[0:05] Good evening everyone.
[0:06] And welcome. I would like to call this meeting to order
[0:08] and we will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance.
[0:35] I need a motion to accept the agenda. So move.
[0:38] I have a motion to accept the agenda
[0:40] from Trustee Shola Barber.
[0:42] I just need a second. Second. I have a second.
[0:44] From Trustee Hill and Trustee Murphy. Trustee Johnson? Yes.
[0:48] Trustee Murphy. Yes. Trustee Scho Barber. Yes.
[0:52] Trustee Peyton? Yes. Trustee McGlynn? Yes. Trustee Hill?
[0:55] Yes. And I say Yes.
[0:57] Secretary McGlynn, will you please take attendance?
[1:00] Yes. All trustees are present. And Dr. Slater's present.
[1:04] Thank you so much. And Secretary McGlynn,
[1:06] will you also do correspondence?
[1:11] Yes. All of our correspondence were through email on
[1:16] August 25th.
[1:18] We got an email from Nate
[1:19] and Christie Grau regarding middle school orientation.
[1:24] I responded on August 28th,
[1:28] we got an email from Toby Ward
[1:31] regarding a Title IX complaint.
[1:33] I responded on eight 30.
[1:36] We got a email from Donisha Scott
[1:40] regarding questions on students returning to school.
[1:43] Dr. Slade and I responded on September 2nd,
[1:48] we got an email from Mariana Hicks
[1:51] regarding a campus safety interaction in district
[1:54] administrative review.
[1:55] Dr. Slade and I responded on October
[1:59] or September 8th, we got a email from Johnny Horvath
[2:04] regarding a student exclusion.
[2:06] And I responded.
[2:08] And on the eighth we received an email from Maria
[2:11] and Jeremiah Newhouse inquiring on the high school transfer
[2:15] policy and I replied,
[2:17] Thank you.
[2:18] I need a motion to accept the consent calendar items.
[2:22] I have a motion from Trustee Johnson.
[2:24] I just need a second, second? Second. I have a second.
[2:26] From Trustee Murphy and Trustee Schola Barber. Ms. Caer.
[2:31] Thank you President Harrison.
[2:32] We have five purchase recommendations this evening.
[2:35] The first is request number 2027 dash 13 in the amount
[2:39] of $68,430.
[2:43] This is for audio visual upgrades at Chenery Auditorium
[2:47] and this will be funded with the 2022 bond.
[2:51] Next we have purchase recommendation 2027 dash 14 in the
[2:55] amount of $116,533 and 9 cents.
[2:59] And this is also for equipment
[3:01] and furniture for Chenery Auditorium.
[3:03] And this will also be funded from the 2022 bond.
[3:09] Next is request number 2027 dash 15 in the amount
[3:13] of $31,527.
[3:16] And this is for the replacement of condenser coils
[3:19] for Washington Academy Chiller.
[3:21] This is funded from the 2022 bond
[3:26] purchase request 2027 dash 16 in the amount
[3:29] of $57,036 and 42 cents.
[3:33] And this is for furniture for Maple Street Magnet School
[3:36] and this is funded by the 2022 bond.
[3:41] Lastly, we have purchase recommendation 2027 dash 17 in the
[3:46] amount of $75,499.
[3:49] And this is to purchase Goblins Math.
[3:51] And this is funded by the Instruction cost center.
[3:54] And that is it. Thank you.
[3:56] Thank you. Is there a discussion from the board,
[4:00] Trustee Scho Barber?
[4:02] I just have noticed as we do perennially or annually
[4:06] or weekly at every meeting that many
[4:09] of these purchase orders are out
[4:11] of bonds that we have passed.
[4:13] And in this one there are amazing things,
[4:15] especially the important things like the condenser coils
[4:18] for Washington Writers Academy.
[4:20] And these are necessary items we must buy, right?
[4:24] It is, yes, for our air conditioning.
[4:25] There you go. So if we didn't have these bonds,
[4:28] it would have to come out of the general fund.
[4:30] So as I've always said,
[4:32] or as we've always said,
[4:34] the whole board appreciates everybody who has
[4:37] I helped us pass these bonds.
[4:41] Trustee McGloin
[4:44] Also wanna just point out that the Chenery auditorium
[4:48] that we have on this request is a small part
[4:52] that we're paying for
[4:54] and a much larger part has been through a donation
[5:00] for from community partners.
[5:01] So do you wanna talk about that just for a second?
[5:05] Ms. Connie can speak to that.
[5:07] Yes. Thank you. Yes,
[5:08] we did receive a large donation from the Irving Ness Gilmore
[5:12] Foundation to replace all the LED lighting in the Chenery
[5:16] auditorium and surrounding areas.
[5:19] For the two purchase recommendations tonight,
[5:22] our auditorium manager, Neil Jansen is here
[5:24] and he could speak to that a little more if you'd like.
[5:33] If we could just get a quick
[5:35] update on that, that would be great.
[5:42] Maybe just an update on the project, how it's,
[5:50] Hi everybody, I'm Neil.
[5:52] I'm the auditorium manager for the district
[5:54] and my office is in Chenery.
[5:55] Come by and check it out at some point.
[5:58] So as far as the lighting upgrades to go first,
[6:02] that's been going over this whole summer
[6:04] and the Gilmore Foundation, as Sue mentioned,
[6:09] has been helping fund all of that.
[6:10] That's taking our old lighting package, which is all
[6:13] of the wiring, all of the, the dimmer packs,
[6:16] all the things in the back that you don't really see.
[6:18] Those are from 1980. So this is quite a big upgrade.
[6:21] We're gonna have full LED control, color changing motion.
[6:26] It's gonna cost, it's gonna be, have a lot of cost savings
[6:29] and environmental factors, which will be beneficial.
[6:31] Temperature factors, which will be helpful.
[6:34] And then because of this, it makes future upgrades more
[6:38] of a straight line.
[6:40] So if we need to replace this light, we can do
[6:43] that easily rather than an entire package.
[6:45] And then as far as the requests here for the,
[6:48] the music stands and those things, a lot
[6:50] of our furniture is also from that era is from the eighties.
[6:54] And so one thing in particular with the chairs
[6:56] and stands is that we have a brown color
[6:58] that is, they don't make anymore.
[7:00] No company makes that color.
[7:01] So it wasn't a matter of just replacing here
[7:04] and there as sort of a full replacement.
[7:06] Now we have black, which will
[7:07] match the rest of the district.
[7:09] So if we can swap things in and out if needed.
[7:12] And then the stands, and I'm sorry, the coral risers
[7:16] and it says custom stage, that's more risers we use
[7:20] for the large coral ensembles.
[7:21] We have similarly, that equipment's all from the eighties.
[7:24] It doesn't really meet modern safety
[7:27] standards as far as for students.
[7:29] And then additionally it, it's the same thing.
[7:32] It adds more upgrade paths that kind of align with that.
[7:37] Thank you. Thank you.
[7:38] And it, there's nothing better to going to a concert with
[7:44] hundreds of kids on the stage and performing.
[7:47] So yes, again, thank you to our community
[7:52] for their support and for our bond.
[7:57] Trustee Peyton,
[7:59] I'd like to thank Dr. Thomas
[8:01] and her staff for purchasing the GOBBINS Math
[8:06] Intervention program,
[8:07] which is gonna be used in middle and high school.
[8:11] And it's a virtual program where the kids can follow along
[8:14] and they don't have to have teacher right there instructing.
[8:19] They get all the feedback from the program. Is that correct?
[8:22] Yes. Yes. Can you tell me a little more?
[8:27] So it is an intervention program
[8:29] for students in middle school through high school.
[8:32] It actually goes through AP calculus.
[8:35] And so students take a placement test, if you will,
[8:38] and it provides students with support in the areas
[8:41] that they're, they may not be as good in
[8:43] for, for mathematics.
[8:45] When you say it's it's virtual, it's in the sense
[8:47] that it's a platform but it's not another person
[8:50] on the other side of it.
[8:51] Okay. It is a,
[8:52] actually it's a computer adaptive program if you will.
[8:54] Will. Okay. Okay. And so students will
[8:56] record their responses.
[8:57] If students are struggling with something,
[9:00] then the tool will come back
[9:01] and help them problem solve in in that regard.
[9:05] So it's not another person on the side of them,
[9:08] it's it's computer, it's it's AI in sense.
[9:11] Okay. That's good. Thank you.
[9:15] Any other comments from trustees? Trustee Johnson?
[9:20] Yes. Trustee Murphy? Yes. Trustee Shola Barber? Yes.
[9:24] Trustee Peyton? Yes. Trustee McGlynn? Yes. Trustee Hill?
[9:28] Yes. And I say yes. Next step is reports. Nope.
[9:33] Next step is the approval of the consumer's energy.
[9:48] Yes, it is recommended
[9:50] that the board approve the attached resolution
[9:52] and agreement with Consumers Energy for an easement
[9:55] to maintain electric facilities located on the grounds
[9:58] of North GLAD Montessori Magnet School.
[10:01] Approval of this agreement will facilitate the construction
[10:04] operating, maintaining, inspecting, surveying, replacing,
[10:07] repairing, improving or replacing a line
[10:09] or lines of electric facilities.
[10:11] The easement will consist of a 15 foot
[10:14] and a six foot strip of land on each side of the facilities
[10:17] as shown in the Exhibit B of the attachment for the purpose
[10:20] of transmitting and distributing electricity.
[10:25] Are there any questions from the board? Trustee McGlynn.
[10:29] So is this pretty typical?
[10:30] Do a lot of our buildings have these kinds of easements?
[10:34] And is is this a renewal
[10:36] or is this actually a new new easement?
[10:39] I think it's an expansion of the current easement
[10:42] to allow them to do the work they need
[10:44] to do on the the lines.
[10:51] No other questions. Trustee Johnson?
[10:55] Trustee Murphy? Yes. Trustee Schola Barber? Yes.
[10:59] Trustee Peyton? Yes. Trustee McGlynn? Yes. Trustee Hill?
[11:03] Yes. And I say yes.
[11:05] And now we'll do reports and recommendations. Super.
[11:11] Yeah, we did it when we approved the,
[11:18] oh, I'm so sorry.
[11:21] It's not that time yet. Approval
[11:23] of the 4 0 3 B retirement plan
[11:29] Hope it is recommended
[11:30] that the board adapt the Kalamazoo Public School's 4 0 3 B
[11:33] plan as a complete restatement
[11:35] of the prior plan effective January 1st, 2026.
[11:39] The district has maintained the Kalamazoo Public Schools
[11:41] 4 0 3 B plan since January 1st, 2009 for the benefit
[11:45] of eligible employees.
[11:47] This resolution restates this plan to comply
[11:49] with the 2022 cumulative list of changes
[11:52] and section 4 0 3 B requirements
[11:54] for 4 0 3 B pre-approved plans
[11:56] and enables employees to continue
[11:58] to receive the tax benefits of an IRS pre-AP approved plan.
[12:03] The resolution author also authorizes the chief financial
[12:06] officer to execute the restated plan document
[12:09] and perform the necessary actions
[12:11] to adopt the restated plan.
[12:13] This resolution was prepared by the plan administrator,
[12:16] US OMNI and T-S-A-C-G compliance services
[12:20] and was reviewed by Clark Hill LLC.
[12:25] Questions from the board? Trustee Schula Barber,
[12:29] I'm sure this is regular business,
[12:31] I know it's regular business,
[12:32] but could you explain it just a little bit about
[12:35] exactly what this is?
[12:36] Yes. The IRS puts out changes to the 4 0 3 B
[12:42] options that you can have in your plan periodically
[12:45] and then you have a certain amount of time to adopt them.
[12:48] I think the last time maybe we did this was 2018.
[12:51] And why would someone invest in this 4 0 3 B?
[12:56] Oh it's, you can defer revenue tax free
[12:59] and invest the money
[13:00] and when you retire you would have those funds
[13:03] to draw on. So
[13:04] This is a retirement and help with retirement?
[13:07] Yes. Thank you
[13:10] Trustee Murphy.
[13:14] I see there are a couple
[13:19] different dates in here that I just wanted
[13:20] to make sure that we were clear about.
[13:23] You stated the last time this was done was 2018.
[13:26] This actual thing is from 2022,
[13:30] but it is 2026.
[13:33] Can you like sort
[13:34] of help me understand why those dates are so different?
[13:37] Yeah. This is cycle two of the IRS cumulative lift
[13:41] of changes and they give you a certain amount of time
[13:43] to adapt those changes and the deadline
[13:45] for adapting is the end of the year.
[13:48] Okay, thank you. Any other questions?
[13:54] Okay. So we will approve this. Trustee Johnson?
[13:58] Yes. Trustee Murphy.
[14:00] Yes. Barbara?
[14:01] Yes. Trustee Peyton? Yes. Trustee McGlynn? Yes.
[14:05] Trustee Hill? Yes.
[14:06] And I say yes and now
[14:11] we will have the superintendent's report.
[14:13] Good evening President Har Harrison.
[14:16] Board members, community members.
[14:18] We're gonna have our first
[14:21] superintendent's report of the year.
[14:24] I wanna week of school.
[14:28] The first day we had an amazing first day.
[14:31] As I visited schools, I tried
[14:33] to visit every school the first two days.
[14:35] Myself, board members Also nothing
[14:38] but positive responses from our students,
[14:40] our teachers parents.
[14:42] So again, I want to thank our teachers, our support staff,
[14:45] bus drivers, everybody involved in,
[14:47] in an amazing first week of school.
[14:54] We're gonna talk about, we're gonna review
[14:56] our third grade MSTEP data.
[14:59] Mstep data was released by the state last Friday.
[15:02] One thing that I said when I started here four years ago,
[15:05] that we will share data with our community, with our board.
[15:08] We try to be very transparent.
[15:10] We will continue to share raw data provided by the state.
[15:15] Just some quick facts.
[15:16] Every tested grade, elementary school grade,
[15:19] we're gonna talk about elementary school
[15:20] today specifically third grade.
[15:22] Every tested grade level in elementary
[15:24] school improved in reading.
[15:26] Our focus is improved in reading in math school.
[15:28] So again, every single tested grade improved.
[15:31] This is a third year in a row. I think for that.
[15:34] Also significant improvement at the third grade level.
[15:38] And again, I want to thank our students, our teachers.
[15:40] Very impressive Improving at the third grade
[15:48] every time M step scores.
[15:50] And the M step test is the test used by the state
[15:52] to determine and evaluates school district performance
[15:56] and classroom performance.
[15:58] As I said, the data was released
[16:00] last Friday across the state.
[16:03] Reading scores decreased most of the districts in the state.
[16:07] Third grade scores decreased across the district.
[16:09] I wanna share some headlines from the news around the state.
[16:17] I'm not gonna get into it. You could read what's going on.
[16:20] It kind of speaks to itself.
[16:25] Lowest third grade scores in the last 12
[16:28] years across the state.
[16:30] And overall, our reading scores continue.
[16:41] Hardworking students, our teachers, our principals out
[16:45] of 17 elementary schools.
[16:47] And this is amazing data. I've been doing this a long time.
[16:49] Out of 17 elementary schools, 15
[16:53] of our schools had improved reading schools.
[16:55] That's unprecedented. 15 outta 17 schools improved.
[17:00] I'm just showing the data from a few years ago
[17:02] where we only had seven outta 17 schools improved.
[17:05] That was school year 22, 23. So a big improvement.
[17:09] Again, hard work from our students, our teachers, our staff.
[17:13] So it's a main goal in our strategic plan.
[17:15] So we're making
[17:18] more improvement than the state at this point
[17:24] is to show raw data.
[17:26] This is just how the state shares data with us.
[17:28] If you look up here, you see 17 elementary schools,
[17:31] we only had two that did not improve
[17:34] major improvement at the most, most of the other schools.
[17:36] And the average rate of improvement is normally 1%.
[17:39] So if you look up here, you see schools that have 5%, 10%,
[17:44] 15%.
[17:45] Very impressive data
[17:54] where you see the state scores are going down.
[17:57] And again, we want everybody in the state
[17:59] to do well to improve.
[18:01] Also, if you look at the 34.9%
[18:07] meet or surpass state level, average
[18:18] level averages in reading in any grade in
[18:21] the history of the district.
[18:22] This is the closest we've ever been to meeting that goal.
[18:26] Very impressive. This is the closest we've ever been.
[18:29] Some years we were 12 points away.
[18:32] We are, we are 3.3 points away almost.
[18:35] So our goal is to meet or surpass the state goal by 2030.
[18:39] We are on our way to to meeting that goal.
[18:45] One of our goals that we have for every school is
[18:47] to improve by 5%.
[18:49] I do wanna recognize the third grade classrooms
[18:52] and grade levels in our district that met
[18:54] that goal are Acadia, Greenwood, king, Westwood, Midwood,
[18:58] elementary, north, glad Parkwood up,
[19:00] John Spring Valley and Woodward.
[19:02] These are schools that improved by 5% or more.
[19:06] And I do wanna again point out that some of the schools
[19:08] that we, we just named are some
[19:10] of our historically low performing schools.
[19:13] Schools like Woodward have improved every year for the past,
[19:16] for the past three years in reading the math.
[19:18] Very impressive. Again, that comes from the hard work
[19:21] of teachers, students, principals, support staff,
[19:24] everybody involved.
[19:28] Biggest data points that people look at
[19:31] to predict future school success.
[19:33] People look at eighth, third grade reading scores
[19:35] to predict eighth grade reading performance to
[19:39] to predict ninth grade,
[19:41] first year course performance in high school.
[19:44] Normally you do well your first year in high
[19:46] school passing all your classes.
[19:49] So predict of students going to college
[19:51] and having great attendance in college.
[19:53] It's also something they're now using
[19:56] to see if you're gonna be successful in a STEM career.
[19:59] So third grade outcomes are extremely important.
[20:01] That's why we push third grade. Waco was improved in Kalama.
[20:07] And again, I wanna say we have,
[20:08] this is not our first year, it's our third year in a row.
[20:10] Improving our third grade reading schools against the state.
[20:14] We have an intense district focus on
[20:17] improving student outcomes.
[20:18] That is our main math, science, social studies,
[20:21] all the subjects, improving attendance rates,
[20:24] improving graduation rates.
[20:26] And that's why we have made those
[20:28] improvements in those areas.
[20:47] Want high quality instruction happening in,
[20:49] in most of our classrooms.
[20:51] We tool of doing going above and beyond for students.
[20:54] We have excellent support staff, also excellent principals.
[20:58] That's one of the reasons our reading
[20:59] schools continue to improve.
[21:01] We have additional supports in place like Saturday school.
[21:04] That's something we were not doing at first.
[21:07] We strongly encouraged Saturday school,
[21:10] we focused on third grade last year for Saturday school.
[21:15] You see the gangs, and I'm gonna say this publicly,
[21:17] we are gonna push for more independent Saturday
[21:20] schools this year.
[21:21] Meaning like when I was a principal,
[21:23] I had Saturday school in my own building.
[21:25] We are pushing for more schools
[21:27] to have Saturday school in their own building,
[21:29] seeing the positive outcomes and the strong results.
[21:32] I have a assortment of tutors who working
[21:36] with our students supporting tier one instruction that
[21:38] that's another reason that you see improvement.
[21:42] Also, we have mandatory summer school.
[21:45] Summer school was optional at first as you know,
[21:47] but we are, we're make it, we made summer school mandatory.
[21:51] So that's forcing students in a, in a way
[21:53] to catch up on the skills they may have
[21:54] missed the previous years.
[21:57] Also on intense focus on the science of reading
[22:00] and instructional leadership.
[22:02] That's something that we've been doing for years.
[22:03] It's something that the state is pushing.
[22:05] I wanna thank everybody involved with that.
[22:07] Dr. Thomas, some of our board members who push the science
[22:09] of reading the state is pushing that also
[22:13] high quality curriculum and associated resources
[22:16] and also, this is a big one we take
[22:18] that all students can learn at the highest levels.
[22:21] It's sad that I have to say that up here,
[22:23] but that's something that we have to continue to promote.
[22:25] And as we continue to promote that, you see improvement
[22:27] for all of our students.
[22:31] Remember we have a whole lot of work to do.
[22:32] So although we improve, the goal is to be a hundred percent,
[22:36] a hundred percent of our students reading on grade levels.
[22:38] So we have moved from 20 something percent to 34%,
[22:42] but our goal is a hundred percent as I shared earlier, is
[22:46] to be at the state average and all of our grades by 2030.
[22:49] We are really moving close to that.
[22:50] And our 10 year goal is for all, for 70% of our students
[22:54] to be reading on grade level or above.
[22:57] And that's elementary, middle, and high school.
[22:59] So again, we are making progress to that.
[23:01] Toward that, I wanna thank our students, our teachers,
[23:05] our parents, our senior leadership team, our principals,
[23:08] our support staff, bus drivers, food service.
[23:11] Everybody plays a role in the amazing progress
[23:14] that we're making in in, in Kalamazoo of our strategic plan.
[23:18] We will continue to share MSTEP data
[23:20] during our board meetings.
[23:22] We share during board meetings.
[23:23] Then I share the data at our community,
[23:45] the data at our community meetings.
[23:46] As, as you know, we've had more than a hundred plus
[23:48] community meetings during the past two years.
[23:51] We will continue that moving forward this year.
[23:56] Also, I wanna recognize Principal Pray.
[23:58] The governor visited us last this
[24:00] week, I think two days ago.
[24:03] And it was a focus on reading
[24:05] and the fact that we provide free lunch for our students
[24:08] and the fact that Kalamazoo is is successful as it relates
[24:10] to current la the latest reading scores.
[24:13] I do appreciate the fact that the governor, governor
[24:15] and our state superintendent stop by
[24:18] and Senator McCain stop by the great work happening.
[24:24] We will have our first teacher feedback session on Tuesday,
[24:28] September 29th at 4:15 PM The purpose
[24:31] of our feedback sessions, I I give teachers a chance to ha
[24:35] to share anything they want to share
[24:36] and pose any question that they have.
[24:39] Honestly, I know I see one or two members here
[24:41] who are in the teacher advisory group that's
[24:45] later this month and we will do that throughout the year.
[24:48] We are also gonna have our first community feedback
[24:51] or just general information session on October the sixth.
[24:55] And that is a time for our community members
[24:56] to come in and hear about what's happening.
[24:58] And Kyle is doing also pose questions.
[25:00] I do wanna say this is it a time for you
[25:03] to hear accurate information?
[25:05] Sometimes the a information
[25:06] that parents have when they email me
[25:08] or they come to a community meeting, it's not accurate.
[25:11] It gives you a chance to hear accurate information.
[25:15] It's all, it's important to know the actual accurate
[25:17] information and I encourage parents
[25:19] to hear all the information before you come to a conclusion.
[25:23] So on October the sixth,
[25:25] you will have a chance I'm inviting the whole community
[25:27] to come and pose any questions that you have related
[25:30] to any topic you may have also will share data
[25:33] and go with some general school information related
[25:35] to disciplines, student achievement, transportation,
[25:40] food and food service.
[25:44] Tony, can you share the rest of the announcements?
[25:46] Sure, I'd be happy to thank you.
[25:48] Our first day shoe fund, our wonderful partners
[25:51] that we have, this is the the window of time for
[25:55] is next week on September 16th, their shoe fund.org.
[26:00] There's a QR code information has been shared on our social
[26:04] media sites website sent home to families.
[26:07] So we wanna make sure to raise awareness of this
[26:12] deadline coming up and they donate the shoes
[26:16] to every single one of our elementary schools.
[26:18] So all 17 schools will begin the distributions
[26:23] starting on September 23rd.
[26:25] And that also includes our preschool students.
[26:27] So the PEEP students also receive the shoes but family
[26:42] shoes but families do need to sign up before the deadline.
[26:48] And today, yesterday
[26:49] and today we had secondary open houses that were
[26:53] very successful next week it's the elementary school's turn.
[26:57] So all of them are held on the same date on September 17th.
[27:02] They do have some unique times. So you have to check this.
[27:07] This flyer that has been sent home again also posted on our
[27:11] website, social media site
[27:14] and families are I'm sure receiving information from their
[27:17] schools but all of 'em are on September 17th.
[27:20] Just check the start times for your particular school
[27:25] and actually have a new app for the district.
[27:29] So you can go to the app store, Google Play
[27:32] and download the Kalamazoo Public Schools app.
[27:35] And at the bottom of it you will see a calendar link
[27:39] and right there you can see all
[27:41] of the events from the district sports,
[27:43] these open house dates and times are listed.
[27:46] So we would encourage families to check out
[27:49] and download the new app.
[27:51] And also you can set the app.
[27:53] It has over a hundred languages so you can set to
[27:56] find out more information about KPS.
[27:59] Thank you
[28:01] Guys.
[28:02] September 11th. For anybody my age, in my age range
[28:07] or older as an educator,
[28:10] that's the day you will always remember.
[28:12] I want to take this time just to honor all the victims,
[28:15] our heroic first responders, service members,
[28:19] surviving family members,
[28:20] and everybody impacted by that tragic day.
[28:23] So again, I just wanted to make sure we
[28:25] recognize September 11th.
[28:27] It's very important for our students to learn about that.
[28:29] And again, just wanna honor everybody involved with that.
[28:33] So thank you. And
[28:38] that concludes the superintendent's announcements.
[28:57] Next up is persons requesting to address the board
[29:01] and Christopher Vid.
[29:21] How's that? All right, good evening.
[29:23] My name is Christopher Vid. I live in Kalamazoo.
[29:26] I'm here tonight as a resident taxpayer
[29:29] and parent of multiple KPS students at Maple
[29:31] Street and WIN Elementary.
[29:33] I have three specific requests about
[29:40] specific requests about how the district handled
[29:42] this teacher contracts.
[29:44] First I'd like to see this board settle the teacher contract
[29:48] before the school year starts.
[29:53] I know that there aren't that many parents here tonight,
[29:55] but the bottom line is, I can tell you that a lot
[29:57] of the parents are really tired
[29:59] of seeing this happen year after year.
[30:02] In July, this board approved the 20 26, 27 agreements
[30:05] with the administrators union
[30:06] and the food service managers on August 6th
[30:08] that approved the custodians agreement.
[30:10] All that was finished before the first day of school.
[30:12] Our teachers are still waiting. This isn't new.
[30:15] Last year's KE agreement wasn't approved until October 28th,
[30:20] nearly two months into the school year,
[30:22] the year before it was September.
[30:24] This has become the normal way of doing business
[30:26] and it's a choice that DI district is making
[30:29] and it's not a condition that you're inheriting.
[30:34] Five years ago in this room, Trustee Scheller Barber said
[30:37] that concluding contracts
[30:38] before the start of the school year is always a
[30:39] huge improvement in morale.
[30:40] She was right then and is right now.
[30:43] I'd asked the board to set a hard internal deadline,
[30:46] a ratified teacher agreement on the agenda no later than the
[30:48] last regular meeting, before the first day of school
[30:52] and to open bargaining early enough to actually meet it
[30:56] or else you know, have a contract longer than a year.
[30:59] Whatever it takes to not have to go
[31:00] through this every single year.
[31:02] The parents are noticing and unhappy.
[31:06] Second, pay our teachers at
[31:08] or above what the districts around us pay.
[31:11] KALM Zoo's not competing
[31:12] for teachers against distant abstractions.
[31:15] We are competing against Portage wan,
[31:17] Vicksburg, gull Lake, and Plainwell.
[31:18] All a very short drive away.
[31:20] My understanding is that KPS pay lags behind several
[31:23] of those districts and that we have been losing teachers
[31:25] to them and are continuing to lose them.
[31:28] Last year's settlement was my understanding was
[31:30] 2.29% on base.
[31:33] Whatever else that accomplished.
[31:34] My understanding is that it did not make us the district.
[31:37] A good teacher chooses over one 15 minutes down the road.
[31:40] So you know, if that's wrong I'd welcome that correction.
[31:43] But you know, I think publishing
[31:45] that comparison might also settle it.
[31:47] If KPS is willing to do that, I'd ask the board
[31:49] to adopt a stated goal that KPS salary schedules sit at
[31:53] or above the county median at every step
[31:55] and to publish that comparison annually.
[31:58] And third make step increase is retroactive.
[32:01] When a contract settles in October, a teach you a teacher
[32:04] who earned a step on the salary schedule has already worked
[32:07] August, September, and half of October at last year's rate.
[32:10] That is compensation earned and not paid.
[32:13] It should be paid back to the first contract a
[32:15] of the school year and that retroactivity should be standing
[32:18] language in this contract and every contract after it.
[32:21] So the cost of a slow negotiation falls in the bargaining
[32:24] table instead of on individual teachers paychecks.
[32:29] I say this as an attorney, I have my own practice.
[32:31] I've been doing corporate law for a long time. Thank you.
[32:36] Next up is Ellen Foley.
[32:44] Mike's on already. Great, good evening. I'm Dr.
[32:48] Ellen Foley, proud parent of three KPS students, president
[32:52] of the Maple Street PTSO Pac, member
[32:54] and professor of pre-service teachers at WMU.
[32:57] It's a lot of PS tonight I'd like to brag on behalf
[33:00] of our KPS teachers.
[33:01] Let's start with Mrs. Riva who just WA is the recent winner
[33:04] of the MCTE Elementary Teacher of the Year award.
[33:08] And when her second graders struggled in math, she started a
[33:11] before school math club.
[33:12] She's currently pursuing her national board certification
[33:15] while raising two kids under six.
[33:16] She's a hero in my book. Speaking of superheroes, Mr.
[33:21] Lehman creates unforgettable experiences
[33:23] for fifth graders from skiing at Timber Ridge
[33:25] to overnight camps at Sherman Lake.
[33:27] Each and every one of our KPS early elementary teachers
[33:29] deserves recognition for fostering a love of reading
[33:32] and building the foundation required for lifelong learning.
[33:35] According to my third grader, Ms. Richmond is giving Ms.
[33:39] Frizzle, according to my seventh grader, Ms.
[33:42] Thomason is a vibe and according to my ninth grader, Mr.
[33:47] Perry's history class was low key, one
[33:49] of the best parts of his day last year.
[33:51] Ms. Weaver is a math whiz. Ms. Miller is the heart of maple.
[33:54] Mr. G, Mr. Freeman and Mr.
[33:56] Ovitz fill their rooms with music, encouragement
[33:59] and enough jokes to keep kids smiling.
[34:01] And the coaches Borman Waterman Valentine devote hours
[34:04] to building an incredible cross country
[34:06] and track program while also volunteering
[34:08] with Rapid Runners, helping children
[34:10] with Down syndrome experience the
[34:11] joy of crossing the finish line.
[34:13] This is my kid's list, but the list goes on.
[34:16] In fact, every parent in this district has their list.
[34:19] The list of teachers who have made a difference in the lives
[34:21] of their kids, of the teachers who continue to go above
[34:24] and beyond despite the frustration
[34:25] of starting every year having to go
[34:27] through contract negotiations.
[34:29] They teach, they coach, they mentor,
[34:31] they celebrate students,
[34:32] they celebrate opportunities and they change lives.
[34:35] So I ask, do you think we're gonna acquire
[34:37] and keep the best teachers by making it hard to work here?
[34:41] Do you think we're giving our already incredible teaching
[34:43] staff a reason to stay or the future teachers I work with
[34:46] or reason to choose our district?
[34:49] Every improvement the district celebrates rests on the
[34:51] foundation our teachers have built in classrooms daily.
[34:54] And thank you Dr. Slade for acknowledging
[34:56] that earlier tonight our Mstep school reading scores
[34:59] improved in 15 out of 17 elementary schools
[35:01] and KP S'S four year graduation rate
[35:04] is the highest in the DIS in district history.
[35:07] Those results are a testament to our educators skill,
[35:10] dedication, and commitment.
[35:12] They have continued to deliver
[35:13] for students despite working without a fair
[35:15] and competitive contract this year.
[35:17] And while waiting for promises from last
[35:19] year's agreement to be honored.
[35:21] If the district celebrates these achievements,
[35:23] it should also fairly compensate the
[35:25] educators who make them possible.
[35:27] If we truly want KPS to continue on its upward trajectory,
[35:31] we need to intentionally invest in the people
[35:33] who make the greatest difference
[35:34] for our student students on a daily basis.
[35:37] Our teachers. Thank you. Thank you.
[35:43] A Michelle Wright.
[35:52] Good evening board members. My name is Dr.
[35:55] A Michelle Wright.
[35:56] I'm a cognitive psychologist
[35:58] but my most important role is being a mother of five,
[36:00] including three children at Winchell Elementary.
[36:04] I'm also a member of Winchell's PTO,
[36:05] but tonight I'm speaking solely as a parent.
[36:08] I stand here today with 45 signatures from Winchell parents
[36:11] and guardians across every grade level asking
[36:14] for transparency about the combined two three
[36:16] split class at Winchell.
[36:18] The first split class in our building.
[36:19] In over 20 years,
[36:21] families have not received a transparent explanation
[36:23] of why it was created, what data informed the decision
[36:27] or what steps were taken
[36:28] to protect the educational experience
[36:30] of the student's place in it.
[36:32] When we asked why, we were told
[36:34] that KPS run split classes across the district,
[36:37] that does not actually answer the question we asked instead.
[36:41] This is a commonly used logical fallacy.
[36:44] The appeal to common practice where a person suggested
[36:47] because other people do it, an action must be right.
[36:50] Another question that we kept asking ourselves,
[36:53] what is happening at KPS schools with less capacity
[36:55] to organize, advocate
[36:56] or take time away from work
[36:58] to attend meetings like this one, we don't have that data.
[37:01] That's why we're asking the board to share it.
[37:04] Which schools and KPS have split combined
[37:06] or non-traditional classrooms this year?
[37:08] And were those decisions made
[37:10] and communicated in the same opaque way that ours was?
[37:13] What extra support is being given to these amazing teachers
[37:17] to help them effectively manage the educational
[37:19] demands of split classes?
[37:21] Can these decisions be backed up by data demonstrating
[37:24] that split classes are a good educational practice
[37:26] within our district?
[37:29] Earlier today we learned the winche
[37:31] split class would be dissolved.
[37:33] That may leave some of you
[37:34] wondering why I'm still here tonight.
[37:36] Petition in hand advocating.
[37:39] It's because the problem never really was the
[37:41] existence of the split classroom.
[37:43] It is the appalling lack of transparency in how
[37:46] and why these decisions get made in the first place.
[37:50] KPS faces real budget constraints and staffing shortages.
[37:54] We understand that sometimes tough decisions have to be made
[37:57] and we can handle that kind of news.
[37:59] What we cannot handle is silence.
[38:02] If there are families at other KPS schools whose children
[38:05] were placed in similar classrooms, I would ask you
[38:07] to reach out to the board
[38:09] and to meet directly after this meeting.
[38:11] We believe the board should hear the full scope of
[38:13] how these decisions are affecting students
[38:15] across the district.
[38:16] For the board's record, I'm submitting a copy
[38:18] of the petition the signatures collected to date
[38:21] and a copy of this comment. Thank you for your time.
[38:24] Thank you
[38:29] Marta.
[38:29] Lehman Layman. I'm sorry. I do. Hi
[38:34] Everybody, my name is Marta Lehman.
[38:36] I am a Kalamazoo Central High School grad class of 99.
[38:41] I have a degree from Western
[38:43] and I have a master's sport management
[38:46] and I'm actually getting my certification
[38:48] through an alternative path.
[38:49] I'm sorry. Sorry it's taking so long.
[38:51] But I'm actually up for tenure. What's going on?
[38:55] But I'm here to talk from a teacher perspective,
[38:58] not a perspective from a parent.
[39:00] I also have a son who attends Woodward. Loving it.
[39:03] Fifth grade, rocking it. It's great.
[39:07] I'm kind of disappointed that with all that we're told
[39:10] that we're valued
[39:11] and how hard you know we're working that
[39:15] that isn't kind of, that's not demonstrated by
[39:21] the reports that I've received from my union colleagues.
[39:25] There was no one from the district present at negotiations
[39:29] and is that correct?
[39:31] Just the lawyer was at the go negotiation table in the
[39:35] beginning and it wasn't until, am I correct, Heather?
[39:40] Oh sorry. Yep. Sorry.
[39:42] That was kind of like a punch in the gut.
[39:45] Like you guys love us, right? We're doing a great job.
[39:47] You're cheering us on.
[39:48] We got unprecedented success,
[39:51] but why don't we have somebody there
[39:52] like actually bargaining.
[39:54] What I've been hearing is it's not cool at all.
[39:57] Like I thought we were better than this.
[39:59] If we really do believe that we're excellent
[40:02] and you want a hundred percent and you value us
[40:04] and you believe in our students, then believe in us.
[40:08] If inflation is 4.7, why are we getting offered 1.8
[40:13] and then 2.1.
[40:15] You know what I'm saying? Like I would just really like
[40:17] to see put your money where your mouth is.
[40:20] If you appreciate us, let's get a contract. Thank you.
[40:23] Thank you. Jonah Espinoza.
[40:39] Hi, my name is Shauna Espinoza.
[40:41] Kudos on the teachers support.
[40:44] Staff deserve just as much as they do. Inflation is real.
[40:48] Our paychecks aren't, but I came as a parent this time.
[40:53] My grandson just got enrolled last week.
[40:58] Last week and we've been trying to enroll him since March.
[41:04] He stays with me and so does my daughter.
[41:07] And the the problem came is that's considered doubled up.
[41:11] So what we, me
[41:12] and my daughter was met with
[41:14] attitude, disrespect.
[41:18] He should be laying his head in one place.
[41:21] Well, she has two parents.
[41:24] If it's easier to go to school from my house,
[41:27] which is two minutes from down the
[41:28] street, that should be okay.
[41:31] But then when we're told
[41:32] because she's doubled up, she had to deal
[41:35] with the homeless liaison.
[41:37] What we were met with. No answer, no answer.
[41:42] Two months later or a month later, get a call.
[41:46] I was at work, couldn't answer. Called back.
[41:49] Voicemail was full. Voicemail was full.
[41:52] Voicemail was full every single day.
[41:56] If she's the homeless liaison, why is that the problem?
[42:01] Imagine if somebody was unhoused having to deal with that.
[42:05] I work for the district and we were still met with attitude.
[42:10] No help. Lack of communication when we're calling
[42:14] and calling and even I was calling
[42:16] because my daughter works the time
[42:18] that this building is open and was emailing
[42:23] and was met with, oh you have to get ahold
[42:26] of the homeless liaison.
[42:28] And then she was like, well, can I take back
[42:30] that I'm doubled up.
[42:31] And we was met with from somebody from this building.
[42:34] You can't take that back.
[42:37] My grandson would've cried if he couldn't go to school.
[42:41] This was his third year in KPS. He did two years in peak.
[42:45] Why was it that hard? Why is it so hard
[42:48] to get a child into school?
[42:50] No child left behind. He was going to get left behind.
[42:53] If I wasn't the parent that I am
[42:55] and worked for this district
[42:56] and was able to reach out, would he be in school right now?
[43:00] What if he, what if my daughter was unhoused on the street?
[43:04] There are too many barriers, too many barriers.
[43:08] People have to work long days and long hours
[43:11] because this district
[43:13] and other workplaces seem to think
[43:15] that one job is not enough.
[43:17] Pay should be less than inflation.
[43:22] We need to do better as a whole for our children,
[43:24] our parents, and all of our staff, all
[43:29] of our staff, our babies matter.
[43:33] So please, whatever system
[43:34] that y'all have going on is failing.
[43:37] Fix it. Thank you. Thank you Heather Reed.
[43:57] Good evening. President Harrison, board members and Dr.
[44:00] Slade. My name is Heather Reed
[44:01] and I'm the president of the Kalamazoo
[44:03] Education Association.
[44:05] I'd like to begin by congratulating the district in Woods
[44:08] Lake for hosting such a successful
[44:11] event with Governor Whitmer.
[44:12] I especially wanna recognize Ms.
[44:15] Lockett and the work she did preparing her students
[44:18] for the governor's visit.
[44:20] Cade, the student who introduced Governor Whitmer,
[44:22] was well-spoken and did an excellent
[44:24] job representing Woods Lake.
[44:27] As a government teacher,
[44:28] I especially appreciated seeing the students experience
[44:31] government firsthand.
[44:33] Watching students understand that government isn't something
[44:37] that happens somewhere else, it belongs to them, is one
[44:41] of the best parts of being a government teacher.
[44:44] I also wanna address something that directly affects the
[44:47] educators who serve those students every day.
[44:51] For the third consecutive year, KEA members have returned
[44:56] to their classrooms without a finalized
[44:58] contract year after year.
[45:01] That uncertainty is taking a toll on staff morale.
[45:05] Our educators returned again this year ready
[45:08] to welcome students, prepare their classrooms,
[45:11] and give their best to Kalamazoo's children.
[45:14] Many educators began that work well
[45:16] before the first day of school
[45:18] and they deserve the same sense of urgency when it comes
[45:22] to reaching an agreement that recognizes
[45:24] and values the work that they do.
[45:28] Ke EA wants to reach an agreement.
[45:31] We want a contract that is fair to our members,
[45:34] supports the work educators do every day
[45:37] and helps public schools attract
[45:39] and retain excellent educators.
[45:44] Beginning a school year without a contract should be
[45:47] the exception.
[45:48] It should not be the expectation.
[45:52] After three consecutive years,
[45:54] I hope the board will recognize the impact this pattern has
[45:58] on its employees and make reaching a fair
[46:00] settlement a priority.
[46:02] Thank you.
[46:04] Thank you. Seeing no
[46:09] other people requesting to address the board,
[46:12] other business is professional development for myself.
[46:16] Next up is comments by trustees.
[46:21] Trustee Hill.
[46:24] I just wanna say welcome back everyone.
[46:26] We appreciate all of you
[46:27] and we appreciate the students coming back
[46:29] and all the parents support.
[46:32] I wanna crow about all the back
[46:34] to school celebrations I was able to go to
[46:36] and all the wonderful families and kids
[46:39] and they were so happy to see their teachers
[46:41] and so happy to see their friends
[46:43] and run around on the playground.
[46:45] And I'm gonna crow about which ones I made it to.
[46:47] Millwood Elementary.
[46:49] Windchill Elementary, north Lake Elementary,
[46:52] Edison Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Indian Prairie,
[46:55] end Elementary, Arcadia Elementary.
[46:57] And last of all, parkwood up John, which I have
[46:59] to say was winding down,
[47:01] but I still knew some of the people that were there
[47:03] and it was always an honor to be a greeter.
[47:06] And so we get to welcome students back
[47:09] and we stand with people that are greeters.
[47:11] I was at Phoenix, so I was with some of folks from the NAACP
[47:15] and the students, they come up and they're a little shy
[47:17] and sometimes they forget their name back, their badge
[47:20] to get in and we have to send them to another door.
[47:22] But they knew everyone. They were so happy to be there.
[47:26] And I think the parents were really happy at the high school
[47:28] level to just pull up and the kid gets out of the car.
[47:31] So that was nice. And then I got to go to Arcadia,
[47:33] which was very nice
[47:35] because a lot of the parents,
[47:36] they have parking lot organization issue,
[47:38] but they got it all figured out this year.
[47:40] And it was nice to watch the parents all line up on the side
[47:42] street and they all knew to come through the fence.
[47:44] And then I actually had the honor
[47:45] of walking this students off the bus
[47:48] and into their, they how them at the tennis lot so
[47:51] that we can get everybody organized in their groups.
[47:54] A lot of fun. So thank
[47:56] you Trustee.
[48:01] She barber. Yay. Trustee Hill.
[48:05] You were on roller skates,
[48:06] you were rolling And I too, I'll start with that.
[48:09] The open houses were wonderful.
[48:11] Really appreciate everything that was done.
[48:14] I mean, excuse me, the back to schools were wonderful
[48:17] and even ran into at the North Glad Open House, which is at
[48:22] the the this is their transition is is at the Southwestern
[48:25] Street School and ran into a former board member
[48:28] who was just thrilled to have his student.
[48:30] And at North Grade, Jason Morris.
[48:33] It was incredible, incredible experience.
[48:36] But my list doesn't compare,
[48:39] but there were great things that I did.
[48:41] I think I'm a couple of shy of years
[48:43] and one of the things I wanted to say about these is
[48:46] that there were many organizations at the Back to school,
[48:49] things like there was the law RX Health Center
[48:53] who was there in making good efforts to make sure
[48:57] that they were getting information to the parents
[49:02] and to the students for all the things that they can do.
[49:05] So I thought that was wonderful.
[49:07] Another thing that they had, many of the schools had their
[49:10] after school programs, they had flyers.
[49:12] The Y was at some, it was amazing.
[49:15] I think the wraparound of KPS
[49:17] and the efforts that all the people do
[49:20] to make sure our students are safe before school,
[49:23] after school with the math programs that were,
[49:25] or the math clubs that were mentioned, or the Y
[49:27] after school was just incredible.
[49:30] I've, I love being a greeter and I was a greeter at Loy Nors
[49:35] and that was amazing to me.
[49:37] Now you gotta be cool
[49:38] because when, when you're greeting high school students,
[49:41] we all know that you just, you do it very gently
[49:44] and that you don't get too enthused.
[49:47] But it was really a cool thing to see.
[49:49] And I stood next to the CIS person there, Sarah,
[49:53] and she was just loved by many
[49:55] of the students who came back.
[49:57] And CIS was very involved with the welcoming.
[50:00] And so I thought that was wonderful.
[50:02] The other thing I wanna do is I wanna make sure
[50:05] that I call out first day shoe fund.
[50:08] First Day Shoe fund started out with shoes out
[50:11] of Valerie Dingle's Trunk a while back.
[50:15] And now it has become something that is a quality shoe.
[50:19] These are not necessarily seconds or handoff shoes.
[50:22] These are brilliant athletic shoes so that children are able
[50:26] to start with the same and not worrying about apparel
[50:30] or shoes or things like that.
[50:31] So I really wanna do a shout out to first day shoe.
[50:36] There are many extracurricular
[50:37] and co-curricular activities going on,
[50:39] including sports right now.
[50:41] So please support your students.
[50:43] Please support your students
[50:45] and whatever they choose, whether it's performances
[50:48] or whether it's it's ball games
[50:49] or whatever they're doing, I think
[50:51] that these things enrich the quality of education we have
[50:55] as well as give students a lot of reasons to come.
[50:58] So there will be more on that later from the sports teams
[51:01] and various things coming on.
[51:02] Coming on. I wanna do a
[51:07] congrats to the app.
[51:09] I have to tell you, I am using the app.
[51:10] I'm not an app person, but congrats to you.
[51:13] The app is going very, very well.
[51:15] And I think that's all I have. Thank you. Thank you
[51:18] Trustee Johnson.
[51:20] Yes. I gotta turn this mic on this time.
[51:27] First day greeting is always my favorite
[51:30] part of the school year.
[51:32] I swear to God it's the best.
[51:33] And I was there at Khayci a little bit after the buses came,
[51:39] but I was still there.
[51:40] And it is so much fun watching.
[51:43] You can tell who the ninth graders are
[51:47] and I am always there for the ninth graders
[51:49] because they look so nervous and sure at the same time.
[51:54] Like, I know I'm going ahead, I'm finna kill today.
[51:57] But we is my first class, so I love being able to be there
[52:01] to help them find their schedule
[52:03] or whoever can support and assist.
[52:06] So I did do Khayci and Lindon Grove and Lindon.
[52:09] It's, it's almost the same thing when you see a sixth
[52:12] grader, you know this, their first year at the school,
[52:15] they haven't been around a lot
[52:20] and they have that unsure look a little bit,
[52:23] but when they find out that the rest
[52:24] of their friends are right in the same area
[52:26] that they're going to, they get a little more confident.
[52:29] And I just love watching that every year.
[52:34] Really, my thing right now is we are getting into the groove
[52:39] right of school, of actually being in school,
[52:43] learning a lot about new people and new teachers.
[52:46] 'cause there are a lot that just started.
[52:50] And I'm wondering if we are able to give the grace we expect
[52:55] all the way around some things I I, yeah,
[53:00] some things can be made clear
[53:02] by asking the right people the right questions.
[53:07] And I I implore us to use our mind
[53:10] and our, our capable, our scholarly abilities
[53:14] before we flood community with rumors
[53:20] and do some investigation.
[53:21] It it, I I, I'm a real researcher behind a lot of things.
[53:26] That's why you don't see me,
[53:27] because I prefer to be in the background with the book,
[53:29] trying to figure out what's next and what the solutions are.
[53:34] But I, I really think that we need to be actively
[53:38] researching and trying to find the truth.
[53:40] There's so much untruth,
[53:42] the spreads like wildfires really quick.
[53:46] I, I believe in the history of me, people are more willing
[53:50] to believe the lie because it is easy.
[53:54] And I don't want that to be the
[53:55] continuation in this district.
[53:58] So I just empower adults
[54:00] and youth to be scholarly, to do the research,
[54:05] to ask the questions to the right people.
[54:07] And you can find so much more and be so much more at ease.
[54:11] And I'm one of those people who have heavy anxiety.
[54:14] So I do a lot of research to make sure that my days go well
[54:18] and I implore everyone to do the same.
[54:21] That's it.
[54:23] Trustee Payton.
[54:40] Okay. The numbers tell an important story.
[54:43] Around 120 early middle college students started at
[54:47] Kalamazoo Valley Community College
[54:50] to work toward earning both their high school diplomas
[54:53] and an associate degree or certificate.
[54:56] Over the summer, my city helped learners ages 14
[55:00] to 24 in Branch Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and St.
[55:04] Joseph County through hands-on internships in mentorships
[55:09] and learning experiences.
[55:11] Applications are open throughout the year for,
[55:14] for next summer education for the arts.
[55:17] EFA nine diverse selections are available for students
[55:21] and they're looking for volunteers since we have some
[55:24] parents here for the My Career Quest
[55:29] Southwest 2026, which will be held October 21st
[55:33] to 22nd for eighth graders.
[55:36] They will explore hands-on career opportunities at Kalamazoo
[55:40] County Expo Center.
[55:42] And that's all I want.
[55:47] Trustee Murphy. Thank you.
[55:51] I don't have any first day of school things to share
[55:53] because I wasn't here.
[55:56] We, my family had the opportunity to go on vacation
[55:59] for the first time since 2019,
[56:02] and it's the first time since 2010.
[56:04] I haven't been on call. So we did take a couple days away.
[56:09] It's the first year I've missed it
[56:10] and I was thinking about it all day as all of the
[56:15] kids' first day back to school.
[56:17] Oh, I have seniors this year, were on my phone.
[56:20] It's all I could think about all day.
[56:22] So, so I'm glad that everything went well
[56:25] and I am glad to be back here for another school year.
[56:31] I am really happy to hear
[56:33] of the third grade literacy rates going up across the
[56:36] district that is really critical for all of our students.
[56:41] As mother of three who've graduated,
[56:44] I definitely understand the struggle with things
[56:47] and I am also, I'm sure everyone has heard sad that
[56:52] the imagination library's been defunded for some of those
[56:58] students who need access to books.
[57:01] I know all three of mine did.
[57:06] And just to bounce off of what Trissy, Scheller Barber said,
[57:11] the app is really fantastic.
[57:14] It is, if you type in Kalamazoo,
[57:16] it is in the top two choices
[57:19] because apparently Kalamazoo has a lot of things
[57:21] that have apps, which I never thought to look for.
[57:25] But there we are. Data safety is fantastic.
[57:29] Nothing is shared with third parties.
[57:31] It is visible and uses very little data
[57:34] and it's encrypted while it is being
[57:37] transferred to your phone.
[57:39] So definitely a strong recommendation for anyone
[57:43] who has access to a smartphone to download that so
[57:47] that you can check at any time.
[57:49] It's a lot faster than the website. Thank you
[57:53] Christie.
[57:54] McGlynn, I just wanted
[57:56] to talk a a minute about third grade reading scores
[58:00] and the importance of what's happening in the district.
[58:05] I've spent a long, over 25 years
[58:10] working at SLD Read
[58:12] and we have been talking about the science reading for years
[58:17] and to finally seeing this happening in the schools is
[58:22] so impressive to me.
[58:24] It is something that takes time.
[58:28] It is, there's a huge learning curve.
[58:31] There are a lot of teachers
[58:32] that probably have not been trained in the science
[58:35] of reading, but we're making big, huge inroads.
[58:39] The number of teachers that have taken the letters training
[58:42] has in increased tremendously.
[58:46] It's, it's a growing experience
[58:48] and I really think that we're gonna see the next few years,
[58:52] those reading scores continue to, to grow.
[58:56] We know that every kid can learn to read
[58:59] and sometimes it takes some kids a lot more time.
[59:04] They need more intensity.
[59:05] They need the one-to-one tutoring that we're taking the time
[59:09] to say that this is gonna happen.
[59:11] We're gonna do this is so important
[59:13] because it has to be a sy a systemic change.
[59:17] It can't just happen
[59:19] with one tutoring organization pushing it in one way.
[59:23] So for me, this is huge.
[59:25] I'm so impressed with the way the district is moving forward
[59:29] with this initiative
[59:31] and I really think that we're gonna continue
[59:33] to see improvement year after year
[59:35] and I'm so excited about it.
[59:37] So thank you so much again, welcome back
[59:41] to our students.
[59:43] I was able to go to Maple Street Middle,
[59:47] and again, it's the same kind of thing where, you know,
[59:50] the sixth graders, they,
[59:52] they have a look on their face coming into that building
[59:55] and you know, they're just like,
[59:56] and then the eighth graders are just like all
[59:59] attitude threatened attitude.
[1:00:02] So, so fun to do, do that.
[1:00:04] And then also got to spend some time at Winchell too,
[1:00:08] where my granddaughter is.
[1:00:11] And so that's always a fun for day to, to be there with her
[1:00:15] and to see her friends and,
[1:00:19] and the whole building come together.
[1:00:22] So thank you.
[1:00:26] I literally made a list
[1:00:27] to see if there was gonna be anything
[1:00:29] left for me to talk about.
[1:00:31] And with the exception of Trustee Peyton's report,
[1:00:34] thank you very much for that.
[1:00:36] The only thing that I can report is
[1:00:38] that elementary open houses are gonna be on the
[1:00:41] 17th of September.
[1:00:43] So that's my one win.
[1:00:45] I also had a really,
[1:00:47] really enjoyable time opening up the school year,
[1:00:52] accompanied the superintendent.
[1:00:53] I tried to keep up with him for all
[1:00:55] of the schools he visited.
[1:00:57] I think I did 23 of the 26.
[1:01:01] I thought that was pretty impressive.
[1:01:04] I'm super excited about the data that we are able
[1:01:07] to take a look at and I'm really proud of all
[1:01:10] of our students and all of our teachers
[1:01:12] and all of the people make this district run and move.
[1:01:15] Well, I'm super excited about third grade reading.
[1:01:20] It's been one of the things
[1:01:21] that has always been on my mind
[1:01:22] since I've been on this board.
[1:01:24] It's one of the things that I've advocated the hardest for.
[1:01:27] And so I'm really looking forward to the progress
[1:01:31] that we make as a result of
[1:01:34] the fantastic work of Dr. Thomas.
[1:01:36] And so I just wanted to take this time to thank Dr. Thomas
[1:01:40] because whenever there is something innovative
[1:01:44] or new in this district, I know
[1:01:45] that it has been well researched.
[1:01:47] I know that it is in the best interest of students
[1:01:50] and that is empowering on this side of the table to know
[1:01:55] that as we are moving this district forward, that the level
[1:02:00] of instruction that they're getting is going
[1:02:02] to be world class.
[1:02:05] And so I just wanna thank you again.
[1:02:06] I'll probably thank you lots of times this year
[1:02:08] and all of the people that sit at that table for all
[1:02:11] of the hard work that I've watched you do over the years,
[1:02:15] I'm really excited about this school year.
[1:02:17] I'm looking forward to seeing what our students can do
[1:02:22] as a result of the high expectations that we have for them.
[1:02:26] And am really looking forward to making historic gains.
[1:02:32] Said superintendent, your, your mic's not on.
[1:02:35] Thank you. I, again, I wanna thank our staff,
[1:02:39] our district staff, our students, our parents
[1:02:42] for a great opening first week, I wanna say second week,
[1:02:45] but the week is not over yet.
[1:02:47] I don't take that for granted.
[1:02:49] I've worked in districts where you don't, we don't,
[1:02:50] we didn't have a, a great first week.
[1:02:52] So again, I, I want to thank everybody involved with that.
[1:02:54] Also wanna just strongly encourage folks to
[1:02:59] take part in and participate when we have these feedback
[1:03:02] and information sessions.
[1:03:04] It's very important that you receive accurate
[1:03:07] and factual information.
[1:03:08] I want to emphasize, again, it's very important
[1:03:11] that you receive accurate and factual information and that,
[1:03:14] and that's what we try to provide when we have
[1:03:16] these feedback sessions.
[1:03:17] Also, wanna, I wanna talk about this during our, during our
[1:03:20] feedback sessions in our general meeting,
[1:03:23] but I'm gonna say it again today.
[1:03:25] I wanna emphasize the problem solving chain of command.
[1:03:28] If you, if you have an issue, any issue,
[1:03:30] the the first person you go to is the teacher.
[1:03:33] If it's not resolved at le that level,
[1:03:35] you go to the principal.
[1:03:37] If it's not resolved at that level, you go
[1:03:39] to the assistant superintendent, that's Ms. Saunders, Mr.
[1:03:41] McCain, Dr. Dyson.
[1:03:43] If it's not resolved at that level,
[1:03:45] then you escalate it to myself.
[1:03:47] And, and I do wanna say anybody who goes to the chain
[1:03:50] of command, we, we will meet with you.
[1:03:52] And I'm not talking about five weeks down the road.
[1:03:54] We will meet with you within two or three days.
[1:03:56] So if you have an issue or concern
[1:03:59] before you pre pre present information that's not accurate
[1:04:03] or factual, I would strongly encourage you to go
[1:04:05] through the problem solving chain of command.
[1:04:07] And again, we have some folks in this room who are part
[1:04:09] of our current advisory group.
[1:04:12] We always try to be honest when we respond.
[1:04:15] We actually closed the school year out
[1:04:17] with 12 community meetings the last two months of school.
[1:04:21] And we talked about budgets, we talked about staffing,
[1:04:24] we talked about all that.
[1:04:26] And we also had like three or four meetings over the summer.
[1:04:29] So again, more so than any other district in the state.
[1:04:31] And I say it all the time, I want, I want somebody
[1:04:33] to challenge me and say that's not accurate.
[1:04:36] More so than any other district in the state.
[1:04:38] We provide opportunities for our parents, our teachers,
[1:04:42] even students to provide us with feedback.
[1:04:45] So please try to file the problem solving chain of command.
[1:04:48] And if you need to meet with me tomorrow
[1:04:51] or Monday, you could see Ms.
[1:04:53] Coney tonight or Ms. Degra tonight.
[1:04:56] And I will make sure you have accurate information
[1:04:58] because publicly sharing accurate
[1:05:02] information is important.
[1:05:04] I, I will say that also I wanna commend our athletes,
[1:05:08] our student athletes for a great start to our sports season.
[1:05:13] I was there, I was at one of our football games
[1:05:15] with President Harrison
[1:05:16] and somebody who had been to three of our games
[1:05:18] and the last 10 years said,
[1:05:20] this is the best game I've ever been to.
[1:05:22] I've been to Case, I've been, I'm not, I'm not naming names,
[1:05:25] but I've been to football games here
[1:05:28] three times in the last 10 years.
[1:05:30] And this is the first time I didn't observe any
[1:05:32] issue and I feel safe.
[1:05:33] And the reason that that occurred is
[1:05:35] because we are gonna consistently,
[1:05:37] and I want, I wanna emphasize this,
[1:05:38] we are gonna consistently follow procedures and rules.
[1:05:43] That goes for discipline, that goes for enrollment.
[1:05:47] We will consistently follow procedures
[1:05:50] and rules, even if it upsets parents sometimes.
[1:05:54] That's why we have order more so now than in the past.
[1:05:57] So I'm, I'm gonna be very clear that's not going to change.
[1:05:59] So I, I wanna close on that note,
[1:06:01] but again, I wanna end
[1:06:02] by strongly encouraging our stakeholders
[1:06:05] to attend the upcoming information sessions
[1:06:09] that we're having in our general community session
[1:06:12] that we're having in the next few weeks.
[1:06:13] Thank you.
[1:06:16] I need a adjournment, I mean a motion to adjourn.
[1:06:20] I have a motion to adjourn from Trustee Johnson.
[1:06:24] All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Seeing none.
[1:06:28] We will see you back in this space on Thursday,
[1:06:31] the 8th of October at 7:00 PM.