[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[2:07] Good evening, everyone. I'd like to call to order the Wednesday, April 12, 2023 Board of Education Special Meeting, and I'd like to ask Trustee Gailiff to start us on the pledge.
[2:46] Yeah,
[2:50] I can first of all, I just want to share a few things if that's okay, yeah, superintendents. First of all, like it's been a long time since we've been together.
[2:59] But because we had a break, that's Kudo number one.
[3:07] I'll share a few things. First of all, I just want to share as part of an update, just a number of things that happened.
[3:12] And since we've convened first, I just wanted to note that our OHS robotics team on the state competition will be advancing to the world championship in Houston, which is outstanding.
[3:25] and we want to wish them a good luck.
[3:28] I think they're leaving on the, I think it's next week,
[3:31] but we're very, very excited to see them
[3:33] and you may have noticed some of the accolades
[3:35] and recognition they received on Channel 12.
[3:37] So Kudos to our educators and our students.
[3:40] We have some of our science research students
[3:42] on a record number at Regeneron, the West F
[3:45] and there's actually an evening celebration tomorrow night
[3:47] that Mr. Hancock and I will be joining.
[3:50] So congratulations to our students.
[3:52] We have a youth lacrosse camp
[3:54] if some of you were watching and observing,
[3:58] that was sort of a, I would say a pilot,
[4:00] but very well,
[4:01] they had a number of students that participated.
[4:04] And I have to say just as an anecdote
[4:06] because you never know when differences will be made,
[4:08] I ended up going to the REC department one evening
[4:11] during the break and the parent of a child
[4:13] that was attending,
[4:15] told me a side and said,
[4:16] my son's never played lacrosse,
[4:18] but he loves it and just wants to keep going.
[4:20] and so we maybe sparked some interest in a particular sport.
[4:24] And those are some sports related.
[4:26] Prior to the break, we had a kindness parade
[4:28] at Park School, and about social media and others,
[4:31] it was really exciting and celebratory.
[4:34] Our spring sports have started.
[4:36] We had some Roosevelt scholars that participated
[4:38] in the SHIELD program, which is a leadership program
[4:40] that is supported by the Bryant Youth Alliance.
[4:44] And we just wanna congratulate those students
[4:45] or about 14 students that participated,
[4:47] and there was a culminating activity that took place.
[4:51] We just watch out for some of the transition meetings that are going to be taken place,
[4:55] meaning those meetings that are being held, Mr. Hancock had at the high school held some
[5:01] for incoming ninth grade parents, but those are all being scheduled, and those are important
[5:05] meetings as we think about the transition of students to not only new grade levels but
[5:11] new buildings.
[5:11] We had four of our OHS students have their artwork on display at the New York's legislative
[5:17] art exhibit.
[5:19] And then I referenced before, we received a planning grant in partnership with Austin
[5:24] and Peak Skill for a pre-apprenticeship program, so we're excited about what that might entail
[5:30] as we look forward to exploring new options for our scholars.
[5:35] Some upcoming events just want everyone to be mindful of.
[5:37] We have our Saturday Explorant Learn Program that's starting on this Saturday from 9.30 to 11 right here in the middle school cafeteria.
[5:45] Our PTA event that evening, so it's a busy Saturday in Austin.
[5:50] There's our Magic Masters event will take place at 7 p.m., so if you have any more tickets.
[5:57] And if you have, please consider joining us.
[5:59] You'll see some of our staff members along with the Magic Masters competing on the court.
[6:06] We are confident that the
[6:08] Senate will prevail.
[6:10] Moving forward to the 28th of April,
[6:15] there will be an
[6:16] Arbor Day event celebrating,
[6:18] and as a collaboration with the
[6:20] town village and the school district
[6:22] and various other entities as we
[6:24] honor and recognize Arbor Day.
[6:26] Important day in our calendar.
[6:29] And some other components that I think
[6:31] are worth noting, we have three of them
[6:32] here with us.
[6:33] but it is National Assistant Principal Week.
[6:36] So we want to thank our principals,
[6:37] please join me in giving our three principal,
[6:39] the other system principals.
[6:42] And certainly we want to thank all our assistant principals
[6:46] for their dedication to our staff,
[6:48] our students, and our entire community.
[6:50] And we've also, as a school district,
[6:53] recognized World Autism Month as well.
[6:55] So just want to note that it's in our efforts.
[6:59] of some other pieces to consider.
[7:02] In my updates, there'll be an MBK symposium
[7:05] that's taking place in May.
[7:06] We have some of our students in our next set of fellows
[7:09] joining us up in Albany.
[7:14] And in addition to that, our Emily Macias reminded me today
[7:19] that we should note that the pre-K screenings
[7:21] are gonna be taking place very soon.
[7:23] So you'll get information related to that.
[7:26] And on a celebratory note too,
[7:28] and we haven't really talked very much.
[7:30] You know, Brookside has started an after-school program
[7:33] through the United Way and received a 21st century grant
[7:37] to support some of those efforts.
[7:40] And it was reported today we have about 160 students
[7:43] that are participating in the program about four days a week
[7:46] and it's been going really well.
[7:47] And we're looking to expand the hours next year
[7:49] and provide transportation and potentially even a meal
[7:53] at the end of the day as well.
[7:54] So more to come on that as well.
[7:56] And then lastly, I know that some of the facilities committee members get a report on the facility
[8:06] broader planning but just a smaller board committee to talk about the various efforts and
[8:11] things that are taking place or haven't taken place as relates to just the work of our buildings
[8:18] and ground staff.
[8:19] You may have noticed that OHS, the fabric on the shade structures who now are students
[8:24] can utilize the exterior and just a nice outdoor space that can be utilized.
[8:29] We've updated.
[8:30] We actually added six new benches outside.
[8:32] So this is all work.
[8:33] Just want to complement our buildings and ground staff for that and a number of new signs
[8:38] have been added.
[8:39] We actually improved.
[8:40] They improved the staff bathrooms at Brookside and various other projects throughout.
[8:46] And then later on, Jared reported that we're still awaiting approval for our energy performance
[8:51] The insurance contract, but everything seems to be ready for the installation of the lighting, solar insulation and unit ventilators once they are approved.
[8:59] So, and we're on target to start our summer projects.
[9:03] The Roseville Path Room, the A&D site improvements and the OHS railing, OHS library railing and circulations, those are improvements that we anticipate during summer months.
[9:16] So that was a quick update, but all important items in terms of our student achievement,
[9:22] and also some of the efforts of our buildings and ground staff. So that's my report.
[9:28] All right, great. Thank you very much. I think we have on our first item on our work session tonight,
[9:36] the AMD Action Plan. All right, so it gives me great pleasure to introduce our leadership team.
[9:43] that's with us here today.
[9:45] I'm going to turn it over to Ms. Tillman, our principal and
[9:49] and donor middle school.
[9:50] Every building at the beginning of the year sets forth an
[9:53] action plan as it relates to items that they hope to achieve
[9:58] over the course of the upcoming school year, this current
[10:00] school year.
[10:02] So they're here as a team to provide us an update on the work
[10:05] that they've done and continue to do as we seek to close the school
[10:09] year.
[10:09] So with that, I'll turn it over to Ms. Tillman.
[10:18] Good evening, Dr. Sanchez, board members, district cabinet, and I'm sure families virtually.
[10:28] My name is Kisha Tillman.
[10:30] I'm the proud principal of NM Joining Middle School.
[10:33] And I thank you for this opportunity to discuss our action plans tonight.
[10:39] Our theme for this school year is the magic is in you.
[10:43] And this theme is rooted in our Portrait of the Learner as it focuses on the goal of helping
[10:51] students to be competent problem solvers and decision makers.
[10:55] I'm going to play for you, it's a really quick slide.
[11:15] As always, we are AMD rocks, we are respectful, organized, cooperative, kind and safe.
[11:26] This year we included a new segment in our old blasts entitled Spotlight on Instruction
[11:31] This is an opportunity for us to celebrate instruction in our building.
[11:36] Here we're highlighting Mrs. Javed's English classroom as she is celebrating her geology project.
[11:43] This project is a project where students conducted research on natural phenomenon and they did a really great job.
[11:51] And Mrs. Javed invited various teachers and other administrators into her room to see this project.
[11:58] So
[12:06] now we're going to start and talk about our smart goals for our action plan.
[12:11] The goals of our action plan were created based on the district's long range plan,
[12:15] New York State's requirement as a designated school and need of school improvement,
[12:20] and also the feedback that we receive from students and staff.
[12:25] In our action plan, I will now turn it over to Dr. Josephs who will talk about MCSS
[12:31] as one of our highlights of our action steps.
[12:37] evening, everyone.
[12:44] Sorry, I have to swap classes to see far.
[12:48] Okay. So here at AMD, our multi-tiered supports system, we'll first meet for it.
[12:54] Let me just say thank you to all the district leaders and such that have helped us
[12:58] let this work this year. You know, we really appreciate your support
[13:03] and your guidance as we're looking to implement the programs that you're about to review.
[13:08] But really, more importantly, the continued conversations that we've had in the building.
[13:12] So I just want to start in that and just say thank you.
[13:15] So one of the things we want to make sure that we bring to your attention is we worked
[13:21] on three specific areas this year in our multi-tier systems of support.
[13:26] We looked at academics, we looked at attendance, and we looked at behavior.
[13:31] We worked together with our leadership, district leadership, to come up with our targets,
[13:35] which range, but our green areas are where we wish to go, right? So we want about 100% of everything, but you know, 90% of our students passing 90% or all of their classes, right?
[13:49] And then with our attendance target, we want 90% of our students coming to school 90% or more of school days.
[13:56] And then for behavioral targets, swaps a little bit. Our target theirs have 10% of our students, 10% or less.
[14:04] to have three, we have no more than three behavioral referrals throughout the year.
[14:09] And so that's what we're going to look at moving forward.
[14:15] So at AMD, our MTSS system consists of, we use houses, and our houses consist of assistant
[14:22] principals, guidance counselors, and our social workers.
[14:25] We meet every week to discuss students who perform at our Tier 2 or Tier 3 with regard
[14:33] our two academics, attendance and or behavior.
[14:37] As a team, we review our data,
[14:39] we meet with students, we assign goals.
[14:43] Taking a look at our current data,
[14:44] we'd like to point out some of the glows
[14:46] so far for us this year.
[14:48] Looking at the sixth grade cohort,
[14:50] we have 84% of the students passing all of their classes
[14:56] and attendance, we have 87% of the students.
[15:00] Coming to school 90% or more of their days. I also want to point out, we'll take a look down at our seventh grade cohort with 84% of the students. They're passing all of their classes. And we want to also kind of highlight for you the glows in terms of our eighth grade cohort with only 2% of their behavioral concerns. And so we also notice that we have areas of growth in the building. So particularly things that we're looking at to target. We're going to talk a little bit more about tonight.
[15:29] is that we're looking specifically at our seventh grade cohort in terms of academics and attendance and we're also looking, I'm sorry, our seventh grade attendance and we're looking at our eighth grade academics and attendants.
[15:42] So some of the things that we're doing to address those areas of growth and academics and attendants have been the following.
[15:50] We send home attendance letters to students with moderate or chronic absences.
[15:54] We use our check and connect program in the building when the students are present
[15:58] to see what they need in terms of support.
[16:01] We also provide parent and family calls home to determine any level support needed there.
[16:06] In addition, in terms of academics, we send home celebratory letters to all of our students
[16:12] who pass all their classes, but to specifically address the areas of growth, we also send letters
[16:17] to students who are having trouble or have not passed one, two, three, or more classes per quarter.
[16:27] In those letters, we try to link our parents to the building levels of support that we have.
[16:32] Additionally, we use our parent teacher conferences, our check-in connect program here,
[16:37] FEV tutoring, and our after-school homework help, and also offer Earth Science, algebra,
[16:43] and world language support there for our students.
[16:49] So in all, we would like to just take a look
[16:51] at our building totals where we have 80% of our students
[16:53] passing 80% of our total building,
[16:56] passing all of their classes.
[16:58] 79.3% of our students attending 90%
[17:01] are more of the days of school
[17:04] and 3% of our students with three or more referrals.
[17:09] At this time, I'm going to pass it back
[17:12] over to Mrs. Tillman and Mr. Sharvey to speak further about the programs that we're offering.
[17:21] So as you saw in our action steps we are focused this year specifically on building a positive
[17:29] community and we do this to our daily announcements. So on we have themes every day and so
[17:35] Monday's we are mindful and we encourage students to do positive affirmations that they write in
[17:42] the agenda books. On Tuesdays, we put smiles on students faces, we play Tuesdays tunes. On Wednesdays,
[17:50] we stress the importance of physical activity and wellness, and we have students at time stretch
[17:56] and even do breathing exercises. On Thursday, we're thankful. We celebrate gratefulness, and we
[18:01] actually tell jokes, corny jokes that students say they like. And then on Friday, it was one of my
[18:10] favorite days, Fridays is Flex Fridays. Fridays we have celebrations to celebrate student
[18:16] academic achievement and success in and out of the classroom. Flex Fridays we also stress
[18:21] our word for the quarter. Every quarter we have a word of focus and this quarter our focus
[18:26] is being intentional. And so we talk about that word throughout the week.
[18:34] Also Flex Fridays is a time
[18:36] where we celebrate one of one of the things that we love to do is every quarter we have an
[18:42] assistant principal for the day. So this is criteria that's created by students, students vote on
[18:48] that students vote for that student and every quarter we have an assistant principal. So when this
[18:54] particular slide you see our student Ethan Morrison who is our who was our previous assistant principal
[19:01] for the day, he actually has a walkie, he shatters an assistance principle and the kids really
[19:06] love it.
[19:07] And now I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Charbet, who will talk about some other areas
[19:11] that we are doing in regards to culture care.
[19:16] Thank you, Mr. Mangutti, everyone.
[19:19] One of the new initiatives which AMD has been able to gradually implement has been resorted
[19:24] for justice practices.
[19:26] We're using this protocol as a tool to increase a positive school climate here at AMD.
[19:32] We are using this approach to empower students to resolve conflicts on their own and also
[19:38] in small groups.
[19:39] We're looking to be able to bring students together to peer mediate, because they're
[19:44] differences and ask questions in a safe space.
[19:47] We're also beginning to build a foundational approach to providing knowledge and peer-to-peer,
[19:53] learning opportunities for staff in order to experience the circle process.
[19:59] We do have a few trained staff to have been able to support students and staff with the following conversations but referrals between student and student or teacher and student.
[20:11] Restortative circles within classrooms, norms set in circles within classrooms, classroom community circles as well.
[20:21] We also use these practices with our re-entry meetings.
[20:24] As students come back to school, we're always thinking about how to reintegrate students back to class with minimal disruptions.
[20:40] This year, we had different activities to support our culture of care, such as Spirit Week, as you can see in this line.
[20:47] We'd have Jersey Day, Pajama Day, Superhero Day, among others.
[20:51] we had the joy of getting everyone involved from school monitors, teaching
[20:56] assistants, teachers, and students really had a fantastic time. We also do our
[21:02] checking connect on a regular basis throughout the day. Either our arrivals,
[21:07] always, cafeteria, recess, or dismissal time. This is a quick opportunity to
[21:12] checking with our students, engage how they're coming into school, and if there's
[21:17] need to address something as soon as possible. One of our goals this year was to provide more
[21:23] structure activities for students during lunch or recess. We have utilized our restorator's,
[21:30] excuse me, restorator's facilitator during different lunch periods to meet our students
[21:35] with different needs, either individually or in groups. We have also been able to have the
[21:43] As in police department, as you can see on that slide show,
[21:46] come in different lunch periods and play chess with our students.
[21:50] The type of service is pretty good, but the game has solid game.
[21:54] And I believe he's looking into recurring students
[21:56] to join a chess cup of the library.
[22:00] AMD also the opportunity to host Elvis in the building.
[22:06] Elvis, as you saw in the previous slide,
[22:08] was our rock star for a full hour here at AMD.
[22:12] Every Elvis was our therapy dog at AMD. Students and staff had the opportunity to pet Elvis as a transition from lunch or from class to class.
[22:23] I'm going to turn it over to Ms. Solution.
[22:25] Thank you. Good evening.
[22:29] I help lead the work with our Culture of Care Committee that has actually joined forces with our equity committee.
[22:35] So I'm going to talk a little bit about Unity Day and our work has a group.
[22:39] So, this year we continued the longstanding tradition of Unity Day here at AMD with our
[22:47] organized by our staff and due to the large-scale efforts on our goal of calling on our students
[22:54] to not just be kind but upstandards.
[22:57] It was considered an official event as we worked we need in no place for hate school.
[23:04] In our work with the anti-definition league, we have provided a training for a cohort
[23:11] of teachers and will also provide a training for a cohort of students.
[23:17] Our Culture of Care Committee is now working with our Equity Committee and Dr. Daley combining
[23:21] our shared efforts.
[23:23] All part of our community support, all culture of care supports all part of our communities,
[23:30] leading our staff leads a relationship building and opportunities for students.
[23:35] Our community members engage with our students and our students work to hold each other accountable.
[23:43] And we would like to then share a conversation in regards to PLFDs.
[23:56] So our next mark goal, we're focusing on the implementation of professional learning communities.
[24:01] and this is a great opportunity for staff members to have conversations around trends in their
[24:10] classrooms.
[24:18] Monthly, we use a professional development period with a PLC-plus consultants
[24:24] who works with teachers and cohorts. Teachers use this time to collaborate on teaching practices
[24:30] and classroom trends. This year the teacher chose to focus on student
[24:37] engagement with an even more of a focus on student choice leading to student
[24:45] engagement.
[24:57] Our last smart goal was the implementation of AVID. I'm going to
[25:05] bring up Dr. Joseph to talk about AVID but again we are very excited about AVID
[25:09] And again, also very excited to learn what the acronym stands for, which is advancement via
[25:15] individual determination, which took us very long to remember.
[25:19] One of
[25:24] my favorite topics. So, Appet rolled out in all three great levels this year with a total
[25:29] for us now a 733 students now enrolled in an Appet class. Appet provides our students with additional
[25:36] supports using a writing inquiry collaboration organization and reading or
[25:42] wicker if you've heard it strategies. We know you're very familiar with OVET OHS.
[25:49] To support our teachers in this work, we provided a various number of professional development
[25:55] opportunities, including intervisitations with OHS. We've also had ongoing support from our regional
[26:03] avid facility coordinator. We've invited avid teachers to participate in curriculum development,
[26:10] and as seen here, our new avid coordinator, Mr. Joe Beriano, co-facilitated some sessions with
[26:19] one of our instructional coaches, Mrs. Acchiankler. They use a professional period, day-of-professional
[26:25] periods, as well as a faculty meeting to kind of lift this work building wide. Excuse me,
[26:32] Long day. In addition, members of the avid team were able to go in attendance on the
[26:39] national conference this year. We learned specific ways that we can help make a difference
[26:45] in our avid work here in Osning. Also, at the classroom level, we've had the pleasure
[26:49] of working with Mr. Jeremy Dukos, as he's presented non-violence to our eighth graders, as well
[26:54] as most recently we had guest visits from our community partner, the Mid Hudson Valley Credit
[27:00] union who came to do a presentation on being money smart in our
[27:04] advocacy class.
[27:08] I will turn it over next to our next initiative. We'll talk a
[27:12] little bit about.
[27:20] So this year we implemented the art program as many other
[27:24] schools in our district and this time we are presenting our early data and the
[27:32] teachers are using the early and the anneal to assess student reading levels and
[27:36] And as you can see, we have some glows and some bros in regards to our data.
[27:42] So as you look at our data, you'll see that we have some of our glows where we are
[27:47] seeing in the sixth grade, we're seeing a decrease from 6.4% in regards to at-risk students.
[27:53] We're seeing seventh grade a decrease of 9% in at-risk and eighth grade we're seeing a 0.1%.
[28:00] We're seeing an increase in proficiency for 6th grade and 1 percent, 7th grade, 1.1 percent,
[28:06] and 8th grade, 0.8 percent.
[28:09] We are seeing some also, some grows, and now we're seeing some glows.
[28:13] So in regards to grows, we're seeing that as far as 6th grade, we have emergency level,
[28:19] we have 6 percent increase, 7th grade, 8.1 percent increase, and 8th grade, a 1.3 percent increase,
[28:26] as well as in an eighth grade as far as press presidency,
[28:29] we're also seeing, well, that should be an increase.
[28:32] So with that being said, this is a great data for us
[28:36] to look at the needs of students
[28:38] and how we can assist students.
[28:40] We've seen trends in regards to our students
[28:43] as they come back from being out of the classroom,
[28:46] now in the classroom, during COVID,
[28:48] that they have some needs that we need to address.
[28:51] Teachers are working to conference with students
[28:53] to encourage reading logs
[28:54] so that we can move some of these grows and to grow.
[29:14] Next, I'm going to discuss family engagement.
[29:17] Here you'll see a picture of sixth grade orientation.
[29:20] And during sixth grade orientation is a time
[29:22] where we opened up the building for students and for staff,
[29:26] excuse me, for students and for parents to come in
[29:29] and to get a feel of the building
[29:31] and get used to this schedule and also get a routine.
[29:37] Next, we have a presentation
[29:40] that myself and Mr. Sharvey did during one of our Saturday and more Saturday community
[29:45] days, where we focused on digital, safety and responsibility.
[29:50] This is a great opportunity to connect with community partners and to focus on SEL, a
[29:55] mental health, as well as on digital responsibility.
[30:05] We also like to highlight another one of our happy moments, where we partnered with our colleagues at OHS and invited families here to this space to review the health and safety of marijuana use as well as chemical consumables. The presentation was well received by the community, and we look forward to participating with our OHS colleagues in future events.
[30:30] We also like to highlight a moment that we love. Again, we just had our student, student of distinction ceremony, which is a great time to celebrate students.
[30:39] and we also want to celebrate our partnerships with the PTA.
[30:42] This is also a time that we are, as we focus on,
[30:46] what we want to work on in the future.
[30:48] We want to focus and work on our family partnerships,
[30:52] especially our partnership with the PTA.
[30:54] So I will say that is something that we will continue to work on
[30:57] and to continue to partner and learn the community.
[31:05] So as we conclude our presentation,
[31:07] this is the future of AMD.
[31:10] We are looking forward to continue partnership with the anti-defamation league as we know
[31:16] that our work is not done in regards to educating students and we know that we want to continue
[31:21] our family and community partnerships.
[31:24] We also want to have more grade level academic celebrations.
[31:27] We don't want to enhance our AIS opportunities during and after school and lastly we want
[31:33] to increase passing time to four minutes so that students have more time to transition throughout
[31:38] the building.
[31:39] Thank you.
[31:44] All right.
[31:45] Thank you.
[31:49] Okay.
[31:49] So I have some clarification questions.
[31:55] I'll just go through my list and then we can go around from there.
[32:00] I appreciate the time and effort and the presentation and all of you being here this evening.
[32:04] It was nice to hear from each of you.
[32:07] So thank you very much.
[32:08] I did have, let's, I'll start with number slide number six, which is the academics attendance and referral slide.
[32:17] How does that data compare with last year's data?
[32:21] Because it's difficult to evaluate it when I don't know what the progression is.
[32:26] So I don't, I don't know if these percentages are worse than last year,
[32:28] better than last year about the same.
[32:30] So I was wondering if you could comment on that and then just general questions.
[32:36] the interventions that were discussed, just wondering if there has been any improvement shown
[32:43] based on the interventions, and if you could give me an understanding of when those interventions
[32:47] are done. For example, specifically the interventions for reaching out to parents with the one, two,
[32:54] or three, or more bailing classes. I'm curious as to what quarter that's done in, and then I'm
[32:59] also wondering if when we are reaching out to parents, are we combining that with giving them some
[33:05] sort of tutorial and infinite campus and encouraging them to check it because they,
[33:10] this shouldn't be a surprise, right? Every parent can go on infinite campus and follow along and
[33:16] figure out both attendance and grades. So I'm wondering if we're connecting that at all.
[33:23] I don't know if you want to, how should I do this? Should I stop there? Is that a good stopping point?
[33:28] Absolutely. So to your first point, to your first question, we focused because we are a school,
[33:37] again, a need of improvement. Part of our focus was on restorative justice for our first goal.
[33:43] And so we looked at last year's behavior data as well as this year's behavior data,
[33:47] which we have seen in regards to, as you saw on our MCS slide, we have students that have three
[33:52] more referrals and so that has improved in regards to students having three more referrals
[33:57] from last year to this year. And the other question you had was in regards to letters,
[34:04] letters home to parents. We send out letters home to parents quarterly. As we review our report
[34:10] card data, we send out a letter, a celebratory letter for students that have passed all of their
[34:15] classes. We send out a letter for students who have failed one class. We send out a letter for
[34:20] students who fail two classes. We send out a letter that has three, you fail three or more classes.
[34:25] So absolutely, we have those conversations. We have had parents come in because we, and we've
[34:30] actually as a system principal talk with parents, and also some of our clerical staff, we have had
[34:35] them come in to help them to get on to Infinite Campus because there are some parents who still
[34:40] are not on Infinite Campus. During the summertime and our summer mailing, we included directions
[34:45] on how to get on to Infinite Campus as well. But we do that by case by case, as we speak to parents
[34:50] We're encouraging them to make sure they access it, access the information, and also feel free to email their teacher, their guidance counselor, if they want to pick up data on students.
[35:00] There was another question. I think you asked. I want to make sure I answered it.
[35:03] I think I was wondering how our attendance data and our academic performance data that's in this slide for this year's comparison, for example, to last year.
[35:12] So, I would say that our focus was behavior, but in regards to our attendance data, as we
[35:18] are looking in meeting in our houses, we're seeing that there are certain students that
[35:23] are having, that they have the same progress, they've made, they've made no real changes
[35:27] from last year to this year, and then we're also seeing certain students individually that
[35:32] are making progress.
[35:33] So, we are looking to see how we can improve those efforts in regards to attendance.
[35:37] There are some students where they are connected in the building, whether it's through
[35:42] STAR or through sports or any other activity, however, they're still not coming to school
[35:48] and that's something that we're working on.
[35:50] Okay.
[35:52] But just generally speaking, it sounds like we don't know if these numbers are like drastically
[35:58] different from last year or about the same.
[36:00] I don't want to give a clear number without making sure that it's accurate, but from our
[36:05] understanding, there's been improvement.
[36:07] Okay, but I don't want to I don't want to pull out a percentage that we can work on an analysis.
[36:12] I just some general terms. I'm curious.
[36:16] And then in terms of restorative justice, I had some questions about that.
[36:20] I think there was a mention of a restorative justice facilitator and I wasn't aware that we had one.
[36:26] I'm sure I was made aware and it's just I didn't process it.
[36:31] Um, but I'm wondering if you can address what that person's role is a little bit and how many
[36:38] restorative justice exercises are typically being conducted, let's say per quarter.
[36:44] I'm presuming that those are involving our school clinicians, but absolutely.
[36:48] Right. Okay. So we're in regards to restorative justice, we're all hands on Zach. So first of all,
[36:53] whenever a student has, and I'll just start from the, from the more extreme, whenever a student has
[36:59] the out-of-school suspension, the student has a re-entry meeting. That re-entry meeting
[37:04] happens the day that they return. When they return, they have that meeting with the dean
[37:08] and usually the assistant principal and or the dean and the social worker along with
[37:13] the parent and the student. And during that time is when we have restorative justice, conversation
[37:17] in regards to the student's re-entry back into the school and how they can improve and focus
[37:22] on why they were suspended. Also in school suspensions, whenever the student has an in-school
[37:28] suspension that counts as sees that student during that time that they're in school suspension
[37:32] to have that same conversation as far as restorative justice. If there's any incident between
[37:37] a student, a student to student situation, not all situations would be best clinically to have
[37:44] students together and have that conversation especially in a situation where there's a power play,
[37:49] but there are times when we have mediations and we have counselors do that as well.
[37:55] Restore our restorative justice facilitators knew for us this year, and so it's a great
[38:00] help, especially when I'm during lunch periods where we have found that students get into
[38:05] the mix of a lot of different situations, and we had specifically a seventh period class,
[38:10] excuse me, a seventh period lunch period, where we had had some students that are having
[38:14] specific, some girls having some issues where there were times when that restorative justice
[38:18] the facilitator met with those students.
[38:21] And then also that restorative justice facilitator
[38:24] goes into classrooms and does restorative justice circles
[38:27] with teachers and the students.
[38:29] Sometimes teachers reach out to that facilitator
[38:31] and then they schedule their own time
[38:33] or we bring in that facilitator
[38:34] because there's something a bit that's going on.
[38:37] Now is that person a clinician or?
[38:39] That person is a teacher.
[38:41] So in our building, it's Mrs. Ward,
[38:43] she's actually trained in restorative justice.
[38:45] And so that's the reason why we utilize her.
[38:47] Okay. Great. Thank you. You know, I know like we just say it out loud. We're all aware that middle
[38:56] schools tumultuous times there are behavior issues that are here in Austin. There are behavior
[39:00] issues that are across the county, across the country, across the world, especially with this
[39:05] population of students as they're still coming out of COVID. Do we have plans in place to address
[39:12] not only the trauma when you have students that are involved in altercation individually but
[39:17] do we have plans and how do we address sort of a collective trauma of students who maybe
[39:23] aren't involved but are aware, are scared and have seen something. Absolutely. So we also have
[39:31] restorative conversations in a classroom setting. We utilize sometimes Mrs. Ward, also assistant
[39:36] principals and social workers going to that classroom and then have a converse sort of justice
[39:40] this conversation at classroom. So we've had this year one or two times where we also utilize
[39:47] that as well. Thank you. And then going on to Avid, is there any part of Avid that includes
[39:55] sort of evaluating internet safety, social media safety and critical thinking about content
[40:01] that our students we know are exposed to on social media and I don't know YouTube, other platforms?
[40:06] have it can be a place for that but actually our tech teachers also have a unit
[40:12] where they do talk about digital safety and in previous years they actually
[40:16] had a video that was created by students in AMD and they still show that video
[40:20] and I've actually talked with one of the you know tech teachers to see about
[40:25] maybe creating another video in the future so we can have an updated video where
[40:29] students can see themselves talk about digital safety and responsibility.
[40:32] Okay. Thank you. And I think that my last comment was about the Urla data, which, you know, I'll just say out loud that the data is disappointing.
[40:43] And I know that we are trying to tackle this as a district and it's not unique to AMD, but I would be remiss if I didn't say that it is disappointing.
[40:53] So I'm trying to understand it a little bit better.
[40:57] I think there are two early examinations
[41:00] that we're comparing, right?
[41:02] What are the approximate dates of those?
[41:05] The approximate dates that we're showing,
[41:07] I believe, is November to March?
[41:09] Okay.
[41:11] So, and then I guess my next question is,
[41:15] and we have invested in the ARC program, right?
[41:17] And we want the ARC program to work,
[41:19] because we know that we need to tackle
[41:22] this specific issue. But it does concern me that using this ARC program we have seen
[41:30] very minimal movement here. And now I know that ARC program, any off-the-shelf program,
[41:38] that you get for reading, isn't that going to necessarily work sort of off-the-shelf for
[41:42] osning. There's always a process of taking that program and molding it into the unique needs
[41:48] of a district. So can you speak a little bit, and maybe there's a question for Jessica as well,
[41:54] can you speak a little bit about that process and how that's happening at AMD, and if they're
[42:03] curriculum of ARC, have we looked at that in relation to these early scores at all?
[42:10] I'll just need to you. Yeah, Jessica.
[42:13] Okay, so I'll just chime in with some to answer some of your questions and make sure
[42:19] that I answer, all of them that I heard, right?
[42:23] So there's two things, remember, when we think about ARC,
[42:26] there's a core curriculum that teaches thematic units
[42:30] where students have access to text
[42:32] on their specific grade level or a reading level rather.
[42:36] So that would be what we teach in the traditional period
[42:40] in some of the eighth grade.
[42:41] And then we added that period every other day
[42:45] for the 30 minutes for differentiated instructions
[42:48] small group. When we purchase ARC, we didn't have the data that we have access to now. So our
[42:55] original purchase gave us toolkits or small group work for third grade reading levels through
[43:03] bronze, which would be our eighth ninth grade reading levels up to 10th grade kind of reading level.
[43:08] And then this year we added gold when we saw that students were reading beyond and we needed to
[43:15] address that and we are also adding as we get data, the lower levels. So when you look
[43:21] at the levels across that continuum on that slide, if we were to back up to that slide
[43:27] for a second, we have a first grade and second grade. So, you know, the yellow and the green,
[43:36] the yellows kindergarten, you know, and then we have the first grade moving into second grade
[43:41] across that green and the red. We have purchased those toolkits and they are on
[43:47] their way and in some places we had them in the building but because and
[43:52] teachers have access to them online. So we do have the ability to intervene but
[43:58] I think one thing that we're working on and I think incentering us around this
[44:03] work is that teachers in grades six through seventh grade have not had the same
[44:10] years of experience in teaching phonemic awareness and other skills that you see in those yellow,
[44:18] green, blue, and red toolkit lessons. So we are still having coaches come in and help our students
[44:25] through that process. So I think another thing when we look at this data and we frame it around
[44:31] reference, if our students in sixth grade have a gap that begins in first grade, they will still show
[44:39] up as emergency area until they become a grade level. So a six, purple is six grade. For example,
[44:48] if we're starting in grade one and the teacher is working diligently and move them, I'll say 1G,
[44:54] move them to 2R, there's growth, but they're still going to show up as at work.
[45:00] and proficiency. So, as we have our students moving up and close our gaps, we'll see those shift, but in the middle school, it takes a little bit longer than we might be seeing it in elementary school where the gaps are smaller and we can close them faster. I guess, so that's an interesting point though about the like actually seeing, you know, rather than just a category of like at risk or, you know, emergency or whatever. If we could try to look at the
[45:29] the actual numbers and see if, even if they're still at risk, is there a progression? I think
[45:35] that might be useful information. Just as, you know, I'd like any board of ed anywhere
[45:41] would continuously work with admin to evaluate effectiveness of curriculum or how do you tweak
[45:46] it or whatever you do. And as we continue to look at this, I think, I think that might be more
[45:52] helpful actually seeing if there's a progression rather than just the categories.
[45:56] So can I interject for a second just because I know the ARC conversation comes up and it's an important one here and I appreciate the data that is still
[46:05] minute shared. I don't want to lose focus of what led us to move to this, right? There is a reason why we moved in transitions with the, you know, to align our work to provide our educators with tools, but I would encourage us to look back and the district has taken action to try to address it.
[46:26] there's research around Lucy Cawkins, all the work that, you know, that we've made some
[46:32] edits on. So I am not necessarily defending the question. I think the question is really important,
[46:39] but I do want us to caution and not necessarily think about what led us to make these changes,
[46:44] which are significant. We understand what we need to do to improve our literacy. We're taking an
[46:49] aggressive step as a district to do that. ARC is a tool. It's not the pedagogy, right? So we got to
[46:55] And remember that the teaching practices are very critical.
[46:59] So I can give everyone the tools, but it's important that the practices within those classrooms
[47:05] also change.
[47:06] So I'd say that with great trust and respect for the educators in the classrooms that
[47:10] are doing that.
[47:11] And if they feel the need to make some changes, they should.
[47:13] And we should have conversations with that.
[47:16] But we're here and we're using art because of the fact that we need to improve our reading
[47:20] scores.
[47:21] And kids need to become even great, have increased literacy skills as a transition to the high school and on.
[47:28] So, you know, that we've identified it and the district has supported.
[47:32] I appreciate the board support, but I think it's important to really understand that we can't lose focus on the movements at the middle school or harder.
[47:40] And if Mr. Hancock presents art data at the high school, it's going to be even harder to make the movements once the kids get to that stage of their academic career.
[47:48] We need to get them earlier and we need to see that pyramid that which we've talked about we're 80% of our students are reading at grade level, you know, if in a healthy system, we're not there yet, but these are the steps that we're taking we've had a yes teachers and others to really make those inroads it's seriously the efforts that we're putting forth so I just as a community sometimes we're pointing to the program and it's not the program, you know, there's other issues that we've, you know, that have arisen that made up
[48:18] us to make this change and certainly in year one, we're going to have to make some tweaks
[48:24] here and there but we had, systemically, we had, we have to take some aggressive steps
[48:29] and we've done that universally and not only just adding ARC, there's other tier two and
[48:35] tier three programs that we've added that we sometimes are remiss in bringing those up
[48:40] that are really critical, even you know, you know, phonymic awareness where we actually years
[48:46] years ago when some educators would attest.
[48:49] We have foundations in the district and foundations wasn't necessarily being utilized with efficacy
[48:53] across the district.
[48:54] We had to sort of reboot and bring that back to life within our system, a core element
[49:01] of literacy for our kids.
[49:03] So I feel like I need to say what I just said because it's a real important element that
[49:11] you know, the middle school is working, the teachers and the educators here are working
[49:15] hard to lift this, but I would say to everyone we've got to give it time as well. We've got
[49:20] to give it, you know, people feel more and more comfortable with the utilization of resources
[49:25] as time goes on. It's not so different than mathematics or anything else, which, you know,
[49:30] the data is not there, but there's efforts that we're putting forth to help support that as well.
[49:35] Thank you. And just so we're clear, I'm not an, I am not anti-arc.
[49:40] I'm not an anti-arc board member, okay?
[49:43] I am interested in arc, I'm interested in seeing where it can take us.
[49:47] One of the reasons why I like it is because it gives us very detailed data, right?
[49:52] And so that's sort of what I was kind of getting at, which is, what is this data showing us?
[49:57] And you know, you gave me a good answer, which is, it's showing us that we need more data,
[50:01] essentially.
[50:03] So that's good to know.
[50:05] But I just wanted to make that clear, I am not anti-arc.
[50:07] work. I know that there have been a lot of community conversations about the program
[50:11] and exactly what Dr. Sanchez said is and you know what I said early, there is no, never
[50:18] going to be a one size fits all, but we knew that we desperately needed to do something.
[50:23] So this is what we are working through and one of the reasons why I'm asking all these
[50:29] clarification questions is because I think it's important and that's what we're here to do.
[50:34] Just one other piece to build and just I do want to we are seeing improvements like we are and we should celebrate those as well.
[50:42] Like we're talking here very honestly about the middle school but we I could look at the data in the early grades.
[50:48] And I think the foundations getting stronger and stronger which speaks well to our system as we move.
[50:52] But I'm not missing what we need to do for the students in the now at the middle school high school and other grades so.
[50:58] All right, great. I'm going to open it up to others. Anyone wants to jump in?
[51:05] Ryder, trust about attorney. I mean, go ahead.
[51:10] Thanks. Appreciate the time you guys have taken to put this together. And I have some questions
[51:19] as we go through some of the data slides, particularly. So if I'm reading this correctly, so if I look
[51:25] at just slide six. So it's roughly about 200 kids across the houses that are kind of
[51:36] that are below that are not passing academically. And roughly about 200 kids that are also having
[51:43] the attendance issues are not in attendance at the 90% or above. Do we have any cuts of
[51:54] this that tells us what are these the same kids? Are they different kids? Is there some sort of
[52:04] deeper dive that you go into in some of this that might be a little bit more telling and
[52:11] helps to enrich the data a little bit more? Because I think there's probably I'm guessing because I
[52:18] don't really know the answer. There's probably some correlation to those kids that, and if you look
[52:24] at particularly eighth grade as these kids are about to embark upon high school next year.
[52:30] Roughly about 90 kids who are not passing, roughly about 90 kids, or also not in that attendance
[52:36] and I don't know if they're the same kids or not. So that's one piece of that and I think
[52:41] it's important.
[52:41] I just want to make a clarification that I'm hearing you correctly. So when we look at
[52:46] the data, we're looking at presenting, these are 84% of our cohort for sixth grade are passing
[52:53] all of their courses. No, I get it. Right. I'm looking at I'm looking at the kids that are not.
[52:58] Okay. So that's 12%. Right. So if I if I if you do the math, right across all of the
[53:05] the grades there, it comes out to roughly about 200 kids across six through eighth grade.
[53:13] That's not passing their classes. And and then there's roughly about 200 kids that are not
[53:21] in attendance at 90% or above. I don't know if they're correlated or not. I can't tell that. It's
[53:28] probably as wild a guess as any, but it'd be good to kind of understand a little bit more in terms
[53:34] of causality to the effect of the infant. And I know the data is kind of at the high level here,
[53:40] but there might be a little bit more anecdotal or other information that you guys might have as you
[53:51] I wonder though, it's just how much of this is driven by post pandemic, how much of this is driven by other circumstances that are in the household because I heard you say you're sending home letters, one, two, and three, the parents, but there might be other underlying conditions that are in this that create that where there's, you know, a need and I often wonder whether or not these are more in the, in the kids were particular.
[54:21] where equity is an issue, right?
[54:24] So, and it's hard to tell that through this,
[54:27] because I can't really make heads or tails of that
[54:31] from that perspective.
[54:32] I can only tell you 200 kids are not passing
[54:35] and 200 kids are also not attending across all three houses.
[54:41] So I would like to speak to the eighth grade data
[54:44] because I am the eighth grade assistant principal
[54:45] and I like to think that I live with my kids' information
[54:50] in my brain and it motivates me daily. So I would say there is a correlation between attendance
[54:56] and academics. That is pretty, we're consistent across schools, across grades. However, eighth grade
[55:03] is particularly affected by their first high school level course, a high school regents course,
[55:11] that 320 something of our students may be a little bit less take. The only exception to taking
[55:18] this region's level course are our brand new students, students who are new to the country or
[55:22] maybe they came to us from a place like South Carolina. I'm sorry, I'm missing the connection between
[55:27] the region's course and the attendance and academics. So there is some space for the connection
[55:33] between academics and attendance. However, over 50 students have failed the Earth Science class,
[55:41] so they account for a big portion of that number of students. But that's all courses.
[55:47] That's not just to earth science, but that's why I'm saying that's taking a look at total
[55:51] courses.
[55:53] So the question, the academics is percentage of students passing all courses.
[55:57] When you have 50 students failing or science, that takes away that 50 number from that 359.
[56:04] So that some of those students who are failing may not also be attendance concerns.
[56:10] a few of them. That's brilliant. Like the eighth grade with the numbers, it's higher.
[56:16] Part of the reason that it's higher is because of those 50 failures in our science.
[56:23] I'm struggling with that. I'm struggling because I'm just thinking here.
[56:31] Earth science, because that's going to take you, but that's taken in the eighth grade.
[56:36] right and it doesn't count for six and seven right right so I'm with you I'm
[56:41] with you on that so that would be roughly about 90 kids right that in in
[56:46] there they have seven or eight classes during the day earth science is one and
[56:52] if you fail earth science you don't you don't fail your entire grade no so
[56:56] this is all courses oh when we say failing they're not failing all of their
[57:00] courses that means that they they failed a course whether it's one or more two or
[57:04] more. Got it. That's yeah. That's okay. So this is okay. So this is not the students are
[57:09] failing all their classes. Right. That's what I was trying to understand. Okay. That's your
[57:13] percent of student passing all courses to me. That means that they they failing in all their classes.
[57:19] No. Okay. That's no. No. No. No. No. Absolutely not. Okay. Thank you for that clarification. So
[57:24] basically. Okay. Okay. This is letting us know that so in those percentages of say, for instance,
[57:28] for six grade, that's 12%. You may have a student that failed one course. Okay, all right, so that's
[57:35] student fail two courses. And that's the data that we talk about in houses. So six grade seven grade
[57:41] eighth grade as we have our weekly meetings. We have and as we focus on our data quarterly is when we
[57:46] have those conversations about the students that are failing one class, two classes to be classes,
[57:51] why they're failing those classes. And also tennis is just okay. All right, so then this is probably where
[57:57] Okay, so then the other question related to that is, are there instances, particularly
[58:05] where it could be an ELL student, right?
[58:12] Or a general ed student, is there something in there that kind of tells us that, because
[58:18] I know that anecdotally, that there are classes and where there are kids that are ELL that
[58:25] are put into general ed and it's a pretty huge uptake particularly I don't know what age
[58:33] or grade that they're necessarily it's let's say they come into the eighth grade right that's
[58:37] that's tough particularly if they're put into a class where they'll it's all in English and
[58:44] there is nobody to support their ability to be able to translate from one to another.
[58:49] Is some of that in here and if so how much of that?
[58:52] Yeah, so those of it, those are the conversations we have in our houses, and we've been talking about how we can support our ELL population during our star program for that very reason, because we realize that we need to create more supports for our ELL students.
[59:06] And again, when you talk about the issue of equity, again, when you have attendance and you have academics, they actually go hand in hand, and they affect some of our students specifically, our students that are more vulnerable like our ELL students.
[59:16] So do you do we know how much of that is ELL roughly is it half is more than half do we know roughly I don't believe is I believe we're talking about like 25% it's not half okay, but it's around about that number.
[59:29] Okay, but if you want specific numbers we can actually give you.
[59:32] It would just be great just to kind of understand like the breaks of that because some of the things that we're saying about phonemic okay, there might be those kids who.
[59:41] who need that support in that particular area.
[59:45] But I'm also concerned particularly given
[59:48] that the students who actually are,
[59:51] they have that potential to really incredibly well.
[59:54] But they're kind of like,
[59:56] are not able to just be thrown right into it, you know?
[59:59] So absolutely.
[1:00:00] Then the flip side of that is the resource is needed to support that. So, that's one thing. Just
[1:00:07] if you go to the, the, the, in the ill slide, or sorry, the oralist slide.
[1:00:13] So, if I'm reading
[1:00:15] this correctly, if assuming everybody, all things are the same numbers in terms of everybody
[1:00:22] being tested at the same time. Is it saying that in sixth grade and eighth grade that basically what
[1:00:31] the amount that's at risk while that's good, that's gone down, so that's good. But that same exact
[1:00:39] amount on the emergency side has gone up. So one's kind of like cancel the other in a sense.
[1:00:45] Well, I think we're doing ongoing testing. So we started off with the baseline testing.
[1:00:49] We started with baseline in November and then as teachers discretion as they see that it's
[1:00:56] time for a student to that they maybe possibly that student can move, then we're working
[1:01:00] towards testing students.
[1:01:02] And so we look at power goals and how we can move students forward.
[1:01:04] So therefore is where you may see those discrepancies of those movements as teachers are doing
[1:01:09] that.
[1:01:10] Yeah.
[1:01:10] I'd like to kind of, if the data exists, which I don't know if it does, get a cut of how
[1:01:16] much of this is impacted by students whose language is not English, right?
[1:01:22] Because that's a pose of the challenge, and there are students who actually need the
[1:01:27] additional reading supports because of the challenges they have to face day and day out
[1:01:31] and trying to be able to read normally like the other kids do.
[1:01:35] So that would be great to see that because, you know, and there's probably a plan that
[1:01:40] needs to be had.
[1:01:41] The other piece too that also I think about, and I don't know this not in this one, I think
[1:01:46] that's going to be an anneal which is the proficiency in Spanish and I think you know if I just
[1:01:52] reflect just on one kid and I'm only a sample size of one with my son he's been in dual language
[1:01:58] since pre-K and you know I wonder how many other kids are out there that perhaps have not gotten
[1:02:05] there at the at risk or the emergency space because of the level of what's being asked in these tests
[1:02:13] don't correlate to the way that they've learned it all, you know, if that makes
[1:02:17] sense. Absolutely. Okay, I appreciate this. Thank you. I just want to say I
[1:02:21] appreciate you helping me to clarify the way I was reading. Yeah, no worries. Thank
[1:02:24] you. Thank you, Trustee Bhattacharya. Anyone else who want to go next?
[1:02:33] I have some
[1:02:33] questions. Go for it. I have one quick question. I think Dr. Joseph's brought up the
[1:02:39] FEV tutoring. This is something the board has recently supported. I know this
[1:02:43] is a new program, I was just curious quickly if demand is being met or if demand outpaces
[1:02:54] our resources for that right now.
[1:02:56] I mean, that's a pretty straightforward question.
[1:03:00] Absolutely.
[1:03:01] So, right now we have students, well, we have Beth Tudor, we're offering it Tuesdays and Thursdays
[1:03:06] with two teachers and Tuesdays and Wednesdays with one teacher, I think that in the beginning
[1:03:11] you of course we start off strong and you have students coming and then their times when
[1:03:15] it fluctuates. Teachers have been doing a really great job of reaching out to parents
[1:03:19] and encouraging participation and we are seeing that students are coming and they are
[1:03:26] you know getting what they need in regards to the instruction, the virtual instruction.
[1:03:31] We work with FAB tutoring to not only give us some type of skill-based tutoring but also to again
[1:03:38] have students be able to go in and say, I need help with this and I'm doing this in class
[1:03:43] and the student types it in and then they're able to get that feedback right away.
[1:03:47] We don't, there's not like a long waiting list of kids.
[1:03:50] Oh no, there's no long waiting list.
[1:03:51] No, we're open.
[1:03:52] Yeah, that was my like, are we devoting appropriate resources?
[1:03:56] Oh, absolutely.
[1:03:56] Kind of an absolute question.
[1:04:00] President Crossling had asked about restorative justice circles and she actually kind of
[1:04:06] I've already got you kind of explained the training that goes behind that.
[1:04:09] I was just curious, if there's been any challenges with student or teacher buy-in,
[1:04:15] because I know that that's really foundational to the restorative practice system,
[1:04:18] and if that has been a challenge at all, or if you're seeing success in that way,
[1:04:21] or if there's more work to be done there.
[1:04:23] I think it's a glow and a glow.
[1:04:25] I think that we had the opportunity to present restorative justice activities virtually
[1:04:31] in a sense virtually are asynchronous.
[1:04:33] We use our professional periods to give teachers time
[1:04:36] to watch videos, to do activities,
[1:04:38] and we also have had a presentation
[1:04:40] in faculty meeting with restorative justice.
[1:04:43] I think what's great is that restorative justice
[1:04:44] is not new to Andy.
[1:04:46] This is something that they've done.
[1:04:47] We do have new teachers and we want to make sure
[1:04:49] that everyone we have a common language.
[1:04:52] And I think our goal for next year
[1:04:53] is to close the loop in regards to
[1:04:56] when an incident happens in our school
[1:04:58] and we have a sort of justice circle with the student and counselor.
[1:05:03] We want to make sure, especially if it's something that happened in the classroom,
[1:05:05] that we close a loop and we have students be able to talk to teachers and repair relationship.
[1:05:10] I think it's very important to have that conversation and that is something that we want to work on.
[1:05:15] And so I think that it's a glow in a sense that we're doing it.
[1:05:18] It's a glow in a sense that we want to do it more when we want to include our teachers.
[1:05:24] Okay. The other thank you.
[1:05:25] the other question I ask with appreciation because I know that there's a lot of works
[1:05:30] to be done and I know that you guys are rolling up your sleeves and doing it every day and
[1:05:34] that this what you've described here is does not fully capture what you do day in and
[1:05:39] day out. And I'm seeing a lot of the the glows as you're calling them, but I want to be real
[1:05:45] that there are challenges. So I want to ask you in your opinion what you feel like is
[1:05:50] is the biggest challenge that's specific to AMZ.
[1:05:53] It's a great question.
[1:05:55] I think that we're in the business of educating students
[1:05:58] and I think that we need to talk
[1:06:01] have more conversations about instruction across the board.
[1:06:04] I'm very thankful to have professional learning communities
[1:06:07] to give teachers a space to do that.
[1:06:08] I think we need to do that more ongoing.
[1:06:11] And so, as we go into classrooms,
[1:06:13] we see areas of growth, right, and we see growth.
[1:06:16] And I think that that's something that is a focus
[1:06:19] that we want to continue to focus on is instruction.
[1:06:23] And so having those spaces to have conversations
[1:06:24] to help improve instruction I think is something
[1:06:26] that we want to continue to focus on.
[1:06:29] Thanks.
[1:06:31] Anybody?
[1:06:32] I'll pass the baton.
[1:06:33] Sure.
[1:06:34] Thank you.
[1:06:34] Trustee Mellie.
[1:06:36] Trustee Schnecker?
[1:06:39] So it's a very comprehensive presentation.
[1:06:41] Thank you.
[1:06:42] There's a lot to cover.
[1:06:44] I think there's a lot of interesting challenges
[1:06:47] at this time coming back from a pandemic and replacing toolkits and curriculum or work
[1:06:54] at any time is a big challenge. And I just know from talking from others in the region that
[1:07:00] this is not a unique offending problem. And I think any time you start off on a new trend,
[1:07:05] you're likely to see some of this data. And I appreciate the transparency in the honesty of it,
[1:07:10] because I think it identifies the issues and what we're going to need things to address.
[1:07:17] I guess the one thing I'll say and then the closing grows is like the pre-behavior data
[1:07:22] actually looks impressive, right? In terms of what I know adequately and what I've seen from
[1:07:28] others, I really think that that's a great trend in terms of we're knocking referrals down and
[1:07:33] really keeping students in school because it's just so important. And the efforts that you're making
[1:07:39] across the board just really need to highlight and note them. You know, the structured lunch activities,
[1:07:45] I mean, I've had kids go through the middle school of kids who've not yet gotten the middle school and one time's always been kind of a tough time and I think the efforts to bring in, you know, the detective chavis and others to really sort of give a structure and a purpose during that time is good in a way that's not content delivery, right?
[1:08:03] I think kids really need that that opportunity, especially in this middle school age.
[1:08:07] Um, I think, you know, one of the, you know, two questions I really have around is just, I think it's, I'm glad to see we're doing with avid at the scale we're doing.
[1:08:18] What are the grows and what are the glows that we see with avid? Like, you know, we're in a few months in such a wide scale. So could you give us a little insight into that?
[1:08:27] We have our avid.
[1:08:30] Okay, thank you for that.
[1:08:34] Glows, some of the glows of the avid where I am always often surprised to hear some
[1:08:41] of the things that the students are learning in avid across the building, right?
[1:08:45] Even we just heard it in the students for distinction, and I don't think that the students
[1:08:50] haven't realized the things that they're saying.
[1:08:51] We're also seeing it from teachers in terms of, oh, they already know how to do this notes
[1:08:55] taking whatever it is or their organization and so you can kind of tell those that have made it through.
[1:09:00] So, glows. Some of the girls, I think some of the things they're looking to do is narrow down
[1:09:06] the number of teachers that we have doing avid just so they can have more of a department structure
[1:09:10] so that that team can be a team and really just work with one another in terms of how they want to
[1:09:17] lift avid, especially for those that are loving it. They really do enjoy it and so I think
[1:09:22] looking at it like a department like we do all others would be helpful and also just making sure
[1:09:28] that we're able to reach capacity, right? It is a really good tool or resource for our students
[1:09:32] and looking forward to creating a space and a way in the schedule that we can have as many students
[1:09:38] that want to have it or may need it to have access to it. Other than that, I mean, I can go on and on,
[1:09:45] But I think and I'll also share that again with our partnership with mid mid Hudson federal credit
[1:09:51] credit union that was a great experience but and also with Jeremy coming in to talk about
[1:09:57] Naviance we want to use that space so also encourage students who think academic minded and career
[1:10:03] oriented and so how can we do other things where we're focusing on some of those skills so we can
[1:10:08] close the gap between middle school and high school we want to do that in all of our classes but
[1:10:13] that is a space where we can have those conversations,
[1:10:15] we can focus on those 21st century skills,
[1:10:18] higher order thinking, some of those areas where we can focus.
[1:10:21] And then also we know that these are great strategies
[1:10:23] for every classroom.
[1:10:25] And so this year we did again,
[1:10:27] a faculty meeting as well as professional periods
[1:10:29] where we then introduce worker strategies
[1:10:32] to all of our teachers challenging them
[1:10:35] to try to use one of those strategies.
[1:10:38] Our avid looks very different than a high school
[1:10:39] because we have more students taking it.
[1:10:41] And so we're looking to see and monitor to see how this helps, but again, having teachers
[1:10:47] who want to teach AVID and are passionate about AVID is very important.
[1:10:51] And so right now we have a lot of teachers teaching AVID and we have a lot of new teachers.
[1:10:54] Some of them very new to AVID.
[1:10:56] And so how do we look at next year being more strategic about who's actually teaching AVID
[1:11:00] so we can get the most info experience for our students?
[1:11:04] No, I mean, that's great.
[1:11:06] I mean, I think, you know, one of the hopes of the program, you know, and they'll just speak
[1:11:09] for myself and like my own children and just someone else working with them on how to study
[1:11:15] and how to organize themselves at this age and not being a parent is just so invaluable.
[1:11:20] And so I'm glad to hear that you've seen that because that was I think part of the hopes with
[1:11:24] that program. And I'll echo the Naviance and Financial Literacy. I think it's just really great
[1:11:31] to be starting at middle school so that the students know going into high school all about Naviance
[1:11:35] because I think, you know, it's, there's been a lot that's going on in the last few years,
[1:11:39] and Naviance probably hasn't hit the radar of everyone going through the through the high school,
[1:11:43] and so the fact they're learning about in the middle school I think is just really great,
[1:11:46] and I commend you around that. The second question was really around AIS, and so I think it's great
[1:11:52] with the tutoring and the after school help, and you know, not really necessarily a question for tonight,
[1:11:57] but you can answer it is, you know, and I saw you had some things for enhancements for next year,
[1:12:01] Like, how much do we think we're reaching the students through an AS program?
[1:12:06] So if we had a slide that showed, you know, the students that we think should be getting
[1:12:10] AIS services and how many are we reaching, can we put some kind of quantity around it so
[1:12:14] we can understand clearly there's areas we want to make gains in, right?
[1:12:19] But what are the resources we're using that you have in place to get there?
[1:12:23] And so I like talking about after-school programs, but I've been on the board for a long time
[1:12:29] and after school programs were this and then down to this and so you kind of lose track of like,
[1:12:33] well, who's really getting the services? So I just would like to get maybe a follow-up on just
[1:12:38] that, where we're at today and where we think we would be next. Sure. I think that you can see for
[1:12:43] my data that we have a lot of students in need academically. And so I think that we are doing
[1:12:47] managing and doing the best we can to service students in school and out of school, but that is
[1:12:52] something that we need to just continue to focus on. And we have some support. I think ARC is a great
[1:12:57] support in our classrooms that students receive daily, right, in order to get assessed
[1:13:02] in order to work on what we need to work on. I think that, you know, going forward in
[1:13:06] regards to the schedule as we're planning for next year, we're looking at how we can have
[1:13:11] support students better by even putting more AIS classes into the day. I think to your point,
[1:13:17] we have after school help sometimes there's conflicts with sports and etc. that'll be better for
[1:13:22] students to have that access during the day.
[1:13:25] Yes, especially in that.
[1:13:28] Thank you very much.
[1:13:29] I appreciate presentations.
[1:13:30] Thank you.
[1:13:33] Thank you, Trustee Sugar.
[1:13:36] Do you have any other comments or questions?
[1:13:40] Yeah.
[1:13:41] Trustee Brun.
[1:13:42] So, thank you.
[1:13:43] I really appreciate this presentation.
[1:13:45] There was a lot in this presentation.
[1:13:48] There's a lot going on.
[1:13:49] And a lot of work being done.
[1:13:50] and you know, reminded of the challenges that all of our students have had through COVID
[1:13:57] and the learning loss but also the emotional loss and not being with their peers for a certain
[1:14:02] period of time. We're seeing that. We talk about this at every board meeting and every time
[1:14:07] our schools come and give us the action plan and where we are today and where we're going.
[1:14:13] So absolutely understand that and really appreciate it. And you know, most of my colleagues on the
[1:14:19] The board have asked a lot of questions.
[1:14:21] I want to really give you a real applause for the AVID program of number of students like
[1:14:30] as Trustee Schnecker shared, being able to have that available for our students is huge.
[1:14:37] It's foundational and when we first put the program in, the goal was to make it foundational
[1:14:42] where, you know, AVID was the way, you know, foundational for all students and that was
[1:14:47] the approach.
[1:14:47] and then it was built on. I think, you know, what I'm seeing and what I'm hearing is the work that
[1:14:55] you're doing to engage the students and make them feel connected to the school.
[1:15:00] Just a lot. It's a huge lift. And I see the efforts with family engagement bringing in therapy dogs. We met Elvis last board meeting, very nice dog. We had a whole presentation with him. And, you know, the culture of Karen, all those things matter and things have shifted from 10 years ago. And so the work we're doing. And then on top of the work that we have to do because of what has happened with our students and, you know, our faculty through COVID. So it's a really big lift.
[1:15:29] So you have so much going on and I really appreciate all the work that's going on and with our teachers, our staff, and the leadership team.
[1:15:37] I was really pleased to see also the behavioral improvements and it's really hard.
[1:15:43] But I think all these things were starting to see family engagement, student connection, project-based learning,
[1:15:49] what motivates students to come to school. So that's really big. So thank you for sharing that.
[1:15:55] I hope others see that in the presentation. I definitely see that and, you know, just
[1:16:01] in terms of even eighth grade, you know, I was trying to think back, you know, students
[1:16:07] maybe not passing one or more courses. I was trying to think back. So the students two
[1:16:15] years ago were learning virtually. So, and the work gets harder. So it's just, you know,
[1:16:21] the efforts that I actually thought I was going to see lower numbers so you know while I know we're
[1:16:27] improving it um um you know the positive is we know where we need to offer supports for
[1:16:33] agency right that I need to offer we need to offer supports in our science and foreign language
[1:16:38] so that we're able to see the trends and those are rigorous courses right if that may be
[1:16:44] required different skills too than previous ones and skills that require in-person learning
[1:16:50] So it's it. Thank you for recognizing that and the positive as our team is focusing are even great teachers, right?
[1:16:57] Guidance councils and social workers are focusing on closing that.
[1:17:01] Yeah, and the learning and the learning loss and it continue, you know, as you're trying to close the gap on on that and the gap that does exist with some of our students.
[1:17:09] And then as they go to our high school, you know, all the AIS and the tutoring and all that work is important.
[1:17:16] but you could only push so much on a student to learn and you just you know we're just hoping that
[1:17:23] with all of the things that we're doing that we're they're going to catch up but we have to
[1:17:27] appreciate where they are and we know that we can't fulfill everything in one necessarily even one
[1:17:33] year it's taking time so I just sending my appreciation for all the work that you're you're all doing
[1:17:39] So thank you. Thank you. Great. Thank you. Trustee Bradley. Trustee Gailiff. Trustee
[1:17:46] Brata. Trustee Brata. Yeah. So good evening and thank you all for being here sharing your
[1:17:55] time with us today and thank you for your dedication to our students. A lot of ground has been
[1:18:01] covered in the questions that have been asked already, but just thinking in the lane
[1:18:06] you know, girls and glows and also looking back and acknowledging, you know, certain roads
[1:18:14] and pathways to where we end up just kind of inspired by what Dr. Sanchez said.
[1:18:21] I know back before the pandemic, AMD was identified under the every student's disease act by
[1:18:29] by NICE as a targeted school of improvement.
[1:18:34] So that's something that you and your team inherited.
[1:18:37] I'm wondering if there's any particular approaches
[1:18:41] that are already baked into what you presented to us tonight
[1:18:45] that, because you have so much going on already,
[1:18:48] that the pandemic added to what already existed before,
[1:18:51] you know, going into the pandemic
[1:18:53] and then what you inherited.
[1:18:54] So I'm wondering, are there any specific avenues
[1:18:57] that you utilize to address that, like is that a conscious kind of approach you're taking,
[1:19:04] is it baked into the cake of everything? Do you have the support you need to fulfill those
[1:19:10] obligations that you inherited, along with everything else that you're trying to manage?
[1:19:15] So I'm just curious about that, if you were able to speak to them.
[1:19:17] Absolutely. So I think that we know that students do well when they are connected to staff members
[1:19:26] to the building and so we spend a lot of time trying to, you know, make sure that students feel
[1:19:31] welcome in the building. So that's why our culture of care is really heavy because we want to make
[1:19:35] sure the students can come in and they can, you know, have that connection. I think that that has
[1:19:41] been a theme and we're seeing that students feel more connected. I hope that they feel more
[1:19:44] corrupt. I see some of the evidence of that and I think that may also contribute to some of the
[1:19:49] things that we're seeing. I think also there are things that this, like you said, there's so many
[1:19:53] different pieces of the puzzle. I think that adds to it. I couldn't say one specific thing is
[1:19:58] adding to it. I think that we have a lot of efforts going forward and I think that, you know,
[1:20:03] seeing arc, you know, seeing some of the other things that we're doing that helps. I do I feel like
[1:20:07] we have enough supports. Yes, I feel like we have enough supports as we plan for our schedule for
[1:20:12] the future for next year and the things that we have going on. There's things that are working that we
[1:20:16] want to continue to see work and there's things that we want to implement, but we've been very well
[1:20:20] supported. Okay, thank you for that. So basically, there is a cautious effort, basically, especially given the subgroup that was identified as needing supports for that targeted school improvement, right?
[1:20:33] There's supports that have an issue fill. Yes, and I think, and I think that we're seeing the subgroups. We're seeing issues with issue in regards to the subgroup that was identified, but also we're seeing those same trends as issues of academics for all of our students issues of attendance, but specifically that subgroup, yes.
[1:20:49] Okay. Thank you.
[1:20:57] Thank you, Trustee Bantas.
[1:20:59] Just a couple observations and a question and thanks for the presentation.
[1:21:05] I guess I have to comment on avid.
[1:21:07] They're handful of us that were in the room.
[1:21:09] There's a different room when we approved the first 25.
[1:21:13] I think it was a class of 25 kids.
[1:21:16] Some number of years ago and then that went to 75.
[1:21:19] And then so it's now to be at 700 here in high school.
[1:21:22] It's fantastic. I guess at some point we should ask the question if you haven't already of how do we measure like that? It's, I don't know if it has something in there, but once we do it and do it all, we should.
[1:21:34] You know, for just intent, you know, it's intuitive and we can't really measure it as possible, but if there's something measure measure it.
[1:21:41] I do, and I've said this the number of times,
[1:21:45] and I'm not an educator.
[1:21:47] I don't really know what a kneel and all this stuff is,
[1:21:50] and I'm like, you know, I generally know,
[1:21:51] but I think anecdotally what I've seen over the years
[1:21:56] is how hard it is at the middle school level
[1:22:00] to make changes like this, and I don't know the right analogy,
[1:22:05] but when you get a kid, when they're a kindergarten,
[1:22:07] and you send them on one path, they start on that path and you can mold them when they're
[1:22:13] in sixth grade and you change their path while they still have earth science and math,
[1:22:19] like other stuff they have to learn. This is the first time we've tried to do it and other
[1:22:26] districts today. Just anecdotally, I've seen how hard it is. I don't know what the answer is
[1:22:34] I mean, we still need to do it and try and make your best effort.
[1:22:38] I don't know if that makes the measuring maybe need to be different in some way.
[1:22:43] I think it's trusty.
[1:22:45] Crossing was saying, just kind of mind like, you know, in the red, if like, you know,
[1:22:51] one, two, and three are red, but a student has gone from one to three and they're still red.
[1:22:58] You know, I'm just talking about like maybe that's the kind of insight that would help us.
[1:23:02] like I get that it's easier to see when you go from red to yellow, like, you know, yay.
[1:23:06] What are you seeing?
[1:23:07] They continued growth that they, I guess, I don't know the answer.
[1:23:11] But if there is some way and it's talking with our team of just how does this work in middle
[1:23:16] schools versus when you get a kid in first grade, like it just totally seems different.
[1:23:22] So I just want to acknowledge that I think it's tough task.
[1:23:28] I guess to make sure we set the record for the number of times glowing row or used in
[1:23:34] a meeting.
[1:23:35] You'll never forget it.
[1:23:37] I do.
[1:23:39] I guess I asked on the topic of bullying, it's another one in my years that kind of goes
[1:23:45] through different phases of focus and incidents and training.
[1:23:50] I'm just curious where we stand currently in terms of like where it fits into our, it's
[1:23:56] not an avid, but is it somewhere kind of ingrained in what we do?
[1:24:00] Is it not as needed?
[1:24:02] So I think that we spend a lot of time
[1:24:05] as administrators with students having conflict
[1:24:09] and how do we address?
[1:24:10] How do we teach students how to deal with conflicts?
[1:24:13] And we want to make sure that students are problem solvers
[1:24:16] and that when they can basically disagree without being
[1:24:21] disagreeable.
[1:24:21] And so these conversations that we're having
[1:24:24] when we have issues with students
[1:24:26] is obviously that this is not the man on which you should behave and then also what are the alternatives.
[1:24:32] We're seeing that there are times when students use the word bully, but it was I was mean to you, you were mean to me,
[1:24:38] and then that was the only time and then there are times when there's obviously an issue between two students.
[1:24:44] I think that as any time it's reported, we address it and that we also, when it's necessary,
[1:24:50] we have a restorative justice conversation or mediation between students as necessary and applicable
[1:24:54] because not all times should that happen and I think that that is just
[1:25:01] definitely something that we're concerned about we want to make sure that
[1:25:04] students feel safe and so I think that during lunch times were times in the
[1:25:09] beginning of the year that were times when we wanted to there were hot spots
[1:25:13] where there were times when the students having that free time not knowing what
[1:25:17] to do with that free time and that's something that's just a continuous we want
[1:25:20] to make sure that students are you know feel innovative creative that they
[1:25:24] have fun spaces that they feel safe and so we look to next year in looking at our hotspots,
[1:25:29] right? And so again, in hallways, right? So this year we were supported to have security guards.
[1:25:35] That was a great addition to, you know, AMD this year where security guards, we've been blessed to
[1:25:40] have really three great security guards as well as our SRO officer who has, you know, build relationships
[1:25:47] with students, you know, SR officers apart has spoken at, you know, different events in
[1:25:53] play chess and again, you know, MBK, he's been a part of that. Also, our security guards
[1:25:59] have the relationships with students where they know students by name and we have conversations
[1:26:02] while this student is still doing this and let's have that conversation. So I think that, you
[1:26:07] know, some of those supports help as well and I think having eyes on, I think teachers are
[1:26:12] definitely, you know, well informed and, you know, they let us know when things are happening
[1:26:16] in the classrooms. And so that helps as well. And we try to work with parents and partner.
[1:26:20] There are times when it's a situation, it's a bullying situation where we are talking to that
[1:26:25] student and to that parent and saying, how do we want to proceed with this? So they feel that it's
[1:26:29] not happening to them, that it's happening with them, that we're partnering together to help
[1:26:32] solve this problem. And then we try to close the loop and repair the relationship. But that is just
[1:26:36] that as I think as far as middle school and school in general, you have those times. But we're looking
[1:26:41] forward to seeing what we can do next year to help students learn that they can disagree
[1:26:45] without being disagreeable.
[1:26:50] Clinicians, social workers, they're on like every time we call them, they're always
[1:26:54] meeting with our students to have conversations as well.
[1:27:03] All right.
[1:27:04] Thank you.
[1:27:04] Any other comments?
[1:27:06] Can I ask the principal a question in the team?
[1:27:11] To what extent does the physical plant of this building and the space impact your work?
[1:27:18] huge. I think that is huge. So, again, right now, we are in our
[1:27:26] cafeteria, which we would love to have a cafeteria space and a
[1:27:30] gymnasium space. Our hallways, again, are part of what the
[1:27:34] security guards do is that they help students to make sure that
[1:27:36] they're working to the right side of the hallways. And that
[1:27:40] is definitely something that is a concern, staircases, or
[1:27:43] concern. I think, and that's the reason why part of my focus has
[1:27:47] been to look at for a minute passing times. I think that having teachers share classrooms,
[1:27:54] so many teachers share classrooms, definitely impacts instruction. I think that having
[1:27:58] better space for our music department would be also beneficial. So I think that's huge.
[1:28:04] That's huge, especially when you have so many teachers sharing spaces. And so we struggle
[1:28:09] with office space, we struggle with just empty rooms throughout the day so that teachers
[1:28:14] can, you know, meet and have conversations. So that's, that's, it's huge. It's a huge impact.
[1:28:23] I'd love to have it, but where does we have the classes if we don't have the empty space?
[1:28:30] I appreciate that because I think that kind of answers my question about whether you feel you have,
[1:28:34] you know, what you need to kind of accomplish some of those, right? I would say that there's kind of
[1:28:39] a loop where it just affects overall your attempts to try to make improvements where you
[1:28:45] We definitely see there needed.
[1:28:47] Absolutely.
[1:28:48] Definitely.
[1:28:53] Thank you very much for your presentation this evening.
[1:28:56] A lot of thought went into that, so we do appreciate the time that you spent with us and the
[1:29:01] dedication that you clearly put into this effort.
[1:29:05] Thank you.
[1:29:06] Thank you.
[1:29:06] Thank you.
[1:29:16] All right.
[1:29:16] We'll now continue on to item 3.2, which is our equity item, which is our continued budget discussion.
[1:29:22] All
[1:29:29] right. So this is going to be an update regarding the budget. There's been a number of conversations that have taken place. We've dedicated time for the Board of Education, community to dialogue around the budget itself.
[1:29:40] This is our latest recommendation related to the overall number and the positions that we anticipate filling for the upcoming school year.
[1:29:50] It's a very abbreviated PowerPoint, but nonetheless, it has our said recommendations to this point.
[1:29:58] It should be noted, though, that, you know,
[1:30:00] We're still awaiting a state budget that has, and that clearly hasn't been adopted to this point. We're hopeful. We have to adopt a budget on the 18th. So if we can have something concluded in, you know, by Monday will be in good shape. Otherwise, we'll provide some details for the Board of Education in terms of our path moving forward. But I do, and Ms. Zuber and I have talked about, you know, where we've received our
[1:30:29] our state aid is better than we've received in the past where we've been sort of on hold.
[1:30:34] It's a better projection than a better starting point than where we've been in years past.
[1:30:39] So with that to say, I just want to remind her and these are just some summaries.
[1:30:45] Our budget is built around our long range plan, multiple literacies, culture of care, and
[1:30:51] relevant learning.
[1:30:52] And we spoke about that just a little bit earlier as the middle school team was sharing some
[1:30:56] of the details, but throughout our budget, you'll see and have heard that much of what we're
[1:31:01] doing is aligned with these three goals of the long-range plan.
[1:31:06] In addition, throughout this process, we have continued to consider enrollment.
[1:31:11] We have worked hard to be physically responsible, to address staff needs, to retirements, and
[1:31:17] programming, address the ongoing impact of the pandemic on student mental health.
[1:31:21] That was discussed just a few minutes ago.
[1:31:23] So consider programming to support various academic needs in the lining with our strategic
[1:31:28] efforts, which I referenced before.
[1:31:30] At this point in time, we still remain with a recommendation to reduce some of the positions
[1:31:38] that we initially recommended to the Board of Education and to our community that includes
[1:31:45] the Transition Council or OHS English teacher, 0.5 music teacher, special education, ICT likely
[1:31:52] in the area of elementary education, transition specialists, and a point by our teacher.
[1:31:58] Just to point out that we are still in discussions and, you know, because of needs of students and others,
[1:32:04] you know, right now, I would say that these five are, you know, our recommendation, but we're still, you know,
[1:32:10] in the end, what we're recommending is a reduction of five, and then using some reserves to balance our budget.
[1:32:20] So overall, our recommendation on a fiscal end is a proposed budget of $167.3 million.
[1:32:30] A proposed tax levy had zero and appropriated fund balance uses of about $4.5 million.
[1:32:38] The use of reserves of capital reserve of $5.1 million and the use of the unemployment liability reserve of $1 million.
[1:32:47] dollars. These are some reminders. I apologize. I thought it'd show up a little larger, but nonetheless,
[1:32:55] we have the 18th, which is the date in which the budget needs to be adopted. That is our final date.
[1:33:02] And then we have our statutory hearing that'll take place on May 3rd, 2023.
[1:33:10] Lastly, and very important, well, a very important date is May 16, 2023, where we will have
[1:33:17] our district budget vote and the Board of Elections.
[1:33:22] That will take place at 7 a.m., traditionally till 9 p.m., in the OHS gymnasium.
[1:33:28] And that concludes our update related to the budget.
[1:33:32] But those are our recommendations to the Board.
[1:33:34] at this point, based on the feedback we've heard, you know, over the past few weeks and months.
[1:33:46] All right. Thank you, Dr. Sanchez. I guess I will open it up to my colleagues for a board dialogue.
[1:33:52] We've had a lot of dialogue on the budget already so far. I think everyone has a sense of where everyone
[1:34:00] else stands. I don't expect that we'll all agree, and that's okay. I think the board's done a
[1:34:05] a really good job of having space to discuss this, so I do appreciate that. And with that,
[1:34:15] I will just, I guess, ask if anyone else has anything to add.
[1:34:27] Oh, yes, Greg's down here.
[1:34:29] Dr. Sanchez can go back to the slide, back to the financial picture slide. Yeah.
[1:34:37] Yeah. So, I think, you know, where we left off, I don't think I know where we left off was there was a consensus around what we all wanted in the budget, even your proposed budget before reducing it by five positions.
[1:34:57] So, but this budget amount reduces it by those five positions, right?
[1:35:03] Correct.
[1:35:06] So, that's number one.
[1:35:09] Number two, we all discuss how do we want to finance this budget, right, through reserves,
[1:35:19] through tax levies, through unappropriated, unbalanced, and what have you.
[1:35:25] So, I know that my colleagues met with, you know, facilities committee, financial advisors
[1:35:34] regarding our potential bond and how it can impact, I don't know if they brought that
[1:35:40] up in the conversations, but I know Mr. Uber has borrowed up a number of times the concern
[1:35:45] of drawing down reserves other than capital reserve can be an issue.
[1:35:50] and are we, you know, going to hurt ourselves interest rate-wise if we do come out with a bond down the road by getting a lower rating and so for it.
[1:36:04] So, if we were to go back and not use the million dollars in reserves and would you have you considered reducing the budget further?
[1:36:14] If we didn't use the reserves, we go back to reducing positions.
[1:36:20] Okay.
[1:36:24] I mean, one has to remember that the majority of your budget is personnel.
[1:36:28] So, you know, when you, we've, I think as a district, we've worked really hard board and
[1:36:33] others to really reduce in areas that don't impact the classrooms.
[1:36:38] So this one, in this case, we, you know, we'd come back and reduce 10 probably on our, you
[1:36:43] know, with, you know, maybe one or
[1:36:47] thing, one or two things here that aren't, you know, staff and related.
[1:36:52] Right, and I think the reductions from the proposed budget, you know, I thought there
[1:36:58] was were really needed and when it was presented by the various areas, you know, it's just
[1:37:07] really disappointing.
[1:37:07] So I think we have two things going on here is, you know, how we want to finance our budget
[1:37:13] in our needs. And you showed us what you needed. The leadership team and the educators came together
[1:37:21] and decided and discussed what their needs are. We just heard from our AMD staff and the needs
[1:37:27] and leadership team. So,
[1:37:32] you know, I don't want to, you know, I know we have a high tax,
[1:37:38] high, sorry, we have high taxes all over Westchester and we've been very physically responsible
[1:37:45] with a low to negative tax levy for many years. And I know that we got hit really big
[1:37:55] with the health care insurance hit a 5 million dollars. So, you know,
[1:38:06] I'm just disappointed that we're at this point. I thought your original proposed
[1:38:11] budget was probably very fair and physically responsible and taking other things into account.
[1:38:20] I do think that people would support your budget and the needs, and we all sat here and
[1:38:26] we discussed that there's needs, and I probably could put more, we could, we appoint needs
[1:38:30] them even what you put in the budget, so, or the leadership team included. So, I don't know,
[1:38:38] I'm not, you know, in the majority here with, with this, so we're folks want to go, so I just want to make sure my comments are on record.
[1:38:46] Thank you.
[1:38:47] I appreciate that, Trustee Rudley.
[1:38:50] Does anyone else want to say anything?
[1:39:00] All right, Dr. Sanchez, what, what is it that you need from us tonight in this moment?
[1:39:05] Well, not hearing anything else from the board.
[1:39:09] We'll presume that this is the budget that we'll ask you to adopt on Tuesday the 18th, so we'll present these numbers and ask you to finalize it because we have no choice but to finalize it.
[1:39:24] Okay. That's actually a good point. I'd written down a note. How are other districts managing this, I guess, lack of a finalized budget from the state? And is there any indication to think that that's education related at all?
[1:39:38] The final budget at the state level?
[1:39:42] Yes.
[1:39:42] What I've heard is that it's not related to education that there's other areas of the governor's budget and that legislators are debating.
[1:39:51] Housing or farm, those are some of the issues that I've heard.
[1:39:56] There may be more not in the room with everybody.
[1:39:59] But I think education is pretty much, there's a lot of consensus around the support of foundation aid and potentially some other areas that were
[1:40:08] not fully aware of. The one area that I do know from the educational and the governor's proposed
[1:40:13] budget which are some debate and we're hoping and remain hopeful that it's actually removed as
[1:40:20] a contingency is that a portion of our foundation aid number or money would be set aside for tutoring.
[1:40:28] That was in her current proposed budget there was a requirement for that. So I don't agree with
[1:40:35] With that recommendation, we've advocated against that being a contingency.
[1:40:40] I think we at the local level, with the school boards, our educators and
[1:40:44] others should have the wherewithal to utilize the foundation aid as we see fit,
[1:40:48] which in essence is what we're doing.
[1:40:51] This budget is built on the presumption that that will not be part of the final budget.
[1:41:00] Okay, thank you.
[1:41:01] Just a clarification on that.
[1:41:03] So this budget's built on the million dollars won't have strings attached.
[1:41:09] So if the million dollars does have strings attached, that may change some of the recommendations and we may not know that until after the budget actually it could prove.
[1:41:21] I mean, what we're seeking also, although we've had some some definitions of that, you know, the governor put put this out, but there's not clear language as to what that specifically means.
[1:41:34] So, I would just share with, you know, at a broader sense, I have definitions of when I have small group instruction, when I have AIS, I would say those are, you know, maybe not what we would say is traditional forms of tutoring, but those are intervention services that I think in essence speak to the spirit of the work, but lacking some of that or that final decision as to what it has to be to your point could lead to some changes.
[1:42:02] So if the governor comes out with a different definition or perspective, we may need to make some changes on our
[1:42:10] operating procedures moving forward.
[1:42:14] Yeah, I mean, and I guess, you know, the the after school programs and places where we would deliver tutoring today are on the order of
[1:42:22] a couple hundred thousand dollars right at the end of the day in the broad school. Yeah, that's right.
[1:42:26] And so that would be like five times the amount.
[1:42:28] And so, if the definition of tutoring was after school, that sounds like it would be
[1:42:34] a very challenging thing to implement, unless we were given some flexibility to do it during
[1:42:38] the school day and do there. So, okay, there's one. There's an error too, because for those
[1:42:43] that are waiting for the board, the approach we've taken is not unique. And speaking to colleagues
[1:42:50] across the region, we're all taking a similar approach.
[1:42:54] And their numbers regarding tutoring
[1:42:56] is quite different based on their foundation aid number.
[1:43:00] We're required to vote on this on the 18th independent
[1:43:03] of what's going on with the state, right?
[1:43:05] A lady, do you want it?
[1:43:06] Yeah, the answer is yes.
[1:43:07] Okay.
[1:43:09] The 18th is, I know we have the meat on the 18th,
[1:43:12] but if hypothetically after the 18th we get the numbers,
[1:43:17] and there's a question we could just think about,
[1:43:19] could we schedule meat on the 19th or 20th just to get,
[1:43:22] figure out what to drop. Yeah, I look at the calendar, but I can get back to you.
[1:43:27] Okay, it's just I thought. I mean, there's a couple of things on the other side. I appreciate
[1:43:32] what you're bringing up in terms of flexibility and wherewithal and making sure that our final
[1:43:37] number is the right number and anything else associated with that. But there is an essence
[1:43:42] of communicating this eventually with our community, you know, with everyday counts in terms
[1:43:46] of, you know, our newsletters, the prints and everything else to make sure that folks have
[1:43:50] good information, you know, when they go out to vote, that it's all clear and detailed.
[1:43:56] So we're prepared. We just need to have the final decision and something that's adopted
[1:44:02] so we can go to press and start communicating this with everybody.
[1:44:09] All right. Thank you.
[1:44:12] Thank you.
[1:44:18] Okay.
[1:44:23] Do we want to discuss anything else? We're going to public comment.
[1:44:27] Public comment?
[1:44:28] Okay. All right. We're going to move on now to item 4.1, which is our first public comment section,
[1:44:35] which is on any of the presentations this evening, as well as any item on the agenda.
[1:44:41] I'm going to first take any in-person public comments. You'll have three minutes. Please state
[1:44:46] your name and address and make sure that you are not student or staff specific in your comments.
[1:44:53] Do we have anyone in the audience who would like to make an in-person public comment?
[1:44:57] Mr. Melstein is walking up to the mic.
[1:45:00] Trustee Banta will keep time. Time starts now. Hello, Melstein, town of Austin, excuse the
[1:45:08] attire. Now, it might be hard to take me a little bit seriously at Cardinal Schoets, but
[1:45:13] wanted to take advantage of the weather. Trustee Crossling used the word disappointing
[1:45:19] to refer to the data that was presented around Erla today. Actually, there's a different slide
[1:45:25] that's in the other presentation, which is different that was presented. And I
[1:45:31] approached this with support. To me, it's pretty shocking. It's pretty shocking.
[1:45:37] You see that on the eighth graders, for example, only 29% are proficient. You
[1:45:44] have 46 that's 7, 33 and 6. Of course, there's a lot of factors that go into this. So
[1:45:51] So and a lot of data was presented.
[1:45:53] So I guess my question is, the 80% on grade level goal, I guess that is for all grade
[1:46:01] level by the time we get through the art program for years, is that correct, is that the
[1:46:07] bold goal there?
[1:46:09] So we don't have to answer just right now if you need a solid answer.
[1:46:12] I'll answer it because in previous meetings we talked about the MTSS process.
[1:46:17] So if you look at the MTSS pyramid, that is basically the state slash national perspective
[1:46:24] on your academic programs.
[1:46:26] Your core programs should be meeting 80% of the needs of our students, right?
[1:46:32] And then you have a tier two to that, so that would be referred to as tier one.
[1:46:36] Tier two would be your, you know, those students that need some academic support, and those
[1:46:42] will receive a, you know, mostly AIS in some form of additional programming.
[1:46:45] and then you have that extra 5% that are tier 3,
[1:46:49] those are students that are really significantly in need.
[1:46:52] So that 80% goal is something
[1:46:55] that is just a sort of a national perspective
[1:46:58] regarding the pyramid itself.
[1:46:59] Got it, thank you.
[1:47:00] So I hope that Mr. Erner, you know,
[1:47:03] you know, I've spoken for high,
[1:47:06] that we have benchmarks and check-ins
[1:47:08] over the next three years that are left on this contract
[1:47:10] to make sure the teachers have what they need,
[1:47:12] that we are on track to meet that potential goal.
[1:47:16] And if we're not, whatever we're doing to support
[1:47:19] through additional arc support, whatever it is to hit that.
[1:47:22] I'd also look to potentially line this up
[1:47:24] to see what other districts who have,
[1:47:26] in the specialty in Westchester, who have arc,
[1:47:29] I believe, Portchester, the Portchester on it as well,
[1:47:32] whatever other districts are on it,
[1:47:35] is this an anomaly or is this more of an ossany thing?
[1:47:38] And I think that's an important data to see.
[1:47:40] be like, okay, there's a little bit scary data, but are we sort of on track comparatively
[1:47:45] to where this has been implemented?
[1:47:47] Last quick thing about the budget, this is for probably a next budget cycle thing.
[1:47:51] I do think all the good questions are not around data.
[1:47:54] Look to have maybe a data analyst position if you don't already have or even more than one
[1:47:58] that could help with some of this going forward.
[1:48:01] But that's my comments tonight.
[1:48:02] Thank you.
[1:48:03] So just to clarify, there is a position in the budget for a data person.
[1:48:08] Love it.
[1:48:08] Thank you.
[1:48:09] Thank you, Mr. Melcino, are there any other in-person comments before we switch to virtual?
[1:48:18] Okay, I will now ask our lovely clerk, if there are any hands raised virtually.
[1:48:26] Okay, no show of hands virtually. We'll continue on now to the rest of our agenda,
[1:48:33] which I seem to have lost. Just give me a second.
[1:48:39] Okay, all right.
[1:48:40] Continuing on now to item number five. Is there anything anyone wishes for me to break out between 5.1 and 5.3?
[1:48:51] I'll take a motion for 5.1 through 5.3.
[1:48:55] Second. 5.1 resolution to a point additional consultants for the 2023-2024 school year.
[1:49:02] 5.2 resolution to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of February 15, 2023.
[1:49:07] 5.3, resolution authorizing the county of Westchester to agree to hold harmless and
[1:49:11] indemnify owners of any and all polling places to be used by the county and connection
[1:49:15] with the upcoming 2023 elections. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed?
[1:49:23] Stent. Item 6.1, resolution regarding interfund transfers. Can I get a motion for 6.1?
[1:49:32] So moved.
[1:49:33] Second.
[1:49:35] 6.1.
[1:49:36] Resolution regarding Interfund Transfer is any discussion?
[1:49:39] All in favor?
[1:49:41] Aye.
[1:49:41] Aye.
[1:49:42] Opposed?
[1:49:43] Abstention.
[1:49:45] Going on now to Section 7.
[1:49:48] Is there anything anyone wishes for me to break out from 7.1 through 7.10?
[1:49:56] I'll take a motion for 7.1 through 7.10.
[1:49:59] So moved.
[1:50:00] Second.
[1:50:00] 7.1 resolution regarding professional staff resignation, 7.2 resolution regarding civil
[1:50:06] service staff resignation, 7.3 resolution regarding professional staff appointment, 7.4 resolution
[1:50:13] regarding support staff appointment, 7.5 resolution regarding professional staff appointment
[1:50:17] before after school program, 7.6 resolution regarding civil service staff appointment
[1:50:22] before and after school program, 7.7 resolution regarding support staff appointment before
[1:50:27] for and after school program, 7.8 resolution regarding support staff appointment, summer
[1:50:34] program, 7.9 resolution regarding per-dium substitute appointments, 7.10 resolution regarding
[1:50:40] approval of school volunteers. Any discussion? All in favor?
[1:50:45] Aye.
[1:50:46] Opposed?
[1:50:47] Sention. Thank you so much to our school volunteers.
[1:50:51] All right, continuing now to board policies, I'll take a motion for 8.1.
[1:50:59] So moved.
[1:51:02] And I get a second.
[1:51:04] 8.1, resolution to adopt policy 1500 public use of school facilities as a first reading.
[1:51:09] I am anticipating that there is discussion on this.
[1:51:12] I think there are a lot of thoughts, so I'm looking forward to the dialogue.
[1:51:16] You know that answer for a second?
[1:51:18] Sure.
[1:51:19] The 18th is the drop-to date.
[1:51:21] Oh, it's the absolute last date.
[1:51:23] It's tied to the military ballots having to go out three days before, three days after.
[1:51:30] Okay.
[1:51:30] Thank you.
[1:51:32] All right.
[1:51:33] On the policy 1500, is there any, maybe someone from the policy committee could give us a quick
[1:51:40] background of this and then we can go into thoughts or does anybody not need the background
[1:51:46] at this point. Does anybody need the background? Anyone need it?
[1:51:50] Sure. Okay. So I guess I'll go ahead. Christine, since you're new, you probably want to
[1:51:57] please you to the policy committee. Greg, go to the policy meeting. Your committee because of
[1:52:02] probably. Anyway, the challenge is that we had and bringing policies forward sometimes and
[1:52:08] discussions. But I think we've actually done a really great job this year bringing a lot of policies
[1:52:13] forward. And so for the facilities policy, we had left it where it was somewhere, the goal
[1:52:21] of the policy was to have auditing residents if, you know, we use our facilities. And to
[1:52:29] be most of our, most of our residents use our facilities. Most, if not all, was the language.
[1:52:38] And Ms. Zuber, who would be implementing some of the facility requests and overseeing
[1:52:45] it, was having some challenges in looking for a percent, which made us go back to the
[1:52:50] drawing board and discuss the policy.
[1:52:53] And we sort of landed the last time we talked was around 90%, I mean 75%, 90%, and our
[1:53:02] Our policy committee discussed it this last one and we basically said it should, the
[1:53:09] spirit of the facility's policy and the usage of our facilities, the spirit is to be 100
[1:53:16] percent Ossoning residents, Ossoning taxpayers, Ossoning residents, and that the exception
[1:53:22] would be left with the superintendent if there were to be any exceptions.
[1:53:27] And we all came together and we all felt that that was the best way to go forward.
[1:53:31] And it wouldn't mean that if there's an exception, if there's a team, if the facilities haven't
[1:53:38] been, you know, aren't being used, and it's been exhausted in the use of getting our
[1:53:43] students to use this and adult community members to use our facilities, that then there could
[1:53:48] be an exception.
[1:53:50] So I think that's a very fair policy, so this is what we're presenting to everybody tonight
[1:53:58] or colleagues and my other colleagues on the committee want to share anything that I might have
[1:54:04] left out or could explain better. Please feel free to do so. You did a nice job. Thank you.
[1:54:12] Thank you Lisa. I do have a clarification question for Ms. Subur.
[1:54:17] If we wanted to amend this to add like superintendent or his designate so that Dr. Sanchez
[1:54:25] wasn't faced with making all of these decisions?
[1:54:28] I like that one.
[1:54:32] I'm just wondering if that is not the only thing that can be
[1:54:34] orally amended.
[1:54:35] I actually saw that language.
[1:54:36] I just want to, does Nickney would be in his absence, right?
[1:54:40] That's the spirit of that language, right?
[1:54:42] So we have language, if the superintendent, you know,
[1:54:46] isn't available.
[1:54:47] Oh, getting aside.
[1:54:48] We can laugh a little bit.
[1:54:50] But, you know, my most case is these, you know, when there's
[1:54:54] items related to designees, there's a clear collaboration between the two. So, you know,
[1:54:59] I wouldn't presume that this is one where there's probably cases and initially there might be
[1:55:08] more of them, so we probably have to collaborate and talk more so around what those decisions are,
[1:55:13] but ultimately, you know, it's going to be viewed as the decision of the superintendent, so.
[1:55:19] Okay, so I'm more confused than what I do with that question.
[1:55:26] So if you wanted to delegate this duty to someone, you could, because anytime you weren't
[1:55:33] available to make a decision, you could just designate, like is that, that's how these
[1:55:37] policies work?
[1:55:38] Or do you have to, like, no, it gives me, it gives a superintendent the flexibility to work
[1:55:44] with the team and have someone be the primary in this case and it's not okay. Again, once again,
[1:55:51] kidding aside, it's not uncommon in various policies that, you know, it does
[1:55:56] unique could be used as an option, but it's always done in consultation with the superintendent.
[1:56:06] I know. I'm just wondering, do we have to specifically say that language in this or is it implied?
[1:56:12] I don't know the answer to that question.
[1:56:15] I thought there was a policy we reviewed earlier in the year that kind of spoke to that
[1:56:19] language about, I don't know if that was a specific task, but I remember us going over
[1:56:27] that language and another policy about the design, because I think we had to be worded
[1:56:31] to be less specific because it actually had a title in there that it doesn't exist currently.
[1:56:40] So I don't technically know, but I could have sworn we explored that.
[1:56:45] I think I'm sorry.
[1:56:47] I'm going to go ahead.
[1:56:48] I think that by having it be at the superintendent's level, it's final.
[1:56:56] Like when you start putting a designated down, then they still think there's an appeal process.
[1:57:01] Obviously, he's not doing a day-to-day work related to this.
[1:57:05] I would be the design, but I wouldn't be talking or making decisions without his approval.
[1:57:15] So that's the only thing that I would say, they want to talk to somebody next, when I
[1:57:20] say no.
[1:57:21] Okay, got it.
[1:57:22] I think I'm with you.
[1:57:23] I'm satisfied.
[1:57:24] Thank you.
[1:57:29] I'm on the list and it's late.
[1:57:31] I'm not.
[1:57:32] I'm with you all now.
[1:57:33] Yeah. All right. I mean, it seems like Greg and maybe Trustee Schnecker from past conversations probably have the strongest feelings on this. So do you guys want to let us know where you're at?
[1:57:49] Did something.
[1:57:54] I'll start and I'll try and give the summary version also tired.
[1:57:58] I do have opinions and I did, I think it was during the fall, there was a couple of Yankee
[1:58:03] games that I was watching and I took out board docs and looked at a bunch of other board's
[1:58:09] policies to see what they were doing. I put together a document that I share with the board,
[1:58:13] I think I'm completely on board with the essence, as you called it, of asking residents
[1:58:19] to use our fields. So 100% there. I think where I'm coming from is just the reality that I've
[1:58:31] experienced with youth sports where it's become increasingly hard or local talent, you know,
[1:58:39] what we use the term town teams in the sports world versus club teams. So I'm increasingly hard
[1:58:46] for town teams to find enough kids to have a team
[1:58:50] a league or whatever.
[1:58:53] And it's because you know, you can go,
[1:58:57] if you have money, you can go play for a club team.
[1:58:59] You could feel like you're going to go to college.
[1:59:01] You'd like to, you know, they're selling you on this club
[1:59:04] experience.
[1:59:07] And it's makes it really hard for the kids
[1:59:11] who either don't have money and or the skill
[1:59:15] to keep playing. And just my anecdotal, just being involved in sports, I can tell you just about every
[1:59:24] sports program in Ascending would not be in compliance with the 100% rule. For years, Ascending
[1:59:33] and Brightcliffe have run a football program here at AMD together. I coached a quote in
[1:59:39] kid through the record, and birecliffe kids through the record department.
[1:59:46] Ocneen now has emerged little league with birecliffe and
[1:59:51] Crotin, which was just the matter of there were enough kids.
[1:59:55] And if you have not enough kids, even if you have enough for two teams, you don't want to
[2:00:00] Play each other every Saturday and Tuesday, like it just, and Briacliffe didn't have enough kids, so they would call us and he'd say, hey, we, you know, we can't fulfill teams. Let's merge and everyone's happy with the merge. But they got to play somewhere because it's a merge and they, they play an Austin, they play Briacliffe, putting, quote, I mean, I would, my son was on a, I mean, a team for a couple of years that wouldn't existed without two, quote, and kids be on the team because the two, quote, and kids.
[2:00:29] kids, dads, coached, and there was no one in Austin who would coach that age group.
[2:00:34] And Monday found two Austin dads who happened to be from Croton and they played and otherwise
[2:00:40] the other, whatever it was, ten Austin kids wouldn't have had a team.
[2:00:45] We had a community member back in the fall and we talked about this, we talked about the
[2:00:49] girls across league, they're working on starting right now that has kids from other programs.
[2:00:55] And so I just, and that's even what, you know, that's without going and asking around of what other things are going on.
[2:01:02] I just heard, you know, I just mentioned teams are joining with other leagues.
[2:01:08] You know, I've heard, I have heard stories of, you know, kids who grow up in Austin and live in Austin and move.
[2:01:15] And they're in fifth grade, sixth grade, ever.
[2:01:17] And they, a team one sometimes needs them to stay with the team.
[2:01:21] And sometimes they want to stay with the team.
[2:01:23] So they do it. So it just, I mean, we could, we could dig deeper, but it just seems like there are a lot of issues with a hundred percent there.
[2:01:35] And as I looked at other districts, my criteria to start was districts who were near us and similar size.
[2:01:44] And I just kept going with any district I could think of.
[2:01:47] I looked at 24 districts, 15 of them have no percentage specified at all, 9 have a percentage
[2:01:57] that ranges from 5 to 80, 80 was one that was 80, that was white planes, and I shared
[2:02:08] the language in snippets that people use, but basically the essence of language seems
[2:02:15] to be some version of, you know, the fields can be used by community programs for the benefit of the community.
[2:02:27] And there are many exceptions, you know, some make it clear like it's okay if not everyone's from the community.
[2:02:35] That's why we have the 70% rule or the 50% rule or 75% rule.
[2:02:39] And some boards do it differently. Some boards approve each.
[2:02:42] the board does the approval sometimes the superintendent and you can look
[2:02:47] at them at their lists and you can tell they have
[2:02:51] you know sank somers is you know the Teconic Road Grummers Road Grunners Club
[2:02:56] and Special Olympics and the New York Blood Center like I don't think all of the
[2:03:00] members of those clubs using somers are from somers
[2:03:05] was one that I noted so I mean I sort of cut into chase it seems to me like the
[2:03:11] The issue started with, and we've talked about it over the years, is we don't want
[2:03:16] asking kids excluded because of the inclusion of a non-asking kid.
[2:03:22] And to me, it seems like the percentage isn't the way to solve that problem.
[2:03:28] Because one, I think it creates a new problem, and that most programs would be in violation.
[2:03:33] And I know the wording says, you know, special circumstances, I would say, it's more like
[2:03:38] to make an exception in most circumstances, which to me isn't a policy.
[2:03:44] I think what we need is language that basically says some version of, you know,
[2:03:49] we expect organizations using our fields not to exclude eligible asking
[2:03:53] residents from participation in favor of non-residents.
[2:03:56] Like to me, it seems like that's the essence of what I think we're trying to address is
[2:04:02] You can't go try and create a super team and cut the kids from Austin who you think you
[2:04:10] can find better people for.
[2:04:13] So I think that's to me how I would suggest we head on this policy is some version that
[2:04:19] focuses more on thing you can't exclude Austin kids but bring another kids.
[2:04:28] If you need to bring other kids to let Austin kids play, that's okay.
[2:04:33] And I guess lastly, for the way it sunk in with me, we've talked about this adult football
[2:04:42] team example, and I don't know every detail, but my son is a college-based well-player.
[2:04:48] In the summer, he plays, has played last year's locally in a college-based well league.
[2:04:54] And the reality is, when you get to the college level, and I think after college, like there
[2:04:59] There just aren't enough kids in any one community to feel the team.
[2:05:03] You have to, you know, you need pitchers, you need people to play catcher, you need first
[2:05:08] bait.
[2:05:08] You need great positions.
[2:05:10] And so he's been on teams that are, you know, two osning kids, four bryoclif kids, kids
[2:05:18] from the city.
[2:05:19] I mean, you just kind of, you're going anywhere you can get to have teams and they're playing
[2:05:24] teams.
[2:05:25] There's a summer-based team, there's a broccoli-based team, but they are not by any stretch,
[2:05:29] like all summer is all broccoli.
[2:05:32] And I think, and this is probably a secondary issue to the policy, but I think we need
[2:05:38] to figure out with something like, and if the superintendent was looking at it, you'd
[2:05:42] have to look at something like an adult group where I just don't think there are a tremendous
[2:05:48] this number of young adults looking to play football,
[2:05:52] and they may not be, you know,
[2:05:54] you may not be able to find enough that's all from one town.
[2:05:59] And I know we have, and a lot of districts
[2:06:02] have the priority list that says youth get
[2:06:05] field parity over adults, which makes a lot of sense.
[2:06:09] But if we have a team that's 40% young,
[2:06:14] asking adults to want to play football,
[2:06:16] And the only way they can put football is to get 60% non-ositing people involved, and
[2:06:22] we have dilly field, which is empty at the time.
[2:06:26] Like, I don't know why we wouldn't make that exception to let asking kids use it.
[2:06:34] But that policy would allow that.
[2:06:39] If there's an exception, so the goal is to have the availability of all of our facilities.
[2:06:45] That's including inside the buildings and the fields and not just the fields, so and I, you know, and when I think we talked about this in the committee because I do Greg, I really appreciate that because I was thinking like how's that going to work with teams, but I think the key is is what you said earlier is that
[2:07:03] Austin students or residents were being excluded and we haven't, you know, we're still seeing that.
[2:07:13] And so the, I guess a lot of students, we have students here that we have plenty of families here that can
[2:07:23] And the other thing is, you know, we do want our fields and facilities to be used.
[2:07:27] But there's a cost to that too, beyond the educational day too.
[2:07:32] So, you know, it's not going to be necessarily 24 or 7, where people are just using facilities
[2:07:37] as not like logistical or logical.
[2:07:41] But I guess the point that you were bringing up, I think that would be solved with the exception.
[2:07:48] Right.
[2:07:49] I mean, but that's an exception that I'm saying you got 40, you know, hypothetically 40%
[2:07:53] osc.
[2:07:55] I'm suggesting, and if that, if that's a valid exception, I'm just pointing out that
[2:08:01] I think almost every league in osc would need an exception to meet this policy.
[2:08:09] I would say as being on this committee and kind of going back and forth with this policy
[2:08:14] and hearing all the dialogue around it, I would also add that yes, there's not anything
[2:08:20] in here that's excluding specific scenarios. In fact, it's open to the fact that depending
[2:08:26] on the situation and the scenario, there may be an exception that can be given. I would also,
[2:08:32] I'm just thinking in terms of a couple of things here, like, especially as a district and as a community,
[2:08:38] as we're acknowledging the need to kind of tighten up our purse strings and be a bit
[2:08:44] more stringent about how we apply our resources here.
[2:08:49] I'm thinking about that as well and making sure that we have a system in place where we're
[2:08:54] always going to be applying our resources first for our community and for our students, especially
[2:08:59] remembering a few meetings back when Dr. Sanchez told the board that he did make a commitment
[2:09:06] the youth bureau as well to be a place where they can utilize space when they, if a time comes when
[2:09:11] they need it. So there's a lot of different moving factors that are already tight facility needs.
[2:09:17] I think this gives us what we need as a district and as a community to make sure we are fully
[2:09:23] realizing our resources for our community first, and then we have the caveat in here that we can make
[2:09:28] certain exceptions to make sure that, you know, certain students and community members are able to
[2:09:35] also utilize those fields of those exceptions are acceptable by who's ever reading them.
[2:09:41] So personally me, when I was making speaking for myself, when I was going into this last meeting,
[2:09:47] I came to that conclusion based on all of those different factors, because I think it makes
[2:09:51] sense, financial sense, to be just as strict in other areas when we're talking about utilizing
[2:09:56] our resources, especially when we want to, you know, I said on the CTC meeting where the youth
[2:10:01] Burrill Director said that space needs was a really big factor for them to be able to provide
[2:10:09] community services for our youth. And so being able to have that window open to make sure
[2:10:14] we can continue supporting our students whether it be academically or just extracurricular
[2:10:20] and community I think is a really good perspective also to have. We're looking at the goal we're
[2:10:25] trying to accomplish with this new iteration of policy. That's just my perspective I'm sharing
[2:10:31] there's a member of the committee.
[2:10:35] Can I? Yeah go. So part of the language that changed from this time to last time was
[2:10:42] shifting that responsibility from the board to the superintendent. I think the idea there was
[2:10:46] to make it a little bit more of a smoother process and you know make be able to make changes on the
[2:10:54] fly or without you know having to wait to the next board meeting. So Trustee Gailiff is supposing
[2:11:00] that there are so many organizations that would require an exception to be made for them.
[2:11:07] But my question is for Alita, if you have a sense, because I don't know who's signing
[2:11:13] up to use a field and how often and what these groups are.
[2:11:17] Does that sound like a big concern?
[2:11:21] If we put it at 100%, do you feel like you're going to have to be constantly going and asking
[2:11:25] for exceptions or not?
[2:11:31] So by the time when they come to file their permit, they don't have the name of all the children that are going to be on the roster.
[2:11:41] So I tell the person that handles it at the front desk that before they can get the facility used finally approved, we need to see the roster with the addresses.
[2:11:50] says she knows that right now we're using a certain percentage, but going forward, I told her that we're going to be changing the policy. So I'm not sure what the outcome is going to be.
[2:12:04] But I'm not as familiar with sports as any other.
[2:12:11] I just assume I'll be looking at the roster of children that are playing for the school district and not the students that are competing.
[2:12:20] I'll be looking for the students that reside in a school district that are part of the team in the district, but not looking at necessarily the teams that they're playing and ensuring they are residents.
[2:12:32] But if we, if we like, if we pass this as it is, let's say, you'll know.
[2:12:38] I don't know relatively quickly because the seasons are coming up, so I can I can you know and if it doesn't if it's not we're practical. Yeah, so we can't adjust it, but I do I need something right. Yeah, I get I'm I'm retired from that. I can just tell you.
[2:12:57] I mean, I was at AMD, we had a game, our catchers were hurt.
[2:13:03] I needed to, you know, I need to catchers for game on Sunday.
[2:13:06] I'm calling everyone I know in Briarcliffe and Croton,
[2:13:09] because I need to catcher to play.
[2:13:11] That catcher isn't on my roster at the beginning of the season.
[2:13:13] Like, and that stuff happens not all the time,
[2:13:16] but like the roster beginning season doesn't mean that's your full season.
[2:13:20] So I can't, I don't think there's any way you could please.
[2:13:23] Yeah, I can't. You can't even roast 100% or like it's got stuff going to happen. The Rec Center. I think we let the Rec Center pretty much run their own programs.
[2:13:32] We don't.
[2:13:33] We give them our space is what we used to do. They don't submit rosters us and they're there.
[2:13:39] They make their own policy, which is.
[2:13:41] I've been part of it. Like we had.
[2:13:43] in the Austin rec basketball program because we need a kids.
[2:13:48] So it just seems like there's reciprocity that's why because we use their facilities.
[2:13:53] Yeah, no, I understand, but then we get into.
[2:13:57] We're letting the rec department use our program and they don't have a hundred percent rule.
[2:14:02] So we're let that's okay.
[2:14:04] And technically baseball is under the rec program.
[2:14:07] A lot of stuff goes to rec.
[2:14:10] Like I said, I don't know, I just need some sort of final guidance, because they're going
[2:14:16] to start wanting to put in their permits this spring.
[2:14:24] Can I ask Ilyda, because obviously it seems like this exception, you could drive a truck
[2:14:29] through it.
[2:14:32] And I'm, if we're saying 100% unless the superintendent and his team decide that there's
[2:14:40] reason to allow an organization to come in under 100% is that putting you in the same position where
[2:14:47] you have to basically use your discretion to decide what's okay and what's not okay without much
[2:14:54] of a guideline? Well, I didn't have any guideline before. Like, I just was going majority.
[2:15:00] So, with 100%, I could just say no. And then they could say no, please, this is my excuse. But right now I'm being questioned about what a majority is from not everybody for certain people. And I didn't have an answer. And so when I brought it up, I was a little shocked that my interpretation was inaccurate. So I just, again, the clear guidance, if it's 100% the answer is going to be no if they can't meet it. And if they have a legitimate reason as to why
[2:15:29] they can't meet the 100% and we find that's reoccurring more often than not
[2:15:35] than we have to revisit the policy. Okay all right I'm just concerned we're
[2:15:41] going to be back here again in a year but it sounds like maybe between a first
[2:15:45] read and a second read you might be able to give us a little bit more info.
[2:15:52] I
[2:15:53] just I think you'd save yourself some headaches making it 90% or some number
[2:15:59] less than 100 to acknowledge that like some of this stuff is going to happen. I still don't know why
[2:16:04] we're not emphasizing more of the, you can't cut an Austin kid for a non-Austin kid, which I think
[2:16:12] there is language and a policy that talks about the facilities being the primary or it's for the
[2:16:19] primary use of a district residence. And then it goes into what that means as far as I
[2:16:36] have some comments.
[2:16:38] I'm in favor of 100%, and so I'll get to, it's going to be a little time to get there
[2:16:45] why.
[2:16:47] You can't separate the conversation of recreation department and school district
[2:16:52] in this, because in most communities the school district isn't running the after-school programs
[2:16:57] or those programs, the recreation departments are. So my concern is, I think, a lot of things,
[2:17:05] but I mean, we have lack of field availability.
[2:17:07] We don't really have intramural programs
[2:17:09] that we run, we've run intramurals during breaks
[2:17:12] and that's when the school is doing it.
[2:17:13] And there's really not a lot of intramural programs
[2:17:16] being run by the rep community.
[2:17:19] And so if you go to the websites of surrounding communities,
[2:17:24] and I've been out there to take a look,
[2:17:26] you can't register in towns that are in this district.
[2:17:28] There are fields in our school district
[2:17:30] that aren't for use by school district residents
[2:17:33] and these other departments state very clearly through their programs who can access and who can't.
[2:17:40] So, if Rirecliffe and Chapaclaw and Croton and other districts were more accepting of students,
[2:17:46] maybe I'd have a different set point on it, but everything I've seen is they're not.
[2:17:52] And so, that really creates for me, these are taxpayer-funded fields that should be used by
[2:17:59] taxpayers of the community, whether they own a property, rent a property, or whatever.
[2:18:06] And the fact that they can't go into some other communities and participate is a real
[2:18:11] makes it kind of easier in one sense and harder in another, disappointing, but easier for me to
[2:18:17] kind of look at it from that lens.
[2:18:20] And I'm not seeing in a lot of fronts an effort to engage
[2:18:26] community members across the board. It's not just not excluding. It's about actively going
[2:18:32] for students. It's putting things in backpacks. It's putting things in two languages, and I get
[2:18:36] not every community-based organization can do that. I think the school district should use those
[2:18:41] resources as part of an old bless to put it out there. I think Dr. Sanchez, you opened the meeting,
[2:18:45] saying there was a lacrosse clinic, and somebody that didn't know anything about lacrosse got engaged
[2:18:49] by it. And so would we find another, when we find another catcher for the baseball team? We have 5,000
[2:18:53] students. I understand the travel component of this, but I think these fields really are
[2:19:00] about the communities at the end of the day. And I have to say, I don't know at times
[2:19:05] really what's going on in the in the wreck department. I really don't. And you know, I don't
[2:19:10] come to this easily. You know, I'm going to come to, I'm going to talk about things Francine
[2:19:14] Vernon and Catoza Worsley said 1984 and look at it in a current in a current context.
[2:19:19] So, you have a for-profit organization running a soccer program on village fields at Snowden
[2:19:27] Park out at Cedar Lane Park at the end of the day.
[2:19:31] And they are actively advertising as prior cliff area.
[2:19:36] And when you go and you look at the parking lot of cars, you see all the bumper stickers
[2:19:41] on them and it is every affluent community and you don't see a lot of hosting bumper stickers
[2:19:45] on that.
[2:19:46] And these organizations are getting the fields for seven days a week after school all day
[2:19:52] and on the weekends.
[2:19:53] I spent a lot of time at Snowden Park.
[2:19:55] I have seen kids kicked off the field who walk across the street to their homes while
[2:20:00] these other kids are coming in and getting use of the fields.
[2:20:04] And we can't go to Chapa Quad and say, we want to use your field for the right department
[2:20:08] at the end of the day because they're not allowed in, but yet we're renting our fields at
[2:20:13] a cost that's exorbitant that excludes the kids of the community and we don't make the
[2:20:16] fields available.
[2:20:21] I get maybe not everybody is aware of that and maybe that isn't the
[2:20:25] intention when people took things on, but that's the reality. Go out and look at these groups
[2:20:29] and what they're advertising. They're advertising anything but asking, but yet they're using
[2:20:32] asking fields. This is feels like the charter school they tried to open in asking but didn't
[2:20:37] get any letters from anybody in asking. You know, Francine Vernon-Kedosa were the 1984
[2:20:42] Journal News. You know, they talked about how the area was full of youth. Their apartments
[2:20:48] are small. They want to come out and socialize. And what is there for them to do? They closed
[2:20:53] the teen center, they tore it down, and they never replaced it.
[2:20:59] And basically, Kenosa Worthy says,
[2:21:00] we were expecting a replacement for this recreation resource, and there's not been one.
[2:21:05] There never will be. Are we going to make sure that kids have opportunities in Austin?
[2:21:13] When other communities are actively excluding them, our waterfront is rendered unusable by
[2:21:20] a sewage treatment plant that the county owns and put there, but it was put there for
[2:21:24] a reason.
[2:21:25] But our kids can't go swimming, Croughton, but yet they use our sewer district.
[2:21:31] This is an issue of equity.
[2:21:33] This is the issue of access, and if you drive by any of our fields on a given day of the week,
[2:21:38] you will see them very busy by kids that don't have a lot of the fields.
[2:21:40] with the kids that live around Snowden have no other place to go—small lots, no big
[2:21:45] backyards. I am okay with a superintendent making a decision about something that they
[2:21:52] deem and their interest is that somebody has made a good faith effort in their trying
[2:21:56] to make sure that all the kids are concluded, but I do not see enough of it, and there should
[2:22:02] be more of it. I think the 100 percent sends a strong message, and maybe it is a starting
[2:22:07] point with some of the other community rec centers that don't include our kids.
[2:22:13] So thank you for letting me go on about it, but I'm very clearly in the 100% camp and
[2:22:17] things that need to change.
[2:22:22] Thank you, Trustee Schekker.
[2:22:25] Do you have any other thoughts on this particular one?
[2:22:29] I guess, I mean, I could just talk to my own personal experience with just this birecliffe,
[2:22:34] But I've had my own kids and many other kids use briarcliffe for basketball, girls and
[2:22:41] boys, for lacrosse, for baseball, I think they're team very open to school.
[2:22:49] I don't know about the, I don't know how you mix town versus school.
[2:22:55] I think, I know it was Dan Ricky, I don't know who does it now, like we control, just because
[2:23:02] As we approve someone doesn't mean we have to give them field space anytime we want.
[2:23:07] We control who gets what field when we have the spreadsheet that's online and we say
[2:23:13] here's what's available and you can have it.
[2:23:19] We still have the policy aside, we have the ability to decide how much we want to leave open
[2:23:26] for community use, for field use. I know we don't rent our fields. So we seem to control
[2:23:37] that and I
[2:23:43] guess I'm just going to go back to the you know the youth sports
[2:23:51] attack. I mean I do think it's equity because it's easy for kids who have money to go play
[2:23:59] elsewhere. If they can't play an Austin, you find a club team and go play somewhere else.
[2:24:04] And that leaves behind not enough kids to feel the team. And I think this kind of policy with 100%
[2:24:13] requirement, if there aren't a lot of exceptions, it's going to result in a lot of kids saying,
[2:24:19] okay, we can't feel an Austin team. I have a couple thousand to go play on a club team,
[2:24:26] And I'll do it. I've lived it. My kids have done it. I struggled as a coach. I mean, we tried. So I for years, I could tell you every fifth grade boy, because we literally got the list of every fifth grade kid, because we were trying to fill that basketball league and not every kid wants to basketball, but we reached out because we, you know, we wanted to basketball program.
[2:24:54] did the same thing for baseball, and I think that's the majority of what's out there.
[2:24:59] And I have seen, I've heard of some bad apples, but I think the vast majority are looking
[2:25:06] to try and support Austin, like people aren't volunteering tens of hours, hundreds of hours
[2:25:12] to coach, train non-Austin kids.
[2:25:17] They want Austin kids playing in Austin, and that's why these programs exist.
[2:25:20] And the only reason they're getting into non-osminis is to keep the osmin kids going.
[2:25:29] And I think, again, you're either going to be left sticking to 100% rule, and you're
[2:25:35] going to have no one using your fields, or you're going to make a lot of exceptions.
[2:25:43] And that's going to be the decision.
[2:25:53] Any further discussion?
[2:25:59] All right.
[2:25:59] All right. I think it's probably time to put the first reading to a vote. Is that okay with everyone?
[2:26:08] All in favor. And can we raise hands please? So it's easier for Ili to count. Is that okay? All in favor?
[2:26:16] Aye.
[2:26:19] Opposed?
[2:26:21] Abcension.
[2:26:23] All right. We'll come back to this for a second reading once the statutory timeframe is passed.
[2:26:29] And we now have our next section of public comment guidelines.
[2:26:35] I'm going to open it up for any education-related topic
[2:26:39] as long as it is not student or staff specific.
[2:26:42] Is there anyone in the audience who would like to make a comment?
[2:26:48] All right, there being no one rushing to the microphone.
[2:26:51] Is there anyone virtually, Ellie, who would like to make a comment?
[2:26:56] Okay, there being no one in virtual land will now continue on to board discussion and information
[2:27:04] and dialogue. I'll get us started. I think Dr. Sanchez, you mentioned it. There were meetings with
[2:27:12] the financial advisors surrounding the potential facilities bond that several of I think all the
[2:27:20] board members who weren't in the facilities committee attended, so I just wanted to thank you
[2:27:24] for that opportunity was very informative.
[2:27:27] I did want to highlight for our community,
[2:27:29] anybody who might be watching,
[2:27:31] there is a new academic in service morning program
[2:27:34] for dual language students
[2:27:35] that's being started at Park School.
[2:27:38] So I know that that's something
[2:27:39] that we've heard about at some of our board meetings.
[2:27:43] And then I wanted to mention something
[2:27:46] that has also been brought up by the community.
[2:27:48] And we've briefly discussed it here at the board table,
[2:27:52] But tax relief for some of our volunteer firefighters, it's not something that can be incorporated
[2:28:00] into this budget season, but my proposal is that we have our assistance superintendent of
[2:28:07] business start gathering some information and maybe getting some guidance from our attorneys
[2:28:12] so that we can look at that issue this summer. I'm just wondering if we can have a consensus
[2:28:18] around that. Is that because we've missed the deadline or just because I don't know how we
[2:28:23] could possibly come to a decision and evaluate the issue and be able to approve our budget by the
[2:28:31] 18th? I don't think it's budget-related. I agree. I don't think we can do it by their deadline,
[2:28:40] but I don't with the hearing. It's not, it's not. I don't decision need to make by the 18th,
[2:28:45] but to your point with the budget.
[2:28:48] Right, and we've been through this with different examples.
[2:28:51] I don't think, I appreciate the ask and all that stuff.
[2:28:56] I don't think it's realistic to turn it around
[2:28:59] between now and whatever it is made first.
[2:29:01] And we, yeah, so.
[2:29:03] Right, I guess I'm trying to get a consensus from the board
[2:29:05] when would be a good time for us to start taking a look at it
[2:29:09] because I think we don't want to start anything without information
[2:29:12] and I want to give our admins some guidance as to when to start gathering that.
[2:29:17] And I also don't want to overburden them as they're trying to do all this finalization of the
[2:29:22] budget. Can I just ask is it I think this was a it was a law that was passed an Albany that allowed
[2:29:29] for this correct. Yeah that was passed in late December. Right so if anything that we decide to do
[2:29:36] and if it's over the summertime wouldn't theoretically take effect until the following fiscal year not
[2:29:42] the coming fiscal year but the following fiscal year.
[2:29:45] I think that's correct.
[2:29:46] Okay.
[2:29:47] I just want to explain.
[2:29:47] I just want to explain.
[2:29:47] I just want to explain.
[2:29:48] I just want to explain.
[2:29:48] I just want to explain.
[2:29:48] I just want to explain.
[2:29:49] We missed this May.
[2:29:51] It wouldn't take effect until next May.
[2:29:52] Correct.
[2:29:53] It would be a dilemma of, okay, we don't need to do it right away, and then you're sitting here
[2:29:57] next April, having the.
[2:30:00] So, yeah, I don't want us to lose track, I guess, is what I'm saying. I think given the timing of this, it makes sense to for us to have the conversation of this post the budget. And I mean, because if we're we don't have any wiggle room with the deadline. Talking about this post all of that so this we can put that on our radar. So are we okay with after this budget season and all of the work related to that is passed. And we're winding down the school year.
[2:30:29] We can ask our admin to get us more information so that we can maybe start this dialogue in the summer at some point.
[2:30:36] Is this the firements itself?
[2:30:37] Yeah.
[2:30:39] That sounds good.
[2:30:40] Okay.
[2:30:40] I think we should, I think from a timing standpoint, you want to start looking at this soon.
[2:30:45] Because I think there's going to be lots of questions.
[2:30:46] Like I know we received one, you know, the fire department sent in the thing.
[2:30:51] I think the question is, is would that also be members and other that volunteer that live in town, but might live in, you know, have a volunteer and another one?
[2:30:57] And so what does that number look like across the board is one thing, and I do think while we should gather information over the summer, a decision like this, you would want to do probably in the fall if you're going to take it on because you want to give people advanced notice ahead of the next year's tax rolls and any deadlines that you have.
[2:31:16] But you also don't want to do it in the summer when people are not necessarily present because these things, you know, you'll have lots of viewpoints on them.
[2:31:24] and we need to make sure that that is allowed, but I do think I'd like to get the whole fiscal
[2:31:30] impact of, you know, if there's a certain number of members that serve in this department,
[2:31:35] and how many other serving other departments that live within the town, and would they be eligible
[2:31:40] for the exemption as well? And what does that all look like all the end of the day?
[2:31:45] So that's a great question, because I guess that's a question in terms of the technicality of that.
[2:31:52] do you have to be living in the district, volunteering as a firefighter or a first responder in the
[2:31:59] district? I don't know what the answer is. I'm going to have a lot of questions, but I can wait until
[2:32:04] August to ask them. A lot of questions. Yeah, I mean, I'm just going based on like the the time
[2:32:10] water and the veterans. I know those both took a long time, so we should plan a long time. Okay.
[2:32:19] So, in the meantime, what I'm hearing is that we're going to gather as much information
[2:32:23] as we can for the board, both who's eligible, who's not, and then the fiscal impact in
[2:32:28] terms of what it would mean for others.
[2:32:30] We know what it would mean for the individuals, but certainly someone's going to have to, you
[2:32:34] know, the way it works, if someone else has to pick up what's lost, so we can start that
[2:32:41] conversation and try to get that for the board, and then thereafter you can decide on when
[2:32:46] goes on the agenda. I actually agree with Mr. Schnecker. I don't think you really want to do this
[2:32:50] in the summer. If you do, you have very soft conversations, but then you really want to come up
[2:32:54] publicly where most of our community is back and not to say they're not paying as close attention
[2:33:00] in the summer, but more likely to be engaged in that September, October, November time.
[2:33:06] Yeah,
[2:33:09] it seems to be like to be fair to the board that there needs to be a presentation.
[2:33:14] And I've had a fire person approach me and talk about it.
[2:33:19] And we talk for 45 minutes.
[2:33:21] And the more you learn, the more questions you have.
[2:33:23] And there's a lot of details of, you know,
[2:33:25] you don't get it, if you're a renter,
[2:33:27] you get it at your own or we have a lot of renters
[2:33:29] or firefighters, they don't get it.
[2:33:31] So the more you talk, so I don't have that presentation.
[2:33:35] I mean, I think you guys can get some information,
[2:33:36] but I think, you know, maybe the firefighters
[2:33:40] providers can put together a presentation either to give the board a document or a presentation
[2:33:49] or I don't know if it's a three person goes and meets with a subgroup, I don't know.
[2:33:54] Some version of, I think the board needs more information where you know what questions
[2:33:58] to ask.
[2:33:59] Yeah, I mean, I think we probably need counsel on this one, right?
[2:34:02] Because I think like, so, you know, part of what we know is the, you know, one, you know,
[2:34:08] the Austin Fire Department, but if it's the Millwood Fire Department and the Yorktown Fire Department,
[2:34:12] the tax rates are different. So what's the fiscal impact? Is everybody eligible if you just
[2:34:18] live in a community and you volunteer in New York City or wherever it is? What is the bounds around
[2:34:23] it? I don't know what the law can you volunteer in Watertown, New York and live in Austin? It doesn't
[2:34:27] seem practical but what are the bounds around that? Then you can look at numbers and tax rates and
[2:34:35] what this means to cross the board for the other residents that, you know, it's a shift,
[2:34:39] right? The budget doesn't change, but there's a cost shift in this like any reassessment
[2:34:43] or anything at the end of the day. So I would say we should really work hard in the summer time
[2:34:48] to come into September with a good understanding of things and to not let this dwindle on.
[2:34:55] I would try to wrap it up earlier in the fall versus later, but that's just my two cents.
[2:35:00] I agree council is needs to give us parameters on what we can do under the law and we can sort
[2:35:08] of go from there, but that's probably the first step.
[2:35:12] All right, so we'll start gathering information and we'll seek some advice from council.
[2:35:19] If there's any form of presentations or others that's out there, it's probably pretty standard
[2:35:25] at this point in terms of what that might look like, and we'll share that with the board
[2:35:28] and figure out a time, you know, maybe in the summer to solve some conversation, but then
[2:35:34] it's hard in the beginning of the school year, meaning September or not.
[2:35:41] The one thing I just, you know, I think for the board and for, I think we're probably going to have
[2:35:47] to do some personal or determine some outreach to the firefighters to at least explain our timeline.
[2:35:53] Probably better to do it more personally than an email or a store. It's just to explain that
[2:35:58] But there's a lot of nuances, a lot of questions, and the timeline just doesn't, doesn't work
[2:36:02] because, you know, the board wants to make an informed decision versus a reactive decision.
[2:36:09] So I mean, I'm happy to reach out or, you know, Katherine would probably be the best individual
[2:36:15] there after, at least just a word of combination thereof we can determine, to just have, you
[2:36:21] know, I just think the personal part of this is important.
[2:36:24] That's all.
[2:36:26] So we'll advise you.
[2:36:27] We'll let you know.
[2:36:30] Okay. And then I know that you wanted to give the Board of Recommendation and wanted
[2:36:36] us to find a place to land regarding residency ver.
[2:36:39] Yeah, so there was a discussion. We had talked to the link about our policy. We instituted
[2:36:47] the residency verification for fifth grade. We shared the data, you know, i.e. in essence
[2:36:53] yielding nothing to this point based on exemptions.
[2:36:58] We went back.
[2:36:59] There were some questions around the numbers.
[2:37:01] I think we can verify that.
[2:37:03] Our recommendation right now, we heard from the community
[2:37:05] and board is sustained the process one more year,
[2:37:10] meaning the next year was fifth grade with ninth grade.
[2:37:15] And then revisit it at the end of next year to determine that.
[2:37:20] Do I have my hypothesis of what
[2:37:22] But as a result, I do, but with that said, we'll go through it, and then we can determine
[2:37:28] if it all did yielded anything.
[2:37:32] And then be very clear about what this means for us moving forward.
[2:37:37] What the board was provided, and I'm going to thank Mr. Mauricio for an analysis of some
[2:37:43] of the work we gave you a little bit more detailed.
[2:37:48] And if you can see the results of some of the information we've provided you, there's really
[2:37:52] you know, like clear anomaly as it relates to fifth grade versus other grades.
[2:37:56] So it's pretty consistent and the question came up and I think is like, you know, do we
[2:38:01] know why there's a variety of wise to it, you know, student-by-student.
[2:38:06] Ms. Mauricio has figured out the why behind each of them, inclusive of students that, you
[2:38:12] know, move to other countries, students that move to other districts, move students that,
[2:38:16] that actually in some cases, your lower grades
[2:38:21] have my include students at D&WL,
[2:38:23] meaning those kids that are no longer with us
[2:38:28] or didn't complete their high school or dropouts.
[2:38:30] That's not a large representation of that,
[2:38:33] but that's inclusive in those numbers as well.
[2:38:36] So that's our recommendation.
[2:38:38] We went back, we thought about it,
[2:38:41] and I know there was a long comment,
[2:38:43] and I appreciate the conversation with the board,
[2:38:45] but that's where we set up this point.
[2:38:48] So yeah, I just want to, you know, I know the consensus.
[2:38:54] I know we really want to do one more year, but you know,
[2:38:58] it's really, you know, and I hear what Ms. Mauricio said
[2:39:02] about the resources and what it took to do that
[2:39:05] and what it's going to take to on top of registering students
[2:39:10] in the first place that come that are in our district,
[2:39:13] starting in our district, come to our district,
[2:39:16] and the work that's required there and, you know, doing fifth grade and ninth grade, you know, it's just interesting. I just want to make sure we all like are clear that the process that we already have has been working.
[2:39:31] And I think, okay, I don't know if everybody agrees with that because obviously we went with the residency, additional residency layer, re-verification.
[2:39:43] But if you think about it, so a family of two kids that comes to our district that registers their child,
[2:39:50] let's say, both kindergarten, they're a year apart or two years apart, they're essentially registering their kid
[2:39:58] not only twice, two children, two family children, they're registering or re-barifying their kid six times based on our process.
[2:40:10] us, and if they're like three years apart. So you're taking a family of two, and you're
[2:40:16] asking them to verify six times. So I just think that's, I mean, again, I think the
[2:40:24] extra layers, we yielded anything this year, and I heard the community and saying that
[2:40:31] it was never scientific to start this way anyway, so, but I appreciate those comments. But
[2:40:39] I guess the bottom line what I'm saying is that we have a process, it's a strong process
[2:40:45] and I'm really concerned about the extra resources and time that we're putting on, not only
[2:40:51] putting on our staff and asking of our families.
[2:40:57] So I just want this to be on record, I know the consensus here and the board, but I just
[2:41:02] really want us to consider when you look at it next year, again, I have a feeling we
[2:41:09] talk about if it didn't yield this year and if it doesn't yield anything next year,
[2:41:14] everybody can say let's keep doing it again. I just want you to consider the families and the
[2:41:17] resources that it's taking to get this done and to know that these are extra layers of an already
[2:41:23] process that's been working. I just want that on record. Thank you. Thank you, Trustee Bradley.
[2:41:30] Appreciate the comments. Does anyone have anything else? Yeah, a few things.
[2:41:39] Just to kind of pick up from that conversation around the residency, I think makes I guess I can see
[2:41:48] your
[2:41:49] Sentiments around just you know doing the extra here. I'm looking at the whole picture in terms of residency
[2:41:56] The budget discussion all those things were having tonight. I
[2:41:59] Would have voiced my opinion that I'm just troubled by the pattern that I see where we're okay
[2:42:05] Taking money from or we're okay putting money to and what that means and
[2:42:09] district such as Austin, we're okay committing money to residency, we're okay tonight transferring
[2:42:16] 60 over $60,000 to SRLs, we're okay saying the field should be open and we're also some of us
[2:42:27] are okay with five positions being cut as a result of us meeting those other needs so I'm troubled by
[2:42:33] that pattern of where we are okay taking money from and where we're okay putting money into.
[2:42:40] And I would hope that
[2:42:43] through this exploration of where we go with residency,
[2:42:48] hopefully that will yield the results that satisfy everyone's kind of curiosities around
[2:42:54] where residency status lies. But it's quite troubling from the inside looking out or from the
[2:43:01] outside looking in. Just the numbers, right? It's just, it's troubling to see that pattern
[2:43:07] that I see developing.
[2:43:11] Separately. We already talked about, you touched on the facilities,
[2:43:16] committee that met. We already talked about the policy committee meeting. I did sit with
[2:43:24] the consultant from Super Eval, the other day I was at yesterday, the weakest melting
[2:43:29] together as to that. Yeah, you know, we've kind of been using it. We were all pretty familiar with it.
[2:43:37] I just wanted to sit and just, you know, I'm a, you know, eager person to learn. I just wanted to make
[2:43:42] sure that there's nothing I didn't miss or any kind of intricate details. One thing he did touch on,
[2:43:48] which we did discuss as a board was the ability to utilize it for board evaluations and how, you know,
[2:43:54] even if we wanted to kind of use it for this year and it closing out this year, we could get a
[2:44:00] pro-rated rate for that being that the year is almost over. So I would employ the board to kind
[2:44:08] of revisit our use of a kind of structured board evaluation tool and one that probably could be
[2:44:16] utilized in a more intricate fashion than we've kind of done board evaluations in the past, which is
[2:44:22] like one little paper at the treat kind of fill it out
[2:44:26] and never really give it much thought again.
[2:44:29] So I think hopefully we can explore expanding our use
[2:44:32] of Super Eval to meet all the needs that we have
[2:44:36] as a board and also I did forget last meeting
[2:44:40] to point out that I did attend the Westchester
[2:44:43] puttin school board associations at law 2020,
[2:44:46] three webinars which was in two sections.
[2:44:48] So it was always good to kind of go to those
[2:44:52] I feel to kind of just learn and pick up on the changing landscape around Ed Law and just even picking up on some things that
[2:45:00] You might have kind of overlooked in the past. Very good discussion. I got to ask some questions as well. Around certain policies and the implementation of that and whose duty it is to kind of follow through with that at a board level. One last thing I will say, because I think this all kind of intertwines between what I learned in Ed law, what I've learned with what we're able to do with super you Val. And then also in terms of money.
[2:45:29] and tightening our purse drains and being intentional about how we spend our money as
[2:45:35] board and as a district. I know we did approve publicly the use of $9,750 for a consultant
[2:45:45] which back in January, which I think we have yet to utilize. And so I'm just posing a question
[2:45:50] because I know we can't get into detail about that but have we consulted with whoever we
[2:45:56] need to kind of move forward. I know we hit some problems logistically with utilizing
[2:45:59] this person's services. And so, in the sense of fiduciary for responsibility, I like to
[2:46:07] know if there's any kind of traction on that. So I have a phone call tomorrow morning to
[2:46:15] to basically find to discuss the next steps and then I'll send it update out to the board on that.
[2:46:20] There is a training component that's been in process. And that there's a training session on
[2:46:25] Friday for those that we're doing it. Thank you.
[2:46:30] Welcome.
[2:46:33] Thank you. Just to be honest, I do. We had all sort of agreed that our board
[2:46:40] Eval was going to be something we're going to take up after the budget season, right?
[2:46:47] Remind me, were there two, there was like a NISBA rubric, right? And then something else
[2:46:52] and we were deciding between the two.
[2:46:54] So, I don't know how the SuperEval works with that.
[2:47:00] Does it...
[2:47:02] They'll put any platform that you want in there.
[2:47:05] So, you can choose some superintendents of that.
[2:47:08] So, whatever that rubric is,
[2:47:10] they have them pre-populated.
[2:47:11] The default one is...
[2:47:13] Yeah, that's all right.
[2:47:14] Okay, great.
[2:47:16] Okay, we can take that.
[2:47:17] But I mean, if the board is good with utilizing that tool, we can go ahead with that.
[2:47:24] Yes?
[2:47:25] Census?
[2:47:26] Okay.
[2:47:27] Thank you for that information.
[2:47:31] Anyone else?
[2:47:35] Just a question does not have to be answered out.
[2:47:40] I know we had the bond, our small group discussion.
[2:47:46] I'm just curious if we have a timeline on when
[2:47:49] And we as a group of seven will next talk about the bond.
[2:47:56] I know that's after budget, but if we have that on an agenda yet, or if that's still to be determined based on budget, I have to review the calendar.
[2:48:08] I actually have with Catherine just to make sure that it's on par, but there's some windows there.
[2:48:16] I'd like to bring it back up.
[2:48:21] Okay. Um, anything else?
[2:48:27] Um, exactly. No, exact. No. All right. Um, there's no exact
[2:48:31] this evening. So I will take a motion to adjourn. Can I ask a question about that? Because
[2:48:35] I know you usually ask Dr. Sanchez, but isn't technically that should be open to the board
[2:48:40] as well to ask if we feel there's a need for one? I do not know. Okay. I think anybody could
[2:48:48] make a motion to go and exactly if it's right. I know, but it's happened so ratified all
[2:48:53] the time. So I wasn't sure. Yeah. Usually the way I, I almost never have anything planned
[2:49:01] to discuss an exact so I defer to Dr. Sanchez. Yeah. So we placed it in there and now I'll
[2:49:07] take responsibility for it. And we think we can probably push off the topic to the next
[2:49:13] board meeting. Got it. I hope we'd end a little bit sooner so we can have more time to
[2:49:18] the Iowa. All right, so our next board meeting is the 18th and we will be voting on the
[2:49:26] budget at that meeting and I'll take a motion to adjourn the special meeting of April 12th, 2023.
[2:49:34] So moved. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? I opposed abstentions. All right, thanks everyone.
[2:49:43] Before the board goes up, a lot of the conversation, and this doesn't have to be a board meeting kind of thing, but Nancy, the other cruise is presenting on the 18th.
[2:49:52] There was a lot of E&L questions, so if there's things you want to hear or see, there's some presumptions around that, so let us know.
[2:50:01] so we can be trying to respond to some of the things that you're thinking about.
[2:50:07] If there's anything that you know you want to make sure are included so that we don't leave
[2:50:11] their voice. Is she going to give any kind of pre-read by chance or no?
[2:50:15] But is she going to provide any pre-read?
[2:50:18] It has the power points we're heading in set. So okay, we chance that she can send it out.