[1:59] Mhm.

[3:54] » Mhm.

[11:42] » Good evening. [clears throat] I'd like

[11:43] to call the Lynchburg City Schools

[11:46] school board meeting to order, our

[11:47] reorganization meeting.

[11:49] I notice now that we don't have any

[11:51] electronic participation because all of

[11:53] our members are here, our new members as

[11:55] well, so welcome.

[11:57] Uh at this time, could we please stand

[11:59] for the pledge of allegiance and moment

[12:00] of silence?

[12:02] Flag is right.

[12:04] >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[12:07] United States of America and to the

[12:09] republic for which it stands, one nation

[12:13] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[12:16] justice for all.

[12:18] >> Please remain standing for a moment of

[12:19] silence.

[12:37] Thank you.

[12:41] » [clears throat]

[12:43] >> You've all had an opportunity to see the

[12:45] agenda.

[12:46] Um can I have a motion to approve the

[12:48] agenda?

[12:49] >> Motion.

[12:49] >> Second.

[12:50] >> Okay.

[12:51] All right, Ms. Day.

[12:55] » As I call your name, just say yes or no.

[12:57] Ms. Royal.

[12:57] >> Yes.

[12:58] >> Mr. Barron.

[12:59] >> Yes.

[13:00] >> Mr. Conner.

[13:01] >> Yes.

[13:02] >> Mr. Ali.

[13:02] >> Yes.

[13:03] >> Mrs. Lowry.

[13:04] >> Yes.

[13:05] >> Dr. Gupta.

[13:06] >> Yes.

[13:06] >> Dr. Farmer.

[13:07] >> Yes.

[13:08] >> Mr. Powell.

[13:08] >> Yes.

[13:09] >> Mr. Shaw.

[13:10] >> Yes.

[13:10] >> Motion passes.

[13:13] >> All right, the next agenda item is

[13:15] selecting a school board chair.

[13:17] I'm going to open it up to nominations

[13:19] from the floor. If you're nominated, and

[13:21] please know you can nominate yourself.

[13:23] If you're nominated, then I'll see if

[13:25] you

[13:26] accept the nomination and then we'll

[13:28] move forward the voting process. So, are

[13:30] there any

[13:31] >> I'd like

[13:32] >> Okay.

[13:33] >> I'd like to nominate

[13:36] >> I want to nominate Dr. Gupta.

[13:37] >> Gupta.

[13:38] >> Okay.

[13:39] >> I second the motion.

[13:40] >> I third it.

[13:42] >> I fourth [laughter] it.

[13:44] >> Are

[13:46] Do you accept the nomination?

[13:48] >> I'll take 15 minutes to think.

[13:50] >> Okay.

[13:50] >> Thank you.

[13:51] >> Okay. Thank you. Are there any other

[13:53] nominations?

[13:57] Okay, since he's accepted, Mrs. Day, if

[14:01] you could take the vote, please.

[14:03] >> Mrs. Mrs. Royal

[14:04] >> Yes.

[14:05] >> Mr. Barron

[14:06] >> Yes.

[14:07] >> Mr. Conner

[14:08] >> Yes.

[14:08] >> Mr. Ali

[14:09] >> Yes.

[14:10] >> Mrs. Lowry

[14:11] >> Yes.

[14:12] >> Dr. Gupta

[14:13] >> Yes.

[14:14] >> Dr. Farmer

[14:14] >> Yes.

[14:15] >> Mr. Poe

[14:16] >> Yes.

[14:17] >> Mr. Shaw

[14:18] >> Yes.

[14:19] >> Motion passes.

[14:20] >> Okay.

[14:21] All right, thank you. Congratulations,

[14:22] Dr. Gupta.

[14:23] >> Thank you for your

[14:25] >> [clears throat]

[14:25] >> confidence.

[14:27] >> All right, with you.

[14:29] >> This time is

[14:30] >> You don't have to move here.

[14:31] >> Oh, we move I'm trying to figure out

[14:33] where we're going. Okay. You know what

[14:35] it is? Cuz

[14:36] I thought this was my seat, but it

[14:37] moved.

[14:38] Okay. Okay, we're going to get this.

[14:41] It is, very much so. All right.

[14:44] we're going to get it.

[14:45] I got it.

[14:46] Yeah, you got it.

[14:47] >> I know, right?

[14:49] When we all have bags.

[14:50] >> [laughter]

[14:51] >> You got it?

[14:51] >> Yeah.

[14:53] you got it.

[14:53] >> That's the direction we went.

[14:55] >> [clears throat and cough]

[14:56] >> Okay.

[15:06] » Thank you for your confidence.

[15:08] And you know, as I said, my goal is to

[15:11] treat everybody same and follow the

[15:13] rules equally with everybody, and that's

[15:15] what we have done.

[15:17] And the focus is on academics and

[15:19] nothing else. Anything which distracts

[15:21] us

[15:22] uh we take it out of the equation.

[15:25] After that, having said that, I wanted

[15:27] to recognize uh our attorney. Could you

[15:30] please stand for public so they can see

[15:33] our new board members can recognize.

[15:36] Uh she is our 911 call. When we

[15:39] >> [laughter]

[15:39] >> need help,

[15:40] uh Attorney Towns, Oak Towns. So, uh

[15:43] she's been very helpful.

[15:45] And in difficult times, she's very, very helpful.

[15:49] Thank you very much, Attorney Towns.

[15:51] [clears throat] We appreciate everything

[15:52] you do for us.

[15:54] >> [applause]

[15:56] » Next is the 2016-2017 school board vice

[15:59] chair election. Is there a nomination

[16:00] for that?

[16:02] >> I'd like to nominate Mr. Connor.

[16:04] >> I second it.

[16:05] >> I third.

[16:06] >> Other nominations for vice chair?

[16:12] Okay.

[16:13] Madam Clerk, would you please please

[16:14] call the roll?

[16:15] >> Mrs. Royal?

[16:16] >> Yes.

[16:17] >> Mr. Barron?

[16:18] >> Yes.

[16:18] >> Mr. Connor?

[16:19] >> Yes.

[16:20] >> Mr. Arline?

[16:21] >> Yes.

[16:21] >> Mrs. Lowry?

[16:22] >> Yes.

[16:23] >> Dr. Gupta?

[16:23] >> Yes.

[16:24] >> Dr. Farmer?

[16:25] >> Yes.

[16:25] >> Mr. Poe?

[16:26] >> Yes.

[16:27] >> Mr. Shaw?

[16:28] >> Yes.

[16:28] >> Motion passes.

[16:29] >> Thank you.

[16:30] And let's swap the seats.

[16:42] » Use your plug for a moment.

[16:56] » Do you want to say something in your

[16:57] acceptance?

[16:58] >> Um

[17:00] I would Yes, but I would after we

[17:02] >> Yeah, I'm just here.

[17:04] >> Just thank you for your

[17:06] um confidence and um I look forward to

[17:09] an exciting year. Once again, this year

[17:12] is going to be 100% focused on

[17:15] academics.

[17:17] I see we coming up. We coming up.

[17:20] >> Yeah.

[17:24] » Thank you, Mr. Connor. Next is 2627

[17:28] appointment of board clerk and deputy

[17:29] clerk that committee. Do you recommend

[17:31] those names? Uh

[17:32] >> Yes.

[17:33] >> All right, go ahead.

[17:34] >> Um the recommendation, of course, is Ms.

[17:37] Tyna Daye for clerk of the school board

[17:39] and then uh Jill Connelly Mayes for

[17:41] deputy clerk of the school board.

[17:44] » Any objections?

[17:46] Madam Clerk, would you please call the

[17:47] roll? When you call for yourself, that's

[17:48] all right, right?

[17:49] >> You never say yes.

[17:52] >> [laughter]

[17:54] >> I'm just kidding.

[17:57] » Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Daye, for what

[17:58] you do for the board. Thank you, sir. We

[18:00] appreciate, ma'am, you every day.

[18:02] Sometimes

[18:04] uh irrespective of time, whether you are

[18:05] on clock or not, you do anything.

[18:07] So [clears throat]

[18:08] >> Amazing job you do.

[18:11] >> [applause]

[18:13] >> Madam Clerk, call roll. Roll call roll

[18:15] call five to one.

[18:16] >> This is what you want.

[18:17] >> Yes.

[18:17] >> Mr. Barron.

[18:18] >> Yes.

[18:19] >> Mr. Connor.

[18:20] >> Yes.

[18:20] >> Mr. Allen.

[18:21] >> Yes.

[18:22] >> Mrs. Laury.

[18:23] >> Yes.

[18:23] >> Dr. Gupta.

[18:24] >> Yes.

[18:24] >> Dr. Farmer.

[18:25] >> Yes.

[18:26] >> Mr. Poe.

[18:27] >> Yes.

[18:27] >> Mr. Shores.

[18:28] >> Yes.

[18:28] >> Motion passes.

[18:30] >> Thank you. Next one is the appointment

[18:32] of the agent and deputy agent that

[18:33] committee.

[18:34] >> Yes, for the agent um for the school

[18:36] board, Sonya Jamison, uh chief financial

[18:39] officer, and then the deputy agent for

[18:41] school board, Barbara Ripkin. I never

[18:43] say her name correctly. I apologize.

[18:45] Assistant finance director.

[18:46] >> Any objections?

[18:48] >> Mhm.

[18:48] >> Madam Clerk, would you please call the

[18:50] roll?

[18:51] >> Mrs. Laury.

[18:52] >> Yes.

[18:53] >> Mr. Barron.

[18:54] >> Yes.

[18:54] >> Mr. Connor.

[18:55] >> Yes.

[18:56] >> Mr. Allen.

[18:57] >> Yes.

[18:57] >> Mrs. Laury.

[18:58] >> Yes.

[18:58] >> Dr. Gupta.

[18:59] >> Yes.

[18:59] >> Dr. Farmer.

[19:00] >> Yes.

[19:01] >> Mr. Poe.

[19:02] >> Yes.

[19:03] >> Mr. Shores.

[19:03] >> Yes.

[19:04] >> Motion passes.

[19:05] >> Next is the appointment of designee of

[19:07] the division superintendent that

[19:09] committee.

[19:10] >> Yes. Um the recommendations for Dr.

[19:12] Jennifer Davis, my deputy superintendent

[19:14] to serve as my designate.

[19:16] >> Any objections?

[19:18] Would you please call the roll?

[19:19] >> Mrs. Royal?

[19:20] >> Yes.

[19:21] >> Mr. Barron? [clears throat]

[19:21] >> Yes.

[19:22] >> Mr.

[19:23] >> Yes.

[19:23] >> Mr. Allen?

[19:24] >> Yes.

[19:25] >> Mrs. Lowry?

[19:25] >> Yes.

[19:26] >> Dr. Gupta?

[19:27] >> Yes.

[19:27] >> Dr. Farmer?

[19:28] >> Yes.

[19:29] >> Mr. Poe?

[19:29] >> Yes.

[19:30] >> Mr. Shaw?

[19:31] >> Yes.

[19:31] >> Motion passes.

[19:32] >> Next is ditch meeting time and location

[19:35] of school board meeting.

[19:37] Um, I think I'll I'll go to um, Mr. uh,

[19:42] Barron.

[19:42] >> Yes, sir. Yeah, I'd like to make a

[19:44] motion. We usually have two meetings a

[19:46] month, regular session and then the work

[19:48] session and just in conversations in

[19:50] addition to all the committee meetings

[19:52] that we have. I think if we just use our

[19:53] committees efficiently, we don't need

[19:55] that extra work session. So, I'd like to

[19:57] make a motion that we only do the one

[19:59] meeting on the third Tuesday of the

[20:01] month instead of the work sessions as

[20:03] well.

[20:04] >> Is there a second on that motion?

[20:05] >> Second.

[20:05] >> Seconded.

[20:07] >> [laughter]

[20:10] » Is there discussion on that motion?

[20:12] >> [clears throat]

[20:13] [laughter]

[20:22] >> I would like to just say I would I I

[20:24] think cuz, you know, to me it's about

[20:26] efficiency and making sure we're using

[20:28] our resources uh, appropriately

[20:30] including human resources in every

[20:31] meeting we do, our staff has to pull

[20:33] things together and to set agendas and

[20:35] so on and so forth. And so, I think for

[20:38] that reason alone. But then on top of

[20:39] that, it makes it easier when we

[20:41] centralize information to single

[20:43] meetings for the month. Having it

[20:45] [clears throat] after the city council

[20:46] has met, having after the finances have

[20:48] been sort of short up from the month

[20:49] previously, just makes it a lot easier

[20:51] to have that information consolidated

[20:53] for public to have access to that and to

[20:55] communicate things more effectively. So,

[20:57] I think all around it's a win. Uh, and

[20:59] then if we have to, we need a second

[21:00] meeting in the month, we can call a

[21:01] special session and and that's usually I

[21:03] think we're all pretty flexible with

[21:05] stuff like that. So.

[21:07] >> Mrs. Lowry?

[21:08] >> And also

[21:08] >> I was thinking the committee reports.

[21:10] So, if usually we just report, but if

[21:12] people have questions at that time for

[21:14] clarity, we can just get a little bit

[21:15] deeper. So, we can they can ask us

[21:17] questions

[21:18] >> [clears throat and cough]

[21:20] [snorts]

[21:20] >> And the

[21:21] people sitting out there thinking this

[21:23] board just meets for hour or two, goes

[21:26] home

[21:27] never come back. People on disciplinary

[21:29] will find out as you guys did this 4-5

[21:32] hours each week and it's very time

[21:34] consuming job and it's not paid, so

[21:37] it takes a lot of out of you on an

[21:40] ongoing basis and um

[21:43] so I think me me making one meeting will

[21:45] make it a little bit of release of

[21:47] pressure on those members whose

[21:49] committees are pretty intense.

[21:51] That would take a lot of time. Yes.

[21:53] >> And also on top [clears throat] of that,

[21:54] we not only have our committee meetings,

[21:56] but you're visiting the schools and

[21:58] you're talking to teachers and you're

[22:00] going here and there and to events that

[22:02] the schools are have I mean it's not

[22:04] just a meeting and committees. There's a

[22:05] whole lot going on, so this will make it

[22:08] a little nicer.

[22:09] >> Just for the record, the being on the

[22:11] disciplinary committee was not the

[22:13] primary MOTIVATION FOR ME.

[22:14] >> [laughter]

[22:16] >> IT WASN'T ABOUT ME. I'M

[22:19] >> A disclaimer

[22:21] >> [laughter]

[22:21] >> Oh, Pastor Nigel, good.

[22:23] >> So, I was said there are no legal

[22:24] ramifications for us to do this.

[22:27] >> Oh, no.

[22:27] >> Give you a history about

[22:29] when I came to the school board, we used

[22:31] to have one school board meeting.

[22:33] >> Right.

[22:33] >> And then we moved to two. I think we

[22:36] went back to one, so we have done the

[22:38] cyclical things.

[22:40] >> Why don't we do that from the beginning?

[22:42] >> [laughter]

[22:46] » Okay.

[22:47] >> So, it just uh

[22:48] it provides

[22:50] it takes because we have to have agenda

[22:52] preps, so her staff is occupied every

[22:54] other Tuesday in the morning for an

[22:56] hour.

[22:57] So, the more meetings you have, the more

[22:59] Ms. Day is occupied earlier in the

[23:01] morning for those 8:15 meetings. So,

[23:04] then it'll be one comprehensive prep for

[23:06] the whole month and it takes frees up

[23:09] time for the committee meetings, which

[23:10] you'll be releasing in a minute. Once we

[23:13] do this meetings time, I'll announce the

[23:15] committee assignments.

[23:16] Uh other discussion?

[23:19] >> Just real quick clarification. So, these

[23:21] dates that we're looking at here on the

[23:22] agenda, the second group of dates is the

[23:24] ones we're now proposing is those that

[23:26] third Tuesday or

[23:27] >> can read those dates out loud because in

[23:29] November

[23:30] uh November 17th is the date we have ESB

[23:34] meeting. So, I was proposing to change

[23:36] that to November 10th.

[23:37] >> And that's the

[23:38] >> Okay.

[23:39] >> It's an early day. Madam Clerk, would

[23:40] you please read out loud for public the

[23:43] board meetings?

[23:44] >> Do we need to I'm sorry, do we need to

[23:45] actually vote on that movement first?

[23:48] >> No, this will be all together.

[23:49] >> All together. Okay. Okay.

[23:52] >> Uh the proposed new dates that you're

[23:54] asking for the school board meetings

[23:55] will be Tuesday, July 21st, Tuesday,

[23:59] August 18th,

[24:01] Tuesday, September the 15th,

[24:03] Tuesday, October the 20th, Tuesday,

[24:05] November the 10th,

[24:07] Tuesday, December the 15th,

[24:09] Tuesday, January the 19th, 2027,

[24:13] Tuesday, February the 16th, Tuesday,

[24:15] March 16th, Tuesday, April 20th,

[24:19] Tuesday, May 18th,

[24:20] Tuesday, June 15th, and Tuesday, July

[24:23] 20th. And I have made copies.

[24:25] >> And you have the copies for the

[24:26] committee meetings on the board docs for

[24:28] people to see.

[24:29] >> Yes.

[24:30] >> when the committees meet. So, that

[24:32] document is public. And so, what we are

[24:34] doing is

[24:36] we would be voting on

[24:38] meeting once a month on third Tuesday

[24:40] and approving those dates and times for

[24:41] the committee meetings along with that.

[24:44] We'll combine this. Want to modify your

[24:46] motion?

[24:47] >> Well, one more one more question. Uh is

[24:49] the July 20th, 2027 is that the

[24:51] reorganization meeting or

[24:52] >> Yes, sir.

[24:52] >> that's separate from the It is the

[24:54] reorganization.

[24:54] >> Yes, sir.

[24:55] >> Okay. Cool. That's it.

[24:56] >> Well.

[24:57] no, it has to be earlier.

[24:58] >> It needs to be earlier.

[24:59] >> Yeah, I said that would be earlier.

[25:00] >> That's just a regular meeting.

[25:02] >> So, that one's not on the list.

[25:03] >> That that'll be decided at the tail end,

[25:06] you know,

[25:07] as we're heading in that direction.

[25:08] >> Fair enough. Okay, just that was it.

[25:10] >> That will be a special meeting.

[25:12] >> Fair enough.

[25:13] >> Just like today.

[25:13] >> That'll work.

[25:14] >> So, it has not

[25:15] it could be Tuesday, it could be

[25:17] Wednesday, it could be Thursday,

[25:18] depending on where

[25:19] July 1st. For people who are watching,

[25:21] they might be wondering why July 1st.

[25:24] Because the board is not seated till we

[25:26] vote on it and approve. Otherwise, the

[25:28] superintendent has to run the district

[25:30] as board as well as the superintendent.

[25:32] That's too much.

[25:33] >> Yes.

[25:34] >> So, that's why

[25:36] the board is seated on July 1st and we

[25:38] have a board reorganization meeting on

[25:39] July 1st. And July 1st happened to be a

[25:42] Wednesday and that's why we're meeting

[25:44] today.

[25:45] So,

[25:46] Mr. Barron, would you modify your motion

[25:48] to include the meeting dates and times

[25:50] and then I'll announce the membership

[25:52] >> Yes, so I move that we set these meeting

[25:55] dates as read by Ms. Day

[25:58] to be approved for our

[26:01] calendar

[26:02] 2026-2027.

[26:04] >> Including the committee meetings and

[26:06] we'll we'll do the membership in a

[26:07] minute.

[26:08] >> Yes, sir.

[26:08] >> Would you please call the roll?

[26:10] >> [clears throat]

[26:10] >> Mrs. Royal.

[26:11] >> Yes.

[26:12] >> Mr. Barron.

[26:12] >> Yes.

[26:13] >> Mr. Ali.

[26:14] >> Yes.

[26:14] >> Mr. Connor.

[26:15] >> Yes.

[26:16] >> Dr. Gupta.

[26:16] >> Yes.

[26:17] >> Mrs. Lowry.

[26:18] >> Yes.

[26:18] >> Dr. Farmer.

[26:19] >> Yes.

[26:19] >> Mr. Powell.

[26:20] >> Yes.

[26:21] >> Mr. Shaw.

[26:22] >> Yes.

[26:22] >> Motion passes.

[26:23] >> Now, the secondary as part of that

[26:25] process as a board chair

[26:28] and vice chair, our job is to appoint uh

[26:31] committee members to different

[26:32] committees.

[26:33] And the way I have chose I've done each

[26:36] year is

[26:37] I replace members who leave and then in

[26:40] their place put them in unless their duties are much more higher level.

[26:44] So, Madam Clerk, would you please call

[26:45] the membership as assigned and it's on

[26:48] board docs. Uh

[26:50] Finance and Facilities.

[26:53] >> Would you want to start with the first

[26:54] two, Steve?

[26:55] >> No, no, no. The committee membership.

[26:59] >> Who's on what committee?

[27:00] >> People.

[27:01] >> Right. Okay, Finance and Facilities will

[27:03] meet on second Tuesdays of each month at

[27:05] 3:30. The members will be Mr. Connor,

[27:08] Eileen, and Royal.

[27:09] >> So, Mr. Connor, is it Who's the chair?

[27:12] >> Mr. Connor will be chair.

[27:13] >> Yeah.

[27:15] Mr. Eileen and

[27:16] >> Mrs. Royal.

[27:17] And then, Legislative

[27:19] Advocacy.

[27:20] >> Legislative Advocacy Committee will meet

[27:23] on third Tuesdays of each month at 3:30.

[27:26] Members chair will be Dr. Farmer, Mr.

[27:28] Shaw, and Mrs. Royal.

[27:30] >> And then, is the Academic Success

[27:32] Committee.

[27:33] >> Academic Success Committee has now been

[27:35] moved to the first Tuesday of each month

[27:37] at 3:30.

[27:38] Chair, Mrs. Royal, Mr. Barron, and Dr.

[27:41] Farmer.

[27:42] >> Um which one am I missing? There's

[27:44] Academic Opportunities, which is an ad

[27:46] hoc committee. Mr. Poe and Dr. Farmer.

[27:49] Mr. Poe is chairing that committee.

[27:51] And I'm missing one committee.

[27:54] >> Discipline.

[27:55] Go ahead.

[27:56] >> [laughter]

[27:57] >> Discipline Case and Data Review will

[28:00] meet every Thursday at 3:30 as needed.

[28:03] Members are chair, Mr. Poe,

[28:06] Mr. Barron, and Mr. Shaw.

[28:09] >> Thank you. And that takes care of the

[28:11] Then we have ad hoc um

[28:14] work groups.

[28:15] >> The only ad hoc committee we have

[28:17] >> No, no, sorry. The work groups. Policy work groups. You have that list

[28:21] with you?

[28:21] >> I do not have that list with me.

[28:22] >> That's all right. So, um we'll we'll

[28:24] post that on BoardDocs. Uh what happens

[28:27] is every school board School board's

[28:29] role is to make policies.

[28:31] Superintendent's job is to run district

[28:33] on a day-to-day basis. As I I was

[28:35] telling Mr. Connor yesterday, think

[28:37] about we own the home, but we have those

[28:41] Cracker Barrel

[28:43] uh chairs outside the home on the porch.

[28:46] As people drive by, they see us sitting

[28:48] on the porch rocking our chairs. They

[28:50] think we live inside the home. We don't.

[28:53] We had the home and we were rented it to

[28:55] the superintendent.

[28:56] >> [laughter]

[28:57] >> She can be as early as she wants inside

[28:59] the room. There's nothing we can do

[29:00] other than get an eviction notice to get

[29:02] her out OF THE HOME.

[29:04] >> [laughter]

[29:08] » I'M JUST

[29:09] >> [laughter]

[29:10] >> PEOPLE SAY

[29:12] SCHOOL BOARD WHO RUNS the district is a

[29:14] superintendent and runs the district. We

[29:16] make policies to run the district. And

[29:19] sometimes that's where Attorney Towns,

[29:21] correct me if I'm wrong, right? That's

[29:23] the legal thing that she's the operating

[29:26] officer.

[29:28] The day we appoint her, she takes over

[29:30] the district and we basically have one

[29:32] employee, i.e. superintendent.

[29:35] And rest is all under her. So, if you go

[29:38] to anybody else, we're bypassing her to

[29:40] buy to go to that person.

[29:41] >> I have um

[29:43] after we vote on the meeting, I have

[29:45] some govern I'd like to do a governance

[29:47] reminder.

[29:48] And I

[29:49] teach um fair but I have something

[29:51] prepared.

[29:52] >> All right, wonderful.

[29:54] Madam Clerk, would you please call the

[29:55] roll?

[29:56] >> The roll has been called.

[29:58] >> The for the meeting to change the

[29:59] minutes.

[30:01] >> It's being called, are we good? Go

[30:02] ahead.

[30:04] >> Okay, um once again, thank you for um

[30:07] trusting me again as vice chair.

[30:09] Um one of the things that I want to

[30:11] share is is um

[30:15] the discipline committee

[30:17] meets every week.

[30:19] And we it was like pulling teeth last

[30:21] year to get substitutes cuz sometimes

[30:24] things come up and one of the members is

[30:26] not able to be there and we really need

[30:28] to have three members in attendance

[30:31] at each meeting.

[30:32] So, I was I was talking to Dr. Gupta

[30:36] about making a schedule and locking

[30:38] everybody in, but I would like to see is

[30:41] if um when Mr. Poe reaches out and say,

[30:43] "Hey, I need a substitute this

[30:45] Thursday." that we can do that without

[30:48] having to but if we if he ends up having

[30:50] a lot of meetings with only two members,

[30:52] then we'll probably have to say, "Well,

[30:54] November, Dr. Farmer, you're the

[30:56] designated sub.

[30:58] December, you know,

[31:00] Ms. Royal, you'll be the designated

[31:02] sub." And it may only be once every now

[31:05] and then, but we need to make sure that

[31:07] we always have three members on that

[31:08] committee. Cuz some of the decisions

[31:10] that are made

[31:12] could possibly be challenged to appeal

[31:14] >> Right.

[31:15] >> by parents or you know, so we need when

[31:17] you have three members, then

[31:20] that get you know, sometimes two out of

[31:22] three vote and the parent has the right

[31:24] to appeal.

[31:25] >> [clears throat]

[31:25] >> And then last time last year, Pastor

[31:27] Nigel and Dr. Farmer took most of the

[31:29] weight of substituting, so thank you

[31:31] very much. We appreciate you doing that.

[31:34] >> And my other question is do you want to

[31:36] pick two subs so it the it's consistent?

[31:40] >> We'll work it out because as we move,

[31:42] the discipline committee chair is Mr.

[31:44] Poe, so he'll work it out.

[31:45] >> Okay. All right.

[31:45] >> He'll let us know

[31:46] >> Yeah.

[31:46] >> when we need it.

[31:47] >> That's it's on his shoulders now.

[31:49] >> Well, and and I couldn't last year

[31:51] because of the tutoring I do, but I have

[31:53] no tutoring [clears throat] set, so if

[31:55] I'm

[31:56] designated as a sub, I'll just make sure

[31:57] I don't tutor on Thursdays.

[31:59] >> Okay.

[32:00] >> And that that coordination and

[32:01] responsibility is Mr. Poe. That's why I

[32:03] was telling him we

[32:04] >> want to make sure that he doesn't have

[32:05] to really cuz we really need it's it's

[32:08] one of the most important and I think we

[32:10] made a lot of headway last year.

[32:14] Um and we now have opened up um

[32:17] you know, well, that's all

[32:19] >> Go ahead.

[32:19] >> Let me let me get to my governance

[32:21] stuff.

[32:22] But I'm excited about what we're doing

[32:24] as a district for the students.

[32:27] This is a board governance reminder.

[32:30] These are all based in policies. Our

[32:32] board policies are in the B section

[32:35] of the policy manual, so if you want to

[32:38] um look at them individually cuz some I

[32:41] didn't take the entire policy for each

[32:43] one, but all of our governance policies

[32:46] are in they start with the letter B.

[32:50] >> [cough]

[32:50] >> You go into the policy [clears throat]

[32:51] manual, you'll find them under board

[32:53] governance and operations.

[32:56] Okay?

[32:57] Now,

[32:58] before we go into tonight's agenda, I

[33:00] would like to take a few moments to

[33:01] provide governance reminder for all

[33:04] board members.

[33:05] As we continue our work together as some

[33:08] members begin their service on the

[33:10] Lynchburg City School Board, this is a

[33:12] good opportunity to revisit the

[33:14] governance practice that guide our work.

[33:18] The government framework is established

[33:20] through school board policy and intended

[33:23] to ensure transparency,

[33:25] consistency, accountability, and

[33:28] effective leadership. These policies

[33:30] help define our respective roles and

[33:33] establish the processes that allow us to

[33:35] work collaboratively on behalf of our

[33:38] student, staff, and community.

[33:40] I would like to remind everyone that

[33:43] communication between the school board

[33:45] and the superintendent should follow our

[33:48] established protocols. Information

[33:51] requests from individual board members

[33:53] should be routed through the board chair

[33:56] and communications intended for the full

[33:59] board should likewise flow through the

[34:01] chair so that all members receive the

[34:04] same information at the same time.

[34:08] I want to remind board members that in

[34:09] accordance with board policy, written

[34:12] notification should be provided to the

[34:14] superintendent at least one day prior to

[34:16] visiting a school. This allows school

[34:19] leadership to be informed while ensuring

[34:21] minimal disruption of the school day.

[34:24] Just for clarification, not really when

[34:27] you're bored, we're not asking for

[34:28] permission, it's just notification. Hey,

[34:31] I want to go by Ford Hill and Bass

[34:33] tomorrow.

[34:35] So that and then she may say, "Hey, well

[34:37] we have a staff meeting or

[34:39] um that principal is out with medicals."

[34:42] You might not know. So that notification

[34:44] the day before just say, "Hey, I would

[34:46] like to go um to Sandusky and and visit

[34:50] with the principal." So it's just a

[34:52] protocol and it's

[34:55] you know, so we're not just you know, um

[34:57] bouncing

[34:58] >> Uh-huh.

[34:59] >> Did you say that if you want if you were

[35:01] sending an email or something to either

[35:03] Superintendent Maggett or to anyone else

[35:06] that that email would go through the

[35:09] chair first or is that the way that I'm

[35:11] just asking a question?

[35:13] >> Okay.

[35:14] If you are requesting

[35:16] information from the superintendent

[35:19] then you should it should go through the

[35:21] chair.

[35:22] >> Okay.

[35:23] >> Um just give you common sense or common

[35:26] understanding.

[35:28] She Nobody can work for nine bosses.

[35:31] >> Oh yeah, that makes sense.

[35:33] >> So um that way any information goes to

[35:36] him, he communicate and then when it

[35:38] comes back, if it's for everybody then

[35:40] it'll be shared to everybody broadly.

[35:43] But otherwise, she'd get nine different

[35:45] requests all day long and and and and

[35:47] her staff would be running. So we just

[35:50] it's centralized that way.

[35:52] Okay? And like I say, once again, it's

[35:55] we just it's just asking you to do it

[35:57] because it's the right thing to do.

[36:00] >> Let me just clarify one thing there.

[36:02] When you're a committee chair and

[36:04] there's a staff designee of that

[36:06] committee, right?

[36:07] They coordinate with that staff designee

[36:09] directly.

[36:10] >> [clears throat]

[36:10] >> So Ms. James is for finance, so the

[36:13] finance chair will coordinate that has

[36:15] the

[36:16] superintendent become superintendent's

[36:18] designee at that time by default.

[36:20] >> Likewise, academic success is Dr. Davis.

[36:24] Um

[36:24] Ms. Dr. Sumner is not here with

[36:26] discipline, but Dr. Summers you you

[36:28] know, and um

[36:30] you know, so that's what we do.

[36:32] Um let's see. Where was I? Okay, is

[36:35] equally important

[36:37] to remember that our role as board

[36:39] members is one of governance. We are

[36:41] responsible for establishing policy,

[36:44] providing fiscal oversight,

[36:47] ensuring legal compliance, and setting

[36:49] the vision and direction for Lynchburg

[36:51] City Schools.

[36:53] Growth, opportunity, and success.

[36:56] Um day-to-day management and operation

[36:59] of [clears throat] the school division

[37:00] rests with the superintendent and staff.

[37:03] Individual board members do not have the

[37:05] authority to direct employees or make

[37:08] decisions on behalf of the board outside

[37:12] of official board action.

[37:14] These are policies.

[37:16] I also encourage each of us to remain

[37:18] actively engaged in our committee

[37:20] assignments, come prepared for meetings

[37:22] by reviewing materials in BoardDocs, and

[37:25] participate thoughtfully in committee

[37:27] discussions before recommendations are

[37:30] brought to the full board for

[37:31] consideration.

[37:33] >> Can I say something there?

[37:34] >> Mhm.

[37:35] >> The committee, just like board agenda,

[37:38] goes public but 48 hours, at least 48

[37:40] hours prior to the meeting.

[37:42] So, the board clerk should not wait till

[37:44] 11th hour is the meeting going to happen

[37:46] or not.

[37:47] So, if you're planning to cancel the

[37:48] meeting, let the board clerk know that

[37:50] the meeting will be canceled. Otherwise,

[37:52] please do give her the agenda and

[37:54] discuss it with your committee members

[37:56] [clears throat] so she can make it

[37:57] public. That's legal requirement, right?

[37:59] You got to make that Attorney Townsend,

[38:01] is it? That's public information under

[38:04] It comes under You know,

[38:06] >> It is noticed you know, within

[38:09] the 24-48 hours or so.

[38:12] If you know earlier, even better.

[38:14] >> Yeah. So, that information needs to be

[38:16] made public. Uh poor board clerk

[38:18] shouldn't be running around saying is

[38:19] the meeting going to happen or not, do I

[38:21] have the agenda? So, that's the

[38:23] committee chair's responsibility to make

[38:24] sure she has the agenda and she's able

[38:27] to comply with the law.

[38:29] Go ahead, sir.

[38:29] >> Thank you.

[38:30] >> Okay.

[38:30] Rather than review each policy this

[38:33] evening, a comprehensive board

[38:35] government reference will be emailed to

[38:38] each board member following tonight's

[38:39] meeting.

[38:40] The document includes the applicable

[38:45] >> applicable

[38:47] >> Thank you. school board policies,

[38:51] communication expectations, and school

[38:54] visitation procedures, committee

[38:56] responsibilities, and other governance

[38:58] guidance that will serve as a resource

[39:01] throughout the year. I encourage

[39:03] everyone to review it and keep it

[39:05] available for future reference. And I

[39:07] need to add one more

[39:10] um that I'm missed adding on here.

[39:13] Communication with the media.

[39:18] We have one spokesperson with the media,

[39:21] and that is the board chair.

[39:24] If you are contacted by the media and

[39:27] you

[39:28] want to share with the media, the first

[39:30] thing you need to do is let him know

[39:32] that that they've contacted you and

[39:34] you're going to speak with them, and you

[39:36] have to clearly state to the media that

[39:40] you are speaking as an individual and

[39:43] not on behalf of the Lynchburg City

[39:45] School Board. And sometimes you may have

[39:48] to repeat that during the interview just

[39:51] to remind, "Hey, you asked me a question

[39:52] that sounds like you want information

[39:55] from the board. I'm not representing the

[39:57] board. I'm speaking as an individual."

[40:00] Very important, um because we run into

[40:03] some legal issues when we Once again, we

[40:05] can't have nine spokespersons.

[40:09] Um but we're not restricting anybody

[40:11] from speaking to the media. We're just

[40:13] asking that um you understand that your

[40:16] position and role when you speak to the

[40:18] media. [clears throat]

[40:19] So, thank you.

[40:20] >> What do you want to clarify?

[40:21] >> Yeah. You meant your first amendment

[40:22] right is to be able to speak,

[40:25] but then you speak for yourself. You

[40:26] don't represent the board in that

[40:28] speech.

[40:29] So, this not preventing the freedom of

[40:31] speech. Just making sure that we are not

[40:33] putting board at at a liability.

[40:38] >> So, thank you for your continued

[40:39] commitment to serving the student Oh, go

[40:42] ahead.

[40:42] >> Yeah, was could you address the protocol

[40:45] for closed sessions?

[40:47] Would that be possible?

[40:48] >> Well, closed session we will announce

[40:51] it'll be on the agenda that we will have

[40:53] a closed session.

[40:55] We will announce and then vote to go

[40:58] into closed session. Anything that's

[41:00] discussed in closed session is

[41:02] confidential and not to be released

[41:05] outside of closed session.

[41:07] >> I let attorney Tong, would you be kind

[41:09] enough to talk to us about the closed

[41:11] session legal requirements, please?

[41:14] Because that's very important because

[41:16] that's a line we

[41:18] >> [clears throat]

[41:18] >> we have to maintain.

[41:21] The

[41:21] legal compliance which are required.

[41:23] Yeah, go ahead.

[41:24] >> The closed session requirements are

[41:26] under the Virginia Freedom of

[41:27] Information Act. And while it's

[41:30] important for boards to be transparent

[41:32] and share information, there will be

[41:33] times that you all will have things to

[41:35] speak about that

[41:38] are not able to be disclosed to the

[41:39] public at this time.

[41:41] Just like your student discipline

[41:43] meetings. Those will generally be closed

[41:45] session meetings because you're talking

[41:46] about students and student records.

[41:48] There'll be times perhaps we'll talk

[41:49] about contracts

[41:51] where in negotiation we don't want to

[41:53] disclose our negotiation tactics to outside

[41:58] council and outside

[42:00] participators. And so,

[42:03] when you go into closed session,

[42:05] there will be a

[42:07] line from the Virginia Freedom of

[42:08] Information Act disclosing as to why

[42:11] we're going in the closed session. You

[42:13] all will vote on that, go into closed

[42:15] session, we'll discuss the matters that

[42:17] need to be discussed at that time, then

[42:19] you all will come out, and then there's

[42:22] a certification that nothing was

[42:24] discussed in that meeting but what was

[42:26] put on the closed session agenda. So, if

[42:30] we're if you go into a student

[42:31] discipline and then start talking about

[42:35] uh uh a contract for a new business,

[42:40] then that wasn't on the agenda. So,

[42:43] you'd have difficulty certifying that was the only topic. So, you would

[42:48] certify that you talked about what was

[42:50] on the closed session, and then there

[42:52] may be some action items after you come

[42:54] out of the closed section session that

[42:56] you will act on, and that is information

[42:58] that is open to the public. So, then

[43:01] that is something that will be on the

[43:02] agenda

[43:04] um

[43:05] that

[43:06] will be disclosed. However, the

[43:08] discussion itself will be in closed

[43:10] session.

[43:11] Um if you all find that you have any

[43:13] questions about anything about the

[43:14] closed session,

[43:15] uh please feel free to give me a call,

[43:17] but I think that's the general the

[43:19] general thoughts about how closed

[43:20] sessions are handled.

[43:21] >> Things discussed in closed session are

[43:23] confidential, right?

[43:24] >> Correct.

[43:24] >> There's no discussion outside. If you

[43:26] are in discipline, your three members,

[43:28] the fourth member has no business

[43:30] knowing what you three members talked

[43:32] about.

[43:32] Um

[43:33] neither me nor superintendent, anybody

[43:36] has no business knowing what was

[43:38] discussed among those three members in

[43:40] that closed session. Right? Am I uh

[43:42] >> Correct. Correct, like that. Unless it

[43:44] becomes an issue for the full board,

[43:46] then it's appropriate for the school the

[43:48] full board to get that information.

[43:50] >> And Dr. Rooper, and um this sounds for

[43:52] our new um members, um she said give her

[43:55] a call, so I don't know if they have her

[43:56] number.

[43:57] >> And I will eventually. That's that's one

[43:58] of the reasons why I'm here today. You

[43:59] see uh some cards in my hand, so I will

[44:02] reach [clears throat] out to you all and uh discuss uh setting up a meeting

[44:05] just to go over some legal requirements

[44:08] for being a board member.

[44:09] >> do you charge per hour?

[44:10] >> [laughter]

[44:11] >> Not enough.

[44:12] >> 1 million.

[44:15] » But no, thank you all for the for the

[44:17] moment.

[44:18] >> Thank you, Ernie Towns. Thank you.

[44:20] >> Thank you.

[44:20] >> Go ahead, sir.

[44:21] >> That's good.

[44:21] >> Okay.

[44:22] Thank you for your continued commitment

[44:24] to serving our students, families,

[44:26] staff,

[44:27] and community of Lynchburg City Schools.

[44:29] I appreciate your service and look

[44:31] forward to our continued work together

[44:33] on behalf of the students of Lynchburg

[44:35] City Schools.

[44:36] >> Thank you.

[44:38] >> Um three things. Um

[44:40] the business partners meeting we had

[44:42] yesterday, if we like I showed you what

[44:44] I've signed up to help in schools do, I

[44:47] showed that to you, but am I doing

[44:49] protocol right? Should I have gone

[44:50] through you first or that was open?

[44:53] >> Yes, that that was something open and

[44:54] you you shared it with me.

[44:55] >> Yeah, I shared it with you. I just

[44:56] wanted everybody to know. Okay, and the

[44:58] second thing, I always do the schedule

[45:00] of visiting the schools every year. You

[45:01] want me to send that to you every month?

[45:03] I do it the first two weeks.

[45:04] >> That you can work out with me.

[45:05] >> Okay. And then the third thing was can

[45:07] we cancel the Equity and Success um July

[45:10] meeting because we just met last week

[45:12] and the meeting was last week. Okay, so

[45:14] I'm thinking there's not much going on.

[45:16] So the next one will be like August 4th.

[45:18] Okay.

[45:18] >> You can work that out with me.

[45:19] >> Okay.

[45:20] >> Now once again,

[45:22] out of policy and respect, if you have a

[45:26] schedule like she does where she knows

[45:28] she's going to be visiting schools, just

[45:30] we're just saying don't don't just pop

[45:32] into a school.

[45:34] Um and start directing the staff. Just

[45:37] let the superintendent know that you

[45:39] hey, I'm a um I'm going to be at this

[45:40] school because there's reasons for us to

[45:43] go. I'm looking forward. I I made

[45:45] commitments at our meeting yesterday. I

[45:46] made some commitments that they will see

[45:48] my face this year and they are they can

[45:51] say they're going to hold my feet to the

[45:52] fire to expect to see me. They want to show us what they're doing.

[45:56] Everybody, I'm telling you I feel a

[45:58] level of excitement this year that I

[46:00] haven't felt before. The principals and

[46:04] APs and staff, they are excited about

[46:06] what, you know, the direction they're

[46:08] going and they want to show us what

[46:09] they're doing. So, all we ask

[46:12] >> so that everybody knows, a lot of times

[46:14] when I visit because a lot cuz I I'm a

[46:16] retired teacher and I have friends in

[46:18] all three levels, elementary, middle,

[46:19] high school. All I do is walk around and

[46:21] just say hi. I don't sit and observe a

[46:22] class. I don't do any of that stuff. I'm

[46:25] just a friendly face, just being visible

[46:27] because when I started my term, the

[46:29] first time they just said, "We never see

[46:32] school board members." So, I was just

[46:33] being visible. That's all I'm doing.

[46:35] That's all I do. I'm usually there 5 to

[46:37] 10 minutes max and I'm out.

[46:39] >> [laughter]

[46:39] >> So, I'm not there very long.

[46:41] >> We have a chain of command for and we

[46:44] have a grievance procedure in the school

[46:45] district.

[46:46] So, if I have a complaint then I I'm a

[46:50] If I'm a teacher, I go to my principal,

[46:51] right? And they go to

[46:53] There's a chain of command there and

[46:55] they follow before they run over

[46:58] because we don't control the day-to-day

[47:00] operation

[47:02] of the school district.

[47:03] >> And so, if you do see something that bothers you or you don't think is

[47:07] the right way that they should be doing

[47:09] things, don't try to correct It's not

[47:11] your job to try to correct it on the

[47:13] spot, but it is [snorts] your job to

[47:14] notify Drop an email to Dr. Gupta. If

[47:17] he's not around, drop it to me and we'll

[47:19] make sure that it's directed through the

[47:21] right chain of command so it's

[47:23] addressed.

[47:26] » Hey, go ahead.

[47:27] >> And I can just real quick I I appreciate

[47:28] all the clarification. I think this was

[47:30] something

[47:31] Maybe I just have a short memory, but I

[47:32] don't remember going to this detail

[47:34] level of detail when I started last

[47:35] year. So, I think it's very helpful.

[47:37] And it's been a learning curve when it

[47:39] comes to cuz I think the perception for

[47:41] the community is that we're not

[47:43] accessible, we're not paying attention,

[47:45] we're not we're not communicating well.

[47:47] And so, I definitely want to encourage

[47:48] us to be diligent in how we communicate.

[47:50] And part of this protocol is about

[47:51] directing communication so that it's not

[47:53] just haphazard. And so, that's been a

[47:55] learning curve for me. But, one of the

[47:57] things I I did come upon

[47:59] I was talking to Dr. Majette the other

[48:00] day. I'd noticed in our policies that

[48:01] you just went over, there's a personnel

[48:04] advisory that that

[48:06] superintendent appoints at the beginning

[48:08] of the year.

[48:09] And I won't get into that whole thing

[48:11] now, but there's also a parental

[48:12] advisory that goes

[48:14] out every year. And for the public

[48:17] listening, I think it's important so

[48:18] that we can focus on legislation and

[48:20] policy and things like that. We can

[48:21] gather information that helps inform

[48:23] policy, but if you have things that you

[48:24] want to talk to somebody about there are

[48:26] those appointees on those

[48:28] committees, your parental advisory and

[48:31] the personnel advisory that are great

[48:33] people to go to and communicate with.

[48:35] And I just think I think we want to open

[48:37] up communication, but there are these

[48:39] protocols and procedures

[48:41] that may seem restrictive, but we also

[48:43] have these other channels. I didn't know

[48:44] about those personnel

[48:46] advisory or parental advisory until I

[48:49] started looking at the policies. So,

[48:51] just saying it in public for public to

[48:53] know, I didn't know as a school board

[48:55] >> number.

[48:55] >> Now, hopefully we can start using those

[48:57] channels properly and get the

[48:59] communication flowing.

[49:00] >> Sometimes we are reactive, the other

[49:01] times we are proactive. And this time we

[49:03] are reactive cuz when we see the goofy

[49:06] business going on, we got to make sure

[49:08] that we react and outline and reiterate

[49:11] because the assumption was that

[49:13] everybody has read the governance

[49:14] policies. They are on the board docs.

[49:17] They are for the public to see and the

[49:18] board members to see.

[49:20] But it looks like they were missed, so

[49:21] that's why we wanted to make sure that

[49:23] this time

[49:24] all the the book chapter is there. If

[49:26] somebody has not read that chapter, we

[49:28] remind them there's a chapter in the

[49:29] book which outlines the policies. So,

[49:32] that's what's happening right now. Go

[49:33] ahead, Dr. Majette.

[49:34] >> So, I just wanted to add in. Thank you

[49:36] for bringing that up, Mr. Barron,

[49:38] because that was one of the things um

[49:41] the individuals for both committees were

[49:42] chosen. I I got here and just

[49:45] you know, had to adopt what was already

[49:46] there in place. And a lot of them were

[49:48] virtual. He and I have had this

[49:49] conversation a lot. We're already set up

[49:51] virtual. The parents were already

[49:53] chosen. The staff that participated was

[49:55] already chosen. And while the staff does

[49:58] participate, I mean, you pretty much

[50:00] will have every location

[50:02] with some of the parents, they some

[50:04] didn't participate. And so we're working

[50:06] through a process now of doing more of

[50:08] an application process, making sure that

[50:11] we understand that how I if I'm Shawn

[50:13] Smith and I'm going to be the

[50:14] representative for, you know, um say

[50:17] Heritage Elementary, then my

[50:19] responsibility is is being a point of

[50:21] contact. Whatever we discuss in that

[50:22] meeting that other parents can share

[50:24] concerns with them or get information to

[50:26] them or, you know, or getting

[50:28] information back from us because

[50:29] sometimes just sending out the recording

[50:31] isn't enough because it only goes to

[50:32] those people who are part of it. But

[50:35] that was one of the things, you know,

[50:36] people were chosen. It was already

[50:38] selected, so I just kind of fell into

[50:39] the pattern of what it is. But as we got

[50:42] through it uh this year, um we started

[50:45] internally having with the team having

[50:47] conversations about this has to be

[50:48] different. It's so impersonal being

[50:50] virtual. I want to be able to sit with

[50:52] the parents and have a conversation if

[50:54] you're a representative for a site. And

[50:56] then even with personnel having it all

[50:58] on Zoom is just impersonal. And you

[51:01] can't really sit and have those

[51:02] conversations. You're just answering

[51:03] questions. So

[51:04] I'm glad you brought that up, but he and

[51:06] I had that conversation and

[51:08] we are streamlining that process so that

[51:10] it's more collaborative and we can

[51:12] actually connect with people.

[51:13] >> another comment or let me just continue

[51:15] with I'll come back to both of them. Do

[51:17] you want to share how many classrooms

[51:18] you visited in last one year and what

[51:20] you did?

[51:21] >> Uh

[51:21] >> [clears throat]

[51:21] >> it's 480. I had an opportunity to visit

[51:24] every classroom. And I got to sort of um

[51:27] they they the teachers gave me some

[51:29] grace and got to co-teach with a few of

[51:31] them, but

[51:32] >> The observations are being implemented

[51:34] as we know what we observed will be

[51:36] implemented in the coming months and

[51:38] years.

[51:38] >> Well, a lot were implemented as we moved

[51:41] along because poor Dr. Davis, the moment

[51:43] I got in the car and had a signal cuz I

[51:46] don't have my phone out in front of the

[51:47] kids. I always have my little pouch. But

[51:49] literally, I'd get in the car and

[51:51] because I had one-on-ones with the

[51:53] principals and things anyway, but even

[51:56] after having conversations with them

[51:57] one-on-one and then doing my visits, if

[51:59] I saw something and when I say it saw

[52:01] something cuz teachers would pull you

[52:02] aside and say, "Hey, you know, I like

[52:04] this or I need help with that."

[52:06] Um or if I saw something with facilities

[52:08] that, you know, "Hey, we may want to go

[52:10] touch up this wall or do something for

[52:13] Mr. Marshall." I'd sneak in to get a

[52:15] picture of something so that I could

[52:16] describe it and he would just get a

[52:17] random picture in a text message. So, as

[52:19] we went along, um because the visits

[52:22] aren't to be critical. I just really

[52:24] enjoyed myself in seeing kids and

[52:25] meeting teachers one-to-one. But at the

[52:27] same time, while you're there, if you

[52:29] see something that needs to make the

[52:30] environment better for them,

[52:32] I can't wait a whole year to address it.

[52:34] So, they every time I had a visit, they

[52:36] heard from me.

[52:38] The moment I got in the car.

[52:39] >> Yeah. Thank you, Mrs. Loud.

[52:41] >> What do you say, promptly?

[52:42] >> The purple notebook.

[52:44] >> Yes, I write around with the notebook.

[52:45] Yes.

[52:46] >> Like the sink when I sent the thing

[52:47] about the sink.

[52:48] >> Yes, you did.

[52:49] >> Um I for our new um

[52:51] members, one thing I did when I first

[52:53] started was I just even though I wasn't

[52:54] going to remember all of them, I read

[52:56] all the policies. I took a whole

[52:58] afternoon and read all the policies so

[52:59] if it came up again, I was familiar or

[53:02] realized, "Oh yeah, I remember reading

[53:04] that." Just to help yourself. So, just

[53:07] so you know, that was helpful for me.

[53:09] >> And also, I wanted to make sure um

[53:12] that we get the applicant When is the

[53:14] process to get the

[53:16] um parent members of our committees?

[53:18] >> I'm doing the process now because in the

[53:20] past, the principals just picked whoever

[53:22] it was going to be. And so, it they they

[53:25] selected someone, people were selected.

[53:28] This time, I'm going to do a process

[53:29] where we can get more collaboration.

[53:32] >> we should have a parent rep on academic

[53:35] success, finance, and facilities.

[53:37] >> Oh, that and that's something separate.

[53:39] This is not me. Yeah. That's a committee

[53:41] something separate.

[53:42] >> Okay, but I'm saying when you going to

[53:44] make sure that

[53:45] we know that application process goes

[53:48] out for people interested in serving,

[53:50] the parents interested in serving on our

[53:52] committees.

[53:53] >> Yes, I think Austin had also did

[53:54] something

[53:55] >> think last year I don't Did we have some

[53:57] I don't think we had any a parent in

[53:59] finance last year.

[54:00] >> We did not.

[54:01] >> And we need to have a parent

[54:03] representative. So, I know it's an

[54:04] application process, a notification, and

[54:06] an application process.

[54:08] >> That's separate. Okay.

[54:10] >> So.

[54:10] >> Go ahead, Mrs. Lloyd.

[54:11] >> I think having those meetings in person

[54:13] will be a good idea. I was on the parent

[54:15] advisory committee, and it's hard

[54:17] >> having it

[54:19] >> in Zoom. But, in the past I I think what

[54:21] they did was they kind of picked the PTO

[54:23] presidents of the school, and that's

[54:25] where the parents would come from. At

[54:28] least the year I did it, I think that's

[54:29] what the principals did.

[54:31] >> Got you. Okay, that that's helpful. I

[54:33] wasn't sure if it was just

[54:35] >> That's what they did. They They just

[54:36] picked like the the PTO president and

[54:38] vice president of each school, and then

[54:41] that's who was on the parent advisory

[54:43] committee.

[54:43] >> Perfect. Perfect. Thank you.

[54:45] >> Any suggestions you have this channel it

[54:47] to the superintendent.

[54:48] >> Okay.

[54:49] >> I think different committee members who come, different task force will come

[54:52] for the board for approval.

[54:54] >> Okay.

[54:54] >> And we board as a as a group on those

[54:57] memberships.

[54:58] And um

[54:59] >> But, not for mine.

[55:00] >> Not for you.

[55:01] >> for mine.

[55:01] >> No, not for you. You got an independent

[55:03] kingdom.

[55:05] >> [laughter]

[55:06] >> All right, any other questions?

[55:09] All right, next one is the consent

[55:10] agenda. Is there a motion to approve

[55:12] consent agenda?

[55:13] >> Motion.

[55:14] >> Okay.

[55:15] >> Second.

[55:16] >> Madam Clerk, would you please call the

[55:17] roll?

[55:18] >> Mrs. Royal.

[55:19] >> Yes.

[55:20] >> Mr. Barron.

[55:21] >> Yes.

[55:21] >> Mr. Alleyne.

[55:22] >> Yes.

[55:22] >> Mr. Tucker.

[55:23] >> Yes.

[55:24] >> Dr. Gupta.

[55:24] >> Yes.

[55:25] >> Mrs. Lloyd.

[55:26] >> Yes.

[55:26] >> Dr. Farmer.

[55:27] >> Yes.

[55:27] >> Mr. Powell.

[55:28] >> Yes.

[55:29] >> Mr. Shaw.

[55:29] >> Yes. [clears throat]

[55:30] >> Motion passes.

[55:31] >> Thank you. Next is informational items.

[55:33] The next school board meeting is July

[55:34] 21st at 5:00 p.m. in school board.

[55:37] Please remember we have only one school

[55:39] board meeting from here on on every

[55:41] third Tuesday.

[55:43] >> And mine will be electronic. I'll be on

[55:45] the website

[55:46] >> your personal information will share

[55:48] with the board clerk not on camera.

[55:50] Thank you.

[55:51] The meeting is adjourned.

[55:53] >> Thank you. Thank you.

LCS School Board Meeting: July 1, 2026

Transcript