964
Slate and his cabinet know, "I'm going to have some questions about this." Come

751
00:51:36,025 --> 00:51:37,194
with that information.

752
00:51:37,224 --> 00:51:38,364
So it's not like a you're getting caught with your pants down.

753
00:51:38,364 --> 00:51:38,364
It's not the other direction.

754
00:51:38,364 --> 00:51:38,484
You're-

755
00:51:41,604 --> 00:51:43,494
You don't want to have a got you moment-

756
00:51:43,584 --> 00:51:44,934
Correct. That's what they call it

757
00:51:44,964 --> 00:51:50,785
... for the staff, and you don't want to be the got you person.

758
00:51:51,084 --> 00:51:51,775
We got you.

759
00:51:52,884 --> 00:51:54,474
Well, we should have sticked to stickers.

760
00:51:55,734 --> 00:51:56,454
And if you don't-

761
00:51:59,275 --> 00:52:00,174
Well, that's okay.

762
00:52:00,565 --> 00:52:06,264
You have seven? That's okay. Don't worry. If it's green, which it is. That's okay.

763
00:52:06,324 --> 00:52:07,494
Substantial compliance.

764
00:52:07,644 --> 00:52:09,684
Substantial. And that's okay.

765
00:52:11,364 --> 00:52:12,174
I, um-

766
00:52:14,394 --> 00:52:15,804
It's like we agreed on one.

767
00:52:16,164 --> 00:52:19,494
The most red that I'm seeing is on responding to complaints.

768
00:52:20,184 --> 00:52:23,875
Four said that that is something that they would like to work on, and someone said

769
00:52:23,905 --> 00:52:27,984
that that is, the yellow for that, so they do have a process for that.

770
00:52:28,373 --> 00:52:32,724
So you have some there. And then we kind of flipped for avoiding surprises.

771
00:52:32,724 --> 00:52:36,474
So we got four that said yellow and one that said red. Okay.

772
00:52:36,565 --> 00:52:39,954
It looks like confidentiality, great. You're crushing it. Great job.

773
00:52:40,044 --> 00:52:41,994
That's great. Can I say thank you?

774
00:52:42,504 --> 00:52:42,924
Thank you, guys.

775
00:52:42,954 --> 00:52:44,184
Thank you.

776
00:52:44,244 --> 00:52:47,844
It's not always been that way, but I feel like this board is doing just great on

777
00:52:47,934 --> 00:52:48,084
this.

778
00:52:48,384 --> 00:52:50,275
Most of the time, that's one that's fully red.

779
00:52:50,574 --> 00:52:51,894
I don't know.

780
00:52:51,924 --> 00:52:54,535
Meeting agenda looks okay too. We got some green there.

781
00:52:55,014 --> 00:52:59,964
Visits to campuses look green. And then probably our third, communication with

782
00:53:00,025 --> 00:53:02,994
superintendent is probably-- So I would say responding to complaints, avoiding

783
00:53:03,025 --> 00:53:06,474
surprises, and communication with superintendent is probably kind of where we want

784
00:53:06,535 --> 00:53:07,584
to start working from.

785
00:53:08,244 --> 00:53:08,634
All right.

786
00:53:08,724 --> 00:53:13,974
And not-- Okay. How do we feel about responding to complaints kind of universally?

787
00:53:14,574 --> 00:53:18,234
Kind of roughly where we came here. Okay? Okay, cool. All right.

788
00:53:18,294 --> 00:53:18,324
And-

789
00:53:18,324 --> 00:53:20,244
I don't like starting with the worst and hardest

790
00:53:20,364 --> 00:53:21,114
... starting with the worst is okay.

791
00:53:21,174 --> 00:53:21,924
That's okay.

792
00:53:21,984 --> 00:53:24,894
Well, and first we have to-- So we may not finish everything, but Brittany's going

793
00:53:24,924 --> 00:53:28,434
to give you something so you know kind of how and where you need to go with this.

794
00:53:28,494 --> 00:53:33,324
Right? In your packets, there is a worksheet as well in the back, and it says,

795
00:53:33,444 --> 00:53:37,824
"Operating protocols guide worksheet" on this.

796
00:53:38,035 --> 00:53:42,744
We put two copies in there in case you didn't have a lot of pages to get this.

797
00:53:43,644 --> 00:53:48,114
Okay. So if we're following our flowchart, though, of looking at trying to figure

798
00:53:48,174 --> 00:53:50,994
out how we write this protocol, what are some of the things, what are some of our

799
00:53:51,025 --> 00:53:54,144
concerns that we're having with responding to complaints?

800
00:53:54,625 --> 00:53:57,804
Let's just kind of talk through, clarify the first one, just because it clarifies

801
00:53:57,834 --> 00:53:59,484
the issue. So we need to clarify the issue.

802
00:53:59,514 --> 00:54:02,244
When we say responding to complaints, what's the issue? What's the concern?

803
00:54:02,334 --> 00:54:04,375
Where's the problem we want to help to dial out?

804
00:54:04,494 --> 00:54:06,984
Is it community complaints that you're worried about?

805
00:54:07,104 --> 00:54:09,414
Is it-- Where do we want to start?

806
00:54:09,504 --> 00:54:10,614
I'd say community complaints.

807
00:54:11,155 --> 00:54:16,884
I would think at times, and everyone included, we don't hear about things until it

808
00:54:17,574 --> 00:54:20,214
comes through the internet or somebody shares a post or something.

809
00:54:20,244 --> 00:54:21,054
You turn on the TV.

810
00:54:21,114 --> 00:54:26,155
You turn some-- Whatever that is. And so oftentimes, no fault to our own internal

811
00:54:26,214 --> 00:54:28,194
staff because they've not even been notified.

812
00:54:28,285 --> 00:54:32,035
So admittedly, from the folks, the complainers that have posted stuff or said

813
00:54:32,094 --> 00:54:37,824
things, the question is always, "Have you shared that with..." And oftentimes it's,

814
00:54:38,275 --> 00:54:38,424
"No."

815
00:54:38,905 --> 00:54:38,905
No.

816
00:54:38,994 --> 00:54:41,035
Or they put it on, they went to the internet first.

817
00:54:41,155 --> 00:54:44,994
Yeah, we found social media is way faster than the-

818
00:54:45,625 --> 00:54:46,194
It's the devil

819
00:54:46,285 --> 00:54:46,614
... school.

820
00:54:48,025 --> 00:54:48,204
It does.

821
00:54:48,324 --> 00:54:52,584
Okay. So we're hearing, is it, and if I'm listening, is it responding to complaints

822
00:54:52,644 --> 00:54:57,535
is more if you all would like some communication, some lines to be able to say,

823
00:54:57,864 --> 00:55:02,934
like some direct lines to be able to have, to be able to say, like, "Have you-"

824
00:55:03,768 --> 00:55:07,308
to experts and have you tell him, is that more what we're going to do?

825
00:55:07,489 --> 00:55:07,878
I think we-

826
00:55:08,658 --> 00:55:09,318
I think we generally-

827
00:55:09,318 --> 00:55:12,829
We've gotten better at that in general, to say, "You've got to go through the

828
00:55:12,858 --> 00:55:13,548
proper channels."

829
00:55:14,959 --> 00:55:15,288
Listen,

830
00:55:16,878 --> 00:55:20,568
if an email comes through, we're saying, "We have forwarded this to the appropriate

831
00:55:20,658 --> 00:55:25,668
channels. We can't handle this, but somebody in the central office and/or needs to

832
00:55:25,668 --> 00:55:25,968
investigate."

833
00:55:26,028 --> 00:55:27,528
We never say, "I can handle it."

834
00:55:28,608 --> 00:55:28,878
Yeah.

835
00:55:29,239 --> 00:55:30,648
We never say, "I can handle it."

836
00:55:30,709 --> 00:55:30,798
No.

837
00:55:31,518 --> 00:55:35,868
And a lot of times we'll even include those folks and say, "While this is not in

838
00:55:35,929 --> 00:55:38,959
our realm of expertise, these folks are in the day-to-day.

839
00:55:39,558 --> 00:55:43,848
If you don't get satisfied, if you need to come back to us, you can.

840
00:55:43,908 --> 00:55:47,179
But right now, give them the opportunity to handle the problem at hand."

841
00:55:48,108 --> 00:55:49,728
So that's what everyone's doing now?

842
00:55:50,209 --> 00:55:50,209
Mm-hmm.

843
00:55:50,268 --> 00:55:53,209
We say it's operational, and then send it to him-

844
00:55:53,298 --> 00:55:54,168
It usually includes someone-

845
00:55:54,199 --> 00:55:55,158
And then follow up

846
00:55:55,188 --> 00:55:59,418
... someone, if not multiple people involved in the cabinet level who can help

847
00:55:59,508 --> 00:56:02,449
answer their question. If it's curriculum, obviously it's Dr. Coley.

848
00:56:02,538 --> 00:56:03,378
If it's something with-

849
00:56:04,548 --> 00:56:05,508
Well, if it's Terry

850
00:56:05,688 --> 00:56:07,638
... athletics or operations, it's Mr. Johnson.

851
00:56:07,728 --> 00:56:12,408
If it's someone's feelings or something going on with a counselor or something,

852
00:56:12,468 --> 00:56:15,888
then it's Dr. Greer. So we try to divide that based on who it is.

853
00:56:17,268 --> 00:56:19,638
And as the board attorney, do you hear any problems?

854
00:56:21,438 --> 00:56:23,418
I still think it's just prevalent in our community.

855
00:56:23,538 --> 00:56:23,688
At

856
00:56:25,758 --> 00:56:27,798
least I do, I feel uncomfortable

857
00:56:29,179 --> 00:56:29,358
with

858
00:56:31,068 --> 00:56:34,878
how frustrated our community is. Even though we're probably handling it

859
00:56:34,938 --> 00:56:38,179
appropriately, it's still how do we maybe-

860
00:56:39,138 --> 00:56:39,888
Root issues.

861
00:56:40,638 --> 00:56:40,878
Uh-huh.

862
00:56:41,148 --> 00:56:42,498
Like the root of how do you-

863
00:56:42,498 --> 00:56:42,768
Yes.

864
00:56:42,858 --> 00:56:43,128
Right.

865
00:56:43,368 --> 00:56:45,079
And/or, yes. And/or-

866
00:56:45,408 --> 00:56:47,598
It feels like there's a serious lack of trust.

867
00:56:48,048 --> 00:56:49,429
So no matter what we do-

868
00:56:49,818 --> 00:56:49,878
Yes

869
00:56:49,878 --> 00:56:51,468
... they're going to pounce on it-

870
00:56:51,588 --> 00:56:52,278
You're exactly right

871
00:56:52,278 --> 00:56:56,058
... and immediately assume the absolute worst of us no matter what we do, and

872
00:56:56,088 --> 00:56:59,148
that's very hard to deal with on a daily basis.

873
00:56:59,658 --> 00:57:00,679
And it takes time, right?

874
00:57:03,949 --> 00:57:07,908
It didn't take us two years to get here in this spot in our community, so it isn't

875
00:57:07,938 --> 00:57:12,648
going to be fixed in two years. So that takes time and consistent follow-up and

876
00:57:12,679 --> 00:57:17,929
follow-through with things. I think the biggest thing for all of us is those

877
00:57:17,989 --> 00:57:23,929
blindside moments of like, "Dr. Slate's not aware, our staff's not aware, no one's

878
00:57:23,989 --> 00:57:27,798
aware of anything," but next thing you know, the whole community's aware of it, and

879
00:57:27,888 --> 00:57:31,878
it's one of those things that as if we've known about it and just purposely not

880
00:57:31,938 --> 00:57:33,348
doing something to fix it.

881
00:57:33,888 --> 00:57:34,908
Yeah.

882
00:57:34,968 --> 00:57:38,658
When you ask, "Oh, have you shared this with your folks?" or, "What do you

883
00:57:38,688 --> 00:57:40,968
recommend as a solution?" "Oh, I don't have that.

884
00:57:41,808 --> 00:57:46,038
They don't ever hit me." So that's the hardest part for us is letting them know,

885
00:57:46,098 --> 00:57:49,398
"Hey, have you followed the proper chain of commands?

886
00:57:49,429 --> 00:57:52,758
And then if you have, then let us get involved."

887
00:57:53,148 --> 00:57:55,579
The one thing we've also found is that people lie a lot.

888
00:57:56,658 --> 00:57:56,718
Yeah.

889
00:57:56,748 --> 00:58:01,728
So they say they followed the proper chain, and they haven't, or they just-

890
00:58:02,148 --> 00:58:02,148
Right. Didn't want to answer

891
00:58:02,148 --> 00:58:05,658
... of course, want to jump right to the top without ever going through anything

892
00:58:05,748 --> 00:58:10,278
else, and we're all members of this community, so a lot of times we know people

893
00:58:10,338 --> 00:58:12,468
personally. So it's challenging.

894
00:58:15,378 --> 00:58:19,548
And oftentimes, our children are involved in the same situations that these other

895
00:58:19,608 --> 00:58:21,228
folks' children are involved with, right?

896
00:58:21,288 --> 00:58:25,218
With this AC issue at North Davidson or Ledford, my child or Ms.

897
00:58:25,278 --> 00:58:29,179
Kunce's child's involved in that as well, right? So we feel their pain also.

898
00:58:29,778 --> 00:58:35,418
I think there's a big differentiator between us as parents here and

899
00:58:35,478 --> 00:58:40,699
humans, and then, "Oh, they're the board." It's some farce of what we're trying to

900
00:58:40,728 --> 00:58:41,388
accomplish.

901
00:58:42,138 --> 00:58:42,168
Right.

902
00:58:42,199 --> 00:58:46,638
It definitely is a challenge getting your community to understand that you don't

903
00:58:46,728 --> 00:58:52,638
have all the power, and it's something you have to communicate over and over

904
00:58:52,699 --> 00:58:53,598
and over.

905
00:58:57,709 --> 00:58:59,568
But it's what you have to do.

906
00:59:00,918 --> 00:59:06,739
You're educating them on what a board member individually does by

907
00:59:06,829 --> 00:59:09,378
saying, "You've got to go through the chain of command.

908
00:59:09,528 --> 00:59:09,918
If you

909
00:59:12,408 --> 00:59:17,898
want your situation handled as quickly as possible, you've got to go through the

910
00:59:17,959 --> 00:59:23,538
chain of command, because if you don't start there, it's going to take much longer

911
00:59:23,628 --> 00:59:27,168
and you're not going to get the resolve that you're looking for."

912
00:59:29,298 --> 00:59:30,798
And that's educating people.

913
00:59:33,498 --> 00:59:38,868
And as you get new people on the board, it's important to have a conversation with

914
00:59:38,929 --> 00:59:42,829
them. People are going to come straight to you.

915
00:59:43,008 --> 00:59:48,858
And unfortunately, nothing like that because you care about what's happening to

916
00:59:48,918 --> 00:59:53,628
their kids. You can express that care, but you certainly have to say, "This is the

917
00:59:53,688 --> 00:59:57,079
fastest way to get it handled." It

918
01:00:01,308 --> 01:00:05,538
sounds like everyone is comfortable with the knowledge of who does what in the

919
01:00:05,598 --> 01:00:08,088
chain of command. It's just a matter of

920
01:00:09,348 --> 01:00:15,228
the few minutes that it takes to share with someone and also make them understand.

921
01:00:16,218 --> 01:00:18,168
Any of this has to come back to me

922
01:00:20,449 --> 01:00:23,118
before the board as judge and jury.

923
01:00:23,959 --> 01:00:25,548
I can't let you share too much-

924
01:00:25,608 --> 01:00:25,848
Right

925
01:00:26,028 --> 01:00:30,408
... when it's personal. And so it's having that care.

926
01:00:30,498 --> 01:00:35,838
I think you guys understand exactly what needs to happen, but it's just

927
01:00:35,989 --> 01:00:41,568
uncomfortable. And there's also some messaging that you want to get out in the

928
01:00:41,628 --> 01:00:46,668
community about you have to build that trust.

929
01:00:47,239 --> 01:00:52,668
I think as each of you speak it to say the same thing with a good heart because

930
01:00:52,728 --> 01:00:53,748
these are your neighbors.

931
01:00:56,298 --> 01:01:01,938
Catch them in church some days and say, "I hear you." I think

932
01:01:02,028 --> 01:01:07,638
everyone wants to be heard, but you've got to let people know that someone did.

933
01:01:07,938 --> 01:01:11,959
Well, just an example. So Friday night at the football game, we're standing there,

934
01:01:12,048 --> 01:01:15,949
right? And I'm standing beside this lady who I didn't personally know.

935
01:01:16,489 --> 01:01:20,179
My wife's like, "Yeah, that lady's the one that loves to talk about you all the

936
01:01:20,209 --> 01:01:23,778
time on the internet about how terrible you are and this and that." But I'm

937
01:01:23,838 --> 01:01:27,648
standing right beside of her and have never had a personal conversation with her as

938
01:01:27,707 --> 01:01:31,518
a person. So I want to introduce myself and be like, "Hey, this is my wife.

939
01:01:31,579 --> 01:01:34,878
These are my kids. This is who I am." And I think we all feel that way, but

940
01:01:34,968 --> 01:01:36,018
oftentimes it's just--

941
01:01:39,079 --> 01:01:42,949
A very smart coach told me one time, "You can't reason with unreasonable people at

942
01:01:43,038 --> 01:01:47,538
times." So how do we find that common ground so that they understand we're in this

943
01:01:47,628 --> 01:01:51,199
boat with you, right? We need to be all rowing in the same direction.

944
01:01:51,739 --> 01:01:55,459
And the minute that one person's rowing opposite of all of us, it only slows us

945
01:01:55,518 --> 01:01:57,498
down in the district. And we don't always have to agree.

946
01:01:57,558 --> 01:02:00,618
We don't agree a lot of times with things, but we try to treat each other with

947
01:02:00,648 --> 01:02:01,638
professionalism.

948
01:02:02,929 --> 01:02:04,848
And we've agreed to disagree on things, right?

949
01:02:04,908 --> 01:02:07,459
And we've had strong-spirited debates.

950
01:02:08,028 --> 01:02:11,748
But when we leave, we still treat each other with respect and humans, and we've all

951
01:02:11,808 --> 01:02:13,788
done that and going to try to do a good job of that.

952
01:02:14,209 --> 01:02:19,429
I think what's going to be a wonderful experience is establishing your new

953
01:02:19,518 --> 01:02:24,528
strategic plan. Because you're going to be able to hear

954
01:02:25,308 --> 01:02:28,998
from constituents what their concerns are.

955
01:02:29,449 --> 01:02:30,348
And hopefully,

956
01:02:31,638 --> 01:02:36,018
if you do it as kitchen table conversations where you might be someplace,

957
01:02:37,848 --> 01:02:42,858
not in the forum, but just to hear and talk and let them speak.

958
01:02:43,938 --> 01:02:49,098
McDowell County did this when they had some turmoil out in the community.

959
01:02:49,608 --> 01:02:54,528
And two portions of the community felt like they were not being heard, and the

960
01:02:54,618 --> 01:02:58,338
board had a listening opportunity where they could come and talk.

961
01:02:58,938 --> 01:03:03,918
And I don't know if that people would do that, but if you put yourself out there

962
01:03:03,949 --> 01:03:07,218
and say, "We want to hear what's on your mind," because it sounds like an

963
01:03:07,308 --> 01:03:13,098
opportunity to connect with the community that that needs to happen because you

964
01:03:13,158 --> 01:03:15,258
guys know how to handle complaints.

965
01:03:18,438 --> 01:03:23,748
But it's the opportunity to connect with the community on some meaningful way so

966
01:03:23,808 --> 01:03:29,688
that you can begin to establish trust and get them to see you as well

967
01:03:29,748 --> 01:03:32,568
as you seeing them and hearing them.

968
01:03:32,628 --> 01:03:35,929
So I don't know that this fixes the protocol. It doesn't fix the protocol.

969
01:03:36,018 --> 01:03:41,688
But people use social media to fuss at us. And we're one of five.

970
01:03:41,989 --> 01:03:43,878
I'm one of five people that make this decision.

971
01:03:43,938 --> 01:03:45,558
As you said, it's an arranged marriage.

972
01:03:46,218 --> 01:03:49,038
And so I always say, "Listen, I can't change anything.

973
01:03:49,098 --> 01:03:53,239
There's five of us that have to change it." But we use social media against us.

974
01:03:53,358 --> 01:03:57,829
Why can't we use it for us? I know that's not a protocol situation, but as we go

975
01:03:57,888 --> 01:04:01,728
towards elections and things like that, maybe a simple

976
01:04:03,888 --> 01:04:05,239
description of what-

977
01:04:05,388 --> 01:04:05,388
Yes

978
01:04:05,388 --> 01:04:10,608
... the school board does, that might be something that would be helpful for our

979
01:04:10,668 --> 01:04:14,628
community to understand that we're here to make policy again.

980
01:04:14,718 --> 01:04:20,658
It's a policy-driven issue instead of necessarily trying to fix

981
01:04:21,408 --> 01:04:24,288
everything in the day-to-day. I think that's something that's

982
01:04:31,638 --> 01:04:35,688
Well, I can't sing Samantha's praises enough, but that's the one thing I will say

983
01:04:35,778 --> 01:04:40,158
is that having her in our social media corner has made some pretty significant

984
01:04:40,218 --> 01:04:45,588
progress in just some of the graphics that she's done have been impressive to me to

985
01:04:45,618 --> 01:04:46,579
be able to show that

986
01:04:50,179 --> 01:04:51,468
she's focused on different communities.

987
01:04:51,528 --> 01:04:56,239
But she's also been able to have something that we've asked for her from a board

988
01:04:56,298 --> 01:05:02,118
brief or from a board meeting to explain certain things and in simple,

989
01:05:02,329 --> 01:05:06,768
easy terms, because some of what we do is really complicated in my opinion.

990
01:05:07,429 --> 01:05:12,438
Yeah, and I love that because I feel like there's a serious lack of knowledge of

991
01:05:12,498 --> 01:05:16,908
what that-- And I can say this from going back before I was on board, I had no idea

992
01:05:16,938 --> 01:05:20,688
what the board does. And so many people in our community have no idea.

993
01:05:20,989 --> 01:05:23,658
They think we are judge and jury- Jury and executioner ...

994
01:05:23,688 --> 01:05:27,618
and come straight to us if you've got a problem, because all those other people are

995
01:05:27,679 --> 01:05:29,239
lame. They don't know what they're doing.

996
01:05:30,079 --> 01:05:34,518
So they just want to come to the board immediately, but they don't know that's

997
01:05:34,548 --> 01:05:36,858
counterproductive. That's not going to fix their problem.

998
01:05:37,668 --> 01:05:42,079
And if they could see that, and we could put that out, and they could see this is

999
01:05:42,168 --> 01:05:46,368
the chain of command. This is what you do if you have a problem.

1000
01:05:47,058 --> 01:05:49,938
And just make it just clear to the community.

1001
01:05:50,748 --> 01:05:51,949
Is Samantha here?

1002
01:05:52,038 --> 01:05:52,788
No, she's not.

1003
01:05:52,818 --> 01:05:53,118
She's not here.

1004
01:05:53,209 --> 01:05:53,508
I just-

1005
01:05:54,468 --> 01:05:57,048
I was going to say, "Samantha, come up with that brilliant."

1006
01:05:57,108 --> 01:05:57,888
I got a note.

1007
01:05:57,978 --> 01:05:58,818
I got a note, too.

1008
01:05:59,298 --> 01:05:59,329
Yeah.

1009
01:05:59,688 --> 01:06:01,998
I was typing a note and texting it.

1010
01:06:02,058 --> 01:06:02,718
Well, I think-

1011
01:06:03,798 --> 01:06:06,739
But that's a good point because it's not just happening here.

1012
01:06:06,768 --> 01:06:12,648
And people can use social media, be proactive, and

1013
01:06:12,709 --> 01:06:13,008
I think

1014
01:06:14,298 --> 01:06:18,138
this is protocol because we're talking about educating the community.

1015
01:06:18,348 --> 01:06:19,429
I am excited about that.

1016
01:06:19,878 --> 01:06:21,978
Samantha does the positive things.

1017
01:06:22,548 --> 01:06:23,028
Mm-hmm.

1018
01:06:23,028 --> 01:06:25,848
It's always like that, and one of the best things, in my opinion,

1019
01:06:27,258 --> 01:06:31,668
is that it's not an open season for rebuttal. That's not the platform for that.

1020
01:06:31,728 --> 01:06:35,778
It's just good points we're punching into the community, and they don't use that

1021
01:06:35,838 --> 01:06:39,168
like the other Facebook pages to just down us.

1022
01:06:39,558 --> 01:06:39,679
Mm-hmm.

1023
01:06:39,858 --> 01:06:40,699
There's some positive approach.

1024
01:06:40,758 --> 01:06:44,449
Well, the reality is there are thousands of positive things that go on on a daily

1025
01:06:44,478 --> 01:06:48,709
basis across our district. Yeah. And if we're not properly reflecting those out to

1026
01:06:48,768 --> 01:06:53,209
the community, then all they hear and see is the loudest, and it may be a small,

1027
01:06:53,298 --> 01:06:56,179
small portion of people or of the negative that happens.

1028
01:06:56,688 --> 01:07:00,588
And we have 2,700 employees, right? Things are going to happen.

1029
01:07:00,648 --> 01:07:04,728
We have 20,000 students. Bad things are going to happen from time to time.

1030
01:07:04,788 --> 01:07:07,308
That's inevitable. It's any business-

1031
01:07:07,368 --> 01:07:07,818
But there's so much good

1032
01:07:07,878 --> 01:07:10,608
... Right, but there's so much good that outweighs of that, and I think that's been

1033
01:07:10,668 --> 01:07:14,598
a big thing that adding that position and showing those positive things that are

1034
01:07:14,658 --> 01:07:15,918
going on help

1035
01:07:17,628 --> 01:07:18,588
visualize some of that.

1036
01:07:18,648 --> 01:07:24,048
And I bet you it's going to make a difference. Adding that position is vital.

1037
01:07:24,108 --> 01:07:29,388
We had to get a communications person a couple of years ago because it was like us

1038
01:07:29,478 --> 01:07:35,449
just trying to each do it. The noise is so loud when people want to

1039
01:07:35,449 --> 01:07:36,288
be negative.

1040
01:07:36,348 --> 01:07:36,618
Mm-hmm.

1041
01:07:36,679 --> 01:07:39,318
But I'm so glad you've done that, and

1042
01:07:40,608 --> 01:07:42,709
I'm excited. I know we follow-

1043
01:07:42,768 --> 01:07:47,808
And I think, unfortunately, it used to children education was off limits from a

1044
01:07:47,868 --> 01:07:50,598
political spectrum, right? Whether it be left or right.

1045
01:07:50,658 --> 01:07:55,008
And unfortunately, in today's society, let's go after the most vulnerable to make

1046
01:07:55,068 --> 01:07:59,929
our talking points the loudest, and that's our older folks and our younger folks.

1047
01:07:59,989 --> 01:08:04,579
And so public education, I think, is under attack from both sides because we've had

1048
01:08:04,638 --> 01:08:08,239
it personally, right? We've done things where we've had one direction come after

1049
01:08:08,268 --> 01:08:10,878
us, and we've done things where we've had the other direction come after us.

1050
01:08:11,268 --> 01:08:13,068
And that's just inevitable in what we do.

1051
01:08:14,358 --> 01:08:17,959
But at some point, we have to get back to the baseline value of we're here to keep

1052
01:08:18,018 --> 01:08:22,039
kids safe, make sure they're educated, and set them up for success in that 12-year

1053
01:08:22,068 --> 01:08:23,928
window that we have them in our hands.

1054
01:08:25,489 --> 01:08:30,588
And once you hit those goals, it'll be exciting to say, "This is why we do what we

1055
01:08:30,648 --> 01:08:33,799
do because these are our goals."

1056
01:08:35,838 --> 01:08:41,239
We might have a great idea, but if it's not part of where we're all going, it's

1057
01:08:41,508 --> 01:08:46,039
important. You just tie that language in with what we do.

1058
01:08:47,088 --> 01:08:49,248
And I for what it means to y'all.

1059
01:08:50,418 --> 01:08:53,268
So let's go back to your protocol. We just need make sure we're all kind of clear

1060
01:08:53,268 --> 01:08:57,049
and understanding. So the protocol we said is we're assigning complaints because we

1061
01:08:57,108 --> 01:09:00,228
all feel like we do a pretty good job, but let's just write it down so we know that

1062
01:09:00,289 --> 01:09:03,588
is the protocol. I started the language you all helped me on here. Okay?

1063
01:09:04,098 --> 01:09:07,758
So I feel like for you all for this one, I'd love it be a set where there seems to

1064
01:09:07,789 --> 01:09:10,279
be a sentence or two within that protocol.

1065
01:09:10,338 --> 01:09:14,568
So I'd start to say board member complaint to the appropriate, do you want to say

1066
01:09:14,628 --> 01:09:19,188
staff member? Do you want to say- Member or members Okay, perfect.

1067
01:09:19,248 --> 01:09:23,058
Because sometimes certain issues are a multi-pronged approach, right?

1068
01:09:23,118 --> 01:09:26,299
It's not necessarily one person can give them the answer that they need.

1069
01:09:26,358 --> 01:09:31,518
So there are times when we have to lump in a couple different leaders to help

1070
01:09:31,608 --> 01:09:35,508
answer those questions. And that would be easy win for you all right there.

1071
01:09:35,959 --> 01:09:39,918
So we want to talk about advocating, and that's kind of the extent of it.

1072
01:09:40,188 --> 01:09:42,949
You're just changing it, right? Essentially, it's going to be board member

1073
01:09:43,008 --> 01:09:46,848
complaint to appropriate board member. That's your protocol, right?

1074
01:09:47,358 --> 01:09:49,938
So then what do we do when you think about for violations?

1075
01:09:50,898 --> 01:09:52,579
Now we've had the conversation before too.

1076
01:09:52,638 --> 01:09:56,388
They say that typically they want to be chair designated.

1077
01:09:56,508 --> 01:10:00,049
HR has a conversation with them first, or they might have a personal conversation

1078
01:10:00,138 --> 01:10:02,328
first, right? I'm just going to use a really nice example.

1079
01:10:02,778 --> 01:10:05,058
If I have violated this protocol anyway, right?

1080
01:10:05,148 --> 01:10:08,238
Ramona's going to have a conversation with me because we haven't gone through

1081
01:10:08,299 --> 01:10:12,228
formal charges yet. Right? We kind of have to do it as staff, just a conversation.

1082
01:10:12,768 --> 01:10:14,148
That's going to be on the protocol too.

1083
01:10:14,209 --> 01:10:15,799
It's a regular violation to-

1084
01:10:17,088 --> 01:10:19,818
I thank the chair for consistency.

1085
01:10:20,299 --> 01:10:25,578
I think so. The biggest thing that I will say and share is, for future and

1086
01:10:26,088 --> 01:10:30,168
present myself as well, I never want this to be a situation to where we have these

1087
01:10:30,198 --> 01:10:34,308
protocols and norms that are then used as weaponized against other board members-

1088
01:10:34,608 --> 01:10:34,848
Yeah

1089
01:10:34,848 --> 01:10:39,709
... to create the illusion of, "Well, you didn't do what I wanted you to do, so

1090
01:10:39,738 --> 01:10:43,038
we're going to use this against you." While you may not be doing anything that

1091
01:10:43,068 --> 01:10:48,768
breaks protocol or norm, it may just be an avenue to use to say, "Fall in line and

1092
01:10:48,828 --> 01:10:51,799
get into..." And that's not necessarily always the case.

1093
01:10:51,888 --> 01:10:56,987
I think when we've had conversations like that, sometimes we've used it in closed

1094
01:10:57,018 --> 01:11:01,668
session just to even just have dialogue.

1095
01:11:01,908 --> 01:11:07,788
Because if I've learned nothing from the chair, it's that I probably need to

1096
01:11:07,818 --> 01:11:12,408
be reminded sometimes that one of the others is having a conversation-- We were

1097
01:11:12,438 --> 01:11:16,308
having a conversation about something that was pointed, and I need that reminder as

1098
01:11:16,368 --> 01:11:21,168
well. And so maybe if we have that conver- I mean, it's always been a gentle

1099
01:11:21,228 --> 01:11:23,118
conversation when we've had that

1100
01:11:24,528 --> 01:11:26,448
in closed session is what I would say.

1101
01:11:26,838 --> 01:11:31,518
So it could be one-on-one, but I also feel like, so that it's not held against

1102
01:11:31,549 --> 01:11:33,948
somebody like it might have been previously,

1103
01:11:35,628 --> 01:11:40,038
a gentle conversation. Again, as Trisha said, we are all adults, and we really do

1104
01:11:40,098 --> 01:11:43,158
treat each other as equal and as

1105
01:11:45,018 --> 01:11:48,828
friends that all don't have the same common ground sometimes.

1106
01:11:48,888 --> 01:11:51,348
But we really do try to understand each other.

1107
01:11:51,438 --> 01:11:56,508
So a gentle conversation from the board chair may be necessary, but also,

1108
01:11:57,528 --> 01:12:01,818
if it's big enough, the gentle conversation in closed session just to make sure

1109
01:12:01,848 --> 01:12:03,258
that we all are on the same page.

1110
01:12:03,378 --> 01:12:05,959
And we can be progressive. So first you are going to say, "Hey, we're just going to

1111
01:12:05,988 --> 01:12:09,618
do a member-member. Just amongst ourselves, we're going to just have that chat,

1112
01:12:09,738 --> 01:12:13,698
right? We're going to have a chat about it." Then you want to progress it to chair

1113
01:12:13,758 --> 01:12:14,299
designee.

1114
01:12:15,049 --> 01:12:18,318
I would say or designee because there may be times when that communication isn't

1115
01:12:18,348 --> 01:12:22,368
productive between the chair and some, so it may need to be the vice chair or vice

1116
01:12:22,549 --> 01:12:25,938
versa. Well, I think with this board, this has never been an issue. Yeah.

1117
01:12:25,998 --> 01:12:30,108
We are always able to talk, but I know going forward, there will be different

1118
01:12:30,168 --> 01:12:32,928
boards. So it's going to be fluid

1119
01:12:34,188 --> 01:12:38,808
maybe in the future. But right now, I don't see a need to put something down like

1120
01:12:38,868 --> 01:12:44,058
that to change or put something, I don't know, just make a hard, fast rule.

1121
01:12:44,418 --> 01:12:47,238
You don't need this, Bridget, but we're going to have some things to kind of like

1122
01:12:47,328 --> 01:12:50,688
roll into the first round. At least we understand first round, we're going to have

1123
01:12:50,688 --> 01:12:52,248
a different type of conversation. Here's violation.

1124
01:12:52,638 --> 01:12:55,008
Then we're going to have chair designee go through this program.

1125
01:12:55,338 --> 01:12:58,459
Then we'll bring it to the full board in closed session, and something like that

1126
01:12:58,518 --> 01:12:59,268
can sound.

1127
01:12:59,358 --> 01:12:59,478
Yeah.

1128
01:12:59,928 --> 01:13:03,108
This round sets you up for success with that parallel communication.

1129
01:13:03,678 --> 01:13:06,348
I'm also going to give it to you. This is like-

1130
01:13:06,348 --> 01:13:06,378
Right.

1131
01:13:06,378 --> 01:13:11,448
This is not- So your policies are first, and then your protocols, which will run by

1132
01:13:11,508 --> 01:13:15,709
your board attorney to make sure everything is on the up and up,

1133
01:13:17,058 --> 01:13:22,488
is the next step down. It's just a practical guide to help you

1134
01:13:23,148 --> 01:13:28,968
keep any little break from happening in there, so that you're always focused on

1135
01:13:28,968 --> 01:13:29,418
the student.

1136
01:13:29,688 --> 01:13:32,628
To me, it sounds essentially like you're putting common sense on paper.

1137
01:13:33,738 --> 01:13:36,918
Okay. Yes. I was going to say that at one point, but I said-

1138
01:13:37,068 --> 01:13:37,698
Calm me, I'm not

1139
01:13:46,293 --> 01:13:50,253
Can change them in a minute, especially you, Chair.

1140
01:13:50,463 --> 01:13:50,613
Sure.

1141
01:13:50,674 --> 01:13:53,523
Somebody might stand up and be like, "Hey, we need to do this.

1142
01:13:53,553 --> 01:13:57,063
This is a reminder for everyone what our kind of-"

1143
01:13:57,123 --> 01:13:57,273
Sure

1144
01:13:57,303 --> 01:13:59,223
... we've got. We only have so much.

1145
01:14:02,913 --> 01:14:04,983
So it's just a simple conversation.

1146
01:14:05,043 --> 01:14:05,133
Mm-hmm.

1147
01:14:05,163 --> 01:14:08,763
But it's a conversation that you need to have, and I would encourage you to

1148
01:14:08,823 --> 01:14:14,674
continue to have them as you move towards election season, and knowing

1149
01:14:14,703 --> 01:14:17,853
that some of us that don't have new persons, a lot of new persons, changes the

1150
01:14:17,883 --> 01:14:23,343
whole dynamic. And hopefully, it won't be of too much of a different change, but we

1151
01:14:23,433 --> 01:14:29,223
want to ensure that you're protecting the culture and the processes that

1152
01:14:29,283 --> 01:14:30,993
you've already got in place.

1153
01:14:32,493 --> 01:14:35,253
That process generally makes sense, because the last thing on our sheet is just to

1154
01:14:35,282 --> 01:14:39,153
check in with our attorney, make sure they're not hiding anything, and then to say

1155
01:14:39,213 --> 01:14:42,723
that we are voting on it. We're going to do ideally two to three months to discuss

1156
01:14:42,783 --> 01:14:44,793
it on. Ideally, we want a year.

1157
01:14:45,123 --> 01:14:45,393
Yeah.

1158
01:14:46,053 --> 01:14:46,053
Or at least-

1159
01:14:46,053 --> 01:14:49,233
Well, we just go back to that conversation and looking at it-

1160
01:14:49,233 --> 01:14:49,233
Yeah

1161
01:14:49,233 --> 01:14:50,373
... and making sure we don't-

1162
01:14:51,153 --> 01:14:56,223
I think once a year is a good standard to set for us as the board transitions,

1163
01:14:56,283 --> 01:14:57,963
people come on, people go off.

1164
01:14:58,353 --> 01:14:58,383
Mm-hmm.

1165
01:14:58,443 --> 01:15:01,593
Just a refresher, even if the board stays the same, it never hurts to have, and

1166
01:15:01,683 --> 01:15:03,123
things change over time, right?

1167
01:15:03,633 --> 01:15:03,843
They do.

1168
01:15:03,903 --> 01:15:04,053
So.

1169
01:15:04,323 --> 01:15:07,863
They do evolve. But ultimately, that's the protocol.

1170
01:15:07,953 --> 01:15:10,593
You should have been having a short conversation where we talk about some things,

1171
01:15:10,773 --> 01:15:15,813
reference and stuff. We say, "Hey, it's real simple, ABC," and that's it.

1172
01:15:15,903 --> 01:15:18,513
That's protocol. Great. Yeah. Good job.

1173
01:15:18,963 --> 01:15:19,233
Good job.

1174
01:15:19,293 --> 01:15:20,463
Thank you.

1175
01:15:20,523 --> 01:15:24,332
And we're not even going to keep you long, so we're done.

1176
01:15:25,323 --> 01:15:28,053
Hopefully, we'll see you at the follow-up conference or-

1177
01:15:28,413 --> 01:15:28,983
The national

1178
01:15:29,433 --> 01:15:33,093
... or at annual conference. Hope you'll be there.

1179
01:15:34,293 --> 01:15:36,663
Be heard, let your voice be well heard.

1180
01:15:36,753 --> 01:15:40,834
And then we're going to have more training for the board members in December in

1181
01:15:40,893 --> 01:15:42,963
Raleigh, on the 7th, 10th, and

1182
01:15:45,153 --> 01:15:50,793
11th. We'll be doing it in January, on January 14th and 15th in Raleigh, and then

1183
01:15:50,853 --> 01:15:54,033
we're going to do it for 2025 and 2026 in Asheville.

1184
01:15:55,113 --> 01:16:00,213
It's a free member benefit. It's a day and a half session where we go over the

1185
01:16:00,273 --> 01:16:06,243
basics. We'll say some of the same things that hopefully anyone who's

1186
01:16:06,273 --> 01:16:11,853
newly elected can come and we'll be good, and we say a lot of the same

1187
01:16:11,973 --> 01:16:15,903
things, and hopefully we keep you on a great board with each other.

1188
01:16:17,043 --> 01:16:19,263
It's a phenomenal class, and I love seeing

1189
01:16:20,613 --> 01:16:24,543
how well everyone's doing together.

1190
01:16:24,963 --> 01:16:27,543
Are there any questions or comments?

1191
01:16:27,573 --> 01:16:30,993
So you've got half of them gone. You need to leave.

1192
01:16:32,853 --> 01:16:34,053
Is it good?

1193
01:16:34,113 --> 01:16:35,013
You can have the same-

1194
01:16:35,163 --> 01:16:35,763
We got you

1195
01:16:35,763 --> 01:16:39,393
... students in other places use telephones and-

1196
01:16:39,393 --> 01:16:44,283
I know

1197
01:16:44,283 --> 01:16:46,443
... it runs under protocol work, though.

1198
01:16:46,473 --> 01:16:50,674
That makes the general process make sense, kind of how we roll with that on a deal

1199
01:16:50,733 --> 01:16:51,363
again.

1200
01:16:51,483 --> 01:16:55,203
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for sharing with us, Ms. Allison, today.

1201
01:16:55,323 --> 01:16:56,703
We really appreciate it. It's always-

1202
01:16:56,793 --> 01:16:56,853
Thank you

1203
01:16:56,943 --> 01:16:58,834
... a good refresher. Thank you for the stickers.

1204
01:17:00,602 --> 01:17:00,782
Yeah.

1205
01:17:01,263 --> 01:17:01,352
Yeah.

1206
01:17:01,383 --> 01:17:04,233
Well, thank you, and we'll talk about all this with each other.

1207
01:17:04,293 --> 01:17:06,873
Thank you so much. Thank you, guys. Thank you.

1208
01:17:08,643 --> 01:17:09,513
Which company are your stickers?

1209
01:17:11,313 --> 01:17:14,493
Which company are your stickers? Oh.

1210
01:17:14,553 --> 01:17:15,993
Curriculum, Dr. Coley?

1211
01:17:25,803 --> 01:17:31,503
I have to say, I felt like I needed to get my phone to take pictures because

1212
01:17:31,593 --> 01:17:36,663
anytime I attend professional learning, I'm always taking pictures so that I can

1213
01:17:36,723 --> 01:17:39,663
share that out. So I felt like I needed to take pictures over there.

1214
01:17:39,723 --> 01:17:39,783
Mm-hmm.

1215
01:17:40,713 --> 01:17:44,613
Great professional learning opportunity. Good evening, Mr.

1216
01:17:44,913 --> 01:17:45,363
Chairman-

1217
01:17:45,363 --> 01:17:45,393
Good evening

1218
01:17:45,424 --> 01:17:47,343
... Madam Vice Chair, board members.

1219
01:17:47,763 --> 01:17:52,834
I'm really excited this evening to start out in the area of curriculum instruction,

1220
01:17:52,924 --> 01:17:56,463
giving an EC program support update.

1221
01:17:57,363 --> 01:18:03,093
I have asked our EC directors, Susan Russell and Jordan Lupton, to come this

1222
01:18:03,213 --> 01:18:08,883
evening and share with the board, provide a brief overview of our focus this

1223
01:18:09,003 --> 01:18:12,903
year for support in the Exceptional Children's program.

1224
01:18:13,834 --> 01:18:19,593
We have two lenses, one of compliance, so that we are following the law and

1225
01:18:19,683 --> 01:18:25,383
that we are receiving good scores when we are assessed by our indicators,

1226
01:18:25,893 --> 01:18:30,243
and two, we need that instructional focus, because as you know, I've stood before

1227
01:18:30,363 --> 01:18:36,033
you on many occasions talking about schools that are designated as targeted support

1228
01:18:36,093 --> 01:18:40,263
for improvement based upon the subgroup students with disabilities.

1229
01:18:40,563 --> 01:18:44,643
So I'm really excited this evening to have Mrs. Russell and Ms. Lupton here.

1230
01:18:45,123 --> 01:18:50,013
I'm going to turn it over to them, and in your packet, you will have the documents

1231
01:18:50,073 --> 01:18:52,443
that they are going to be providing an overview for.

1232
01:18:52,953 --> 01:18:58,143
Susan?

1233
01:18:58,233 --> 01:19:02,674
Good evening, board members. This evening, I am pleased to present our Exceptional

1234
01:19:02,763 --> 01:19:07,563
Children's compliance support plan for the 26-27 school year.

1235
01:19:08,313 --> 01:19:11,883
Our primary focus with this framework is pretty simple.

1236
01:19:12,303 --> 01:19:17,283
It's to establish a structured framework to maintain legal compliance,

1237
01:19:18,093 --> 01:19:23,283
reduce non-compliance risk, and provide differentiated support to our special

1238
01:19:23,343 --> 01:19:26,943
education teachers in this specific area.

1239
01:19:27,663 --> 01:19:32,763
To drive this work, we have established a dedicated team of EC compliance coaches

1240
01:19:33,543 --> 01:19:37,473
that we have structured across our grade levels as well as our specialized

1241
01:19:37,533 --> 01:19:43,023
programs. Together, this team ensures that every

1242
01:19:43,084 --> 01:19:49,023
building and specialty area has direct oversight and

1243
01:19:49,143 --> 01:19:55,084
a go-to compliance expert. This framework establishes a clear understanding

1244
01:19:55,143 --> 01:20:00,033
of the roles and the responsibilities of both the district staff as well as our

1245
01:20:00,123 --> 01:20:01,773
classroom EC teachers.

1246
01:20:04,084 --> 01:20:09,334
When looking specifically at our classroom teachers, they are going to retain

1247
01:20:09,424 --> 01:20:13,323
primary responsibility for completing the paperwork for the students that they

1248
01:20:13,413 --> 01:20:19,262
serve on a daily basis, maintaining compliance timelines, using

1249
01:20:19,353 --> 01:20:24,063
our tracking systems, and then leading those IEP meetings, those conversations

1250
01:20:24,153 --> 01:20:25,893
about the students that they work with.

1251
01:20:26,523 --> 01:20:32,193
Our compliance coaches, they act more of a risk mitigation

1252
01:20:32,283 --> 01:20:38,193
team. They audit documentation, coach our staff, monitor timelines,

1253
01:20:38,283 --> 01:20:43,473
and proactively identify those risks to prevent non-compliance before it ever

1254
01:20:43,503 --> 01:20:49,293
happens. Looking a little more at this framework, we know that not every

1255
01:20:49,383 --> 01:20:52,593
teacher requires the same level of oversight.

1256
01:20:53,043 --> 01:20:58,893
So to maximize our efficiency, we are implementing a three-tiered differentiated

1257
01:20:59,103 --> 01:20:59,913
support model.

1258
01:21:01,683 --> 01:21:06,663
To begin with that, looking at a universal lens, all of our teachers have multiple

1259
01:21:06,753 --> 01:21:12,573
opportunities to receive compliance training within our ECATS, our Every

1260
01:21:12,603 --> 01:21:17,793
Child Accountability Tracking System, where that is where we house all of our EC

1261
01:21:17,853 --> 01:21:18,813
documentation,

1262
01:21:20,703 --> 01:21:26,433
as well as how to not only fill in blanks within that platform, but also to make

1263
01:21:26,463 --> 01:21:30,573
sure what they're putting in there is compliant and relevant towards the students.

1264
01:21:31,263 --> 01:21:36,903
We have an EC hub in Google that was created last year, where

1265
01:21:36,993 --> 01:21:42,873
standardized meeting checklists, some sentence starters for specific documents, and

1266
01:21:43,053 --> 01:21:47,433
access to previously recorded trainings is available at just the click of a button

1267
01:21:47,463 --> 01:21:48,723
for any of our staff.

1268
01:21:50,584 --> 01:21:55,563
I also meet with our new EC teachers on a monthly basis to help

1269
01:21:55,623 --> 01:22:01,174
them to navigate the ECATS system and developing compliant

1270
01:22:01,263 --> 01:22:02,073
documents.

1271
01:22:03,363 --> 01:22:07,983
For some of our upcoming workdays, we have designated compliance labs where

1272
01:22:08,043 --> 01:22:11,853
teachers can select to go to small trainings and

1273
01:22:13,503 --> 01:22:18,213
learn more about specific documents within the IEP platform.

1274
01:22:18,843 --> 01:22:24,153
And then also, we are currently working to offer monthly after-school trainings.

1275
01:22:24,573 --> 01:22:30,303
Again, looking at specific documents is on a voluntary basis, and kind of seeing

1276
01:22:30,363 --> 01:22:34,683
what kind of interest we have to begin with to see if we need to expand that to

1277
01:22:34,713 --> 01:22:40,263
maybe twice a month. But looking to begin that very soon on a monthly basis for any

1278
01:22:40,323 --> 01:22:42,003
and all of our teachers interested.

1279
01:22:43,174 --> 01:22:48,993
So when looking at the tier support that we have, the first tier is tier three, and

1280
01:22:49,023 --> 01:22:51,513
that is for our teachers who need intensive support,

1281
01:22:52,803 --> 01:22:56,163
possibly new teachers, but not always necessarily-

1282
01:22:57,963 --> 01:23:02,403
But those are ones that have been identified either from our coaches, our

1283
01:23:02,433 --> 01:23:07,353
administrators, as well as we also ask our teachers to self-identify themselves as

1284
01:23:07,413 --> 01:23:09,692
where they felt their comfort levels were.

1285
01:23:10,503 --> 01:23:16,263
And, so those that we identify as Tier 3 will be

1286
01:23:16,293 --> 01:23:22,263
receiving weekly coaching from our compliance coaches, and they will

1287
01:23:22,353 --> 01:23:27,783
also have their paperworks pre-audited before a meeting, and the opportunity to

1288
01:23:27,933 --> 01:23:32,313
lead and co-lead meetings with our coaches.

1289
01:23:32,343 --> 01:23:38,073
And then the goal is for our coaches to gradually fade that support

1290
01:23:38,253 --> 01:23:44,013
as competence is demonstrated. Our second tier, and what we consider moderate

1291
01:23:44,073 --> 01:23:48,603
support, these are for our experienced teachers who maybe just need some refining

1292
01:23:48,663 --> 01:23:49,743
of their practices.

1293
01:23:51,453 --> 01:23:57,153
And so their documents, one of those will be pre-audited, and then

1294
01:23:57,213 --> 01:24:02,823
again, gives time for those conversations with the compliance coaches to show that

1295
01:24:02,853 --> 01:24:07,713
the teachers can demonstrate mastery on those, and then they transition into more

1296
01:24:07,803 --> 01:24:12,963
of an independent practice. And they'll be supported bi-monthly with

1297
01:24:13,023 --> 01:24:18,093
check-ins as well as any pre-audits that they may request, especially if they have

1298
01:24:18,153 --> 01:24:22,593
a complex meeting coming up and they want our coaches to look over those.

1299
01:24:23,853 --> 01:24:27,873
And then our final tier is Tier 1, and that is our universal support.

1300
01:24:28,683 --> 01:24:33,093
And that's for our consistent high-performing teachers who already know how to

1301
01:24:33,183 --> 01:24:38,703
operate independently, and they will have quarterly spot checks, as well as

1302
01:24:38,793 --> 01:24:41,853
monthly meetings with our EC chairs at each school.

1303
01:24:42,363 --> 01:24:47,674
And then, of course, access to all of our resources and have that flexibility to

1304
01:24:47,733 --> 01:24:52,653
reach out to our coaches or any of the district staff whenever they need some

1305
01:24:52,743 --> 01:24:54,183
specific support as well.

1306
01:24:55,563 --> 01:25:00,003
Another central pillar of this accountability instruction is the pre-audit

1307
01:25:00,063 --> 01:25:05,973
protocol, and so we have asked that for any documents

1308
01:25:06,003 --> 01:25:10,233
that need to be pre-audited, that teachers get those to our compliance coaches at

1309
01:25:10,263 --> 01:25:12,213
least five days prior to the meeting.

1310
01:25:12,933 --> 01:25:16,713
And then that gives our coaches an opportunity to look over those, to give

1311
01:25:16,773 --> 01:25:20,403
suggestions or things that may need to be adjusted,

1312
01:25:21,633 --> 01:25:25,893
to get those back to the teachers. And then if conversations need to be had on how

1313
01:25:25,953 --> 01:25:29,133
to move forward with that, they're also given that opportunity.

1314
01:25:30,123 --> 01:25:34,413
This workflow gives a clear window to correct errors before sitting down with

1315
01:25:34,503 --> 01:25:40,174
parents and ask questions of their coach, ensuring that meetings are professional,

1316
01:25:40,593 --> 01:25:46,233
legally sound, and smooth. Accountability is paired directly with data

1317
01:25:46,293 --> 01:25:50,853
monitoring. Our monitoring and accountability coordinator maintains a district

1318
01:25:50,943 --> 01:25:56,223
dashboard tracking timeline, which looks at our different indicators as well as

1319
01:25:56,343 --> 01:26:02,163
upcoming dates for IEPs, reevaluations, behavior intervention plans, et cetera,

1320
01:26:03,933 --> 01:26:09,183
alongside of error categories. And then this is shared monthly with our compliance

1321
01:26:09,243 --> 01:26:13,563
coaches, who then shares that out to the principals and the EC chairs at the

1322
01:26:13,623 --> 01:26:18,963
schools. This plan provides a proactive, systematic, and compassionate framework

1323
01:26:19,023 --> 01:26:23,703
that supports our teachers, protects our district from non-compliance risks, and

1324
01:26:23,733 --> 01:26:29,103
most importantly, ensures our exceptional children receive the quality services and

1325
01:26:29,163 --> 01:26:31,263
legally binding supports they deserve.

1326
01:26:32,133 --> 01:26:36,633
Thank you for your time and continued support of our EC department, and I'm happy

1327
01:26:36,693 --> 01:26:40,023
to open the floor to any questions concerning our compliance.

1328
01:26:43,053 --> 01:26:44,193
How did you choose your coaches?

1329
01:26:44,703 --> 01:26:45,093
I'm sorry?

1330
01:26:45,183 --> 01:26:46,713
How did you choose your different coaches?

1331
01:26:47,043 --> 01:26:51,603
So we actually worked together as a team. We worked with Dr.

1332
01:26:51,663 --> 01:26:57,243
Coley and then Jordan and myself, and we looked as to the qualification of our

1333
01:26:57,334 --> 01:27:01,743
current, because previously we had larger numbers of compliance coaches.

1334
01:27:02,433 --> 01:27:07,473
And we've been moving this needle, this is going into the third year, so this is

1335
01:27:07,503 --> 01:27:11,493
the biggest shift. But we've started shifting that throughout the past two years,

1336
01:27:11,943 --> 01:27:15,513
and we really looked at, when Jordan gets up here, she'll talk about our

1337
01:27:15,543 --> 01:27:19,983
instructional coaches. And so we took our current coaches, and then we looked to

1338
01:27:20,073 --> 01:27:24,543
see those that were stronger in our compliance area, those that had those strong

1339
01:27:24,603 --> 01:27:29,433
instructional backgrounds or those strong EC knowledge paperwork backgrounds, and

1340
01:27:29,433 --> 01:27:34,293
then we chose them from those places.

1341
01:27:34,383 --> 01:27:35,523
I have a question.

1342
01:27:35,584 --> 01:27:35,584
Yes.

1343
01:27:35,643 --> 01:27:40,143
So a lot of this that you spoke on is about teacher education, right?

1344
01:27:40,233 --> 01:27:43,023
Educating teachers, making sure they're staying compliant, making sure they're

1345
01:27:43,084 --> 01:27:44,613
doing the things that need to be done.

1346
01:27:45,033 --> 01:27:45,033
Mm-hmm.

1347
01:27:45,033 --> 01:27:50,943
But a lot of times when we get issues brought to our level, it's oftentimes not the

1348
01:27:51,003 --> 01:27:55,293
teacher, it's the communication between the teacher or at the lowest level up

1349
01:27:55,353 --> 01:27:57,993
through that middle, what I would consider middle management.

1350
01:27:58,023 --> 01:27:58,084
Mm-hmm.

1351
01:27:58,113 --> 01:28:01,174
So your counselors, maybe it's your instructional coach.

1352
01:28:01,803 --> 01:28:05,523
What type of training are we doing to make sure that the communication is flowing

1353
01:28:05,584 --> 01:28:09,063
from not only the top down, but from the bottom up, right?

1354
01:28:09,123 --> 01:28:13,623
Because I think one thing that we hear a lot from the EC is that our staff, maybe

1355
01:28:13,683 --> 01:28:17,763
our teachers, feel supported, but they maybe don't feel heard.

1356
01:28:18,183 --> 01:28:18,243
Right.

1357
01:28:18,273 --> 01:28:19,653
And I think there's a difference, right?

1358
01:28:19,683 --> 01:28:19,683
Right.

1359
01:28:19,743 --> 01:28:23,973
I think being supportive and giving them the tools they need, but the day-to-day

1360
01:28:24,063 --> 01:28:26,853
concerns and struggles, I mean, it's grown, right?

1361
01:28:26,943 --> 01:28:30,783
I mean, let's look at EC arena, talking about 10 years ago, what we would say to

1362
01:28:30,813 --> 01:28:35,043
ourselves. Think back 10, 15 years ago, what EC looked like and what it is now,

1363
01:28:35,163 --> 01:28:38,793
right? It's probably the fastest-growing area in our school system.

1364
01:28:38,853 --> 01:28:43,174
And so I just want to understand, I mean, I think this is a great plan for our

1365
01:28:43,233 --> 01:28:47,133
teachers, but I would like to also understand how we're making sure that that

1366
01:28:47,223 --> 01:28:51,963
middle-level folks, our guidance counselors, the ones that are making sure those

1367
01:28:52,053 --> 01:28:55,413
I's are dotted, that it's being properly pushed down to them as well.

1368
01:28:55,473 --> 01:28:57,903
Sure. So when talking specifically about our coaches-

1369
01:28:57,963 --> 01:28:59,223
Principals and stuff like that.

1370
01:28:59,283 --> 01:29:05,163
Yes. So when looking specifically at our coaches, we are actually doing a monthly,

1371
01:29:05,433 --> 01:29:07,233
we meet monthly with our leadership staff.

1372
01:29:07,743 --> 01:29:13,563
And we are doing some coaching professional development with our district-level

1373
01:29:13,623 --> 01:29:19,053
staff, to help them understand the difference between coaching and just talking at

1374
01:29:19,113 --> 01:29:24,033
people. But having that empathy and understanding, allowing folks to ask questions,

1375
01:29:24,093 --> 01:29:25,743
and then they ask questions as well.

1376
01:29:27,302 --> 01:29:28,023
We have really

1377
01:29:29,493 --> 01:29:35,433
put it aside for ourselves this year to get ourselves more into schools and assist.

1378
01:29:35,493 --> 01:29:37,413
We have an open line of communication.

1379
01:29:37,473 --> 01:29:41,223
Even though we have that chain of command, so to speak, we do have that open line

1380
01:29:41,253 --> 01:29:44,913
of communication, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to take our group of

1381
01:29:44,973 --> 01:29:50,013
new EC teachers. I wanted to go ahead and build that foundation

1382
01:29:51,003 --> 01:29:51,783
at our level.

1383
01:29:53,553 --> 01:29:57,993
Also, as far as principals go, we meet at the K12 meetings.

1384
01:29:58,084 --> 01:30:00,273
We try to do some type of presentation each month.

1385
01:30:00,663 --> 01:30:04,203
Jordan's currently working on compliance about the different indicators.

1386
01:30:04,863 --> 01:30:08,674
And then, we look at just different pieces of information.

1387
01:30:08,733 --> 01:30:13,834
This past month, I did training on seclusion and restraints, as that's required for

1388
01:30:14,373 --> 01:30:20,193
anyone to do each year. And so we're trying to get out

1389
01:30:20,283 --> 01:30:23,553
anywhere and everywhere, and I say we, I mean our department.

1390
01:30:23,584 --> 01:30:23,913
Mm.

1391
01:30:23,973 --> 01:30:29,643
So if it's staff meetings, PLCs, level with principals meetings, K12

1392
01:30:29,703 --> 01:30:34,924
meetings, anywhere that we can get out and show that, "Hey, we are here to support.

1393
01:30:35,193 --> 01:30:38,733
We hear you, and we want to be a part of what's going on."

1394
01:30:39,693 --> 01:30:41,763
Absolutely. I'll just add to that, too.

1395
01:30:41,823 --> 01:30:44,823
To your point, EC doesn't operate in a silo.

1396
01:30:44,883 --> 01:30:44,883
Mm.

1397
01:30:44,883 --> 01:30:47,463
And we've talked about this a lot as a curriculum team.

1398
01:30:48,093 --> 01:30:52,683
And so we are noticing and learning all the different people who need EC

1399
01:30:52,713 --> 01:30:55,593
information that we may not automatically think about.

1400
01:30:55,653 --> 01:30:59,973
For example, we have a monthly newsletter that we send out that has grown in terms

1401
01:31:00,033 --> 01:31:02,373
of the number of people who want that monthly newsletter, right?

1402
01:31:02,403 --> 01:31:02,433
Right.

1403
01:31:02,463 --> 01:31:05,283
Because to your point, our counselors also need that information.

1404
01:31:05,343 --> 01:31:08,584
Our instructional coaches on the gen ed side want that information.

1405
01:31:08,943 --> 01:31:12,213
So we are trying to broaden and really make sure that we are giving that

1406
01:31:12,273 --> 01:31:14,043
communication to everyone who needs it.

1407
01:31:14,763 --> 01:31:16,084
That's great. Thank you. Yeah.

1408
01:31:17,584 --> 01:31:18,033
And this one-

1409
01:31:18,303 --> 01:31:18,933
Oh, go ahead.

1410
01:31:19,113 --> 01:31:24,393
I'm sorry. Just one, not a question, maybe just a recommendation or for the group

1411
01:31:24,453 --> 01:31:27,424
to consider. I mean, I would like to see the compliance data.

1412
01:31:27,483 --> 01:31:31,563
I don't see where the board is mentioned and that being shared with the board, but

1413
01:31:31,623 --> 01:31:33,963
I would think we would want to see that at least twice a year.

1414
01:31:34,053 --> 01:31:34,503
Absolutely.

1415
01:31:34,563 --> 01:31:36,723
So we would know where we're at. But that's not-

1416
01:31:37,233 --> 01:31:40,834
No, that's not a problem at all. And again, we look at that every month.

1417
01:31:40,924 --> 01:31:41,073
Right.

1418
01:31:41,133 --> 01:31:46,563
And our monitoring and compliance and accountability coordinator, that's what she

1419
01:31:46,593 --> 01:31:48,033
does on a daily basis.

1420
01:31:48,093 --> 01:31:49,773
I'm very excited for your dashboard.

1421
01:31:50,223 --> 01:31:50,553
Yes.

1422
01:31:50,643 --> 01:31:50,853
Yeah.

1423
01:31:51,153 --> 01:31:53,643
It's a lot, but it's good.

1424
01:31:53,763 --> 01:31:53,883
Yeah.

1425
01:31:53,883 --> 01:31:53,883
Yeah.

1426
01:31:53,943 --> 01:31:54,783
Thank you.

1427
01:31:54,843 --> 01:31:57,933
And if we could get emailed that newsletter also, I would love to see that.

1428
01:31:58,023 --> 01:32:01,713
Yeah, I think including the board, absolutely, 1,000% moving forward.

1429
01:32:01,983 --> 01:32:03,243
Add a couple more to that list.

1430
01:32:04,593 --> 01:32:05,163
Sure, absolutely.

1431
01:32:07,269 --> 01:32:09,729
Mine was a simple question, because I don't quite understand.

1432
01:32:10,599 --> 01:32:13,629
It said, "Maintain the compliance and timelines and document the compliance

1433
01:32:13,660 --> 01:32:16,749
tracker." Are you two managing the compliance tracker?

1434
01:32:16,809 --> 01:32:20,829
Who's managing the compliance trackers apart from the EC coaches?

1435
01:32:20,949 --> 01:32:24,189
I want to make sure that it's not just hitting the coaches, that you guys are

1436
01:32:24,249 --> 01:32:25,809
actually looking at it physically as well.

1437
01:32:25,989 --> 01:32:30,428
Absolutely. So, as I mentioned in there, our compliance and accountability

1438
01:32:30,789 --> 01:32:35,259
coordinator is seeing that overall, and then we meet with her.

1439
01:32:35,349 --> 01:32:35,679
Okay.

1440
01:32:36,069 --> 01:32:40,359
And then also, I meet monthly with the compliance coaches, and she's in that

1441
01:32:40,419 --> 01:32:41,289
meeting as well.

1442
01:32:41,799 --> 01:32:42,279
Okay.

1443
01:32:42,309 --> 01:32:42,459
The

1444
01:32:43,779 --> 01:32:48,459
three of us usually meet weekly, and we just cover a gamut of things, and

1445
01:32:48,489 --> 01:32:53,139
compliance is definitely something that we're always looking at, because indicators

1446
01:32:53,410 --> 01:32:56,859
come due all throughout the year, and so we want to make sure we're on top of that.

1447
01:32:56,919 --> 01:32:59,979
But yes, ma'am, we have access, and we look at those as

1448
01:33:02,410 --> 01:33:02,529
well.

1449
01:33:02,620 --> 01:33:03,039
Thank you.

1450
01:33:07,239 --> 01:33:08,709
Any other questions for compliance?

1451
01:33:08,859 --> 01:33:09,399
If not-

1452
01:33:09,849 --> 01:33:11,139
Ms. Evans.

1453
01:33:11,199 --> 01:33:16,719
Good evening. I'm pleased to share with you our 2026/2027 Instructional Support

1454
01:33:16,779 --> 01:33:20,889
Plan for Exceptional Children, and the work that we're doing to really strengthen

1455
01:33:20,949 --> 01:33:23,949
the instruction for students with disabilities. You all have seen our data.

1456
01:33:24,279 --> 01:33:27,189
You know that we have some work to do in this area.

1457
01:33:27,849 --> 01:33:31,719
And I loved hearing your future headlines a minute ago, because I'm hopeful that

1458
01:33:31,809 --> 01:33:33,699
this plan is going to get us there.

1459
01:33:35,379 --> 01:33:39,160
We are intentionally asking a bigger question as a department this year, which is

1460
01:33:39,279 --> 01:33:43,569
what does high-quality, specially designed instruction look like in our classrooms

1461
01:33:43,628 --> 01:33:46,689
for our EC students, and how do we know if it's making a difference?

1462
01:33:47,079 --> 01:33:49,269
And so that is really the foundation of this plan.

1463
01:33:50,469 --> 01:33:54,669
Similarly to our compliance plan, at the center of our plan are these EC

1464
01:33:54,729 --> 01:33:59,499
instructional coaches. One of the most significant shifts we did make this year was

1465
01:33:59,559 --> 01:34:03,339
within that leadership structure, as Susan mentioned, where we intentionally moved

1466
01:34:03,399 --> 01:34:07,809
some of those positions into instructional coaching roles.

1467
01:34:08,559 --> 01:34:12,399
So compliance remains critically important, but we also are recognizing that our

1468
01:34:12,489 --> 01:34:14,379
schools need instructional support.

1469
01:34:15,039 --> 01:34:19,509
We need that ongoing instructional support so that we can improve the quality of

1470
01:34:19,539 --> 01:34:25,419
instruction for our students. Our coaches bring many years of experience

1471
01:34:25,479 --> 01:34:29,079
working with students with disabilities, and they understand the needs of our

1472
01:34:29,139 --> 01:34:33,309
students, and the realities that our teachers face in the classroom every day

1473
01:34:33,370 --> 01:34:34,329
because they've lived it.

1474
01:34:35,559 --> 01:34:39,939
So our work in this plan you'll see is organized around four essential priorities.

1475
01:34:40,359 --> 01:34:44,259
The first one is high-quality, specially designed instruction.

1476
01:34:44,859 --> 01:34:50,019
We saw that we needed to clearly define what specially designed instruction is,

1477
01:34:50,349 --> 01:34:54,339
what it looks like, and what we would expect to see in our classrooms across the

1478
01:34:54,399 --> 01:34:59,559
district. We know that it needs to align to IEP goals and student needs, and also

1479
01:34:59,620 --> 01:35:03,789
to grade level standards, but it also needs to be well-planned, it needs to be very

1480
01:35:03,819 --> 01:35:06,489
intentional, and it needs to include progress monitoring.

1481
01:35:06,939 --> 01:35:10,239
We have to have evidence of how our students are responding to instruction.

1482
01:35:11,379 --> 01:35:15,939
We have also identified specific instructional practices and programs for the

1483
01:35:15,999 --> 01:35:21,189
different settings. In our resource classrooms, that would include the use of our

1484
01:35:21,249 --> 01:35:24,009
district-approved intervention programs with fidelity.

1485
01:35:24,669 --> 01:35:28,660
In our co-teaching classrooms, we're emphasizing the parallel teaching, station

1486
01:35:28,719 --> 01:35:32,499
teaching, alternative teaching models, because those are the models that create

1487
01:35:32,529 --> 01:35:36,039
those meaningful opportunities for specially designed instruction within the

1488
01:35:36,069 --> 01:35:37,359
general education environment.

1489
01:35:38,679 --> 01:35:42,429
The second priority that you'll see in the plan is effective service delivery.

1490
01:35:42,699 --> 01:35:47,589
So we want to move beyond simply asking, "Are we providing the service? Check.

1491
01:35:47,679 --> 01:35:51,969
Yes." No. We want to actually ask what does that service look like?

1492
01:35:52,239 --> 01:35:56,799
And so for co-teaching, we want to see that intentional shared planning between the

1493
01:35:56,859 --> 01:36:00,789
gen ed teacher and the EC teacher. We want to make sure there are clearly defined

1494
01:36:00,849 --> 01:36:04,539
roles for both teachers, and that both teachers are actively engaged in

1495
01:36:04,569 --> 01:36:08,679
instruction. In our resource settings, we want to make sure that our instruction is

1496
01:36:08,739 --> 01:36:12,729
directly tied to those IEP goals, that there has been structured lesson planning,

1497
01:36:12,789 --> 01:36:17,019
and that we are using evidence-based high leverage practices in those classes.

1498
01:36:18,399 --> 01:36:22,449
Our third priority is instructional accountability. This is a big one.

1499
01:36:22,839 --> 01:36:28,419
So, in our TSI schools in particular, our EC instructional coaches are going to be

1500
01:36:28,449 --> 01:36:31,089
conducting monthly fidelity observations.

1501
01:36:31,449 --> 01:36:33,549
These are not meant to be gotcha observations.

1502
01:36:33,639 --> 01:36:38,319
They are designed to give us a consistent picture of what specially designed

1503
01:36:38,349 --> 01:36:42,129
instruction looks like across our schools, and then help our schools to identify

1504
01:36:42,639 --> 01:36:47,139
instructional priorities for each of our teachers and decide what support they may

1505
01:36:47,199 --> 01:36:52,509
need next. An important part of that process is what we're calling instructional

1506
01:36:52,569 --> 01:36:56,259
roundtables. And Mr. Jarvis, I think this also answers one of your questions.

1507
01:36:56,319 --> 01:37:01,479
So twice a year, and hopefully in the future more often, our coaches are going to

1508
01:37:01,509 --> 01:37:04,959
sit down with our school administrators and our EC teams to really look

1509
01:37:05,019 --> 01:37:08,589
collectively. What is our data telling us? What is our student data telling us?

1510
01:37:08,649 --> 01:37:12,879
What are those observation trends that we're seeing when our coaches are going into

1511
01:37:12,910 --> 01:37:13,660
our classrooms?

1512
01:37:15,069 --> 01:37:17,949
Are we using our programs with fidelity?

1513
01:37:18,819 --> 01:37:21,459
And then if not, what areas of concern do we see?

1514
01:37:22,179 --> 01:37:26,019
And then we're going to use that information to specifically define action steps

1515
01:37:26,049 --> 01:37:28,870
for each school, because it's going to be different from school to school.

1516
01:37:29,529 --> 01:37:31,389
We want to bring all of those pieces together.

1517
01:37:31,539 --> 01:37:35,109
And then from there, you'll see similar to our compliance support plan, we have a

1518
01:37:35,169 --> 01:37:39,429
tiered coaching model. So some of our teachers just need some routine observations

1519
01:37:39,459 --> 01:37:43,839
and maybe some resources. Others may benefit from a full coaching cycle that

1520
01:37:43,870 --> 01:37:48,729
includes modeling from the coaches, co-planning with the coaches, reviewing student

1521
01:37:48,759 --> 01:37:53,649
data with the coaches, and then teachers who need that intensive support will get

1522
01:37:53,709 --> 01:37:56,620
those frequent classroom visits, and a lot of modeling and support and

1523
01:37:56,679 --> 01:37:57,459
collaboration.

1524
01:37:58,749 --> 01:38:01,959
And then you'll see our fourth priority is continuous improvement.

1525
01:38:02,499 --> 01:38:05,799
So we do not want this to be a plan that simply sits on paper.

1526
01:38:07,419 --> 01:38:11,349
Our coaches are going to analyze all of that data, all of those trends, and then

1527
01:38:11,469 --> 01:38:16,239
use that to determine what professional development needs we need to provide, and

1528
01:38:16,269 --> 01:38:19,029
then adjust the priorities for our coaching throughout the year.

1529
01:38:20,799 --> 01:38:24,459
One important part of that is we've got to strengthen our progress monitoring.

1530
01:38:24,879 --> 01:38:28,689
And so since the beginning of school earlier this month, our teachers have been

1531
01:38:28,779 --> 01:38:33,009
already establishing our baseline data and then using those assessments to

1532
01:38:33,069 --> 01:38:37,899
determine where to start. And then we're going to be repeating those middle and end

1533
01:38:37,989 --> 01:38:42,039
of year or semester. That's going to give us that clear picture of whether our

1534
01:38:42,069 --> 01:38:45,729
students are actually growing, and it's going to allow us to make some good

1535
01:38:45,789 --> 01:38:47,949
instructional adjustments when they are not.

1536
01:38:48,579 --> 01:38:53,259
So we know this work will continue to evolve as we are learning, and we're learning

1537
01:38:53,289 --> 01:38:57,910
from our data. But we believe this plan is going to give us that strong structure

1538
01:38:57,999 --> 01:39:02,049
for instructional impact, and hopefully ultimately better outcomes for our students

1539
01:39:02,109 --> 01:39:04,839
with disabilities. We thank you for your support.

1540
01:39:05,620 --> 01:39:08,620
I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have about this plan or the work

1541
01:39:08,679 --> 01:39:09,519
that we have underway.

1542
01:39:12,999 --> 01:39:17,410
I don't have any questions. I have one recommendation or suggestion I would like to

1543
01:39:17,439 --> 01:39:22,899
throw out there. That during some of this stuff that it sounds, and I know that you

1544
01:39:22,959 --> 01:39:25,539
guys do, and we know it, we see it, we hear it.

1545
01:39:27,189 --> 01:39:30,729
Take Sam along with you to some of this stuff and have her share out to the

1546
01:39:30,789 --> 01:39:34,239
community some of the great things we do in our EC department, because I think,

1547
01:39:34,359 --> 01:39:37,029
again, it goes back to the previous discussion we had earlier.

1548
01:39:37,689 --> 01:39:40,149
It takes one negative and it takes 30 positive.

1549
01:39:40,179 --> 01:39:40,870
Absolutely.

1550
01:39:40,929 --> 01:39:45,939
And I know we've got 30 positive, but we're not oftentimes putting that out there

1551
01:39:45,999 --> 01:39:49,479
for everyone to see. We know it in this room because we're in it every day and we

1552
01:39:49,509 --> 01:39:52,839
hear about it, but the common person doesn't see that.

1553
01:39:52,899 --> 01:39:54,129
It needed to amplified.

1554
01:39:54,219 --> 01:39:54,370
Yeah.

1555
01:39:54,579 --> 01:39:56,199
Absolutely.

1556
01:39:56,289 --> 01:40:00,609
Amplify that. Because I know the great work you guys do, and I know when you look

1557
01:40:00,639 --> 01:40:05,229
at the things that have been added on from a responsibility standpoint since 1970,

1558
01:40:05,410 --> 01:40:10,299
the list for the EC department is staggering compared to everywhere else in public

1559
01:40:10,389 --> 01:40:13,089
education. So we understand that.

1560
01:40:13,479 --> 01:40:17,589
I think it's important that the community sees what you guys do on a day-to-day

1561
01:40:17,620 --> 01:40:18,849
basis more so.

1562
01:40:19,959 --> 01:40:20,709
Thank you. That's great.

1563
01:40:20,799 --> 01:40:22,149
That's all I have. We appreciate all you do.

1564
01:40:22,179 --> 01:40:26,829
At the end of your progress monitoring expectations, there's a highlighted section

1565
01:40:26,859 --> 01:40:29,410
there. It says, "Under construction, the data dashboard for EC."

1566
01:40:29,589 --> 01:40:29,919
Yes.

1567
01:40:29,979 --> 01:40:34,059
Is that something that can be, once it is constructed, is that something that can

1568
01:40:34,120 --> 01:40:36,879
be open to the board, to the public?

1569
01:40:37,989 --> 01:40:38,139
Yeah.

1570
01:40:38,199 --> 01:40:40,989
How can we help with that information?

1571
01:40:41,049 --> 01:40:44,349
Sure. We can compile and share that with you. We'd be happy to.

1572
01:40:45,579 --> 01:40:48,729
They're a little different from school to school, well obviously,

1573
01:40:49,929 --> 01:40:50,739
because the

1574
01:40:52,179 --> 01:40:54,009
tools that are being used are different-

1575
01:40:54,189 --> 01:40:54,279
Mm-hmm

1576
01:40:54,279 --> 01:40:57,009
... at the middle school level versus the high school level versus the elementary

1577
01:40:57,039 --> 01:40:59,949
school level. But yeah, we can absolutely share that data.

1578
01:41:00,009 --> 01:41:04,449
Just wondering if we could exploit that data to people to, like you were talking

1579
01:41:04,449 --> 01:41:04,539
about-

1580
01:41:04,569 --> 01:41:04,779
Yeah

1581
01:41:04,809 --> 01:41:05,739
... get them in the know.

1582
01:41:05,829 --> 01:41:06,069
Mm-hmm.

1583
01:41:06,399 --> 01:41:09,009
And not just for positive, but just for data in general.

1584
01:41:09,399 --> 01:41:09,519
Yeah.

1585
01:41:09,549 --> 01:41:10,929
Especially the EC families.

1586
01:41:11,685 --> 01:41:14,385
They're really got eyes on all of the criteria.

1587
01:41:14,445 --> 01:41:15,045
Absolutely.

1588
01:41:15,675 --> 01:41:15,765
Sure.

1589
01:41:15,795 --> 01:41:18,645
Yeah, the more informed they are, the better it is.

1590
01:41:18,645 --> 01:41:19,425
The less problems.

1591
01:41:19,515 --> 01:41:20,445
Yes, exactly.

1592
01:41:20,505 --> 01:41:24,375
You know, I'm amazed at how many of our high school folks, when they have a

1593
01:41:24,435 --> 01:41:28,395
one-to-one in their classroom, how positive of an experience it is, right?

1594
01:41:28,606 --> 01:41:31,485
And a lot of times you think, "Oh, it's going to be a disruption, and we've got

1595
01:41:31,576 --> 01:41:35,295
this..." More times than not, having that one-to-one, having that assistance in

1596
01:41:35,356 --> 01:41:38,625
there, is a positive for all the children in that classroom, right?

1597
01:41:38,685 --> 01:41:38,745
Mm-hmm.

1598
01:41:38,745 --> 01:41:41,685
Your gen ed folks and those that maybe have a disability.

1599
01:41:42,316 --> 01:41:46,935
And again, I don't think we do a good enough job reflecting that in the community

1600
01:41:47,025 --> 01:41:50,326
of what that means to those kids that are your typical kids, right?

1601
01:41:50,445 --> 01:41:50,805
Yes.

1602
01:41:51,945 --> 01:41:55,095
And being inclusive and understanding that.

1603
01:41:55,215 --> 01:41:55,455
So-

1604
01:41:55,875 --> 01:41:56,566
Absolutely

1605
01:41:56,595 --> 01:41:58,905
... I would encourage to continue to do more of that.

1606
01:41:59,865 --> 01:42:00,104
Will do.

1607
01:42:00,135 --> 01:42:01,305
Thank you for this information.

1608
01:42:01,576 --> 01:42:02,265
Thank you.

1609
01:42:03,255 --> 01:42:03,615
Yeah.

1610
01:42:05,085 --> 01:42:05,145
Thank you.

1611
01:42:05,145 --> 01:42:05,145
Thank you.

1612
01:42:05,145 --> 01:42:06,225
Anything else?

1613
01:42:06,255 --> 01:42:06,645
That's it.

1614
01:42:06,705 --> 01:42:07,606
Thank you all so much.

1615
01:42:07,935 --> 01:42:12,826
Thank you. As you can see, these ladies work extremely hard, and when we talk about

1616
01:42:12,885 --> 01:42:17,535
the world of exceptional children, there are so many facets within, and that's

1617
01:42:17,595 --> 01:42:20,535
already been shared. A lot of work goes into it.

1618
01:42:20,595 --> 01:42:23,595
But you're right, we need to accentuate and share the positives.

1619
01:42:23,655 --> 01:42:28,425
There are many positives happening, and oftentimes when it comes to

1620
01:42:29,535 --> 01:42:32,415
exceptional children, is you only hear the negatives.

1621
01:42:32,955 --> 01:42:38,265
And so we'll start sharing the newsletter with the board, but then

1622
01:42:38,415 --> 01:42:43,066
also we'll do a better job of maybe in the weekly board briefs, instead of just

1623
01:42:43,125 --> 01:42:48,764
highlighting some things that happen, sharing some specific comments from what has

1624
01:42:48,826 --> 01:42:53,925
taken place this week. And of course, getting Samantha to go out and cover that and

1625
01:42:54,495 --> 01:42:57,105
run it on social media as well. So thank you for that.

1626
01:42:57,165 --> 01:42:57,465
Yeah.

1627
01:42:57,526 --> 01:43:00,105
Great suggestions. Also, I wanted to add this.

1628
01:43:00,135 --> 01:43:03,735
When someone asked the question about communication, I believe it was you, Mr.

1629
01:43:03,975 --> 01:43:09,675
Chairman. One thing we talked about is also putting out a Google Form

1630
01:43:09,765 --> 01:43:15,375
survey to EC teachers to collect some information and

1631
01:43:15,435 --> 01:43:20,776
feedback from them, especially as we look at these two areas that we're focusing on

1632
01:43:20,836 --> 01:43:26,026
this year to again, bring information specifically back to these ladies and to--

1633
01:43:26,745 --> 01:43:31,576
That can then go forward to the coaches as well. So thank you for that.

1634
01:43:32,625 --> 01:43:37,245
The next item I have this evening is the English Language Arts standards rollout.

1635
01:43:37,725 --> 01:43:42,105
So one thing that the Department of Public Instruction has been doing for the last

1636
01:43:42,165 --> 01:43:47,595
six years is, um, developing the next set of

1637
01:43:47,685 --> 01:43:51,076
standards, K12, for English language arts.

1638
01:43:51,555 --> 01:43:57,526
In your packet, I have given you an infographic of our rollout for the new ELA

1639
01:43:57,586 --> 01:44:02,115
standards, as well as a timeline for that rollout.

1640
01:44:02,445 --> 01:44:07,935
And tonight, I just wanted to give you a brief overview of this.

1641
01:44:08,265 --> 01:44:13,395
Davidson County Schools will be rolling out these new ELA standards, K12, under the

1642
01:44:13,485 --> 01:44:19,185
banner of A Year of Learning or a Future of Success, and

1643
01:44:19,276 --> 01:44:25,125
that is to equip our teachers. This year is considered the installation

1644
01:44:25,185 --> 01:44:27,555
year by the Department of Public Instruction.

1645
01:44:27,945 --> 01:44:33,885
What that means is, because there have been significant changes in

1646
01:44:33,975 --> 01:44:37,755
the K12 ELA standards, they want teachers

1647
01:44:38,985 --> 01:44:44,745
well-versed and educated on what those changes are, so that teachers can

1648
01:44:44,776 --> 01:44:50,295
begin right now thinking about how the new standards compare to the standards

1649
01:44:50,355 --> 01:44:55,215
they're currently teaching, and they have been teaching for the last nine years.

1650
01:44:56,055 --> 01:44:58,725
Because as I said, there are substantial changes.

1651
01:44:59,205 --> 01:45:03,735
So I want you to understand what some of those changes are and why we're going to

1652
01:45:03,826 --> 01:45:07,305
do a year of rolling this out with our staff.

1653
01:45:07,816 --> 01:45:12,285
First, these new standards align directly with the science of reading.

1654
01:45:12,345 --> 01:45:18,285
That's the K-5 letters training that our K-5 teachers are all required, and

1655
01:45:18,375 --> 01:45:21,675
EC teachers in K-5 are required to take part in.

1656
01:45:22,725 --> 01:45:27,615
These standards are also evidence-based practices for ELA instruction.

1657
01:45:28,185 --> 01:45:33,675
They focus on building student knowledge, vocabulary, and

1658
01:45:33,735 --> 01:45:37,635
comprehension. I'm really excited for October the 5th.

1659
01:45:37,695 --> 01:45:41,715
You're going to hear what Davidson County Schools has already done in building

1660
01:45:41,805 --> 01:45:45,945
student knowledge, and we're on the cutting edge of some great work happening

1661
01:45:46,005 --> 01:45:48,705
across the state of North Carolina. So stay tuned.

1662
01:45:48,735 --> 01:45:50,505
We're excited to share that with you.

1663
01:45:51,225 --> 01:45:56,505
These new standards also ensure consistency and coherence across grade levels.

1664
01:45:56,865 --> 01:46:02,175
They prepare students to not only be college-ready, but career-ready, or perhaps

1665
01:46:02,265 --> 01:46:07,725
just for success in life. Full implementation of the new ELA

1666
01:46:07,785 --> 01:46:12,826
standards and state testing on these new ELA standards, so that's third, fourth,

1667
01:46:12,855 --> 01:46:18,586
and fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth EOG reading tests, as well

1668
01:46:18,765 --> 01:46:24,526
as English 2, all of that will take place in the 2027/2028 school

1669
01:46:24,586 --> 01:46:30,316
year. Again, that is the reason we cannot wait to put these standards in front of

1670
01:46:30,375 --> 01:46:34,665
our teachers. If we wait until the end of the school year and then begin to roll

1671
01:46:34,725 --> 01:46:40,215
this out, our teachers are behind and are playing catch up all year long next

1672
01:46:40,305 --> 01:46:42,826
year with understanding new standards.

1673
01:46:43,485 --> 01:46:47,776
So to simplify this for you, I just want you to understand what we're going to be

1674
01:46:47,836 --> 01:46:53,745
doing. This school year, we have designed a continuous cycle of professional

1675
01:46:53,805 --> 01:46:58,816
learning to ensure that our teachers are fully prepared for next school year with

1676
01:46:58,845 --> 01:47:04,336
these new ELA standards. Our ultimate goal is to develop confident

1677
01:47:04,455 --> 01:47:10,276
teachers with a deep understanding of these new ELA standards that reflect

1678
01:47:10,365 --> 01:47:15,705
high-quality instruction and maximize classroom impact.

1679
01:47:16,066 --> 01:47:19,035
So we're going to do that. You probably are saying, "Well, how are you going to do

1680
01:47:19,095 --> 01:47:23,925
that?" Well, first, we're going to build capacity, and we do that by the curriculum

1681
01:47:23,985 --> 01:47:28,336
directors will lead monthly professional development sessions with our

1682
01:47:28,365 --> 01:47:32,115
instructional coaches that are in all of our schools. So Ms.

1683
01:47:32,175 --> 01:47:35,265
Willard will work with the elementary instructional coaches, Ms.

1684
01:47:35,355 --> 01:47:37,305
Bush with the middle school, and Dr.

1685
01:47:37,364 --> 01:47:41,864
Milstead with high school to focus on the new ELA standards.

1686
01:47:42,526 --> 01:47:46,635
From there, the instructional coaches will do the school level training.

1687
01:47:46,935 --> 01:47:52,875
So they will take the exact same model that is utilized with them

1688
01:47:52,995 --> 01:47:58,425
to return to their respective schools and train model strategies and support

1689
01:47:58,545 --> 01:48:03,705
ELA teachers as they begin to take a look and learn and understand these new

1690
01:48:03,765 --> 01:48:08,895
standards. They can also incorporate some of these strategies in with this year's

1691
01:48:08,955 --> 01:48:14,385
standards. The third piece of that is resources and pacing

1692
01:48:14,445 --> 01:48:20,415
alignment. In the spring, we will pull teams of teachers together and instructional

1693
01:48:20,505 --> 01:48:25,965
coaches, just as we did this past spring, and they will work with the

1694
01:48:26,026 --> 01:48:31,665
directors to align pacing and our pacing guides, as well as all of our

1695
01:48:31,695 --> 01:48:36,826
instructional resources, to guarantee consistency, to have that

1696
01:48:36,885 --> 01:48:42,586
coherence across the district, and ensure that we have high-quality instruction in

1697
01:48:42,705 --> 01:48:45,105
all of our classrooms next school year.

1698
01:48:46,035 --> 01:48:50,836
One thing that I am happy to say in my conversations with the Department of Public

1699
01:48:50,925 --> 01:48:55,845
Instruction as part of this rollout and in the training that I've been a part of

1700
01:48:55,875 --> 01:48:59,475
with our directors, Davidson County Schools is in a good spot.

1701
01:49:00,195 --> 01:49:05,145
We have been saving our textbook allocated dollars from the

1702
01:49:05,205 --> 01:49:10,845
state to look at perhaps purchasing a core reading

1703
01:49:10,906 --> 01:49:14,715
program to help align with these new standards.

1704
01:49:15,316 --> 01:49:18,675
But in my conversations with them, they said, "You're in better shape than most

1705
01:49:18,735 --> 01:49:21,826
districts." Because a lot of districts have already adopted, and so they're going

1706
01:49:21,855 --> 01:49:26,595
to have to take what they've already purchased and make that align to these

1707
01:49:26,656 --> 01:49:31,755
standards. If not, supplement other pieces to have the alignment.

1708
01:49:32,415 --> 01:49:38,235
We have our set aside dollars from textbook dollars to purchase the resources we

1709
01:49:38,326 --> 01:49:43,545
need to teach these standards. And so I'm really excited about that, and I'll be

1710
01:49:43,576 --> 01:49:47,836
sharing more information with this board once we get into the spring and we're

1711
01:49:47,895 --> 01:49:49,816
really ready to take a look at that.

1712
01:49:50,445 --> 01:49:55,276
So just to summarize for you, Davidson County Schools is taking a

1713
01:49:55,365 --> 01:50:00,765
proactive phased approach to these new ELA standards.

1714
01:50:01,305 --> 01:50:06,915
We're going to use '26, '27 school year as a dedicated year of professional

1715
01:50:07,005 --> 01:50:11,385
learning and resource alignment so that our teachers

1716
01:50:12,105 --> 01:50:18,076
K-12 who teach ELA standards that our teachers and our students are fully supported

1717
01:50:18,165 --> 01:50:23,535
ahead of the 2027-'28 school year, and before the

1718
01:50:23,535 --> 01:50:29,385
'27-'28 assessment transition occurs, because we know any time there's

1719
01:50:29,445 --> 01:50:34,906
new standards and there's a new test, there's always a gap in there.

1720
01:50:34,995 --> 01:50:40,906
So we're hoping to be proactive by really working on this and rolling this out this

1721
01:50:40,995 --> 01:50:44,685
year. Also in your packet, I'm not going to go through it for you because you can

1722
01:50:44,776 --> 01:50:49,365
see that, you will see our installation timeline by levels.

1723
01:50:49,725 --> 01:50:52,995
So that's in there so you can see what we're going to be doing at the elementary

1724
01:50:53,055 --> 01:50:55,215
level, the middle school level, and the high school level.

1725
01:50:55,276 --> 01:50:59,955
They're slightly different because the standards are slightly different, but we're

1726
01:50:59,985 --> 01:51:04,785
very excited about this work. Just wanted to bring that before you tonight because

1727
01:51:04,845 --> 01:51:09,615
you may hear from teachers saying, "Oh, I'm still teaching the old.

1728
01:51:10,125 --> 01:51:14,805
I'm learning the new. I'm finding a way to figure out how's this new going to work

1729
01:51:14,836 --> 01:51:20,026
with what I'm used to teaching and I've taught the last nine years." So we wanted

1730
01:51:20,115 --> 01:51:24,645
you to understand what we're doing with this rollout by providing you this

1731
01:51:24,705 --> 01:51:26,026
information this evening.

1732
01:51:28,336 --> 01:51:31,695
Any questions about that? It's really just for your information.

1733
01:51:32,656 --> 01:51:33,975
It's good to be proactive.

1734
01:51:34,755 --> 01:51:37,245
We like being proactive. Yes,

1735
01:51:37,276 --> 01:51:42,975
sir. The

1736
01:51:43,035 --> 01:51:47,566
next item I have for you this evening, I am requesting approval of a service

1737
01:51:47,656 --> 01:51:50,836
agreement with Supportive Care ABA.

1738
01:51:51,735 --> 01:51:56,595
This agency would like to provide applied behavior analysis services to students in

1739
01:51:56,656 --> 01:52:02,026
Davidson County Schools that have privately contracted with Supportive Care

1740
01:52:02,145 --> 01:52:07,725
ABA. So tonight I am bringing this memorandum of agreement before you

1741
01:52:08,505 --> 01:52:09,255
for approval.

1742
01:52:11,685 --> 01:52:12,675
Any questions on-

1743
01:52:12,765 --> 01:52:15,195
They've been through the same vetting process as all the ABAs.

1744
01:52:15,316 --> 01:52:15,555
Everything.

1745
01:52:15,615 --> 01:52:19,965
Yes, sir. And they will have an onboarding with me before they ever step foot in

1746
01:52:20,026 --> 01:52:20,595
our schools.

1747
01:52:23,745 --> 01:52:25,785
Any questions? The board heard Dr.

1748
01:52:25,875 --> 01:52:31,276
Coley's request for Supportive Care ABA for applied behavioral analysis services.

1749
01:52:32,656 --> 01:52:35,535
Do I have a motion to approve this memorandum of agreement?

1750
01:52:35,865 --> 01:52:36,526
I'll make a motion.

1751
01:52:37,066 --> 01:52:38,086
Motion. Do I have a second?

1752
01:52:38,656 --> 01:52:39,285
I'll second.

1753
01:52:39,765 --> 01:52:40,455
All in favor?

1754
01:52:41,985 --> 01:52:42,765
Thank you, board

1755
01:52:43,005 --> 01:52:43,395
Thank you.

1756
01:52:44,086 --> 01:52:48,285
The next item I have this evening, tonight I bring before you a request for the

1757
01:52:48,615 --> 01:52:54,285
purchase of OnToCollege. This is an online software program that

1758
01:52:54,765 --> 01:53:00,076
provides ACT prep from Baylor Enterprises Incorporated.

1759
01:53:00,826 --> 01:53:06,285
This is a one-year contract purchase from Baylor Enterprises.

1760
01:53:06,705 --> 01:53:10,305
The cost of this online test prep resource is

1761
01:53:10,336 --> 01:53:15,826
$35,284, and we are using state at-risk

1762
01:53:15,915 --> 01:53:20,836
funds. Typically, what we have done the last number of years, and I want to say

1763
01:53:20,895 --> 01:53:26,836
probably 10 plus years, we have taken at-risk funds to give to our high schools

1764
01:53:26,895 --> 01:53:32,355
for them to provide ACT sessions after school, also tutoring

1765
01:53:32,445 --> 01:53:37,935
sessions after school. And what we have found, in the last seven years, is

1766
01:53:38,026 --> 01:53:40,665
students are not interested in staying after school.

1767
01:53:41,295 --> 01:53:46,845
Now that we have our flex time available each and every day in all of our high

1768
01:53:46,935 --> 01:53:52,545
schools, we want to use flex time with sophomores and juniors in

1769
01:53:52,695 --> 01:53:56,086
utilizing OnToCollege for ACT prep.

1770
01:53:57,495 --> 01:54:00,826
We have had proven results in using OnToCollege.

1771
01:54:00,885 --> 01:54:05,086
We haven't purchased it in several years, but when we did, we were getting proven

1772
01:54:05,115 --> 01:54:08,836
results with using OnToCollege platform.

1773
01:54:09,105 --> 01:54:14,625
It is engaging, it's high energy in the format of it with students, so we're very

1774
01:54:14,656 --> 01:54:20,415
excited about this opportunity. Again, we're using the state at-risk

1775
01:54:20,475 --> 01:54:26,145
funds to pay for this. If you look specifically at the quote,

1776
01:54:26,595 --> 01:54:29,925
you will notice that we do not have all of our schools listed.

1777
01:54:29,985 --> 01:54:35,055
Not all 10 high schools are listed on the quote, and there's a very good reason for

1778
01:54:35,115 --> 01:54:39,015
that. Some of the high schools have developed their own.

1779
01:54:39,855 --> 01:54:44,475
At Central Davidson High School, the instructional coach has developed an

1780
01:54:45,765 --> 01:54:51,705
ACT prep program that they are using, so they have requested to receive their

1781
01:54:51,826 --> 01:54:56,535
allocation of state at-risk funds to be used on something else that's a need at

1782
01:54:56,595 --> 01:55:00,795
their school, based on how this was allocated per school.

1783
01:55:01,215 --> 01:55:05,836
And then another example is at South Davidson Middle and High School.

1784
01:55:06,526 --> 01:55:10,515
Teachers there have created a system, and they have been using that.

1785
01:55:10,576 --> 01:55:16,365
They saw great success with it last year during flex block as they

1786
01:55:16,425 --> 01:55:21,375
provided this small group instruction on ACT prep with students.

1787
01:55:21,765 --> 01:55:27,435
So those are just two. All principals had the opportunity to give feedback and

1788
01:55:27,526 --> 01:55:32,385
talk with teachers on how they wanted to proceed with ACT prep.

1789
01:55:32,955 --> 01:55:37,695
Oak Grove High School is another one just off the top when I wasn't thinking about.

1790
01:55:38,415 --> 01:55:44,385
They purchased Albert to support their AP classes, and Albert

1791
01:55:44,475 --> 01:55:50,445
has an ACT prep component in it that teachers at Oak Grove High School prefer

1792
01:55:50,505 --> 01:55:56,355
to use during flex. So, we do allow for that differentiation based on school

1793
01:55:56,445 --> 01:56:01,545
need. But as you can see, the majority of our high schools prefer OnToCollege.

1794
01:56:05,505 --> 01:56:06,316
I've got a question about-

1795
01:56:06,615 --> 01:56:06,945
Yes.

1796
01:56:07,005 --> 01:56:09,555
First of all, have you used OnToCollege before?

1797
01:56:09,645 --> 01:56:12,826
Yes, sir. And we have proven results that it has worked well.

1798
01:56:13,276 --> 01:56:13,365
And

1799
01:56:14,566 --> 01:56:17,355
based on the different schools that aren't listed here, if you have four different

1800
01:56:17,415 --> 01:56:22,725
methods to do the same ACT prep, is there a best practice that's getting better

1801
01:56:22,785 --> 01:56:26,175
results, or is it just kind of carte blanche or whatever works for that school?

1802
01:56:26,445 --> 01:56:29,385
Right. Well, part of it is what works best for each school.

1803
01:56:29,925 --> 01:56:33,526
I will say we have not used OnToCollege in five years.

1804
01:56:34,095 --> 01:56:39,645
We were seeing great results, but due to funding issues, we did not purchase

1805
01:56:39,705 --> 01:56:45,675
OnToCollege because, again, at that time, we were using Albert district-wide with

1806
01:56:46,035 --> 01:56:51,225
our advanced placement courses. And some schools were trying out the ACT prep

1807
01:56:51,945 --> 01:56:56,895
portion of that, which is why Oak Grove High School chooses to use school funds to

1808
01:56:56,955 --> 01:57:01,276
purchase that for their ACT prep and AP to support AP classrooms.

1809
01:57:02,745 --> 01:57:08,715
So we saw proven results. And in the last two years, principals have said, "We're

1810
01:57:08,745 --> 01:57:13,935
not able to really use our at-risk funds because students are not willing to stay

1811
01:57:13,995 --> 01:57:18,675
after school. We would love to be able to take those funds and put them towards

1812
01:57:18,735 --> 01:57:22,935
something that is needed in our schools that will help raise student achievement."

1813
01:57:23,475 --> 01:57:28,665
The majority of them said, "We need ACT prep," because that is one component of

1814
01:57:28,755 --> 01:57:32,265
high school achievement when they get their school performance grade.

1815
01:57:33,195 --> 01:57:36,975
The others felt that what they've worked on is working and they

1816
01:57:38,355 --> 01:57:39,945
have other needs that they would like to spend those dollars on.

1817
01:57:39,945 --> 01:57:42,765
Across the district, they're all getting a chance at ACT prep.

1818
01:57:42,826 --> 01:57:44,086
It just looks different at each school.

1819
01:57:44,175 --> 01:57:48,526
Yes, sir. And then if they choose not to go with OnToCollege, they may be using

1820
01:57:48,555 --> 01:57:51,165
their dollars that will be allocated for them for something else.

1821
01:57:51,465 --> 01:57:53,175
And all of them are getting good results?

1822
01:57:53,625 --> 01:57:57,105
Yes, sir. And like I said, we haven't used this in five years, but we have proven

1823
01:57:57,135 --> 01:57:58,156
results from Oak Grove High School.

1824
01:57:58,185 --> 01:57:58,755
From when you did use it.

1825
01:57:58,816 --> 01:58:03,795
Yes, sir. And we didn't even have a flex block then.

1826
01:58:03,855 --> 01:58:03,975
Mm-hmm.

1827
01:58:04,425 --> 01:58:10,336
We had to find time to use ACT prep with OnToCollege, and most of it was after

1828
01:58:10,395 --> 01:58:10,965
school then.

1829
01:58:10,995 --> 01:58:11,985
After school, yeah.

1830
01:58:11,985 --> 01:58:12,076
Yes.

1831
01:58:12,105 --> 01:58:15,435
So this is going to be used for the pre-ACT kids that are getting-

1832
01:58:15,555 --> 01:58:15,885
Correct

1833
01:58:15,915 --> 01:58:17,925
... ready in a flex situation.

1834
01:58:18,015 --> 01:58:18,406
Absolutely.

1835
01:58:18,435 --> 01:58:19,695
For all kids, not just-

1836
01:58:20,625 --> 01:58:24,285
We will target sophomores and juniors because it's their junior year they take the

1837
01:58:24,285 --> 01:58:24,615
ACT-

1838
01:58:24,735 --> 01:58:24,826
ACT

1839
01:58:24,826 --> 01:58:28,095
... but yes, we do the pre-ACT as well with the sophomores.

1840
01:58:31,276 --> 01:58:31,755
Any questions?

1841
01:58:31,755 --> 01:58:34,035
It saved me a whole lot of money because I paid for a program.

1842
01:58:35,235 --> 01:58:37,035
And programs are very expensive.

1843
01:58:37,125 --> 01:58:37,755
Expensive.

1844
01:58:37,845 --> 01:58:37,935
Yeah.

1845
01:58:37,965 --> 01:58:39,105
It was 300 and some dollars.

1846
01:58:40,455 --> 01:58:40,755
Good.

1847
01:58:42,855 --> 01:58:47,865
The board y'all heard Dr. Coley's request for Baylor Enterprises OnToCollege

1848
01:58:48,855 --> 01:58:54,826
ACT prep, excuse me, at a cost of $35,284 paid for with state

1849
01:58:54,915 --> 01:58:57,645
at-risk funds. Do I have a motion to approve this request?

1850
01:58:58,455 --> 01:58:59,205
I'll make a motion.

1851
01:58:59,685 --> 01:59:00,345
Do I have a second?

1852
01:59:00,586 --> 01:59:01,545
I'll second.

1853
01:59:01,605 --> 01:59:02,145
All in favor?

1854
01:59:03,586 --> 01:59:06,615
Thank you, board members. I can assure you, you just made some high schools

1855
01:59:06,705 --> 01:59:12,285
extremely happy about that. The final item I have this evening is Unique

1856
01:59:12,345 --> 01:59:15,195
Learning standards-based curriculum and monitoring.

1857
01:59:15,880 --> 01:59:18,849
Tonight I bring before you, this is a renewal

1858
01:59:20,409 --> 01:59:24,399
that we are requesting approval of Everway for the purchase of a one-year

1859
01:59:24,459 --> 01:59:29,919
subscription for unique learning standards, aligned content, data and assessment

1860
01:59:30,009 --> 01:59:35,469
tools for IEP development and progress monitoring, and tools for non-verbal

1861
01:59:35,559 --> 01:59:40,299
individuals or cognitive challenges for use in our adaptive classrooms.

1862
01:59:41,409 --> 01:59:45,909
Unique learning is aligned to the North Carolina Extended Content Standards.

1863
01:59:46,029 --> 01:59:48,880
This is the software that we have been using.

1864
01:59:48,969 --> 01:59:53,319
These are the lessons teachers teach in those classrooms.

1865
01:59:53,830 --> 01:59:57,880
It is age-appropriate, so when you think about adaptive programs,

1866
01:59:59,169 --> 02:00:02,140
students can remain in school to age 22.

1867
02:00:02,709 --> 02:00:08,140
So it is age-appropriate academic exposure content that is appropriate for

1868
02:00:08,229 --> 02:00:11,049
cognitive depth with unique learning.

1869
02:00:11,439 --> 02:00:17,380
It does provide that multi-tiered differentiation for students in our adaptive

1870
02:00:17,439 --> 02:00:23,049
programs. And as I mentioned, it also helps students that have

1871
02:00:23,140 --> 02:00:28,929
integrated augmentative communication needs, such as assisted

1872
02:00:29,259 --> 02:00:35,229
technology features. It will allow for touch screens and it will allow for

1873
02:00:35,859 --> 02:00:40,659
symbol sticks, all of those many different assisted technology pieces.

1874
02:00:41,019 --> 02:00:46,779
And it provides real-time data and tracking for our teachers at the school

1875
02:00:46,870 --> 02:00:49,149
level for progress monitoring of needs.

1876
02:00:49,539 --> 02:00:54,729
So tonight, I bring this request to you for this unique learning.

1877
02:00:55,120 --> 02:00:58,989
The cost of the extended content standards-based curriculum and monitoring is

1878
02:00:59,019 --> 02:01:04,689
$46,560.73, and it will be paid using

1879
02:01:04,779 --> 02:01:06,159
federal EC funds.

1880
02:01:08,109 --> 02:01:09,609
And you did say this was a renewal?

1881
02:01:09,999 --> 02:01:10,539
Yes, sir.

1882
02:01:11,499 --> 02:01:15,189
So on this quote, it says it's valid until December 9, 2026.

1883
02:01:15,819 --> 02:01:18,519
It is a full year. So-

1884
02:01:19,539 --> 02:01:22,450
That's pretty standard. They may have just said it for the quote's good for-

1885
02:01:23,080 --> 02:01:25,479
That's the length that the quote's good.

1886
02:01:25,539 --> 02:01:26,529
If you look under-

1887
02:01:27,729 --> 02:01:27,969
Terms

1888
02:01:28,029 --> 02:01:33,370
... the subscription starts on 9/11 and it ends on 19, 2027.

1889
02:01:33,669 --> 02:01:33,789
Okay.

1890
02:01:33,849 --> 02:01:34,630
So it's a whole year.

1891
02:01:34,929 --> 02:01:35,229
Okay.

1892
02:01:35,799 --> 02:01:35,979
Yes.

1893
02:01:36,009 --> 02:01:36,099
Great.

1894
02:01:36,130 --> 02:01:39,039
Is this the only program that the adaptive-

1895
02:01:39,999 --> 02:01:43,630
This is their primary program because it's aligned to the extended content

1896
02:01:43,719 --> 02:01:49,029
standards. There are some other supplemental tools that we use, but this is their

1897
02:01:49,089 --> 02:01:49,779
primary

1898
02:01:51,789 --> 02:01:55,179
lessons with the extended content standards. Yes.

1899
02:01:56,049 --> 02:01:59,799
And this meets the needs of all our schools for our EC-

1900
02:01:59,950 --> 02:02:02,709
On the extended content standards for our adaptive students. Yes.

1901
02:02:02,769 --> 02:02:06,069
Regardless if they're in a program at the school level or Thurston or Thomas.

1902
02:02:06,159 --> 02:02:06,519
Okay.

1903
02:02:06,580 --> 02:02:07,450
They all use it.

1904
02:02:07,479 --> 02:02:07,719
Thank you.

1905
02:02:08,409 --> 02:02:08,950
Yes, ma'am.

1906
02:02:11,679 --> 02:02:17,319
The board heard Dr. Coley's request for the purchase of Everway, an IEP development

1907
02:02:17,349 --> 02:02:20,349
and progress monitoring tool, at a cost of

1908
02:02:20,380 --> 02:02:25,870
$46,560.73. We'll use federal EC funds.

1909
02:02:26,049 --> 02:02:27,969
Do I have a motion to approve this request?

1910
02:02:28,479 --> 02:02:29,229
I'll make a motion.

1911
02:02:30,068 --> 02:02:31,658
I have a motion, and I have a second.

1912
02:02:31,809 --> 02:02:31,959
Second.

1913
02:02:32,049 --> 02:02:32,739
All in favor?

1914
02:02:33,880 --> 02:02:38,469
Thank you so much. Our adaptive teachers will remain very happy. Thank you.

1915
02:02:38,589 --> 02:02:39,069
Absolutely.

1916
02:02:41,890 --> 02:02:43,029
Oh, my Lord.

1917
02:02:44,259 --> 02:02:46,539
Dr.

1918
02:02:46,719 --> 02:03:00,429
Hilton.

1919
02:03:00,489 --> 02:03:02,259
Good evening, board members and Dr. Slate.

1920
02:03:03,279 --> 02:03:07,089
I want to talk to you just a little bit about hiring, recruitment, and retention.

1921
02:03:07,419 --> 02:03:11,649
Last year, I gave a brief report on that information, so I'm going to cover that

1922
02:03:11,709 --> 02:03:12,880
again tonight.

1923
02:03:14,709 --> 02:03:18,640
So first off, I want to start with hiring, and on page three, you'll see our

1924
02:03:18,669 --> 02:03:20,109
historical hiring data.

1925
02:03:21,429 --> 02:03:26,709
And that goes from 2022 all the way through to 2025-26.

1926
02:03:28,659 --> 02:03:31,059
First part of that talks about classified hires.

1927
02:03:31,120 --> 02:03:35,919
You see we started with 250, and it's been relatively consistent throughout the

1928
02:03:36,009 --> 02:03:41,019
last four years, 276, 275, and 270.

1929
02:03:41,979 --> 02:03:47,649
Now if you look at the second line, you see certified hires, 154,

1930
02:03:47,830 --> 02:03:52,899
157, 153, and 138. And the only reason that is a little bit lower, I think, is

1931
02:03:52,929 --> 02:03:57,789
because our enrollment is going down a little bit, has went down a little bit.

1932
02:03:57,880 --> 02:04:03,399
So in 2022, our enrollment was 17,800 students, and

1933
02:04:03,459 --> 02:04:08,950
now it's 17,246 students. And so certified positions are

1934
02:04:09,009 --> 02:04:10,689
attached to our student enrollment.

1935
02:04:10,779 --> 02:04:14,709
So as student enrollment, if it drops, then you're going to see certified hires

1936
02:04:14,769 --> 02:04:18,819
drop a little bit. Substitute teachers, I do want to point that out.

1937
02:04:19,659 --> 02:04:25,269
We had 155 hires last year, and something good, we started

1938
02:04:25,539 --> 02:04:30,580
the new substitute onboarding program this past year, this past summer,

1939
02:04:31,390 --> 02:04:35,529
and we've already seen 113 actually go through the program.

1940
02:04:35,589 --> 02:04:37,539
So we're well ahead right now on that.

1941
02:04:38,709 --> 02:04:42,009
From what I understand, they told me, I think part of the reason is they're not

1942
02:04:42,069 --> 02:04:47,979
having to pay the $50 to do it. And so we're seeing a big uptake in subs that want

1943
02:04:48,279 --> 02:04:53,049
to work for us. Total subs that we have as of right now, last year, we had about

1944
02:04:53,349 --> 02:04:58,269
600, and right now we have about 715. So which is good.

1945
02:04:58,330 --> 02:05:02,890
When you think about the overall district, that means there's about over 3,000

1946
02:05:02,919 --> 02:05:05,380
employees in our district working. Yep.

1947
02:05:07,120 --> 02:05:12,039
If you go to the next one, vacancy September 2023 to 2026.

1948
02:05:13,179 --> 02:05:18,159
And you see, in September '23, we had 33 certified vacancies at this time.

1949
02:05:18,640 --> 02:05:24,459
The next year was 43. Last year we had 11, and then this year we have 26.

1950
02:05:24,640 --> 02:05:25,959
Of those 26,

1951
02:05:27,459 --> 02:05:29,950
six of those are regular ed teaching positions.

1952
02:05:31,479 --> 02:05:34,749
We added three of those actually because of

1953
02:05:36,009 --> 02:05:37,929
numbers with kindergarten and things like that.

1954
02:05:37,989 --> 02:05:43,539
But, overall, if you look at the totals, September '23, we were at

1955
02:05:43,719 --> 02:05:49,659
95. September '24, we had 120 vacancies, 54 and 25,

1956
02:05:49,719 --> 02:05:51,549
and then September '26, we're at 78.

1957
02:05:51,609 --> 02:05:56,769
So we're still much better off than we were with 120 that we were at two years ago.

1958
02:05:57,999 --> 02:05:59,890
And then 95 the year before that.

1959
02:06:01,749 --> 02:06:04,509
So recruitment, I want to talk about recruitment just a little bit.

1960
02:06:05,409 --> 02:06:09,849
Recruitment efforts '24, '25. You see these are some of the universities that we

1961
02:06:09,909 --> 02:06:14,830
attended for recruitment fairs. And you can see that our biggest recruiter is

1962
02:06:14,950 --> 02:06:18,399
actually not a fair, it is student teaching and internships.

1963
02:06:18,459 --> 02:06:22,299
And I think our folks come in, they meet our principals, they meet some of the

1964
02:06:22,359 --> 02:06:25,899
other teachers and staff, and they say, "This is a good place to work." And so

1965
02:06:25,959 --> 02:06:30,909
that's primarily how we get our people, is through that. We got 15 that year.

1966
02:06:31,809 --> 02:06:36,039
You see some of these, we had zero. Just getting one person through a fair actually

1967
02:06:36,099 --> 02:06:41,709
is a pretty big deal. And I say that because a person coming from the traditional

1968
02:06:41,769 --> 02:06:43,599
pathway is going to

1969
02:06:44,830 --> 02:06:50,200
be more prepared and ready. And so if you get a person going through a traditional

1970
02:06:50,259 --> 02:06:55,989
program, that's a big deal. And so although some of those have one, some of

1971
02:06:56,859 --> 02:07:01,209
them have zero. And, if there is a zero there, we've looked at that.

1972
02:07:01,269 --> 02:07:05,169
Like North Carolina State, we were competing against Wake County, so we didn't

1973
02:07:05,229 --> 02:07:09,669
continue going to State. Pembroke just didn't have a lot of people either.

1974
02:07:10,450 --> 02:07:12,279
If you look at '25, '26,

1975
02:07:14,469 --> 02:07:17,409
you see again, our biggest recruiter is student teachers.

1976
02:07:18,909 --> 02:07:20,319
We had 12 that were hired.

1977
02:07:21,640 --> 02:07:25,299
App State did give us another one. But within those student teachers

1978
02:07:27,039 --> 02:07:31,899
are the universities that we have. So like App State provides student teachers.

1979
02:07:32,589 --> 02:07:36,189
UNCG provides student teachers. High Point University provides student teachers.

1980
02:07:36,219 --> 02:07:36,279
So

1981
02:07:37,779 --> 02:07:40,509
when we go to a fair, we're just trying to get extra people if we can.

1982
02:07:40,539 --> 02:07:43,509
It's kind of like the icing on top if we can get one of those people.

1983
02:07:43,539 --> 02:07:45,429
And sometimes we do, and sometimes we don't.

1984
02:07:47,049 --> 02:07:50,349
If you look at the next one, '26, '27, this is where we're going this year.

1985
02:07:51,249 --> 02:07:55,209
In October, App State is the first one. That's a big fair.

1986
02:07:55,450 --> 02:07:58,479
They'll have over 120-some graduates, typically.

1987
02:08:00,130 --> 02:08:05,140
East Carolina, App State again, High Point University, UNC Charlotte, UNC

1988
02:08:05,200 --> 02:08:07,209
Greensboro, and UNC Wilmington.

1989
02:08:10,299 --> 02:08:13,989
And then the number of student teachers, last year we had 34.

1990
02:08:14,049 --> 02:08:19,659
The year before that, we had 25 Thus far we have 25, but that's just thus

1991
02:08:19,719 --> 02:08:20,049
far.

1992
02:08:21,459 --> 02:08:24,759
Right now, as we continue throughout the year, we'll add to that number.

1993
02:08:25,630 --> 02:08:28,630
I would hope that number would be at 35 or 40 before the year is done.

1994
02:08:28,659 --> 02:08:32,109
So that's a good sign that we're getting that many student teachers this early.

1995
02:08:35,200 --> 02:08:39,279
Our student-teacher partnerships, if you look, we have 25 total placements right

1996
02:08:39,339 --> 02:08:39,580
now.

1997
02:08:40,929 --> 02:08:42,039
High Point University,

1998
02:08:43,239 --> 02:08:46,330
we have nine student teachers from High Point University right now, which is the

1999
02:08:46,359 --> 02:08:47,229
most we've ever had,

2000
02:08:48,549 --> 02:08:52,419
which is fantastic. App State usually provides quite a few for us as well.

2001
02:08:53,559 --> 02:08:57,849
UNCG, and you see all of these are working with us this year.

2002
02:08:57,880 --> 02:09:00,309
So 25 total placements this year. It's good.

2003
02:09:00,789 --> 02:09:03,939
I think we're in a good spot right now, and we'll continue to add to those.

2004
02:09:05,799 --> 02:09:08,799
Next, priorities for recruitment 2026, '27.

2005
02:09:08,919 --> 02:09:14,769
So obviously hiring top graduates is one of the biggest for us, and that is getting

2006
02:09:14,830 --> 02:09:17,859
folks from traditional education programs.

2007
02:09:19,089 --> 02:09:22,719
And the reason being because, number one, the turnover rate for those folks is

2008
02:09:22,779 --> 02:09:27,789
lower. And it's a big deal to get someone that's gone through a traditional program

2009
02:09:27,819 --> 02:09:30,789
because they've had the internships, they've had the student teaching, they're just

2010
02:09:30,819 --> 02:09:34,120
going to be much more well prepared to go into the classroom.

2011
02:09:35,769 --> 02:09:39,640
Overall, we have about 50% of our folks going through traditional programs right

2012
02:09:39,700 --> 02:09:44,259
now that we hire, and about 50% are alternative licensure.

2013
02:09:44,739 --> 02:09:48,130
And alternative licensure being those folks that are stepping into the classroom,

2014
02:09:48,189 --> 02:09:52,120
they have a degree, but they have not done any internships or student teaching or

2015
02:09:52,120 --> 02:09:57,909
anything like that. So we average about 50%, but the state average is

2016
02:09:58,029 --> 02:10:03,729
actually only 27%. So right now, 73% of the teachers hired around the

2017
02:10:03,819 --> 02:10:08,380
state are alternative licensure, which is pretty wild. Things have changed a lot.

2018
02:10:08,409 --> 02:10:09,580
Talking about 10 years.

2019
02:10:09,999 --> 02:10:10,269
Yeah.

2020
02:10:10,749 --> 02:10:11,019
Right.

2021
02:10:11,259 --> 02:10:11,380
Yeah.

2022
02:10:11,409 --> 02:10:14,709
It's like it wasn't even an option for a while.

2023
02:10:15,099 --> 02:10:16,149
Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah.

2024
02:10:16,209 --> 02:10:18,249
It was very strict and rigid if it was.

2025
02:10:18,339 --> 02:10:23,049
Yeah. And so now we're 50/50, so we're actually doing quite well compared to the

2026
02:10:23,109 --> 02:10:23,409
state.

2027
02:10:23,769 --> 02:10:23,919
Right.

2028
02:10:23,979 --> 02:10:24,249
Yeah.

2029
02:10:25,450 --> 02:10:27,489
Continue to hire classified staff,

2030
02:10:30,580 --> 02:10:32,769
filling vital roles across the district.

2031
02:10:34,509 --> 02:10:38,859
Early contracts, I'm not sure what this stuff is right there on there, but early

2032
02:10:38,919 --> 02:10:44,890
contracts, we had four last year. We hired four early contracts last year, and we

2033
02:10:44,919 --> 02:10:49,269
want to do more this year. And then finally, Internship to Impact.

2034
02:10:50,049 --> 02:10:54,849
That was a recruiting event we held last year. That was a big deal.

2035
02:10:54,909 --> 02:10:58,479
We're going to do another one of those, so we're going to do two this year, and

2036
02:10:58,509 --> 02:11:00,009
we're going to invite the universities again.

2037
02:11:01,059 --> 02:11:03,640
Typically, it's a big deal for the student teachers when they get to hear the

2038
02:11:03,700 --> 02:11:06,999
superintendent speak, and so we'll have Dr. Slate speaking.

2039
02:11:08,259 --> 02:11:13,809
I think it was this summer actually that we had someone we were hiring came in and

2040
02:11:13,839 --> 02:11:17,739
Dr. Slate was making the rounds around the office, and he just popped in and said

2041
02:11:17,799 --> 02:11:20,229
hey to them. And they were from another district.

2042
02:11:20,259 --> 02:11:22,509
They couldn't believe the superintendent had come in and talked to them.

2043
02:11:23,259 --> 02:11:23,469
So,

2044
02:11:25,179 --> 02:11:28,149
it's a big deal to some of these folks that the superintendent would care and would

2045
02:11:28,209 --> 02:11:33,099
take his time out of his day to speak to them.

2046
02:11:33,189 --> 02:11:39,159
So finally, retention. If you look at our numbers, these are our attrition data.

2047
02:11:40,659 --> 02:11:44,739
And you can see it goes back '23, '24, and '25.

2048
02:11:46,390 --> 02:11:51,759
And those are DCS averages. So attrition being people that leave us and go either

2049
02:11:51,819 --> 02:11:57,580
to another district or leave and go to retire, get another profession, whatever.

2050
02:11:58,239 --> 02:12:03,130
So the DCS attrition data, you see it, the lower the better obviously, because

2051
02:12:03,159 --> 02:12:08,559
that's 12% of those teachers leaving, 11% and 12%, compared to Piedmont

2052
02:12:08,649 --> 02:12:13,269
Triad and then compared to the LEA North Carolina rate.

2053
02:12:13,359 --> 02:12:13,479
So

2054
02:12:14,830 --> 02:12:17,620
as you look at the last three years, we're quite a bit better in all three of those

2055
02:12:17,709 --> 02:12:18,189
factors.

2056
02:12:21,399 --> 02:12:25,120
And for '24, '25, this comes from DPI's attrition rates.

2057
02:12:26,679 --> 02:12:32,109
They run this report in March typically of every year, so we'll get the '25, '26

2058
02:12:32,169 --> 02:12:33,249
data next year.

2059
02:12:34,569 --> 02:12:39,069
So you see where we're at. We were fifth out of all the school districts in the

2060
02:12:39,130 --> 02:12:40,120
Piedmont Triad,

2061
02:12:42,339 --> 02:12:45,939
which I thought was good. And you look as far as larger districts,

2062
02:12:47,589 --> 02:12:50,380
no district that's as large as us was ahead of us.

2063
02:12:51,640 --> 02:12:56,529
And that number obviously goes down, you can see quite a bit, to some of the

2064
02:12:56,589 --> 02:12:58,569
districts are losing quite a few folks.

2065
02:13:01,059 --> 02:13:02,649
But we are 12.8%.

2066
02:13:05,319 --> 02:13:10,089
And then teachers that moved to us from other districts, you see we got a lot of

2067
02:13:10,120 --> 02:13:11,559
folks from Winston-Salem/Forsyth

2068
02:13:13,599 --> 02:13:19,299
last year. We won Thomasville City, Randolph, Guilford, and there were several

2069
02:13:19,330 --> 02:13:21,399
districts that we got at least one person from.

2070
02:13:21,459 --> 02:13:27,130
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth, I'll be curious to see with the '25, '26 data how many

2071
02:13:27,159 --> 02:13:29,439
we got from Winston-Salem/Forsyth for next year.

2072
02:13:30,909 --> 02:13:32,289
You think it'll increase or decrease?

2073
02:13:33,009 --> 02:13:35,019
I wouldn't be surprised if it's higher, actually.

2074
02:13:35,589 --> 02:13:35,859
Yeah.

2075
02:13:40,509 --> 02:13:44,380
All right, and then the beginning teacher retention rate, over there to the side,

2076
02:13:44,469 --> 02:13:46,779
you see the DCS state attrition rate.

2077
02:13:48,189 --> 02:13:51,729
That's what the state's concerned with, and that means people that actually got out

2078
02:13:51,789 --> 02:13:52,599
of the profession-

2079
02:13:53,200 --> 02:13:53,409
Mm-hmm

2080
02:13:53,409 --> 02:13:54,669
... and just left it completely.

2081
02:13:56,109 --> 02:13:59,950
And ours was 11.7%. The state's is 14.7.

2082
02:14:00,039 --> 02:14:02,049
So again, we're much lower than the state average,

2083
02:14:03,279 --> 02:14:05,019
and hopefully we'll continue to do that.

2084
02:14:05,109 --> 02:14:09,669
We don't have the state average for '25, '26 yet, but we'll get that in March of

2085
02:14:09,729 --> 02:14:10,359
next year.

2086
02:14:16,959 --> 02:14:18,099
All right, and finally,

2087
02:14:20,380 --> 02:14:21,969
leadership culture and support.

2088
02:14:23,169 --> 02:14:25,539
You'll see that the last one's our principal retention,

2089
02:14:27,069 --> 02:14:27,969
as you see there.

2090
02:14:29,409 --> 02:14:35,169
And principal retention obviously a key aspect of retention strategies.

2091
02:14:37,419 --> 02:14:40,359
One of the biggest indicators of teacher retention is the principal.

2092
02:14:40,419 --> 02:14:46,029
They play the biggest factor, and so I think that's a key thing as far as retention

2093
02:14:46,058 --> 02:14:50,799
strategies is that hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing principals is

2094
02:14:50,830 --> 02:14:55,630
a key piece of that. Recognition and appreciation of all district staff members,

2095
02:14:56,229 --> 02:14:59,979
and then the continued robust beginning teacher support program.

2096
02:15:02,289 --> 02:15:04,809
Any questions about our retention data, attrition data?

2097
02:15:05,830 --> 02:15:08,019
Under staff culture, what is the Emoji event?

2098
02:15:08,529 --> 02:15:09,880
I don't know. I was just looking at that too.

2099
02:15:09,939 --> 02:15:10,390
That's why I didn't-

2100
02:15:11,679 --> 02:15:13,330
I think it's just with your icons.

2101
02:15:13,659 --> 02:15:15,489
Yeah. I think it's just icons. Yeah.

2102
02:15:15,939 --> 02:15:18,399
Yeah, they converted your icons into emojis.

2103
02:15:18,489 --> 02:15:20,709
Any questions about attrition or retention?

2104
02:15:21,999 --> 02:15:22,899
Thank you, Dr. Hildreth.

2105
02:15:22,899 --> 02:15:23,080
Good job.

2106
02:15:23,109 --> 02:15:23,529
Thank you.

2107
02:15:23,769 --> 02:15:23,859
Yeah.

2108
02:15:24,130 --> 02:15:25,870
Appreciate it. Absolutely.

2109
02:15:30,189 --> 02:15:35,409
And if I may, real quick on what Dr. Hildreth covered, your student teachers.

2110
02:15:36,370 --> 02:15:38,739
Dr. Hildreth, thank you for that because

2111
02:15:41,469 --> 02:15:46,689
we have affiliation agreements with all these universities, and I review

2112
02:15:47,679 --> 02:15:53,469
all of them, I believe, to make sure it has the standard language that we

2113
02:15:53,559 --> 02:15:59,439
need and want in those agreements, and often wondered what our return on investment

2114
02:15:59,649 --> 02:16:03,249
was, and it seems significant. So I'm grateful for that.

2115
02:16:03,880 --> 02:16:04,029
Seems like the best.

2116
02:16:04,059 --> 02:16:04,299
Oh, yeah.

2117
02:16:04,330 --> 02:16:05,409
Seems like the most efficient, right?

2118
02:16:05,469 --> 02:16:08,049
Yeah. And I did not know that until now, so thank you.

2119
02:16:08,080 --> 02:16:11,169
And I will say to our educators, that's not only in education.

2120
02:16:11,259 --> 02:16:16,779
Hands-on approach is our largest means of employment outside of education as well,

2121
02:16:16,870 --> 02:16:20,769
so it's important that our students have hands-on opportunities to grow into those

2122
02:16:20,859 --> 02:16:22,539
roles that they're looking to accomplish.

2123
02:16:22,839 --> 02:16:23,080
Yep.

2124
02:16:25,809 --> 02:16:26,620
Mr. Johnston?

2125
02:16:30,099 --> 02:16:30,640
Hi, Priest.

2126
02:16:32,049 --> 02:16:34,839
Good evening, board, from operations again.

2127
02:16:35,019 --> 02:16:35,560
Our first

2128
02:16:36,790 --> 02:16:40,060
item this evening comes from Walburg Elementary School.

2129
02:16:41,200 --> 02:16:46,959
On behalf of Walburg Elementary School and the PTO, they're requesting to

2130
02:16:47,019 --> 02:16:52,630
purchase and install a digital sign from Burchett Sign Corporation at a cost of

2131
02:16:52,659 --> 02:16:58,359
$28,000. This purchase will be paid for by the Walburg PTO.

2132
02:16:59,319 --> 02:17:05,109
You should have in your packet some detailed information about that sign,

2133
02:17:05,259 --> 02:17:10,479
specs, and that kind of thing. And we have Principal John Bonventre here if you

2134
02:17:10,509 --> 02:17:12,040
have any specific questions.

2135
02:17:16,870 --> 02:17:18,459
Do we have the power and everything needed?

2136
02:17:18,790 --> 02:17:19,509
Yes, it's all there.

2137
02:17:19,599 --> 02:17:19,959
All there.

2138
02:17:20,349 --> 02:17:21,849
There's an illuminate sign already there.

2139
02:17:21,939 --> 02:17:24,609
Yeah, I knew there was a sign. I didn't know if it'd be enough to run that visual

2140
02:17:24,640 --> 02:17:25,029
board.

2141
02:17:28,677 --> 02:17:30,478
You can't beat that if it's the PTO.

2142
02:17:31,017 --> 02:17:33,387
Absolutely. No, yeah. Right.

2143
02:17:35,577 --> 02:17:36,718
Any questions on this?

2144
02:17:37,377 --> 02:17:39,027
In that situation, do you get more than one quote?

2145
02:17:40,107 --> 02:17:43,587
Yes. We actually, I think I was at five quotes.

2146
02:17:44,757 --> 02:17:49,048
That was obviously the best price, and the company that communicated well with us

2147
02:17:49,137 --> 02:17:55,017
as well. Like I say, the next best was about 31,000, and they ranged all the way to

2148
02:17:55,228 --> 02:17:56,157
41,000-

2149
02:17:56,427 --> 02:17:56,607
Wow

2150
02:17:56,607 --> 02:17:59,577
... I believe one actually had it at 50,000.

2151
02:17:59,668 --> 02:18:00,478
For a very similar

2152
02:18:02,067 --> 02:18:02,247
product.

2153
02:18:02,337 --> 02:18:07,978
And the Burchette family are also Davidson County Schools alumni.

2154
02:18:08,427 --> 02:18:09,837
Thank you.

2155
02:18:09,927 --> 02:18:10,767
Yep, absolutely.

2156
02:18:13,798 --> 02:18:18,057
Board, you've heard Mr. Johnson's request for Burchette Signs at a cost of

2157
02:18:18,057 --> 02:18:20,548
$28,350

2158
02:18:24,567 --> 02:18:30,087
paid with the PTO to purchase an illuminated new LED

2159
02:18:30,207 --> 02:18:32,548
sign. Do I have a motion to approve this request?

2160
02:18:32,728 --> 02:18:33,507
I'll make a motion.

2161
02:18:33,597 --> 02:18:34,197
I'll second.

2162
02:18:34,677 --> 02:18:36,927
Shabicha, Sherry will second. All in favor?

2163
02:18:38,218 --> 02:18:40,137
Good deal. Thank you for being here tonight.

2164
02:18:40,197 --> 02:18:40,287
Thank you.

2165
02:18:40,287 --> 02:18:41,247
Yes, absolutely.

2166
02:18:44,548 --> 02:18:48,478
Our next item, board, comes from North Davidson High School.

2167
02:18:48,537 --> 02:18:54,447
This is an easement request from Duke Energy for the installation and

2168
02:18:54,478 --> 02:18:57,207
the maintenance of electrical transformers.

2169
02:18:58,197 --> 02:19:03,148
So if you'll just walk through, first of all, you have an easement document,

2170
02:19:04,197 --> 02:19:10,168
and then behind the easement document, you'll have a map of the area

2171
02:19:11,187 --> 02:19:15,597
that we're speaking of. And what you have there, and I'll turn my notebook around

2172
02:19:15,657 --> 02:19:19,738
so I can read it, you have several items there.

2173
02:19:19,798 --> 02:19:21,027
First of all, you have existing

2174
02:19:22,887 --> 02:19:28,767
transformers, you have existing underground lines, and so the goal

2175
02:19:28,857 --> 02:19:34,407
here is to replace the existing lines with new lines,

2176
02:19:34,918 --> 02:19:39,447
and then to also remove a transformer and then add a transformer.

2177
02:19:40,707 --> 02:19:45,418
So this is a request coming from Duke Energy to make these changes.

2178
02:19:45,478 --> 02:19:49,107
We don't have a timeline on that. What we'll do is we'll get this back to Duke

2179
02:19:49,197 --> 02:19:53,397
Energy, and then we'll work with the school schedule on when's the best time to

2180
02:19:53,427 --> 02:19:57,177
conduct this work. And of course, as you read the easement, the

2181
02:19:58,437 --> 02:20:03,747
goal is that they'll return everything back to normal before the job is completed.

2182
02:20:09,177 --> 02:20:10,197
Any questions on this?

2183
02:20:11,187 --> 02:20:12,418
Just outdated equipment?

2184
02:20:12,957 --> 02:20:13,437
Yes, sir.

2185
02:20:14,668 --> 02:20:15,988
Underground line and equipment.

2186
02:20:18,777 --> 02:20:23,007
Board, you've heard Mr. Johnson's request for an easement at North Davidson High

2187
02:20:23,067 --> 02:20:27,357
School from Duke Energy. Do I have a motion to approve this request?

2188
02:20:28,377 --> 02:20:29,067
I make a motion.

2189
02:20:29,907 --> 02:20:30,507
Do I have a second?

2190
02:20:30,988 --> 02:20:31,347
Second.

2191
02:20:31,977 --> 02:20:32,697
All in favor?

2192
02:20:34,617 --> 02:20:36,147
Good deal. Thank you.

2193
02:20:38,637 --> 02:20:43,047
All right. Thank you, board. Our next item comes from, again, North Davidson Middle

2194
02:20:43,137 --> 02:20:46,947
School. This is the chiller replacement project.

2195
02:20:47,367 --> 02:20:49,497
We request your approval to award

2196
02:20:50,697 --> 02:20:56,577
Superior Mechanical Services to complete the work there at North Davidson Middle

2197
02:20:56,637 --> 02:21:02,427
School. The bid price is $136,575, and that will be

2198
02:21:02,488 --> 02:21:06,897
paid using capital funds. In your packet, you should have a letter of

2199
02:21:06,957 --> 02:21:10,767
recommendation from CES. This job, like all our jobs,

2200
02:21:12,238 --> 02:21:16,137
we had that as advertised, and then we had a public bid opening.

2201
02:21:16,827 --> 02:21:22,287
And there on the next page, you see the bid tabulation that was created by CES as a

2202
02:21:22,317 --> 02:21:27,057
result of that bid opening. And again, our request

2203
02:21:27,177 --> 02:21:31,557
is to award this to Superior Mechanical Services.

2204
02:21:36,507 --> 02:21:39,687
Any questions for Mr. Johnson on this? The board have heard Mr.

2205
02:21:39,867 --> 02:21:40,857
Johnson's request to

2206
02:21:42,238 --> 02:21:42,837
award-

2207
02:21:46,497 --> 02:21:47,247
Superior.

2208
02:21:47,457 --> 02:21:48,927
Superior Mechanical Services.

2209
02:21:48,988 --> 02:21:54,807
Superior Mechanical Services at a cost of $136,575

2210
02:21:55,467 --> 02:21:59,397
paid using capital funds to replace a chiller at North Davidson Middle School.

2211
02:21:59,427 --> 02:22:01,107
Do I have a motion to approve this request?

2212
02:22:01,377 --> 02:22:02,157
I'll make a motion.

2213
02:22:02,397 --> 02:22:02,967
I'll second.

2214
02:22:03,447 --> 02:22:04,047
All in favor?

2215
02:22:05,997 --> 02:22:10,707
All right. Thank you, board. Our next item comes from Transportation Department

2216
02:22:11,007 --> 02:22:14,727
this evening. We have our Director of Transportation, Brad Sweatman.

2217
02:22:14,757 --> 02:22:18,897
He's going to talk to you a little bit about routing and tier scheduling, so I'll

2218
02:22:18,927 --> 02:22:21,238
turn it over to Mr. Sweatman at this time.

2219
02:22:25,617 --> 02:22:27,447
Good evening, board members and Dr. Slate.

2220
02:22:27,988 --> 02:22:31,918
Thank you all for allowing me here to review Davidson County Schools' bus routes,

2221
02:22:32,457 --> 02:22:38,337
the data that we pass on to DPI, how that data impacts our funding, and a potential

2222
02:22:38,427 --> 02:22:41,727
option that our routing department will begin work on over the next few weeks.

2223
02:22:42,597 --> 02:22:46,168
So to start off with just some general data about our fleet.

2224
02:22:46,617 --> 02:22:50,997
Davidson County Schools currently utilizes 176 route buses.

2225
02:22:51,418 --> 02:22:56,817
We have 158 regular education buses with an additional 18 EC

2226
02:22:57,207 --> 02:23:02,877
buses. We also maintain 27 route buses for Thomasville City Schools and Lexington

2227
02:23:02,937 --> 02:23:08,668
City Schools. As of this past Friday, we have 9,957 students

2228
02:23:08,697 --> 02:23:14,668
assigned to Davidson County School buses, 9,727 of those on our regular

2229
02:23:14,847 --> 02:23:18,207
education buses and 230 on our EC buses.

2230
02:23:19,467 --> 02:23:24,627
Currently, this week, we are conducting our TD2 student ridership count.

2231
02:23:25,168 --> 02:23:30,717
This is an important report that we collect for DPI that plays a tremendous

2232
02:23:30,807 --> 02:23:35,277
impact on our funding. This is an actual snapshot of our student riders for this

2233
02:23:35,337 --> 02:23:36,087
particular week.

2234
02:23:37,407 --> 02:23:42,657
We also currently utilize nearly 40 buses that run multiple runs.

2235
02:23:42,837 --> 02:23:48,507
So we are kind of trying to take advantage of a tiered system already, but we are

2236
02:23:48,567 --> 02:23:52,767
very limited on the time we have in the afternoon to utilize any more than 40

2237
02:23:52,827 --> 02:23:57,687
buses. And often those buses will arrive a little bit later than dismissal times

2238
02:23:57,687 --> 02:23:59,967
for our middle school and high school students.

2239
02:24:01,257 --> 02:24:05,307
To give you an overview on how our routing department works, we utilize a

2240
02:24:05,367 --> 02:24:10,287
DPI-supported Transportation Information Management System, this is TIMS, to build

2241
02:24:10,317 --> 02:24:16,137
and maintain bus routing data. TIMS allows DCS route specialists to route buses

2242
02:24:16,227 --> 02:24:18,207
efficiently and safely as possible.

2243
02:24:19,047 --> 02:24:24,207
The use of TIMS also gives DCS transportation personnel access to DPI support staff

2244
02:24:24,297 --> 02:24:26,697
based at UNC Charlotte and NC State.

2245
02:24:27,357 --> 02:24:30,238
These folks are the folks that we call when we have issues.

2246
02:24:30,597 --> 02:24:34,197
They also can look at our data and help us in many different ways if we have

2247
02:24:34,287 --> 02:24:37,767
questions with a particular route or issues with the TIMS system.

2248
02:24:38,457 --> 02:24:43,227
They also give new folks that we hire in the routing department additional training

2249
02:24:43,317 --> 02:24:48,357
on the TIMS routing software. TDTIMS is the annual DPI report required by all

2250
02:24:48,418 --> 02:24:53,607
districts, and this is also another report that we turn in late fall that goes into

2251
02:24:53,668 --> 02:24:55,197
the model for our funding.

2252
02:24:56,397 --> 02:25:01,617
TIMS will be utilized to create bus routes to support a tiered bell system, and

2253
02:25:01,797 --> 02:25:07,467
this also gives us the potential option to benefit many aspects of our bus

2254
02:25:07,587 --> 02:25:08,217
operations.

2255
02:25:09,447 --> 02:25:13,827
Just to go over some benefits and considerations that we view with the tiered bell

2256
02:25:13,887 --> 02:25:18,597
schedule. First off, successful tiered bells transportation plans require an

2257
02:25:18,717 --> 02:25:22,827
adequate time span between bell times for the best efficiency.

2258
02:25:23,607 --> 02:25:29,277
We prefer a 45-minute to one-hour time span because this will allow the majority of

2259
02:25:29,307 --> 02:25:32,367
our fleet to be utilized for both tiered times.

2260
02:25:33,087 --> 02:25:36,837
The benefits, more efficient use of district bus fleet.

2261
02:25:37,527 --> 02:25:43,197
This is typically the idea that you use less buses to transport the same number of

2262
02:25:43,257 --> 02:25:47,607
students, and in turn, that will positively impact our state funding formula.

2263
02:25:48,567 --> 02:25:51,867
State funding for transportation is based heavily on efficiency.

2264
02:25:52,287 --> 02:25:56,517
So the more efficient you are, the more of your eligible expenses that you will

2265
02:25:56,547 --> 02:25:58,407
receive from DPI.

2266
02:25:59,697 --> 02:26:03,537
A reduction in student ride times at all levels due to more buses being used for

2267
02:26:03,597 --> 02:26:07,497
each bell time. This might sound counterintuitive, but you actually reduce your

2268
02:26:07,557 --> 02:26:11,037
fleet, but it does give you the opportunity to throw more buses at each tiered

2269
02:26:11,097 --> 02:26:14,488
schedule to help with times for students.

2270
02:26:15,477 --> 02:26:18,567
And then lastly, increased bus driver recruitment and retention.

2271
02:26:19,077 --> 02:26:23,997
This typically means that more hours are guaranteed to our bus drivers, as well as

2272
02:26:24,027 --> 02:26:25,918
potential eligibility for benefits.

2273
02:26:26,517 --> 02:26:29,937
We are currently dealing with a few locations that are having to

2274
02:26:31,227 --> 02:26:36,627
double route right now. So they are lacking the drivers they need, and they might

2275
02:26:36,657 --> 02:26:41,547
have drivers out sick that they can't find a replacement for and are pulling from

2276
02:26:41,607 --> 02:26:43,257
multiple different schools in the area.

2277
02:26:43,977 --> 02:26:48,777
And particularly in our north area with the way our boundaries lie, a lot of those

2278
02:26:48,837 --> 02:26:52,017
elementaries are supporting multiple middle and highs with their sub drivers

2279
02:26:53,319 --> 02:26:55,060
Some considerations to take into account.

2280
02:26:56,080 --> 02:27:00,939
A tiered schedule will have impacts on family scheduling around the new bell times,

2281
02:27:01,269 --> 02:27:03,549
whether it be bus stop times or potential childcare.

2282
02:27:03,999 --> 02:27:08,349
We also have a pre-K through third policy about drop-off, where if they don't have

2283
02:27:08,529 --> 02:27:11,019
a signed form, we do not drop those students off.

2284
02:27:12,039 --> 02:27:15,519
Route buses will generate preventive maintenance orders quicker due to higher

2285
02:27:15,580 --> 02:27:20,709
miles. DPI, all of our buses are in a software that monitors miles,

2286
02:27:21,279 --> 02:27:26,080
and those miles trigger preventive maintenance orders at certain intervals.

2287
02:27:26,289 --> 02:27:29,799
So if your buses are running more miles, those preventive maintenance orders will

2288
02:27:29,830 --> 02:27:34,149
come in quicker. Breakdowns will impact bus runs for the next bell time.

2289
02:27:34,599 --> 02:27:39,969
Obviously, if you've got a route behind another route, if a bus breaks down, we'll

2290
02:27:40,029 --> 02:27:43,359
have to-- That time for all those other students will be pushed back until we get a

2291
02:27:43,419 --> 02:27:47,259
spare bus or that bus can be fixed. And then lastly, our fueling routes may need to

2292
02:27:47,289 --> 02:27:50,979
be adjusted to accommodate an increase in mileage per day for some buses.

2293
02:27:51,580 --> 02:27:54,879
So, all right. And now let's talk about funding.

2294
02:27:55,959 --> 02:27:58,419
Funding for transportation is a little complicated.

2295
02:27:59,379 --> 02:28:02,560
It's mostly built around efficiency and eligible expenses.

2296
02:28:03,009 --> 02:28:07,179
Our eligible expenses are our bus parts, our fuel, our driver pay.

2297
02:28:08,140 --> 02:28:11,349
As many of you know, fuel has increased tremendously.

2298
02:28:12,429 --> 02:28:18,249
I believe we had fuel rates of $5.10 to $5.40 a gallon last

2299
02:28:18,310 --> 02:28:20,830
week. So we had two deliveries last week.

2300
02:28:21,369 --> 02:28:26,499
So we're anticipating nearly an $80,000 bill in fuel next week or for this past

2301
02:28:26,529 --> 02:28:31,629
week. DPI utilizes a series of reports the districts complete to determine our

2302
02:28:31,689 --> 02:28:35,529
eligible expenses, our fleet data, and our student transportation data.

2303
02:28:35,979 --> 02:28:39,580
These all range from TD1, TD2, TD2R.

2304
02:28:40,390 --> 02:28:43,060
TD stands for Transportation Department, if you're curious.

2305
02:28:44,049 --> 02:28:48,609
But all of these go into the budget simulator and model that DPI uses to generate

2306
02:28:48,699 --> 02:28:53,739
our allotment. Districts with higher efficiency ratings receive a larger portion of

2307
02:28:53,739 --> 02:28:59,469
the DPI state allotment. Currently, we sit at 95.47% efficient,

2308
02:28:59,919 --> 02:29:04,899
which is pretty good, but we also have Thomasville City Schools and Lexington City

2309
02:29:04,959 --> 02:29:09,219
Schools in our data. So all of our data is combined, and it generates an efficiency

2310
02:29:09,249 --> 02:29:13,299
for all three districts that are equal between them for their particular allotment.

2311
02:29:13,929 --> 02:29:17,529
Thomasville City Schools and Lexington City Schools receive an allotment, but it

2312
02:29:17,560 --> 02:29:20,529
doesn't count for the fuel or the maintenance of the buses.

2313
02:29:20,560 --> 02:29:26,499
Theirs are more so for driver pay and other things that account for those drivers.

2314
02:29:28,089 --> 02:29:33,039
A tiered bus routing would increase this percentage and allow DCS to receive a

2315
02:29:33,069 --> 02:29:34,779
greater portion of our allotment.

2316
02:29:35,140 --> 02:29:40,689
So just a 3% to 4% would be very beneficial with a multimillion-dollar budget from

2317
02:29:40,719 --> 02:29:45,969
DPI. So just the 3% to 4% of that allotment is a considerable amount and would pay

2318
02:29:45,999 --> 02:29:47,169
for quite a few weeks of fuel.

2319
02:29:50,229 --> 02:29:53,649
And then lastly, what are our goals with a tiered bell schedule?

2320
02:29:54,640 --> 02:29:59,049
An accurate assessment of a DCS tiered bell bus plan will require the building and

2321
02:29:59,109 --> 02:30:01,659
optimization of routes in the TIMS routing system.

2322
02:30:02,109 --> 02:30:05,708
So our folks are going to take careful time. They're going to build these routes.

2323
02:30:05,979 --> 02:30:09,729
They're going to look at them, make sure they're safe, make sure our students-- No

2324
02:30:09,819 --> 02:30:13,659
changes are made to these routes that would impact student safety.

2325
02:30:14,919 --> 02:30:19,659
Per conversations with DPI staff and in-house assessments, a greater than 20%

2326
02:30:19,689 --> 02:30:21,609
reduction in our bus fleet is possible.

2327
02:30:22,719 --> 02:30:26,979
The one area that I would not see this increase truly possible would be our EC

2328
02:30:27,069 --> 02:30:32,709
fleet. They already travel such great distances and cover so many school

2329
02:30:32,769 --> 02:30:38,140
boundaries, from one student having to cross potentially maybe Churchland over to

2330
02:30:38,199 --> 02:30:43,989
Fairgrove or somewhere in the south area up towards East Davidson or even

2331
02:30:44,049 --> 02:30:48,459
further. So there's a lot of our EC fleet that those 18 buses have such a

2332
02:30:48,519 --> 02:30:53,890
complicated, overlapping network of bus routes that any kind of modification to

2333
02:30:53,949 --> 02:30:58,299
them would take a considerable effort, and we don't really want to impact those

2334
02:30:58,359 --> 02:31:01,089
students' ride times as they already are.

2335
02:31:01,149 --> 02:31:05,560
So I don't see us dropping too many buses for EC because I don't want to impact

2336
02:31:06,099 --> 02:31:09,310
those students in any way.

2337
02:31:10,839 --> 02:31:13,509
We could potentially expand on the number of our door side stops.

2338
02:31:13,959 --> 02:31:16,299
We have multiple roads that we

2339
02:31:17,739 --> 02:31:21,999
know that we're not going to do a crossing stop. Just for instance, 109.

2340
02:31:22,509 --> 02:31:26,799
We are going to do our best and utmost, everything we can to not make a crossing

2341
02:31:26,859 --> 02:31:28,569
stop. I don't even think we have a crossing stop.

2342
02:31:28,629 --> 02:31:31,599
But our route specialists know that that's a road that you're going to make door

2343
02:31:31,659 --> 02:31:33,069
side, or you're going to go into a neighborhood.

2344
02:31:33,580 --> 02:31:37,239
So if you have more buses that you can throw to an area, then you can potentially

2345
02:31:37,299 --> 02:31:40,449
make some of these roads that you might only have one bus going up, you could have

2346
02:31:40,479 --> 02:31:43,899
maybe one going one direction, one going another, so you can create more door side

2347
02:31:43,959 --> 02:31:44,319
stops.

2348
02:31:45,580 --> 02:31:48,519
We hope to reduce the average ride time for most bus riders.

2349
02:31:48,879 --> 02:31:53,259
Again, we're throwing more buses at each tier, so hopefully those ride times will

2350
02:31:53,319 --> 02:31:55,209
come down because you're utilizing more buses.

2351
02:31:55,839 --> 02:31:58,479
And this will also potentially help with any crowding issues.

2352
02:31:59,169 --> 02:32:04,689
We have our 72-capacity buses. That's all of our fleet right now is 72 capacity,

2353
02:32:05,019 --> 02:32:09,519
and that's elementary. If you throw middle and high on, that capacity drops down to

2354
02:32:10,539 --> 02:32:12,609
just right around 50, if not a little bit lower.

2355
02:32:13,179 --> 02:32:15,279
So we've got to be careful on our capacity numbers.

2356
02:32:15,310 --> 02:32:20,409
And in some areas, that might take up one or two stops, particularly in the High

2357
02:32:20,499 --> 02:32:25,179
Point area. If you go up there, and we might have a Lepper bus that picks up three

2358
02:32:25,239 --> 02:32:26,859
stops, and the bus is full already.

2359
02:32:27,789 --> 02:32:31,959
And then lastly, we want to help reduce the number of buses per mechanic.

2360
02:32:32,499 --> 02:32:36,640
Currently, we have eight mechanics. We are down mechanics at this time.

2361
02:32:36,969 --> 02:32:40,390
So anything we can do to reduce the number of buses that they're having to cover

2362
02:32:40,419 --> 02:32:45,729
would be super beneficial for us. They would take on a number of park status buses

2363
02:32:45,849 --> 02:32:50,619
if we were to park buses after this, but those buses can be used for spare buses,

2364
02:32:51,009 --> 02:32:54,279
and eventually they are incorporated into the fleet with self-replacement.

2365
02:32:55,179 --> 02:32:58,299
So with that, I'd like to thank you for your time and your consideration of this

2366
02:32:58,390 --> 02:33:01,330
option in the future. And if anyone had any questions, I'd be more than happy to

2367
02:33:01,359 --> 02:33:02,379
help answer them.

2368
02:33:03,369 --> 02:33:07,179
I have just one quick question from the previous page on funding from DPI.

2369
02:33:07,269 --> 02:33:07,449
Yeah.

2370
02:33:09,279 --> 02:33:13,239
Is it a combined efficiency rate of 95.47 with the other two?

2371
02:33:13,810 --> 02:33:18,489
And if that's the case, I know you differentiated part of that. You broke it out.

2372
02:33:19,779 --> 02:33:24,640
Is there anything that we can do to help them help us in that efficiency, since it

2373
02:33:24,819 --> 02:33:25,539
affects funding?

2374
02:33:25,869 --> 02:33:30,099
Yeah. Everything's combined. This week with the student ridership count, their

2375
02:33:30,129 --> 02:33:34,719
numbers are combined with ours as well for when they go into the budget formula for

2376
02:33:34,749 --> 02:33:40,269
DPI. So their efficiency, they actually might be more efficient

2377
02:33:40,390 --> 02:33:44,589
on if you were just to pull them out with their numbers because they're using less

2378
02:33:44,649 --> 02:33:49,869
buses in a smaller area. So they have the capacity to run those buses through an

2379
02:33:49,899 --> 02:33:53,499
area multiple times and pick more students up, whereas we have the difficulties of

2380
02:33:53,529 --> 02:33:54,879
geography on our side.

2381
02:33:54,909 --> 02:33:56,439
So they're actually looking better on their numbers?

2382
02:33:56,560 --> 02:34:01,479
Yes. And I know Thomasville just parked five buses this past year, so their numbers

2383
02:34:01,539 --> 02:34:05,080
will look significantly more improved than the previous year as well.

2384
02:34:05,409 --> 02:34:06,879
So they're actually helping our numbers.

2385
02:34:06,969 --> 02:34:07,810
Absolutely, yes.

2386
02:34:11,739 --> 02:34:12,640
Any other questions?

2387
02:34:14,379 --> 02:34:14,919
Okay.

2388
02:34:14,949 --> 02:34:18,849
Well, thank you, and hopefully we'll have you a good plan to look at in the near

2389
02:34:18,909 --> 02:34:19,239
future.

2390
02:34:20,409 --> 02:34:21,099
Thank you, Brian.

2391
02:34:22,390 --> 02:34:23,890
Can I ask an operations question?

2392
02:34:23,949 --> 02:34:24,369
Yeah.

2393
02:34:24,429 --> 02:34:29,319
Sorry. It's going back to the chiller plant. It's not related to buses.

2394
02:34:29,409 --> 02:34:30,759
I know we've already voted on that.

2395
02:34:30,819 --> 02:34:35,289
But with that being an emergency replacement, I guess I'm just trying to understand

2396
02:34:35,319 --> 02:34:36,580
what does that timeline look like?

2397
02:34:37,689 --> 02:34:42,159
Does it go through the same normal process to get quotes and that kind of thing, it

2398
02:34:42,219 --> 02:34:43,539
being an emergency?

2399
02:34:44,080 --> 02:34:49,869
No. North Davidson chiller, we had to bid out the chiller itself.

2400
02:34:50,080 --> 02:34:50,499
Right.

2401
02:34:50,560 --> 02:34:53,469
And then we had to bid out the contractor.

2402
02:34:53,919 --> 02:34:58,899
But I guess the turnaround time is still the same, even though it's considered an

2403
02:34:58,959 --> 02:35:01,719
emergency project, is what I'm asking.

2404
02:35:02,379 --> 02:35:04,959
So, I mean, we're ready to hit the ground running getting it installed.

2405
02:35:05,289 --> 02:35:05,769
Absolutely.

2406
02:35:06,009 --> 02:35:09,489
I think what she's saying, is there a differentiator between those that are working

2407
02:35:09,549 --> 02:35:12,099
that we maybe just need to replace because it ages up-

2408
02:35:12,099 --> 02:35:12,099
Those

2409
02:35:12,159 --> 02:35:16,449
... and those where we've got a flatbed trailer with a temporary

2410
02:35:18,310 --> 02:35:22,060
chiller set up in an emergency setting like we have at North Davidson?

2411
02:35:22,179 --> 02:35:24,640
Is it the same process, or do you have

2412
02:35:26,890 --> 02:35:27,789
ability to-

2413
02:35:28,209 --> 02:35:29,019
Yeah, because I didn't

2414
02:35:29,080 --> 02:35:29,499
Accelerate

2415
02:35:29,529 --> 02:35:29,830
... accelerate that?

2416
02:35:29,890 --> 02:35:30,249
Okay.

2417
02:35:30,849 --> 02:35:32,019
Is that what you're asking, Ms. Eernerman?

2418
02:35:32,080 --> 02:35:32,229
Yeah.

2419
02:35:32,259 --> 02:35:34,569
Yeah, we bought the chiller through a cooperative.

2420
02:35:35,019 --> 02:35:35,140
Uh-huh.

2421
02:35:35,409 --> 02:35:36,310
Omni Cooperative.

2422
02:35:36,310 --> 02:35:36,609
We did accelerate-

2423
02:35:36,729 --> 02:35:37,029
We did, yes

2424
02:35:37,060 --> 02:35:39,939
... the actual purchase of a chiller because they were on a state contract.

2425
02:35:39,939 --> 02:35:40,330
That's right.

2426
02:35:40,869 --> 02:35:44,949
And actually what the law, believe it or not, says if you have a chiller or your

2427
02:35:45,009 --> 02:35:46,089
system fails,

2428
02:35:47,289 --> 02:35:52,869
even if it's 100 degrees, that does not really constitute an emergency

2429
02:35:54,465 --> 02:35:59,535
Usually an emergency is associated with an- Mm-hmm ... act of- Natural disaster ...

2430
02:35:59,625 --> 02:36:01,785
natural disaster. I mean, if a tornado came through- Right ...

2431
02:36:01,815 --> 02:36:02,535
and destroyed it, that's-

2432
02:36:02,625 --> 02:36:03,765
But just a unit going down-

2433
02:36:03,855 --> 02:36:06,015
Again, the compliance side of it

2434
02:36:06,015 --> 02:36:07,725
... that's not deemed an emergency to circumvent the process

2435
02:36:07,756 --> 02:36:08,535
The laws would say that's correct.

2436
02:36:09,975 --> 02:36:12,615
But we did find a little way around that with the state-

2437
02:36:12,645 --> 02:36:13,845
Expedited. Okay.

2438
02:36:14,745 --> 02:36:14,955
Thank you.

2439
02:36:15,015 --> 02:36:17,026
I get what you're saying, because that should... Right.

2440
02:36:17,026 --> 02:36:17,415
Right.

2441
02:36:17,445 --> 02:36:20,625
It's a little different than being proactive and changing things out before they

2442
02:36:20,685 --> 02:36:20,925
break.

2443
02:36:20,955 --> 02:36:21,825
Well, again, that's not a declared emergency- Right

2444
02:36:21,855 --> 02:36:21,975
Yeah

2445
02:36:21,975 --> 02:36:23,115
... but the law says it's not.

2446
02:36:23,445 --> 02:36:23,745
Got you.

2447
02:36:24,105 --> 02:36:25,006
Unfortunately. Thank you.

2448
02:36:25,515 --> 02:36:27,825
Thank you. Dr. Greer.

2449
02:36:31,155 --> 02:36:32,055
Good evening.

2450
02:36:34,425 --> 02:36:35,115
You want the clicker? Oh, it's down here.

2451
02:36:35,205 --> 02:36:38,925
Okay. I realize I'm the only thing standing between you and dinner, so I'll keep

2452
02:36:38,985 --> 02:36:41,685
that in mind as I'm going through my two items tonight.

2453
02:36:42,526 --> 02:36:47,535
So my first is a data review of our student support services data that we collect.

2454
02:36:49,545 --> 02:36:52,725
We did this last year, I think, for the first time, and we're just going to go

2455
02:36:52,756 --> 02:36:57,885
through and look at some specific data points that we've collected from our school

2456
02:36:57,915 --> 02:37:01,965
counselors, our social workers, and then other student support staff in our

2457
02:37:02,026 --> 02:37:07,845
schools. So, we're going to begin with our K-5 bullying online reporting

2458
02:37:07,905 --> 02:37:12,345
form. You can see the last three years' worth of data here, and the color coding

2459
02:37:12,405 --> 02:37:15,915
might seem a little backwards, but if it's green, that means we had a decrease,

2460
02:37:16,006 --> 02:37:20,295
which is positive, and if it's red, we had an increase, which would be considered

2461
02:37:20,355 --> 02:37:25,725
not so positive. So looking at our K-5 reporting form, we only had three for last

2462
02:37:25,725 --> 02:37:29,535
school year, which is a positive. That is down two from the previous year.

2463
02:37:30,134 --> 02:37:35,565
Our 6-12 SSARS reports, we did have an increase, but not by a significant

2464
02:37:35,625 --> 02:37:38,776
amount. We were up to 379 versus 370.

2465
02:37:39,165 --> 02:37:42,405
That is still a decrease from our 23-24 school year.

2466
02:37:42,975 --> 02:37:47,655
And then looking at our Gaggle reports, we had about 856, which is a pretty sizable

2467
02:37:47,745 --> 02:37:52,365
decrease from our over 1,000 from the previous year or so.

2468
02:37:54,405 --> 02:37:58,276
Just as a reminder, the SSARS reports, that is our Say Something Anonymous

2469
02:37:58,336 --> 02:38:02,415
Reporting System, where students can go in and report bullying or concerns that

2470
02:38:02,445 --> 02:38:06,526
they have with peers or sometimes staff in their school buildings.

2471
02:38:07,006 --> 02:38:11,235
And then the Gaggle reports come directly from our email system and Google

2472
02:38:11,595 --> 02:38:17,565
platform. That is where specific phrases and tags are flagged and then sent to

2473
02:38:17,625 --> 02:38:19,725
us to investigate what's being said.

2474
02:38:22,545 --> 02:38:27,165
The next slide, you will see our PowerSchool/Infinite Campus, because we changed

2475
02:38:27,256 --> 02:38:31,065
last year to Infinite Campus. Looking at our discipline reports, you'll see the

2476
02:38:31,215 --> 02:38:35,506
23-24 cumulatives, and then 24-25, and then this past year,

2477
02:38:36,435 --> 02:38:39,855
25-26. So the first thing that you'll notice, and I'm going to come back to this

2478
02:38:39,915 --> 02:38:45,825
part, is a significant drop in our total number of reports from 14,000 and

2479
02:38:45,855 --> 02:38:48,855
then 12,000, and this past year, we had 5,000.

2480
02:38:49,425 --> 02:38:51,225
So I'm going to talk about that in just a second.

2481
02:38:51,285 --> 02:38:54,645
But first, you can see the breakdown there of the specific categories.

2482
02:38:54,735 --> 02:38:58,756
There are lots more categories that are included in these reports, but these are

2483
02:38:58,785 --> 02:39:02,715
the ones that we discuss at our monthly K-12 meetings because these are the most

2484
02:39:02,776 --> 02:39:05,026
prevalent behaviors that we're seeing across schools.

2485
02:39:05,805 --> 02:39:09,914
Specifically looking at our higher numbers, you can see we have fights, some

2486
02:39:09,975 --> 02:39:14,836
aggressive behavior, inappropriate behavior, disruptive behavior, and then, of

2487
02:39:14,895 --> 02:39:17,295
course, looking at our vaping down there at the bottom.

2488
02:39:17,595 --> 02:39:22,245
Again, all of these are in the green because they are all decreased from the

2489
02:39:22,276 --> 02:39:26,506
previous year, pretty significantly, and so I do want to talk about that.

2490
02:39:27,526 --> 02:39:33,375
We had a 59.1% decrease, with 7,454 fewer discipline reports

2491
02:39:33,405 --> 02:39:36,195
this past year than in the previous years.

2492
02:39:36,915 --> 02:39:42,855
But as I've shared with our cabinet and then with our K-12 principals, when I'm out

2493
02:39:42,915 --> 02:39:46,515
visiting schools and when I'm talking with counselors and our social workers, one

2494
02:39:46,545 --> 02:39:49,605
of the biggest hot topics that we talk about is student behavior.

2495
02:39:50,086 --> 02:39:52,965
That comes through my department quite a lot, and so when I look at this

2496
02:39:52,995 --> 02:39:57,795
information, it makes me question, "Why did we have such a huge drop in behavior?"

2497
02:39:58,785 --> 02:40:01,815
I would love to say that it's because of all the wonderful things we're doing to

2498
02:40:01,845 --> 02:40:06,526
prevent behavior and to increase our restorative practices in our schools.

2499
02:40:07,336 --> 02:40:11,026
But I think there's some other factors at play here, and one of those is in talking

2500
02:40:11,086 --> 02:40:14,115
with our principals. I think that we have varied

2501
02:40:15,526 --> 02:40:19,215
data collection methods happening across the district in terms of what's being

2502
02:40:19,305 --> 02:40:24,195
entered into Infinite Campus for a major discipline referral versus a minor

2503
02:40:24,285 --> 02:40:28,725
referral. In speaking with some of our high school principals, they have a

2504
02:40:28,785 --> 02:40:31,965
different category for what is considered a major and then what they say is a

2505
02:40:32,026 --> 02:40:36,975
minor. So in some of our high schools, they input absolutely every single incident

2506
02:40:37,006 --> 02:40:41,115
that happens at the school. In others, they're inputting the major ones, and then

2507
02:40:41,145 --> 02:40:44,475
they have a separate notebook of all of the minor incidents that they do not feel

2508
02:40:44,506 --> 02:40:47,506
like qualifies as a major to be put into Infinite Campus.

2509
02:40:47,625 --> 02:40:52,336
So, what that has prompted is that we need some calibration across the district in

2510
02:40:52,395 --> 02:40:56,836
making sure that we are doing it the same at every school, whichever way that's

2511
02:40:56,865 --> 02:41:00,405
going to be. However we categorize a major and a minor, that's not something that

2512
02:41:00,465 --> 02:41:04,575
we have really defined in a while. So we need to come back to that and make sure

2513
02:41:04,635 --> 02:41:08,745
that across the district we are putting in the same type of incidents, so that when

2514
02:41:08,776 --> 02:41:11,955
we look at the data, it's accurate as to what's actually happening across our

2515
02:41:11,985 --> 02:41:14,985
school districts. So that will be happening this year.

2516
02:41:15,075 --> 02:41:18,075
That is on our list to talk about behavior and try to figure out how to make that

2517
02:41:18,105 --> 02:41:18,375
better.

2518
02:41:19,756 --> 02:41:22,485
There is a link there. I'm not sure if you have that in your packet or not.

2519
02:41:22,545 --> 02:41:24,165
If you don't, I'll be sure to get that to you.

2520
02:41:24,225 --> 02:41:28,185
But the link takes you to our feeder pattern data comparisons.

2521
02:41:28,215 --> 02:41:32,685
That's something new that we did this year in terms of looking at specific feeder

2522
02:41:32,776 --> 02:41:35,776
patterns for each elementary school, and then to the middle school, and then to the

2523
02:41:35,836 --> 02:41:39,345
high school. Is the data that we're seeing calibrated at that level?

2524
02:41:39,435 --> 02:41:41,865
And what we've noticed is sometimes there it's not as well.

2525
02:41:41,925 --> 02:41:46,276
We will look at our elementary schools that may have 500 incidents, and then all of

2526
02:41:46,305 --> 02:41:49,215
those elementary school kids go to middle school, and we have 80 incidents.

2527
02:41:49,635 --> 02:41:53,205
And it's the same kids that are going through those same schools, and so that data,

2528
02:41:53,295 --> 02:41:56,776
again, isn't quite matching up. So that also will come into that calibration that

2529
02:41:56,805 --> 02:42:00,165
we're going to do this school year, looking at all of our data entry.

2530
02:42:02,595 --> 02:42:04,665
Next, you'll see long-term suspensions.

2531
02:42:04,785 --> 02:42:09,405
So, we had a huge drop last year, about almost half, and we maintained that for

2532
02:42:09,526 --> 02:42:12,075
25-26. We had 33 long-term suspensions.

2533
02:42:12,435 --> 02:42:15,795
We did have quite an increase there for middle school, though, so you can see that.

2534
02:42:17,295 --> 02:42:20,954
The next slide is looking at our orange folders, red folders, and then mental

2535
02:42:21,015 --> 02:42:26,055
health hospitalizations. So our orange folders are our threat of violence against

2536
02:42:26,175 --> 02:42:30,765
others. We renamed it this year to better align with our state statutes, which is

2537
02:42:30,855 --> 02:42:33,705
our BTAM, Behavioral Threat Assessment Management.

2538
02:42:34,125 --> 02:42:36,526
So now our orange folder is a BTAM assessment.

2539
02:42:37,545 --> 02:42:42,435
This past year in 25-26, we did 192 of those across the district, and you can see

2540
02:42:42,465 --> 02:42:44,595
the breakdown there for elementary, middle, and high.

2541
02:42:44,985 --> 02:42:44,985
A

2542
02:42:47,055 --> 02:42:50,506
much larger number in elementary school because I think that a lot of our

2543
02:42:50,565 --> 02:42:53,776
elementary schoolers are trying to get away with a lot more, and by middle and high

2544
02:42:53,836 --> 02:42:56,145
school, they've learned what's appropriate and what's not appropriate.

2545
02:42:57,375 --> 02:43:01,875
Red folders, we did have a decrease this year, and that is our concern for

2546
02:43:01,935 --> 02:43:06,555
self-harm, the threat of self-harm. We had 366 of those across the district.

2547
02:43:06,765 --> 02:43:09,285
You can again see the breakdown for elementary, middle, and high.

2548
02:43:10,065 --> 02:43:13,365
We did unfortunately have an increase in our mental health hospitalizations.

2549
02:43:13,425 --> 02:43:18,195
So we had 129. When I talk about this data with our principals, I'm very careful to

2550
02:43:18,256 --> 02:43:23,055
say, "This is hospitalizations that we are aware of." This means we assisted with

2551
02:43:23,295 --> 02:43:25,756
transition meetings with those students coming back to school.

2552
02:43:26,655 --> 02:43:29,955
I do feel that there are probably additional hospitalizations that never make it to

2553
02:43:30,075 --> 02:43:35,086
our data collection. But from what we are aware of, we had 129 of those this past

2554
02:43:35,115 --> 02:43:35,325
year.

2555
02:43:37,815 --> 02:43:39,975
The next one is kind of a hodgepodge of data.

2556
02:43:40,155 --> 02:43:45,465
So looking at truancy petitions filed, you will also see there a dramatic decrease.

2557
02:43:45,855 --> 02:43:50,865
We had 79 truancy petitions filed as opposed to 187 the year before.

2558
02:43:50,955 --> 02:43:56,055
A couple of factors for that. The court system transitioned to a new online

2559
02:43:56,115 --> 02:44:00,495
reporting system, and so this past year, they limited the amount of truancy

2560
02:44:00,555 --> 02:44:02,385
petitions that we were able to file.

2561
02:44:02,805 --> 02:44:08,055
So, we did still have way more than 79 truancy petitions that we would have liked

2562
02:44:08,115 --> 02:44:12,045
to have filed, but we were given a limit per month of what we were able to do.

2563
02:44:12,135 --> 02:44:16,095
So Michelle Henderson, our truancy coordinator, had to really go through and we had

2564
02:44:16,155 --> 02:44:21,015
to prioritize which petitions we were going to file and try to assist those

2565
02:44:21,075 --> 02:44:22,695
families to get those kids back in school.

2566
02:44:24,195 --> 02:44:28,336
Looking at DSS reports filed, we did have an increase there of 485.

2567
02:44:28,425 --> 02:44:31,935
Those are DSS reports that our school staff filed.

2568
02:44:32,925 --> 02:44:37,455
McKinney-Vento, that's our homeless population, we also had an increase there, 265

2569
02:44:37,515 --> 02:44:41,985
identified families. Again, those are families that come to us and identify

2570
02:44:42,015 --> 02:44:44,955
themselves or that we seek out and say, "Hey, is there something going on?

2571
02:44:45,015 --> 02:44:49,545
Can we help you?" I would also venture to say we probably have more than 265

2572
02:44:49,575 --> 02:44:53,776
families across the district that would identify themselves as homeless, and we are

2573
02:44:53,836 --> 02:44:56,745
always seeking ways to try to reach out to those families to get them to come and

2574
02:44:56,776 --> 02:45:01,293
talk to us so that we can help them. Foster care bid meetings, we had a pretty good

2575
02:45:01,353 --> 02:45:04,323
increase there, 123 of those over the last year.

2576
02:45:04,952 --> 02:45:08,523
Homebound students has been about the same over the last three years, 25.

2577
02:45:08,944 --> 02:45:12,633
And then TED events, we were down last year with four, so that is a positive there

2578
02:45:12,694 --> 02:45:14,673
for our traumatic events across the district.

2579
02:45:17,013 --> 02:45:19,713
The next slide is our counselor data review.

2580
02:45:20,223 --> 02:45:23,944
Again, we did some calibration with this, and you'll see that here.

2581
02:45:24,003 --> 02:45:29,433
We really looked at, with our parent contacts, we had an increase there because we

2582
02:45:29,463 --> 02:45:32,853
were trying to figure out exactly what does a parent contact mean.

2583
02:45:32,913 --> 02:45:35,643
Is that a parent who is coming in and sitting down with us, or is that a phone

2584
02:45:35,703 --> 02:45:39,573
call, or is that an email? That goes with each of these categories.

2585
02:45:39,633 --> 02:45:43,803
You'll see the consultation with other staff members, a huge drop from 17,000 to

2586
02:45:43,983 --> 02:45:46,833
3,000. That does not mean our counselors are doing less work.

2587
02:45:47,162 --> 02:45:50,763
That means that we had some conversations about what does consultation with a staff

2588
02:45:50,793 --> 02:45:54,333
member look like, and we were able to better define that, so that we were able to

2589
02:45:54,393 --> 02:45:57,393
really track exactly what we're doing in those moments.

2590
02:45:57,483 --> 02:46:01,743
So that 3,000 is a better indicator of how many conversations we're having as

2591
02:46:01,773 --> 02:46:05,703
opposed to every single stop in the hallway and say, "How's it going?" I think that

2592
02:46:05,733 --> 02:46:08,373
first year we were tallying all of that, as we're trying to get into the data

2593
02:46:08,433 --> 02:46:13,263
collection for the state. School-based counseling referrals, we had 410 of those

2594
02:46:13,323 --> 02:46:16,444
this past year, and then meetings attended there, you'll see that.

2595
02:46:16,803 --> 02:46:20,944
Also, a link here for SISS data. That is a new requirement from the state.

2596
02:46:21,033 --> 02:46:23,493
That's Specialized Instructional Support Personnel.

2597
02:46:23,944 --> 02:46:27,123
That is data that we collect from our social workers, from our counselors, and from

2598
02:46:27,183 --> 02:46:31,203
our school nurses. That is all about how we are helping our families.

2599
02:46:31,263 --> 02:46:33,333
What are we providing for them? Are we providing food?

2600
02:46:33,393 --> 02:46:37,953
Are we providing clothing, resource assistance, transportation, all kinds of

2601
02:46:38,013 --> 02:46:40,773
categories there. So again, if you don't have that, since it's linked there, I

2602
02:46:40,803 --> 02:46:42,123
should have included that in the packet.

2603
02:46:42,663 --> 02:46:44,763
I'll be happy to get that to you so you can review that.

2604
02:46:46,503 --> 02:46:48,873
So this leads us to some goals for '26, '27.

2605
02:46:49,444 --> 02:46:52,053
We want to look at an updated student code of conduct.

2606
02:46:52,173 --> 02:46:56,433
That will bring in that calibration piece, being very clear on paper, how are we

2607
02:46:56,493 --> 02:46:59,973
looking at behavior across our district and categorizing that so that our data

2608
02:47:00,033 --> 02:47:01,563
collection, again, is valid.

2609
02:47:03,123 --> 02:47:07,083
We want to continue discussion of our behavior supports and restorative practices.

2610
02:47:07,114 --> 02:47:11,043
We are really still trying to shift from not just giving consequences, but sitting

2611
02:47:11,103 --> 02:47:14,973
down and teaching correct behaviors for our students K-12.

2612
02:47:15,663 --> 02:47:19,323
And then, of course, looking at advocacy for additional student services staff

2613
02:47:19,353 --> 02:47:23,313
funding. You all, I believe we've shared, but I'll just go ahead and say it out

2614
02:47:23,373 --> 02:47:26,703
there again, we are on a grant right now with our school social workers.

2615
02:47:27,273 --> 02:47:32,103
It's a five-year grant, and right now we're in year four, so next year will be our

2616
02:47:32,163 --> 02:47:36,033
final year with that grant, and if we are not able to secure additional funding, we

2617
02:47:36,063 --> 02:47:39,483
will lose some positions there for our social workers, and that's not something

2618
02:47:39,543 --> 02:47:43,323
that we want. So we're going to continue to advocate for those additional positions

2619
02:47:43,383 --> 02:47:46,293
so we can keep the staff we have and hopefully get more staff.

2620
02:47:46,323 --> 02:47:50,013
Because as you can see from these numbers, we have 16 social workers supporting our

2621
02:47:50,163 --> 02:47:52,383
35 schools. They each serve two to three schools.

2622
02:47:52,803 --> 02:47:56,643
And I have 57 counselors supporting our 35 schools, which sounds like a lot, but

2623
02:47:56,673 --> 02:48:00,183
when you've got a school of 1,000 and two to three counselors there, it's not

2624
02:48:00,213 --> 02:48:04,023
really that much. So any questions about any of this data?

2625
02:48:04,623 --> 02:48:05,523
I have two questions.

2626
02:48:05,583 --> 02:48:05,944
Yes, sir.

2627
02:48:07,923 --> 02:48:08,523
One is,

2628
02:48:11,132 --> 02:48:13,533
it only lit as green, so that's good, first of all.

2629
02:48:14,132 --> 02:48:15,843
The K-5 bullying online reporting.

2630
02:48:16,233 --> 02:48:16,503
Yes.

2631
02:48:16,683 --> 02:48:17,763
There was only three.

2632
02:48:18,123 --> 02:48:18,543
Yes.

2633
02:48:20,343 --> 02:48:25,173
Three out of all the elementary schools, because I remember three pretty much in

2634
02:48:25,263 --> 02:48:25,473
email.

2635
02:48:25,533 --> 02:48:28,923
And what you're saying is that we've had at least three emails personally to us as

2636
02:48:28,953 --> 02:48:29,313
a board-

2637
02:48:29,493 --> 02:48:29,493
Yeah

2638
02:48:29,493 --> 02:48:30,063
... maybe more-

2639
02:48:30,183 --> 02:48:30,303
Yes, right

2640
02:48:30,303 --> 02:48:30,933
... over the year.

2641
02:48:31,023 --> 02:48:32,194
So far this year.

2642
02:48:32,553 --> 02:48:32,733
Right.

2643
02:48:33,273 --> 02:48:33,723
Right, yeah.

2644
02:48:33,753 --> 02:48:35,073
Maybe not quite this year yet-

2645
02:48:35,133 --> 02:48:35,133
No

2646
02:48:35,133 --> 02:48:38,673
... as of August, but last year for sure, more than three or four emails.

2647
02:48:38,703 --> 02:48:38,703
Yes.

2648
02:48:38,763 --> 02:48:41,133
So how is that-- Yeah, I think that's what you're saying, if that doesn't

2649
02:48:41,223 --> 02:48:41,703
correlate-

2650
02:48:41,823 --> 02:48:41,944
Yeah

2651
02:48:42,213 --> 02:48:43,444
... it's really only three.

2652
02:48:43,833 --> 02:48:47,253
I think that speaks a little bit to the conversation that you all had with the

2653
02:48:47,313 --> 02:48:49,743
state earlier. Yes. Or with the board-

2654
02:48:50,463 --> 02:48:51,963
Did they actually report it?

2655
02:48:52,023 --> 02:48:52,203
Right.

2656
02:48:52,263 --> 02:48:53,283
Or did they just email you?

2657
02:48:53,523 --> 02:48:55,083
Right. I think that they're-

2658
02:48:55,293 --> 02:48:55,653
The proper channel

2659
02:48:55,653 --> 02:48:57,513
... not necessarily following-- Right.

2660
02:48:57,633 --> 02:48:57,633
Okay.

2661
02:48:57,694 --> 02:49:01,743
That we have this out there for them to utilize, and when we have that, we take

2662
02:49:01,773 --> 02:49:04,923
that directly to the school and give that information to the principal, ask them to

2663
02:49:04,953 --> 02:49:06,694
investigate. We follow back up with them.

2664
02:49:07,114 --> 02:49:11,073
That would be the proper channel for how to report bullying, but nowadays a lot of

2665
02:49:11,133 --> 02:49:15,273
our reports come directly from an upset parent who may go directly to you, to the

2666
02:49:15,333 --> 02:49:15,633
board-

2667
02:49:16,444 --> 02:49:16,444
Right

2668
02:49:16,444 --> 02:49:20,043
... or to us, cabinet, or directly to the principal without going through the

2669
02:49:20,073 --> 02:49:24,364
bullying reporting form. The bullying reporting form does have the opportunity to

2670
02:49:24,393 --> 02:49:27,843
be anonymous. So I think sometimes people think, "I'm only going to use that if I

2671
02:49:27,873 --> 02:49:31,233
don't want them to know who I am." And a lot of times they have no problem telling

2672
02:49:31,293 --> 02:49:31,864
us who they are.

2673
02:49:31,893 --> 02:49:31,893
They want you to know.

2674
02:49:31,923 --> 02:49:33,603
They want us to know, which is fine.

2675
02:49:34,323 --> 02:49:38,673
So I think a lot of times we have a lot more bullying incidents, I believe, than

2676
02:49:38,733 --> 02:49:40,803
what is reported necessarily on our form.

2677
02:49:40,864 --> 02:49:43,653
In the system. Okay. Second question.

2678
02:49:44,343 --> 02:49:46,623
I noticed, and it's another green one, so good job.

2679
02:49:47,643 --> 02:49:52,983
Excessive tardiness dropped just exponentially. Are we doing something specific?

2680
02:49:53,223 --> 02:49:58,353
And you broke out some of the other changes and why they need to represent a

2681
02:49:58,413 --> 02:50:00,993
smaller number, but what about that one? Are we doing something that great?

2682
02:50:01,923 --> 02:50:04,023
I wish I could say yes. I don't believe so.

2683
02:50:04,114 --> 02:50:08,823
I think that we have taken the opportunity over the last three years to really look

2684
02:50:08,973 --> 02:50:12,153
more at, are we getting students into class?

2685
02:50:12,213 --> 02:50:15,093
Not necessarily are they one minute or two minutes late, and we're not necessarily

2686
02:50:15,153 --> 02:50:17,853
putting in every single incident of they are tardy.

2687
02:50:18,753 --> 02:50:22,533
And more so, were they tardy as in missed half the class and then they came in.

2688
02:50:22,563 --> 02:50:24,213
And try to be absent versus-

2689
02:50:24,213 --> 02:50:24,213
Correct

2690
02:50:24,273 --> 02:50:24,723
... present.

2691
02:50:24,873 --> 02:50:25,923
Correct, yes.

2692
02:50:25,983 --> 02:50:28,233
And my final question, I don't mean to take up all the time.

2693
02:50:28,353 --> 02:50:28,413
Right.

2694
02:50:28,473 --> 02:50:31,114
I'm sure you guys got questions too, but I was confused-

2695
02:50:31,533 --> 02:50:31,713
Okay

2696
02:50:32,013 --> 02:50:37,533
... on truancy petitions filed that are almost 100 less. It's in the green again.

2697
02:50:37,623 --> 02:50:37,893
Yes.

2698
02:50:39,513 --> 02:50:41,614
It was because we're limited by the

2699
02:50:43,114 --> 02:50:43,864
county system?

2700
02:50:44,163 --> 02:50:44,553
Yes.

2701
02:50:44,793 --> 02:50:47,103
Can you re-explain that?

2702
02:50:47,194 --> 02:50:52,083
So it's something that we're hopeful will change as the county gets more used to

2703
02:50:52,143 --> 02:50:57,633
this system. But it was more of, how many cases can they process in the new system

2704
02:50:57,694 --> 02:50:59,944
versus what our typical docket is.

2705
02:51:00,633 --> 02:51:03,243
I've been to truancy court with Michelle a couple of times just to see how it

2706
02:51:03,273 --> 02:51:09,063
works. And prior to this year, we would have a docket of you could have 300 to 350

2707
02:51:09,153 --> 02:51:13,864
cases that are coming in that are reviewed by the district attorney and by our

2708
02:51:13,923 --> 02:51:19,683
Judge Covington. And so now we are on a given day with their new computer

2709
02:51:19,743 --> 02:51:23,403
system, they may say, "We can have 100 on the docket today, so which 100 are we

2710
02:51:23,432 --> 02:51:28,112
going to take?" And so it has just limited what we're able to-

2711
02:51:28,202 --> 02:51:29,253
Limited court system

2712
02:51:29,283 --> 02:51:29,612
... take.

2713
02:51:29,673 --> 02:51:29,792
So-

2714
02:51:29,853 --> 02:51:30,362
Correct

2715
02:51:30,423 --> 02:51:35,944
... so starting maybe two to three years ago, the

2716
02:51:36,063 --> 02:51:41,463
state as a whole went to what I call the portal. It's called eCourts.

2717
02:51:41,703 --> 02:51:41,793
Mm-hmm.

2718
02:51:41,823 --> 02:51:44,614
So now all the filings, correct, are online.

2719
02:51:44,763 --> 02:51:45,063
Yes.

2720
02:51:45,723 --> 02:51:50,463
I cannot walk down to the courthouse and file a document anymore. Okay.

2721
02:51:50,523 --> 02:51:52,233
Or if we're outside of truancy, you're talking about-

2722
02:51:52,353 --> 02:51:52,593
Any

2723
02:51:52,773 --> 02:51:53,253
... anything.

2724
02:51:53,313 --> 02:51:53,673
Anything.

2725
02:51:53,763 --> 02:51:54,333
Including truancy.

2726
02:51:54,393 --> 02:51:54,903
A motion-

2727
02:51:54,933 --> 02:51:55,023
File

2728
02:51:55,023 --> 02:52:00,663
... a complaint, whatever. And they've rolled that out across the state over about

2729
02:52:00,694 --> 02:52:02,673
a two-year to three-year process.

2730
02:52:03,393 --> 02:52:03,423
Mm-hmm.

2731
02:52:03,453 --> 02:52:09,063
We went live on that, I believe in Davidson County, in October of

2732
02:52:09,213 --> 02:52:12,063
2025, if my memory serves me correctly.

2733
02:52:12,753 --> 02:52:12,783
Yes.

2734
02:52:12,813 --> 02:52:17,643
And in my opinion now, I'm a dinosaur, and I don't like technology, but I'm not a

2735
02:52:17,703 --> 02:52:19,293
big fan of the portal.

2736
02:52:21,963 --> 02:52:23,493
It slows access-

2737
02:52:23,493 --> 02:52:23,493
I can imagine

2738
02:52:23,523 --> 02:52:25,263
... to the courts, in my opinion.

2739
02:52:26,793 --> 02:52:30,873
But that's the first I've heard of that, but it does not surprise me.

2740
02:52:31,413 --> 02:52:36,873
Regardless of what we feel of truancy, it's a law, and so

2741
02:52:37,773 --> 02:52:43,653
violating that law is a criminal act or maybe not so harsh a term because it

2742
02:52:43,713 --> 02:52:49,653
is truancy. However, okay, 1,000 kids are truant, but we can't do anything

2743
02:52:49,713 --> 02:52:52,953
about 900 of them because you have a limit.

2744
02:52:53,194 --> 02:52:56,133
You got a choke point of how many they can process.

2745
02:52:56,733 --> 02:52:57,423
So we need to-

2746
02:52:57,513 --> 02:52:57,723
Right

2747
02:52:57,723 --> 02:53:02,883
... I'm sure something has been done at a higher level than just DCS-

2748
02:53:04,143 --> 02:53:04,263
Right

2749
02:53:04,263 --> 02:53:05,343
... with the court system.

2750
02:53:05,433 --> 02:53:08,493
And it truly makes the job of our social workers that much more important because

2751
02:53:08,523 --> 02:53:11,883
they're still having mediation and meeting with families and doing all that we can

2752
02:53:11,944 --> 02:53:13,383
on our side of things without

2753
02:53:14,883 --> 02:53:17,103
having the formality of court.

2754
02:53:18,483 --> 02:53:20,013
I just found that, I've circled that one-

2755
02:53:20,043 --> 02:53:20,073
Yeah

2756
02:53:20,073 --> 02:53:21,903
... as soon as you said it because it was confusing that-

2757
02:53:22,053 --> 02:53:22,083
Yeah

2758
02:53:22,083 --> 02:53:25,683
... we're limited in prosecuting a criminal or whatever.

2759
02:53:26,403 --> 02:53:26,403
Yeah.

2760
02:53:26,463 --> 02:53:27,333
So, okay.

2761
02:53:28,143 --> 02:53:28,773
Other questions?

2762
02:53:30,783 --> 02:53:35,373
How do you, I guess, anticipate the data that looks so much better over the

2763
02:53:35,433 --> 02:53:41,403
previous years? I imagine it will impact funding but not for the better.

2764
02:53:41,614 --> 02:53:45,123
So, I know you talk about advocating for additional funding, but it's going to be

2765
02:53:45,153 --> 02:53:46,593
hard to do that-

2766
02:53:46,593 --> 02:53:46,683
Right

2767
02:53:46,713 --> 02:53:50,283
... when our numbers in most situations look good.

2768
02:53:50,343 --> 02:53:53,944
Right. I think as far as advocating for positions,

2769
02:53:55,263 --> 02:53:59,823
I could say that the positions that we have are working because we are seeing some

2770
02:53:59,883 --> 02:54:04,203
positive gains. But as far as the calibration piece, I think our data will come

2771
02:54:04,263 --> 02:54:07,444
back up this year when we say, "Okay, we need to make sure we're putting everything

2772
02:54:07,563 --> 02:54:07,773
in."

2773
02:54:09,003 --> 02:54:13,390
But As far as funding goes, what we currently have

2774
02:54:14,080 --> 02:54:18,669
behavior-wise is not necessarily tied to funding that I think will be impacted with

2775
02:54:18,729 --> 02:54:20,859
our data, if that makes sense. Okay. Yes. Yeah.

2776
02:54:20,890 --> 02:54:24,399
It's more so looking for positions, not necessarily programs.

2777
02:54:24,669 --> 02:54:29,199
Okay. We want people. Right. Yeah.

2778
02:54:32,769 --> 02:54:33,399
That's it.

2779
02:54:33,459 --> 02:54:37,449
Okay. And my last item is just looking at our strategic plan.

2780
02:54:37,569 --> 02:54:42,849
I just wanted to make sure that we are all aware, which has been discussed, that we

2781
02:54:42,939 --> 02:54:46,359
are in our final year of our current DCS strategic plan.

2782
02:54:46,719 --> 02:54:50,890
And throughout this year, we have a timeline for what it's going to look like to

2783
02:54:50,919 --> 02:54:56,319
wrap up and conclude our current plan, and then to start planning and get a new

2784
02:54:56,379 --> 02:55:00,069
plan in place by the end of this school year, so that we are ready to launch some

2785
02:55:00,099 --> 02:55:02,529
of our goals from that plan next school year.

2786
02:55:02,649 --> 02:55:05,469
So our current plan, we have four goals.

2787
02:55:05,560 --> 02:55:08,890
Our first meeting is next week with our first committee to start looking at how

2788
02:55:08,919 --> 02:55:12,339
have we done on those goals over the last four years. What have we accomplished?

2789
02:55:13,749 --> 02:55:15,999
It's one of those things where we love to go through and check and say, "We did

2790
02:55:16,060 --> 02:55:19,330
great. We met all of our goals." But that's not going to be necessarily beneficial

2791
02:55:19,359 --> 02:55:21,939
for us to really just say that and not know what our data looks like.

2792
02:55:21,999 --> 02:55:27,609
So we'll be digging in to really see what we have accomplished and how we've met

2793
02:55:27,640 --> 02:55:30,999
those goals this year. And then you can see the timeline there, just on what you

2794
02:55:31,060 --> 02:55:35,109
have. September, October, we will start reflecting and assessing those goals.

2795
02:55:35,169 --> 02:55:39,310
November, December, we will look at closing out the current plan, making sure that

2796
02:55:39,369 --> 02:55:43,839
we have data to support our indicators that we have met and/or not met.

2797
02:55:44,799 --> 02:55:49,330
And then in January, we'll start the new plan development with either a new team

2798
02:55:49,419 --> 02:55:52,060
than this team that we've started next week or maybe some of the same.

2799
02:55:52,119 --> 02:55:55,479
But our teams will be made up of principals, assistant principals.

2800
02:55:55,509 --> 02:55:58,509
We'll have counselors, social workers. We'll have curriculum folks.

2801
02:55:58,569 --> 02:56:02,499
We'll have directors. We'll have instructional coaches, people from all across the

2802
02:56:02,529 --> 02:56:06,159
district, as well as community members, and potentially some of you as well.

2803
02:56:06,249 --> 02:56:11,080
I'll be asking to sit on our strategic plan committee in looking at what do we want

2804
02:56:11,109 --> 02:56:14,080
for the next four years for Davidson County Schools.

2805
02:56:14,140 --> 02:56:18,339
Because our next plan will run until 2031, which is crazy to even say out loud.

2806
02:56:19,119 --> 02:56:21,759
But we've got to be thinking ahead and thinking what do we want to see in the next

2807
02:56:21,819 --> 02:56:25,899
four years for our school system. And we'll be working on that February, March,

2808
02:56:26,019 --> 02:56:30,399
April, finalizing some of those goals and indicators in May and June.

2809
02:56:30,459 --> 02:56:33,699
And then, of course, over the summer, getting ready to roll it out for next school

2810
02:56:33,729 --> 02:56:37,239
year in August of 2027. So I just wanted you to have that timeline.

2811
02:56:37,269 --> 02:56:39,310
I'll be giving you an update here and there throughout the year.

2812
02:56:40,119 --> 02:56:42,640
And next year will be a big year for rolling out our new goals.

2813
02:56:42,969 --> 02:56:44,439
So any questions about that timeline?

2814
02:56:45,969 --> 02:56:47,739
Thank you, Dr. Greer. Appreciate it.

2815
02:56:50,019 --> 02:56:53,499
At this time, to prevent disclosure of information that is confidential or

2816
02:56:53,529 --> 02:56:58,929
privileged under General Statute 143-318.11A1, to consult

2817
02:56:58,959 --> 02:57:03,369
with the board attorney and protect attorney-client privilege under General Statute

2818
02:57:03,549 --> 02:57:09,189
143-318.11A3, and to consider the qualifications, competence, performance,

2819
02:57:09,279 --> 02:57:12,729
conditions of employment of a public officer or employee, or prospective public

2820
02:57:12,819 --> 02:57:17,199
officer or employee under General Statute 143-318.11A6.

2821
02:57:17,259 --> 02:57:18,819
Do I have a motion to go into closed?

2822
02:57:19,209 --> 02:57:20,259
Make that motion.

2823
02:57:20,349 --> 02:57:20,979
Do I have a second?

2824
02:57:21,549 --> 02:57:21,819
Second.

2825
02:57:21,879 --> 02:57:24,338
All in favor? We're now in closed.