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It's always a pleasure to welcome people to our group, and

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work together for the betterment of the kids of our state.

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So thank you for being here.

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So everybody, have they had a chance to look at the agenda?

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Any corrections, additions to make?

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Hearing none, I move for a passage of the-

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Call to order

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... Call to the ord-

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Call the meeting to order first, and then

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Oh, I thought I already had. I'm sorry. I apologize.

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I call the meeting to order. How about that?

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There you go.

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Is there a time that we need to have?

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Like 8:59, so we're right on schedule.

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Move to approve the agenda.

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Okay. We have a-

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Second

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... motion and a second to approve the agenda.

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All those in favor say aye.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Okay.

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Move to approve the minutes.

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Move to approve the minutes by Michael Matusow.

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Second.

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Second by Gretchen Shull.

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All those in favor?

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Okay.

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We're down to agenda item four,

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and that has been approved. Any...

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No additions to

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the agenda. The minutes of the June 23rd meeting,

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have you had an opportunity to review those?

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Yeah, we just approved them.

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I'm sorry. I'm having a confusing time here just a little bit.

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So I'm going to turn it over to commissioners for reports.

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Sure. Thank you.

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I just have a few things to note this morning.

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First is Luke Reid is joining us for the first time.

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Luke is our chief of governmental relations. Can you stand in...

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So you'll be hearing from him a little bit later on.

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And this is not Lisa Serino's first meeting, but it is her first meeting as the

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deputy commissioner for the Division of Learning Services.

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And then I would just like to say thank you to Brooks, Kerry, and Robbie for

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joining us for part of the administrators' conference, the cooperative conference

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on school administrators. It was a great conference and I

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know that people I've heard from, so many people who really appreciated seeing you

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there. So thank you for doing that, and for showing them your support.

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Yesterday we had new board member orientation with

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Robbie, Jordan, Vince, Mike, and Brooks joined us, and we talked

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in detail about literacy, the Department's literacy initiatives, and then the

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budget process. So they are primed and ready to go for the budget

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discussion today.

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And then finally, next week is back to school week for I think almost

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all of our schools are starting on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

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And so I have started already

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making a schedule of some places to visit in the fall, and other people have been

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reaching out to us about coming to

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visit or to meet with them. So, really looking forward to that, to getting

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out in the schools once the kids are there and settled in.

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And then lastly, on Thursday, some of us will be heading

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to the state fair to attend the governor's ham breakfast.

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So I will be there along with Kyle and Luke.

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Yes. So that is

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pretty much all I have. Thank you.

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Okay. Thank you for your report.

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Moving right along here,

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president's report,

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committee report from Mr. Matusow.

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Thank you.

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Just a quick update on the strategic planning committee.

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We've met a couple of times,

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just to kind of... And others on the committee, please chime in if

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you want at any point. But

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met a couple of times to kind of figure out

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what the process looks like for

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coming up with a strategic plan.

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I think we've identified Bellwether as a consultant that's going to help

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us with this. I think the

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difference, this will be board driven, a very board-driven

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process.

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Our plan is to include other board members in the meetings

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as we go. We'll have to figure out how to

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do that to avoid a quorum.

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Each board member will have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with our consultants

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to give them whatever your perspective is on what a strategic plan should

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look like and what it should include.

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And I think all of the work

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that had been done before this is going to be used, and we'll

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use it as much as we can. So we have

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stakeholder input from over 100 people I think.

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And so we'll go through all that. And timing-wise, our plan

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is to have something that we can bring to the board for a vote

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into the calendar year early next year.

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So

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probably four, five, six months from now, that's the timing.

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So,

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with that, I'll pause and see if any of the other committee members want to add

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anything, or if anyone has questions.

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No additions. Well said, Mike.

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Thank you.

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Yeah.

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Vincent, did you have a question?

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No.

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Okay. Thank you for that report.

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Thank you.

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Legislative committee, Robbie, if you-

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Yeah. Obviously we're in the infancy of that.

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Got appointed that at the retreat, and I thought maybe more than one board meeting

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before I help pick legislative priorities, but we will be

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getting some things done this fall to present as the legislative session

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begins.

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Good.

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Thank you-

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Commissioner Casey

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... Mr. President. As part of the legislative committee, I am not

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a member of the legislative committee, excuse me, but as part of the work of the

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legislative committee, I got to thinking about all of the statutes.

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John does an excellent job of reminding us when we're in a discussion what the

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actual statute is, and we have access to that online.

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But when I was a new board member and came to my orientation, I said, "So

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what laws do I need to know about?"

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And I was given this book. And this is

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from 2020. It's a couple of inches thick.

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It probably has a few more updates to it since that time.

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But it

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reminded me just recently as I was looking through it, just how

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much

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regulation is really out there. And we went through a great exercise

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in reducing regulations in the early childhood program, and I

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wonder that perhaps the committee could somehow think about

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how do we start to look at all the legislation that's there for

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public schools in the state of Missouri, and in what way can we

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begin to refine it or reduce it,

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eliminate it

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where appropriate. Just do a good review and thorough review of it.

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So as the new committee chair, I'm going to leave this on your desk.

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Thank you. An excellent suggestion.

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Congratulations.

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Thank you.

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Okay.

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Moving along, we have John Otto.

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All right. Yeah, thank you.

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John Otto, chair of the governance committee. I'll give you a brief update.

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The governance committee met last week,

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and we discussed briefly the meeting agenda

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structure. So I don't know if you've noticed, the board members who are

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not as new,

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we added

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a timeframe allotment to

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each agenda to kind of help us gauge or manage how

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long

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each topic should be. And so,

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we're open to feedback, if there's any other suggestions

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on what we can do to make these meetings efficient and

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also

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substantive at the same time. And so, we want to make sure that

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we're

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making the best use of everybody's time.

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And so, we've talked about things like maybe moving the consent items

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to the end,

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things like that. And so if there's anything that you wake up in the middle of

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the night and think like, "I think we can do this," just shoot me an email and

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we'll talk about it at the governor's committee and then come make a recommendation

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to the board if we need to make any changes.

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We also

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discussed maybe with there's so much

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new

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topics that we need to cover in these meetings, we talked about potentially

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having

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more frequent meetings, meaning

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twice a month, and once virtually, one in person.

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But I think given the amount of work that

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staff needs to do to set these meetings up, I don't think

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that is necessarily the best course of action at this time.

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But

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currently, we're not scheduled to have a November meeting, and so maybe we

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could talk about having a board meeting in

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November to kind of spread these things out because

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obviously December with the holidays and things like that, it gets kind

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of difficult with travel and everything, and we don't want

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to have a 12-hour meeting or something like that.

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So I'll shoot an email out,

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unless there's dates right now in early November

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that you cannot do, but

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I'll shoot out some proposed dates, and we could possibly have a November

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meeting.

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Let's see.

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What else did we talk about? We talked about

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standing agenda items.

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There is currently a calendar in our

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bylaws that are online, I think it's Appendix A,

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that the staff is going to go through and make sure

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if we can take anything off or move anything, or

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if things need to be added. And so if you want to take a look at that, you

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can,

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and we can get that incorporated

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into this and then into our board meetings going forward.

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And kind of speaking of

202
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the

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00:10:20,620 --> 00:10:24,400
board meetings going forward, we will need to set the board

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meeting calendars for 2027. And so typically, at

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least since I've been here

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since last year, it's been the second Tuesday of each month,

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subject to deviations based on holidays or conflicts

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or things like that.

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For example, in October, we have the teachers' banquet.

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And this year, our board meeting does not align with that, and so we'll

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need to make sure that maybe next year we align.

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So,

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I think we're going to put together a tentative

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calendar. Like I said, it's just going to be starting with the second Tuesday of

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each month.

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And I'll send that out, and if there are any dates that

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are a conflict, like I personally have a conflict in the December meetings,

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and so,

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we can work that out kind of online or offline and then get

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00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:18,220
ready to

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have a board meeting scheduled that we can approve at

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either our September or October meeting.

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I think that's it.

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Now, one other thing that we did discuss, and we can talk about it here,

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is that

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I do have a conflict with this December's board meeting, and so I

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didn't know if

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00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,790
everybody was comfortable moving that meeting back.

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00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:48,960
It's currently scheduled for

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December 8th. So I didn't know if people were comfortable moving that

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back to December 15th.

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00:11:56,280 --> 00:11:58,940
Again, if not, that's fine. I'll just miss the meeting.

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00:11:58,980 --> 00:12:02,560
But that's just selfishly I was thinking, seeing if we could move that

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back a week.

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00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:06,560
I would support that.

236
00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:08,400
Okay. Anybody-

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Same.

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00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:09,040
Yeah.

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Same.

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00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:10,820
Okay. All right

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00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:14,880
Stacy, if you can make note of that, and we'll get

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00:12:14,940 --> 00:12:18,820
the schedule updated so that our December

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00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:20,480
board meeting is pushed back one week.

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And then obviously,

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we talked about the November meeting.

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I think there's the Tuesday, November 10th or

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Tuesday, November 17th.

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Unless somebody's opposed to a November meeting,

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I think that would go

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a long way. Like I said, we can kind of stretch out some of the items that are on

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the October and December agenda.

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But if either of those dates do not work, then let me

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know.

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And did you recommend what dates?

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November

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00:12:56,060 --> 00:12:57,700
10th or November 17th.

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I would not be available November 10th, but I am on November 17th.

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Anyone else?

259
00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:08,100
So it sounds like the 17th probably works

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for most.

261
00:13:09,860 --> 00:13:10,020
Yep.

262
00:13:10,460 --> 00:13:14,380
Okay. All right. Yeah, let's make a note then to add the November

263
00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:15,240
17th

264
00:13:17,379 --> 00:13:19,070
meeting to the board calendar.

265
00:13:20,700 --> 00:13:24,560
And I think that's it. The only other thing I had was that, now

266
00:13:24,580 --> 00:13:26,660
we have two new board members

267
00:13:27,460 --> 00:13:30,160
as of this meeting, and we have five committees.

268
00:13:30,820 --> 00:13:33,000
And so that's something... Oh, good.

269
00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:34,460
As you can see on the

270
00:13:35,340 --> 00:13:38,880
screen there, there's a committee membership

271
00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:40,780
matrix. And so,

272
00:13:41,620 --> 00:13:42,650
we need to add the

273
00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:47,100
two new board members to that. And so if there's any particular

274
00:13:48,500 --> 00:13:50,820
committee that either of you gentlemen would

275
00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:55,820
like to join or would not want to be on, then just let us know and we

276
00:13:55,860 --> 00:13:58,980
can get you added. Or if somebody wants

277
00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:00,510
to put you on,

278
00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:05,050
volunteer you onto a committee based on your background and your

279
00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,060
skillset, speak up now.

280
00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:09,700
Kerry?

281
00:14:10,300 --> 00:14:10,740
Thank you,

282
00:14:12,380 --> 00:14:12,860
Vice Chair.

283
00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:18,080
As Kerry Casey, I would like to recommend the inclusion

284
00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:22,290
of board member Vince Schamel to the student success-- or

285
00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:25,880
excuse me, to the finance committee, and board member

286
00:14:26,140 --> 00:14:28,780
Mike McDonald to the student success committee.

287
00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:31,700
Are you guys fine with that?

288
00:14:33,140 --> 00:14:33,300
Okay.

289
00:14:33,490 --> 00:14:33,580
Yeah.

290
00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:34,020
All right.

291
00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:37,400
All right, so we got two new

292
00:14:38,420 --> 00:14:39,860
board members added to the two committees.

293
00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:43,260
Now, speaking of the student success committee, that committee does not yet have

294
00:14:43,300 --> 00:14:46,520
its charter finalized, and so we're working on that, and we'll have that

295
00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,280
to present to this board for approval

296
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:50,610
at

297
00:14:52,020 --> 00:14:53,060
October's meeting, hopefully.

298
00:14:53,300 --> 00:14:55,520
Correct. At September's meeting.

299
00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,060
September, I'm sorry. I keep thinking it's October.

300
00:14:57,300 --> 00:15:00,980
And I'd also like to-- I know this was just an initial draft, so there's a few

301
00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:05,000
other edits to make to it, but in our previous retreat,

302
00:15:05,620 --> 00:15:09,300
we did make a change where Dr. Schull

303
00:15:09,500 --> 00:15:12,540
is no longer on legislative, but is now on student

304
00:15:12,620 --> 00:15:16,120
success with me. And

305
00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:18,300
Robby Myers, I think,

306
00:15:19,700 --> 00:15:23,600
we need to talk about the number and if Robby will stay on student

307
00:15:23,700 --> 00:15:24,260
success,

308
00:15:25,420 --> 00:15:29,170
or where appropriate. And I think that works, so Robby being on student

309
00:15:29,260 --> 00:15:33,040
success, along with Gretchen and myself, and then Mike,

310
00:15:33,260 --> 00:15:34,920
who's a non-voting board member.

311
00:15:36,020 --> 00:15:36,680
Mr. Chairman?

312
00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:38,680
We have a

313
00:15:39,660 --> 00:15:42,200
search committee underway, is that correct?

314
00:15:43,140 --> 00:15:46,950
I would like to offer myself as a member of that committee, if

315
00:15:46,980 --> 00:15:48,440
that's possible. I think I-

316
00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:52,120
That would be great. It's an ad hoc committee, so not listed here, and I'll just

317
00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:53,080
follow up with you on that.

318
00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:54,420
Okay. Very good. Thank you.

319
00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,940
Yep. All right, well, we'll get this updated, and sent out around

320
00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:04,100
to the board and to staff. And if we need to post this online, that's fine,

321
00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:07,250
too. But yeah, I think that concludes my

322
00:16:08,420 --> 00:16:09,260
governance committee report.

323
00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:11,780
Any questions? Mr. Otto?

324
00:16:13,140 --> 00:16:16,260
Hearing none, we'll move to our next item, which is the finance committee.

325
00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:19,120
Great. Thank you very much, President Brooks.

326
00:16:19,990 --> 00:16:23,540
So, a few things that I'd like to lay out, because we do have new board

327
00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:24,880
members here,

328
00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:29,939
though you did get a great introduction to the budget process and an overview of

329
00:16:29,980 --> 00:16:33,660
the finance process yesterday and the budget

330
00:16:33,700 --> 00:16:36,820
itself. Just a little bit of a backdrop.

331
00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:41,120
We formed this committee, as all of our others, many of our others,

332
00:16:41,220 --> 00:16:44,880
over just the recent months. Both John and I have been

333
00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,220
members of that committee, and now we'll have

334
00:16:48,260 --> 00:16:51,440
Vince as a member with us, and we've worked closely with Dr.

335
00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:52,700
Cruz.

336
00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:55,140
As a new committee,

337
00:16:56,220 --> 00:16:58,870
we first established, John and I discussed this,

338
00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:02,960
and along with Dr. Cruz, and we first established that our first

339
00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,381
objective was to just lay some groundwork, get

340
00:17:06,460 --> 00:17:10,161
our better understanding of the budget

341
00:17:10,220 --> 00:17:14,141
process, the budget timing, the components of

342
00:17:14,181 --> 00:17:17,780
the budget, and work to bring a

343
00:17:17,901 --> 00:17:21,860
better insight of the budget to the board as a whole.

344
00:17:22,740 --> 00:17:25,000
And I think we've generally accomplished that.

345
00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,900
That's never completed, of course, but we have, if you look back

346
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:32,440
over minutes of previous meetings or

347
00:17:32,660 --> 00:17:36,060
agendas of previous meetings, you will see the great work that Dr.

348
00:17:36,100 --> 00:17:40,000
Cruz and his team have done to better define the budget in

349
00:17:40,060 --> 00:17:43,380
terms of whether it's the programs that we're providing,

350
00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:47,380
the revenue streams, or the expense

351
00:17:48,260 --> 00:17:52,120
allocations to give us a better and deeper understanding of

352
00:17:53,540 --> 00:17:56,920
what the budget is made up of and

353
00:17:57,460 --> 00:18:00,870
beyond that, a deeper understanding of the actual budget process.

354
00:18:03,260 --> 00:18:07,080
What we have identified, very importantly, is that the

355
00:18:07,100 --> 00:18:10,500
budget process is very

356
00:18:10,580 --> 00:18:13,520
condensed for the creation of a new budget.

357
00:18:13,580 --> 00:18:16,960
Two months, basically, to maybe eight to 10 weeks.

358
00:18:17,948 --> 00:18:21,908
Before, from start of creating the budget to a board approval of

359
00:18:21,968 --> 00:18:24,488
a budget. And you're going to experience that right now.

360
00:18:24,508 --> 00:18:28,128
We're in that budget creation timeline for FY28.

361
00:18:28,848 --> 00:18:31,908
We're going to see some information today that we'll be asked to

362
00:18:31,968 --> 00:18:33,728
approve in September.

363
00:18:35,128 --> 00:18:38,328
Separately, you then have a very long

364
00:18:38,448 --> 00:18:39,128
timeline,

365
00:18:40,068 --> 00:18:43,628
which is required, and understandably so, from the

366
00:18:43,688 --> 00:18:47,248
approval of our budget in September all the way

367
00:18:47,348 --> 00:18:48,028
through the

368
00:18:49,848 --> 00:18:53,668
fiscal year up until June, when the governor actually signs

369
00:18:53,728 --> 00:18:57,308
it. And that whole time is used working with

370
00:18:57,348 --> 00:18:58,548
legislature to

371
00:19:00,388 --> 00:19:04,248
further define, further support, answer questions, clarify,

372
00:19:04,368 --> 00:19:08,148
make adjustments, et cetera, based on all the back and forth that occurs

373
00:19:08,228 --> 00:19:11,768
between the legislature, and probably sometimes even the governor's

374
00:19:11,888 --> 00:19:14,908
office, maybe with input, and the department.

375
00:19:16,428 --> 00:19:19,568
The time in creating the budget is far too short.

376
00:19:20,468 --> 00:19:24,278
That is the most important time of all, for us to have,

377
00:19:24,328 --> 00:19:28,048
one, good input, to have thought, to have justification, to

378
00:19:28,088 --> 00:19:32,028
understand what's working, what's not working, how can we better fund,

379
00:19:32,408 --> 00:19:36,008
not formula fund, but better fund education from the

380
00:19:36,048 --> 00:19:38,848
programs that we're

381
00:19:38,858 --> 00:19:42,748
supporting. So now that we've laid

382
00:19:42,788 --> 00:19:46,748
our groundwork, John and I have discussed as the committee, and now Vince, you

383
00:19:46,788 --> 00:19:50,438
will be a part of that, is that we're ready for that next phase,

384
00:19:50,768 --> 00:19:54,708
and how we will be taking the creation of the budget

385
00:19:54,768 --> 00:19:57,888
to a much broader window. Now, we can't do that for

386
00:19:57,968 --> 00:20:01,908
FY28 because it's due to be approved and submitted by

387
00:20:01,968 --> 00:20:04,548
a deadline required by legislature.

388
00:20:05,188 --> 00:20:08,968
But through this coming year, we will be delving very

389
00:20:09,108 --> 00:20:11,808
deeply into FY28 and looking at it,

390
00:20:13,188 --> 00:20:16,688
relative to what the outcomes are, relative to the

391
00:20:16,728 --> 00:20:18,208
programs that we're supporting,

392
00:20:19,208 --> 00:20:22,888
just better understanding it to bring that information to you as a

393
00:20:22,948 --> 00:20:26,908
board. We'll call in experts where appropriate on a particular topic

394
00:20:27,468 --> 00:20:30,748
if needed, to help us better think

395
00:20:30,888 --> 00:20:34,528
about ways in which to fund in that area,

396
00:20:34,948 --> 00:20:38,468
or ways in which to structure the budget to achieve the goals that we have.

397
00:20:38,548 --> 00:20:41,707
Of course, it's needing to be aligned to the strategic plan.

398
00:20:42,368 --> 00:20:46,138
So as that strategic plan further takes shape, et

399
00:20:46,208 --> 00:20:49,828
cetera, that will also begin to inform the budget.

400
00:20:50,528 --> 00:20:54,428
So I just wanted everybody to appreciate the work that's been done

401
00:20:54,708 --> 00:20:58,668
and the road that we have ahead of us in terms of the plans that the

402
00:20:58,708 --> 00:20:59,797
finance committee has.

403
00:21:01,458 --> 00:21:05,297
So today, what you're going to hear a little bit about, or a lot about,

404
00:21:05,468 --> 00:21:09,428
is FY28. But let remind you that

405
00:21:09,508 --> 00:21:13,348
the FY27 budget was just approved

406
00:21:13,388 --> 00:21:17,138
by the governor at the end of June, and there is still work being

407
00:21:17,168 --> 00:21:20,988
done. Where any work is being done, any asks of the department being

408
00:21:21,028 --> 00:21:24,428
made for any clarifications, the committee does work alongside Dr.

409
00:21:24,648 --> 00:21:28,348
Cruz and his team to ensure that we're

410
00:21:28,828 --> 00:21:32,628
providing that feedback. But FY28 is what we've been

411
00:21:32,668 --> 00:21:36,228
really focused on, and what you're going to see today is

412
00:21:37,728 --> 00:21:41,577
the presentation of new decision items and supplemental requests.

413
00:21:42,308 --> 00:21:45,838
As you learned yesterday in your orientation, and as the rest of the board knows,

414
00:21:46,388 --> 00:21:50,288
the current budget process, creation process, is you start with your baseline,

415
00:21:50,468 --> 00:21:53,248
which is your previous year, and you make changes.

416
00:21:53,288 --> 00:21:57,268
You build upon it. And that's what you're seeing today. What are those changes?

417
00:21:57,328 --> 00:22:00,428
What are the new adds that we're asking for today?

418
00:22:02,008 --> 00:22:05,188
Within that, you will see that there is a significant

419
00:22:05,648 --> 00:22:06,288
increase

420
00:22:07,148 --> 00:22:10,808
being requested to the tune of $400 million for the funding,

421
00:22:11,568 --> 00:22:15,408
based on the funding formula. That formula is cast in statute.

422
00:22:15,678 --> 00:22:17,648
It's not newly created by the department.

423
00:22:18,688 --> 00:22:21,448
It is not changed at all by the department.

424
00:22:21,488 --> 00:22:25,208
In fact, you'll hear later about a task force that is addressing the

425
00:22:25,278 --> 00:22:26,008
funding formula.

426
00:22:26,908 --> 00:22:30,668
But that $400 million is to fully fund the formula.

427
00:22:30,708 --> 00:22:33,188
Kyle will give us far more details.

428
00:22:33,208 --> 00:22:36,418
But it's important to appreciate that it has always been the

429
00:22:36,448 --> 00:22:40,228
responsibility of the board, demonstrated through our past legislative

430
00:22:40,288 --> 00:22:43,868
priorities, that we ask the legislature to fully fund the

431
00:22:43,908 --> 00:22:47,768
formula. That is what has been defined as needed for

432
00:22:47,828 --> 00:22:49,028
education in Missouri.

433
00:22:49,848 --> 00:22:53,508
Now, we also understand that revenue in the state is not

434
00:22:55,068 --> 00:22:58,968
sufficient at this time to cover the fully funding of the formula.

435
00:22:59,028 --> 00:23:02,648
In fact, the formula has not been funded fully over the last

436
00:23:03,068 --> 00:23:04,508
few years, if not longer.

437
00:23:05,448 --> 00:23:09,328
So part of that $400 million, as Kyle will explain, is associated with the

438
00:23:09,388 --> 00:23:11,228
gap that has already been existing.

439
00:23:11,968 --> 00:23:15,748
And then new items that have been either added by legislature

440
00:23:16,928 --> 00:23:20,568
in this recent year or recent years, which require

441
00:23:20,648 --> 00:23:24,428
additional funding, whether it be for virtual schools, charter schools,

442
00:23:24,498 --> 00:23:28,408
different programs that are mandated by legislature, that will make up

443
00:23:28,448 --> 00:23:31,308
the difference to the $400 million.

444
00:23:31,448 --> 00:23:35,108
So I just want to assure the board that we

445
00:23:35,148 --> 00:23:39,078
understand the significance of that request as a finance committee,

446
00:23:39,668 --> 00:23:43,368
but that we also understand that this is just part of the iterative process.

447
00:23:43,468 --> 00:23:46,308
This is where we start, and then we work with the

448
00:23:46,348 --> 00:23:49,788
legislature in making appropriate changes

449
00:23:49,888 --> 00:23:52,168
as revenue is better defined for the

450
00:23:53,068 --> 00:23:56,948
FY28 year. And obviously, we do our part in

451
00:23:56,988 --> 00:23:58,608
bringing the budget into balance.

452
00:24:00,528 --> 00:24:02,128
So that's what you're going to see today.

453
00:24:02,228 --> 00:24:03,948
You're also going to see new decision-

454
00:24:03,988 --> 00:24:04,217
So I have a question.

455
00:24:04,268 --> 00:24:04,928
Okay, sure.

456
00:24:05,708 --> 00:24:05,988
So

457
00:24:06,908 --> 00:24:07,548
on the money,

458
00:24:08,668 --> 00:24:11,948
and this is kind of complicated for me right now, but

459
00:24:12,708 --> 00:24:16,108
my understanding is we asked for $400 million

460
00:24:16,148 --> 00:24:16,728
more.

461
00:24:16,788 --> 00:24:17,048
Mm-hmm.

462
00:24:17,428 --> 00:24:20,988
And the governor asked us to address our budget, or

463
00:24:21,128 --> 00:24:23,188
consider addressing our budget 10%.

464
00:24:24,696 --> 00:24:28,336
Now, so for FY28, we're not to that point

465
00:24:28,396 --> 00:24:28,716
yet.

466
00:24:30,376 --> 00:24:33,516
When the legislature goes through their process

467
00:24:33,756 --> 00:24:35,196
of

468
00:24:36,996 --> 00:24:40,736
reviewing the budget and making recommendations and changes, there will be

469
00:24:40,856 --> 00:24:44,276
asks that will come back to us to reduce our budget

470
00:24:44,356 --> 00:24:44,946
or-

471
00:24:44,956 --> 00:24:45,096
Yeah

472
00:24:45,176 --> 00:24:49,016
... increase our budget if we should be so lucky that more revenue was identified.

473
00:24:49,076 --> 00:24:52,846
So those adjustments will be made through the course of the year.

474
00:24:53,396 --> 00:24:56,756
Now, what we have discussed in the past is in current

475
00:24:56,936 --> 00:25:00,496
years where revenue shortfalls are

476
00:25:00,556 --> 00:25:04,496
identified, the department, as other departments are, are

477
00:25:04,576 --> 00:25:08,116
asked to identify areas where changes can be made,

478
00:25:08,316 --> 00:25:12,116
reductions can be made. That's a separate exercise from FY28.

479
00:25:12,736 --> 00:25:16,476
So it's a load everything you can in there and see what we get.

480
00:25:16,516 --> 00:25:16,596
See-

481
00:25:16,756 --> 00:25:19,416
No. I wouldn't say load everything you can.

482
00:25:19,656 --> 00:25:23,396
It's be good stewards of your money and identify what the needs are.

483
00:25:23,416 --> 00:25:26,316
And the needs are, in terms of the

484
00:25:28,456 --> 00:25:29,616
funding the schools-

485
00:25:29,756 --> 00:25:29,935
Yeah

486
00:25:30,296 --> 00:25:32,736
... are based on the formula that's in statute.

487
00:25:32,796 --> 00:25:36,636
So that 400 million isn't over and above what the formula

488
00:25:36,696 --> 00:25:40,596
requires. It is to get us to what the formula that

489
00:25:40,616 --> 00:25:42,596
has been set in statute requires.

490
00:25:43,526 --> 00:25:43,526
Okay.

491
00:25:43,856 --> 00:25:46,446
And then other items, to your point-

492
00:25:46,576 --> 00:25:46,606
Mm-hmm

493
00:25:46,916 --> 00:25:49,756
... we are asking for things that you'll see,

494
00:25:49,916 --> 00:25:52,866
just call them discretionary items,

495
00:25:53,476 --> 00:25:57,396
that we, as a board, need to think about and talk about if we want to start

496
00:25:57,476 --> 00:25:57,716
to...

497
00:25:58,736 --> 00:26:02,376
And not start. There have always been innovation in education, new

498
00:26:02,476 --> 00:26:06,276
programs identified, et cetera. Not to suggest that there hasn't been at

499
00:26:06,336 --> 00:26:09,996
all, but there always will be. So you will see some new

500
00:26:10,116 --> 00:26:14,036
items in the report today that we,

501
00:26:14,056 --> 00:26:17,956
as a board, need to talk about. Are we supportive of this particular

502
00:26:18,016 --> 00:26:18,316
item?

503
00:26:19,556 --> 00:26:23,526
So it isn't so much ask for everything you get, but it is asking

504
00:26:23,576 --> 00:26:27,416
for something that we think, as a board, if we decide we want

505
00:26:27,436 --> 00:26:30,896
to keep it in the budget request, that we think is important for the

506
00:26:30,936 --> 00:26:34,636
future. And it may not be

507
00:26:34,675 --> 00:26:35,166
approved,

508
00:26:36,106 --> 00:26:39,996
and we, as a finance committee, then collectively back to the board,

509
00:26:40,436 --> 00:26:44,416
will guide that process when we are asked to reduce things, what's

510
00:26:44,476 --> 00:26:47,596
our priority? Where should we reduce? Where can we reduce?

511
00:26:47,996 --> 00:26:49,916
It'll be done in a prioritization way.

512
00:26:50,316 --> 00:26:50,896
But we've already

513
00:26:51,896 --> 00:26:52,156
said

514
00:26:52,976 --> 00:26:54,376
we already have a 10% reduction.

515
00:26:55,196 --> 00:26:57,776
You've already worked up a 10%, right, Kyle?

516
00:26:57,856 --> 00:27:01,396
We'll be looking at that 10% as it relates to

517
00:27:01,496 --> 00:27:04,416
FY28 as we go through the budget.

518
00:27:04,456 --> 00:27:04,465
Okay.

519
00:27:04,856 --> 00:27:04,996
Yeah.

520
00:27:05,516 --> 00:27:06,496
I thought it was 27.

521
00:27:07,056 --> 00:27:10,375
That's a separate initiative that has occurred, yeah.

522
00:27:12,436 --> 00:27:12,446
Okay.

523
00:27:12,556 --> 00:27:12,976
Makes sense.

524
00:27:12,986 --> 00:27:15,546
We'll talk about that more when that agenda item comes up-

525
00:27:15,816 --> 00:27:15,986
Yeah

526
00:27:16,256 --> 00:27:19,176
... later in the details, because then Kyle will be here to explain.

527
00:27:19,636 --> 00:27:19,936
Right.

528
00:27:20,976 --> 00:27:21,216
Okay.

529
00:27:22,996 --> 00:27:25,376
That concludes my report

530
00:27:26,736 --> 00:27:27,716
on the finance committee.

531
00:27:28,956 --> 00:27:29,736
Well, you have-

532
00:27:30,276 --> 00:27:31,726
And now moving forward to the-

533
00:27:31,796 --> 00:27:31,826
Now moving-

534
00:27:31,826 --> 00:27:32,965
... student success committee

535
00:27:32,965 --> 00:27:34,576
... thank you for the hard stop there.

536
00:27:35,316 --> 00:27:39,076
Thank you. For the student success committee, I'm excited to have

537
00:27:39,296 --> 00:27:43,256
Mike McDonald now a part of that committee, joining Gretchen Shull and

538
00:27:43,296 --> 00:27:43,986
Robbie Myers,

539
00:27:45,016 --> 00:27:46,696
just recently added to the committee.

540
00:27:46,876 --> 00:27:50,396
So this committee was literally just formed

541
00:27:50,756 --> 00:27:54,216
anew with the board retreat. So as

542
00:27:56,056 --> 00:28:00,016
Board Member Otto noted, the charter is in formation, and

543
00:28:00,056 --> 00:28:03,316
it will be presented after the committee finalizes it.

544
00:28:03,456 --> 00:28:07,236
It'll be presented for approval in the September board meeting.

545
00:28:08,086 --> 00:28:11,256
The focus of the student success committee is that, success of our

546
00:28:11,296 --> 00:28:15,256
students. We'll be looking at it at relative to student academic

547
00:28:15,316 --> 00:28:18,556
outcomes, but also life success. How are they prepared?

548
00:28:19,536 --> 00:28:23,396
Whether it be for career and college readiness, what we're doing in

549
00:28:23,456 --> 00:28:27,196
all of those areas. But as I like to say, I don't think

550
00:28:27,256 --> 00:28:30,136
our approach should be to boil the ocean.

551
00:28:30,176 --> 00:28:32,676
We need to take first things first.

552
00:28:32,776 --> 00:28:36,576
And to us, the first thing that's coming up will be after the first of the year

553
00:28:36,636 --> 00:28:40,516
that's important to student success is the accountability that we

554
00:28:40,576 --> 00:28:44,375
have in our model. And that is all around accreditation, among

555
00:28:44,416 --> 00:28:45,556
a few other things. So,

556
00:28:47,156 --> 00:28:51,076
from a student success committee standpoint, as the chair of that committee, I have

557
00:28:51,136 --> 00:28:52,336
met with Commissioner

558
00:28:53,456 --> 00:28:57,176
Priest and Deputy Commissioner Sereno, along with

559
00:28:57,196 --> 00:28:58,016
President Miller,

560
00:28:58,996 --> 00:29:02,876
and had other conversations such to outline the approach that we

561
00:29:02,916 --> 00:29:06,216
would like to take with our first area of focus being

562
00:29:06,836 --> 00:29:10,776
getting ready for the accreditation process that

563
00:29:10,816 --> 00:29:12,836
will take place in our January board meeting

564
00:29:13,756 --> 00:29:16,916
and being prepared for any outcomes of that

565
00:29:16,936 --> 00:29:18,976
accreditation review that will occur.

566
00:29:20,016 --> 00:29:23,636
There had been work being done already in the previous strategic plan work

567
00:29:23,736 --> 00:29:24,256
around

568
00:29:25,716 --> 00:29:29,336
a plan for working with schools that were struggling, and we'll

569
00:29:30,036 --> 00:29:33,916
review, as a committee, that plan, edit, change, build

570
00:29:33,996 --> 00:29:37,216
on that. We will bring in experts as needed to assist us

571
00:29:37,836 --> 00:29:41,776
such that our goal would be that in the

572
00:29:41,816 --> 00:29:45,496
December meeting, in advance of the January

573
00:29:45,536 --> 00:29:48,236
accreditation process, we will be discussing

574
00:29:49,656 --> 00:29:52,896
plans for accreditation and plans for dealing

575
00:29:53,696 --> 00:29:53,796
or

576
00:29:54,636 --> 00:29:58,436
further supporting any schools that are struggling as identified in the

577
00:29:58,516 --> 00:29:59,206
accreditation

578
00:30:01,216 --> 00:30:04,456
review, and we'll have that plan ready for the December board meeting.

579
00:30:06,796 --> 00:30:09,236
And that concludes my report on student success.

580
00:30:10,556 --> 00:30:11,776
Thank you, Carrie. Appreciate it.

581
00:30:12,776 --> 00:30:15,016
Now we go to commissioner search committee.

582
00:30:15,316 --> 00:30:17,936
Moving right along. On the commissioner search committee,

583
00:30:18,916 --> 00:30:19,396
thank you,

584
00:30:20,276 --> 00:30:23,936
Vince, for joining us in that committee, and I'll bring you up to date a little bit

585
00:30:23,976 --> 00:30:26,216
further beyond the discussions we've already had.

586
00:30:26,256 --> 00:30:29,726
What I want to do today in terms of committee update is just share with you the

587
00:30:29,816 --> 00:30:33,096
timeline, ensure that everybody is fully aware of the timeline.

588
00:30:33,896 --> 00:30:36,216
While we have discussed this timeline in the past

589
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,509
It is important that everybody be reminded of it.

590
00:30:40,380 --> 00:30:44,000
First of all, our overall arching objective is that we will be

591
00:30:44,100 --> 00:30:47,880
hiring a new commissioner, making that commitment to a new

592
00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:49,980
commissioner by the end of this

593
00:30:51,060 --> 00:30:53,580
calendar year, by the end of 2026.

594
00:30:54,660 --> 00:30:58,600
We are excited and thrilled that we have Commissioner

595
00:30:58,700 --> 00:31:02,520
Priest in her role, and she will continue in her role, even though we

596
00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:06,640
would be hiring somebody by the end of this year.

597
00:31:06,860 --> 00:31:10,700
Commissioner Priest will be staying in her role through the calendar school

598
00:31:10,820 --> 00:31:11,620
year, I should say,

599
00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:16,400
such that we have continuity, that we have consistency, that

600
00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:20,320
we're not disruptive in any way in terms of all of the activities that are

601
00:31:20,380 --> 00:31:23,120
needed to support our schools during the school year.

602
00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:28,060
A new commissioner would begin their role, as is

603
00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,760
typical in the education

604
00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:35,960
hiring timeline, would be to begin their

605
00:31:36,060 --> 00:31:39,840
role at the end of the school year, whether it be in June, July,

606
00:31:39,940 --> 00:31:43,320
but during that transition period from one school year to the next.

607
00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:48,000
But now is the time in which we need to be working across the education

608
00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:51,980
community to identify an excellent candidate

609
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,680
for the Commissioner of Missouri Education.

610
00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:58,900
To do that, we are hiring and conducting a national search.

611
00:31:59,460 --> 00:32:01,260
We are hiring a national search firm,

612
00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:03,920
and we are right on target with that.

613
00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:08,600
We are working through our standard, following all statutes

614
00:32:08,620 --> 00:32:11,670
and regulations to ensure that we are

615
00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:17,720
committing to a

616
00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:21,440
search firm of quality and of excellence that will do the work on our

617
00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:25,400
behalf of identifying a candidate

618
00:32:25,500 --> 00:32:27,710
that we, the board, will work closely with.

619
00:32:28,750 --> 00:32:32,740
The search firms, we have identified six different

620
00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:36,320
firms. RFPs have been submitted on schedule.

621
00:32:36,430 --> 00:32:39,780
Those RFPs are due back by the end of this week,

622
00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:44,340
and the committee will meet and interview the top

623
00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:47,879
search firms and make a selection by August 31st.

624
00:32:49,380 --> 00:32:52,140
That's a week from Monday, and we are on track to meet that deadline.

625
00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:53,760
We've got our schedule in place.

626
00:32:54,820 --> 00:32:58,570
Then, during the month of September, that search firm will

627
00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:02,610
work with the board, the committee, the board, and

628
00:33:02,700 --> 00:33:05,289
others in the education community to

629
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,040
prepare and complete a job description

630
00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:12,280
and a job posting.

631
00:33:13,380 --> 00:33:14,800
That posting will be

632
00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:19,280
posted no later than the end of September, if not sooner.

633
00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:23,160
And then applications will begin.

634
00:33:23,380 --> 00:33:26,580
The application and interviewing process will begin

635
00:33:27,140 --> 00:33:30,900
during October. The application window will close

636
00:33:30,940 --> 00:33:34,840
October 31st, with all interviews then continuing

637
00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:38,780
through November, final interviews completed in early

638
00:33:38,860 --> 00:33:42,660
December, which then even better aligns with the change we've

639
00:33:42,700 --> 00:33:46,669
made in our board meeting timelines, so that now when we're meeting in

640
00:33:46,700 --> 00:33:47,960
December 15th,

641
00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:52,880
our goal would be that we would be presenting to the board a

642
00:33:52,940 --> 00:33:55,120
final candidate for approval.

643
00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:00,000
So, that is our timeline.

644
00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:03,500
We're sticking to it, and we're on track.

645
00:34:03,940 --> 00:34:07,360
Are there any questions with regards to the search process?

646
00:34:07,940 --> 00:34:10,700
I don't have any questions. I was actually going to see if I could add a couple

647
00:34:10,740 --> 00:34:13,040
more things about strategic planning, but I'll wait and see.

648
00:34:14,020 --> 00:34:15,361
So, that concludes my report.

649
00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:16,420
Okay, thank you for that.

650
00:34:16,460 --> 00:34:16,861
You're welcome.

651
00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:20,920
Mike, do you have a question that you want to interject?

652
00:34:21,341 --> 00:34:23,380
Yeah, no questions. I actually just wanted to...

653
00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:27,720
Carrie and John provided a lot of information on their committees, so I feel like I

654
00:34:27,761 --> 00:34:31,611
should provide more. And I'll be quick, but

655
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:33,960
it did make me think, for the board,

656
00:34:35,180 --> 00:34:38,920
our next steps on strategic planning are identifying, I can't remember who

657
00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:41,200
said it, but what is our North Star, right?

658
00:34:41,420 --> 00:34:44,220
What is it that we want to accomplish?

659
00:34:44,531 --> 00:34:47,000
And then once we figure that out,

660
00:34:47,980 --> 00:34:51,900
what are the sort of key pillars that go underneath it to get us

661
00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,920
moving in that direction? And I know

662
00:34:56,699 --> 00:35:00,320
through the process, that's a question that everyone on the board will get

663
00:35:00,420 --> 00:35:04,260
asked. And I think our next meeting, we'll have some

664
00:35:06,940 --> 00:35:10,800
information about what other states have done for their strategic plans.

665
00:35:10,860 --> 00:35:13,140
What was their North Star? How did they

666
00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:14,940
get to that?

667
00:35:17,540 --> 00:35:20,330
So that's something that I hope everyone will be thinking about.

668
00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:22,020
And again, it will be a

669
00:35:23,220 --> 00:35:26,400
very board-driven process. Everyone should have a chance

670
00:35:28,740 --> 00:35:32,040
to weigh in. And Carrie mentioned earlier about alignment.

671
00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:33,620
I think that was a great point.

672
00:35:34,620 --> 00:35:36,270
I do think the strategic plan is,

673
00:35:38,020 --> 00:35:41,250
once we have that, our legislative priorities can align with that.

674
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:42,110
And

675
00:35:44,100 --> 00:35:48,040
part of my goal of the strategic plan is to making sure there's alignment with the

676
00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:51,840
legislature, making sure there's alignment with the governor's office, or just

677
00:35:51,900 --> 00:35:55,300
making sure that we don't include anything in there that's so far out in left field

678
00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:59,960
that it looks bad or hurts the overall plan.

679
00:36:00,060 --> 00:36:00,240
So,

680
00:36:01,820 --> 00:36:05,700
would certainly, for anyone on the board, if you have ideas,

681
00:36:07,700 --> 00:36:10,760
concerns, whatever, would welcome all of that.

682
00:36:11,100 --> 00:36:11,500
And

683
00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:17,080
so yeah, just wanted to highlight a couple other things.

684
00:36:17,130 --> 00:36:21,120
And for all of you, just be thinking about that, right? What is that North Star?

685
00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:25,040
I think it was... I can't remember which state said, "We want to go from worst to

686
00:36:25,180 --> 00:36:26,970
first in NAEP scores," or something like that.

687
00:36:27,100 --> 00:36:29,100
That's kind of what we're talking about, right?

688
00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:29,310
What

689
00:36:31,100 --> 00:36:32,240
makes sense for Missouri?

690
00:36:33,060 --> 00:36:36,000
We can look at other strategic plans to see what they look like, what kind of

691
00:36:36,020 --> 00:36:37,420
issues they focused on, but

692
00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,800
we need to focus on what works for Missouri and where our challenges are.

693
00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:42,300
So

694
00:36:43,964 --> 00:36:45,324
Thank you. Just wanted to add that.

695
00:36:46,684 --> 00:36:47,904
Thank you, Mr. Matuszek.

696
00:36:49,304 --> 00:36:51,804
Now, once again, Kara Casey, right?

697
00:36:51,844 --> 00:36:52,144
Or are we-

698
00:36:53,484 --> 00:36:54,944
Thank you, President Brooks.

699
00:36:55,124 --> 00:36:55,304
All right.

700
00:36:55,624 --> 00:36:59,164
Before I begin the update and provide a NASBE

701
00:36:59,244 --> 00:37:01,824
report, the National Association of State Boards,

702
00:37:02,664 --> 00:37:06,464
I would like to take a moment to step back, if possible, and speak about

703
00:37:07,544 --> 00:37:10,924
a past colleague of this state board, Don Claycomb.

704
00:37:13,164 --> 00:37:16,884
It's with great respect and sadness that I would like to remember Don

705
00:37:16,964 --> 00:37:17,924
Claycomb today.

706
00:37:19,044 --> 00:37:22,784
He was a former board member of the State Board of Education who recently passed

707
00:37:22,844 --> 00:37:26,354
away. Don served on our board from 2018 to

708
00:37:26,444 --> 00:37:30,204
2024, so many of you around this table may not know Don.

709
00:37:32,084 --> 00:37:36,053
But I was fortunate enough to serve alongside him during the final two

710
00:37:36,104 --> 00:37:39,754
and a half years of his service to all the children, families, and

711
00:37:39,804 --> 00:37:40,924
educators of Missouri.

712
00:37:42,664 --> 00:37:44,924
First and foremost, Don was a good man.

713
00:37:45,824 --> 00:37:49,284
He was a devoted husband and father who cherished his beautiful family.

714
00:37:49,784 --> 00:37:53,524
He often shared stories about his parents, including his mother, who was an

715
00:37:53,584 --> 00:37:54,144
educator,

716
00:37:55,424 --> 00:37:58,084
and how he grew up in the same home

717
00:37:58,564 --> 00:38:01,904
that he then ultimately lived throughout his life.

718
00:38:02,904 --> 00:38:06,344
Those stories offered a glimpse into the values, the roots,

719
00:38:07,084 --> 00:38:10,044
and the sense of place that shaped the man that he became.

720
00:38:11,884 --> 00:38:13,884
Don served on this board with honor,

721
00:38:14,724 --> 00:38:18,664
bringing his years of experience as an educator and then leader in Missouri

722
00:38:18,724 --> 00:38:20,744
education to every discussion.

723
00:38:21,564 --> 00:38:25,354
As the former president of State Technical College of Missouri in Linn,

724
00:38:25,424 --> 00:38:25,864
Missouri,

725
00:38:26,724 --> 00:38:28,784
Don left an extraordinary legacy.

726
00:38:29,384 --> 00:38:32,664
He was known there as a legend, and is to this day.

727
00:38:33,664 --> 00:38:36,904
His vision, leadership, and hard work helped shape

728
00:38:37,724 --> 00:38:41,164
the State Technical College into the institution that it is today.

729
00:38:42,004 --> 00:38:45,244
As the college's current leadership has said, "Dr.

730
00:38:45,524 --> 00:38:49,224
Claycomb's legacy lives across our campus, in its

731
00:38:49,244 --> 00:38:52,924
buildings, its traditions, and the lives of every student who has

732
00:38:52,964 --> 00:38:54,204
walked through our doors."

733
00:38:56,384 --> 00:39:00,174
Don's knowledge of and commitment to career and technical education and

734
00:39:00,264 --> 00:39:04,194
workforce development were especially valuable as we focused on

735
00:39:04,194 --> 00:39:07,784
these critical priorities for Missouri's K12 education system.

736
00:39:08,984 --> 00:39:12,884
He was always caring and respectful, but yet never afraid to

737
00:39:12,924 --> 00:39:16,584
challenge our thinking. More often than not, he would bring

738
00:39:16,664 --> 00:39:20,364
discussions to a close through a thoughtful and very on-target

739
00:39:20,484 --> 00:39:21,344
pithy statement,

740
00:39:22,164 --> 00:39:23,004
bringing clarity,

741
00:39:23,804 --> 00:39:27,404
laughter, and when needed, simplicity to our debates.

742
00:39:28,364 --> 00:39:31,404
Most importantly, he always kept our priorities and our

743
00:39:31,424 --> 00:39:35,154
responsibility to Missouri's children at the center of the conversation.

744
00:39:38,084 --> 00:39:41,744
So it was an honor to know Don, to serve alongside him, and to now

745
00:39:41,784 --> 00:39:45,684
remember him. I extend my heartfelt sympathy to his children

746
00:39:45,724 --> 00:39:49,424
and grandchildren, as well as to his many friends and colleagues

747
00:39:49,464 --> 00:39:53,144
throughout the Missouri education community, some of which are sitting here with us

748
00:39:53,224 --> 00:39:53,624
today.

749
00:39:55,204 --> 00:39:59,044
Don will be deeply missed. His wisdom, his service, and his

750
00:39:59,104 --> 00:40:02,284
unwavering commitment to Missouri's children, families,

751
00:40:02,564 --> 00:40:06,224
educators, and workforce will be remembered with deep gratitude.

752
00:40:07,564 --> 00:40:08,164
So thank you.

753
00:40:08,704 --> 00:40:11,644
Certainly. Thank you. And that concludes your report?

754
00:40:12,924 --> 00:40:13,284
You have more?

755
00:40:13,344 --> 00:40:15,504
Now I will be moving on to the report from the

756
00:40:15,544 --> 00:40:19,364
National Association of State School Boards.

757
00:40:20,624 --> 00:40:24,584
For those new members to the board, this is an association comprised

758
00:40:24,664 --> 00:40:27,704
of, as you would imagine, our colleagues from other states.

759
00:40:28,264 --> 00:40:30,004
The majority of states are members.

760
00:40:30,784 --> 00:40:33,564
It is a great organization that seeks to bring

761
00:40:35,204 --> 00:40:36,104
people together

762
00:40:37,044 --> 00:40:40,964
of similar responsibility across the nation

763
00:40:41,024 --> 00:40:44,544
to learn from each other, but also to delve into

764
00:40:44,604 --> 00:40:48,424
significant issues of priority across our country to improve

765
00:40:48,484 --> 00:40:51,584
education. They don't tell us what to do.

766
00:40:51,624 --> 00:40:55,584
They just bring us together for us to help understand and get

767
00:40:55,604 --> 00:40:56,924
new ideas from each other.

768
00:40:57,744 --> 00:41:00,504
So I've been serving as the liaison to NASBE,

769
00:41:01,584 --> 00:41:03,803
actually replacing Don Claycomb,

770
00:41:05,124 --> 00:41:09,104
after a short tenure on

771
00:41:09,124 --> 00:41:09,524
the board.

772
00:41:10,684 --> 00:41:14,304
So during that time, I've been able to attend conferences, I attend all their

773
00:41:14,384 --> 00:41:17,824
conference calls, et cetera. They do many webinars.

774
00:41:18,064 --> 00:41:20,404
They have great meetings on particular topics.

775
00:41:20,424 --> 00:41:24,184
They'll maybe put a task, not a task force together, but a group of people

776
00:41:24,194 --> 00:41:26,614
together to particularly focus on an area.

777
00:41:27,344 --> 00:41:31,304
But they also just have a monthly webinar where anybody from the

778
00:41:31,344 --> 00:41:35,304
state boards can join and hear what's happening from the other

779
00:41:35,664 --> 00:41:36,044
states.

780
00:41:37,104 --> 00:41:38,984
And that's what I'll give you an update on today.

781
00:41:39,084 --> 00:41:42,904
I would like you to know that you've all been included, including Mike,

782
00:41:43,304 --> 00:41:47,244
the other Mike, has been included on the NASBE

783
00:41:47,304 --> 00:41:50,564
distribution list. So you should start receiving emails from them, and

784
00:41:51,104 --> 00:41:54,584
if you've read them, you'll hear a little bit of what I'm going to say today.

785
00:41:56,784 --> 00:42:00,564
So as you get those, I encourage you not only to read them, but I

786
00:42:00,604 --> 00:42:04,124
encourage you to join as much as you

787
00:42:04,144 --> 00:42:04,644
can,

788
00:42:06,004 --> 00:42:09,804
in terms of the opportunities they offer to learn

789
00:42:09,844 --> 00:42:12,784
from state board members around the

790
00:42:12,824 --> 00:42:14,224
nation. What

791
00:42:15,344 --> 00:42:19,004
I would also encourage, in October, will be their annual

792
00:42:19,124 --> 00:42:22,724
conference, and it's October 26th through 28th in

793
00:42:22,784 --> 00:42:26,524
Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland. I've attended a couple of

794
00:42:26,584 --> 00:42:29,564
times, and it is a great conference. You get to meet people.

795
00:42:30,304 --> 00:42:34,204
There'll be deep dives and discussions, and the presentations are provided not

796
00:42:34,284 --> 00:42:37,824
by NASBE, but by other state board members, so you really get good

797
00:42:37,844 --> 00:42:38,404
insights.

798
00:42:39,264 --> 00:42:42,944
So updates from this last exchange, as it's called, the monthly

799
00:42:42,984 --> 00:42:43,604
exchange

800
00:42:44,896 --> 00:42:45,156
There were

801
00:42:46,056 --> 00:42:49,966
14 states that were there that gave updates, and I want to share with

802
00:42:49,966 --> 00:42:53,526
a few of the highlights. First of all, there was discussion and

803
00:42:54,436 --> 00:42:58,226
updates were given in general about bullying and what's

804
00:42:58,256 --> 00:43:01,136
happening. Are any states addressing bullying?

805
00:43:01,816 --> 00:43:04,196
What are the best practices, and how are they addressing it?

806
00:43:05,036 --> 00:43:05,396
So the

807
00:43:07,136 --> 00:43:10,056
Washington, DC Board of Education

808
00:43:11,076 --> 00:43:14,816
is looking to reestablish their youth bullying

809
00:43:14,876 --> 00:43:18,016
task force. That happened in the past.

810
00:43:18,056 --> 00:43:21,816
It was dissolved in 2013, but it had resulted in quite a bit of

811
00:43:21,856 --> 00:43:25,516
legislation at the time. They're looking to renew that task force.

812
00:43:25,596 --> 00:43:26,796
Virginia

813
00:43:28,036 --> 00:43:32,006
has a new House Bill 957, which encourages

814
00:43:32,456 --> 00:43:36,006
public and elementary secondary education to promote and

815
00:43:36,116 --> 00:43:39,316
utilize the 988 suicide platform.

816
00:43:39,796 --> 00:43:40,476
New Jersey

817
00:43:41,676 --> 00:43:45,196
has introduced a bill that would establish an anti-bullying youth

818
00:43:45,256 --> 00:43:49,056
council, which I thought was a great idea across bringing the

819
00:43:49,096 --> 00:43:51,156
youth into the discussion.

820
00:43:52,376 --> 00:43:55,756
And then, two years ago, Wisconsin

821
00:43:56,476 --> 00:43:59,216
developed a bullying prevention toolkit.

822
00:44:00,296 --> 00:44:03,976
So, information that's available to us that I encourage the

823
00:44:03,996 --> 00:44:07,636
department to take a look at how is that an area of concern.

824
00:44:08,656 --> 00:44:11,036
I know we partner closely with our mental health

825
00:44:11,976 --> 00:44:15,456
services division, and I would encourage the

826
00:44:15,466 --> 00:44:19,426
department to see what can we do in those areas to always

827
00:44:19,456 --> 00:44:22,786
continue to look out for the safety of our children.

828
00:44:24,596 --> 00:44:28,296
Self-assessments, it was brought up that Hawaii State Board

829
00:44:28,356 --> 00:44:32,136
is going to be doing a self-assessment of the board, and I

830
00:44:32,176 --> 00:44:35,896
think now, as John has driven us in the past through

831
00:44:35,916 --> 00:44:39,436
development of our bylaws, development of a commissioner evaluation

832
00:44:39,556 --> 00:44:41,396
tool, I think that it also included,

833
00:44:42,216 --> 00:44:45,856
if not an evaluation that we all do as a self-board,

834
00:44:46,376 --> 00:44:47,666
and that would be in our future.

835
00:44:48,956 --> 00:44:52,746
Other state updates have included that Connecticut State Board of Education is

836
00:44:52,816 --> 00:44:55,776
encouraging

837
00:44:56,596 --> 00:45:00,096
schools to implement bell-to-bell restrictions on

838
00:45:00,216 --> 00:45:02,296
student personal technology use.

839
00:45:02,836 --> 00:45:04,616
Now, Missouri already has a

840
00:45:07,176 --> 00:45:09,116
requirement that you cannot have cell phones.

841
00:45:09,956 --> 00:45:13,955
I don't want to say the wrong words, but it's prohibited in the

842
00:45:13,996 --> 00:45:14,716
classrooms.

843
00:45:15,576 --> 00:45:18,626
But there is other work to be done in that area, and I'm hearing a lot of

844
00:45:18,656 --> 00:45:22,425
conversation not only in other states, but from parents and

845
00:45:22,656 --> 00:45:26,246
school districts on looking into what are we doing with all this

846
00:45:26,256 --> 00:45:28,996
technology and how do we reduce screen time.

847
00:45:29,016 --> 00:45:32,806
And I think that will be something that we as a board need to be looking at as

848
00:45:32,836 --> 00:45:36,036
well, either through a committee or through the advice of the department.

849
00:45:37,416 --> 00:45:38,536
We should be ahead of that.

850
00:45:39,556 --> 00:45:43,216
California is looking at doing some restructuring around their education

851
00:45:43,236 --> 00:45:46,656
governance as it relates to responsibilities between the board and the

852
00:45:48,096 --> 00:45:51,636
department, et cetera. The District of Columbia has

853
00:45:51,676 --> 00:45:55,376
developed new 2026 physical education standards.

854
00:45:56,376 --> 00:46:00,076
An interesting point, I'm not familiar with what our physical education standards

855
00:46:00,156 --> 00:46:02,396
are and would be valuable for us to be aware of them.

856
00:46:03,046 --> 00:46:06,836
The Texas State Board of Education voted to adopt new social

857
00:46:07,036 --> 00:46:08,176
study standards,

858
00:46:09,216 --> 00:46:13,126
structured around a chronological framework, which include a new Texas history

859
00:46:13,256 --> 00:46:15,136
capstone course in the eighth grade.

860
00:46:16,376 --> 00:46:19,486
Texas has also adopted a new personal

861
00:46:19,516 --> 00:46:22,716
financial literacy half-credit course.

862
00:46:23,216 --> 00:46:26,656
Now, Missouri already has a financial literacy

863
00:46:27,616 --> 00:46:28,556
half-credit, I think.

864
00:46:29,976 --> 00:46:33,816
Again, through committee work, it might be worthy looking at what are the

865
00:46:33,856 --> 00:46:36,216
standards, is it structured in the right way?

866
00:46:37,456 --> 00:46:41,256
Something also that Texas has done, they've recently implemented

867
00:46:41,276 --> 00:46:45,096
through board policy, but also in statute, a required

868
00:46:45,176 --> 00:46:48,136
K12 reading list to address

869
00:46:48,976 --> 00:46:52,836
improving reading and literacy in education and

870
00:46:52,896 --> 00:46:55,736
for their students. And I love that idea.

871
00:46:56,336 --> 00:46:59,986
I don't believe we have a required reading list or

872
00:47:00,036 --> 00:47:03,596
anything of that nature towards requirement of books to be read,

873
00:47:04,016 --> 00:47:07,376
regardless of what book. So, I think it's something that the Student Success

874
00:47:07,456 --> 00:47:08,696
Committee will be looking at.

875
00:47:10,336 --> 00:47:10,496
And,

876
00:47:11,316 --> 00:47:14,236
as I mentioned, I just want to remind you

877
00:47:14,316 --> 00:47:18,176
again about the conference in

878
00:47:18,216 --> 00:47:18,716
October.

879
00:47:18,956 --> 00:47:22,776
Then

880
00:47:22,796 --> 00:47:26,716
that's it. There will be a NASBE exchange, and you'll be seeing that in email for

881
00:47:26,756 --> 00:47:28,316
an invitation if you would like to join.

882
00:47:29,276 --> 00:47:31,096
And that concludes my NASBE report.

883
00:47:33,076 --> 00:47:33,796
Any questions?

884
00:47:35,696 --> 00:47:36,136
Okay.

885
00:47:37,016 --> 00:47:38,356
It's Kerri Casey's turn.

886
00:47:38,636 --> 00:47:40,876
Thank you. And this will be my last.

887
00:47:41,656 --> 00:47:45,416
So, I would like to provide an update as a member of the Missouri

888
00:47:45,556 --> 00:47:47,936
School Funding Modernization Task Force.

889
00:47:49,096 --> 00:47:53,016
I have been a member in the past, along with

890
00:47:53,096 --> 00:47:55,056
Pamela Westbrook Hodge, who we all know,

891
00:47:56,256 --> 00:48:00,196
and we were fortunate to be able to celebrate her last night for her years of

892
00:48:00,276 --> 00:48:01,196
service on the board.

893
00:48:02,176 --> 00:48:02,436
So,

894
00:48:03,456 --> 00:48:07,236
as that co-member of the task force, I would like to give you an update.

895
00:48:08,476 --> 00:48:12,286
Since our last regular board meeting where we updated,

896
00:48:12,676 --> 00:48:16,616
the task force has met twice. We met in July 13th, and we met

897
00:48:16,676 --> 00:48:18,096
as recently as last week.

898
00:48:19,176 --> 00:48:22,716
The task force, if you're not familiar with it, those of you that are new to the

899
00:48:22,736 --> 00:48:26,296
board, it was as a result of an executive order last year in

900
00:48:26,456 --> 00:48:30,076
2025 by Governor Kehoe to

901
00:48:30,116 --> 00:48:33,606
modernize the formula and to submit to Governor Kehoe

902
00:48:35,376 --> 00:48:37,016
up to three proposals

903
00:48:38,516 --> 00:48:41,796
of recommendation on how to modernize our

904
00:48:41,856 --> 00:48:45,416
current funding formula. As you know, that current funding

905
00:48:45,456 --> 00:48:49,376
formula was implemented in statute in 2005, so it's

906
00:48:49,416 --> 00:48:52,356
due for a refresh. It's important to know that in

907
00:48:52,476 --> 00:48:56,156
2005, I think we were the leaders in the nation in that funding

908
00:48:56,276 --> 00:48:59,076
formula in making it student based.

909
00:48:59,616 --> 00:49:03,392
There are states now, just today Beginning to

910
00:49:03,452 --> 00:49:07,361
change their formula and take into consideration the dynamics,

911
00:49:07,452 --> 00:49:11,192
the demographics, and the needs of students, where it has been driven

912
00:49:11,272 --> 00:49:12,912
through other methods in the past.

913
00:49:12,982 --> 00:49:16,972
So we have been ahead of the game, but we now need to be

914
00:49:17,012 --> 00:49:19,892
more modern with our formula. And so that is this task force.

915
00:49:19,932 --> 00:49:21,492
It's comprised of

916
00:49:22,752 --> 00:49:26,672
up to 30 people, board, legislature, members of the

917
00:49:26,712 --> 00:49:27,402
community,

918
00:49:28,352 --> 00:49:31,992
past people involved in that past formula, educators.

919
00:49:32,022 --> 00:49:35,832
It's a great task force led by our previous

920
00:49:35,892 --> 00:49:38,112
deputy commissioner, Dr. Monsis.

921
00:49:38,932 --> 00:49:42,902
So back to the update. This task force continues to explore two different

922
00:49:42,902 --> 00:49:46,801
funding models, one that modernizes the current formula in several ways,

923
00:49:47,612 --> 00:49:51,072
and a second one that relies on a new approach, which is a

924
00:49:51,112 --> 00:49:54,912
combined wealth index approach to determine the state and

925
00:49:54,972 --> 00:49:56,452
local shares for funding.

926
00:49:57,752 --> 00:50:01,632
The combined wealth index approach includes household income

927
00:50:01,812 --> 00:50:05,772
in addition to local property wealth to determine the expected

928
00:50:05,832 --> 00:50:07,592
state and local shares of funding.

929
00:50:07,992 --> 00:50:11,112
The current formula only relied on local property health.

930
00:50:12,252 --> 00:50:12,572
Wealth.

931
00:50:13,672 --> 00:50:17,292
The task force is considering options to address the challenge of uneven

932
00:50:17,392 --> 00:50:21,152
property valuations across the state within the mechanism of the formula

933
00:50:21,572 --> 00:50:24,892
to help ensure property values are considered equitably.

934
00:50:26,052 --> 00:50:30,012
The current formula includes additional pupil weightings for

935
00:50:30,152 --> 00:50:33,872
students from poverty, those with disabilities, and also English

936
00:50:33,932 --> 00:50:37,922
learners. The task force is considering adding weights for gifted

937
00:50:38,052 --> 00:50:41,812
and homeless students as well. The task force is now

938
00:50:41,852 --> 00:50:45,802
considering a variety of recommendations related to the operation of the

939
00:50:45,892 --> 00:50:49,612
formula, including funding for charter schools and virtual

940
00:50:49,732 --> 00:50:50,112
schools,

941
00:50:51,252 --> 00:50:54,942
and other adjustments for small and/or sparsely populated

942
00:50:54,942 --> 00:50:55,482
districts.

943
00:50:56,292 --> 00:50:59,362
Proration options to address any shortfalls in funding,

944
00:51:00,392 --> 00:51:04,112
addressing potential hold harmless provisions for any districts that might

945
00:51:04,192 --> 00:51:08,042
otherwise receive less under the new formula, and potential

946
00:51:08,052 --> 00:51:11,931
phase-in approaches for transitioning from the current formula to the

947
00:51:11,972 --> 00:51:14,172
next formula over a period of time.

948
00:51:15,512 --> 00:51:19,372
So as you can see, it's a very complex approach, and I'm grateful

949
00:51:19,432 --> 00:51:23,322
to all of the fellow task force members and

950
00:51:23,392 --> 00:51:27,172
the great wisdom that they're bringing to this and the

951
00:51:27,412 --> 00:51:31,252
discussions that we're having. The next task force meeting is

952
00:51:31,272 --> 00:51:35,232
scheduled for September 14th. We do have a webpage linked

953
00:51:35,312 --> 00:51:39,192
on our DESE site where a lot of information is housed, including

954
00:51:39,252 --> 00:51:43,052
all of our past presentations. You can also go back and listen to past

955
00:51:43,152 --> 00:51:43,552
meetings.

956
00:51:44,452 --> 00:51:48,212
I would like to say, at this time, here we are in August, we will quickly

957
00:51:48,332 --> 00:51:52,292
move, and it will be through the year, and it will all of a sudden be the end

958
00:51:52,332 --> 00:51:55,572
of the year. We need to approve,

959
00:51:57,452 --> 00:52:01,332
or be aware of, I think we will be approving the proposals

960
00:52:01,412 --> 00:52:04,692
that will go into the governor's office. Do we approve them?

961
00:52:05,032 --> 00:52:05,932
Dr. Cruz, do you know?

962
00:52:07,432 --> 00:52:08,941
I think we need to refer to the executive director.

963
00:52:10,072 --> 00:52:13,732
Okay. If we don't approve them, we certainly want to be aware of

964
00:52:13,792 --> 00:52:16,972
them, and knowledgeable of them, and support them.

965
00:52:17,132 --> 00:52:17,332
So,

966
00:52:20,072 --> 00:52:23,952
it's very complicated, and I would like to work with President

967
00:52:23,992 --> 00:52:27,912
Miller, Commissioner Priest, and just talk about how we as

968
00:52:27,952 --> 00:52:31,812
a board can spend time on this without it being in the depth of

969
00:52:32,292 --> 00:52:35,312
taking up agenda time in our monthly meetings.

970
00:52:35,412 --> 00:52:39,092
But in what way can we better inform board members

971
00:52:39,312 --> 00:52:41,252
about the details within these

972
00:52:42,452 --> 00:52:44,212
two proposals that would be put forward?

973
00:52:44,672 --> 00:52:47,852
I'd like to volunteer to be part of that working group if I could.

974
00:52:47,912 --> 00:52:49,052
I don't know if it's a committee or what.

975
00:52:49,252 --> 00:52:52,692
Yeah, it's already established, but I certainly think that would be great.

976
00:52:52,932 --> 00:52:56,692
I know Pamela will continue to be, but as a replacement, as

977
00:52:56,752 --> 00:52:58,992
another board member, I think we can talk to Dr.

978
00:52:59,232 --> 00:53:02,192
Monsis about that and how you can become a part of it.

979
00:53:03,152 --> 00:53:03,612
I-

980
00:53:04,212 --> 00:53:07,992
Or maybe not the task force, but work with me just on the education of the

981
00:53:08,012 --> 00:53:08,292
board.

982
00:53:08,352 --> 00:53:09,281
Chairman on, on-

983
00:53:09,332 --> 00:53:13,062
I love it. And honestly, the finance committee as a whole should

984
00:53:13,092 --> 00:53:16,852
be doing that. So I think that will be an undertaking of the finance

985
00:53:16,892 --> 00:53:18,012
committee of which you're a part.

986
00:53:19,032 --> 00:53:19,672
Thank you, Vince.

987
00:53:20,872 --> 00:53:22,492
That concludes my report.

988
00:53:22,772 --> 00:53:26,132
Thank you very much. It now moves down to

989
00:53:26,752 --> 00:53:27,692
the consent agenda.

990
00:53:28,152 --> 00:53:29,492
Move to approve consent agenda.

991
00:53:29,832 --> 00:53:30,512
We have a motion.

992
00:53:31,012 --> 00:53:31,312
Second.

993
00:53:31,392 --> 00:53:31,711
Second.

994
00:53:31,992 --> 00:53:34,792
Okay. We do have a second, and we have discussion.

995
00:53:35,112 --> 00:53:39,062
Yes. Thank you. I actually, it's not so much discussion, just a request or

996
00:53:39,092 --> 00:53:39,892
a recommendation.

997
00:53:41,152 --> 00:53:44,492
I like how we're formatting the new rules

998
00:53:44,712 --> 00:53:46,732
process that was presented to us,

999
00:53:47,712 --> 00:53:51,232
and as part of the consent agenda is a rule change.

1000
00:53:51,282 --> 00:53:52,932
It's item H on the agenda.

1001
00:53:54,372 --> 00:53:58,152
Within that item H, it will give us an update, and it basically

1002
00:53:58,232 --> 00:54:02,212
says that no changes have been made in the text and therefore it's

1003
00:54:02,252 --> 00:54:05,852
not reprinted here. Great. But could we also include a

1004
00:54:05,912 --> 00:54:09,892
link to what it was so that we just, as a point of reference when we're

1005
00:54:09,932 --> 00:54:13,532
reviewing, that we're knowing what we're with? That's all.

1006
00:54:13,572 --> 00:54:15,052
My recommendation. Thank you.

1007
00:54:18,672 --> 00:54:22,412
Okay. Any other items on the consent agenda you would wish to bring

1008
00:54:22,492 --> 00:54:22,752
forward?

1009
00:54:24,872 --> 00:54:28,452
Hearing none, I will call for a motion to approve the consent agenda.

1010
00:54:30,192 --> 00:54:30,202
Oh.

1011
00:54:30,252 --> 00:54:30,492
Has it?

1012
00:54:30,552 --> 00:54:30,892
Call a vote.

1013
00:54:31,012 --> 00:54:31,102
Yeah.

1014
00:54:31,112 --> 00:54:31,732
It's already moved, yeah.

1015
00:54:31,812 --> 00:54:31,932
Oh.

1016
00:54:32,272 --> 00:54:34,832
Okay. So call for the vote. All those in favor, say aye.

1017
00:54:35,012 --> 00:54:35,292
Aye.

1018
00:54:35,512 --> 00:54:35,772
Aye.

1019
00:54:36,382 --> 00:54:36,382
Aye.

1020
00:54:36,412 --> 00:54:37,512
All those opposed.

1021
00:54:38,892 --> 00:54:39,352
Passes.

1022
00:54:41,712 --> 00:54:43,912
Okay, now we have action items.

1023
00:54:45,952 --> 00:54:46,592
Dr. Wheatley,

1024
00:54:47,612 --> 00:54:49,972
I think you have a couple items, or just one here.

1025
00:54:54,392 --> 00:54:55,272
Good morning, everyone.

1026
00:54:56,352 --> 00:54:56,612
Morning.

1027
00:54:56,852 --> 00:54:57,132
Morning.

1028
00:54:58,452 --> 00:55:02,192
Mark Wheatley, the assistant commissioner in the Office of Special Education that

1029
00:55:02,232 --> 00:55:04,552
provides a lot of extra feedback apparently here.

1030
00:55:04,912 --> 00:55:07,392
So I'm going to try to be here

1031
00:55:09,564 --> 00:55:12,484
Maybe we'll shut these. They're all on. It'll be okay.

1032
00:55:12,744 --> 00:55:13,624
I think that was better.

1033
00:55:14,444 --> 00:55:17,004
Everything got moved around a little bit, so that should work.

1034
00:55:17,704 --> 00:55:21,684
I'm here today in the first process to bring to

1035
00:55:21,744 --> 00:55:21,904
you

1036
00:55:23,904 --> 00:55:27,564
a proposed amendment to some of the five of the

1037
00:55:27,604 --> 00:55:30,154
extended employment sheltered workshop rules.

1038
00:55:30,584 --> 00:55:33,784
And so before we dive in deeply to the content of the

1039
00:55:33,804 --> 00:55:37,694
information, just wanted to make sure you understood and know where we are in

1040
00:55:37,764 --> 00:55:41,703
that process. So, this is the first phase as it

1041
00:55:41,724 --> 00:55:45,344
relates to the rulemaking process that comes before you, the board,

1042
00:55:45,464 --> 00:55:49,444
today. So, these are the proposed amendments that you'll see today,

1043
00:55:49,504 --> 00:55:52,604
and then following that cycle in the rulemaking

1044
00:55:52,744 --> 00:55:56,344
process, we'll move into those next steps of

1045
00:55:56,424 --> 00:55:58,344
actually publishing this information

1046
00:55:59,224 --> 00:56:02,984
with the Missouri Register, and then we'll seek public comment

1047
00:56:03,364 --> 00:56:07,284
before that rule then comes back to you for the proposed order of

1048
00:56:07,384 --> 00:56:10,784
rulemaking. And at that time, you'll vote again to

1049
00:56:11,104 --> 00:56:14,884
determine the next step for that. So, just kind of wanted to level

1050
00:56:14,984 --> 00:56:16,904
set, make sure you understood that process.

1051
00:56:17,324 --> 00:56:21,084
And again, I'm here today to speak with you about five extended employment

1052
00:56:21,144 --> 00:56:23,744
sheltered workshop rules that we are

1053
00:56:24,644 --> 00:56:27,884
recommending for proposals to amend.

1054
00:56:29,214 --> 00:56:33,064
Those are located in the five rules that

1055
00:56:33,124 --> 00:56:35,324
you see before you, 5 CSR

1056
00:56:35,604 --> 00:56:38,704
2300.160, 170,

1057
00:56:39,344 --> 00:56:43,264
180, 190, and 200, and those will be

1058
00:56:43,704 --> 00:56:46,184
defined more specifically here as we move through.

1059
00:56:46,264 --> 00:56:49,544
But for a little bit of context, Missouri operates...

1060
00:56:50,724 --> 00:56:54,234
Actually, sheltered workshops operate independently,

1061
00:56:54,884 --> 00:56:58,604
87 different workshops in 94 locations across the

1062
00:56:58,704 --> 00:56:59,524
state of Missouri.

1063
00:57:00,464 --> 00:57:04,244
And so those are the workshops that we're speaking of today.

1064
00:57:06,304 --> 00:57:08,564
And so when we start with 5 CSR

1065
00:57:08,784 --> 00:57:12,284
2300.160, essentially, a couple

1066
00:57:12,344 --> 00:57:16,124
changes that are made here. One reduces wait

1067
00:57:16,224 --> 00:57:20,103
time for those folks who can remain

1068
00:57:20,184 --> 00:57:24,064
eligible and unassigned before a sheltered workshop is required to

1069
00:57:24,104 --> 00:57:25,724
provide training and support.

1070
00:57:26,924 --> 00:57:27,944
Just a quick question before you-

1071
00:57:28,004 --> 00:57:28,124
Sure

1072
00:57:28,164 --> 00:57:31,924
... get down into the weeds. Can you briefly describe what a sheltered workshop

1073
00:57:31,964 --> 00:57:32,244
is?

1074
00:57:32,644 --> 00:57:36,624
Yeah. So sheltered workshops... And Dan, I might have you come

1075
00:57:36,684 --> 00:57:39,884
forward here and hang out with me. See how excited he is to share.

1076
00:57:40,024 --> 00:57:43,604
Actually, Dan Guyer is our director for sheltered

1077
00:57:43,704 --> 00:57:47,664
workshops. And so, he works very closely with each of the

1078
00:57:47,704 --> 00:57:50,244
managers in each of those workshops across the state.

1079
00:57:50,324 --> 00:57:53,134
He has two assistant directors that support that work.

1080
00:57:53,684 --> 00:57:54,304
Our primary

1081
00:57:55,364 --> 00:57:59,304
responsibility is to make sure, number one, that we certify

1082
00:57:59,404 --> 00:58:03,224
the individuals who are disabled within those workshops, as well as

1083
00:58:03,264 --> 00:58:06,904
certifying the workshops themselves, but there's a lot more that goes

1084
00:58:06,964 --> 00:58:10,864
into that. And so, first of all, yes, just to speak

1085
00:58:10,924 --> 00:58:14,684
about the economic impact of sheltered workshops across Missouri, it's

1086
00:58:14,724 --> 00:58:16,904
extraordinary if you're not familiar with that.

1087
00:58:16,964 --> 00:58:20,044
And we have workshops doing all sorts of work

1088
00:58:20,664 --> 00:58:24,644
across the state. Some are very small workshops that you would find in

1089
00:58:24,724 --> 00:58:27,944
rural or smaller communities. Others are

1090
00:58:27,984 --> 00:58:31,724
multimillion-dollar facilities that do an extensive

1091
00:58:31,804 --> 00:58:35,284
amount of work to support the economy throughout Missouri.

1092
00:58:35,304 --> 00:58:39,024
Dan, I'll let you introduce yourself again here, and if there's

1093
00:58:39,064 --> 00:58:42,864
anything you want to add just in general summary about the workshops and the work

1094
00:58:42,924 --> 00:58:44,004
you do, that would be helpful.

1095
00:58:44,644 --> 00:58:47,094
Good morning to the honored board of the state of Missouri.

1096
00:58:47,864 --> 00:58:49,444
Basically, to answer your question,

1097
00:58:50,504 --> 00:58:54,424
Mr. Otto, is it is an environment that

1098
00:58:54,464 --> 00:58:58,344
typically, according to state statute, and I don't like the word, but is an

1099
00:58:58,384 --> 00:59:02,084
environment where the unemployable have an ability to become

1100
00:59:02,184 --> 00:59:02,784
employed.

1101
00:59:04,064 --> 00:59:07,264
There is a certification process where that individual must have an

1102
00:59:07,784 --> 00:59:11,404
educational experience, aka an IEP, a

1103
00:59:11,484 --> 00:59:13,024
transition program furnished-

1104
00:59:13,184 --> 00:59:14,584
About is the choice

1105
00:59:15,524 --> 00:59:19,484
that's before the families and before that individual to make that determination.

1106
00:59:19,513 --> 00:59:23,414
And you'll hear through some of the other proposals here that we're

1107
00:59:23,524 --> 00:59:27,504
actually, by suggesting amendments to some of these

1108
00:59:27,584 --> 00:59:31,464
rules, open up the opportunity for those folks in those sheltered workshops

1109
00:59:31,504 --> 00:59:32,884
to consider

1110
00:59:33,804 --> 00:59:37,564
employment beyond the sheltered workshops with

1111
00:59:37,684 --> 00:59:41,524
less regulation for them to be able to come back if they find that that

1112
00:59:41,584 --> 00:59:45,064
is not the best-suited environment for them based on their needs and

1113
00:59:45,524 --> 00:59:48,784
their interests. So, again, going back to this first

1114
00:59:49,264 --> 00:59:53,044
summary of change, talking about just reducing those hours from 12 to

1115
00:59:53,124 --> 00:59:56,624
10, and essentially what that does is it reduces the amount of time

1116
00:59:57,684 --> 01:00:00,924
down to approximately two days based on the work hours that they

1117
01:00:00,964 --> 01:00:04,894
have, where they would go potentially unassigned

1118
01:00:04,904 --> 01:00:08,604
and still be able to provide that training within that period of time.

1119
01:00:09,054 --> 01:00:12,864
And then changing the language from the subminimum wage to a

1120
01:00:12,904 --> 01:00:16,624
commensurate wage, which matches what you see in the

1121
01:00:16,684 --> 01:00:17,784
US Department of Labor.

1122
01:00:21,484 --> 01:00:24,024
We go to the next, 170.

1123
01:00:24,824 --> 01:00:28,504
This basically increases the minimum hourly wage for those eligible

1124
01:00:28,524 --> 01:00:30,184
employees to 30%,

1125
01:00:31,504 --> 01:00:35,064
and that's based on the US

1126
01:00:35,924 --> 01:00:37,944
Department of Labor minimum wage.

1127
01:00:38,884 --> 01:00:42,444
In addition to that, it increases the maximum percentage, again, of

1128
01:00:42,504 --> 01:00:45,864
vocational related time for training from 10 to

1129
01:00:46,044 --> 01:00:49,864
30%, and then talking about a statutory citation

1130
01:00:49,904 --> 01:00:53,724
because this reference statute has been rescinded

1131
01:00:53,764 --> 01:00:56,984
since this rule had been updated. So, it just improves accuracy and

1132
01:00:57,044 --> 01:00:58,844
clarity on that piece.

1133
01:01:01,424 --> 01:01:05,344
The next talks about allowing for the extended

1134
01:01:05,384 --> 01:01:08,924
amount of time for those annual reports from four to seven months, and that's based

1135
01:01:08,984 --> 01:01:11,264
on the stakeholder engagement needs.

1136
01:01:11,604 --> 01:01:15,154
As they've noted through their processes, sometimes it takes that

1137
01:01:15,204 --> 01:01:19,134
long for auditors to become available for them to complete their

1138
01:01:19,204 --> 01:01:23,144
necessary work. That gives them the extra time to do so and allows us

1139
01:01:23,184 --> 01:01:26,104
to get more thorough and complete applications at that time.

1140
01:01:29,514 --> 01:01:33,114
Again, we see the change in language from subminimum wage to

1141
01:01:33,174 --> 01:01:37,114
commensurate wage. And then this is a piece where I spoke of

1142
01:01:37,174 --> 01:01:38,114
just a moment ago,

1143
01:01:38,914 --> 01:01:42,674
that eligible employees can reapply for certification one year after

1144
01:01:42,714 --> 01:01:45,034
leaving the sheltered workshop.

1145
01:01:46,174 --> 01:01:46,534
And this

1146
01:01:47,634 --> 01:01:51,104
addresses that perceived barrier that some might not

1147
01:01:51,134 --> 01:01:54,644
pursue employment outside if there's a concern or a

1148
01:01:54,714 --> 01:01:58,634
difficulty returning to the workshop, if they have that opportunity and decide

1149
01:01:58,694 --> 01:02:00,534
that's the choice that they end up making.

1150
01:02:02,694 --> 01:02:03,814
And then lastly,

1151
01:02:05,094 --> 01:02:08,674
the disbursement of funds, and this just updates statutory citation

1152
01:02:08,754 --> 01:02:12,674
again, and it just references the statute that has been

1153
01:02:12,714 --> 01:02:14,754
rescinded and adjusts that as such.

1154
01:02:15,834 --> 01:02:19,534
So at this time, the department recommends the State Board of Education

1155
01:02:19,614 --> 01:02:23,494
authorize publication to the Missouri Register of a

1156
01:02:23,574 --> 01:02:27,174
notice of proposed rulemaking to amend those rules as we just

1157
01:02:27,234 --> 01:02:30,854
shared just a few moments ago, and for the

1158
01:02:30,894 --> 01:02:32,734
extended employment sheltered workshops.

1159
01:02:33,574 --> 01:02:34,154
So moved.

1160
01:02:34,654 --> 01:02:34,994
Second.

1161
01:02:35,534 --> 01:02:39,334
We have a motion and a second. All those in favor say,

1162
01:02:39,944 --> 01:02:40,184
"Aye."

1163
01:02:40,184 --> 01:02:40,214
Aye.

1164
01:02:40,914 --> 01:02:41,094
Aye.

1165
01:02:41,294 --> 01:02:45,104
Any opposed? Hearing none, that passes forward.

1166
01:02:45,534 --> 01:02:46,074
Thank you all.

1167
01:02:46,934 --> 01:02:47,354
You're welcome.

1168
01:02:47,694 --> 01:02:51,354
I have a quick question unrelated to that rule, but our

1169
01:02:51,434 --> 01:02:55,174
new rule process, I thought they were not going to come before

1170
01:02:55,254 --> 01:02:58,094
us until they had been out for public comment,

1171
01:02:59,054 --> 01:03:00,414
and then they would come before us.

1172
01:03:00,694 --> 01:03:04,574
Maybe when we get a legislative update, it would be valuable for

1173
01:03:04,634 --> 01:03:07,494
Megan to remind us of the rule process,

1174
01:03:09,674 --> 01:03:10,514
and save it for then.

1175
01:03:12,814 --> 01:03:16,574
Okay. At this time, we have budget discussions

1176
01:03:17,434 --> 01:03:18,574
with Dr. Cruz.

1177
01:03:33,234 --> 01:03:36,624
Good morning. Kyle Cruz, Deputy Commissioner for Financial and Administrative

1178
01:03:36,734 --> 01:03:39,914
Services, and I'm joined by Rebecca Jackson, Chief Budget

1179
01:03:40,013 --> 01:03:40,933
Officer.

1180
01:03:49,414 --> 01:03:52,994
To begin, I'd like to say I very much appreciate Board Member

1181
01:03:53,094 --> 01:03:56,894
Casey's explanation of the budget process and how the board can shape the

1182
01:03:56,934 --> 01:03:57,274
budget.

1183
01:03:58,374 --> 01:04:01,684
I will note that with their help already, we have accelerated the existing

1184
01:04:01,774 --> 01:04:03,314
process.

1185
01:04:04,154 --> 01:04:07,634
Typically in August, in years past, the board has received a high-level

1186
01:04:07,874 --> 01:04:11,414
overview of the budget. But we have actually

1187
01:04:11,474 --> 01:04:15,134
accelerated the process so that we're bringing you today a

1188
01:04:15,144 --> 01:04:18,774
draft version of the numbers and the supplemental requests,

1189
01:04:19,374 --> 01:04:20,834
and the new decision item requests.

1190
01:04:21,374 --> 01:04:24,834
And that is a direct result of the action of the Finance Committee.

1191
01:04:24,884 --> 01:04:25,794
I appreciate their

1192
01:04:27,514 --> 01:04:31,074
participation in the process and look forward to continuing to work with

1193
01:04:31,434 --> 01:04:34,994
Board Member Casey and Board Member Otto to continue

1194
01:04:35,054 --> 01:04:36,434
to engage the board.

1195
01:04:37,614 --> 01:04:41,523
Opening slide. First, I'll note that all information in this

1196
01:04:41,534 --> 01:04:44,394
presentation is in early draft form.

1197
01:04:45,234 --> 01:04:49,134
We are continuing to work to refine the supplemental and new decision items.

1198
01:04:49,854 --> 01:04:53,654
We've also not yet screened the request, as per the budget

1199
01:04:53,674 --> 01:04:56,714
instructions that recently came from the Office of Administration,

1200
01:04:57,574 --> 01:04:59,974
and we will be discussing that momentarily.

1201
01:05:00,434 --> 01:05:03,754
Some of these requests may not end up in the final budget

1202
01:05:04,214 --> 01:05:08,114
proposal due to the instructions, but we want to make sure the board has

1203
01:05:08,234 --> 01:05:11,574
full knowledge of all budget requests that are being considered.

1204
01:05:12,174 --> 01:05:16,134
So what you see today, as far as the supplementals and new decision items,

1205
01:05:17,334 --> 01:05:20,694
they won't all end up in the final budget proposal that goes

1206
01:05:20,974 --> 01:05:22,854
in for legislative consideration.

1207
01:05:24,454 --> 01:05:28,374
A few notes, and our new board members heard much of this yesterday, but

1208
01:05:28,414 --> 01:05:32,334
just a reminder, that the budget begins with what we

1209
01:05:32,354 --> 01:05:35,934
refer to as the core of the budget. And that

1210
01:05:36,074 --> 01:05:39,273
is the prior year's budget minus

1211
01:05:39,714 --> 01:05:42,794
one-time funds. The legislature will mark some

1212
01:05:42,854 --> 01:05:46,754
funds in the budget as one-time, meaning that they

1213
01:05:46,773 --> 01:05:48,694
cannot be just simply brought forward.

1214
01:05:49,254 --> 01:05:52,594
And actually, there is some money like that in the current

1215
01:05:53,134 --> 01:05:57,094
fiscal year '27 foundation formula, and that'll be a point

1216
01:05:57,214 --> 01:05:58,334
we'll discuss here in a moment.

1217
01:06:01,534 --> 01:06:04,354
Each year we do get budget instructions, and

1218
01:06:05,274 --> 01:06:08,314
the instructions we have, in brief, are as follows.

1219
01:06:09,094 --> 01:06:12,554
For supplemental requests, and that is for the current year,

1220
01:06:13,194 --> 01:06:15,374
fiscal year '27, the year we're already in,

1221
01:06:16,574 --> 01:06:20,294
departments may request mandatory supplemental decision

1222
01:06:20,374 --> 01:06:24,114
items and limit those requests to essential items that cannot

1223
01:06:24,154 --> 01:06:25,723
wait until the next fiscal year.

1224
01:06:26,834 --> 01:06:30,804
For new decision items, and that is for the next year's budget, that is

1225
01:06:30,834 --> 01:06:34,194
the '27, '28 fiscal year and school year budget,

1226
01:06:35,094 --> 01:06:38,674
departments may request general revenue for mandatory

1227
01:06:38,994 --> 01:06:39,694
items only.

1228
01:06:40,514 --> 01:06:44,294
We can request other new decision items funded via

1229
01:06:44,394 --> 01:06:47,814
federal or other funds. So really, the restriction

1230
01:06:47,974 --> 01:06:51,874
is tied largely to the State of Missouri general

1231
01:06:51,974 --> 01:06:55,854
revenue. As you know, we are in a bit of a budget crunch right now, and

1232
01:06:55,894 --> 01:06:57,184
general revenue is at a premium.

1233
01:06:57,994 --> 01:07:01,984
Mandatory items are typically those that are in statute, or

1234
01:07:02,014 --> 01:07:05,854
they're formula obligated, if there are federal mandates, if there's some

1235
01:07:05,914 --> 01:07:09,434
kind of a maintenance of effort requirement, or even cost

1236
01:07:09,474 --> 01:07:13,104
increases that are simply across state governments, such as insurance, retirement,

1237
01:07:13,794 --> 01:07:17,174
or items that are legally or judicially

1238
01:07:17,234 --> 01:07:20,774
mandated. So that'll all come through here in a few moments.

1239
01:07:22,794 --> 01:07:26,134
Once again, we're going to look today at supplementals

1240
01:07:26,674 --> 01:07:28,614
for fiscal year '27, current year,

1241
01:07:29,534 --> 01:07:32,184
and new decision items for fiscal year '28.

1242
01:07:34,850 --> 01:07:38,610
The first item I'll bring to your attention is the foundation formula

1243
01:07:38,670 --> 01:07:41,950
increase, and board member Casey brought this up during

1244
01:07:42,010 --> 01:07:44,150
her finance committee report.

1245
01:07:44,970 --> 01:07:45,630
Essentially,

1246
01:07:47,290 --> 01:07:49,330
the formula is calculated in statute,

1247
01:07:50,890 --> 01:07:54,570
and we are simply carrying out the calculations involved.

1248
01:07:55,580 --> 01:07:59,310
The request of $400 million at this point is an

1249
01:07:59,450 --> 01:08:02,490
estimate. Those numbers have not yet been completed.

1250
01:08:02,550 --> 01:08:05,890
We're still waiting on some data, and the data's being calculated.

1251
01:08:06,450 --> 01:08:08,290
But to put it in brief,

1252
01:08:09,320 --> 01:08:13,010
the reason we have a $400 million request for additional

1253
01:08:13,050 --> 01:08:15,990
money for the formula is due to a few factors.

1254
01:08:16,730 --> 01:08:20,110
First, there was a request of 190 million

1255
01:08:20,811 --> 01:08:24,391
in fiscal year '27 that was not approved, so that

1256
01:08:24,530 --> 01:08:28,510
formula call remains. There is also a little

1257
01:08:28,590 --> 01:08:31,160
over $100 million in one-time money

1258
01:08:32,110 --> 01:08:35,351
that was put in for formula funding in fiscal year '27.

1259
01:08:35,990 --> 01:08:39,530
So since that's one-time money, in order for it to be here again, we have to

1260
01:08:39,570 --> 01:08:42,630
request it again. So right there, you're at about $290

1261
01:08:42,690 --> 01:08:44,450
million in new requests.

1262
01:08:45,351 --> 01:08:47,449
Then there are a couple other items in the formula.

1263
01:08:48,971 --> 01:08:52,870
One pertains to an incentive that was provided for

1264
01:08:53,471 --> 01:08:56,931
school districts to have a calendar of at least 169 days,

1265
01:08:57,891 --> 01:09:01,230
and that was first a 1%

1266
01:09:01,891 --> 01:09:05,780
of state funding incentive. However, after the first two years, it goes

1267
01:09:05,811 --> 01:09:09,630
to 2%. So right now, that number could look like about $66

1268
01:09:09,670 --> 01:09:10,330
million.

1269
01:09:11,170 --> 01:09:15,080
In addition, there's also a five-year phase-in of

1270
01:09:15,110 --> 01:09:17,750
a change in how we count students for the formula.

1271
01:09:18,311 --> 01:09:21,730
We've always counted students under a term called weighted

1272
01:09:22,391 --> 01:09:26,030
average daily attendance. Essentially, if one

1273
01:09:26,170 --> 01:09:30,141
student comes to school every day, all day, every

1274
01:09:30,271 --> 01:09:33,050
hour, throughout the year, that's one ADA.

1275
01:09:34,000 --> 01:09:37,891
And then the weighting refers to the extra dollars schools get

1276
01:09:38,130 --> 01:09:42,090
if they have more than the average number of free reduced

1277
01:09:42,150 --> 01:09:45,790
lunch students or special ed students or limited English

1278
01:09:45,809 --> 01:09:49,570
students. So we've always counted students based on

1279
01:09:49,630 --> 01:09:53,490
weighted ADA. However, a few years ago, it was

1280
01:09:53,550 --> 01:09:57,090
recognized that some districts have struggle with

1281
01:09:57,099 --> 01:10:00,790
attendance, but they still have to staff for the full number of

1282
01:10:00,870 --> 01:10:04,030
students. And there's an argument that weighted average

1283
01:10:04,190 --> 01:10:08,130
membership, how many kids are enrolled essentially, should also

1284
01:10:08,150 --> 01:10:08,830
be considered.

1285
01:10:09,630 --> 01:10:13,290
So we're in the process of a five-year phase-in of

1286
01:10:13,930 --> 01:10:14,910
counting students

1287
01:10:16,190 --> 01:10:19,050
50% by weighted average daily attendance and

1288
01:10:19,610 --> 01:10:21,810
50% by weighted average membership.

1289
01:10:22,550 --> 01:10:25,810
And each year as we phase in, the cost is about $40

1290
01:10:25,850 --> 01:10:29,770
million. So you can see between the $190 million

1291
01:10:29,830 --> 01:10:33,410
request, plus the one-time money that has to be

1292
01:10:33,470 --> 01:10:36,610
replaced, plus the calendar incentive,

1293
01:10:37,210 --> 01:10:38,570
plus the

1294
01:10:39,510 --> 01:10:43,390
WADA/WAM, weighted average

1295
01:10:43,430 --> 01:10:47,030
daily attendance, weighted average membership calculation, we're approaching

1296
01:10:47,050 --> 01:10:50,850
$390 million, $400 million. Again, this is an

1297
01:10:50,950 --> 01:10:51,390
estimate.

1298
01:10:52,430 --> 01:10:56,370
I will note that we do realize this is a very large request,

1299
01:10:56,730 --> 01:11:00,490
especially in this budget year, and we

1300
01:11:00,530 --> 01:11:03,780
understand there will be questions about

1301
01:11:03,810 --> 01:11:06,870
the likelihood of whether that all comes to pass.

1302
01:11:07,670 --> 01:11:11,270
But there's also the viewpoint that the legislature has

1303
01:11:11,370 --> 01:11:14,840
spoken in terms of how they choose to fund schools,

1304
01:11:15,350 --> 01:11:18,390
and it's in statute, and so we're carrying out the calculations

1305
01:11:18,430 --> 01:11:22,350
provided and following the directions provided in statute.

1306
01:11:23,070 --> 01:11:26,950
So that's essentially the basis of the

1307
01:11:26,990 --> 01:11:30,710
foundation formula, $400 million estimated

1308
01:11:31,150 --> 01:11:34,430
request. I will remind you again, though, those calculations have not been

1309
01:11:34,450 --> 01:11:34,900
completed,

1310
01:11:35,750 --> 01:11:39,470
so there's still some things to go through before we actually get to the final

1311
01:11:39,530 --> 01:11:42,910
number. I thought it might be helpful, though, to spend a little

1312
01:11:42,970 --> 01:11:46,490
time and talk with the board about what

1313
01:11:46,610 --> 01:11:50,290
goes into the foundation formula and how it's calculated.

1314
01:11:51,430 --> 01:11:55,150
And I usually talk about the formula in three parts.

1315
01:11:55,870 --> 01:11:59,390
It's not actually broken in three parts, but it's actually helpful, I think, to

1316
01:11:59,430 --> 01:12:02,410
think of it that way. You have the original formula,

1317
01:12:03,290 --> 01:12:06,930
which generates what's called a state adequacy target,

1318
01:12:07,730 --> 01:12:11,270
and that's the amount of money that theoretically should be available to

1319
01:12:11,330 --> 01:12:12,530
educate each student,

1320
01:12:13,450 --> 01:12:17,270
and the key is through a combination of local

1321
01:12:17,350 --> 01:12:19,350
effort money, local tax rate,

1322
01:12:20,250 --> 01:12:24,239
and state money. And then there's a calculation in the formula

1323
01:12:24,950 --> 01:12:25,330
that

1324
01:12:26,330 --> 01:12:29,390
calculates what the local effort could, should be.

1325
01:12:30,310 --> 01:12:33,870
And then we simply take the state adequacy target,

1326
01:12:34,550 --> 01:12:37,090
which this year is $7,145.

1327
01:12:38,110 --> 01:12:42,080
For each district, we subtract off the amount that

1328
01:12:42,110 --> 01:12:44,460
the formula says they should be providing locally,

1329
01:12:45,590 --> 01:12:49,410
and then the remainder is the amount that should be provided in state money,

1330
01:12:49,730 --> 01:12:53,450
and it differs by district. There are some districts in the state that are

1331
01:12:53,470 --> 01:12:57,370
receiving less than $600 per student because of their local effort,

1332
01:12:57,950 --> 01:13:01,360
and there's some districts that are receiving $5,000 per student or more

1333
01:13:01,690 --> 01:13:05,150
because their local effort is not there to support those students.

1334
01:13:06,110 --> 01:13:10,090
But when we calculate the formula, we have to update the average

1335
01:13:10,150 --> 01:13:12,090
daily attendance numbers from across the state.

1336
01:13:13,530 --> 01:13:15,490
The dollar value modifier, DVM,

1337
01:13:16,310 --> 01:13:20,250
is a factor that's intended to compensate for the fact that in

1338
01:13:20,330 --> 01:13:24,310
some parts of the state, things simply cost more. The labor in St.

1339
01:13:24,510 --> 01:13:27,310
Louis costs more than it does in a rural part of Missouri.

1340
01:13:28,710 --> 01:13:32,610
If there's a change to the state adequacy target, we do put that in.

1341
01:13:32,770 --> 01:13:33,690
There's been no change.

1342
01:13:34,730 --> 01:13:38,210
If there's a change in which schools are held harmless,

1343
01:13:38,670 --> 01:13:42,150
and that is they're still receiving money at the rate they would have under the old

1344
01:13:42,190 --> 01:13:45,954
formula Because the new formula did not treat them as well.

1345
01:13:45,994 --> 01:13:48,094
There's sometimes minor changes there.

1346
01:13:48,994 --> 01:13:50,854
There's a change in case,

1347
01:13:51,794 --> 01:13:55,374
and this is a little unusual, if there's some change to local effort,

1348
01:13:55,894 --> 01:13:59,834
say, a district has their assessed valuation drop below a certain level,

1349
01:13:59,914 --> 01:14:02,274
so their local effort changes, that's calc'd in.

1350
01:14:03,994 --> 01:14:07,914
Every other year, we recalculate the thresholds for at what point you get

1351
01:14:07,934 --> 01:14:11,254
additional money for pre-reduced lunch students,

1352
01:14:11,774 --> 01:14:14,734
special ed students, limited English proficient students.

1353
01:14:15,253 --> 01:14:19,034
And if those thresholds have changed and the numbers in a school has changed,

1354
01:14:19,454 --> 01:14:22,094
there's an additional or subtraction amount of the cost.

1355
01:14:23,014 --> 01:14:26,694
There's the WADA/WAM phase-in

1356
01:14:27,094 --> 01:14:29,494
I discussed, about $40 million per year.

1357
01:14:30,194 --> 01:14:33,974
And there's also a piece of the formula that's been built in

1358
01:14:34,114 --> 01:14:37,874
as the modifications to the original machinery that

1359
01:14:37,954 --> 01:14:41,354
actually helps fund charter school local

1360
01:14:41,474 --> 01:14:45,394
effort. When a student goes from a public school and

1361
01:14:46,834 --> 01:14:50,434
goes to a charter school, the state aid for that student gets

1362
01:14:50,454 --> 01:14:54,074
diverted from the public school payment and sent to the charter school.

1363
01:14:54,974 --> 01:14:58,794
But there should also be a local effort amount because charter schools don't

1364
01:14:58,874 --> 01:15:01,794
generate local property tax. So, an

1365
01:15:01,854 --> 01:15:04,834
amount that is intended to

1366
01:15:06,954 --> 01:15:10,794
signify the local effort is also taken out of the public school

1367
01:15:10,874 --> 01:15:12,854
state aid and sent to the charter school.

1368
01:15:13,634 --> 01:15:17,074
When you have so many students that move from public to charter schools, you hit a

1369
01:15:17,114 --> 01:15:21,074
point where there's no state aid left to take from

1370
01:15:21,134 --> 01:15:24,854
to accommodate the local effort for the charter school.

1371
01:15:25,594 --> 01:15:28,474
And so by statute, DESE is required to make up that difference.

1372
01:15:29,014 --> 01:15:31,974
And in this example, by the way, these numbers are from last year.

1373
01:15:32,354 --> 01:15:33,434
This is not current year.

1374
01:15:34,334 --> 01:15:37,874
These are last year's, just for example, because we have not gotten the new numbers

1375
01:15:37,934 --> 01:15:41,754
yet. But last year, the change to charter school local effort was about

1376
01:15:41,774 --> 01:15:42,534
$51 million.

1377
01:15:44,234 --> 01:15:45,834
Any questions at this moment?

1378
01:15:48,374 --> 01:15:49,354
Okay, moving forward.

1379
01:15:50,334 --> 01:15:51,254
In addition to

1380
01:15:52,214 --> 01:15:54,173
the original machinery of the formula

1381
01:15:55,014 --> 01:15:58,854
and then the modifications to the formula, the charter school local effort,

1382
01:15:59,014 --> 01:16:02,994
and the WAM/WADA, there are also a number of

1383
01:16:03,114 --> 01:16:06,754
special payments that are essentially stacked on top of the

1384
01:16:06,814 --> 01:16:07,214
formula.

1385
01:16:08,134 --> 01:16:11,894
And I mentioned the 169-day counter incentive a

1386
01:16:11,934 --> 01:16:12,434
moment ago.

1387
01:16:13,344 --> 01:16:17,213
There is still a kindergarten payment that dates back '70s, from when

1388
01:16:17,254 --> 01:16:20,714
kindergarten wasn't mandatory. I think there are four districts still receive a

1389
01:16:20,774 --> 01:16:22,694
small amount of money to have kindergarten.

1390
01:16:23,434 --> 01:16:27,114
There was change in the formula about schools and how they

1391
01:16:27,154 --> 01:16:31,034
receive fine money, about how they received financial institution

1392
01:16:31,094 --> 01:16:31,714
tax money.

1393
01:16:33,334 --> 01:16:34,314
Virtual host school

1394
01:16:35,254 --> 01:16:36,594
has become a larger number.

1395
01:16:37,474 --> 01:16:38,614
In last year's budget,

1396
01:16:40,374 --> 01:16:44,054
it was about $135 million we projected to spend on

1397
01:16:44,094 --> 01:16:45,214
virtual host schools.

1398
01:16:46,874 --> 01:16:50,794
It's a program where about

1399
01:16:50,834 --> 01:16:54,594
12 or 13 local Missouri districts so far have

1400
01:16:54,674 --> 01:16:56,714
chosen to be a virtual host school.

1401
01:16:57,334 --> 01:17:01,134
And what that means is that in addition to having, for say,

1402
01:17:01,374 --> 01:17:04,614
an elementary school for students that reside in the district,

1403
01:17:05,314 --> 01:17:08,754
and a middle school for students that reside in the district, and a high

1404
01:17:08,794 --> 01:17:12,514
school for students that reside in the district, they also have a

1405
01:17:12,574 --> 01:17:13,074
building

1406
01:17:13,974 --> 01:17:17,814
for virtual students, and they can accept students from throughout the

1407
01:17:17,914 --> 01:17:21,114
state as virtual students. And generally,

1408
01:17:21,524 --> 01:17:25,154
those school districts contract with a provider, a vendor,

1409
01:17:25,674 --> 01:17:27,234
to provide the virtual education.

1410
01:17:27,974 --> 01:17:31,614
And for doing so, they receive for each of the virtual students

1411
01:17:32,914 --> 01:17:36,834
the amount of the state adequacy target at the

1412
01:17:36,894 --> 01:17:40,794
level it's being paid. I mentioned earlier the state adequacy

1413
01:17:40,814 --> 01:17:44,574
target is calculated at $7,145.

1414
01:17:45,354 --> 01:17:49,114
Well, when the budget does not accommodate the full amount, it gets dialed

1415
01:17:49,194 --> 01:17:50,614
down. And so,

1416
01:17:51,814 --> 01:17:55,114
the virtual host schools will receive the dialed down

1417
01:17:55,154 --> 01:17:58,824
amount of the state adequacy target for each of their virtual

1418
01:17:58,934 --> 01:18:01,054
students. And that number's been increasing.

1419
01:18:01,114 --> 01:18:04,434
I think a few years ago, the budget was $12 million, then 25, then

1420
01:18:04,653 --> 01:18:08,514
67, then 135 last year, and I expect that

1421
01:18:08,554 --> 01:18:09,954
number will increase again this year.

1422
01:18:12,054 --> 01:18:15,994
There is a payment which is being phased out, a MO Scholars payment.

1423
01:18:16,334 --> 01:18:19,294
That number is sun setting and will no longer be included.

1424
01:18:20,874 --> 01:18:24,594
That's simply a payment to keep school districts whole for any

1425
01:18:24,694 --> 01:18:28,394
student that leaves their district by taking advantage of a MO Scholars

1426
01:18:29,914 --> 01:18:30,874
tax voucher credit.

1427
01:18:31,734 --> 01:18:35,054
There's a minor residential care facility adjustment, and then there's also a

1428
01:18:35,074 --> 01:18:38,994
provision for Show-Me diplomas. But at this time, no one is offering Show-Me

1429
01:18:39,054 --> 01:18:42,934
diplomas. So again, you have the original formula

1430
01:18:42,994 --> 01:18:43,514
machinery,

1431
01:18:44,394 --> 01:18:48,194
you have the modifications, the charter school, local effort, and the

1432
01:18:49,114 --> 01:18:52,794
WAM/WADA, and then you have all the special

1433
01:18:52,894 --> 01:18:56,494
payments stacked on top that create the full funding

1434
01:18:56,554 --> 01:18:57,334
formula draw.

1435
01:18:58,474 --> 01:19:02,094
Any questions about that? I think I've reviewed this a few times over the

1436
01:19:02,394 --> 01:19:03,714
past few months. But yes.

1437
01:19:04,534 --> 01:19:06,674
Just to be clear, that this

1438
01:19:07,614 --> 01:19:09,574
estimate of $200 million, the

1439
01:19:10,374 --> 01:19:14,314
$67 million, and then there's another

1440
01:19:14,334 --> 01:19:17,794
$100 million, that's what all comprise this $400 million

1441
01:19:17,974 --> 01:19:18,814
estimated request?

1442
01:19:18,914 --> 01:19:20,694
No. Let me clarify that again.

1443
01:19:22,134 --> 01:19:23,154
The $400 million

1444
01:19:24,434 --> 01:19:24,894
is

1445
01:19:25,874 --> 01:19:29,214
essentially the basic formula stuff

1446
01:19:30,374 --> 01:19:34,354
from last year, plus the $190 million request

1447
01:19:34,364 --> 01:19:35,164
that we didn't get,

1448
01:19:36,214 --> 01:19:40,114
plus the one-time money that's in the fiscal year '27

1449
01:19:40,174 --> 01:19:43,934
budget that'll have to be replaced, plus the next year phase

1450
01:19:44,014 --> 01:19:47,994
in for the weighted average daily attendance/weighted

1451
01:19:48,054 --> 01:19:50,834
average membership, plus the increase

1452
01:19:51,314 --> 01:19:52,334
for the

1453
01:19:53,144 --> 01:19:55,084
169-day calendar incentive.

1454
01:19:56,004 --> 01:19:56,864
These numbers here,

1455
01:19:57,904 --> 01:20:01,804
the ones we just looked at, those are from last year, and I provided

1456
01:20:01,844 --> 01:20:04,164
them just for explanation purposes.

1457
01:20:04,564 --> 01:20:08,504
There will be a similar set of numbers calculated for the fiscal year '28

1458
01:20:08,584 --> 01:20:10,624
budget, but we don't have them yet.

1459
01:20:10,704 --> 01:20:14,684
So these numbers in black are from last year, but I think

1460
01:20:14,704 --> 01:20:17,624
they help explain all the pieces that go into the formula.

1461
01:20:18,744 --> 01:20:19,664
Did that answer your question?

1462
01:20:20,984 --> 01:20:23,764
I think so. It really was just to make sure everybody else could understand-

1463
01:20:24,044 --> 01:20:24,264
Thank you

1464
01:20:24,284 --> 01:20:25,764
... that 400, that's for-

1465
01:20:26,084 --> 01:20:26,904
New members, it's a lot

1466
01:20:27,484 --> 01:20:29,524
... yeah, go into that $400 million ask.

1467
01:20:29,584 --> 01:20:33,144
I have a question. So when you talk about things like incentives, so the

1468
01:20:33,164 --> 01:20:34,924
169-day incentive,

1469
01:20:35,904 --> 01:20:39,624
is there any data to show that those schools who

1470
01:20:39,684 --> 01:20:42,344
collect that actually have improved outcomes?

1471
01:20:43,144 --> 01:20:46,664
And is there a way to evaluate how we continue that funding?

1472
01:20:47,164 --> 01:20:50,764
That's a great question. And this is a statutory

1473
01:20:50,824 --> 01:20:51,164
change.

1474
01:20:51,184 --> 01:20:51,253
Okay.

1475
01:20:51,284 --> 01:20:52,564
It did not originate with DESE.

1476
01:20:52,964 --> 01:20:53,114
Got it.

1477
01:20:53,304 --> 01:20:56,944
I think there were some legislators who were looking at the growing

1478
01:20:57,024 --> 01:20:58,604
popularity of the four-day week,

1479
01:20:59,404 --> 01:21:00,484
and they believe that

1480
01:21:01,404 --> 01:21:04,714
a five-day week may serve students better, and they added the

1481
01:21:04,764 --> 01:21:05,764
incentive to

1482
01:21:07,524 --> 01:21:11,484
give districts a little more incentive to keep

1483
01:21:11,524 --> 01:21:14,904
a five-day week. As far as the four-day week and the

1484
01:21:14,984 --> 01:21:15,534
outcomes,

1485
01:21:17,524 --> 01:21:21,484
all I can say so far is generally the reviews

1486
01:21:21,504 --> 01:21:25,384
are mixed, but without spending some more time and

1487
01:21:25,444 --> 01:21:29,424
going more in depth, I would hesitate to make any kind of a statement about one is

1488
01:21:29,484 --> 01:21:32,664
superior to the other or one is providing less results than the other.

1489
01:21:33,424 --> 01:21:37,004
At this point, I'm not sure they've seen a consistent

1490
01:21:37,104 --> 01:21:38,224
change between the two.

1491
01:21:39,104 --> 01:21:43,044
And from a committee standpoint, that's the example of what will

1492
01:21:43,104 --> 01:21:44,744
be being reviewed by the committee.

1493
01:21:44,824 --> 01:21:48,084
Now, we don't have the power to say remove it from the budget, but it would

1494
01:21:48,104 --> 01:21:51,824
align over to legislative priorities because currently it's

1495
01:21:51,844 --> 01:21:54,964
required by the legislature. But that said,

1496
01:21:55,744 --> 01:21:59,184
looking at it as well through the lens of the modernization of the

1497
01:21:59,204 --> 01:21:59,824
formula,

1498
01:22:01,844 --> 01:22:05,334
it could be a factor there as well. So, but those are the things that we're going

1499
01:22:05,344 --> 01:22:06,024
to be looking at.

1500
01:22:06,384 --> 01:22:07,904
Yeah. Thank you, Board Member Casey.

1501
01:22:08,764 --> 01:22:12,024
That actually brings up the last point I wanted to give you about the formula.

1502
01:22:12,744 --> 01:22:13,504
And that is

1503
01:22:14,384 --> 01:22:16,584
when you look at our request of $400 million,

1504
01:22:17,504 --> 01:22:18,444
that's a big number.

1505
01:22:19,264 --> 01:22:22,944
And last year, the legislature was not able to appropriate the

1506
01:22:22,954 --> 01:22:26,844
$190 million that was asked. So we understand that this was a

1507
01:22:26,884 --> 01:22:30,864
big ask and there will be a lot of ground between here and there for the

1508
01:22:30,904 --> 01:22:34,724
legislature to consider. For the board's information, I

1509
01:22:34,784 --> 01:22:38,424
wanted to make sure we have an understanding of what happens when the formula

1510
01:22:38,604 --> 01:22:40,304
is not fully funded.

1511
01:22:41,444 --> 01:22:44,924
And there's really only one dial

1512
01:22:45,084 --> 01:22:48,574
mechanism to account for the formula not being fully funded,

1513
01:22:49,244 --> 01:22:52,464
and that is we have to adjust the state adequacy target,

1514
01:22:53,664 --> 01:22:56,044
and it's calculated right now at

1515
01:22:56,104 --> 01:22:57,804
$7,145.

1516
01:22:58,964 --> 01:23:02,434
There was a shortfall in '25/26,

1517
01:23:03,064 --> 01:23:06,304
and so we had to dial down the SAT,

1518
01:23:07,264 --> 01:23:11,164
and we ended up paying schools at a rate of $6,958.

1519
01:23:12,944 --> 01:23:13,244
For

1520
01:23:14,064 --> 01:23:17,724
current year, '26/27, based on what is in the

1521
01:23:17,804 --> 01:23:21,244
budget and what we project will happen, we are

1522
01:23:21,324 --> 01:23:25,004
hoping to be able to pay the SAT at

1523
01:23:25,064 --> 01:23:27,504
about $6,900.

1524
01:23:30,044 --> 01:23:33,844
One thing DESE does is we always start the year paying at a lower

1525
01:23:33,944 --> 01:23:34,364
amount

1526
01:23:35,424 --> 01:23:39,304
because we want to be able to build up towards the full amount by

1527
01:23:39,344 --> 01:23:42,964
the end of the year because the money's not simply all sitting

1528
01:23:43,004 --> 01:23:46,704
there at the start of the year. We have to have the money rolling into the

1529
01:23:46,764 --> 01:23:50,584
funds in order to pay it out. So at the moment, we're actually paying

1530
01:23:50,744 --> 01:23:53,084
at a rate of $6,750

1531
01:23:54,104 --> 01:23:57,824
and hope to move towards that $6,900 figure by the end of the

1532
01:23:57,924 --> 01:24:01,844
year. The last detail is that when you dial

1533
01:24:01,924 --> 01:24:02,964
down the SAT,

1534
01:24:03,904 --> 01:24:05,484
the schools that are held harmless,

1535
01:24:07,124 --> 01:24:10,484
the ones that are still receiving the amount generated by the old formula,

1536
01:24:11,184 --> 01:24:12,424
they receive their payment in full.

1537
01:24:13,883 --> 01:24:17,464
Districts that are formula-dependent take the lower SAT.

1538
01:24:18,764 --> 01:24:21,704
And this list of

1539
01:24:23,364 --> 01:24:26,804
special payments are largely

1540
01:24:26,844 --> 01:24:30,724
exempt from any effect of the state adequacy target.

1541
01:24:31,644 --> 01:24:35,584
The state adequacy target being dialed down to $6,900

1542
01:24:35,644 --> 01:24:36,484
does not affect

1543
01:24:37,664 --> 01:24:41,304
anything on this list except for the virtual host school payment.

1544
01:24:41,984 --> 01:24:45,464
Those districts are receiving an SAT amount per student,

1545
01:24:45,984 --> 01:24:49,974
so they would receive the lower SAT amount per student, but the rest of

1546
01:24:50,004 --> 01:24:53,544
these would still be paid in full. So it's a very disparate

1547
01:24:53,624 --> 01:24:57,384
effect in how a funding shortfall hits

1548
01:24:57,444 --> 01:24:58,184
different schools.

1549
01:24:59,364 --> 01:25:00,944
Any questions I can answer about this so far?

1550
01:25:01,224 --> 01:25:05,204
Yeah, the question I'd have, you touched

1551
01:25:05,264 --> 01:25:08,404
on it briefly, but on the virtual host schools, how many do we have?

1552
01:25:10,104 --> 01:25:14,024
The numbers changes. I think we had 12. We may have 13 or 14 this next year.

1553
01:25:14,064 --> 01:25:14,524
Okay. And so-

1554
01:25:14,864 --> 01:25:17,704
Some are in process of becoming virtual host schools.

1555
01:25:17,924 --> 01:25:21,904
Yeah. So at 135 million, by far the largest

1556
01:25:22,544 --> 01:25:23,084
line item.

1557
01:25:23,444 --> 01:25:26,104
It's in the special payment list. Yes, that's correct.

1558
01:25:26,304 --> 01:25:29,924
Yeah. And so how do you protect

1559
01:25:29,944 --> 01:25:30,784
efficiencies?

1560
01:25:31,724 --> 01:25:33,404
You understand what I'm questioning?

1561
01:25:34,804 --> 01:25:37,584
I do understand what you're questioning, and I think that's actually a topic that's

1562
01:25:37,624 --> 01:25:41,364
coming up in the formula task force, and Board Member Casey may have

1563
01:25:41,444 --> 01:25:43,404
a comment to make there.

1564
01:25:43,724 --> 01:25:47,604
Yes, I can add to that. Thank you. Absolutely a big part of the discussion

1565
01:25:47,664 --> 01:25:50,024
in the modernization of the formula, the way

1566
01:25:51,024 --> 01:25:52,224
Dr. Cruz described it,

1567
01:25:53,084 --> 01:25:55,324
basically these are students. There's not a separate building

1568
01:25:56,144 --> 01:26:00,074
for them, but they are students that elect to go to a virtual school,

1569
01:26:00,144 --> 01:26:03,694
and they can choose the virtual school that they go to, and we will fund

1570
01:26:03,724 --> 01:26:07,644
them. Those virtual schools, those providers

1571
01:26:08,180 --> 01:26:11,960
The 11 or so that we have then contract

1572
01:26:12,080 --> 01:26:15,740
with a public school, let's say Jefferson City Public

1573
01:26:15,820 --> 01:26:19,220
Schools, to be their kind of administrator, if you will,

1574
01:26:20,040 --> 01:26:22,060
even though they would be students from elsewhere.

1575
01:26:22,200 --> 01:26:26,040
So you'll see different amounts, different numbers of children go to

1576
01:26:26,260 --> 01:26:30,190
different virtual schools, so one school might have a larger

1577
01:26:30,280 --> 01:26:32,940
population of virtual students versus another school.

1578
01:26:34,060 --> 01:26:38,000
But that said, the funding that flows to them today through

1579
01:26:38,040 --> 01:26:38,120
the

1580
01:26:39,260 --> 01:26:43,140
host school. So if there are 10 children going to

1581
01:26:43,920 --> 01:26:47,640
virtual school X, and that they're contracted with Jefferson

1582
01:26:48,240 --> 01:26:52,160
City, then the funding for those 10 students

1583
01:26:52,220 --> 01:26:56,140
is given to Jefferson City who then gives it to the virtual school.

1584
01:26:58,220 --> 01:27:01,660
In the future, it is recommended, number one,

1585
01:27:03,080 --> 01:27:04,460
well, most importantly, that

1586
01:27:05,520 --> 01:27:08,480
funding for the virtual school should not be at

1587
01:27:08,520 --> 01:27:12,320
100% for that child because their

1588
01:27:12,380 --> 01:27:15,040
virtual school is not having to provide brick and mortar.

1589
01:27:15,140 --> 01:27:18,600
They don't have to provide transportation services and the other

1590
01:27:18,700 --> 01:27:22,620
services that are provided. So there's a recommendation to fund

1591
01:27:22,680 --> 01:27:26,640
virtual school students at a lesser amount that still

1592
01:27:26,660 --> 01:27:29,240
covers what is required for their education.

1593
01:27:31,780 --> 01:27:34,660
Thank you for that clarification. I would add that I think I spoke...

1594
01:27:35,460 --> 01:27:39,200
I assumed some knowledge. I mentioned that a school

1595
01:27:39,260 --> 01:27:43,200
district becomes a host district, and I mentioned they had an

1596
01:27:43,240 --> 01:27:45,420
elementary building, a middle school building, a high school building.

1597
01:27:46,800 --> 01:27:50,620
On our books, the virtual students that

1598
01:27:50,680 --> 01:27:51,900
go to that district,

1599
01:27:52,740 --> 01:27:56,360
they're across the state, but they are in a building as

1600
01:27:56,380 --> 01:28:00,050
designated by DESE. It's not an actual building, building, but it's on the books as

1601
01:28:00,080 --> 01:28:02,920
a building as a way to keep those students

1602
01:28:03,720 --> 01:28:07,700
in one place in terms of tracking performance and payment

1603
01:28:07,740 --> 01:28:08,180
and such.

1604
01:28:12,780 --> 01:28:14,880
How long have virtual schools been around?

1605
01:28:17,460 --> 01:28:21,040
I would have to go and look that up. I want to say we had virtual

1606
01:28:21,100 --> 01:28:25,040
schools starting somewhere in the '08, '09, '10

1607
01:28:25,440 --> 01:28:25,900
range.

1608
01:28:27,080 --> 01:28:30,760
I think it really, call it exploded or became more prominent

1609
01:28:30,800 --> 01:28:34,670
during the pandemic, and I believe we

1610
01:28:35,800 --> 01:28:39,420
normally will get a virtual school update and review in September.

1611
01:28:39,660 --> 01:28:40,880
In the fall-

1612
01:28:41,480 --> 01:28:41,490
We do

1613
01:28:41,490 --> 01:28:42,360
... we will receive one.

1614
01:28:42,700 --> 01:28:44,580
You'll receive a virtual update later on in the fall.

1615
01:28:45,100 --> 01:28:49,020
How do we evaluate their outputs?

1616
01:28:49,840 --> 01:28:50,520
Great question.

1617
01:28:52,600 --> 01:28:56,300
For each district and each building, we generate an annual

1618
01:28:56,320 --> 01:28:57,200
performance report,

1619
01:28:58,020 --> 01:28:59,620
and that's kind of the

1620
01:29:00,620 --> 01:29:04,280
way districts are accredited currently, and there are scores assigned to each

1621
01:29:04,300 --> 01:29:07,860
building and each district. And so the virtual buildings do

1622
01:29:08,000 --> 01:29:11,780
get an annual performance report score, just like every elementary

1623
01:29:11,840 --> 01:29:14,220
school and just like districts do as an aggregate.

1624
01:29:14,700 --> 01:29:17,950
So those numbers are out there and available as far as

1625
01:29:18,020 --> 01:29:21,849
how the virtual buildings are performing

1626
01:29:21,980 --> 01:29:25,680
as measured by the annual performance report, and that's part of the

1627
01:29:25,720 --> 01:29:28,140
report you'll receive later on this fall.

1628
01:29:28,180 --> 01:29:28,820
How are they doing?

1629
01:29:30,260 --> 01:29:30,900
It varies.

1630
01:29:32,320 --> 01:29:33,060
I bet it does.

1631
01:29:36,380 --> 01:29:38,340
I think that's probably where I'll leave that one for the moment.

1632
01:29:40,320 --> 01:29:40,540
Oops.

1633
01:29:41,060 --> 01:29:41,760
Mr. Matousek.

1634
01:29:41,880 --> 01:29:44,320
Yeah, thank you. Kyle, thank you for all the information.

1635
01:29:44,420 --> 01:29:44,580
I

1636
01:29:45,620 --> 01:29:47,840
think I've said this before,

1637
01:29:48,900 --> 01:29:49,140
but

1638
01:29:50,140 --> 01:29:50,880
maybe not in these words.

1639
01:29:52,060 --> 01:29:56,000
This is my opinion. I think this board and the department have a credibility issue

1640
01:29:56,060 --> 01:29:59,200
with Jefferson, with the Capitol, right?

1641
01:29:59,280 --> 01:30:00,340
With state lawmakers.

1642
01:30:04,020 --> 01:30:06,920
On the budget stuff, in my opinion,

1643
01:30:08,560 --> 01:30:10,060
it's hard for me to support

1644
01:30:11,000 --> 01:30:14,840
a $400 million increase that not a single person in this room

1645
01:30:14,900 --> 01:30:16,660
thinks we're going to get. Right? We're

1646
01:30:18,300 --> 01:30:22,040
going to ask for $190 million again that we didn't get,

1647
01:30:23,520 --> 01:30:27,260
and then we're going to add a bunch of new money to that.

1648
01:30:27,760 --> 01:30:30,039
I

1649
01:30:31,660 --> 01:30:35,420
think we lose even more credibility if that's what we submit

1650
01:30:35,880 --> 01:30:39,680
to the governor's office and the legislature, a request we know can't be funded.

1651
01:30:40,400 --> 01:30:41,500
We know it can't be funded.

1652
01:30:43,440 --> 01:30:45,840
And if the board doesn't have any discretion

1653
01:30:47,240 --> 01:30:49,000
in the request that we

1654
01:30:49,820 --> 01:30:53,420
submit to the governor, then I don't even know why we're talking about it.

1655
01:30:54,060 --> 01:30:54,520
If

1656
01:30:55,520 --> 01:30:59,500
something dictates that we've got to request $400 million more than we have,

1657
01:31:00,880 --> 01:31:04,100
why are we wasting time on it? I think we do have the discretion.

1658
01:31:05,200 --> 01:31:08,960
I do. I think our budget request could look a lot

1659
01:31:08,980 --> 01:31:10,220
different and actually

1660
01:31:10,240 --> 01:31:14,120
could

1661
01:31:14,180 --> 01:31:17,000
be a better reflection of where our priorities are.

1662
01:31:17,100 --> 01:31:19,780
The example I'll use is the 169-day incentive.

1663
01:31:21,060 --> 01:31:23,000
No position on four or five-day

1664
01:31:23,860 --> 01:31:24,900
school weeks, but

1665
01:31:26,440 --> 01:31:28,300
that program, for example,

1666
01:31:29,580 --> 01:31:31,700
the legislature has already carved it out, right?

1667
01:31:31,800 --> 01:31:35,380
They provided an exception for inclement weather days, and the only requirement to

1668
01:31:35,400 --> 01:31:39,240
get that money is to have 169 days on your calendar to start the

1669
01:31:39,280 --> 01:31:39,700
school year.

1670
01:31:40,500 --> 01:31:42,980
Doesn't actually mean you have to go 169 days,

1671
01:31:44,020 --> 01:31:45,780
as we've seen in the last year or two.

1672
01:31:45,920 --> 01:31:46,140
So,

1673
01:31:47,300 --> 01:31:51,260
to me, I'm not saying this is... But that's probably $33

1674
01:31:51,280 --> 01:31:53,520
million. We could go to the legislature and say, "Hey,

1675
01:31:54,920 --> 01:31:57,040
we could use this for something else." Right?

1676
01:31:57,130 --> 01:32:00,240
"This could be used for whatever." Right?

1677
01:32:01,600 --> 01:32:01,800
I

1678
01:32:02,680 --> 01:32:06,010
don't love the idea of submitting a budget to the

1679
01:32:06,080 --> 01:32:10,020
legislature that is $400 million more than

1680
01:32:10,040 --> 01:32:14,000
we know we're going to get. It's $190 million that we asked for last year

1681
01:32:14,020 --> 01:32:15,280
and we didn't get. I mean-

1682
01:32:16,372 --> 01:32:20,132
I don't think that makes us look good to people in the

1683
01:32:20,172 --> 01:32:22,072
legislature that deal with the budget.

1684
01:32:23,032 --> 01:32:23,632
I just don't.

1685
01:32:25,552 --> 01:32:28,532
And again, I realize this is just data, right?

1686
01:32:28,592 --> 01:32:29,122
It's numbers-

1687
01:32:29,452 --> 01:32:29,502
Sure

1688
01:32:29,832 --> 01:32:33,192
... and it's not a shot at anyone. It's just my...

1689
01:32:35,832 --> 01:32:38,832
I would agree with you, Mike. The board member who said the board has

1690
01:32:39,492 --> 01:32:41,772
significant discretion in the budget request.

1691
01:32:42,412 --> 01:32:43,652
And actually, there's

1692
01:32:45,292 --> 01:32:48,992
some more to this budget presentation, and I think you'll

1693
01:32:49,092 --> 01:32:53,052
see both where we have numbers that are calculated as per formula,

1694
01:32:53,632 --> 01:32:57,492
and we also have requests from various offices, and we also

1695
01:32:57,532 --> 01:33:01,152
have a number of requests that have been generated at the state board

1696
01:33:01,232 --> 01:33:05,132
level. So, I think you're on target, and the board will have to

1697
01:33:05,172 --> 01:33:07,032
exercise some discretion. And

1698
01:33:09,752 --> 01:33:10,512
if it's okay,

1699
01:33:11,432 --> 01:33:15,192
just kind of hold that thought, and I'll go to the next piece of this, and

1700
01:33:15,212 --> 01:33:18,772
then it's largely a board discussion about how you'd like to

1701
01:33:18,812 --> 01:33:22,372
proceed. And today, again, these are early draft numbers.

1702
01:33:23,252 --> 01:33:25,012
Let's talk about the

1703
01:33:25,092 --> 01:33:27,892
mandatory

1704
01:33:27,912 --> 01:33:29,692
instructions right now.

1705
01:33:31,252 --> 01:33:34,692
The budget instructions we got were that we can request

1706
01:33:34,732 --> 01:33:38,592
mandatory items, and those are items that are calculated

1707
01:33:38,632 --> 01:33:42,532
by formula or in statute. We can also request items that are

1708
01:33:42,572 --> 01:33:45,612
with federal funds and funds that are not general revenue.

1709
01:33:46,292 --> 01:33:46,552
So,

1710
01:33:47,932 --> 01:33:51,032
does the board have to follow those instructions exactly?

1711
01:33:51,112 --> 01:33:53,772
I think there's probably some interpretation involved

1712
01:33:54,372 --> 01:33:56,832
regarding board priorities.

1713
01:33:57,572 --> 01:34:01,352
So, the next item on the list is

1714
01:34:02,752 --> 01:34:05,632
a request for transportation dollars,

1715
01:34:06,532 --> 01:34:08,812
and this is actually a calculated number as well.

1716
01:34:09,772 --> 01:34:10,152
And

1717
01:34:11,312 --> 01:34:15,212
what we're asked to do is reimburse schools at a

1718
01:34:15,272 --> 01:34:19,072
rate of 75% of allowable costs,

1719
01:34:19,252 --> 01:34:22,852
which are specified in RSMO 163.161.

1720
01:34:23,911 --> 01:34:26,312
And that's essentially paying

1721
01:34:27,112 --> 01:34:30,622
75% of the allowable costs for running the

1722
01:34:30,712 --> 01:34:32,752
miles to get kids back and forth to school.

1723
01:34:33,392 --> 01:34:37,232
It doesn't account for any miles for ball games or field trips,

1724
01:34:37,292 --> 01:34:40,212
nothing like that. It's simply the cost of getting kids back and forth to

1725
01:34:40,272 --> 01:34:42,842
school. In order to fully fund that,

1726
01:34:44,112 --> 01:34:47,912
we would need a new decision item of about 26.5

1727
01:34:47,952 --> 01:34:48,252
million,

1728
01:34:49,452 --> 01:34:51,472
and that includes covering

1729
01:34:52,572 --> 01:34:55,952
$15.2 million that was marked one time

1730
01:34:56,652 --> 01:35:00,332
in the fiscal year '27 budget. So there's actually $15 million

1731
01:35:00,752 --> 01:35:04,462
worth of one-time money in the current year budget, and we would be asking for

1732
01:35:04,532 --> 01:35:08,352
that back, plus a calculation of 3% to cover

1733
01:35:08,372 --> 01:35:12,272
increasing costs. And again, transportation

1734
01:35:12,392 --> 01:35:13,712
is a formula-driven number.

1735
01:35:17,032 --> 01:35:20,612
The formula, is the formula the 75% in the

1736
01:35:20,672 --> 01:35:21,252
statute?

1737
01:35:22,072 --> 01:35:24,492
The formula, I don't believe is actually in the statute.

1738
01:35:24,552 --> 01:35:26,712
Okay. But the allowable cost-

1739
01:35:26,772 --> 01:35:26,882
It's in federal, yeah

1740
01:35:26,882 --> 01:35:27,352
... is in the statute.

1741
01:35:27,372 --> 01:35:28,171
That's in statute.

1742
01:35:30,012 --> 01:35:30,432
Okay.

1743
01:35:30,512 --> 01:35:34,392
We have a request for the A through F school grade card, which you'll hear a

1744
01:35:34,452 --> 01:35:36,132
bunch about later on in this meeting.

1745
01:35:36,772 --> 01:35:40,732
And that stems from the governor's executive order to publish an A

1746
01:35:40,752 --> 01:35:44,532
through F school report card with clear academic performance and

1747
01:35:44,592 --> 01:35:48,472
growth comparisons. The fiscal year '27

1748
01:35:48,612 --> 01:35:51,212
current year request would cover the

1749
01:35:52,332 --> 01:35:55,992
IT build and changes to MOSIS and Core Data.

1750
01:35:56,132 --> 01:35:59,632
Those are programs we use here at the department to collect information.

1751
01:36:00,432 --> 01:36:04,352
The fiscal year '28 new decision item would

1752
01:36:04,412 --> 01:36:08,032
cover the annual work maintaining the system,

1753
01:36:08,332 --> 01:36:11,921
reporting, and also support to identify and

1754
01:36:11,992 --> 01:36:14,452
remediate ineffective school practices.

1755
01:36:14,532 --> 01:36:16,052
Again, you'll hear more about that later on.

1756
01:36:17,492 --> 01:36:21,452
Then we have a number of requests that have a

1757
01:36:21,572 --> 01:36:23,972
state board origin, and

1758
01:36:24,812 --> 01:36:27,532
I understand exactly where the state board's going with these.

1759
01:36:27,732 --> 01:36:30,332
There's a request of $10 million

1760
01:36:31,512 --> 01:36:35,112
for a Struggling Schools grant. We're asked to identify

1761
01:36:35,212 --> 01:36:38,952
struggling schools by January 27, and then implement a

1762
01:36:38,992 --> 01:36:42,472
grant award program to improve student academic outcomes.

1763
01:36:43,032 --> 01:36:47,012
And at any point, I'd ask Board Member Carrie Casey to jump in and

1764
01:36:47,092 --> 01:36:50,972
expand, or any board member who has questions to ask them about these items.

1765
01:36:51,012 --> 01:36:52,172
We'll answer best we can.

1766
01:36:52,812 --> 01:36:53,792
Yeah. I'll-

1767
01:36:54,272 --> 01:36:54,341
Sure

1768
01:36:54,372 --> 01:36:54,652
... so,

1769
01:36:56,992 --> 01:37:00,912
we don't talk

1770
01:37:00,992 --> 01:37:02,792
about struggling schools. Do we have any?

1771
01:37:03,332 --> 01:37:03,591
We do.

1772
01:37:04,372 --> 01:37:08,132
Okay. And so we really kind of need to start putting that to the forefront of

1773
01:37:08,212 --> 01:37:08,832
conversation-

1774
01:37:08,892 --> 01:37:09,492
Yeah. And that-

1775
01:37:09,652 --> 01:37:11,052
... especially if we're going to fund it-

1776
01:37:11,332 --> 01:37:11,432
Right

1777
01:37:11,472 --> 01:37:13,892
... $10 million, and we don't know what we're funding.

1778
01:37:13,932 --> 01:37:17,672
Absolutely. And that is what we were referring to

1779
01:37:17,712 --> 01:37:19,341
earlier in the Student Success Committee.

1780
01:37:19,412 --> 01:37:23,352
But it's an annual conversation and needs to

1781
01:37:23,472 --> 01:37:27,272
be a frequent conversation. As an annual conversation, it is

1782
01:37:27,312 --> 01:37:30,512
part of the accreditation step that occurs in January

1783
01:37:31,232 --> 01:37:31,892
where,

1784
01:37:32,852 --> 01:37:36,672
and again, that's been through iterations strictly because of the

1785
01:37:36,712 --> 01:37:38,552
pandemic and changes, et cetera.

1786
01:37:40,012 --> 01:37:41,772
But where schools are identified

1787
01:37:42,592 --> 01:37:45,212
and accredited accordingly into an appropriate status.

1788
01:37:46,492 --> 01:37:50,262
As a part of our past discussions here as a board, it was

1789
01:37:50,312 --> 01:37:53,832
requested that a struggling school program be addressed,

1790
01:37:54,472 --> 01:37:57,132
and that's what had been happening.

1791
01:37:57,232 --> 01:38:00,812
We haven't had an update on it, and I think Commissioner Priest is now involved

1792
01:38:00,932 --> 01:38:04,732
with the work that had been done and is going to come forward with it, and that'll

1793
01:38:04,772 --> 01:38:08,742
be the first thing that the Student Success Committee will be looking at and

1794
01:38:08,892 --> 01:38:12,832
coming back to the board on. And included in that, Brooks,

1795
01:38:12,872 --> 01:38:16,632
is a really good point, will be the plan of then how frequently do we talk

1796
01:38:16,692 --> 01:38:17,082
about them?

1797
01:38:17,332 --> 01:38:17,792
Mm-hmm.

1798
01:38:17,852 --> 01:38:20,872
Not just, "Here they are, and here's what-

1799
01:38:21,812 --> 01:38:25,672
What wraparound, if you will, or program would be in place from a

1800
01:38:25,712 --> 01:38:29,532
department perspective, but how does the board continue to

1801
01:38:29,612 --> 01:38:33,542
stay informed, have plans? It was requested earlier in the year that

1802
01:38:33,572 --> 01:38:37,372
a plan be put together for what was identified in January, some

1803
01:38:37,412 --> 01:38:38,262
struggling schools.

1804
01:38:38,532 --> 01:38:38,582
Mm-hmm.

1805
01:38:38,892 --> 01:38:42,472
And that was a plan that we, in all the transition change, did not receive.

1806
01:38:43,292 --> 01:38:46,371
So we've been asking, and that's what's going to be focused on.

1807
01:38:48,372 --> 01:38:49,252
Do you have anything to add, I...

1808
01:38:50,752 --> 01:38:54,432
No, nothing too much to add, just that so when we talk about supporting

1809
01:38:54,532 --> 01:38:58,152
struggling schools, yes, we will be going through the accreditation classification

1810
01:38:58,212 --> 01:39:01,932
process later this fall, and that identifies at

1811
01:39:01,972 --> 01:39:05,692
the LEA level, so the school district or charter school LEA

1812
01:39:06,472 --> 01:39:10,412
level. But we also, as we're going to be producing these grade

1813
01:39:10,492 --> 01:39:14,212
cards, we want to use that as an opportunity to identify

1814
01:39:14,592 --> 01:39:18,492
or to work with the schools that end up with lower grades than they would like, so

1815
01:39:18,552 --> 01:39:21,222
the D and F schools. So it can support that as well, not-

1816
01:39:21,292 --> 01:39:21,552
Mm-hmm

1817
01:39:21,692 --> 01:39:24,812
... just the schools that are identified through the classification process.

1818
01:39:24,932 --> 01:39:25,252
Okay.

1819
01:39:26,592 --> 01:39:26,752
Okay.

1820
01:39:27,692 --> 01:39:31,372
There's a item of state board origin to create an

1821
01:39:31,512 --> 01:39:35,472
excellence in education awards program to recognize exceptional

1822
01:39:35,532 --> 01:39:39,392
Missouri educators, school leaders, and high-performing schools, and this, I

1823
01:39:39,432 --> 01:39:42,992
assume, would go hand-in-hand with the Teacher of the Year program.

1824
01:39:43,632 --> 01:39:43,952
And

1825
01:39:44,792 --> 01:39:48,412
Missouri has had a Gold Star School program

1826
01:39:48,752 --> 01:39:52,492
for a while, which always led into the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, but

1827
01:39:52,512 --> 01:39:55,052
the National Blue Ribbon program has been discontinued.

1828
01:39:55,872 --> 01:39:57,892
So I assume this would be part of replacement there.

1829
01:39:58,232 --> 01:40:02,032
And I will just add on this one, it was something that, as Robbie and

1830
01:40:02,092 --> 01:40:03,492
I sat at the breakfast

1831
01:40:04,632 --> 01:40:04,712
the

1832
01:40:05,812 --> 01:40:09,772
closing morning of the conference, that there was so much enthusiasm

1833
01:40:09,832 --> 01:40:10,992
and

1834
01:40:11,852 --> 01:40:15,752
for the direction of the new school year, that it would be a

1835
01:40:15,792 --> 01:40:19,352
wonderful way for the board to recognize certain things within

1836
01:40:19,392 --> 01:40:22,992
education in Missouri. $50,000 is a very small amount.

1837
01:40:23,072 --> 01:40:25,412
It's not intended to move a dial anywhere.

1838
01:40:25,452 --> 01:40:29,232
It is intended to continue to celebrate different successes.

1839
01:40:29,292 --> 01:40:33,172
It is not intended to create any one particular program.

1840
01:40:33,352 --> 01:40:37,321
We would define it. We'd have

1841
01:40:37,352 --> 01:40:41,232
to work out what the criteria for it would be and how it would come together, but

1842
01:40:41,292 --> 01:40:43,672
it's to give the board an opportunity,

1843
01:40:44,912 --> 01:40:45,572
when we are

1844
01:40:46,932 --> 01:40:48,232
there publicly with

1845
01:40:49,132 --> 01:40:53,112
the entire Missouri education community, to recognize various

1846
01:40:53,212 --> 01:40:55,212
forms of success and celebrate it.

1847
01:40:56,612 --> 01:40:56,872
Okay.

1848
01:40:58,072 --> 01:41:01,212
Another item of state board origin is

1849
01:41:01,612 --> 01:41:05,472
professional development for teachers for classroom management.

1850
01:41:06,312 --> 01:41:10,032
I think it's aimed specifically at managing especially difficult behaviors in a

1851
01:41:10,072 --> 01:41:13,982
classroom. And we all know that there are some times it's

1852
01:41:14,032 --> 01:41:14,952
tough in the classroom.

1853
01:41:15,452 --> 01:41:18,952
This kind of goes back to even what other states are addressing, maybe in a

1854
01:41:18,992 --> 01:41:21,812
different form around their work around bullying, et cetera.

1855
01:41:22,952 --> 01:41:26,512
There have been programs in the past piloted and already

1856
01:41:26,572 --> 01:41:30,372
implemented in various districts that demonstrate the success

1857
01:41:30,492 --> 01:41:34,392
of better classroom management resulting in better student

1858
01:41:34,512 --> 01:41:36,732
outcomes, better teacher retention.

1859
01:41:38,152 --> 01:41:42,072
So this is intended to say there's more we can do in this

1860
01:41:42,152 --> 01:41:45,372
area, and it's likely to create a

1861
01:41:45,432 --> 01:41:49,052
playbook for schools and districts to use on best

1862
01:41:49,092 --> 01:41:52,972
practices, whether from the nation or from the state as well as maybe

1863
01:41:53,072 --> 01:41:55,852
across the nation, to provide

1864
01:41:56,752 --> 01:42:00,592
classroom management skills develop, or it could be

1865
01:42:00,612 --> 01:42:04,472
viewed as working with a particular district as a pilot

1866
01:42:04,572 --> 01:42:08,512
and doing further professional development to improve

1867
01:42:08,572 --> 01:42:12,532
that area. And this is another area where our now teacher

1868
01:42:12,572 --> 01:42:13,952
representative at the board,

1869
01:42:15,152 --> 01:42:18,752
Mr. McDonald, would be very helpful in helping us shape that.

1870
01:42:19,992 --> 01:42:23,912
So did this number come from any particular evaluation

1871
01:42:23,952 --> 01:42:24,102
or is this kind of a random number?

1872
01:42:24,132 --> 01:42:26,152
No, it's just a starting point.

1873
01:42:26,352 --> 01:42:27,172
Okay.

1874
01:42:27,552 --> 01:42:31,232
We know that from past experience and in research I did, if you

1875
01:42:31,312 --> 01:42:34,072
really want to roll out a statewide program

1876
01:42:34,172 --> 01:42:38,152
of something that hasn't been developed, it's millions of

1877
01:42:38,191 --> 01:42:39,172
dollars.

1878
01:42:39,282 --> 01:42:39,342
Mm-hmm.

1879
01:42:39,342 --> 01:42:42,392
But to look at what we can do and start

1880
01:42:42,432 --> 01:42:46,352
further addressing keeping our eye on this issue of

1881
01:42:46,392 --> 01:42:49,662
classroom behavior, because it really is at the root of struggling

1882
01:42:50,632 --> 01:42:54,452
students and increased attrition

1883
01:42:54,772 --> 01:42:58,652
of our teachers. And it has come up over and

1884
01:42:58,692 --> 01:43:01,492
over again in teacher surveys. That's their number one point.

1885
01:43:01,892 --> 01:43:05,832
So we've got to continue to address it, and this is a seed money to look at what

1886
01:43:05,872 --> 01:43:07,412
we can do further.

1887
01:43:07,972 --> 01:43:08,632
Mr. Otto.

1888
01:43:09,132 --> 01:43:12,732
Yeah, just a quick question. I see the last few slides and some of the ones coming

1889
01:43:12,792 --> 01:43:16,292
up have the State Board of Education priority in the

1890
01:43:16,412 --> 01:43:18,942
parenthetical there. Is that something that-

1891
01:43:19,412 --> 01:43:21,232
That's what we discussed in that committee.

1892
01:43:21,292 --> 01:43:24,842
This was just something that we input from a committee

1893
01:43:24,932 --> 01:43:28,292
perspective is or from a board. It's not that it's a priority

1894
01:43:28,332 --> 01:43:30,832
within the

1895
01:43:33,532 --> 01:43:37,332
strategic plan. It was just something that the board has recommended

1896
01:43:38,132 --> 01:43:38,472
is all.

1897
01:43:38,752 --> 01:43:38,932
This

1898
01:43:39,992 --> 01:43:40,892
board or...

1899
01:43:41,012 --> 01:43:43,332
Yeah. We talked about it. I'll chat with you.

1900
01:43:43,592 --> 01:43:44,092
Okay. Yeah.

1901
01:43:44,112 --> 01:43:44,232
Yeah.

1902
01:43:45,192 --> 01:43:47,292
Like I said, I wasn't

1903
01:43:48,732 --> 01:43:50,581
participating as much in the finance committee meetings.

1904
01:43:50,692 --> 01:43:53,092
But I will say that if we're going to present that

1905
01:43:56,632 --> 01:44:00,092
in the future, I guess, present that at this level,

1906
01:44:00,772 --> 01:44:03,922
we should probably have this new student success committee

1907
01:44:04,972 --> 01:44:06,632
vote and talk about those-

1908
01:44:06,662 --> 01:44:06,662
Yeah

1909
01:44:06,662 --> 01:44:07,831
... and then we kind of-

1910
01:44:07,852 --> 01:44:08,522
Yeah, I think it's-

1911
01:44:08,542 --> 01:44:09,211
... agree that these are our priorities

1912
01:44:09,222 --> 01:44:11,432
... as we're still in the forming stage-

1913
01:44:11,472 --> 01:44:11,482
Right

1914
01:44:11,482 --> 01:44:14,742
... some of these things happen in that manner, but that's also why we're bringing

1915
01:44:14,772 --> 01:44:17,372
it forward today for full board discussion.

1916
01:44:18,132 --> 01:44:21,711
But we're just not at the point with the other structures in place to-

1917
01:44:21,772 --> 01:44:22,232
Yeah, no, I just-

1918
01:44:22,312 --> 01:44:22,992
... do it differently

1919
01:44:23,012 --> 01:44:25,432
... and I just got the question from another board member, too, and I was like,

1920
01:44:25,462 --> 01:44:28,552
"Yeah, that's a good question. I don't recall all of these in spec-

1921
01:44:28,812 --> 01:44:28,972
Yeah

1922
01:44:28,992 --> 01:44:31,032
... specifically." But

1923
01:44:31,622 --> 01:44:32,042
We'll talk.

1924
01:44:32,242 --> 01:44:32,422
All right.

1925
01:44:34,062 --> 01:44:34,862
Mr. Matusik?

1926
01:44:35,042 --> 01:44:39,002
Yeah. Thank you. I was kind of wondering the same thing when I saw the SBOE

1927
01:44:39,102 --> 01:44:40,042
priority up there. I

1928
01:44:42,242 --> 01:44:42,932
just don't remember

1929
01:44:43,902 --> 01:44:44,522
$10 million-

1930
01:44:44,892 --> 01:44:44,892
Sure

1931
01:44:44,892 --> 01:44:47,722
... for struggling schools. I don't remember talking about that really.

1932
01:44:47,742 --> 01:44:51,382
And that was something not so much any one board member

1933
01:44:51,462 --> 01:44:55,402
submitted, it was a recommendation, I think, that went in separately.

1934
01:44:55,802 --> 01:44:59,502
Or I might have echoed it, but others have recommended it.

1935
01:45:02,102 --> 01:45:05,822
Let's go back in time to some of our past discussions as a board, and new

1936
01:45:05,862 --> 01:45:09,372
board members in particular, where you're like, "Why don't we have more input into

1937
01:45:09,382 --> 01:45:09,842
the budget?"

1938
01:45:10,722 --> 01:45:14,712
And so along the way, and even in the retreat, we said, "Let us know

1939
01:45:14,762 --> 01:45:17,002
what you think you'd like to be included in the budget."

1940
01:45:18,062 --> 01:45:20,842
And these are just some ideas that have come forward.

1941
01:45:20,942 --> 01:45:24,482
So this is just an effort to get us going in this

1942
01:45:24,522 --> 01:45:28,392
direction, to give us a voice. It's not to say it's been done

1943
01:45:28,502 --> 01:45:32,402
perfectly, it's not to say that all the right research has been done, but

1944
01:45:32,602 --> 01:45:35,722
it's to bring us together now as this way.

1945
01:45:36,701 --> 01:45:39,822
Will we continue to evolve how we develop these items?

1946
01:45:39,962 --> 01:45:43,262
Absolutely. They'll come from the legislative committee, they'll come from the

1947
01:45:43,322 --> 01:45:46,282
strategic plan, they'll come from the student success committee.

1948
01:45:47,182 --> 01:45:50,962
But this was just giving board a voice and getting us

1949
01:45:51,042 --> 01:45:54,582
started. And that's why it wasn't discussed in the past, but that's what you're

1950
01:45:54,622 --> 01:45:58,362
talking about right now. We want to hear feedback and thoughts.

1951
01:45:59,562 --> 01:46:00,762
So, like the $10 million

1952
01:46:01,902 --> 01:46:04,192
struggling school grant, is that

1953
01:46:04,262 --> 01:46:08,152
in the draft budget right now?

1954
01:46:08,202 --> 01:46:09,792
So this is the draft budget that we're-

1955
01:46:10,182 --> 01:46:10,192
You-

1956
01:46:10,192 --> 01:46:13,682
... that's preparing. But I want to ask the commissioner, because we had spoken

1957
01:46:13,742 --> 01:46:14,802
about this as well.

1958
01:46:15,742 --> 01:46:16,422
And I believe,

1959
01:46:17,222 --> 01:46:21,042
isn't there a grant, a program that was suggested as part

1960
01:46:21,122 --> 01:46:21,222
of,

1961
01:46:22,162 --> 01:46:24,962
submitted to the legislature, not necessarily by our board?

1962
01:46:26,302 --> 01:46:26,742
That maybe-

1963
01:46:27,462 --> 01:46:31,382
I think I can speak to that. First, I'll answer two questions, Board

1964
01:46:31,402 --> 01:46:32,022
Member Matusik.

1965
01:46:33,182 --> 01:46:35,102
The question is this part of the draft budget?

1966
01:46:36,062 --> 01:46:39,682
Not part of the draft budget. What we're bringing today is the

1967
01:46:39,721 --> 01:46:43,642
summation of all the potential requests for you to look at and

1968
01:46:43,662 --> 01:46:47,042
to consider. Now, going back to the budget

1969
01:46:47,062 --> 01:46:50,982
instructions, mandatory items is what I refer to as a very-

1970
01:46:51,692 --> 01:46:52,632
... a narrow gate,

1971
01:46:53,582 --> 01:46:55,462
and there will be a number of these

1972
01:46:56,902 --> 01:47:00,722
requests that won't get through that gate in terms of

1973
01:47:00,842 --> 01:47:02,262
actually making it into the budget.

1974
01:47:02,962 --> 01:47:06,682
These are put out here for your consideration and for you to

1975
01:47:06,702 --> 01:47:10,582
provide feedback either today or in the next few weeks and help

1976
01:47:10,702 --> 01:47:14,602
shape the work that I and the commissioner and the finance

1977
01:47:14,662 --> 01:47:17,742
committee will be doing in terms of determining what actually gets through the

1978
01:47:17,782 --> 01:47:21,582
gate. So these are simply the full

1979
01:47:22,102 --> 01:47:24,861
spectrum of the requests that

1980
01:47:25,842 --> 01:47:29,722
are generated based on the program that DESE needs to do or would like to

1981
01:47:29,782 --> 01:47:33,182
do, and the formulas that are calculated. I hope that answered your question.

1982
01:47:34,242 --> 01:47:38,062
Yeah, it does. Any new decision item should

1983
01:47:38,122 --> 01:47:38,362
be

1984
01:47:39,302 --> 01:47:40,632
scrutinized, right? For heavily and-

1985
01:47:40,642 --> 01:47:42,082
And that's what we're doing here today.

1986
01:47:42,222 --> 01:47:44,002
Yeah. Well, I don't know that you can

1987
01:47:45,302 --> 01:47:48,092
talk about a $10 million grant program that we've never heard about-

1988
01:47:48,422 --> 01:47:48,592
But it's-

1989
01:47:48,632 --> 01:47:50,702
... in a 30-minute session. So,

1990
01:47:52,582 --> 01:47:56,382
we just talked about we're $400 million short, and we're asking for

1991
01:47:56,402 --> 01:47:59,662
another $10 million for a struggling schools grant program.

1992
01:47:59,722 --> 01:48:01,182
I'm not saying it's bad, I just-

1993
01:48:01,482 --> 01:48:01,642
Right

1994
01:48:01,682 --> 01:48:02,682
... you know.

1995
01:48:02,782 --> 01:48:06,742
It's an opportunity to get us started, to take advantage of

1996
01:48:06,782 --> 01:48:10,752
an opportunity as we're sitting here today to get us started

1997
01:48:10,802 --> 01:48:12,002
on these discussions.

1998
01:48:13,202 --> 01:48:17,092
Structures in the future will take it through things of these other

1999
01:48:17,122 --> 01:48:19,542
committees and will come forward in a different way.

2000
01:48:20,782 --> 01:48:23,962
And to answer the other question, I think what you may be referring to, Board

2001
01:48:24,102 --> 01:48:25,182
Member Casey, is

2002
01:48:25,982 --> 01:48:28,882
in the fiscal year '27 budget, there

2003
01:48:29,022 --> 01:48:32,142
is budget guidance

2004
01:48:32,742 --> 01:48:35,882
to use $10 million from Title I

2005
01:48:36,002 --> 01:48:39,682
allocations, and instead distribute that $10 million

2006
01:48:39,742 --> 01:48:41,541
through a competitive grant process.

2007
01:48:42,002 --> 01:48:42,172
I think-

2008
01:48:42,202 --> 01:48:42,602
And this is-

2009
01:48:42,632 --> 01:48:43,272
... that might be what you're talking about

2010
01:48:43,282 --> 01:48:46,922
... building on that idea for FY28, knowing that

2011
01:48:47,002 --> 01:48:50,702
struggling schools will continue to need our support.

2012
01:48:52,022 --> 01:48:53,282
So if I can.

2013
01:48:53,302 --> 01:48:53,752
Go ahead.

2014
01:48:53,782 --> 01:48:54,072
This is

2015
01:48:55,922 --> 01:48:56,682
more of a

2016
01:48:57,682 --> 01:49:01,162
state board initiative rather than

2017
01:49:01,202 --> 01:49:03,942
priority, right? Is that a fair-

2018
01:49:05,242 --> 01:49:06,322
That could be a fair term.

2019
01:49:07,022 --> 01:49:07,282
Yeah. I

2020
01:49:08,122 --> 01:49:11,322
don't think this has been approved yet, is that-

2021
01:49:11,582 --> 01:49:11,842
No.

2022
01:49:12,662 --> 01:49:12,672
No.

2023
01:49:14,562 --> 01:49:15,802
So maybe the word should be

2024
01:49:17,322 --> 01:49:19,282
initiative as opposed to priority.

2025
01:49:20,222 --> 01:49:22,822
Becomes a priority if, in fact, it gets adopted by-

2026
01:49:22,942 --> 01:49:23,902
Good recommendation.

2027
01:49:24,152 --> 01:49:24,462
Yeah.

2028
01:49:24,542 --> 01:49:24,782
Okay.

2029
01:49:26,402 --> 01:49:27,402
There are a few more.

2030
01:49:28,602 --> 01:49:31,622
A request for dollars to address chronic absenteeism,

2031
01:49:32,662 --> 01:49:36,302
targeted funding for attendance intervention toolkits, family engagement

2032
01:49:36,402 --> 01:49:39,962
frameworks, and technical assistance for schools with high chronic

2033
01:49:40,042 --> 01:49:40,862
absenteeism.

2034
01:49:43,942 --> 01:49:45,302
High dosage tutoring

2035
01:49:47,142 --> 01:49:48,542
recommendation or initiative,

2036
01:49:49,402 --> 01:49:53,142
and that program would provide grant funding for local districts to

2037
01:49:53,222 --> 01:49:53,742
implement

2038
01:49:54,562 --> 01:49:58,212
some measure of evidence-based high dosage tutoring

2039
01:49:58,282 --> 01:50:00,702
programs in reading and mathematics.

2040
01:50:04,262 --> 01:50:08,142
An initiative for supporting high quality instructional materials,

2041
01:50:09,102 --> 01:50:12,822
and that would be matching grants and technical guidance to help schools

2042
01:50:13,222 --> 01:50:17,062
adopt state aligned high quality instructional materials.

2043
01:50:17,672 --> 01:50:21,522
And there is some of this already existing in literacy in Missouri,

2044
01:50:22,142 --> 01:50:25,802
but I think the thinking may be to expand it and also

2045
01:50:25,842 --> 01:50:29,622
assist districts in selecting quality mathematics instruction

2046
01:50:29,662 --> 01:50:33,302
materials. Having high quality materials is

2047
01:50:34,162 --> 01:50:37,402
foundational to effective practice

2048
01:50:39,162 --> 01:50:42,902
And then there was a thought about having a type of

2049
01:50:42,962 --> 01:50:46,822
civic patriotic education program, and there has been one of

2050
01:50:46,862 --> 01:50:47,722
these in the past.

2051
01:50:48,562 --> 01:50:51,442
It was not funded beginning a year or two ago.

2052
01:50:52,122 --> 01:50:53,762
I think this may be a little different

2053
01:50:55,042 --> 01:50:58,062
take on civic and patriotic education.

2054
01:50:58,202 --> 01:50:59,562
There is a current DESE

2055
01:51:01,602 --> 01:51:04,762
framework available online from the past program,

2056
01:51:05,422 --> 01:51:07,702
but this may be a little different take about

2057
01:51:08,922 --> 01:51:12,392
engaging students in terms of constitutional literacy,

2058
01:51:13,022 --> 01:51:16,302
patriotic heritage, and even economic systems.

2059
01:51:18,042 --> 01:51:21,762
Okay. Now, other requests that I wanted to highlight for the board.

2060
01:51:22,442 --> 01:51:26,302
There is a request for funding for early childhood

2061
01:51:26,382 --> 01:51:27,322
special education.

2062
01:51:29,302 --> 01:51:30,322
State is

2063
01:51:33,682 --> 01:51:37,622
required to reimburse school districts for costs for early childhood special

2064
01:51:37,662 --> 01:51:41,122
education, and that is services for eligible three and

2065
01:51:41,222 --> 01:51:45,212
four-year-olds, and there actually was a lawsuit about this back in

2066
01:51:45,242 --> 01:51:45,762
the '90s,

2067
01:51:46,602 --> 01:51:50,112
and these state costs must be provided via a specific separate

2068
01:51:50,112 --> 01:51:50,902
appropriation.

2069
01:51:52,442 --> 01:51:56,102
In the '26, fiscal year '26 budget,

2070
01:51:56,702 --> 01:52:00,242
there was not enough money to cover all the requests for funding,

2071
01:52:01,022 --> 01:52:04,902
all the bills, and so the supplemental requested

2072
01:52:04,962 --> 01:52:07,622
for current year, fiscal year '27, of

2073
01:52:07,802 --> 01:52:11,142
56.76 million would cover those

2074
01:52:11,202 --> 01:52:15,142
shortfalls, and the fiscal year '28 new decision item

2075
01:52:15,662 --> 01:52:19,582
would be to provide funding for the increased costs that we are projecting.

2076
01:52:20,462 --> 01:52:20,742
Okay.

2077
01:52:21,482 --> 01:52:23,042
I think we are going to take a break here.

2078
01:52:23,362 --> 01:52:23,602
Okay.

2079
01:52:24,702 --> 01:52:28,512
Is that okay? Yeah. We're about halfway through this,

2080
01:52:28,602 --> 01:52:28,742
right?

2081
01:52:29,342 --> 01:52:30,982
Actually, we're close to the end.

2082
01:52:31,082 --> 01:52:32,442
Oh, okay. If we're close to the end-

2083
01:52:32,502 --> 01:52:33,082
Close to the end

2084
01:52:33,162 --> 01:52:33,982
... more towards the end.

2085
01:52:34,062 --> 01:52:37,482
I need special education fund, very similar statutory

2086
01:52:37,542 --> 01:52:41,222
mandate, and there was a court ruling in '04, and it requires

2087
01:52:41,282 --> 01:52:44,722
reimbursement of school districts for special ed costs that

2088
01:52:45,122 --> 01:52:48,982
exceed three times the current expenditure per

2089
01:52:49,042 --> 01:52:52,942
average daily attendance. So if a school's spending $11,000 per student

2090
01:52:53,762 --> 01:52:57,502
and a special education student exceeds $33,000,

2091
01:52:58,022 --> 01:53:01,342
then the state's required to pick up the amount beyond $33,000.

2092
01:53:02,022 --> 01:53:05,802
Similar situation, we had a shortfall to pay all the bills from last year,

2093
01:53:06,162 --> 01:53:07,742
so there's a supplemental to cover that.

2094
01:53:08,382 --> 01:53:12,122
And then the '28 NDI addresses projected

2095
01:53:12,222 --> 01:53:13,102
cost increases.

2096
01:53:14,162 --> 01:53:16,462
And then there is a request to fund

2097
01:53:17,602 --> 01:53:21,062
a required grade level equivalence data.

2098
01:53:22,042 --> 01:53:25,982
Basically, right now our student test scores, MAP scores,

2099
01:53:27,222 --> 01:53:30,162
students get a rating of below basic, basic,

2100
01:53:30,682 --> 01:53:34,642
proficient, or advanced, and we're required to implement

2101
01:53:34,652 --> 01:53:38,562
a band of grade level equivalence, a

2102
01:53:38,602 --> 01:53:42,182
fifth level. And so that does require some changes in programming

2103
01:53:42,702 --> 01:53:44,622
and scoring in order to make that happen.

2104
01:53:46,782 --> 01:53:50,562
And that actually is where I'd planned to conclude the presentation.

2105
01:53:51,462 --> 01:53:55,242
On this sheet, you'll see the total of

2106
01:53:55,362 --> 01:53:59,222
supplemental requests if you go through the entire list, not just the

2107
01:53:59,282 --> 01:54:03,022
ones I described already, but the ones that are below this slide in your slide

2108
01:54:03,102 --> 01:54:06,562
deck. Many of those are federal fund

2109
01:54:06,622 --> 01:54:10,502
requests or appropriation authority requests, and I'd be glad to

2110
01:54:10,582 --> 01:54:13,882
answer any questions you have offline about those.

2111
01:54:13,922 --> 01:54:16,022
But supplemental requests, if

2112
01:54:16,822 --> 01:54:17,602
every request

2113
01:54:18,522 --> 01:54:22,482
got through the gate, and that won't happen, we know that, but if every

2114
01:54:22,542 --> 01:54:26,382
one of these got through the gate, it would be 222 million

2115
01:54:26,922 --> 01:54:30,702
in supplemental requests and 689 in new decision

2116
01:54:30,782 --> 01:54:34,722
items. And again, we realize many of these will not get

2117
01:54:34,742 --> 01:54:38,042
through the gate, but we want to present them all for your consideration and

2118
01:54:38,162 --> 01:54:41,682
feedback, and I'll be working with the finance committee and

2119
01:54:41,742 --> 01:54:45,322
commissioner to help discern which

2120
01:54:45,422 --> 01:54:49,382
ones will fit the state board's priorities and the ones that you want

2121
01:54:49,522 --> 01:54:53,422
to advance, and in what measure for the final budget request.

2122
01:54:54,122 --> 01:54:57,981
So, that concludes my part at this time, unless you have

2123
01:54:58,022 --> 01:55:00,522
additional questions or would like to explore additional items.

2124
01:55:00,532 --> 01:55:01,342
We have one. Mr.

2125
01:55:01,542 --> 01:55:03,061
Just, I'll catch him later.

2126
01:55:04,602 --> 01:55:05,002
I'm good.

2127
01:55:05,542 --> 01:55:06,822
Okay. Mr. Matusik.

2128
01:55:06,902 --> 01:55:09,942
Yeah. Thank you. So just to clarify,

2129
01:55:10,802 --> 01:55:11,162
the

2130
01:55:13,362 --> 01:55:15,162
$689 million,

2131
01:55:16,582 --> 01:55:19,602
so that's $689 million more

2132
01:55:20,522 --> 01:55:24,482
than we asked for last year or received last year, in the

2133
01:55:24,522 --> 01:55:25,182
last fiscal year?

2134
01:55:25,302 --> 01:55:28,182
That is correct, although I don't believe that full amount is all GR.

2135
01:55:28,822 --> 01:55:30,062
Received or asked for?

2136
01:55:30,942 --> 01:55:31,222
Sorry.

2137
01:55:32,042 --> 01:55:32,602
So the-

2138
01:55:32,782 --> 01:55:36,612
642 in GR is more than we received last year,

2139
01:55:36,682 --> 01:55:36,942
correct.

2140
01:55:37,002 --> 01:55:37,402
Okay. So

2141
01:55:38,702 --> 01:55:41,062
it's baseline from what we received, not from what we requested.

2142
01:55:41,142 --> 01:55:41,482
Correct.

2143
01:55:43,782 --> 01:55:47,082
And again, that's if every single item got through the gate, and we

2144
01:55:47,142 --> 01:55:49,542
are quite clear that's probably not going to happen.

2145
01:55:51,302 --> 01:55:53,382
Mr. President, if I could. Thank you,

2146
01:55:54,862 --> 01:55:55,202
Kyle.

2147
01:55:56,122 --> 01:56:00,052
I know we're the cart before the horse here because we're still

2148
01:56:00,082 --> 01:56:03,182
forming a lot and getting our sequencing down.

2149
01:56:03,282 --> 01:56:06,702
Things are happening, new board members coming in, et cetera, forming a committee

2150
01:56:06,822 --> 01:56:10,502
so that we can do this heavier lifting, and that's just

2151
01:56:10,522 --> 01:56:13,802
the state of the reality of where we're at today.

2152
01:56:13,882 --> 01:56:16,672
So the question I have to the team is,

2153
01:56:17,942 --> 01:56:19,702
your feedback's really important.

2154
01:56:20,352 --> 01:56:24,222
We have raised it in different meetings how we want to have a voice in the budget.

2155
01:56:24,322 --> 01:56:26,062
We want to be able to put in our new ideas.

2156
01:56:26,142 --> 01:56:29,522
We know we want to scrutinize the money that's already

2157
01:56:29,762 --> 01:56:33,222
in the core budget for this program or that program.

2158
01:56:33,282 --> 01:56:35,822
What are the results of the program? Does it make sense?

2159
01:56:36,502 --> 01:56:38,942
All of that is good work yet to come

2160
01:56:40,042 --> 01:56:43,802
That we've been talking about somewhat at a committee and beginning to look

2161
01:56:43,902 --> 01:56:44,082
at.

2162
01:56:45,162 --> 01:56:48,822
But we are faced with the reality that we do submit a budget in

2163
01:56:48,942 --> 01:56:49,422
September,

2164
01:56:50,522 --> 01:56:54,502
or October 1st, I guess, based on our approval in September.

2165
01:56:56,142 --> 01:56:58,542
And we know that this can't happen in the future.

2166
01:56:58,602 --> 01:57:02,422
We need a longer time to work with it, but our reality is we've had a

2167
01:57:02,522 --> 01:57:04,242
shorter time to work with it this year.

2168
01:57:05,042 --> 01:57:08,902
And so you're seeing this in pieces for

2169
01:57:08,942 --> 01:57:11,942
its first time, but we do need to talk about it.

2170
01:57:11,982 --> 01:57:13,462
We can spend time here today,

2171
01:57:14,442 --> 01:57:17,462
agenda aside. So I need to ask the

2172
01:57:19,102 --> 01:57:21,882
vice chair where we are on our timing on the agenda,

2173
01:57:22,962 --> 01:57:26,762
and should we open this up for bigger discussion today, or how we take

2174
01:57:26,802 --> 01:57:30,322
it forward to have discussion with each board member

2175
01:57:30,622 --> 01:57:34,462
collectively in a separate call to talk about, give you time to think about it,

2176
01:57:35,562 --> 01:57:39,542
and then we can have a good discussion about what either changes

2177
01:57:39,602 --> 01:57:40,502
we would want to make

2178
01:57:42,082 --> 01:57:45,722
now. You might even have a different idea, a new item that we would want to

2179
01:57:45,742 --> 01:57:49,502
include in there. So get the ideas in, make sure we

2180
01:57:49,562 --> 01:57:52,762
have everybody's thoughts, have a good discussion, and

2181
01:57:53,402 --> 01:57:57,162
so then we can come back in September with an

2182
01:57:57,222 --> 01:58:00,862
updated version based on those discussions to have our

2183
01:58:00,882 --> 01:58:04,062
approval. We don't want to wait until September, I don't think, to discuss it.

2184
01:58:05,542 --> 01:58:05,762
Yeah.

2185
01:58:07,462 --> 01:58:09,381
I guess since you specifically asked me,

2186
01:58:10,762 --> 01:58:14,202
I think we don't have time, in the interest of time, to try to discuss all that

2187
01:58:14,222 --> 01:58:17,202
right here. But I would recommend that

2188
01:58:18,282 --> 01:58:22,002
we take the feedback that we received, the we being the finance

2189
01:58:22,042 --> 01:58:22,302
committee-

2190
01:58:22,422 --> 01:58:22,542
Mm-hmm

2191
01:58:23,022 --> 01:58:24,502
... take the feedback we received,

2192
01:58:25,402 --> 01:58:28,922
have a really short turnaround meeting

2193
01:58:29,542 --> 01:58:30,342
in the next week.

2194
01:58:30,652 --> 01:58:30,702
Mm-hmm.

2195
01:58:30,712 --> 01:58:34,182
And then really do a better job of

2196
01:58:34,242 --> 01:58:37,122
communicating with the rest of the board and say, "Hey, look

2197
01:58:38,722 --> 01:58:42,062
at this presentation. This is what we need to approve."

2198
01:58:42,742 --> 01:58:46,342
And then we can have a virtual meeting in the interim that's just talking about

2199
01:58:46,402 --> 01:58:48,842
this. It could be public, open to whatever, but

2200
01:58:49,802 --> 01:58:53,222
that way it gives you time to go, you being the board,

2201
01:58:53,822 --> 01:58:57,002
time to do some homework and look through these.

2202
01:58:57,032 --> 01:59:00,542
And if you have questions, you can either answer them on your own or follow up with

2203
01:59:00,622 --> 01:59:01,742
staff. And then

2204
01:59:02,962 --> 01:59:06,882
when we come back and we have an hour or two virtual meeting

2205
01:59:06,891 --> 01:59:10,442
to just talk about what we want our budget to look like and what we want

2206
01:59:10,542 --> 01:59:14,282
to be in position to approve on that

2207
01:59:14,342 --> 01:59:17,212
October 1st deadline. That's what I would recommend.

2208
01:59:17,231 --> 01:59:18,882
Right. No, I think that's the right approach.

2209
01:59:18,922 --> 01:59:21,342
And we did try to do that to a degree.

2210
01:59:21,402 --> 01:59:25,202
We sent out an email prior to this meeting asking you specifically to take a look

2211
01:59:25,242 --> 01:59:28,742
at this, et cetera, in preparation for today's meeting.

2212
01:59:28,982 --> 01:59:32,502
Again, we're forming or what do they say, changing the engine as the

2213
01:59:32,542 --> 01:59:34,002
airplane is flying. So,

2214
01:59:35,302 --> 01:59:36,682
I think that's what we'll do.

2215
01:59:37,902 --> 01:59:39,102
I support that recommendation.

2216
01:59:39,802 --> 01:59:39,942
So

2217
01:59:40,802 --> 01:59:42,552
we don't have any motion on the floor at this-

2218
01:59:42,622 --> 01:59:44,562
No, this was all just discussion. Yeah

2219
01:59:44,572 --> 01:59:46,842
... discussion. Okay, so I'm going to do this.

2220
01:59:47,422 --> 01:59:51,182
I think it's time for a break, and let's go to break, and if we have

2221
01:59:51,222 --> 01:59:53,062
further discussion afterwards,

2222
01:59:53,882 --> 01:59:56,902
we can take it up then. But we'll leave it as an open item right now.

2223
01:59:57,382 --> 01:59:57,802
Go with the-

2224
01:59:58,162 --> 01:59:58,482
Yeah

2225
01:59:58,502 --> 01:59:59,642
... those are our next steps-

2226
02:00:00,062 --> 02:00:00,262
Okay

2227
02:00:00,822 --> 02:00:02,562
... as we leave it here.

2228
02:00:02,602 --> 02:00:02,802
Okay.

2229
02:07:54,772 --> 02:07:57,912
Okay. In conclusion, I would simply like to thank the state board,

2230
02:07:58,952 --> 02:08:01,972
especially the finance committee, for their

2231
02:08:02,292 --> 02:08:04,932
feedback and for being a part of the budget process.

2232
02:08:05,252 --> 02:08:09,112
I know this is a lot, and I know the board has some

2233
02:08:09,172 --> 02:08:12,932
major decisions to make, but I appreciate the way this

2234
02:08:12,972 --> 02:08:16,672
board is participating in the budget process and thinking

2235
02:08:16,732 --> 02:08:20,272
carefully of how the decisions here affect students.

2236
02:08:20,812 --> 02:08:22,971
And I'll be glad to answer any other questions you might have.

2237
02:08:24,332 --> 02:08:25,212
Mr. Otto?

2238
02:08:25,292 --> 02:08:27,942
Yeah, just to, I guess, reiterate or

2239
02:08:29,592 --> 02:08:32,692
make sure everybody's in agreement that we're going

2240
02:08:32,812 --> 02:08:33,932
to

2241
02:08:36,012 --> 02:08:39,892
have a little homework for ourselves and review this presentation and these

2242
02:08:40,452 --> 02:08:42,192
budget line items particular-- or these

2243
02:08:43,752 --> 02:08:47,612
asks, I guess. And then I think at the end of this presentation,

2244
02:08:47,672 --> 02:08:51,572
there's some core budget information line by line if

2245
02:08:52,152 --> 02:08:54,012
that's helpful to look at it that way, but

2246
02:08:55,056 --> 02:08:58,696
Definitely take a look. If you have questions, I think we can

2247
02:08:58,756 --> 02:09:02,256
address those offline. And then I think we'll look at your calendars.

2248
02:09:02,296 --> 02:09:04,336
We'll circle up via email,

2249
02:09:05,756 --> 02:09:09,496
and set a virtual date sometime between now

2250
02:09:09,616 --> 02:09:10,076
and,

2251
02:09:12,136 --> 02:09:15,776
October 1st. So might be before, might be after our

2252
02:09:15,816 --> 02:09:16,976
September meeting, I don't know.

2253
02:09:17,046 --> 02:09:20,296
Ideally, it will be before our September meeting-

2254
02:09:20,356 --> 02:09:20,576
Okay

2255
02:09:20,756 --> 02:09:24,596
... because we will then plan to be ready with a final product

2256
02:09:24,656 --> 02:09:25,856
to vote on in the-

2257
02:09:25,886 --> 02:09:26,026
Oh, we can then-

2258
02:09:26,026 --> 02:09:26,616
... September meeting.

2259
02:09:26,726 --> 02:09:27,516
Okay, so we need to vote it.

2260
02:09:27,856 --> 02:09:27,956
Yeah.

2261
02:09:28,176 --> 02:09:30,456
The October 1st date is... Okay, that makes sense.

2262
02:09:30,996 --> 02:09:31,176
Yeah.

2263
02:09:31,205 --> 02:09:31,396
Yeah. So,

2264
02:09:33,436 --> 02:09:36,456
that's going to be coming up pretty quick here in the next couple of weeks, and we

2265
02:09:36,696 --> 02:09:37,936
have the Labor Day holiday as well.

2266
02:09:37,976 --> 02:09:41,956
So just look at your calendar, let us know some dates, or

2267
02:09:41,976 --> 02:09:45,656
shoot some dates that you can't do it, I guess, and we'll get something

2268
02:09:46,576 --> 02:09:47,136
scheduled

2269
02:09:48,016 --> 02:09:50,556
just for a couple of hours virtually, and we can

2270
02:09:51,636 --> 02:09:54,696
go through this budget in greater detail.

2271
02:09:55,896 --> 02:09:59,776
Yeah. I think we should try to establish that date before we leave here today, just

2272
02:09:59,815 --> 02:10:00,196
if we could.

2273
02:10:00,236 --> 02:10:01,076
That's fine, too. Yeah.

2274
02:10:01,196 --> 02:10:04,636
I'll work with Brett, and we can figure out a way to get it around to everybody.

2275
02:10:05,356 --> 02:10:07,276
Well, and if I can suggest,

2276
02:10:08,556 --> 02:10:10,636
just in the conversations that I've had in the last

2277
02:10:11,516 --> 02:10:12,576
15 hours or whatever-

2278
02:10:12,676 --> 02:10:13,166
Mm-hmm

2279
02:10:13,896 --> 02:10:13,896
...

2280
02:10:15,496 --> 02:10:16,296
the agenda

2281
02:10:17,336 --> 02:10:20,996
that I've heard people express in private conversation and publicly,

2282
02:10:21,976 --> 02:10:25,696
we're not going to get this done having this board meeting once a

2283
02:10:25,756 --> 02:10:29,586
month. And rather

2284
02:10:29,676 --> 02:10:32,696
than trying to coordinate schedules every

2285
02:10:33,936 --> 02:10:36,316
so often, can I suggest we think about setting

2286
02:10:37,116 --> 02:10:41,096
a time for a two or three-hour

2287
02:10:41,176 --> 02:10:43,136
block of time? And if we don't need it,

2288
02:10:43,956 --> 02:10:45,356
then we don't have a board meeting.

2289
02:10:45,436 --> 02:10:49,106
But if we do need it, we've got the time reserved, and

2290
02:10:49,136 --> 02:10:52,736
we're not trying to work it out on people's schedule every time

2291
02:10:53,136 --> 02:10:53,616
there is a

2292
02:10:54,996 --> 02:10:58,876
sense that we've got... We just have an enormous amount of work to do

2293
02:10:58,936 --> 02:11:01,756
here, and I wish I'd known this before I said yes.

2294
02:11:03,135 --> 02:11:03,236
And

2295
02:11:04,056 --> 02:11:07,996
I would add to that, because in my observations, there are many states

2296
02:11:08,056 --> 02:11:11,856
that have two-day, there's even one state that has a

2297
02:11:11,896 --> 02:11:13,296
three-day board meeting,

2298
02:11:14,276 --> 02:11:15,596
not necessarily eight hours-

2299
02:11:15,716 --> 02:11:15,726
Yeah

2300
02:11:15,726 --> 02:11:17,596
... but over the course of three days.

2301
02:11:18,616 --> 02:11:22,596
As well, they will have a separate working session in

2302
02:11:22,636 --> 02:11:25,936
the course of the month leading up to the board meeting.

2303
02:11:25,996 --> 02:11:29,846
So I think, again, as we're forming, we may look at that

2304
02:11:29,896 --> 02:11:33,696
and my recommendation is just see what works

2305
02:11:33,736 --> 02:11:35,116
and change it as we need to.

2306
02:11:35,816 --> 02:11:37,496
Yeah, I think the analogy of

2307
02:11:38,336 --> 02:11:41,956
building the plane while we're flying it, we're all new, relatively

2308
02:11:42,036 --> 02:11:45,976
speaking, and so there's not been this level of governance

2309
02:11:46,076 --> 02:11:48,276
at this state board

2310
02:11:48,296 --> 02:11:51,756
before, at least that I'm aware of.

2311
02:11:51,796 --> 02:11:54,096
And so with committees and things like that, I mean.

2312
02:11:54,156 --> 02:11:54,496
And so,

2313
02:11:55,656 --> 02:11:59,636
yeah, no. That's why we talked about in the governance committee is maybe

2314
02:11:59,716 --> 02:12:01,316
having multiple meetings a month.

2315
02:12:01,366 --> 02:12:01,366
Mm-hmm.

2316
02:12:01,676 --> 02:12:05,596
I just don't know if that's logistically feasible, but at least in the short

2317
02:12:05,676 --> 02:12:09,236
term with things like this and getting everybody up to speed, maybe having a

2318
02:12:09,296 --> 02:12:13,136
one-off meeting with just one agenda item particularly, that's a

2319
02:12:13,176 --> 02:12:13,896
couple of hours,

2320
02:12:15,056 --> 02:12:17,236
is prudent. And so,

2321
02:12:18,436 --> 02:12:19,016
that said,

2322
02:12:19,936 --> 02:12:22,056
our next board meeting is September 15th,

2323
02:12:22,896 --> 02:12:26,676
which is a Tuesday. So I don't know if you guys want to meet that week

2324
02:12:26,716 --> 02:12:27,286
before,

2325
02:12:28,616 --> 02:12:31,196
like a Thursday or... I'm looking at my calendar now.

2326
02:12:31,316 --> 02:12:32,286
Monday the 7th is-

2327
02:12:32,316 --> 02:12:32,856
Board member Otto?

2328
02:12:33,576 --> 02:12:34,136
Sure.

2329
02:12:34,736 --> 02:12:37,616
We would need this meeting to be pretty much as soon as we can.

2330
02:12:37,696 --> 02:12:39,476
We have meetings coming up with

2331
02:12:40,436 --> 02:12:43,056
different entities near the end of this month.

2332
02:12:43,296 --> 02:12:45,196
So I don't know if there's a way to work that in sooner or not.

2333
02:12:46,436 --> 02:12:46,656
Okay.

2334
02:12:46,936 --> 02:12:50,876
Could I recommend we just allow ourselves to go offline a little bit on this topic-

2335
02:12:50,916 --> 02:12:50,926
That's fine too, yeah

2336
02:12:50,926 --> 02:12:53,176
... and before the meeting ends, we'll wrap around.

2337
02:12:54,616 --> 02:12:55,186
Get with Kyle and-

2338
02:12:55,186 --> 02:12:55,956
Yeah, because maybe during lunch we could-

2339
02:12:56,076 --> 02:12:56,256
Brett

2340
02:12:56,376 --> 02:12:57,886
... meet offline and look at some-

2341
02:12:57,926 --> 02:12:58,205
And we'll bring it back.

2342
02:12:58,236 --> 02:12:59,795
Yeah, that's probably a better use of the time.

2343
02:12:59,806 --> 02:12:59,806
Yeah.

2344
02:12:59,836 --> 02:13:00,276
So yep.

2345
02:13:00,896 --> 02:13:04,295
Can I have one other question related to the budget, if I could?

2346
02:13:09,276 --> 02:13:12,015
The idea that we've got continuing

2347
02:13:12,955 --> 02:13:13,596
programs

2348
02:13:14,436 --> 02:13:18,256
and that we sort of take that as the base, and that

2349
02:13:18,336 --> 02:13:19,536
we add on from there.

2350
02:13:21,236 --> 02:13:24,816
Mike's not here, but that's what I sensed from his

2351
02:13:24,876 --> 02:13:28,416
comments, that we've got to go back

2352
02:13:28,476 --> 02:13:28,996
to

2353
02:13:30,436 --> 02:13:33,766
1,000 years ago when I was in the mayor's office, they called it zero-based

2354
02:13:33,856 --> 02:13:36,706
budgeting. And you just start off assuming nothing

2355
02:13:37,476 --> 02:13:40,126
goes from this year to the next year.

2356
02:13:40,196 --> 02:13:44,056
Everything has to be justified. There's a lot of process associated with

2357
02:13:44,136 --> 02:13:47,556
that. I think we've

2358
02:13:47,616 --> 02:13:51,156
got to make an effort to try

2359
02:13:51,856 --> 02:13:55,656
to implement that thinking. Yet this year, I

2360
02:13:55,696 --> 02:13:59,636
doubt we can get all the processes in place, unless they're already

2361
02:13:59,696 --> 02:14:03,356
there, and I just don't know what's internal in your

2362
02:14:04,896 --> 02:14:07,016
functionality at this point in time.

2363
02:14:07,096 --> 02:14:08,016
So,

2364
02:14:09,156 --> 02:14:09,316
I

2365
02:14:11,176 --> 02:14:14,296
mentioned during the break, I'm going to have to get educated on this.

2366
02:14:14,316 --> 02:14:15,016
But I

2367
02:14:16,336 --> 02:14:20,056
also have heard from a number of people about this subject,

2368
02:14:20,136 --> 02:14:21,716
about the budget just

2369
02:14:23,296 --> 02:14:26,656
sort of rolling on one year to the next,

2370
02:14:26,936 --> 02:14:30,716
and I think we've got to develop some processes to get upstream.

2371
02:14:32,316 --> 02:14:33,405
And by the way, the

2372
02:14:35,216 --> 02:14:36,686
chart that they showed yesterday,

2373
02:14:37,556 --> 02:14:41,016
provided yesterday, it's excellent layout of the

2374
02:14:41,056 --> 02:14:44,896
data and the sequence of events. It was very useful.

2375
02:14:44,936 --> 02:14:45,336
Thank you.

2376
02:14:45,876 --> 02:14:49,396
That's what I was trying to say in my finance committee remarks,

2377
02:14:49,516 --> 02:14:53,116
that it's lopsided. We have a very short window to

2378
02:14:53,176 --> 02:14:53,736
create,

2379
02:14:54,576 --> 02:14:58,336
and then there's this very long window to justify over to the legislature.

2380
02:14:58,376 --> 02:15:02,316
We can't change that long window, but we have to have a much longer window

2381
02:15:02,356 --> 02:15:06,320
for creation of the budget. And in this short ...

2382
02:15:06,500 --> 02:15:08,980
window that we've all come together on.

2383
02:15:09,360 --> 02:15:13,120
It was just impossible to create a longer window than is on the calendar.

2384
02:15:13,800 --> 02:15:17,640
So, for the '28 budget, that's why we're trying to...

2385
02:15:18,300 --> 02:15:21,760
We've been digging. We're trying to parse it, but at the same time,

2386
02:15:22,280 --> 02:15:23,560
we're going to be doing it differently.

2387
02:15:23,780 --> 02:15:27,460
Even with the '28, while the budget will be submitted, we'll be using the '28

2388
02:15:27,500 --> 02:15:31,300
budget to really pull it apart and work on it so that we're

2389
02:15:31,340 --> 02:15:35,120
prepared, and we develop that process in the course of these

2390
02:15:35,180 --> 02:15:36,380
next several months.

2391
02:15:38,280 --> 02:15:41,980
I'm brand new here, still learning, and

2392
02:15:45,420 --> 02:15:47,040
probably already talking too much.

2393
02:15:48,200 --> 02:15:51,340
No, I appreciate the question. It's a great question.

2394
02:15:51,840 --> 02:15:55,700
Just to give you guys a little bit of background that you might not be aware of,

2395
02:15:56,340 --> 02:15:58,520
the department does a lot of work behind the scenes.

2396
02:15:59,100 --> 02:16:03,080
So when the budget process does start, all these program managers that

2397
02:16:03,140 --> 02:16:07,000
you see over here that are running these programs, they do take a hard

2398
02:16:07,060 --> 02:16:11,040
look at what they're spending their money on, how things are being processed.

2399
02:16:11,580 --> 02:16:15,400
There are core reductions that we do ask for in the budget process.

2400
02:16:15,740 --> 02:16:17,940
A lot of times those are tied to federal dollars.

2401
02:16:18,980 --> 02:16:22,860
When we have a federal grant that might be expiring, we look at that, and we ask

2402
02:16:22,900 --> 02:16:26,840
for a reduction in that federal appropriation, that spending authority, if we

2403
02:16:26,860 --> 02:16:28,540
no longer have the dollars to back it up.

2404
02:16:28,980 --> 02:16:32,340
But there is a process behind the scenes, but I do love that the

2405
02:16:32,380 --> 02:16:34,611
board is interested in taking a look at that.

2406
02:16:37,960 --> 02:16:39,180
Other questions or comments?

2407
02:16:40,180 --> 02:16:40,580
I have

2408
02:16:41,781 --> 02:16:42,900
just a couple.

2409
02:16:44,281 --> 02:16:48,160
First of all, I think you guys, the information is much

2410
02:16:48,201 --> 02:16:51,770
better and easier to understand, and the discussion, than it was, I think, a year

2411
02:16:51,861 --> 02:16:54,451
ago or whenever it was. Absolutely.

2412
02:16:55,660 --> 02:16:59,580
It's still hard to... We're talking about

2413
02:16:59,621 --> 02:17:02,960
billions of dollars, right? And it would take me

2414
02:17:03,041 --> 02:17:06,520
probably a couple of years to go through each of the

2415
02:17:06,560 --> 02:17:09,900
programs that we're funding and figure out what they are, and

2416
02:17:11,460 --> 02:17:13,840
I don't know that I could do it, right?

2417
02:17:13,920 --> 02:17:17,121
It would be tough, I think, for anybody, really, any of us, to go through the

2418
02:17:17,160 --> 02:17:20,640
budget and be able to explain exactly what's in there.

2419
02:17:22,281 --> 02:17:25,460
Part of me just thinks a pause, I don't know if that's the right word,

2420
02:17:26,180 --> 02:17:30,121
is maybe appropriate, right? We're redoing our strategic plan, looking at

2421
02:17:30,140 --> 02:17:33,541
our legislative priorities, doing some updates like that.

2422
02:17:35,080 --> 02:17:35,820
Or maybe,

2423
02:17:36,720 --> 02:17:40,361
I don't know, is there outside people that can help us look at this

2424
02:17:40,480 --> 02:17:41,000
stuff or-

2425
02:17:41,220 --> 02:17:41,460
And-

2426
02:17:42,361 --> 02:17:43,800
I don't know what the answer is, but-

2427
02:17:44,201 --> 02:17:47,980
And that's what we're recommending, Mike, that as we are going to be digging

2428
02:17:48,041 --> 02:17:50,701
into the budget, we'll bring in the experts as needed

2429
02:17:51,880 --> 02:17:55,520
to address... We're going to work with the department.

2430
02:17:55,740 --> 02:17:59,720
We've already asked for all the program- Not all, but that we'll do

2431
02:17:59,760 --> 02:18:00,320
the work. But

2432
02:18:01,180 --> 02:18:05,041
we've already started to get the education on where is this data existing,

2433
02:18:05,180 --> 02:18:09,020
the access to the links of information around justification

2434
02:18:09,060 --> 02:18:12,621
for different projects, different programs. What are the results?

2435
02:18:13,320 --> 02:18:17,180
And that's exactly what the committee's going to be doing and

2436
02:18:17,260 --> 02:18:19,710
looking at where do we want to bring in an expert.

2437
02:18:19,871 --> 02:18:21,861
I'm going to use just an example, literacy.

2438
02:18:22,660 --> 02:18:26,560
Now, looking at the results we're getting, how we're spending the money, using an

2439
02:18:26,621 --> 02:18:29,930
expert in literacy, is this the right way? Are we doing the right thing?

2440
02:18:30,340 --> 02:18:32,441
And we'll look at that across all the budgets.

2441
02:18:33,180 --> 02:18:33,790
On that note, I would-

2442
02:18:33,820 --> 02:18:35,380
That's what the committee,

2443
02:18:36,340 --> 02:18:40,220
we spoke about in the very beginning of our charter, let's get our feet

2444
02:18:40,300 --> 02:18:44,121
grounded and understand and start to get the information better

2445
02:18:44,320 --> 02:18:47,660
organized, better presented, so that the board can better

2446
02:18:47,760 --> 02:18:51,640
understand what it is we have today, and then we'll start to

2447
02:18:51,680 --> 02:18:53,781
tear it apart, and that's what the committee is doing.

2448
02:18:54,140 --> 02:18:57,680
I would weigh in that I think a significant amount of the information you'd like to

2449
02:18:57,760 --> 02:19:00,951
see is actually in the yearly budget books.

2450
02:19:01,541 --> 02:19:05,300
For each of the items in the budget, there is information about what that budget

2451
02:19:05,340 --> 02:19:09,260
line item does and how much money was spent, how much was

2452
02:19:09,281 --> 02:19:11,580
lapsed. So that's in the budget request each year.

2453
02:19:12,300 --> 02:19:16,140
There's also a program descriptions book that we provide each year and update

2454
02:19:16,201 --> 02:19:19,680
each year, and that has more in-depth information about most of the

2455
02:19:19,740 --> 02:19:21,069
programming. So we-

2456
02:19:21,100 --> 02:19:21,980
And that's what the committee-

2457
02:19:22,020 --> 02:19:22,160
And, uh-

2458
02:19:22,201 --> 02:19:23,680
... has started to take a look at as well.

2459
02:19:23,800 --> 02:19:27,691
Yeah. So I think that'll provide a solid basis for the board to

2460
02:19:27,720 --> 02:19:31,660
really dig in and gain a full understanding of what's in the

2461
02:19:31,740 --> 02:19:35,201
budget and what you believe should stay and what you believe should perhaps go.

2462
02:19:35,580 --> 02:19:39,240
Is that something we could send out before this next ad hoc meeting that we have?

2463
02:19:39,320 --> 02:19:42,180
Yeah. We've provided the links before, but I'll send them again.

2464
02:19:42,240 --> 02:19:42,750
Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

2465
02:19:42,800 --> 02:19:46,781
Sure. Happy to do it. We have the fiscal year '27, the past

2466
02:19:46,861 --> 02:19:47,170
year,

2467
02:19:48,121 --> 02:19:51,870
the one we're in currently. That budget book from last fall is

2468
02:19:51,920 --> 02:19:55,470
available, and the program description book from last fall is available,

2469
02:19:55,880 --> 02:19:59,780
and the new ones are being developed at this moment, and they go in October 1st,

2470
02:20:00,180 --> 02:20:01,740
but I'd be happy to send those links back out.

2471
02:20:01,880 --> 02:20:04,600
Yeah, no, and we get tons of links and there's tons of-

2472
02:20:04,660 --> 02:20:05,080
Exactly

2473
02:20:05,090 --> 02:20:06,500
... information overload, so yeah, just-

2474
02:20:07,320 --> 02:20:07,520
Will do

2475
02:20:07,640 --> 02:20:09,370
... the specific request. We'll

2476
02:20:10,480 --> 02:20:14,200
meet as a finance committee and formulate a communication email that'll go

2477
02:20:14,280 --> 02:20:15,800
out prior to this next

2478
02:20:17,120 --> 02:20:17,720
special meeting.

2479
02:20:21,780 --> 02:20:22,500
Any other questions?

2480
02:20:23,880 --> 02:20:24,980
No, we're going to work out a date.

2481
02:20:25,060 --> 02:20:26,000
We'll have that date-

2482
02:20:26,040 --> 02:20:26,250
We're working

2483
02:20:26,250 --> 02:20:28,560
... settled before the end of the day, end of this meeting. Yeah.

2484
02:20:30,580 --> 02:20:31,680
May I make a suggestion?

2485
02:20:31,980 --> 02:20:31,990
Sure.

2486
02:20:32,020 --> 02:20:35,870
Something that you might do. The timeline on the budget is

2487
02:20:35,900 --> 02:20:39,080
so awkward because we're waiting right up until it's signed before

2488
02:20:39,640 --> 02:20:42,120
truly digging into thinking about the next one, but

2489
02:20:43,120 --> 02:20:46,080
it wouldn't hurt for the board to have some preliminary

2490
02:20:46,180 --> 02:20:49,820
conversations in the late spring, early summer,

2491
02:20:50,200 --> 02:20:54,120
especially because the strategic plan will be new and thinking about what your

2492
02:20:54,160 --> 02:20:57,459
priorities are. And maybe this is the discussion and you

2493
02:20:58,124 --> 02:21:02,064
You can give your feedback to your two finance committee members so that

2494
02:21:02,104 --> 02:21:05,884
then as they are refining those details, just to give you a little bit

2495
02:21:05,944 --> 02:21:08,234
earlier start on thinking about some of these things.

2496
02:21:08,304 --> 02:21:12,264
Because I think now we're just trying to turn them around so fast-

2497
02:21:12,344 --> 02:21:12,354
Exactly

2498
02:21:12,354 --> 02:21:14,984
... because the folks across the street are going to be asking us for our budget

2499
02:21:15,044 --> 02:21:18,724
really soon. But we could start having some

2500
02:21:18,784 --> 02:21:20,204
conversations about what are the

2501
02:21:21,084 --> 02:21:24,464
priority discretionary items that you are

2502
02:21:24,724 --> 02:21:27,384
interested in should we be able to ask for that.

2503
02:21:27,414 --> 02:21:30,174
And we can give you a heads-up about

2504
02:21:31,244 --> 02:21:34,824
these are some things that we're going to request based on what the

2505
02:21:34,884 --> 02:21:38,824
statute calls for. Either the

2506
02:21:38,844 --> 02:21:42,184
board can make a recommendation on how much to scale that back, like the funding

2507
02:21:42,204 --> 02:21:45,984
formula recommendation, or we let the legislature do that.

2508
02:21:46,144 --> 02:21:50,124
We have just not as a department wanted to say, "Well, we're

2509
02:21:50,144 --> 02:21:54,104
going to decide that we should only ask for half of that." Because that would just

2510
02:21:54,124 --> 02:21:56,104
seem arbitrary, and that's really your decision.

2511
02:21:56,164 --> 02:21:57,584
So it seems like a huge number,

2512
02:21:58,684 --> 02:22:02,644
but it's to put in front of you just so that you can decide

2513
02:22:02,684 --> 02:22:06,404
what you think of that we should actually ask for,

2514
02:22:07,264 --> 02:22:10,674
if that makes sense. But I think what I'm trying to say, some of the conversations

2515
02:22:10,704 --> 02:22:13,604
about what are the priorities, what are the new priorities, we could have those

2516
02:22:13,644 --> 02:22:17,604
conversations just earlier, just as a discussion, just

2517
02:22:17,624 --> 02:22:18,154
a point of discussion.

2518
02:22:18,154 --> 02:22:20,544
And I would add onto that, they should be a part of every meeting.

2519
02:22:20,604 --> 02:22:23,464
It's a part of all the agenda items we talk about.

2520
02:22:23,524 --> 02:22:27,464
But it was clearly an agenda item in our retreat as well

2521
02:22:27,564 --> 02:22:31,224
to look at our priorities, how did that feed into the budget, how did it feed into

2522
02:22:31,264 --> 02:22:34,783
legislative priorities. So I think, again, we're trying to get there,

2523
02:22:35,244 --> 02:22:38,044
and that's what we've been starting to build towards.

2524
02:22:38,084 --> 02:22:41,944
It's just as we're forming and continue to receive new board members, that

2525
02:22:42,244 --> 02:22:45,284
we kind of take one step forward, a step back, and go forward again.

2526
02:22:46,084 --> 02:22:48,064
So I think that's right on target,

2527
02:22:49,064 --> 02:22:50,584
Stacy, to suggest because...

2528
02:22:52,964 --> 02:22:53,814
Any other questions?

2529
02:22:56,624 --> 02:22:58,864
Hearing none. Thank you very much for your time.

2530
02:22:59,384 --> 02:22:59,394
Thank you.

2531
02:22:59,394 --> 02:22:59,664
Thank you.

2532
02:23:05,504 --> 02:23:06,204
Mr. Reed.

2533
02:23:10,674 --> 02:23:13,364
Mr. Reed has been with us a very short time, right?

2534
02:23:14,604 --> 02:23:15,244
He has

2535
02:23:17,324 --> 02:23:18,284
just short of a month.

2536
02:23:18,624 --> 02:23:20,624
Why don't you introduce him, if you wouldn't mind?

2537
02:23:24,144 --> 02:23:27,864
So, for the board members, again, this is Luke Reed.

2538
02:23:27,944 --> 02:23:29,844
He is our chief

2539
02:23:32,084 --> 02:23:35,904
governmental relations officer. We've had some conversations about that.

2540
02:23:36,284 --> 02:23:40,234
Anyway, he has worked with a couple of other state agencies

2541
02:23:40,234 --> 02:23:44,153
and is very familiar with the legislative process, so we're very excited to have

2542
02:23:44,184 --> 02:23:47,284
him be able to hit the ground running knowing those things.

2543
02:23:47,304 --> 02:23:50,924
And he's been doing a great job getting up to speed on the education

2544
02:23:50,984 --> 02:23:54,634
issues and really put in a lot of time on getting to know what these

2545
02:23:54,664 --> 02:23:57,914
programs are all about. But I'll just let him tell you a little bit about what his

2546
02:23:57,924 --> 02:23:59,064
plan is going forward.

2547
02:24:00,644 --> 02:24:03,564
Yes. Once again, I'm Luke Reed. It's great to be on board.

2548
02:24:03,624 --> 02:24:06,564
I'm excited to work with each of you, and I've had conversations with

2549
02:24:07,544 --> 02:24:11,384
many of you. I look forward to continuing that in the immediate future.

2550
02:24:12,204 --> 02:24:15,744
I'm developing a work plan. So right now,

2551
02:24:16,624 --> 02:24:19,764
my focus is on getting up to speed on what this department

2552
02:24:19,774 --> 02:24:22,993
does in a static sense, and then

2553
02:24:23,044 --> 02:24:25,264
looking forward to the legislative agenda.

2554
02:24:25,584 --> 02:24:28,324
I've had conversations with our chair of the legislative group, Mr.

2555
02:24:28,504 --> 02:24:31,144
Myers, and I look forward to speaking with Mr.

2556
02:24:31,364 --> 02:24:33,184
Matusik and Dr. Scholl,

2557
02:24:34,644 --> 02:24:36,544
and we'll be forming the legislative agenda.

2558
02:24:36,554 --> 02:24:40,524
And on this list, we have some priorities, and I want to make sure that these

2559
02:24:40,604 --> 02:24:43,704
fit with what this board wants to prioritize,

2560
02:24:44,624 --> 02:24:44,824
so...

2561
02:24:48,424 --> 02:24:49,704
Are those the carryover?

2562
02:24:50,824 --> 02:24:54,794
The carryover, I also have the '26 legislative agenda, which would be a

2563
02:24:54,804 --> 02:24:57,824
good place to start, and there are six priorities on this,

2564
02:24:58,604 --> 02:25:02,444
including early learning, literacy, mathematics, success for

2565
02:25:02,564 --> 02:25:06,044
today's students and workforce development, educator attention and

2566
02:25:06,264 --> 02:25:09,684
recruitment, and providing access to quality schools.

2567
02:25:09,804 --> 02:25:13,604
But perhaps this board may want to look at being

2568
02:25:13,624 --> 02:25:15,234
more focused and more

2569
02:25:16,564 --> 02:25:20,104
action-oriented. I'm not sure, but those are conversations I look forward to having

2570
02:25:20,124 --> 02:25:20,524
with you all.

2571
02:25:21,504 --> 02:25:25,324
So the '26 were just broad concepts of, "Hey, we would like

2572
02:25:26,124 --> 02:25:28,504
you all to focus on workforce development," or whatever.

2573
02:25:28,844 --> 02:25:29,264
Yeah, and-

2574
02:25:29,884 --> 02:25:33,224
Nothing, no specific legislation or particular aim?

2575
02:25:34,064 --> 02:25:35,704
That's what 2026 was.

2576
02:25:35,904 --> 02:25:35,914
Okay.

2577
02:25:35,924 --> 02:25:36,324
Yes.

2578
02:25:38,184 --> 02:25:41,744
So could you remind us, maybe a good place to start is the end.

2579
02:25:42,444 --> 02:25:46,434
When do we want to have our legislative priorities submitted into

2580
02:25:46,464 --> 02:25:50,404
what do you need from us so that then the board can build backwards the committee

2581
02:25:50,414 --> 02:25:54,164
and make sure that we have those proper discussions and bring

2582
02:25:54,204 --> 02:25:55,814
forward legislative priorities?

2583
02:25:56,364 --> 02:25:59,564
And I appreciate that question. And August the

2584
02:25:59,724 --> 02:26:02,754
28th is the deadline for the governor's office submittals,

2585
02:26:03,764 --> 02:26:05,424
but-

2586
02:26:05,484 --> 02:26:09,164
August the 28th of this month, the deadline to

2587
02:26:09,204 --> 02:26:12,004
submit our legislative priorities for the next legislative

2588
02:26:12,104 --> 02:26:15,664
session? In the past, it had been that we

2589
02:26:16,204 --> 02:26:19,064
wanted to submit them in December because legislate-

2590
02:26:19,884 --> 02:26:23,604
I think that step is fairly new in the process.

2591
02:26:23,684 --> 02:26:27,104
We have not always done that. And when we're talking about legislative priorities,

2592
02:26:27,184 --> 02:26:30,444
they want to know if there are bills that we intend to file-

2593
02:26:30,524 --> 02:26:30,964
Yeah

2594
02:26:30,974 --> 02:26:32,964
... things that we intend to pursue.

2595
02:26:33,064 --> 02:26:36,144
Advocating for money that's in the budget, that kind of thing,

2596
02:26:36,224 --> 02:26:37,304
or

2597
02:26:38,284 --> 02:26:41,384
responding to proposals that are out there, things like that,

2598
02:26:42,304 --> 02:26:46,284
those we have time to think about. But just if we have bills

2599
02:26:46,324 --> 02:26:47,284
that you intend to file, which

2600
02:26:48,564 --> 02:26:50,864
nothing came to mind when we were talking about that.

2601
02:26:51,024 --> 02:26:53,904
Really you have pretty broad statutory...

2602
02:26:53,934 --> 02:26:57,614
Any of the things that we've been talking about do not require new legislation for

2603
02:26:57,644 --> 02:26:58,764
you to implement, so-

2604
02:26:58,864 --> 02:26:59,504
Yes

2605
02:27:00,188 --> 02:27:00,998
Anyway, sorry, Luke

2606
02:27:01,388 --> 02:27:03,628
Oh, no, I appreciate that. And yes, Mr.

2607
02:27:03,828 --> 02:27:07,508
Myers and I had the conversation. The threshold would be,

2608
02:27:07,968 --> 02:27:11,448
is there anything this department cannot do without a change in

2609
02:27:11,548 --> 02:27:12,148
statute?

2610
02:27:13,108 --> 02:27:13,298
And

2611
02:27:14,588 --> 02:27:18,028
aside from that, I believe we would have till really December to

2612
02:27:18,068 --> 02:27:18,788
finalize

2613
02:27:20,328 --> 02:27:23,648
the 2027 version of the legislative

2614
02:27:23,728 --> 02:27:26,508
priorities. And that would be

2615
02:27:28,788 --> 02:27:29,828
a separate process,

2616
02:27:30,828 --> 02:27:31,208
and

2617
02:27:32,188 --> 02:27:34,468
this board has a separate authority from

2618
02:27:35,288 --> 02:27:38,408
other departments, so that August 28th is a bit different.

2619
02:27:38,968 --> 02:27:39,747
Okay, good.

2620
02:27:40,288 --> 02:27:44,088
But said similarly to the finance discussion,

2621
02:27:44,708 --> 02:27:48,018
we are still building that. We're flying already,

2622
02:27:48,148 --> 02:27:50,888
but changing the engines at the same time.

2623
02:27:51,048 --> 02:27:53,608
So as the different

2624
02:27:55,088 --> 02:27:58,868
committees continue to do their work, there could be a

2625
02:27:58,928 --> 02:28:02,768
bill that we would want to propose, and we just deal with that at the timing

2626
02:28:02,777 --> 02:28:06,328
and whether it's possible or not.

2627
02:28:07,368 --> 02:28:11,328
But the goal would be anything legislative priority-wise that we do

2628
02:28:11,368 --> 02:28:14,128
want to communicate would want to be done by,

2629
02:28:14,958 --> 02:28:18,568
and approved by, the board to be submitted in December.

2630
02:28:19,508 --> 02:28:21,048
If it's specific legislation.

2631
02:28:21,348 --> 02:28:21,528
Yeah.

2632
02:28:21,688 --> 02:28:22,568
If it's just

2633
02:28:23,808 --> 02:28:26,108
what you want to make sure that your focus is on.

2634
02:28:26,498 --> 02:28:29,528
And things will come up during the session, too, that maybe we are not

2635
02:28:29,588 --> 02:28:33,428
anticipating, and you want to have a chance to be able to say whether or not the

2636
02:28:33,448 --> 02:28:37,008
board is going to take a position on specific things that come up.

2637
02:28:37,088 --> 02:28:38,128
But as

2638
02:28:39,648 --> 02:28:42,588
Luke was saying, they've set the threshold of,

2639
02:28:43,548 --> 02:28:46,988
is what you want to do, does it require legislation?

2640
02:28:47,028 --> 02:28:50,938
And if it does not, there's every reason not

2641
02:28:50,968 --> 02:28:54,868
to go that route. It's not an easy hill to climb, and so if there are things

2642
02:28:54,888 --> 02:28:57,628
that you can do without doing that, that's always the first option.

2643
02:28:57,668 --> 02:28:59,388
And we first have to define what we want to do.

2644
02:28:59,708 --> 02:29:00,288
Exactly, yeah.

2645
02:29:00,448 --> 02:29:03,668
Which will come through a lot of the committee work, like the strategic plan, et

2646
02:29:03,728 --> 02:29:04,028
cetera.

2647
02:29:04,808 --> 02:29:06,648
I just had a question. I know we had talked,

2648
02:29:08,448 --> 02:29:12,348
maybe not directly, but in meetings and definitely offline, about certain

2649
02:29:12,508 --> 02:29:15,708
administrative things that are in the statute that-

2650
02:29:15,968 --> 02:29:16,138
Oh, yeah

2651
02:29:16,228 --> 02:29:19,748
... may or may not. If we change it, it may allow us to do things.

2652
02:29:19,788 --> 02:29:23,568
They're just either silent in the statute or it's worded a different

2653
02:29:23,608 --> 02:29:24,088
way. So

2654
02:29:25,108 --> 02:29:28,408
I consider that low-hanging fruit, non-controversial type stuff.

2655
02:29:28,488 --> 02:29:29,088
So is that

2656
02:29:30,528 --> 02:29:32,368
August 28th deadline, or if-

2657
02:29:33,268 --> 02:29:36,948
No, I'm of the opinion we probably won't have

2658
02:29:36,988 --> 02:29:38,848
anything for that August 28th deadline.

2659
02:29:39,418 --> 02:29:39,418
Okay.

2660
02:29:39,448 --> 02:29:43,228
But there is a sort of middle ground that you and I had briefly touched

2661
02:29:43,308 --> 02:29:46,598
on, that I inherited from my predecessor, Perry.

2662
02:29:47,108 --> 02:29:51,068
It's a list of around 8 to 10, and it's a living document, I

2663
02:29:51,098 --> 02:29:54,908
continue to add them, but fixes that we would benefit from as a

2664
02:29:54,928 --> 02:29:55,568
department.

2665
02:29:56,048 --> 02:29:56,568
Got it. Okay.

2666
02:29:56,708 --> 02:29:56,997
Whereas-

2667
02:29:57,088 --> 02:30:01,028
I want to make sure we had time to nail that down so that we don't have to wait

2668
02:30:01,048 --> 02:30:03,228
another year to get that in there.

2669
02:30:03,368 --> 02:30:05,488
And we're talking just fairly simple-

2670
02:30:05,708 --> 02:30:06,818
Yeah, in my opinion, but yeah

2671
02:30:06,828 --> 02:30:07,848
... uncontroversial.

2672
02:30:07,928 --> 02:30:09,408
You open up a can of worms, I don't know.

2673
02:30:09,468 --> 02:30:09,708
Yeah.

2674
02:30:09,768 --> 02:30:11,548
Everything is non-controversial.

2675
02:30:11,788 --> 02:30:14,488
Yeah, and to speak to the commissioner's point about

2676
02:30:15,828 --> 02:30:16,688
filing a bill,

2677
02:30:17,548 --> 02:30:19,768
we would be at the mercy of the general assembly.

2678
02:30:20,268 --> 02:30:20,448
Right.

2679
02:30:20,538 --> 02:30:24,268
And in these cases, these fixes would be much more

2680
02:30:24,308 --> 02:30:28,068
targeted and limited, and we wouldn't be leading the

2681
02:30:28,128 --> 02:30:32,028
charge necessarily, but rather if a legislator had a bill that opened

2682
02:30:32,088 --> 02:30:33,378
up this specific chapter,

2683
02:30:34,288 --> 02:30:35,768
or this specific section really,

2684
02:30:36,688 --> 02:30:40,108
that we would work with the bill sponsor to include this fix.

2685
02:30:40,568 --> 02:30:40,748
Okay.

2686
02:30:41,548 --> 02:30:41,837
So like a-

2687
02:30:41,837 --> 02:30:43,148
I want to make sure we had time, that's all.

2688
02:30:43,548 --> 02:30:44,308
Yes, and-

2689
02:30:44,348 --> 02:30:45,588
We have a couple of months at least.

2690
02:30:46,108 --> 02:30:46,648
You are correct.

2691
02:30:46,888 --> 02:30:47,028
Yeah.

2692
02:30:48,588 --> 02:30:52,568
So biggest part of your job will be watching the bills as they

2693
02:30:52,608 --> 02:30:56,388
are filed to see if it's something we need to weigh in on either side,

2694
02:30:56,608 --> 02:31:00,508
and if there's some window to put some of these other changes on.

2695
02:31:00,968 --> 02:31:01,728
That's a big

2696
02:31:02,968 --> 02:31:05,768
part of what your role is, right? Come from

2697
02:31:07,428 --> 02:31:08,348
starting in December?

2698
02:31:08,748 --> 02:31:08,828
Yeah.

2699
02:31:08,848 --> 02:31:09,488
Watching the bills.

2700
02:31:09,688 --> 02:31:13,658
Yeah. December the 1st is the first day that legislators can pre-file legislation.

2701
02:31:14,528 --> 02:31:18,398
And it is a strange thing, but new legislators who aren't

2702
02:31:18,508 --> 02:31:20,428
sworn in can pre-file legislation.

2703
02:31:20,488 --> 02:31:23,348
Which that was a question, I don't recall who asked me.

2704
02:31:24,648 --> 02:31:25,148
Yeah.

2705
02:31:26,148 --> 02:31:28,547
So December the 1st is when the

2706
02:31:29,588 --> 02:31:32,968
department will receive new bills to start, and then

2707
02:31:33,028 --> 02:31:36,977
legislators have till the end of March, I believe, to file new legislation.

2708
02:31:37,188 --> 02:31:40,918
But they can, of course, amend things in committee or on the floor after

2709
02:31:40,968 --> 02:31:41,308
that.

2710
02:31:42,188 --> 02:31:45,828
But yeah, my job will be to be on top of all the bills that are

2711
02:31:45,868 --> 02:31:48,048
filed and work with our budget team

2712
02:31:49,768 --> 02:31:53,598
to make sure we understand them and understand how each bill will affect this

2713
02:31:53,628 --> 02:31:54,168
department.

2714
02:31:54,508 --> 02:31:55,768
Got you. Thank you.

2715
02:31:56,468 --> 02:31:57,168
Mr. Matusic?

2716
02:31:57,348 --> 02:31:57,888
Yeah. Thank you.

2717
02:31:59,728 --> 02:32:01,388
Just a couple of thoughts for the board.

2718
02:32:03,628 --> 02:32:07,148
Those who've been on over the last year have probably heard me say this,

2719
02:32:07,248 --> 02:32:11,208
but the legislative

2720
02:32:11,288 --> 02:32:11,888
priorities

2721
02:32:13,128 --> 02:32:16,708
document that we have now, I do think it's just a lot of

2722
02:32:16,748 --> 02:32:17,348
broad

2723
02:32:18,428 --> 02:32:19,528
position statements.

2724
02:32:20,828 --> 02:32:22,768
When I think of legislative priorities,

2725
02:32:24,468 --> 02:32:28,268
I think of it in a few ways. One, when we have a strategic plan,

2726
02:32:29,228 --> 02:32:32,748
what sort of legislative action might we need to

2727
02:32:33,088 --> 02:32:34,868
implement that plan? Right?

2728
02:32:35,948 --> 02:32:38,808
Whether that's changes to statute, whatever it might be.

2729
02:32:40,368 --> 02:32:44,188
And then, I think most of our legislative priorities should

2730
02:32:44,248 --> 02:32:45,908
reflect our strategic plan.

2731
02:32:47,098 --> 02:32:49,968
Not all, right? For example, one of the issues we discussed,

2732
02:32:51,188 --> 02:32:53,058
I think at our work session or whenever it was,

2733
02:32:54,768 --> 02:32:55,668
we've talked about

2734
02:32:56,668 --> 02:32:59,048
hiring a commissioner, and does the commissioner have

2735
02:32:59,888 --> 02:33:03,448
a multi-year contract, and does the board have authority to do that?

2736
02:33:03,728 --> 02:33:07,518
You can read the statute. You could probably interpret it a couple different ways,

2737
02:33:07,608 --> 02:33:11,508
but that may be an example of a legislative priority if we think

2738
02:33:12,796 --> 02:33:16,156
for the long-term of the department, not just the next couple of years, but 20

2739
02:33:16,176 --> 02:33:16,946
years from now.

2740
02:33:19,896 --> 02:33:23,616
As commissioners come and go, and if we think

2741
02:33:23,656 --> 02:33:23,896
that

2742
02:33:24,756 --> 02:33:28,436
finding the best candidate and retaining the best candidate means we need to have a

2743
02:33:28,476 --> 02:33:32,416
multi-year contract that lays out X, Y, and Z, then maybe that's something

2744
02:33:32,456 --> 02:33:34,326
we add to the legislative priorities document,

2745
02:33:35,256 --> 02:33:38,276
make our case to the legislature for a clarification statute.

2746
02:33:39,256 --> 02:33:39,446
But

2747
02:33:41,496 --> 02:33:43,376
I voted against this in December of last year.

2748
02:33:43,416 --> 02:33:44,896
I think I was the only one, which is fine.

2749
02:33:45,016 --> 02:33:48,416
If we're all agreeing on everything on every time, then something's probably gone

2750
02:33:48,436 --> 02:33:48,816
wrong. But

2751
02:33:50,116 --> 02:33:53,876
when I develop a legislative priorities document, it takes years to build

2752
02:33:53,976 --> 02:33:56,816
that. It's not just something that we throw on a piece of paper.

2753
02:33:56,856 --> 02:34:00,276
And so to me, to wrap it up, I think the

2754
02:34:01,036 --> 02:34:02,936
strategic plan should come first,

2755
02:34:03,796 --> 02:34:06,546
and then the legislative priorities document comes after.

2756
02:34:07,816 --> 02:34:08,736
That's just my opinion.

2757
02:34:12,276 --> 02:34:15,176
Do we have... Okay. I just want to say I agree.

2758
02:34:15,716 --> 02:34:18,916
I don't know, given the flow of events and the

2759
02:34:20,676 --> 02:34:24,516
schedules and whatnot that are set in law already, I'm not sure we can

2760
02:34:24,556 --> 02:34:28,496
get that done right away. But conceptually, you're exactly correct.

2761
02:34:29,956 --> 02:34:33,936
And I think we're faced with the same issues with the

2762
02:34:34,436 --> 02:34:35,056
budget and

2763
02:34:36,796 --> 02:34:38,136
we've got a lot of catching up to do.

2764
02:34:39,336 --> 02:34:43,016
So the question is, do we submit legislative priorities now?

2765
02:34:43,256 --> 02:34:47,176
Not now, but maybe a thought of consideration to Mike's point is, we

2766
02:34:47,236 --> 02:34:47,536
don't.

2767
02:34:49,116 --> 02:34:53,036
Since we're not specifically asking for any one thing, we're just letting them know

2768
02:34:53,136 --> 02:34:55,136
what we think is important in education,

2769
02:34:56,516 --> 02:35:00,096
do we take a hiatus on legislative priorities for this year to

2770
02:35:00,176 --> 02:35:03,716
build the specific details of

2771
02:35:03,796 --> 02:35:07,496
legislation that we want? And I'm not saying we

2772
02:35:07,576 --> 02:35:10,766
answer that here. Or do we want to continue to just

2773
02:35:10,836 --> 02:35:14,516
certainly emphasize to the legislature those

2774
02:35:14,596 --> 02:35:17,626
specific areas of focus that we have that are

2775
02:35:17,656 --> 02:35:21,176
broad? They're more direct than they used to be, but they're still

2776
02:35:21,216 --> 02:35:25,076
broad. And what approach should we take?

2777
02:35:25,116 --> 02:35:28,856
And I guess that's the guidance we should look for from the legislative committee.

2778
02:35:29,356 --> 02:35:30,776
Yeah. Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Brooks.

2779
02:35:31,156 --> 02:35:32,486
No, I'll call on Dr. Pruitt.

2780
02:35:32,596 --> 02:35:32,936
Oh, sorry.

2781
02:35:33,156 --> 02:35:33,326
You want to-

2782
02:35:33,376 --> 02:35:34,736
You want to follow up on her-

2783
02:35:34,836 --> 02:35:38,616
Oh, yeah. I give you my answer now. I think we should wait.

2784
02:35:38,696 --> 02:35:41,196
I don't think we need to submit a legislative priorities document

2785
02:35:42,216 --> 02:35:44,476
to the legislature for this next legislative session.

2786
02:35:45,356 --> 02:35:46,716
That's my opinion.

2787
02:35:46,766 --> 02:35:49,096
I think that's something to take under consideration in the committee.

2788
02:35:49,896 --> 02:35:51,596
Absolutely. My two cents.

2789
02:35:51,685 --> 02:35:55,236
So my comment was going to be, something that you might think about is

2790
02:35:56,396 --> 02:36:00,336
retitling what that's called, and maybe that's policy priorities.

2791
02:36:00,796 --> 02:36:04,596
And so that if something does rise to the level of you need legislation to be able

2792
02:36:04,616 --> 02:36:08,576
to carry it out, great. Maybe it's a change to an administrative rule that makes

2793
02:36:08,616 --> 02:36:12,336
something more specific. Maybe it's an internal policy, but it's just

2794
02:36:13,436 --> 02:36:17,376
based on your strategic plan, saying what you're prioritizing and what do

2795
02:36:17,436 --> 02:36:21,216
you need to do to accomplish it. I think legislative priorities leans us to

2796
02:36:21,236 --> 02:36:25,116
think we need to come up with legislation, and we don't necessarily

2797
02:36:25,176 --> 02:36:28,756
always need to do that. There may be other types of policy

2798
02:36:28,916 --> 02:36:32,736
initiatives that could accomplish that. So just a thought.

2799
02:36:32,976 --> 02:36:36,666
Yeah. No, I think the legislative priorities list, as you build that over

2800
02:36:36,776 --> 02:36:39,096
time, I don't think it's going to be a big list.

2801
02:36:40,256 --> 02:36:44,216
I think you focus on a few things, see what you can get done, and then continue

2802
02:36:44,256 --> 02:36:48,096
to add to it and build that agenda based on the strategic plan,

2803
02:36:48,996 --> 02:36:50,576
based on the budget.

2804
02:36:51,836 --> 02:36:55,776
What those realities look like. I just think this is kind of like a cart before

2805
02:36:55,816 --> 02:36:57,296
the horse type of thing.

2806
02:36:59,236 --> 02:37:00,236
So thank you.

2807
02:37:01,596 --> 02:37:03,596
And you're referring to the budget on that?

2808
02:37:03,736 --> 02:37:05,276
No, the legislative priorities.

2809
02:37:05,616 --> 02:37:06,056
Oh, okay.

2810
02:37:06,196 --> 02:37:09,496
Yeah, I don't really see a need to have one this next year.

2811
02:37:10,036 --> 02:37:13,236
I think Luke would stay busy just reading and interpreting-

2812
02:37:13,416 --> 02:37:13,526
Language

2813
02:37:13,556 --> 02:37:16,596
... the hundreds of bills that the legislature introduces.

2814
02:37:18,096 --> 02:37:21,736
But as far as us sending over priorities to the legislature, I

2815
02:37:21,956 --> 02:37:24,856
don't see that as a necessity this year.

2816
02:37:25,616 --> 02:37:29,236
And I will, from city and county governments,

2817
02:37:29,396 --> 02:37:32,656
most of the time when our legislative was trying to kill legislation-

2818
02:37:32,696 --> 02:37:32,706
Yeah

2819
02:37:32,706 --> 02:37:33,516
... that was going to hurt us-

2820
02:37:33,916 --> 02:37:34,416
It was

2821
02:37:34,456 --> 02:37:38,356
... as presenting something new, is there'll be stuff over there

2822
02:37:38,416 --> 02:37:40,216
that we will see that's not good.

2823
02:37:40,316 --> 02:37:41,236
Yeah, playing defense.

2824
02:37:41,296 --> 02:37:42,356
And playing defense.

2825
02:37:42,476 --> 02:37:44,156
That's exactly what was going through my head.

2826
02:37:44,496 --> 02:37:44,746
Mm-hmm.

2827
02:37:45,096 --> 02:37:45,956
Yeah. Okay.

2828
02:37:47,476 --> 02:37:50,996
So where are we at on this very lively

2829
02:37:51,096 --> 02:37:51,616
discussion?

2830
02:37:52,016 --> 02:37:52,956
Important discussion.

2831
02:37:53,316 --> 02:37:54,916
I think the ball's in my court.

2832
02:37:54,996 --> 02:37:55,616
I think it does.

2833
02:37:55,626 --> 02:37:55,836
And so

2834
02:37:56,636 --> 02:37:59,066
thank you. And we will take all that-

2835
02:37:59,066 --> 02:37:59,486
I'll pass the buck

2836
02:37:59,486 --> 02:38:00,116
... into consideration.

2837
02:38:00,336 --> 02:38:04,056
Yeah. Okay. That would be great. And we didn't do much last year.

2838
02:38:04,136 --> 02:38:07,876
And of course, I was chairman last year, so it's all my

2839
02:38:07,956 --> 02:38:11,936
fault. But it sure is nice kind of getting our arms around it.

2840
02:38:12,016 --> 02:38:13,396
And one of the things

2841
02:38:14,376 --> 02:38:16,436
I was a little frustrated with last year

2842
02:38:17,496 --> 02:38:20,856
was we really didn't have a priority.

2843
02:38:20,886 --> 02:38:24,816
And I don't know if Kyle's still in here, but we didn't

2844
02:38:24,836 --> 02:38:28,176
know going through the year what was important to us

2845
02:38:28,336 --> 02:38:31,076
because we didn't have priorities

2846
02:38:32,436 --> 02:38:35,916
within our group here to say this is what we want to

2847
02:38:35,956 --> 02:38:38,416
support. But for me, I think

2848
02:38:39,496 --> 02:38:40,836
you always keep it in front of people.

2849
02:38:41,536 --> 02:38:45,496
And you need, I think, asking for resources

2850
02:38:45,596 --> 02:38:49,436
for a project is critically important to show that we

2851
02:38:49,496 --> 02:38:50,376
are moving forward.

2852
02:38:51,536 --> 02:38:52,886
That's my two cents, and I-

2853
02:38:53,096 --> 02:38:53,306
Mm-hmm

2854
02:38:53,376 --> 02:38:55,896
... think that's a little bit different than what you've done in the past.

2855
02:38:57,076 --> 02:39:00,416
We've always kind of waited for everybody to turn something in,

2856
02:39:01,136 --> 02:39:04,976
and maybe we need to just identify what we need to do

2857
02:39:05,236 --> 02:39:06,076
in our priorities.

2858
02:39:06,376 --> 02:39:10,296
Mm-hmm. And I would stress the importance of not siloing legislative

2859
02:39:10,916 --> 02:39:14,656
budget and all that. I think they all have to talk in unison-

2860
02:39:14,906 --> 02:39:14,906
Yeah

2861
02:39:14,906 --> 02:39:16,736
... to inform our strategy in the capital.

2862
02:39:17,006 --> 02:39:17,006
Mm-hmm.

2863
02:39:17,036 --> 02:39:18,056
I think that's absolutely

2864
02:39:19,044 --> 02:39:19,664
What I'm hearing.

2865
02:39:20,364 --> 02:39:21,124
Yeah, I think so.

2866
02:39:22,164 --> 02:39:22,544
I

2867
02:39:23,404 --> 02:39:26,404
saw some of those requests were $100,000, and

2868
02:39:27,464 --> 02:39:28,404
my question was,

2869
02:39:29,284 --> 02:39:33,264
how do they really impact? What kind of impact

2870
02:39:33,284 --> 02:39:35,724
can you expect for 100,000? And so

2871
02:39:36,624 --> 02:39:40,384
legislatively, do we have to change how we're set up to address

2872
02:39:40,444 --> 02:39:43,114
that or anything that he may

2873
02:39:43,114 --> 02:39:45,944
attune to?

2874
02:39:47,644 --> 02:39:49,104
There's a blank, so I'm-

2875
02:39:50,184 --> 02:39:51,784
I think we're kind of settled in-

2876
02:39:52,124 --> 02:39:52,304
Okay

2877
02:39:52,313 --> 02:39:52,984
... our next steps.

2878
02:39:52,993 --> 02:39:56,894
I think so. I, again, just would emphasize to think

2879
02:39:56,984 --> 02:40:00,904
about legislative priorities broadly, and Luke stated that very well, that

2880
02:40:01,564 --> 02:40:05,484
a lot of the priorities that you want to execute depend on whether or not they can

2881
02:40:05,544 --> 02:40:09,024
be funded. And so some of our advocacy may not be for new

2882
02:40:09,064 --> 02:40:12,024
legislation or even against legislation.

2883
02:40:12,084 --> 02:40:15,564
It may be about making sure that those priorities that you

2884
02:40:15,644 --> 02:40:16,184
have

2885
02:40:17,004 --> 02:40:20,764
get the resources they need. It's all part of the same strategy.

2886
02:40:21,104 --> 02:40:22,324
Okay.

2887
02:40:22,434 --> 02:40:25,864
And to the local government folks' point, that's more defense.

2888
02:40:26,184 --> 02:40:28,344
Budget is defense to an extent.

2889
02:40:29,404 --> 02:40:29,584
Yeah.

2890
02:40:30,564 --> 02:40:32,684
And things like we was talking about earlier,

2891
02:40:32,764 --> 02:40:36,704
trying to fix the four-day school problem,

2892
02:40:37,264 --> 02:40:41,024
putting something in legislation with an ongoing fiscal dollar

2893
02:40:41,064 --> 02:40:41,684
amount in it,

2894
02:40:42,964 --> 02:40:43,524
puts us

2895
02:40:45,504 --> 02:40:48,944
behind the eight ball because it's there, we can't change that.

2896
02:40:49,104 --> 02:40:52,984
And so some of the times when they have something they want changed and they

2897
02:40:53,024 --> 02:40:56,004
put ongoing money on the budget on it,

2898
02:40:56,984 --> 02:40:59,104
that really hampers us.

2899
02:41:01,584 --> 02:41:02,204
Michael?

2900
02:41:02,464 --> 02:41:05,244
I was going to say, you talk about the four-day week problem.

2901
02:41:05,804 --> 02:41:08,044
If they're getting good results, is that a problem?

2902
02:41:08,124 --> 02:41:09,244
I'm just saying the legislature,

2903
02:41:11,144 --> 02:41:14,764
by their action, determined they wanted to have less four-day

2904
02:41:14,854 --> 02:41:16,264
schools and encourage

2905
02:41:17,084 --> 02:41:21,024
that. So on the evaluation of that, I'm

2906
02:41:21,124 --> 02:41:22,164
going by their actions.

2907
02:41:22,304 --> 02:41:22,804
Sure.

2908
02:41:23,804 --> 02:41:24,004
Yeah.

2909
02:41:25,134 --> 02:41:25,904
Any other comments?

2910
02:41:27,944 --> 02:41:30,284
Okay, hearing none. Thanks for your time.

2911
02:41:30,624 --> 02:41:30,904
Thank you.

2912
02:41:30,944 --> 02:41:32,744
And welcome to the school board.

2913
02:41:33,404 --> 02:41:33,924
I appreciate it.

2914
02:41:34,144 --> 02:41:34,804
You bet.

2915
02:41:39,424 --> 02:41:39,864
Okay.

2916
02:41:44,104 --> 02:41:45,884
Yeah, why don't we stop right here?

2917
02:41:47,684 --> 02:41:49,424
We have food is available.

2918
02:41:49,624 --> 02:41:52,784
Food is available, but we can also-

2919
02:41:54,184 --> 02:41:57,544
It'll probably be a longer conversation with you, won't it, Lisa?

2920
02:41:58,664 --> 02:42:02,344
We're talking two or three hours, but I'm

2921
02:42:02,664 --> 02:42:06,244
going to call a break here and for us to take advantage

2922
02:42:06,704 --> 02:42:08,284
of the meal that's prepared for us.

2923
02:42:08,444 --> 02:42:09,504
What time should we come back?

2924
02:42:09,924 --> 02:42:12,964
What do you think? Can we eat 12?

2925
02:42:13,384 --> 02:42:15,264
Or how about 12:15?

2926
02:42:15,464 --> 02:42:19,024
Let's go do 12:15. Yeah, 12:15. So we'll

2927
02:42:19,064 --> 02:42:21,404
return back into session at 12:15.

2928
02:42:21,904 --> 02:42:21,913
Okay.

2929
02:42:21,924 --> 02:42:22,284
Thank you.

2930
03:17:08,210 --> 03:17:09,210
Okay, so it is

2931
03:17:10,310 --> 03:17:14,170
just a couple of minutes past our allotted time here, so as much as we

2932
03:17:14,210 --> 03:17:15,410
want to stay on schedule,

2933
03:17:16,230 --> 03:17:17,990
we'll go ahead and get started here, please.

2934
03:17:18,430 --> 03:17:18,910
All right.

2935
03:17:20,690 --> 03:17:21,230
Thank you, sir.

2936
03:17:22,410 --> 03:17:25,830
This is Lisa Serino. I am Deputy Commissioner of Learning

2937
03:17:25,930 --> 03:17:29,830
Services. I am here today with Shawn Bates.

2938
03:17:29,990 --> 03:17:33,410
He is the Standards Curriculum and Assessment

2939
03:17:33,530 --> 03:17:35,790
Coordinator in the Office of Quality Schools.

2940
03:17:37,110 --> 03:17:40,990
Office of Quality Schools does not presently have an assistant commissioner, so

2941
03:17:41,090 --> 03:17:45,010
I'm going to be filling in to support Shawn, if

2942
03:17:45,110 --> 03:17:46,490
needed in this presentation.

2943
03:17:47,420 --> 03:17:51,090
He's going to talk to you about our

2944
03:17:51,150 --> 03:17:55,130
preliminary statewide assessment results, and I'll turn it

2945
03:17:55,190 --> 03:17:55,970
over to Shawn.

2946
03:17:56,990 --> 03:17:59,110
Oh, good afternoon, and thank you for your time today.

2947
03:18:00,090 --> 03:18:03,770
We will be looking at our preliminary results of the statewide assessment that

2948
03:18:03,830 --> 03:18:07,360
occurred between the fall of 2025 and the spring of

2949
03:18:07,450 --> 03:18:11,410
2026, because the EOC does our end-of-course assessments, sorry,

2950
03:18:12,170 --> 03:18:13,710
do have three administrations.

2951
03:18:15,210 --> 03:18:19,050
These results, as Lisa said, do go to the Office of Quality

2952
03:18:19,110 --> 03:18:23,010
Schools. A lot of these results become products of the

2953
03:18:23,469 --> 03:18:25,410
reviews that we do as a state.

2954
03:18:26,630 --> 03:18:30,130
So this is where a lot of questions come about the data being so

2955
03:18:30,390 --> 03:18:33,910
late at times. Our data needs a lot of cleaning.

2956
03:18:33,950 --> 03:18:37,710
Our schools are still making appeals on their data, especially the students who

2957
03:18:37,750 --> 03:18:41,510
have transferred may have had incomplete assessments before they

2958
03:18:41,570 --> 03:18:44,590
moved. So there's a lot of cleaning processes that do

2959
03:18:44,650 --> 03:18:48,390
occur. On that note, our data was

2960
03:18:48,430 --> 03:18:50,870
delivered to the schools on June 26th.

2961
03:18:50,910 --> 03:18:52,510
So the schools have had their data.

2962
03:18:52,850 --> 03:18:56,690
It's very raw, but they can work with it. They have all the results.

2963
03:18:56,810 --> 03:19:00,650
Also, they have their parent results that is available for the parents to

2964
03:19:00,710 --> 03:19:04,550
come and get. Most of them have made notice to the parents of when they

2965
03:19:04,590 --> 03:19:08,190
will have them available, either through school orientation,

2966
03:19:09,890 --> 03:19:12,240
some go all the way to October into their

2967
03:19:12,410 --> 03:19:16,210
parent-teacher meetings. But that data

2968
03:19:16,310 --> 03:19:20,130
is available, and they can definitely work with that, and we encourage

2969
03:19:20,170 --> 03:19:21,930
them to be working with their data right now.

2970
03:19:22,550 --> 03:19:26,450
On the other side, where it's more of the accountability process, it does

2971
03:19:26,460 --> 03:19:30,250
take a little bit longer. There are multiple entities also that support the

2972
03:19:30,290 --> 03:19:33,870
Office of Quality Schools, and especially our accountability team, to

2973
03:19:33,930 --> 03:19:37,730
process this data and get it out and make sure that we're accurate with that

2974
03:19:38,370 --> 03:19:38,690
data.

2975
03:19:39,510 --> 03:19:41,150
So we'll move through there, and please

2976
03:19:43,010 --> 03:19:45,630
bear patience with me. Hopefully, I don't skip slides.

2977
03:19:45,670 --> 03:19:47,350
I'm a little clicker happy at times.

2978
03:19:48,650 --> 03:19:51,870
But why do we administer the statewide assessments? It's always the big question.

2979
03:19:52,070 --> 03:19:55,070
A lot of our teachers are always like, "Why do we have to do the state test?"

2980
03:19:56,410 --> 03:20:00,130
The top one, as you can see, for accountability purposes, it meets a lot of

2981
03:20:00,150 --> 03:20:03,760
requirements with our Every Student Succeeds Act, which is our

2982
03:20:03,830 --> 03:20:07,490
federal education act, all the way to our statutory requirements

2983
03:20:07,570 --> 03:20:10,670
within the Missouri Constitution and legislation.

2984
03:20:11,410 --> 03:20:14,390
The other big piece is really about the reporting.

2985
03:20:14,450 --> 03:20:18,200
It's all that we need to be making sure that we're reporting to our constituents,

2986
03:20:18,270 --> 03:20:21,690
our parents, our legislators, our school boards.

2987
03:20:22,970 --> 03:20:26,590
And one of the big pieces now that we'll be talking about in the next session is

2988
03:20:26,630 --> 03:20:28,950
our A-through-F report cards, our grade cards.

2989
03:20:29,050 --> 03:20:32,169
Those will be coming out, and this data feeds into that.

2990
03:20:32,970 --> 03:20:36,850
There are multiple things that go through how we use the data, but the last

2991
03:20:36,890 --> 03:20:39,020
one is the big piece is about the application.

2992
03:20:39,610 --> 03:20:43,010
And that's where we talk about the schools and having their data.

2993
03:20:43,020 --> 03:20:46,290
Teachers having their data, starting looking through that, looking at their item

2994
03:20:46,330 --> 03:20:49,890
analysis reports, looking at students' performance, to

2995
03:20:49,910 --> 03:20:53,470
reporting domains and categories about what supports do we need,

2996
03:20:54,030 --> 03:20:57,630
or the bigger piece that I try to remind them about their data, it's a validation

2997
03:20:57,730 --> 03:21:01,590
tool. It should really be validating everything that you've done this year,

2998
03:21:02,270 --> 03:21:05,530
and put the kudos on your back that you've done a really good job.

2999
03:21:05,750 --> 03:21:07,510
These are the things that we did see.

3000
03:21:07,570 --> 03:21:09,540
These are things that we need to continue to work on.

3001
03:21:13,090 --> 03:21:16,690
So just a quick reminder, and it was brought up in Dr. Cruz's presentation.

3002
03:21:16,850 --> 03:21:19,170
Currently, we have four performance levels.

3003
03:21:19,970 --> 03:21:20,550
Our biggest

3004
03:21:21,410 --> 03:21:25,320
reporting is always the top two, which are kind of a little bit different here, how

3005
03:21:25,330 --> 03:21:29,220
we have them presented. The advanced and proficient, that's what we also have

3006
03:21:29,230 --> 03:21:32,770
to report at a federal level. So we report our top two

3007
03:21:32,850 --> 03:21:36,410
levels. We do have two other performance levels, our basic and below

3008
03:21:36,470 --> 03:21:40,090
basic. One of the big things that we try to always continue

3009
03:21:40,390 --> 03:21:41,850
to remind our educators,

3010
03:21:42,850 --> 03:21:46,590
and just remind the public in person, basic students, below

3011
03:21:46,630 --> 03:21:48,650
basic students, have a lot of skills.

3012
03:21:49,430 --> 03:21:52,900
They're just not performing at full proficiency, which we would think almost

3013
03:21:52,950 --> 03:21:56,000
independent learners, where they can take a lot of the instruction and move

3014
03:21:56,030 --> 03:21:59,350
forward. These kiddos, when we look at basic and below basic,

3015
03:22:00,010 --> 03:22:03,850
the kids have skills. Our performance level descriptors identify a lot of

3016
03:22:03,910 --> 03:22:07,790
those skills. They just need supports and hopefully, where they can start

3017
03:22:07,830 --> 03:22:11,750
looking through that data and identify this is a path that we need to help and

3018
03:22:11,810 --> 03:22:15,210
support the student as they grow and throughout their

3019
03:22:15,290 --> 03:22:18,190
career before they graduate, we can get them back on track.

3020
03:22:21,054 --> 03:22:24,534
So initial observations. Everybody's kind of like, "How does the data look?"

3021
03:22:24,934 --> 03:22:28,304
Well, one of the big pieces is we're very proud that our schools are

3022
03:22:28,314 --> 03:22:30,494
participating, our students are participating.

3023
03:22:30,574 --> 03:22:32,454
We're roughly about 99%.

3024
03:22:33,294 --> 03:22:37,214
We must keep 95%, so we have done a very good job of making

3025
03:22:37,253 --> 03:22:40,194
sure our students are participating and giving us good data points.

3026
03:22:41,454 --> 03:22:45,354
Overall increases, we saw overall increases in all four

3027
03:22:45,414 --> 03:22:49,144
content areas. Now, social studies is only assessed at high school,

3028
03:22:50,274 --> 03:22:53,234
but all four content areas did see improvement.

3029
03:22:54,434 --> 03:22:58,304
Nothing huge gains, but we do see gains, and any gain from

3030
03:22:58,334 --> 03:23:00,734
when I was back as a principal, way back,

3031
03:23:01,694 --> 03:23:05,574
any gain means our staff did something good, and we need to cherish

3032
03:23:05,654 --> 03:23:05,994
that.

3033
03:23:07,534 --> 03:23:11,294
For ELA specifically, all the grades really showed

3034
03:23:11,374 --> 03:23:13,354
improvement except for five and six.

3035
03:23:14,474 --> 03:23:16,854
And that is always an interesting piece.

3036
03:23:17,434 --> 03:23:21,354
Grade six is that transition in our academic standards, our Missouri

3037
03:23:21,374 --> 03:23:24,934
Learning Standards. And I hopefully don't use an acronym, but you may hear

3038
03:23:25,074 --> 03:23:28,574
MLS. Missouri Learning Standards, that is when a

3039
03:23:28,634 --> 03:23:32,564
transition really occurs in English Language Arts, and

3040
03:23:32,634 --> 03:23:36,534
that is when we start looking more at informational text, and those kiddos are

3041
03:23:36,594 --> 03:23:40,434
needing to comprehend some pretty complex text at times. And that's a jump.

3042
03:23:40,664 --> 03:23:42,894
That is a big jump for some of those kiddos.

3043
03:23:42,934 --> 03:23:44,214
So they kind of that first year

3044
03:23:45,134 --> 03:23:47,814
may have a little bit of stumbling, but that's where the teachers are working at

3045
03:23:47,854 --> 03:23:51,114
it. And if you look at the data when I present it in a few minutes, you'll see

3046
03:23:51,154 --> 03:23:53,974
where seventh and eighth grade start picking it back up, where the kiddos are

3047
03:23:54,014 --> 03:23:54,464
performing.

3048
03:23:55,714 --> 03:23:59,554
For mathematics, again, another great year for our students in math.

3049
03:23:59,794 --> 03:24:03,644
We are showing improvement. It was our first assessment or our

3050
03:24:03,674 --> 03:24:07,074
first content area when we came out of COVID that was actually

3051
03:24:07,094 --> 03:24:10,894
showing improvement. And give that all to our

3052
03:24:10,934 --> 03:24:14,894
teachers and all the opportunities, making sure that our students are

3053
03:24:14,914 --> 03:24:18,854
doing math. I think it's very interesting when we saw a little

3054
03:24:18,874 --> 03:24:19,834
bit of a dip in there,

3055
03:24:20,874 --> 03:24:23,734
and I can just attest, I'm not a very good online learner.

3056
03:24:24,334 --> 03:24:27,874
I think when the kiddos are in the classroom with the teacher, and they're working

3057
03:24:27,894 --> 03:24:31,254
through those problems, and talking about the problems, and the steps, and the

3058
03:24:31,334 --> 03:24:34,254
methodologies, that the kiddos are getting that.

3059
03:24:34,394 --> 03:24:38,004
And we have to put a lot of emphasis on our teachers and the work that they've

3060
03:24:38,034 --> 03:24:38,234
done.

3061
03:24:39,534 --> 03:24:42,914
Our last two, biology and American government, showed improvement.

3062
03:24:42,974 --> 03:24:46,894
That's been our two kind of EOC, our end-of-course assessments in high

3063
03:24:46,974 --> 03:24:47,914
school that have struggled.

3064
03:24:49,054 --> 03:24:52,814
But they are now finally getting into that uptick of where the kiddos are starting

3065
03:24:52,854 --> 03:24:55,174
to apply the science and social studies concepts.

3066
03:24:55,874 --> 03:24:59,834
And again, a lot of that our curriculum team has done a lot of

3067
03:24:59,894 --> 03:25:03,414
work in the last year, year and a half, of really looking at

3068
03:25:04,114 --> 03:25:05,914
those two content areas are not alone.

3069
03:25:06,164 --> 03:25:08,614
We support a lot of English Language Arts.

3070
03:25:08,674 --> 03:25:12,504
We support a lot of mathematics. How do those two support each other?

3071
03:25:12,574 --> 03:25:15,714
Especially being Missouri is very

3072
03:25:16,194 --> 03:25:19,994
proud for almost 30 years of we always have constructed response

3073
03:25:20,114 --> 03:25:23,994
items where we critically look at students' responses and get

3074
03:25:24,034 --> 03:25:27,874
into their thinking. Tell us how you think, and those kiddos really did

3075
03:25:27,934 --> 03:25:31,814
some really good job this year on those type of item types and making improvements.

3076
03:25:34,034 --> 03:25:37,734
So, any questions before we jump into our data

3077
03:25:37,814 --> 03:25:38,094
set?

3078
03:25:40,794 --> 03:25:41,423
Mr. Mattison.

3079
03:25:41,894 --> 03:25:42,194
Thank you.

3080
03:25:43,354 --> 03:25:45,414
Could you just go just spend a minute,

3081
03:25:46,414 --> 03:25:49,384
when the students do the MAP testing,

3082
03:25:50,614 --> 03:25:54,604
I know districts can appeal some of the data if there's

3083
03:25:54,634 --> 03:25:55,604
transferring students-

3084
03:25:55,914 --> 03:25:55,923
Yeah

3085
03:25:55,923 --> 03:25:59,643
... in or out of the district. And I recall that being an issue when I was on the

3086
03:25:59,694 --> 03:26:00,534
local school board. But

3087
03:26:01,414 --> 03:26:04,794
why the lag? If they

3088
03:26:04,814 --> 03:26:08,674
do the MAP testing, what, end of April, early May, something like that,

3089
03:26:09,554 --> 03:26:13,254
and then what

3090
03:26:13,294 --> 03:26:15,474
happens with that data next? I know you mentioned it, but

3091
03:26:16,874 --> 03:26:20,614
why does it take months basically to

3092
03:26:20,654 --> 03:26:23,954
get all of this data pumped out so we can see--

3093
03:26:24,994 --> 03:26:28,934
I guess parents, right, don't see MAP scores until

3094
03:26:28,954 --> 03:26:32,674
the end of September usually, even though their child took the

3095
03:26:32,714 --> 03:26:34,594
test three or four months ago.

3096
03:26:35,694 --> 03:26:39,174
So again, the districts receive the parents reports.

3097
03:26:39,244 --> 03:26:41,374
This year, they actually got them on June 26th.

3098
03:26:41,453 --> 03:26:45,394
We've been able to shorten up our timeline and bring some of that data back into

3099
03:26:45,454 --> 03:26:45,894
the house.

3100
03:26:46,914 --> 03:26:50,734
We're trying to definitely get it before new contracts or that

3101
03:26:50,774 --> 03:26:53,894
little summer break that a lot of the administrative offices would have at the

3102
03:26:53,934 --> 03:26:57,894
local school. So that data is available, and

3103
03:26:57,954 --> 03:27:01,454
it's up to the school at that point. We have never set a rule.

3104
03:27:01,474 --> 03:27:05,374
I ask the schools within 15 days of receipt

3105
03:27:06,374 --> 03:27:10,284
to tell the, or promote how they will provide those

3106
03:27:10,354 --> 03:27:11,454
reports to the schools.

3107
03:27:12,314 --> 03:27:16,294
So the data is actually coming into the department sometime in June.

3108
03:27:16,514 --> 03:27:19,914
So we've pushed our vendors, our partners pretty hard

3109
03:27:20,654 --> 03:27:23,994
so they are able to turn that data in less than 30 days.

3110
03:27:24,034 --> 03:27:27,304
But there is a little bit of difference between what you would have

3111
03:27:27,954 --> 03:27:31,834
in products that schools would buy because this data is used on

3112
03:27:31,994 --> 03:27:35,274
multiple variances of accountability, and

3113
03:27:35,954 --> 03:27:39,434
we're accrediting schools, and we're really deep diving into the data

3114
03:27:39,574 --> 03:27:42,274
to interpret if there's good things or bad things.

3115
03:27:42,884 --> 03:27:46,094
So we want to make sure that data is absolutely accurate, and our partners want to

3116
03:27:46,114 --> 03:27:49,974
make sure of that is also because having to redo the data

3117
03:27:50,034 --> 03:27:51,874
pushes everything continuously back.

3118
03:27:53,554 --> 03:27:57,454
Where it really becomes maybe why we're not getting it out is we also

3119
03:27:57,494 --> 03:27:59,514
are dependent upon a lot of other partners

3120
03:28:00,334 --> 03:28:03,914
when it comes into house, and then getting all the data set into

3121
03:28:03,994 --> 03:28:05,354
tables, and get it into the

3122
03:28:06,154 --> 03:28:06,514
servers.

3123
03:28:06,574 --> 03:28:07,774
Takes time to do all that, okay.

3124
03:28:08,054 --> 03:28:10,654
It does do that, and then the cleaning process.

3125
03:28:10,754 --> 03:28:13,754
Once then the schools can have that opportunity to make the appeals.

3126
03:28:14,954 --> 03:28:17,534
Every time, and I will say Lisa has pushed me,

3127
03:28:17,774 --> 03:28:21,514
when it's time for our contract renewals,

3128
03:28:21,674 --> 03:28:24,474
what can we shave? What can we push our partners?

3129
03:28:24,514 --> 03:28:26,314
And we keep continuing to do that.

3130
03:28:27,458 --> 03:28:31,358
There are some things that we could consider in the future once more safeguards,

3131
03:28:31,598 --> 03:28:34,198
i.e., if you were looking at AI scoring.

3132
03:28:35,018 --> 03:28:38,638
We could move into that. I'm still very confident with our human readers

3133
03:28:39,278 --> 03:28:43,217
of keeping a very high rate of reliability

3134
03:28:43,278 --> 03:28:45,408
when they're scoring the constructed response items.

3135
03:28:46,898 --> 03:28:49,178
But again, we always continue to look at that.

3136
03:28:50,458 --> 03:28:50,778
Thank you.

3137
03:28:52,398 --> 03:28:52,757
Anything?

3138
03:28:54,258 --> 03:28:57,078
I have a follow-up on the same subject.

3139
03:28:59,117 --> 03:28:59,238
I

3140
03:29:00,338 --> 03:29:04,318
can't understand what anybody does with data for 30 days.

3141
03:29:06,198 --> 03:29:10,098
I just don't understand, and I'm not being critical

3142
03:29:10,178 --> 03:29:12,728
of it, I just can't get my head around.

3143
03:29:13,498 --> 03:29:16,038
Kid takes a test, it's in an electronic format,

3144
03:29:17,318 --> 03:29:19,178
goes to somebody else's computer,

3145
03:29:20,618 --> 03:29:23,898
and it sits there for 30, 60, 90 days.

3146
03:29:24,758 --> 03:29:25,138
I just

3147
03:29:26,418 --> 03:29:27,578
can't understand that.

3148
03:29:28,918 --> 03:29:31,578
Anything you can do to help me understand that would be appreciated.

3149
03:29:32,678 --> 03:29:35,518
And I would ask a clarifying question, which process?

3150
03:29:35,598 --> 03:29:39,138
What we do for schools, or what do we do as far as the

3151
03:29:39,218 --> 03:29:40,328
department in reporting-

3152
03:29:40,418 --> 03:29:44,158
Schools. The feedback, the delivery back to the school.

3153
03:29:44,438 --> 03:29:44,498
Right.

3154
03:29:45,138 --> 03:29:47,318
I'm sorry. That's been my experience.

3155
03:29:47,678 --> 03:29:50,678
Absolutely. Very good question. For high school,

3156
03:29:51,898 --> 03:29:55,588
and there's some psychometrics, and it's how you calculate and you're looking at

3157
03:29:55,638 --> 03:29:59,118
data and creating the scale scores for our students.

3158
03:29:59,818 --> 03:30:02,238
So for high school, we use a very simple method.

3159
03:30:02,478 --> 03:30:05,838
It's a one-parameter method, a raw score to scale.

3160
03:30:06,438 --> 03:30:10,378
So districts do, in five business days, when they close their district

3161
03:30:10,388 --> 03:30:14,198
window, they'll get an aggregate report or a student-level report.

3162
03:30:14,258 --> 03:30:17,258
It's very raw scores. There are no scales to

3163
03:30:17,358 --> 03:30:21,218
that. Because what we do want to do at the conclusion

3164
03:30:21,358 --> 03:30:22,518
of the state window,

3165
03:30:23,658 --> 03:30:27,558
our partners will take all of the data and evaluate, did

3166
03:30:27,598 --> 03:30:30,578
the items perform as predicted and expected?

3167
03:30:31,058 --> 03:30:34,918
Because every item has had previous data to make sure that

3168
03:30:34,958 --> 03:30:36,878
this is what we expect this item to do.

3169
03:30:37,757 --> 03:30:40,468
And you don't want to really say this, but it has to discriminate between a

3170
03:30:40,538 --> 03:30:44,378
proficient and advanced student, and this item does this.

3171
03:30:44,458 --> 03:30:45,818
I might interrupt you for-

3172
03:30:45,838 --> 03:30:45,868
Absolutely

3173
03:30:45,868 --> 03:30:49,098
... just a second. Item means test question.

3174
03:30:49,138 --> 03:30:49,178
Okay.

3175
03:30:49,218 --> 03:30:53,038
So when we talk about test items, that's the questions that are on the

3176
03:30:53,078 --> 03:30:56,538
test. And I might jump in and kind of

3177
03:30:56,638 --> 03:31:00,518
amplify what Shawn's saying, is a couple of things just to keep in mind

3178
03:31:00,778 --> 03:31:01,018
that

3179
03:31:01,878 --> 03:31:05,418
what we do with our current MAP testing, it's an

3180
03:31:05,498 --> 03:31:09,098
end-of-year summative test, so it's meant to be administered at the end of

3181
03:31:09,198 --> 03:31:12,778
instruction. And because of our test security and concerns

3182
03:31:12,838 --> 03:31:16,798
about not letting those questions get out to students who

3183
03:31:16,838 --> 03:31:20,658
haven't tested yet, we're not providing results back until

3184
03:31:20,778 --> 03:31:24,118
the end of the statewide test window for

3185
03:31:25,438 --> 03:31:26,938
the grade-level assessment.

3186
03:31:27,818 --> 03:31:31,138
As Shawn was saying, when districts are done

3187
03:31:31,258 --> 03:31:35,078
administering their EOC, their high school assessments, they get some

3188
03:31:35,138 --> 03:31:38,098
raw data back that they can use within five business days.

3189
03:31:38,378 --> 03:31:41,868
But it's still, because of those kind of test security concerns,

3190
03:31:42,478 --> 03:31:46,078
they still don't get it until the end of their test window.

3191
03:31:46,388 --> 03:31:50,058
And that's a feature of this end-of-year summative test

3192
03:31:50,118 --> 03:31:53,238
design. Very different from some of those

3193
03:31:54,678 --> 03:31:58,628
commercial products or our foundational reading assessments,

3194
03:31:59,038 --> 03:32:02,758
where the results are instantaneous. They get the results right away.

3195
03:32:04,418 --> 03:32:06,978
Yeah. I've got some studying to do.

3196
03:32:07,118 --> 03:32:09,458
I don't understand this yet, but thank you.

3197
03:32:09,798 --> 03:32:13,698
No, they're really good questions, and these are questions that educators ask

3198
03:32:13,738 --> 03:32:14,418
us all the time.

3199
03:32:15,418 --> 03:32:19,278
And one of the biggest pieces that we keep trying to remind them is when we give

3200
03:32:19,398 --> 03:32:22,518
you this data, we want you to feel confident with that data.

3201
03:32:23,418 --> 03:32:27,398
And so, we clean, we scrub, we make sure that that report is

3202
03:32:27,458 --> 03:32:29,118
as accurate as possible, and

3203
03:32:30,098 --> 03:32:32,458
we always hold our partners accountable for that.

3204
03:32:33,058 --> 03:32:36,798
And so, yes, they do have that, but also our partners do

3205
03:32:36,858 --> 03:32:39,118
present a lot of reports for our schools.

3206
03:32:39,508 --> 03:32:43,248
It eliminated a lot of work that would take months here at the

3207
03:32:43,298 --> 03:32:46,457
department, and resources that our partners can do.

3208
03:32:47,158 --> 03:32:50,838
So the districts are getting pivot tables where they can play with the

3209
03:32:50,858 --> 03:32:53,598
data and make a quick presentation to their boards.

3210
03:32:54,998 --> 03:32:58,338
But all those data tables, but then we also create PDFs.

3211
03:32:58,678 --> 03:33:02,438
All of their individual student reports, all of those are

3212
03:33:02,478 --> 03:33:06,438
electronically available, so that means there's a lot of spot checks making

3213
03:33:06,478 --> 03:33:09,858
sure everything is accurate, right name, birth date,

3214
03:33:10,358 --> 03:33:13,358
and the data is actually correct on those students.

3215
03:33:14,018 --> 03:33:16,088
So there is a lot of the Q&A-

3216
03:33:16,678 --> 03:33:16,758
Is that-

3217
03:33:16,788 --> 03:33:18,178
... of quality checks. I'm sorry.

3218
03:33:18,498 --> 03:33:22,038
Is that a human being that's sitting there checking that data, or that

3219
03:33:22,518 --> 03:33:24,198
is another data...

3220
03:33:26,118 --> 03:33:29,718
There are quite a few adults or humans that are still

3221
03:33:30,078 --> 03:33:32,578
touching all of this and making sure that it's accurate.

3222
03:33:32,958 --> 03:33:33,198
Okay.

3223
03:33:34,478 --> 03:33:34,657
Yeah.

3224
03:33:35,298 --> 03:33:39,248
Thank you, President Brooks. To build on what Board Member Shamel is

3225
03:33:39,278 --> 03:33:43,158
saying or asking, have we done any comparison of

3226
03:33:44,398 --> 03:33:47,578
Missouri's process to other states

3227
03:33:48,278 --> 03:33:51,958
and their process and timelines and vendors used

3228
03:33:52,018 --> 03:33:55,998
and ways to just advance ours to be more

3229
03:33:56,058 --> 03:33:57,258
efficient and effective?

3230
03:33:59,278 --> 03:34:02,698
Most of my counterparts, we're probably about on the same page.

3231
03:34:02,918 --> 03:34:04,518
There are a few who actually

3232
03:34:05,518 --> 03:34:09,018
have within their contract do most of all of the data production,

3233
03:34:09,938 --> 03:34:13,758
where we still do quite a bit of the data production within the department.

3234
03:34:14,698 --> 03:34:14,758
The

3235
03:34:15,918 --> 03:34:19,418
long pole in the tent, as I would say, in our whole process is what?

3236
03:34:20,378 --> 03:34:22,838
Which step is the longest in our process?

3237
03:34:24,118 --> 03:34:26,718
Again, I would need a clarifying question. Which dataset?

3238
03:34:27,338 --> 03:34:30,938
For schools or for the department's production of the data?

3239
03:34:32,794 --> 03:34:33,114
Both

3240
03:34:33,554 --> 03:34:34,014
Both.

3241
03:34:35,394 --> 03:34:36,154
For schools,

3242
03:34:37,754 --> 03:34:39,714
what we could probably pull on there is,

3243
03:34:40,554 --> 03:34:44,374
Lisa indicated, is that summative and how

3244
03:34:44,394 --> 03:34:47,814
much data can we actually give out while others are still testing?

3245
03:34:48,834 --> 03:34:51,714
So you always have a little bit of the test security on that.

3246
03:34:51,814 --> 03:34:54,874
So if the state window, if we could get it down to about 10 days,

3247
03:34:56,194 --> 03:34:59,554
maybe somewhere along that line, we could actually shave it, I think would be

3248
03:35:00,094 --> 03:35:00,894
very successful.

3249
03:35:01,554 --> 03:35:05,294
So I think it's really the department, because the perception or the

3250
03:35:05,334 --> 03:35:09,174
concern always raised in the community is: Why does it take until

3251
03:35:09,234 --> 03:35:12,624
November to get our MAP results, or the fall?

3252
03:35:12,634 --> 03:35:16,434
And schools, even though they know they've gotten earlier data, it's still

3253
03:35:16,474 --> 03:35:18,314
waiting for that fall

3254
03:35:19,634 --> 03:35:23,494
data. And so I think it's the department data that's most important

3255
03:35:23,654 --> 03:35:27,494
out there. That is of the biggest concern, not the most important, but is the

3256
03:35:27,534 --> 03:35:27,814
biggest

3257
03:35:28,814 --> 03:35:29,994
concern from a timeline.

3258
03:35:31,234 --> 03:35:32,634
So what can we do to improve that?

3259
03:35:33,974 --> 03:35:34,234
Right.

3260
03:35:35,814 --> 03:35:38,914
We're going to talk about this a little bit in the next presentation,

3261
03:35:39,274 --> 03:35:42,693
about shaving timelines on data processing.

3262
03:35:42,894 --> 03:35:44,134
So if you would

3263
03:35:45,714 --> 03:35:49,414
allow me to put that particular question in the

3264
03:35:49,454 --> 03:35:50,114
parking lot.

3265
03:35:51,014 --> 03:35:51,174
Yeah.

3266
03:35:52,774 --> 03:35:53,913
Yes, Commissioner.

3267
03:35:54,174 --> 03:35:57,994
Just before I turn it back to Lisa and Sean, one other

3268
03:35:58,014 --> 03:36:01,914
thing to remember historically, why maybe you had heard

3269
03:36:01,954 --> 03:36:05,574
people talking about how long it takes to turn data around, I'm

3270
03:36:05,774 --> 03:36:09,574
thinking back to my last time with this department, and there was a

3271
03:36:09,734 --> 03:36:13,594
series of years where, for various reasons, there was a new test every

3272
03:36:13,714 --> 03:36:17,594
year. And every time there's a new test, there's a whole lot of

3273
03:36:17,694 --> 03:36:21,554
quality assurance checking and things that has to happen that doesn't happen

3274
03:36:21,594 --> 03:36:22,894
once you've established yourself.

3275
03:36:22,934 --> 03:36:26,874
So when you're hearing people say, "Oh, we don't see it till September,

3276
03:36:26,934 --> 03:36:29,754
we don't see it till October," that used to be true.

3277
03:36:30,534 --> 03:36:33,214
It's not now. As Sean was saying, you see it at the end of June.

3278
03:36:33,674 --> 03:36:37,634
It may be that APR production piece, then that happens later

3279
03:36:37,694 --> 03:36:38,334
in the fall.

3280
03:36:39,354 --> 03:36:41,033
And I think it's a really important point.

3281
03:36:41,114 --> 03:36:44,134
As a board, what we have to be able to do is separate.

3282
03:36:44,174 --> 03:36:47,854
There is data that schools get. Now, is it fast

3283
03:36:47,894 --> 03:36:48,274
enough?

3284
03:36:49,474 --> 03:36:53,154
Not casting a point on that, but schools get their data

3285
03:36:53,714 --> 03:36:56,774
before we see it rolled up at state levels.

3286
03:36:57,414 --> 03:36:58,184
Mm-hmm.

3287
03:36:58,623 --> 03:37:00,414
So when you're talking with

3288
03:37:01,334 --> 03:37:05,024
groups or people, that we have to understand what they're speaking about,

3289
03:37:05,914 --> 03:37:09,514
and also the purpose of the data. But that'll come later in

3290
03:37:09,594 --> 03:37:11,254
a later discussion, I'm sure.

3291
03:37:11,694 --> 03:37:14,114
Yeah, and I'll just reiterate one more time.

3292
03:37:15,514 --> 03:37:19,454
Schools have had the parents' reports since June 26th.

3293
03:37:20,014 --> 03:37:22,874
They're electronic now. If they order paper, they just came in a couple of weeks

3294
03:37:22,934 --> 03:37:23,714
ago.

3295
03:37:25,014 --> 03:37:27,454
There are some large districts who have that printed for them.

3296
03:37:28,094 --> 03:37:31,783
But it is available electronically, so they could always

3297
03:37:32,074 --> 03:37:35,134
be able to give that to the parents, especially if they were going to move, or they

3298
03:37:35,174 --> 03:37:36,994
just really want to know how their child to do.

3299
03:37:37,874 --> 03:37:41,534
And that's why we recommend, once you have the data, set up a

3300
03:37:41,574 --> 03:37:45,334
procedure of how you're going to tell the parents when it's going to be available,

3301
03:37:45,894 --> 03:37:47,654
and if you want it sooner, how

3302
03:37:48,754 --> 03:37:49,894
could I get that data sooner?

3303
03:37:50,094 --> 03:37:50,634
And it's not the

3304
03:37:51,494 --> 03:37:54,514
individual student data that gets quality checked-

3305
03:37:54,534 --> 03:37:54,563
Oh

3306
03:37:54,563 --> 03:37:58,394
... or ends up changing. It's all of the evaluation of the

3307
03:37:58,454 --> 03:38:02,354
data that goes through all the quality checks. Is that correct?

3308
03:38:02,514 --> 03:38:04,594
Well, everything is quality checked,

3309
03:38:05,614 --> 03:38:07,794
both sides. What we give to the schools-

3310
03:38:07,894 --> 03:38:10,814
Meaning once the schools have it June 26th-

3311
03:38:10,954 --> 03:38:11,154
Mm-hmm

3312
03:38:11,174 --> 03:38:13,634
... they can trust that it's accurate data.

3313
03:38:14,674 --> 03:38:18,354
It is. Then it's on the backside where it is for the

3314
03:38:18,394 --> 03:38:22,294
APR production and our accountability production is all the cleaning

3315
03:38:22,374 --> 03:38:23,594
processes and the

3316
03:38:24,394 --> 03:38:24,894
appeals.

3317
03:38:24,954 --> 03:38:28,774
So the question becomes, since they get their data June 26th, why does it take

3318
03:38:28,854 --> 03:38:32,374
us July, August, September, October-ish,

3319
03:38:33,034 --> 03:38:36,954
four months plus, to get our data at the state level, and then be

3320
03:38:36,974 --> 03:38:39,524
able to break it down by school, and that's what you'll speak to, so.

3321
03:38:39,534 --> 03:38:41,714
So, it might be helpful to just

3322
03:38:42,894 --> 03:38:46,874
level set here that when we're talking about preliminary data, that

3323
03:38:46,954 --> 03:38:50,593
means they're validated data.

3324
03:38:51,174 --> 03:38:54,033
They are final scores for individual students.

3325
03:38:54,343 --> 03:38:57,754
It's a record for every student that was tested.

3326
03:38:58,344 --> 03:38:59,894
And that's what we're looking at now.

3327
03:39:00,554 --> 03:39:04,254
There's a difference between that and the accountability data, which

3328
03:39:04,354 --> 03:39:08,134
is sorted and sifted according to lots of

3329
03:39:08,174 --> 03:39:12,094
procedures, and among them are some statutory requirements for what should

3330
03:39:12,134 --> 03:39:14,584
be in those accountability measures.

3331
03:39:14,964 --> 03:39:18,934
So that's one of the differences between what Sean's presenting

3332
03:39:18,994 --> 03:39:22,254
today and what we will see-

3333
03:39:22,294 --> 03:39:22,374
Yeah

3334
03:39:22,554 --> 03:39:25,944
... in the annual performance report and some other accountability

3335
03:39:26,014 --> 03:39:28,154
reports in the future.

3336
03:39:31,634 --> 03:39:34,534
Any other questions at this time?

3337
03:39:34,594 --> 03:39:37,734
Okay. We will move forward and start looking at our content areas.

3338
03:39:38,954 --> 03:39:42,754
So English Language Arts 25-26, you'll see on the screen here,

3339
03:39:42,914 --> 03:39:46,814
we have our performance levels for each of the four performance

3340
03:39:46,894 --> 03:39:50,294
levels all the way from grade three through English 2.

3341
03:39:51,094 --> 03:39:54,274
Just a real quick note on English 1, that is a

3342
03:39:54,414 --> 03:39:58,394
voluntary assessment, so not a lot of schools participate, but those

3343
03:39:58,434 --> 03:40:01,654
who do find the value in it being a predictor for English

3344
03:40:01,814 --> 03:40:02,714
2.

3345
03:40:03,674 --> 03:40:07,534
Usually, conversations with the previous boards, it's always been third grade.

3346
03:40:07,814 --> 03:40:09,494
So let's just talk about that one real quick.

3347
03:40:10,294 --> 03:40:14,254
That number you see at the bottom, that 30% at

3348
03:40:14,294 --> 03:40:17,234
below basic, is a usual trend number that we

3349
03:40:17,294 --> 03:40:20,844
see. What we always want to look at is that

3350
03:40:20,874 --> 03:40:24,794
following year, look at how much about half of the students move out

3351
03:40:24,974 --> 03:40:26,214
of that category.

3352
03:40:27,494 --> 03:40:31,474
And we attribute a lot of that to this is the

3353
03:40:31,514 --> 03:40:35,254
first assessment that they're going to have to the Missouri Learning Standards

3354
03:40:36,142 --> 03:40:40,042
Which is a lot different than some of our literacy assessments, which really

3355
03:40:40,122 --> 03:40:43,602
focus on the first four pillars. That comprehension

3356
03:40:43,782 --> 03:40:46,912
pillar is what all of our standards are really based on.

3357
03:40:47,622 --> 03:40:50,302
That's a lot for a kid to move towards.

3358
03:40:51,942 --> 03:40:55,102
And that I believe a lot when you see at the end of third grade, there's a

3359
03:40:55,142 --> 03:40:59,002
maturation point, that maybe these kids just don't have all of it

3360
03:40:59,082 --> 03:41:02,842
yet to put together for the reading comprehension, and when they get into

3361
03:41:02,882 --> 03:41:04,692
fourth grade, it really starts to click.

3362
03:41:05,262 --> 03:41:08,962
Because you also want to, as I talk to our schools, look at your data

3363
03:41:09,602 --> 03:41:13,522
and not hyper-focus so much, but look at where you start these kiddos in grade

3364
03:41:13,582 --> 03:41:16,362
three, where do you end up in grade 10, or

3365
03:41:17,182 --> 03:41:17,802
English two.

3366
03:41:18,602 --> 03:41:22,422
We have moved a lot of kids out of those two bottom levels and

3367
03:41:22,622 --> 03:41:25,902
up into the upper echelon of advanced and proficient.

3368
03:41:25,982 --> 03:41:29,142
So we are moving kids. Our kiddos are able to read.

3369
03:41:29,682 --> 03:41:33,202
They're just needing a lot of support when they are struggling earlier grades.

3370
03:41:34,822 --> 03:41:36,832
That wouldn't... May I speak?

3371
03:41:37,642 --> 03:41:37,942
Thank you.

3372
03:41:38,982 --> 03:41:42,022
That would not be reflected here when you look at it.

3373
03:41:43,482 --> 03:41:47,262
If you have 30%

3374
03:41:48,422 --> 03:41:50,762
in grade three below basic

3375
03:41:51,882 --> 03:41:53,881
and only com-- we'll just use eighth grade.

3376
03:41:53,902 --> 03:41:54,092
Mm-hmm.

3377
03:41:54,622 --> 03:41:57,902
Eighth grade, it's 16%. That reflects, hey,

3378
03:41:58,182 --> 03:42:00,842
kids have progressed, even though it's not the same cohort.

3379
03:42:01,842 --> 03:42:03,262
However, when you look at

3380
03:42:04,422 --> 03:42:08,222
basic, it wouldn't do that. It is

3381
03:42:08,242 --> 03:42:11,642
not at all that same trend. So that tells

3382
03:42:11,702 --> 03:42:12,902
me that

3383
03:42:14,222 --> 03:42:18,042
some kids are moving, but just as many are going back in and

3384
03:42:18,282 --> 03:42:20,912
dropping down then. We've got, what,

3385
03:42:21,242 --> 03:42:25,222
58% and 59 eighth grade?

3386
03:42:25,662 --> 03:42:26,122
Yeah.

3387
03:42:27,422 --> 03:42:31,322
45%, 55%. So we're basically making

3388
03:42:31,382 --> 03:42:32,042
no difference,

3389
03:42:33,502 --> 03:42:35,982
is the way the data's presented here.

3390
03:42:36,042 --> 03:42:39,702
If we could see it by cohort, which I know you'll get to in a little bit of it, but

3391
03:42:39,722 --> 03:42:42,122
we're not seeing it by cohort over the years.

3392
03:42:42,202 --> 03:42:42,442
Mm.

3393
03:42:43,202 --> 03:42:46,862
And so this does not show us that we're

3394
03:42:46,902 --> 03:42:48,042
making any progress.

3395
03:42:49,722 --> 03:42:53,672
I hear what you're saying. You're telling us, "Oh, don't worry." That's not

3396
03:42:53,702 --> 03:42:54,642
how you're saying it, don't worry.

3397
03:42:54,722 --> 03:42:58,462
But, even though it looks bad in third grade, it gets much

3398
03:42:58,502 --> 03:43:01,162
better. But it doesn't get much better when you look at that.

3399
03:43:03,182 --> 03:43:06,462
It's a very good point, where we're trying to follow the kiddos.

3400
03:43:07,322 --> 03:43:07,702
But again,

3401
03:43:09,502 --> 03:43:11,142
teachers are making a good difference.

3402
03:43:11,662 --> 03:43:13,922
Where I would say is we see a lot of progress

3403
03:43:14,802 --> 03:43:15,702
or a little bit of progress

3404
03:43:16,802 --> 03:43:20,242
in four and five, and then grade six, again, that's where we have that little

3405
03:43:21,002 --> 03:43:24,842
change in the standards, a little bit more of a rigor of the text

3406
03:43:24,862 --> 03:43:27,742
complexity, and then we start that move again.

3407
03:43:29,222 --> 03:43:33,062
I would also add to the observation that so this is just

3408
03:43:33,122 --> 03:43:36,062
one year of data, right? We're going to see a little bit.

3409
03:43:36,082 --> 03:43:39,342
We're going to see some trend data here in just a moment.

3410
03:43:41,062 --> 03:43:44,982
This pattern, what we see in grade three, the distribution

3411
03:43:45,122 --> 03:43:48,222
is not unusual to see that high a

3412
03:43:48,542 --> 03:43:52,202
number in ELA at below basic.

3413
03:43:52,282 --> 03:43:56,042
And that's one of the things that we're always concerned about, is

3414
03:43:56,122 --> 03:43:59,982
how many students we see in that below basic

3415
03:44:00,082 --> 03:44:00,422
range.

3416
03:44:01,442 --> 03:44:05,262
It's great to see changes, improvements in the percent

3417
03:44:05,342 --> 03:44:09,202
proficient or better, but we can't lose sight of what's happening

3418
03:44:09,222 --> 03:44:13,042
at that below basic range, too. So I think the point

3419
03:44:13,102 --> 03:44:16,902
is that if we looked at these slides over the years, you would

3420
03:44:16,942 --> 03:44:20,862
see that similar large number in below basic

3421
03:44:20,902 --> 03:44:21,562
in grade three.

3422
03:44:21,622 --> 03:44:24,442
But that's unacceptable. It may be

3423
03:44:25,202 --> 03:44:28,562
normal to see it, but it's not normal to

3424
03:44:29,642 --> 03:44:30,102
allow it.

3425
03:44:30,282 --> 03:44:30,652
Which is-

3426
03:44:30,782 --> 03:44:31,702
It's unacceptable

3427
03:44:31,722 --> 03:44:35,442
... Right, which is why the literacy initiatives

3428
03:44:36,382 --> 03:44:39,782
are so important, the things that we've been implementing.

3429
03:44:39,872 --> 03:44:43,322
And we're starting to see movement in some areas.

3430
03:44:44,222 --> 03:44:48,002
It's the top-line measure here that's the stickiest

3431
03:44:48,082 --> 03:44:50,522
one, but this is what we have to look at.

3432
03:44:50,622 --> 03:44:54,482
We don't start testing with our statewide assessment

3433
03:44:54,522 --> 03:44:55,792
program until grade three.

3434
03:44:58,222 --> 03:45:00,162
Just taking the same data set,

3435
03:45:00,982 --> 03:45:04,282
what would this look like if we took the top 10%

3436
03:45:04,362 --> 03:45:04,982
performing

3437
03:45:07,602 --> 03:45:08,122
districts,

3438
03:45:09,582 --> 03:45:11,042
took them out of this data,

3439
03:45:13,082 --> 03:45:15,722
and just looked at the 90% below?

3440
03:45:17,242 --> 03:45:19,302
What would that look like? Do we know?

3441
03:45:21,182 --> 03:45:23,142
I have not done that analysis yet.

3442
03:45:23,522 --> 03:45:25,062
Good question.

3443
03:45:25,082 --> 03:45:26,122
A very good question.

3444
03:45:26,162 --> 03:45:29,622
My concern is that we've got some districts across the state that are performing

3445
03:45:29,782 --> 03:45:30,682
very high.

3446
03:45:31,102 --> 03:45:31,382
Mm-hmm.

3447
03:45:31,522 --> 03:45:32,302
And

3448
03:45:35,152 --> 03:45:35,152
...

3449
03:45:36,362 --> 03:45:37,342
Oh, I'm sorry.

3450
03:45:39,722 --> 03:45:42,772
We've got some districts across the

3451
03:45:43,642 --> 03:45:47,362
state that are very high-performing, and then we've got some districts that

3452
03:45:47,402 --> 03:45:48,402
are very low,

3453
03:45:49,342 --> 03:45:51,722
and we're looking at an aggregate number

3454
03:45:53,062 --> 03:45:57,042
or number set here, and I'd like to see this kind

3455
03:45:57,082 --> 03:45:59,082
of data sort of like, okay,

3456
03:46:00,442 --> 03:46:03,162
if we took the top 5%, top 10%,

3457
03:46:03,262 --> 03:46:06,942
take them out, how bad does it

3458
03:46:07,022 --> 03:46:10,842
get? If we're looking at this from the standpoint of where do we have to do

3459
03:46:10,882 --> 03:46:11,462
improvement?

3460
03:46:12,272 --> 03:46:15,622
There are some districts that are doing all the work and really producing good

3461
03:46:15,702 --> 03:46:16,302
results.

3462
03:46:17,202 --> 03:46:21,002
I think we've got to start looking at how bad is it, and sort of

3463
03:46:21,062 --> 03:46:23,162
then put our strategies together around that.

3464
03:46:24,242 --> 03:46:27,502
There isn't a lot here that we can do to help the Leduc School District.

3465
03:46:27,682 --> 03:46:30,702
They're doing pretty well. And

3466
03:46:31,842 --> 03:46:33,912
so I think the question is:

3467
03:46:34,882 --> 03:46:37,722
Can we get data that really kind of zeros in on where the-

3468
03:46:38,102 --> 03:46:39,242
And we do,

3469
03:46:40,122 --> 03:46:43,982
as a next tranche of data, have that ability where we start seeing it at

3470
03:46:44,042 --> 03:46:47,762
district levels, but that's going to be one of the great

3471
03:46:47,842 --> 03:46:51,290
benefits of the A to F ... grading card where we'll

3472
03:46:51,590 --> 03:46:55,130
begin to see just a focus on academic

3473
03:46:55,170 --> 03:46:56,210
outcomes and the other-

3474
03:46:56,850 --> 03:46:57,070
Mm-hmm

3475
03:46:57,249 --> 03:47:01,170
... the criteria that's built into A to F, but we'll see it at

3476
03:47:01,210 --> 03:47:02,090
a building level.

3477
03:47:03,290 --> 03:47:04,970
And so you might be, I'm not-

3478
03:47:05,410 --> 03:47:05,530
Yeah

3479
03:47:05,730 --> 03:47:08,750
... picking on Ladue, I don't know, but you might be surprised.

3480
03:47:08,790 --> 03:47:12,630
Ladue could be an overall great district, but have some issues within it, and

3481
03:47:12,690 --> 03:47:14,550
that's what the A to F will identify.

3482
03:47:14,590 --> 03:47:14,810
Sure.

3483
03:47:17,490 --> 03:47:17,750
All right.

3484
03:47:17,820 --> 03:47:17,820
Yeah.

3485
03:47:17,830 --> 03:47:21,150
We'll move to mathematics. Or I'm sorry, English and language arts.

3486
03:47:21,310 --> 03:47:25,110
What Lisa alluded to is kind of looking at the data, we

3487
03:47:25,190 --> 03:47:26,510
always look at performance

3488
03:47:27,410 --> 03:47:29,570
indicators, or advanced and proficient.

3489
03:47:31,050 --> 03:47:34,530
Another way that we look at our data is we actually look at the mean score or the

3490
03:47:34,690 --> 03:47:38,390
average score of where the students are performing, and that's where we can look at

3491
03:47:38,450 --> 03:47:39,570
a whole cohort,

3492
03:47:41,250 --> 03:47:45,230
and we can start looking at are they making movement as a whole?

3493
03:47:45,830 --> 03:47:49,530
The status numbers of proficient, advanced may not move as much.

3494
03:47:50,490 --> 03:47:52,330
But are we actually moving the mean?

3495
03:47:52,670 --> 03:47:56,290
And that's when I think that we feel confident that there is some really good

3496
03:47:56,330 --> 03:48:00,190
things happening, and is indicated there's some things that we still need to

3497
03:48:00,230 --> 03:48:00,910
focus on.

3498
03:48:07,610 --> 03:48:09,830
And this is looking at our student groups.

3499
03:48:10,870 --> 03:48:13,950
I know that's always the big topic is how are our student groups

3500
03:48:15,070 --> 03:48:19,010
doing? And that first set of column there, their student groups, that's where

3501
03:48:19,030 --> 03:48:22,370
we include our Blacks, our English language learners, our free

3502
03:48:23,030 --> 03:48:24,430
reduced price lunch students,

3503
03:48:25,350 --> 03:48:27,529
our Hispanics, and our IEP students.

3504
03:48:28,310 --> 03:48:30,490
We put them all into one big bucket,

3505
03:48:31,310 --> 03:48:35,170
and this is how we evaluate how their performance is versus

3506
03:48:35,230 --> 03:48:39,050
the non-students of the white population, and

3507
03:48:39,090 --> 03:48:41,670
then how are all the students put back together.

3508
03:48:42,210 --> 03:48:43,270
Sean, why

3509
03:48:44,230 --> 03:48:45,610
those groups of students?

3510
03:48:47,250 --> 03:48:49,990
Those are the ones that historically underperform

3511
03:48:51,170 --> 03:48:53,050
the population as a whole, correct?

3512
03:48:53,250 --> 03:48:57,180
Most of those students would be somewhere identified as at risk at times,

3513
03:48:57,790 --> 03:49:01,610
especially with our IEP, our individual education plan students, or students with

3514
03:49:01,750 --> 03:49:02,370
IEPs.

3515
03:49:03,270 --> 03:49:05,610
Um, and free and reduced price lunches.

3516
03:49:06,290 --> 03:49:10,130
A lot of those indicators, the socioeconomic status sometimes of those kiddos are

3517
03:49:10,210 --> 03:49:10,730
at risk.

3518
03:49:19,670 --> 03:49:20,970
All right, we'll move on. Oh, I'm sorry.

3519
03:49:21,810 --> 03:49:22,630
Just a clarifying question.

3520
03:49:23,910 --> 03:49:25,950
All students take the same assessments?

3521
03:49:26,670 --> 03:49:28,819
English language learners, IEP students, they all are taking-

3522
03:49:28,890 --> 03:49:29,430
Absolutely

3523
03:49:29,490 --> 03:49:29,860
... the same assessments.

3524
03:49:29,930 --> 03:49:33,590
In this data set, and I did not allude earlier, and I do apologize,

3525
03:49:34,030 --> 03:49:36,410
we do have an alternate assessment.

3526
03:49:36,630 --> 03:49:39,410
It is a Missouri Assessment Program Alternate.

3527
03:49:39,850 --> 03:49:43,190
That is for our 1% population. They do take a different

3528
03:49:43,250 --> 03:49:46,650
assessment. Their standards are at an

3529
03:49:46,690 --> 03:49:49,950
equivalent for that set of population of students.

3530
03:49:50,570 --> 03:49:53,310
Generally, they're identified as severely cognitively challenged.

3531
03:49:53,890 --> 03:49:55,850
They are included in this data set.

3532
03:49:56,890 --> 03:49:57,950
It's a very small number.

3533
03:49:58,450 --> 03:49:59,470
Less than 1%.

3534
03:50:00,990 --> 03:50:04,750
So far, we've been under the radar of the federal government.

3535
03:50:04,850 --> 03:50:08,650
We're keeping right with the law, keeping it at 1% population.

3536
03:50:11,890 --> 03:50:12,070
Oh,

3537
03:50:12,990 --> 03:50:15,290
I'm sorry. I told you. You let me drive.

3538
03:50:16,770 --> 03:50:16,980
Oh,

3539
03:50:17,850 --> 03:50:19,830
for mathematics, again, we see our

3540
03:50:20,670 --> 03:50:21,990
performance here on mathematics.

3541
03:50:22,170 --> 03:50:23,430
I do want to indicate

3542
03:50:24,210 --> 03:50:28,090
two things here. For seventh grade

3543
03:50:28,130 --> 03:50:31,870
and eighth grade, we did wrap the data back in together.

3544
03:50:32,170 --> 03:50:34,810
We had students who are advanced mathematics,

3545
03:50:35,670 --> 03:50:37,550
so roughly seventh grade, we had about

3546
03:50:37,750 --> 03:50:41,390
667 students who took Algebra 1,

3547
03:50:41,810 --> 03:50:45,690
so we put their results into that cohort to represent the whole cohort.

3548
03:50:46,470 --> 03:50:50,270
And then grade 8, we had roughly over 10,000 students who took

3549
03:50:50,290 --> 03:50:51,070
Algebra 1.

3550
03:50:51,890 --> 03:50:52,070
So

3551
03:50:53,250 --> 03:50:57,110
when other data sets come out, it may look a little bit differently as we look at a

3552
03:50:57,170 --> 03:51:00,770
whole, but we wanted to put all of the students together and not just isolate that

3553
03:51:00,810 --> 03:51:04,770
grade 8 didn't look very good when you've got all these students in Algebra 1,

3554
03:51:04,850 --> 03:51:08,590
because these students perform very well when they take the Algebra 1

3555
03:51:08,630 --> 03:51:09,169
assessment.

3556
03:51:10,330 --> 03:51:13,990
But as you can see, the trend is continually across there, but

3557
03:51:14,090 --> 03:51:17,550
as we're looking from cohort to cohort each year, we are seeing

3558
03:51:17,610 --> 03:51:18,310
improvement,

3559
03:51:19,150 --> 03:51:20,890
and we can see that on the next slide

3560
03:51:22,190 --> 03:51:23,710
where we start looking at the mean.

3561
03:51:24,510 --> 03:51:25,930
And presented last year,

3562
03:51:26,850 --> 03:51:28,030
Lisa did present that

3563
03:51:28,850 --> 03:51:31,990
almost all of them, if not all of our means, are

3564
03:51:32,070 --> 03:51:35,890
above pre-COVID. So we are at least

3565
03:51:35,930 --> 03:51:37,150
starting to get there that we're

3566
03:51:38,210 --> 03:51:42,190
above where we even started with this new assessment system.

3567
03:51:42,270 --> 03:51:46,150
As you can see for eighth grade, at 441 is when we

3568
03:51:46,230 --> 03:51:49,870
set the cut is the mean. They're now at 443.

3569
03:51:51,450 --> 03:51:54,790
It's a small gain, but it is a gain for each of those cohorts.

3570
03:51:55,930 --> 03:51:57,210
I got a question.

3571
03:51:59,610 --> 03:51:59,870
So

3572
03:52:03,130 --> 03:52:07,050
just for example, if you're looking at, I'm just picking one out of the blue, so

3573
03:52:07,290 --> 03:52:07,970
2002

3574
03:52:08,870 --> 03:52:09,610
or '22,

3575
03:52:10,990 --> 03:52:13,050
the green line, which is grade five,

3576
03:52:14,190 --> 03:52:17,830
those kids then for '23 would be moved up to grade six.

3577
03:52:17,890 --> 03:52:18,670
Is that right? It's not the-

3578
03:52:18,690 --> 03:52:19,270
That is correct

3579
03:52:19,280 --> 03:52:19,690
... same kid. Okay.

3580
03:52:19,820 --> 03:52:19,890
Yep.

3581
03:52:21,270 --> 03:52:25,230
So it's just the grade then, and not necessarily that particular student group.

3582
03:52:25,510 --> 03:52:26,090
Right.

3583
03:52:26,210 --> 03:52:30,010
So you would have to kind of start articulating up where you were asking how do we

3584
03:52:30,050 --> 03:52:33,650
look at this, not at a district level, but at the state level.

3585
03:52:34,410 --> 03:52:38,250
You would look at exactly as you said, 2022, they were fifth

3586
03:52:38,310 --> 03:52:40,810
graders. In 2023, they were sixth graders.

3587
03:52:41,670 --> 03:52:44,590
That cohort made a two-point mean gain

3588
03:52:46,710 --> 03:52:47,910
from the previous cohort.

3589
03:52:49,850 --> 03:52:49,860
Got it

3590
03:52:53,890 --> 03:52:57,810
And so again, looking at our student groups and non-student groups and our

3591
03:52:58,010 --> 03:52:59,690
all students in mathematics,

3592
03:53:00,590 --> 03:53:04,530
we do see a bigger discrepancy between that and the ELA

3593
03:53:04,630 --> 03:53:07,729
of students needing a lot more supports in mathematics.

3594
03:53:18,970 --> 03:53:19,570
Science.

3595
03:53:21,830 --> 03:53:25,190
Science, we finally did get to see some movement again.

3596
03:53:25,350 --> 03:53:28,610
Our grade eights made an increase, but also our

3597
03:53:28,670 --> 03:53:32,650
biology. As you see, physical science is a very, very small

3598
03:53:32,690 --> 03:53:36,590
population that did participate in the assessment, but we are very

3599
03:53:36,610 --> 03:53:40,410
proud of our grade eight in biology, and again, I put a

3600
03:53:40,450 --> 03:53:44,370
lot of emphasis on our curriculum staff, all of them, all the

3601
03:53:44,410 --> 03:53:48,290
way from ELA, mathematics, science, and social studies, of having this unified

3602
03:53:48,390 --> 03:53:52,310
conversation about students being able to write and being able to converse

3603
03:53:52,370 --> 03:53:55,850
and put their thoughts down. I think this is really where we're seeing that with

3604
03:53:55,930 --> 03:53:56,820
also with government,

3605
03:53:57,650 --> 03:54:01,040
of students being able to feel confident and to apply their knowledge.

3606
03:54:05,610 --> 03:54:09,470
And we don't do a mean for that because they are assessed only

3607
03:54:09,590 --> 03:54:11,970
one time in elementary, middle school, and high school.

3608
03:54:12,070 --> 03:54:15,950
So we opt out not to do the mean scale, but if you ever

3609
03:54:16,010 --> 03:54:17,490
want it, we could produce that for you.

3610
03:54:18,510 --> 03:54:21,930
Again, we look at it. Again, we still see a huge discrepancy

3611
03:54:21,990 --> 03:54:25,910
between the student groups and the non-student groups in

3612
03:54:25,950 --> 03:54:29,670
the bottom two tiers. That's where we still need a lot of supports for those

3613
03:54:29,690 --> 03:54:32,890
kiddos. And when you start thinking about for science,

3614
03:54:33,690 --> 03:54:37,190
some of that may be opportunities where we have a lot of places where they just

3615
03:54:37,230 --> 03:54:41,030
don't have the opportunities to visit museums or science centers

3616
03:54:41,130 --> 03:54:44,760
or having a lot of industry that can bring in some of those

3617
03:54:44,810 --> 03:54:48,630
opportunities, which I know our CCR, our College and Career

3618
03:54:48,690 --> 03:54:52,360
Readiness group, where we're looking at trying to get more apprentice programs out

3619
03:54:52,390 --> 03:54:56,250
there and trying to make those connections to really help these kiddos

3620
03:54:56,290 --> 03:54:57,170
get an opportunity.

3621
03:55:00,170 --> 03:55:04,070
For social studies, American government

3622
03:55:04,079 --> 03:55:08,010
did make a gain this year. It's one that when it first came out, or

3623
03:55:08,050 --> 03:55:11,950
we finally were able to set standards in 2022, have

3624
03:55:11,970 --> 03:55:15,630
been kind of just status right at the mark, not really losing

3625
03:55:15,690 --> 03:55:19,410
students but not gaining any. This year, we were able to gain 2%

3626
03:55:20,570 --> 03:55:23,510
of our students moving into proficient and advanced.

3627
03:55:24,170 --> 03:55:27,440
And that's a lot of work, I think, on our curriculum team, again, is really getting

3628
03:55:27,490 --> 03:55:30,910
out there and helping support our teachers about

3629
03:55:31,230 --> 03:55:34,710
the academic standards, which are not just memorization of

3630
03:55:34,790 --> 03:55:37,790
facts. For many of us who went to school, you memorized

3631
03:55:39,070 --> 03:55:43,010
how many amendments there are. It's really now they have to discuss and be

3632
03:55:43,070 --> 03:55:45,410
able to have critiques or opinions about the

3633
03:55:46,910 --> 03:55:50,690
Supreme Court laws and how the amendments are interplaying with that.

3634
03:55:50,750 --> 03:55:53,030
So these kiddos are doing quite a bit.

3635
03:55:56,610 --> 03:55:59,090
So we'll quickly jump into demographic analysis.

3636
03:55:59,170 --> 03:56:01,690
I know that you've got a long agenda.

3637
03:56:04,030 --> 03:56:07,870
There's a lot of data here so we truncated this down

3638
03:56:07,950 --> 03:56:11,570
to the last four years. Our ethnicity.

3639
03:56:12,390 --> 03:56:13,670
We always want to look at our groups.

3640
03:56:13,790 --> 03:56:17,380
Our three biggest groups are the white group, our Black and

3641
03:56:17,470 --> 03:56:19,750
non-Hispanic, and our Hispanic populations.

3642
03:56:20,810 --> 03:56:24,190
Those are our three largest, and then right behind that is our multiracial.

3643
03:56:25,290 --> 03:56:29,270
But this is their performance against where we look at

3644
03:56:29,350 --> 03:56:33,170
that. Again, our Black population is one that

3645
03:56:33,210 --> 03:56:36,490
we want to continuously look at and making sure that they're getting the right

3646
03:56:36,570 --> 03:56:37,130
supports

3647
03:56:38,250 --> 03:56:41,230
in that process to make sure that they're on track to graduate.

3648
03:56:44,770 --> 03:56:47,690
And this data set is wrapped all of it.

3649
03:56:47,770 --> 03:56:49,810
We put all of the scores together on that.

3650
03:56:49,870 --> 03:56:51,380
So I want to apologize if it

3651
03:56:52,330 --> 03:56:53,570
looks a little bit like that.

3652
03:56:56,830 --> 03:56:59,970
So our free and reduced lunch, all the content areas, again.

3653
03:57:01,050 --> 03:57:04,670
Free and reduced price lunch. We want to make sure that we're looking at

3654
03:57:04,750 --> 03:57:08,570
that difference here. Again, free and reduced price

3655
03:57:08,610 --> 03:57:12,390
lunch went up another point. We were at 49.5

3656
03:57:12,590 --> 03:57:16,020
last year. We're now at 50.5, so we've crossed over the halfway

3657
03:57:16,110 --> 03:57:19,130
threshold of our students receiving these services.

3658
03:57:23,390 --> 03:57:24,729
I'm sorry, I wasn't looking over. There was a question?

3659
03:57:24,770 --> 03:57:28,230
Oh, no, no. You're fine. You're fine. Continue. I just have a tech thing.

3660
03:57:32,570 --> 03:57:36,290
And we look at our individual education plans, what we call our IEPs.

3661
03:57:36,530 --> 03:57:40,050
Most of these students would be identified in our special education department.

3662
03:57:41,510 --> 03:57:45,360
You can see where these students, they're roughly about 14% of the population,

3663
03:57:45,810 --> 03:57:46,770
have an IEP.

3664
03:57:48,290 --> 03:57:51,810
And this would include also our 1% population.

3665
03:57:51,850 --> 03:57:55,690
So you would see a spike in there where those kiddos are

3666
03:57:55,730 --> 03:57:59,610
performing. But again, there is a bigger discrepancy between them

3667
03:57:59,650 --> 03:58:00,820
and the non-population.

3668
03:58:06,870 --> 03:58:09,810
And our English language learners are our multilingual learners.

3669
03:58:10,310 --> 03:58:11,030
These students,

3670
03:58:12,850 --> 03:58:16,790
on top of taking their access assessment, which measures their English language

3671
03:58:16,930 --> 03:58:20,750
acquisition, they also are required to participate in the statewide assessments.

3672
03:58:21,390 --> 03:58:25,260
Their data isn't used at times until three years, but

3673
03:58:25,270 --> 03:58:28,940
they do participate, so we can keep track of that to where how they are to their

3674
03:58:28,970 --> 03:58:32,190
peers in acquiring the Missouri learning standards.

3675
03:58:33,150 --> 03:58:35,310
As you can see, theirs is a little bit smaller,

3676
03:58:36,190 --> 03:58:37,910
but they are still behind

3677
03:58:39,110 --> 03:58:42,990
in the population. And there's always the barrier that we think that is

3678
03:58:43,030 --> 03:58:43,910
the biggest case.

3679
03:58:48,410 --> 03:58:50,650
So in closing, and thank you for your time,

3680
03:58:51,770 --> 03:58:54,790
what do we take out of this? What is the department looking at?

3681
03:58:55,750 --> 03:58:58,290
One of our biggest pieces is we always look at attendance.

3682
03:58:58,810 --> 03:59:01,450
And my granddaughters, I keep telling them, "You got to be in school.

3683
03:59:01,530 --> 03:59:02,430
You got to be in school."

3684
03:59:03,470 --> 03:59:07,410
And that's one of the biggest pieces, I think, as a previous

3685
03:59:07,470 --> 03:59:11,260
administrator, was always trying to make sure my kids were there, my

3686
03:59:11,290 --> 03:59:15,010
kids are learning. And that's where we're trying to really, how can we help the

3687
03:59:15,050 --> 03:59:19,030
schools keep that going and making sure that we make that as an

3688
03:59:19,090 --> 03:59:22,080
emphasis of being in school is a good

3689
03:59:22,110 --> 03:59:23,930
thing. Yes.

3690
03:59:24,630 --> 03:59:28,390
Quick question. When in the timeline of things would we

3691
03:59:29,550 --> 03:59:33,190
receive an understanding of what our

3692
03:59:33,230 --> 03:59:35,579
attendance has been this last school year?

3693
03:59:35,650 --> 03:59:37,990
We don't need to wait until January for that.

3694
03:59:38,000 --> 03:59:41,980
That data should be in sooner. So when can we learn

3695
03:59:42,050 --> 03:59:43,530
about our attendance results?

3696
03:59:44,990 --> 03:59:46,510
We can bring that back to you this fall.

3697
03:59:46,550 --> 03:59:50,290
That's part of the data set that we look at with the annual performance

3698
03:59:50,370 --> 03:59:51,910
report and those analyses-

3699
03:59:52,070 --> 03:59:52,080
Right

3700
03:59:52,080 --> 03:59:54,130
... and as we're adding new information.

3701
03:59:54,870 --> 03:59:55,250
I think-

3702
03:59:56,190 --> 03:59:59,150
But we don't need to wait to see it as part of the full report.

3703
03:59:59,230 --> 04:00:01,450
We can look at it separately sooner.

3704
04:00:01,720 --> 04:00:01,910
Yes.

3705
04:00:02,030 --> 04:00:02,060
Mm-hmm.

3706
04:00:02,180 --> 04:00:02,550
Yes.

3707
04:00:02,630 --> 04:00:06,370
And I would like to ask that it's presented to the board as soon as possible.

3708
04:00:07,730 --> 04:00:11,550
I have roughly some dirty data, or it's not fully cleaned yet,

3709
04:00:11,650 --> 04:00:14,710
but roughly the state was at a little over 80%

3710
04:00:15,810 --> 04:00:18,780
attendance rate. 80.3, I think, is the overall-

3711
04:00:18,990 --> 04:00:19,000
Mm-hmm

3712
04:00:19,000 --> 04:00:22,770
... average for the state, and then some subgroups were much lower.

3713
04:00:23,390 --> 04:00:26,150
We might just unpack that a little bit.

3714
04:00:26,230 --> 04:00:28,670
So that 80 point what rate? 80-

3715
04:00:28,770 --> 04:00:30,230
80.3%, I believe.

3716
04:00:30,370 --> 04:00:34,250
That means that 80.3% of our students

3717
04:00:34,810 --> 04:00:38,780
statewide attended school 90%

3718
04:00:38,810 --> 04:00:41,670
of the time or more. Okay? If you're absent

3719
04:00:41,810 --> 04:00:45,550
10% or more, you're considered chronically

3720
04:00:45,650 --> 04:00:47,650
absent. So that's why we use that

3721
04:00:48,530 --> 04:00:49,010
mark there.

3722
04:00:50,670 --> 04:00:54,450
So it doesn't mean that 83% of our students were in school all the time.

3723
04:00:54,510 --> 04:00:54,620
Mm-hmm.

3724
04:00:54,790 --> 04:00:56,110
Just want to make sure that's clear.

3725
04:00:57,650 --> 04:00:58,450
Or 80%.

3726
04:00:59,030 --> 04:00:59,550
80%.

3727
04:00:59,690 --> 04:01:00,010
There we go.

3728
04:01:01,830 --> 04:01:05,750
The other one that's been brought up quite a bit today is our Missouri Read

3729
04:01:05,790 --> 04:01:09,300
Lead Exceed. It's always continued to push that initiative,

3730
04:01:09,930 --> 04:01:13,550
support that initiative. This will be our foundation to

3731
04:01:14,290 --> 04:01:18,140
not only, and I want to say this, not only for English language arts,

3732
04:01:18,210 --> 04:01:21,110
but for all the content areas and all of our career areas.

3733
04:01:21,499 --> 04:01:25,290
Students need to have that acquisition and be able to read, so we all

3734
04:01:25,330 --> 04:01:29,310
know that. And so with that is one of our biggest pushes to make

3735
04:01:29,350 --> 04:01:31,330
sure our students are career ready.

3736
04:01:32,370 --> 04:01:36,250
Educator recruitment, retention, Paul is always working on that

3737
04:01:36,350 --> 04:01:40,050
to make sure that our schools have the right teachers, certified

3738
04:01:40,130 --> 04:01:43,570
teachers, teachers who are ready to walk in and start teaching.

3739
04:01:44,450 --> 04:01:47,920
And that's been a couple conversations I could hear through here, professional

3740
04:01:47,970 --> 04:01:51,130
development, making sure our teachers are equipped.

3741
04:01:52,410 --> 04:01:55,450
As a previous educator, I know that I walked in,

3742
04:01:56,290 --> 04:01:59,350
I really didn't know a lot of how to do certain things.

3743
04:01:59,410 --> 04:02:03,219
I could teach it, but to really understand how to teach this when a student's

3744
04:02:03,310 --> 04:02:07,150
struggling, those are some of those things that we really need to focus on in

3745
04:02:07,210 --> 04:02:11,110
how we can help our educators. And the biggest one, which I

3746
04:02:11,130 --> 04:02:15,040
think always attaches to the top, attendance, is making sure our schools

3747
04:02:15,090 --> 04:02:15,970
are safe and healthy.

3748
04:02:16,950 --> 04:02:18,730
Why do kids want to come? Because it's safe.

3749
04:02:19,150 --> 04:02:21,490
They feel safe, there's healthy schools.

3750
04:02:21,850 --> 04:02:25,350
They feel confident being at school, and that really does help

3751
04:02:25,730 --> 04:02:26,710
raise your attendance rate.

3752
04:02:32,710 --> 04:02:35,790
So I'll open up any further questions that you would like to ask.

3753
04:02:39,390 --> 04:02:43,310
Mr. Matousek. Just one. So looking at the

3754
04:02:44,450 --> 04:02:47,030
MAP results, how would

3755
04:02:48,810 --> 04:02:52,370
you summarize those? The way I look at it, over the last eight years, for

3756
04:02:52,390 --> 04:02:54,790
example, it just appears largely flat, right?

3757
04:02:54,850 --> 04:02:57,390
It went down the COVID years, and it's kind of come back up.

3758
04:02:57,430 --> 04:02:57,550
But

3759
04:02:59,530 --> 04:03:03,490
most of it is within a few points one way or another, and I

3760
04:03:03,510 --> 04:03:06,050
would sort of summarize it as flat over eight years, but...

3761
04:03:07,190 --> 04:03:08,210
I would, too.

3762
04:03:09,110 --> 04:03:12,570
I would say that an important thing to

3763
04:03:12,790 --> 04:03:15,890
understand... Well, let me just say this first.

3764
04:03:15,970 --> 04:03:19,590
When we looked at those disaggregations

3765
04:03:19,629 --> 04:03:23,510
by our student groups and the ones on the left-hand side of the

3766
04:03:23,610 --> 04:03:27,550
slide, that group at the bottom, that percentage is

3767
04:03:27,650 --> 04:03:31,630
so high, we should all be jumping up and down and saying, "What can we do to

3768
04:03:31,690 --> 04:03:34,710
address this today, now?" Right? So

3769
04:03:34,770 --> 04:03:37,780
knowing that that's where we are,

3770
04:03:38,030 --> 04:03:41,550
right? Also step back a minute and look

3771
04:03:41,670 --> 04:03:45,570
at large-scale assessments of this type, it's

3772
04:03:45,730 --> 04:03:49,190
very unusual to see year-over-year

3773
04:03:49,330 --> 04:03:52,450
changes that are significant in size.

3774
04:03:52,830 --> 04:03:56,170
It's really unusual. So when we see things like a

3775
04:03:56,890 --> 04:04:00,810
3% change year-over-year, well, first of all, I want to see a

3776
04:04:00,870 --> 04:04:02,010
trend, right? I'm

3777
04:04:03,030 --> 04:04:05,810
initially skeptical no matter which direction it is.

3778
04:04:06,270 --> 04:04:09,890
But when we're starting to see it's slow and steady

3779
04:04:09,990 --> 04:04:10,410
gain,

3780
04:04:11,570 --> 04:04:13,490
then we believe that it's real.

3781
04:04:14,610 --> 04:04:18,530
Yes, Board Member Matousek, you're right that by and large it

3782
04:04:18,590 --> 04:04:21,570
looks flat. We've had a little bit of this kind of thing.

3783
04:04:22,410 --> 04:04:26,290
We think we are starting to see some impact of our Read Lead

3784
04:04:26,350 --> 04:04:27,570
Exceed initiatives.

3785
04:04:29,270 --> 04:04:31,030
We're not seeing it in the top line

3786
04:04:32,090 --> 04:04:35,830
necessarily yet in our percent proficient and

3787
04:04:35,910 --> 04:04:39,810
advanced, but we are starting to see that when we look

3788
04:04:39,910 --> 04:04:43,830
at districts and buildings that have high levels

3789
04:04:43,970 --> 04:04:47,850
of saturation of letters training, and participation in the

3790
04:04:47,970 --> 04:04:50,450
other portions of Read Lead Exceed.

3791
04:04:50,930 --> 04:04:54,370
We're starting to see movement in their foundational reading assessment

3792
04:04:54,470 --> 04:04:55,110
scores.

3793
04:04:56,370 --> 04:04:59,830
We're starting to see movement in those most vulnerable

3794
04:04:59,890 --> 04:05:02,370
populations in the MAP scores.

3795
04:05:05,410 --> 04:05:09,060
And when we look at Lexile scores across our foundational

3796
04:05:09,170 --> 04:05:10,330
reading assessments

3797
04:05:12,094 --> 04:05:15,414
At grades two and three, we think we're starting to see

3798
04:05:15,514 --> 04:05:18,314
movement there that is a result of Read, Lead,

3799
04:05:18,434 --> 04:05:19,674
Exceed.

3800
04:05:20,514 --> 04:05:22,414
When can that data be presented to us?

3801
04:05:23,774 --> 04:05:25,374
You'll see that later this fall.

3802
04:05:26,234 --> 04:05:30,034
The Office of College and Career Readiness and Heather and Travis will be

3803
04:05:30,174 --> 04:05:33,214
presenting the literacy data this fall.

3804
04:05:33,274 --> 04:05:36,414
We'll also later be seeing the results

3805
04:05:36,514 --> 04:05:37,334
of

3806
04:05:40,774 --> 04:05:42,194
our letters training,

3807
04:05:43,174 --> 04:05:43,314
and

3808
04:05:45,674 --> 04:05:46,874
program evaluation

3809
04:05:47,894 --> 04:05:51,154
that will follow on the literacy. So we'll be able to

3810
04:05:51,634 --> 04:05:55,134
unpack some of those. So there are some, what

3811
04:05:55,554 --> 04:05:58,934
I'm calling little glimmers of encouragement

3812
04:05:59,394 --> 04:05:59,754
that

3813
04:06:00,854 --> 04:06:04,584
we've looked at the evidence from around the country that has moved the

3814
04:06:04,654 --> 04:06:08,634
needle in other states. We've been applying those things here, and where

3815
04:06:08,654 --> 04:06:12,334
they've been applied with fidelity and consistency and in a

3816
04:06:12,414 --> 04:06:15,094
systemic way, we think we're starting to see movement.

3817
04:06:16,373 --> 04:06:18,034
When we look at the results

3818
04:06:19,134 --> 04:06:22,854
across from year-over-year results, there are some places

3819
04:06:22,914 --> 04:06:23,474
where

3820
04:06:24,454 --> 04:06:28,174
it really is pretty flat. Even though the numbers might be green,

3821
04:06:28,434 --> 04:06:31,284
they might show a little bit of improvement year-over-year.

3822
04:06:31,734 --> 04:06:33,324
Until we hit that 3%

3823
04:06:34,554 --> 04:06:38,084
difference between this year and last year, I'd

3824
04:06:38,134 --> 04:06:41,554
say I'm not sure they're real changes,

3825
04:06:42,014 --> 04:06:42,374
but

3826
04:06:43,334 --> 04:06:45,554
when we see trends year-over-year.

3827
04:06:46,494 --> 04:06:50,094
Not what we would like to see, which is

3828
04:06:50,354 --> 04:06:53,834
significant improvements year-over-year for all of our

3829
04:06:53,894 --> 04:06:55,534
students that we can sustain.

3830
04:06:57,294 --> 04:07:00,884
So we have work to do, clearly. Just a

3831
04:07:00,894 --> 04:07:01,904
reaction to your

3832
04:07:03,114 --> 04:07:04,274
thought. I agree with you.

3833
04:07:04,674 --> 04:07:08,314
Yeah. Well, and I ask that, I can't remember when it

3834
04:07:08,434 --> 04:07:11,274
was, but DESE had put together a

3835
04:07:12,754 --> 04:07:16,674
little flyer. I don't remember what it was.

3836
04:07:16,774 --> 04:07:18,874
It was a scorecard or something, whatever it was, and

3837
04:07:20,014 --> 04:07:23,834
I ask that question just because when I first saw that, it was, I

3838
04:07:23,874 --> 04:07:26,274
think, late last year-ish.

3839
04:07:27,874 --> 04:07:30,004
I can't remember. Do you guys remember what I'm talking about?

3840
04:07:30,034 --> 04:07:31,094
Oh, the snapshot.

3841
04:07:31,214 --> 04:07:31,544
Snapshot.

3842
04:07:31,544 --> 04:07:32,434
The snapshot, yes.

3843
04:07:32,524 --> 04:07:36,354
Yeah. When I read that or looked at it, it

3844
04:07:37,914 --> 04:07:38,814
painted a picture,

3845
04:07:40,034 --> 04:07:43,504
to me, that is a little different than what we've just

3846
04:07:43,574 --> 04:07:47,284
seen. In terms of, I think it was like 90% of

3847
04:07:47,694 --> 04:07:49,394
students or districts or whatever it was.

3848
04:07:49,414 --> 04:07:49,554
I

3849
04:07:52,354 --> 04:07:53,164
don't have the words for it.

3850
04:07:53,174 --> 04:07:54,834
I think that was APR.

3851
04:07:55,774 --> 04:07:57,274
I think there were some

3852
04:07:58,214 --> 04:08:01,234
materials that talked about percentage of

3853
04:08:02,714 --> 04:08:06,374
students in LEAs that were at that 70%

3854
04:08:06,854 --> 04:08:10,734
or above mark on the APR. I think that's what you

3855
04:08:11,334 --> 04:08:13,054
might be referring to. Which

3856
04:08:14,114 --> 04:08:15,014
it's... Yeah.

3857
04:08:15,794 --> 04:08:19,574
Separate, but when I look at that, what I generally see

3858
04:08:19,634 --> 04:08:23,274
is more than half of students across the grades, across every

3859
04:08:23,414 --> 04:08:24,214
subject area,

3860
04:08:25,114 --> 04:08:29,074
are below proficient. Right? So more

3861
04:08:29,094 --> 04:08:33,074
than half of students in every grade that's tested, in every subject that's tested,

3862
04:08:33,874 --> 04:08:36,854
more than half of the students aren't where they should be. Right?

3863
04:08:37,034 --> 04:08:40,034
And you have the other half that are above where they should be.

3864
04:08:40,374 --> 04:08:41,734
And it's

3865
04:08:41,814 --> 04:08:45,854
like

3866
04:08:45,894 --> 04:08:47,754
you said, it's alarming, right? But I

3867
04:08:49,774 --> 04:08:50,744
feel like that's not

3868
04:08:50,754 --> 04:08:54,314
what we hear.

3869
04:08:54,374 --> 04:08:58,194
If we can't acknowledge that we have challenges

3870
04:08:58,234 --> 04:09:00,734
like this, I don't think we can fix them.

3871
04:09:01,734 --> 04:09:05,474
And I don't think it's a bad thing to say or to

3872
04:09:05,514 --> 04:09:07,334
acknowledge and just say, "Hey, half our students,

3873
04:09:08,274 --> 04:09:09,134
we need to fix it."

3874
04:09:12,314 --> 04:09:14,104
I don't know what the solution is, but

3875
04:09:15,034 --> 04:09:17,994
when I was on the local school board for three years, I never had one parent come

3876
04:09:18,034 --> 04:09:19,834
up to me and tell me that school was too tough.

3877
04:09:20,934 --> 04:09:24,054
Not one. There's a

3878
04:09:24,074 --> 04:09:27,454
gap

3879
04:09:27,494 --> 04:09:28,614
between

3880
04:09:30,094 --> 04:09:33,974
how some people would describe public education in the state of Missouri

3881
04:09:34,634 --> 04:09:37,654
and maybe where it sort of actually is, right?

3882
04:09:37,754 --> 04:09:39,654
And I think that gap needs to close

3883
04:09:40,514 --> 04:09:44,194
if we're going to actually make some progress.

3884
04:09:44,234 --> 04:09:44,554
And so...

3885
04:09:45,314 --> 04:09:45,974
Member Casey.

3886
04:09:47,054 --> 04:09:50,654
Thank you, and building on Mike's points there,

3887
04:09:52,994 --> 04:09:55,323
I realize data has to come in

3888
04:09:56,194 --> 04:09:59,934
when it's available, and a full story just can't

3889
04:09:59,974 --> 04:10:00,614
instantly be

3890
04:10:01,594 --> 04:10:05,514
presented to us. So we're getting our first glimpse, and there'll

3891
04:10:05,574 --> 04:10:08,534
be more data to be shared from more

3892
04:10:10,174 --> 04:10:14,034
aspects as well, A to F grading cards as well as

3893
04:10:14,114 --> 04:10:15,274
MAP score data,

3894
04:10:16,754 --> 04:10:19,294
reading assessment data possibly, et cetera.

3895
04:10:19,394 --> 04:10:23,374
There are so many ways in which to look

3896
04:10:23,414 --> 04:10:25,214
at this, and

3897
04:10:26,954 --> 04:10:30,894
I feel like sometimes it's just a whole bunch of data is always given to us

3898
04:10:32,774 --> 04:10:33,894
without

3899
04:10:36,154 --> 04:10:40,134
department recommendations of, "And now here's what we're recommending

3900
04:10:40,214 --> 04:10:43,314
you do." Now, I think the committees are

3901
04:10:44,474 --> 04:10:48,323
picking up, and the Student Success Committee will be a part of that process to

3902
04:10:48,394 --> 04:10:52,254
help form some of those recommendations as the data is looked at.

3903
04:10:53,834 --> 04:10:57,734
And I feel like I'm just kind of thinking out loud here as I couldn't

3904
04:10:57,794 --> 04:10:58,494
agree more.

3905
04:10:59,974 --> 04:11:01,994
This view of the data is unacceptable.

3906
04:11:03,374 --> 04:11:07,014
Other views of the data show improvement, and we'll be eager to see

3907
04:11:07,054 --> 04:11:10,073
those. But the question is, is that improvement enough?

3908
04:11:10,374 --> 04:11:14,334
Now, it's never enough, so not to assume it could be, but how does it compare

3909
04:11:14,394 --> 04:11:17,834
to other states? What more could be done? What's working? What's not?

3910
04:11:18,454 --> 04:11:20,054
We need more than just data

3911
04:11:20,910 --> 04:11:22,130
We need insights.

3912
04:11:22,750 --> 04:11:22,960
Mm-hmm.

3913
04:11:23,250 --> 04:11:26,860
And I know that takes time and resource to work with, and

3914
04:11:26,890 --> 04:11:28,600
hopefully the committee will help you with that.

3915
04:11:28,610 --> 04:11:31,550
But that, I think, is what this board is missing.

3916
04:11:31,990 --> 04:11:35,730
We struggle to draw conclusions from a bunch of data

3917
04:11:35,750 --> 04:11:39,050
that's provided to us, other than to say it's good or it's bad, and it's

3918
04:11:39,390 --> 04:11:40,230
certainly not good.

3919
04:11:41,130 --> 04:11:44,850
And so we need more comparison, more insight, more direction, more

3920
04:11:44,890 --> 04:11:45,780
recommendations,

3921
04:11:47,470 --> 04:11:47,980
and

3922
04:11:51,170 --> 04:11:55,090
proof. Just justification for what's working and

3923
04:11:55,130 --> 04:11:59,030
what's not. Because then that begins to inform priorities

3924
04:11:59,070 --> 04:12:01,770
and budget, and everything else.

3925
04:12:02,210 --> 04:12:03,830
Amen. Well said, Carrie.

3926
04:12:07,650 --> 04:12:09,310
Any other questions or comments?

3927
04:12:09,910 --> 04:12:11,590
This is a little bit more in the weeds, but

3928
04:12:12,670 --> 04:12:12,870
some

3929
04:12:13,790 --> 04:12:17,730
additional resources that at the classroom level we'd love to have.

3930
04:12:19,430 --> 04:12:21,550
Practice materials are always beneficial.

3931
04:12:22,450 --> 04:12:26,430
I know like for the EOC Algebra 1 assessment, there

3932
04:12:26,450 --> 04:12:28,550
is a practice test on the website,

3933
04:12:29,970 --> 04:12:32,560
and that's great, but the more we can get, the better.

3934
04:12:32,630 --> 04:12:34,710
I think last year some EOC testlets were

3935
04:12:35,530 --> 04:12:35,970
distributed.

3936
04:12:35,980 --> 04:12:37,140
We were able to release testlets.

3937
04:12:37,190 --> 04:12:37,810
That was helpful.

3938
04:12:38,070 --> 04:12:40,980
And we have Algebra 2 and Geometry coming right after Thanksgiving.

3939
04:12:41,090 --> 04:12:44,030
I did want to let you know, that was great. Thank you for that.

3940
04:12:44,410 --> 04:12:44,850
Anyways, yeah,

3941
04:12:45,910 --> 04:12:49,280
the more stems, question stems, that can replicate the kind of things they're going

3942
04:12:49,290 --> 04:12:51,550
to see on the actual assessment, the better.

3943
04:12:52,650 --> 04:12:54,410
So I appreciate that, wanted to let you know.

3944
04:12:54,490 --> 04:12:57,790
Thank you for that, and keep them coming, if you don't mind.

3945
04:12:58,790 --> 04:13:02,290
Two, when we receive the data, if there's a way to

3946
04:13:02,350 --> 04:13:06,310
understand, and it may vary from year to year, test to test, but the number

3947
04:13:06,370 --> 04:13:09,650
of items per standard would be really helpful.

3948
04:13:10,230 --> 04:13:13,130
And I don't believe we receive that level of data.

3949
04:13:13,190 --> 04:13:16,370
We receive scores per standard.

3950
04:13:17,590 --> 04:13:21,430
What percentage of students mastered or got correct each standard,

3951
04:13:21,510 --> 04:13:24,710
but we don't see this particular standard had six questions.

3952
04:13:24,750 --> 04:13:26,210
This one had one.

3953
04:13:27,150 --> 04:13:30,030
I'm sure that data exists, I'm just saying on the district level, we don't receive

3954
04:13:30,050 --> 04:13:32,610
that data, and it would be very helpful from a teaching perspective.

3955
04:13:32,870 --> 04:13:36,610
Because not every standard is of equal importance.

3956
04:13:36,890 --> 04:13:40,170
I hate to say it that way, but there are some very core standards, and there are

3957
04:13:40,190 --> 04:13:44,080
some more ancillary standards, and it's helpful when we instruct and

3958
04:13:44,950 --> 04:13:48,470
test prep, to be able to have that granular level of data if it's

3959
04:13:48,510 --> 04:13:48,950
available.

3960
04:13:49,870 --> 04:13:53,490
We never really get down to the granular level. We do have at the domain level.

3961
04:13:53,770 --> 04:13:53,930
Mm-hmm.

3962
04:13:54,070 --> 04:13:57,490
So how many items would be on there, like six to eight items within the

3963
04:13:57,550 --> 04:14:01,279
domain, which then you would be able to know these four or

3964
04:14:01,290 --> 04:14:03,530
five standards may be assessed.

3965
04:14:05,130 --> 04:14:07,990
I think there is a way, though, in your data set.

3966
04:14:08,650 --> 04:14:10,630
You're kind of data rich in a lot of things.

3967
04:14:10,910 --> 04:14:10,940
Mm-hmm.

3968
04:14:10,940 --> 04:14:14,670
It's just what gets distributed out to the teachers a lot of times is

3969
04:14:14,710 --> 04:14:15,330
sometimes

3970
04:14:16,550 --> 04:14:20,290
a barrier, or other people are looking at your data, and you can

3971
04:14:20,330 --> 04:14:22,610
always ask them to see just the whole data set.

3972
04:14:23,030 --> 04:14:25,430
Okay. I'll follow up. We've spoke at our district-

3973
04:14:25,450 --> 04:14:25,590
Yeah

3974
04:14:25,600 --> 04:14:29,580
... level data coordinator and according to him, he didn't feel like he had

3975
04:14:29,630 --> 04:14:31,520
that level of data. Having said that-

3976
04:14:32,470 --> 04:14:33,420
Well, we can definitely look at that

3977
04:14:33,420 --> 04:14:33,720
... guess I'll go back.

3978
04:14:33,810 --> 04:14:35,990
And that's when, please call our office-

3979
04:14:36,210 --> 04:14:36,410
Yeah

3980
04:14:36,430 --> 04:14:38,550
... the assessment office or our curriculum team.

3981
04:14:39,170 --> 04:14:41,150
They have access and be able to help you with that.

3982
04:14:41,310 --> 04:14:42,150
Thank you. I appreciate it.

3983
04:14:42,690 --> 04:14:42,930
Thank you.

3984
04:14:44,190 --> 04:14:45,150
Any other questions?

3985
04:14:48,410 --> 04:14:50,850
I apologize, I got L and M backwards there.

3986
04:14:50,920 --> 04:14:52,430
So now we're ready to

3987
04:14:54,190 --> 04:14:55,590
move to A through F.

3988
04:14:56,090 --> 04:14:56,300
All right.

3989
04:14:56,670 --> 04:14:57,330
Thank you for your time.

3990
04:14:57,370 --> 04:14:57,750
Thank you guys.

3991
04:14:57,810 --> 04:14:59,469
Thank you. Appreciate it.

3992
04:15:20,130 --> 04:15:21,810
Okay. Are we ready?

3993
04:15:24,530 --> 04:15:27,970
For those of you who may be listening to the live stream, this is still Lisa

3994
04:15:28,030 --> 04:15:31,290
Sarino, deputy commissioner for learning services.

3995
04:15:32,670 --> 04:15:35,690
I'm here to share with the board,

3996
04:15:36,630 --> 04:15:40,070
an update on what we have been calling the grade cards.

3997
04:15:40,610 --> 04:15:44,270
The A through F school and district grade cards,

3998
04:15:45,250 --> 04:15:49,170
resulting from a resolution out

3999
04:15:49,210 --> 04:15:52,910
of the state board of education in December of last

4000
04:15:52,970 --> 04:15:54,120
year, asking

4001
04:15:55,010 --> 04:15:57,110
the department to put these grade cards together,

4002
04:15:58,230 --> 04:16:01,930
and an executive order issued by Governor Kehoe in

4003
04:16:02,010 --> 04:16:05,950
January of this year. In fact, it was the first executive

4004
04:16:05,990 --> 04:16:07,370
order of 2026,

4005
04:16:08,370 --> 04:16:09,890
EO 26-01.

4006
04:16:11,350 --> 04:16:13,770
And what I'm here today to

4007
04:16:14,770 --> 04:16:16,170
tell you about is

4008
04:16:17,890 --> 04:16:19,790
how we're thinking

4009
04:16:21,550 --> 04:16:25,290
about using the grade cards to

4010
04:16:25,370 --> 04:16:29,150
help us think a little differently about school improvement, and

4011
04:16:29,190 --> 04:16:32,930
addressing some of the very issues that you all have been bringing

4012
04:16:33,030 --> 04:16:33,290
up

4013
04:16:34,210 --> 04:16:37,680
in our presentations and our discussions so far.

4014
04:16:39,030 --> 04:16:42,630
From the beginning, we wanted to create a

4015
04:16:42,750 --> 04:16:46,330
strong model for the framework for the grade

4016
04:16:46,370 --> 04:16:49,530
card that would meet the criteria in the EO,

4017
04:16:50,410 --> 04:16:53,770
in the executive order, and also set it

4018
04:16:53,850 --> 04:16:56,090
apart from the existing

4019
04:16:56,970 --> 04:17:00,130
accountability structures that we have in place.

4020
04:17:00,370 --> 04:17:01,330
For example,

4021
04:17:02,410 --> 04:17:06,080
what we're calling our annual performance report, here comes the

4022
04:17:06,210 --> 04:17:09,870
acronym soup, the APR, the annual performance report,

4023
04:17:10,670 --> 04:17:12,990
under our Missouri School Improvement program.

4024
04:17:13,470 --> 04:17:16,890
And the APR is what we use to

4025
04:17:16,930 --> 04:17:20,330
accredit school districts. Its focus is

4026
04:17:20,430 --> 04:17:24,210
primarily at that district or local education

4027
04:17:24,350 --> 04:17:27,730
agency level. So for school districts

4028
04:17:28,526 --> 04:17:29,506
That's where we're

4029
04:17:30,846 --> 04:17:31,426
focusing.

4030
04:17:32,466 --> 04:17:36,226
The grade cards will be different from the annual performance

4031
04:17:36,346 --> 04:17:39,106
report, and you'll see as we go through the presentation.

4032
04:17:40,226 --> 04:17:41,766
I'm going to tell you a little bit about

4033
04:17:42,706 --> 04:17:43,146
that.

4034
04:17:45,826 --> 04:17:47,666
But let's start

4035
04:17:48,766 --> 04:17:51,866
back at the beginning with the requirements

4036
04:17:52,126 --> 04:17:55,946
in Governor Kehoe's executive order, which was

4037
04:17:56,026 --> 04:17:59,506
issued, and it asked the department, with the State Board of

4038
04:17:59,566 --> 04:18:03,126
Education's approval and authorization,

4039
04:18:03,666 --> 04:18:07,286
to create a grade card for every public school

4040
04:18:07,386 --> 04:18:10,946
district, every public school, and every public charter school

4041
04:18:11,486 --> 04:18:12,386
that assigned...

4042
04:18:13,626 --> 04:18:15,546
Oh, okay. Sorry, I thought I saw a question.

4043
04:18:15,846 --> 04:18:17,306
That assigns a grade

4044
04:18:18,246 --> 04:18:21,946
of A through F, and the executive

4045
04:18:22,046 --> 04:18:25,946
order actually provides definitions of what each of those grades

4046
04:18:26,026 --> 04:18:26,366
mean,

4047
04:18:27,366 --> 04:18:31,326
with C being satisfactory results, and F, of course, failing.

4048
04:18:33,906 --> 04:18:37,786
Features of the grade cards or the executive order

4049
04:18:37,926 --> 04:18:41,746
called for that at least a 95% participation

4050
04:18:41,786 --> 04:18:44,166
rate in the required statewide test.

4051
04:18:44,566 --> 04:18:48,496
So those are the Missouri Assessment Program tests that you just heard about, the

4052
04:18:48,546 --> 04:18:52,386
grade level in grades three through eight, and then the end-of-course tests

4053
04:18:52,466 --> 04:18:54,606
that we administer to high school students.

4054
04:18:55,366 --> 04:18:56,306
And if

4055
04:18:57,506 --> 04:19:01,366
that test participation rate wasn't met, the executive

4056
04:19:01,386 --> 04:19:03,026
order said that grade

4057
04:19:04,586 --> 04:19:06,926
would then be lowered by a letter. Right?

4058
04:19:06,986 --> 04:19:07,156
So,

4059
04:19:08,066 --> 04:19:11,546
we don't really have a concern about this at the district or

4060
04:19:11,606 --> 04:19:15,346
the LEA level in Missouri. We've always had high

4061
04:19:15,406 --> 04:19:17,926
test participation in the state of Missouri.

4062
04:19:18,706 --> 04:19:22,206
The executive order also calls for us to allow

4063
04:19:23,006 --> 04:19:26,286
an opt-in for any private school. So, if

4064
04:19:26,926 --> 04:19:28,766
a non-public school

4065
04:19:29,866 --> 04:19:33,426
calls us and says, "Hey, we want to participate in that grade

4066
04:19:33,546 --> 04:19:34,786
structure," then

4067
04:19:35,666 --> 04:19:39,646
we would have an ability for them to submit the data that

4068
04:19:39,686 --> 04:19:43,606
they could do so. There's already a mechanism for

4069
04:19:43,726 --> 04:19:47,366
private schools who might wish to administer the Missouri Assessment Program

4070
04:19:47,466 --> 04:19:48,586
test to do so.

4071
04:19:49,466 --> 04:19:53,366
And we would use the same criteria to grade any private schools that would

4072
04:19:53,446 --> 04:19:54,666
ask us to opt in.

4073
04:19:56,146 --> 04:19:59,946
The executive order calls for a continuous

4074
04:20:00,026 --> 04:20:03,586
improvement component, which means that if we get to a

4075
04:20:03,626 --> 04:20:05,016
point where

4076
04:20:06,686 --> 04:20:10,326
almost two-thirds or 65% of our, more of our

4077
04:20:10,426 --> 04:20:13,626
schools are getting an A or a B,

4078
04:20:14,326 --> 04:20:18,146
then we move the bar up. Right? We raise

4079
04:20:18,186 --> 04:20:18,466
that

4080
04:20:19,366 --> 04:20:22,566
for the next year, each of those cut scores by

4081
04:20:22,826 --> 04:20:23,386
5%.

4082
04:20:26,006 --> 04:20:29,966
In the executive order, it gives us some criteria for

4083
04:20:30,006 --> 04:20:33,926
reporting. The department is required to provide,

4084
04:20:34,646 --> 04:20:35,786
once we get started,

4085
04:20:36,926 --> 04:20:40,826
schools and districts with an embargoed look at their

4086
04:20:40,946 --> 04:20:44,286
grades two weeks before they're released

4087
04:20:44,366 --> 04:20:47,826
publicly. So, the executive order says that

4088
04:20:47,926 --> 04:20:49,966
September 15th is when that happens.

4089
04:20:50,466 --> 04:20:53,606
And then at the end of September, September 30th,

4090
04:20:55,166 --> 04:20:58,876
districts and schools will publish their grades,

4091
04:20:59,506 --> 04:21:03,446
and we have a mechanism for supporting districts and schools in

4092
04:21:03,506 --> 04:21:06,926
doing that. And then the department will publish a statewide

4093
04:21:07,286 --> 04:21:10,606
grade card that includes summary information and what those

4094
04:21:10,646 --> 04:21:12,666
distributions of grades look like.

4095
04:21:13,466 --> 04:21:16,306
So, for some of you, you've heard me say this a few times.

4096
04:21:16,366 --> 04:21:20,046
So, for those of you who haven't heard me say this, I hope I've given you enough

4097
04:21:20,086 --> 04:21:22,746
background about what's in the executive order.

4098
04:21:27,726 --> 04:21:27,866
So,

4099
04:21:29,586 --> 04:21:31,356
how did we go about

4100
04:21:32,586 --> 04:21:35,506
creating the grade card framework?

4101
04:21:35,766 --> 04:21:37,846
I think it's important to understand

4102
04:21:38,686 --> 04:21:41,246
what are some of the key assumptions.

4103
04:21:42,766 --> 04:21:46,306
The executive order itself says

4104
04:21:46,726 --> 04:21:50,466
these grade cards should be clear, they should be simple, they should be

4105
04:21:50,626 --> 04:21:52,126
easy to understand.

4106
04:21:53,546 --> 04:21:57,266
They should be able to be used by all of our stakeholders.

4107
04:21:57,946 --> 04:22:01,486
And we have taken that parent as the primary

4108
04:22:01,626 --> 04:22:04,566
audience for the final product of these grade cards.

4109
04:22:05,206 --> 04:22:05,366
We

4110
04:22:06,246 --> 04:22:10,046
have a lot of data available at the

4111
04:22:10,086 --> 04:22:13,566
DESE website. And as Board Member Casey mentioned,

4112
04:22:14,186 --> 04:22:17,226
Board Member Moduzyk, we present you all with a lot of data.

4113
04:22:18,706 --> 04:22:21,466
Sometimes you have to dig for it and dig for the meaning.

4114
04:22:21,966 --> 04:22:25,946
So, we want to make these grade cards simple and

4115
04:22:26,006 --> 04:22:29,066
clear for parents. As I mentioned,

4116
04:22:30,286 --> 04:22:34,226
although we will be producing district-level grades for each

4117
04:22:34,286 --> 04:22:34,926
district,

4118
04:22:36,366 --> 04:22:40,106
the emphasis we want to place is at the building

4119
04:22:40,146 --> 04:22:43,786
level so that we can use these grade cards to

4120
04:22:43,846 --> 04:22:47,406
help support our school improvement work.

4121
04:22:47,986 --> 04:22:51,486
So, focus on those schools that are

4122
04:22:52,086 --> 04:22:56,026
scoring Ds, those schools that are failing, and

4123
04:22:56,306 --> 04:22:59,886
also for those schools that are in the C range that need to

4124
04:22:59,926 --> 04:23:03,386
improve and want to improve. We want to use this

4125
04:23:03,446 --> 04:23:05,926
information, again, to help highlight

4126
04:23:07,566 --> 04:23:11,146
where there are issues, perhaps across what

4127
04:23:11,286 --> 04:23:13,866
subject, and then focus resources.

4128
04:23:14,326 --> 04:23:15,746
Also help identify

4129
04:23:16,566 --> 04:23:20,546
where great things are happening so that we can learn from them and replicate

4130
04:23:20,606 --> 04:23:22,046
those things throughout the state.

4131
04:23:23,446 --> 04:23:27,326
I mentioned that we wanted to meet the criteria in the executive order,

4132
04:23:27,726 --> 04:23:31,686
and so what we're doing is trying to keep it simple in

4133
04:23:31,766 --> 04:23:35,066
the idea of clear and easy to understand, and

4134
04:23:35,566 --> 04:23:39,226
sticking as close as possible to the language in the executive

4135
04:23:39,306 --> 04:23:41,686
order and trying to interpret that

4136
04:23:42,946 --> 04:23:45,056
as simply as possible.

4137
04:23:46,070 --> 04:23:49,690
For most people who might read that

4138
04:23:49,750 --> 04:23:50,290
language.

4139
04:23:51,310 --> 04:23:55,050
So that's what we're trying to do. Although the executive order

4140
04:23:55,110 --> 04:23:58,250
does ask us to do some new things with our data,

4141
04:23:59,230 --> 04:24:01,690
it doesn't require any new testing.

4142
04:24:02,050 --> 04:24:05,890
So we will use information that comes from the Missouri Assessment Program

4143
04:24:06,010 --> 04:24:09,190
tests, and we will use information that comes from the

4144
04:24:09,230 --> 04:24:11,210
foundational reading assessments.

4145
04:24:12,170 --> 04:24:15,230
We'll use other data that we're already capturing.

4146
04:24:17,150 --> 04:24:20,990
The high school grade cards will include what's called a Success

4147
04:24:21,150 --> 04:24:24,890
Ready Graduates Measure, and will include

4148
04:24:24,950 --> 04:24:26,550
ACT data and

4149
04:24:27,570 --> 04:24:30,990
data like that. We're already capturing this

4150
04:24:31,050 --> 04:24:31,890
information.

4151
04:24:34,030 --> 04:24:37,350
So we won't have to capture new data, but we

4152
04:24:37,510 --> 04:24:41,210
will have to make some adjustments to our

4153
04:24:41,330 --> 04:24:44,990
structures and systems, the expectations that we have for

4154
04:24:45,030 --> 04:24:48,590
ourselves at the department, and also expectations

4155
04:24:49,250 --> 04:24:52,810
for schools and districts in the way and the timing

4156
04:24:53,290 --> 04:24:55,210
in which they report data to us.

4157
04:24:56,810 --> 04:25:00,670
Administrative rulemaking is something that the executive order said,

4158
04:25:00,700 --> 04:25:03,860
"Hey, Dessie, if as you are

4159
04:25:03,910 --> 04:25:07,830
planning to prepare these grade cards, please include in

4160
04:25:07,870 --> 04:25:11,370
your plan any rulemaking that might be necessary to

4161
04:25:11,450 --> 04:25:15,190
implement them." And there really isn't any administrative rulemaking

4162
04:25:15,350 --> 04:25:16,150
that's needed.

4163
04:25:19,130 --> 04:25:22,990
So, okay. Just in time and space, what

4164
04:25:23,010 --> 04:25:26,470
have we done so far? There's obviously a lot of background

4165
04:25:26,610 --> 04:25:30,370
behind how we got from mid-January to where we

4166
04:25:30,430 --> 04:25:33,310
are today. I'm happy to provide any

4167
04:25:33,350 --> 04:25:36,970
detail. You can see our response to the

4168
04:25:37,010 --> 04:25:40,530
governor's executive order that lays out some of that background

4169
04:25:40,570 --> 04:25:41,370
information,

4170
04:25:42,390 --> 04:25:45,330
but any time in the future I can give detail on that.

4171
04:25:46,610 --> 04:25:50,130
We did respond to the governor's

4172
04:25:50,230 --> 04:25:53,890
office on time, on June 30th, with a plan that

4173
04:25:53,970 --> 04:25:57,790
outlined what the framework for the grade cards would look

4174
04:25:57,890 --> 04:26:01,810
like. And the executive order calls for bringing

4175
04:26:01,890 --> 04:26:05,530
them to you for your review and approval before we

4176
04:26:05,570 --> 04:26:09,070
implement. So we're doing this in two stages.

4177
04:26:09,130 --> 04:26:12,950
We have today to have this discussion, to

4178
04:26:12,990 --> 04:26:16,659
get your questions, to ask you a few questions on some

4179
04:26:16,670 --> 04:26:17,690
decision points.

4180
04:26:18,630 --> 04:26:22,570
We'll come back to you in September and ask you

4181
04:26:22,630 --> 04:26:25,750
to approve the framework so that we can implement.

4182
04:26:27,690 --> 04:26:31,430
In this process, I wanted to mention the stakeholder engagement.

4183
04:26:31,750 --> 04:26:35,610
So we have opportunities coming up for

4184
04:26:35,650 --> 04:26:36,750
our stakeholders,

4185
04:26:38,470 --> 04:26:40,390
to our educational stakeholders,

4186
04:26:41,290 --> 04:26:44,930
to help them understand what the plan is, where the framework

4187
04:26:45,010 --> 04:26:48,950
is at this point in time, provide comment and feedback.

4188
04:26:50,150 --> 04:26:52,730
We're scheduling a couple of virtual sessions.

4189
04:26:52,810 --> 04:26:56,690
The first one of those will be next week, and then a small

4190
04:26:56,750 --> 04:27:00,050
number of in-person sessions to capture feedback from

4191
04:27:00,150 --> 04:27:00,930
stakeholders.

4192
04:27:01,750 --> 04:27:05,170
This is just at this phase. We've done

4193
04:27:05,250 --> 04:27:09,070
additional stakeholder engagement since we

4194
04:27:09,150 --> 04:27:13,050
began this process. So our groups

4195
04:27:13,150 --> 04:27:13,430
of

4196
04:27:14,270 --> 04:27:17,890
advisors that have come together in various ways

4197
04:27:18,370 --> 04:27:22,230
have provided us with feedback at multiple points along the way.

4198
04:27:23,770 --> 04:27:25,159
So we will

4199
04:27:26,130 --> 04:27:29,850
be able to summarize that feedback for

4200
04:27:29,930 --> 04:27:33,370
you when we bring the final recommendation to you next month.

4201
04:27:34,050 --> 04:27:37,890
And then at that point, we can begin working with our partners on the

4202
04:27:37,930 --> 04:27:41,080
final production and implementation of the grade cards.

4203
04:27:41,610 --> 04:27:43,710
I'm going to talk to you a little bit about timing later on.

4204
04:27:46,930 --> 04:27:47,610
Was there a question?

4205
04:27:48,370 --> 04:27:52,350
Well, it is relative to timing, and bearing in mind you don't have to

4206
04:27:52,410 --> 04:27:55,870
answer it now, but if you'd answer it when you get there, the executive order calls

4207
04:27:56,230 --> 04:27:58,230
for this to be our first card.

4208
04:27:58,270 --> 04:28:02,190
Obviously, there's a lot of work and you've done a lot of

4209
04:28:02,230 --> 04:28:03,810
work, and I want to recognize that.

4210
04:28:03,890 --> 04:28:07,510
This sounds simple, but it's a heavy lift.

4211
04:28:09,410 --> 04:28:13,190
The executive order requires that we produce our first,

4212
04:28:15,610 --> 04:28:18,790
call it a rate card, but grade card, excuse me, by the end of September,

4213
04:28:19,610 --> 04:28:23,430
and it doesn't sound like that's what we'll be doing based on some of

4214
04:28:23,470 --> 04:28:27,380
this update. So I think that's a point of concern that we need when you're

4215
04:28:27,410 --> 04:28:28,310
talking about timing.

4216
04:28:28,550 --> 04:28:31,050
Sure. I'll go through

4217
04:28:32,030 --> 04:28:33,510
a little bit more background and framework-

4218
04:28:33,550 --> 04:28:33,560
Okay

4219
04:28:33,560 --> 04:28:35,570
... and then we do have a slide where we talk about timeline.

4220
04:28:35,690 --> 04:28:39,630
So, we can do that. I want to

4221
04:28:39,670 --> 04:28:43,530
say that in putting the plan together for

4222
04:28:43,590 --> 04:28:45,430
using data and framework, that

4223
04:28:46,830 --> 04:28:50,810
we started not only from a position of keep

4224
04:28:50,850 --> 04:28:54,390
it simple in terms of interpreting the executive order, but

4225
04:28:54,510 --> 04:28:55,070
also

4226
04:28:55,890 --> 04:28:59,110
try to minimize confusion and additional

4227
04:28:59,470 --> 04:29:03,330
expense by using the data processes that

4228
04:29:03,370 --> 04:29:04,790
were already in place,

4229
04:29:05,930 --> 04:29:09,710
and to the extent that it was possible, carry forward those data.

4230
04:29:10,270 --> 04:29:14,080
So, those are the assessment data and the other

4231
04:29:14,170 --> 04:29:17,910
pieces of information that come in that we use for other purposes,

4232
04:29:18,170 --> 04:29:21,530
like the annual performance report or our federal

4233
04:29:21,590 --> 04:29:24,110
identification of schools. So,

4234
04:29:25,130 --> 04:29:28,050
we have used that as a starting point.

4235
04:29:29,430 --> 04:29:31,570
Just want to mention that

4236
04:29:33,130 --> 04:29:36,790
Okay. There are two pieces, two

4237
04:29:36,910 --> 04:29:40,590
requirements in the executive order for the grade card

4238
04:29:40,670 --> 04:29:44,490
that really haven't shown up in our work in

4239
04:29:44,610 --> 04:29:48,590
quite this way in the past. And the first one is a

4240
04:29:48,670 --> 04:29:52,070
literacy measure that is required to show up

4241
04:29:52,170 --> 04:29:56,030
in our K through eight, or elementary

4242
04:29:56,130 --> 04:29:58,110
and middle school grade cards.

4243
04:29:59,250 --> 04:30:03,220
And then the second is a calculation of growth, growth

4244
04:30:03,220 --> 04:30:07,010
to proficiency. That also shows up in the

4245
04:30:07,050 --> 04:30:09,410
elementary and middle school grade cards.

4246
04:30:09,910 --> 04:30:13,650
So I want to just talk briefly about each of those.

4247
04:30:14,330 --> 04:30:17,930
And here, this is the language lifted directly from the executive

4248
04:30:17,990 --> 04:30:18,340
order,

4249
04:30:19,270 --> 04:30:23,050
that you've got literacy bolded there, and you see literacy shows

4250
04:30:23,150 --> 04:30:26,630
up alongside English language arts,

4251
04:30:26,810 --> 04:30:28,490
math, and science.

4252
04:30:29,750 --> 04:30:31,650
So we're going to see that.

4253
04:30:32,930 --> 04:30:35,920
Again, this is for only those schools that

4254
04:30:36,870 --> 04:30:40,430
have grades within the kindergarten to eighth grade range.

4255
04:30:40,440 --> 04:30:44,350
We're going to use the Lexile measures that are already

4256
04:30:44,670 --> 04:30:48,100
captured in both our English language arts

4257
04:30:48,170 --> 04:30:51,950
assessments, in our MAP program, in the grade level

4258
04:30:52,030 --> 04:30:55,590
program, and also in the foundational reading assessments,

4259
04:30:56,390 --> 04:30:57,570
for grades one and two.

4260
04:30:58,550 --> 04:31:02,130
Lexiles are widely used in schools.

4261
04:31:02,200 --> 04:31:05,990
They're often included in information that's shared with

4262
04:31:06,130 --> 04:31:06,790
parents.

4263
04:31:07,910 --> 04:31:11,870
They help parents, families identify reading level for

4264
04:31:11,970 --> 04:31:15,890
students. And so they're giving us an indication of are students

4265
04:31:16,010 --> 04:31:17,870
reading on grade level.

4266
04:31:21,670 --> 04:31:25,660
The second new element is this growth to proficiency calculation,

4267
04:31:25,810 --> 04:31:28,949
and again, here, this is the language lifted

4268
04:31:29,490 --> 04:31:31,650
directly from the executive order,

4269
04:31:34,310 --> 04:31:37,690
also for just those elementary and middle

4270
04:31:37,790 --> 04:31:38,410
schools.

4271
04:31:40,150 --> 04:31:42,410
If you think about what that means,

4272
04:31:43,609 --> 04:31:43,990
we want

4273
04:31:45,150 --> 04:31:48,970
a measure for every student that we have to have at least two

4274
04:31:49,050 --> 04:31:52,870
years of test scores for the student, and we want to evaluate if

4275
04:31:52,910 --> 04:31:56,770
they're on track to reach that grade level proficiency in

4276
04:31:56,850 --> 04:32:00,690
three years. So if you imagine for a moment

4277
04:32:00,730 --> 04:32:02,160
what that looks like,

4278
04:32:03,390 --> 04:32:07,110
and tried to visualize it in a very simple graphic,

4279
04:32:07,910 --> 04:32:11,570
I hope that this gets close to what you might be thinking.

4280
04:32:12,730 --> 04:32:15,890
On the left-hand side, we would start with a

4281
04:32:15,970 --> 04:32:17,570
non-proficient score.

4282
04:32:18,470 --> 04:32:22,250
So for any students in the system that haven't hit

4283
04:32:22,330 --> 04:32:26,040
that proficiency yet, we're looking at on their

4284
04:32:26,470 --> 04:32:28,390
scale score, on their MAP test,

4285
04:32:29,890 --> 04:32:32,510
will they be able to hit the goal of

4286
04:32:32,530 --> 04:32:36,459
proficient three years from now? So in order to do that,

4287
04:32:36,610 --> 04:32:40,380
we have to know are they on track. So we'd be looking

4288
04:32:40,490 --> 04:32:44,410
at last year's data compared to this year's data to kind

4289
04:32:44,450 --> 04:32:47,350
of set a trajectory to see

4290
04:32:49,430 --> 04:32:52,530
in year one, do we think that if they grow the same

4291
04:32:53,130 --> 04:32:53,550
amount

4292
04:32:54,570 --> 04:32:57,660
next year that they did this past year,

4293
04:32:58,950 --> 04:33:00,150
are they going to be on track?

4294
04:33:01,590 --> 04:33:05,350
So the growth to proficiency measure does that.

4295
04:33:06,331 --> 04:33:10,151
I think it's important to point out that the way we interpreted the

4296
04:33:10,190 --> 04:33:14,010
executive order was really that this was to focus on

4297
04:33:14,050 --> 04:33:17,390
moving those students who are not yet proficient, to

4298
04:33:17,491 --> 04:33:21,050
focus attention and effort and a measure

4299
04:33:21,950 --> 04:33:25,311
on that kind of movement. So our

4300
04:33:25,390 --> 04:33:29,360
current assumptions would only look at, are

4301
04:33:29,390 --> 04:33:33,100
those non-proficient students on track to reach proficient?

4302
04:33:33,790 --> 04:33:37,590
Right now, there isn't a calculation for a

4303
04:33:38,110 --> 04:33:39,790
student that's already proficient.

4304
04:33:41,410 --> 04:33:43,790
And then this measure would reset each year.

4305
04:33:44,190 --> 04:33:47,770
So we would look at where is each student, each year,

4306
04:33:48,090 --> 04:33:51,971
and do we think they're on track based on the information that we have about their

4307
04:33:52,010 --> 04:33:52,831
performance.

4308
04:33:54,490 --> 04:33:54,850
Question.

4309
04:33:55,010 --> 04:33:55,390
Question.

4310
04:33:57,270 --> 04:33:58,311
It strikes me that

4311
04:33:59,790 --> 04:34:03,450
there's going to be a lot of concern about when the data is available

4312
04:34:04,550 --> 04:34:08,190
to the schools to be able to arrange for interventions.

4313
04:34:08,710 --> 04:34:12,450
I'm assuming that what we want to do here is rally all the

4314
04:34:12,590 --> 04:34:14,530
districts to start investing in the

4315
04:34:15,390 --> 04:34:16,491
proficiency growth.

4316
04:34:17,730 --> 04:34:21,600
That's going to require them to assemble intervention strategies, fund them,

4317
04:34:21,670 --> 04:34:22,070
et cetera.

4318
04:34:23,730 --> 04:34:27,491
They've got to get that data early enough at the student

4319
04:34:27,690 --> 04:34:29,831
by student level to be able to know-

4320
04:34:32,050 --> 04:34:32,250
Sure.

4321
04:34:32,350 --> 04:34:33,840
Good. You're nodding your head. I'm-

4322
04:34:34,879 --> 04:34:35,590
... glad you're on.

4323
04:34:35,631 --> 04:34:35,901
That is-

4324
04:34:36,450 --> 04:34:36,480
Thank you

4325
04:34:36,480 --> 04:34:37,331
... that is tracking.

4326
04:34:37,370 --> 04:34:43,070
Getting

4327
04:34:43,151 --> 04:34:43,831
data back

4328
04:34:45,110 --> 04:34:48,870
as soon as possible has been a priority for the

4329
04:34:48,910 --> 04:34:51,971
department, and we have shifted that work.

4330
04:34:52,290 --> 04:34:56,090
We're still bound by the end of the statewide test

4331
04:34:56,170 --> 04:34:57,890
window and some

4332
04:34:59,950 --> 04:35:03,840
within a three-week window for the vendor to be able

4333
04:35:03,910 --> 04:35:05,920
to turn that data around,

4334
04:35:06,770 --> 04:35:10,741
at a statewide level. So we're still working within some of those

4335
04:35:10,790 --> 04:35:11,651
constraints.

4336
04:35:12,991 --> 04:35:14,450
If I could add on that or

4337
04:35:16,610 --> 04:35:18,430
another perspective though.

4338
04:35:20,350 --> 04:35:24,020
Because this is using MAP data, summative data at the end of the

4339
04:35:24,131 --> 04:35:28,050
year, yes, available within weeks

4340
04:35:28,151 --> 04:35:31,550
to the individual school, but the kids are out of school at that point.

4341
04:35:31,631 --> 04:35:32,129
Sure. Right.

4342
04:35:34,347 --> 04:35:36,566
Isn't it the assessments that are

4343
04:35:37,667 --> 04:35:40,446
being administered during the year

4344
04:35:41,626 --> 04:35:44,507
that are forming the interventions that are needed?

4345
04:35:44,626 --> 04:35:48,586
Because as part of the assessment process, there's

4346
04:35:48,687 --> 04:35:49,126
also,

4347
04:35:50,766 --> 04:35:54,726
and I'm probably getting it wrong because maybe it's associated with MAP

4348
04:35:54,736 --> 04:35:58,586
results, where individual success reading

4349
04:35:58,626 --> 04:35:59,667
plans, is that what-

4350
04:36:00,167 --> 04:36:01,156
Reading success plans. Yes, ma'am

4351
04:36:01,156 --> 04:36:03,976
... reading success plans are also required to be developed.

4352
04:36:04,476 --> 04:36:08,226
There's so many angles and pieces on these things, and to

4353
04:36:08,306 --> 04:36:11,396
me, this is used for the school

4354
04:36:12,466 --> 04:36:13,347
just like a MAP,

4355
04:36:14,906 --> 04:36:18,726
an APR rating is that comes out later in the year, and the MAP results that

4356
04:36:18,786 --> 04:36:22,586
come out in the fall that make up part of the APR rating, is to say it's

4357
04:36:22,646 --> 04:36:26,046
that dipstick. Where are we as a school? Where are we as a state?

4358
04:36:27,566 --> 04:36:31,226
But the building of the data needs to be based on individual results, and we're

4359
04:36:31,266 --> 04:36:34,486
trying to drive the right behavior, but this tool

4360
04:36:35,667 --> 04:36:39,625
will be a reflection at that point in time of how they're doing,

4361
04:36:39,746 --> 04:36:43,126
but the purpose of it is just that, to give

4362
04:36:44,306 --> 04:36:47,585
a parent, the parent is the audience, that view

4363
04:36:48,646 --> 04:36:48,946
of

4364
04:36:50,347 --> 04:36:52,507
how the school is performing,

4365
04:36:53,347 --> 04:36:56,347
not how the student is performing and what interventions are

4366
04:36:56,406 --> 04:37:00,306
needed. That comes through the assessment process in the course of

4367
04:37:00,347 --> 04:37:02,027
the school year. Is that correct?

4368
04:37:02,167 --> 04:37:05,246
Yes. So, the statewide assessment is a

4369
04:37:05,326 --> 04:37:08,856
snapshot at one point in time, and we use it for

4370
04:37:08,926 --> 04:37:12,145
these high level view, the bird's eye

4371
04:37:12,187 --> 04:37:15,826
view. To really get into the

4372
04:37:15,867 --> 04:37:17,306
instructional space,

4373
04:37:18,306 --> 04:37:19,146
we have to...

4374
04:37:21,626 --> 04:37:25,386
Districts have to, not we. We're not in the school

4375
04:37:25,466 --> 04:37:27,226
buildings. But districts,

4376
04:37:28,706 --> 04:37:32,266
instructional leaders at the building and other levels,

4377
04:37:33,007 --> 04:37:36,986
coaches, teachers, need to be using their local data,

4378
04:37:37,326 --> 04:37:39,926
and they are doing that. And

4379
04:37:40,906 --> 04:37:44,706
we encourage them to use that as part of a coherent system,

4380
04:37:45,286 --> 04:37:49,086
which includes the large scale, the big picture,

4381
04:37:49,187 --> 04:37:51,867
and their local data along the way.

4382
04:37:52,426 --> 04:37:53,257
But I would add,

4383
04:37:55,266 --> 04:37:56,646
for the team to understand,

4384
04:37:57,546 --> 04:38:01,027
the department has established four or five

4385
04:38:01,066 --> 04:38:04,527
assessment tools that align to our

4386
04:38:04,566 --> 04:38:08,286
standards that therefore have alignment to the ultimate MAP test-

4387
04:38:08,326 --> 04:38:08,566
Mm-hmm

4388
04:38:08,966 --> 04:38:12,746
... that we recommend or require all to

4389
04:38:12,847 --> 04:38:15,726
use. But not all schools have invested in that yet,

4390
04:38:16,766 --> 04:38:18,867
but they have a deadline of doing it.

4391
04:38:19,566 --> 04:38:22,966
Just correct me on all this, but this is where the board/the

4392
04:38:22,986 --> 04:38:25,176
department could do things better.

4393
04:38:25,966 --> 04:38:28,266
Why did it take five years to get some schools there?

4394
04:38:28,726 --> 04:38:32,527
Why weren't we getting more insight into how many schools are at what

4395
04:38:32,586 --> 04:38:35,946
level and getting these better tools

4396
04:38:36,086 --> 04:38:39,667
implemented more timely to get to results quicker, to get to the

4397
04:38:39,726 --> 04:38:43,286
interventions? And we stay at the high level, but we need to

4398
04:38:43,326 --> 04:38:43,966
understand-

4399
04:38:44,886 --> 04:38:45,257
All of the-

4400
04:38:45,436 --> 04:38:48,746
... the progress along the way. And I'll turn it over to Stacy because she can

4401
04:38:48,847 --> 04:38:49,516
speak to it better.

4402
04:38:50,986 --> 04:38:54,066
I'll start and then let Lisa jump in.

4403
04:38:54,106 --> 04:38:57,806
I think the thing that you were referring to in that one is the foundational

4404
04:38:57,826 --> 04:39:01,606
reading assessments, which we give kindergarten through third grade, in some

4405
04:39:01,687 --> 04:39:04,106
circumstances fourth and fifth grade, but that's the beginning of the year

4406
04:39:04,146 --> 04:39:05,446
assessment, the end of year assessment.

4407
04:39:06,126 --> 04:39:07,286
That's where we had

4408
04:39:08,347 --> 04:39:09,027
vendors

4409
04:39:10,347 --> 04:39:13,546
submit their tests to be considered whether or not they were aligned to the

4410
04:39:13,606 --> 04:39:14,056
standards. We selected-

4411
04:39:14,086 --> 04:39:17,867
No, but there are also reading assessments required through Senate Bill

4412
04:39:19,146 --> 04:39:19,847
681 or 727.

4413
04:39:19,867 --> 04:39:21,286
Yes, that's what I'm talking about.

4414
04:39:21,466 --> 04:39:22,546
Foundational reading assessment.

4415
04:39:22,726 --> 04:39:26,586
But also third grade and beyond, where assessments are

4416
04:39:26,626 --> 04:39:29,246
required, not just the first initial grades,

4417
04:39:30,586 --> 04:39:31,027
right?

4418
04:39:31,086 --> 04:39:34,976
They're required for all students in grades K through

4419
04:39:35,106 --> 04:39:39,046
three, and for students who are newcomers

4420
04:39:39,086 --> 04:39:42,806
or at risk, if they have reading success plans, if they're determined to be at

4421
04:39:42,966 --> 04:39:43,406
risk

4422
04:39:44,546 --> 04:39:47,006
for not being able to read-

4423
04:39:47,266 --> 04:39:47,316
Mm

4424
04:39:47,426 --> 04:39:50,966
... then we're going up through fifth grade.

4425
04:39:51,406 --> 04:39:51,526
Yeah.

4426
04:39:54,326 --> 04:39:57,826
But again, these are tests that are administered

4427
04:39:57,946 --> 04:40:00,066
locally by the schools themselves.

4428
04:40:00,426 --> 04:40:00,806
Correct.

4429
04:40:00,946 --> 04:40:03,026
We require those under state law?

4430
04:40:03,386 --> 04:40:05,106
They are required under state law.

4431
04:40:06,166 --> 04:40:07,606
But they're not reported to-

4432
04:40:08,206 --> 04:40:10,066
They are reported to the department.

4433
04:40:10,726 --> 04:40:13,306
We call them the foundational reading assessments-

4434
04:40:13,346 --> 04:40:13,566
Mm-hmm

4435
04:40:13,586 --> 04:40:15,806
... part of the literacy initiative.

4436
04:40:16,646 --> 04:40:20,586
We have four vendors that are on the qualified vendor list

4437
04:40:20,786 --> 04:40:23,726
currently, and districts may select

4438
04:40:24,226 --> 04:40:27,406
the vendor from that qualified vendor list.

4439
04:40:27,706 --> 04:40:31,686
The results are reported directly to the department, so we

4440
04:40:31,726 --> 04:40:35,676
capture those data and we're able to evaluate those,

4441
04:40:35,766 --> 04:40:38,306
and we're going to use those for our literacy measure

4442
04:40:39,386 --> 04:40:41,066
in the grade cards.

4443
04:40:42,986 --> 04:40:45,186
I always thought that we required...

4444
04:40:45,906 --> 04:40:46,086
I

4445
04:40:47,626 --> 04:40:49,486
didn't think that it stopped at third grade,

4446
04:40:50,506 --> 04:40:54,266
and that assessments were required up through

4447
04:40:54,346 --> 04:40:54,846
eighth grade.

4448
04:40:55,806 --> 04:40:59,396
And so not to further discuss it here, but I would say that is a number

4449
04:40:59,566 --> 04:41:03,326
one priority of the department. Because

4450
04:41:03,346 --> 04:41:05,206
that's where you get immediate feedback.

4451
04:41:05,286 --> 04:41:09,126
That's where you can do interventions and where you can get assessments student by

4452
04:41:09,286 --> 04:41:09,646
student.

4453
04:41:10,586 --> 04:41:13,946
And what can be done by the department to

4454
04:41:14,946 --> 04:41:18,406
establish policy in that direction versus what is

4455
04:41:18,466 --> 04:41:21,726
required from a legislative standpoint to

4456
04:41:22,906 --> 04:41:24,246
ensure that it happens?

4457
04:41:25,606 --> 04:41:27,986
That's a light bulb for me. I

4458
04:41:29,026 --> 04:41:32,666
just really thought that we were doing assessments beyond third grade.

4459
04:41:33,036 --> 04:41:36,826
And if they're only waiting for MAP scores to come in, granted I know they do their

4460
04:41:36,866 --> 04:41:37,656
own testing, but-

4461
04:41:37,946 --> 04:41:38,056
They do

4462
04:41:38,056 --> 04:41:41,486
... if it's not consistent, if it's not aligned, if it's not a-

4463
04:41:42,118 --> 04:41:44,358
There's just opportunity here for improvement.

4464
04:41:44,387 --> 04:41:48,088
So, I think I can confidently speak for most

4465
04:41:48,998 --> 04:41:52,418
LEAs, that if they have selected a particular

4466
04:41:52,518 --> 04:41:55,938
foundational reading assessment to use to meet that

4467
04:41:55,978 --> 04:41:59,678
requirement at K through 3, they're using that or

4468
04:41:59,718 --> 04:42:03,278
something that connects to that all the way up through,

4469
04:42:04,498 --> 04:42:07,158
so that they have coherent systems in place.

4470
04:42:07,678 --> 04:42:11,598
Most LEAs or districts will be doing that.

4471
04:42:11,618 --> 04:42:13,138
We're just not capturing that data.

4472
04:42:13,778 --> 04:42:17,678
Right. So, I think about it, and I have been talking about this since

4473
04:42:17,758 --> 04:42:21,087
I was here last time, but those summative assessments, that MAP score,

4474
04:42:21,648 --> 04:42:25,458
that is for us and for you and for LEAs, like Lisa said, at the big

4475
04:42:25,598 --> 04:42:27,198
30,000-foot level.

4476
04:42:28,118 --> 04:42:31,978
Local schools don't just use that to guide instruction.

4477
04:42:32,148 --> 04:42:35,638
They are using these interim assessments and more informal

4478
04:42:36,418 --> 04:42:39,238
local assessments to guide instruction throughout the year.

4479
04:42:39,618 --> 04:42:43,308
If someone's waiting for the MAP test to tell them how to teach,

4480
04:42:43,438 --> 04:42:43,727
then

4481
04:42:44,558 --> 04:42:46,298
that's not what that's intended for.

4482
04:42:46,618 --> 04:42:49,628
And so Lisa's saying with the foundational reading assessments,

4483
04:42:50,708 --> 04:42:54,538
we're able to use that as a metric for first and second

4484
04:42:54,558 --> 04:42:57,178
grade, because right now we don't have anything, because the MAP tests don't start

4485
04:42:57,218 --> 04:43:01,118
till third grade. And those foundational reading assessments that are

4486
04:43:01,138 --> 04:43:04,218
required have a pre-test and post-test requirement.

4487
04:43:04,278 --> 04:43:07,098
So, for that particular one, we're doing it twice a year, once at the beginning,

4488
04:43:07,158 --> 04:43:09,728
once at the end. But again, at the local level,

4489
04:43:11,018 --> 04:43:14,808
we're strongly encouraging, and they are implementing best practices of testing

4490
04:43:14,808 --> 04:43:18,638
throughout the year. It just isn't something that's collected at the state level.

4491
04:43:20,978 --> 04:43:21,318
I just think-

4492
04:43:21,328 --> 04:43:21,328
This is great-

4493
04:43:21,328 --> 04:43:22,758
... we have a lot of opportunity here.

4494
04:43:23,358 --> 04:43:27,058
Great to dive right in. Let's go swim in a different part of the pool.

4495
04:43:28,618 --> 04:43:28,778
So,

4496
04:43:30,498 --> 04:43:34,338
as I mentioned to you, we're going to come back to you next month and ask

4497
04:43:34,398 --> 04:43:38,198
you to vote to approve our proposed framework for the grade

4498
04:43:38,238 --> 04:43:41,978
cards. And I just want to say, the next few slides, I'm going to give

4499
04:43:42,058 --> 04:43:45,838
you a look at the framework and what we're calling the framework.

4500
04:43:45,878 --> 04:43:49,338
And it's made up of the scoring structures

4501
04:43:49,638 --> 04:43:51,338
for, and the

4502
04:43:52,178 --> 04:43:55,537
relative emphasis at the

4503
04:43:55,578 --> 04:43:59,198
elementary/middle school level, so that's the K through 8, and at the high school

4504
04:43:59,238 --> 04:44:02,618
level, or 9 through 12, and then at the district level.

4505
04:44:03,698 --> 04:44:07,658
And then that, combined with the grading scale, makes

4506
04:44:07,738 --> 04:44:08,758
up the framework.

4507
04:44:09,958 --> 04:44:12,898
So, let's take a look here for a minute.

4508
04:44:12,988 --> 04:44:16,838
So, this says K through 8, so kindergarten through eighth grade

4509
04:44:16,878 --> 04:44:20,198
scoring structure. What does that mean?

4510
04:44:20,518 --> 04:44:23,158
That means that this is the basis,

4511
04:44:24,418 --> 04:44:27,308
this is what's called for in the executive order.

4512
04:44:27,518 --> 04:44:31,458
It calls for an academic achievement level, which

4513
04:44:31,518 --> 04:44:34,238
we tend to call status. So,

4514
04:44:34,338 --> 04:44:37,898
that's based on those performance

4515
04:44:37,998 --> 04:44:41,158
levels that we just looked at in the MAP results.

4516
04:44:42,658 --> 04:44:46,518
It also wants a value-added growth measure, which

4517
04:44:46,598 --> 04:44:50,438
is what we're already using. We call it the Missouri Growth Model.

4518
04:44:50,578 --> 04:44:54,038
It's been operational in Missouri for more than 10

4519
04:44:54,158 --> 04:44:56,898
years. It's well-researched,

4520
04:44:58,098 --> 04:45:01,318
and it is peer-reviewed.

4521
04:45:03,418 --> 04:45:04,628
We feel like it's a

4522
04:45:06,078 --> 04:45:09,738
very valid measure. It's called out in the executive order.

4523
04:45:09,958 --> 04:45:12,918
We need to continue using that value-added growth measure.

4524
04:45:13,498 --> 04:45:16,438
And what's in green, those are new.

4525
04:45:16,638 --> 04:45:19,838
So, remember I told you that growth to proficiency is a new

4526
04:45:19,918 --> 04:45:23,098
calculation? We just looked at what that would be.

4527
04:45:24,718 --> 04:45:28,638
So, that's new. So, why are these things on

4528
04:45:28,718 --> 04:45:32,518
the K through 8 structure? It's because the executive order says,

4529
04:45:33,258 --> 04:45:35,998
"Include those three things," and at the

4530
04:45:37,018 --> 04:45:39,358
subject areas that were called out.

4531
04:45:39,898 --> 04:45:43,638
You'll notice also that literacy is green, because that's something that's a

4532
04:45:43,738 --> 04:45:47,608
new element. So, English language arts and

4533
04:45:47,638 --> 04:45:50,787
math show up there in three places,

4534
04:45:51,418 --> 04:45:54,998
and their emphasis is the same. So,

4535
04:45:55,078 --> 04:45:59,058
ELA is emphasized the same in each place where it shows up

4536
04:45:59,138 --> 04:46:02,678
on this grid. Same thing with math, and same thing with science.

4537
04:46:03,398 --> 04:46:07,078
And that's why the overall percent or emphasis

4538
04:46:07,198 --> 04:46:07,518
is

4539
04:46:08,738 --> 04:46:09,858
different, because we have

4540
04:46:10,738 --> 04:46:14,448
four things we're looking at in academic achievement, three in

4541
04:46:14,478 --> 04:46:16,578
value-added growth, and

4542
04:46:17,838 --> 04:46:19,618
two in growth to proficiency.

4543
04:46:20,438 --> 04:46:23,978
Right. Now, why aren't we doing science in growth to proficiency?

4544
04:46:24,018 --> 04:46:27,838
Because growth to proficiency, in order to do that, we have to have at least two

4545
04:46:27,918 --> 04:46:31,638
consecutive years of

4546
04:46:31,678 --> 04:46:32,288
scores,

4547
04:46:33,458 --> 04:46:37,238
and we need to see year-to-year change.

4548
04:46:37,298 --> 04:46:39,378
In science, we don't test every year.

4549
04:46:39,658 --> 04:46:43,298
We test at grades five and grade eight, and then again at

4550
04:46:43,578 --> 04:46:47,418
high school. So, we can't really calculate that growth

4551
04:46:47,478 --> 04:46:49,298
to proficiency very well

4552
04:46:50,538 --> 04:46:53,458
with just a grade five and a grade eight science score.

4553
04:46:54,598 --> 04:46:55,078
Question.

4554
04:46:55,398 --> 04:46:55,738
Yes, sir.

4555
04:46:57,638 --> 04:47:00,738
So, the percentages on the right-hand side

4556
04:47:02,238 --> 04:47:05,178
is 38% for academic achievement level.

4557
04:47:05,208 --> 04:47:08,838
Why not 33% for each of the

4558
04:47:08,858 --> 04:47:10,698
categories? Is it that's the

4559
04:47:11,798 --> 04:47:15,558
most important indicator or data of this group?

4560
04:47:16,278 --> 04:47:16,468
Well,

4561
04:47:18,498 --> 04:47:18,758
no,

4562
04:47:19,738 --> 04:47:23,638
not because it's most important. We didn't make that kind of value judgment.

4563
04:47:23,678 --> 04:47:27,558
But what we did was said, "Okay, let's pull over how we look

4564
04:47:27,638 --> 04:47:31,238
at data in other structures." We weight

4565
04:47:31,318 --> 04:47:34,678
equally English language arts and math wherever they appear.

4566
04:47:35,478 --> 04:47:39,178
So, that gave us a basis. Then we moved over-- We

4567
04:47:39,338 --> 04:47:42,918
have more tests in English language arts and math than we do in

4568
04:47:42,978 --> 04:47:46,898
science, so the weighting for science is less than it would be for

4569
04:47:46,938 --> 04:47:48,678
math or for English language arts.

4570
04:47:49,846 --> 04:47:53,626
And so, as we started building that emphasis out,

4571
04:47:54,926 --> 04:47:58,566
it's just because there's four things in academic achievement

4572
04:47:58,646 --> 04:48:02,346
level, and there's only three in value-added growth, and two

4573
04:48:02,526 --> 04:48:03,756
in growth to proficiency.

4574
04:48:04,866 --> 04:48:05,126
Thank you.

4575
04:48:05,626 --> 04:48:06,916
That makes sense, but

4576
04:48:11,286 --> 04:48:15,066
to me, I think growth to proficiency should be greater weighted.

4577
04:48:15,366 --> 04:48:17,606
But I'm not saying that what you've done is wrong.

4578
04:48:17,746 --> 04:48:19,106
It just strikes me as

4579
04:48:20,226 --> 04:48:23,606
what we're trying to drive here, in terms of behavior,

4580
04:48:24,446 --> 04:48:27,726
back to Vince's question, get interventions in there quickly.

4581
04:48:27,786 --> 04:48:30,746
How do we drive growth, is what tells us, at the

4582
04:48:32,186 --> 04:48:33,486
individual student level.

4583
04:48:34,206 --> 04:48:34,306
Sure.

4584
04:48:34,346 --> 04:48:38,146
The more emphasis you put on that, the more action,

4585
04:48:38,966 --> 04:48:41,046
and therefore results you'll get.

4586
04:48:41,126 --> 04:48:45,116
Sure. So this is a starting point, and let me offer a couple

4587
04:48:45,166 --> 04:48:49,126
of things there. So the students that are already proficient

4588
04:48:49,266 --> 04:48:52,366
and advanced are showing up in status. Right?

4589
04:48:52,606 --> 04:48:56,366
They are showing up in

4590
04:48:56,426 --> 04:48:58,586
status. In order to get

4591
04:48:59,706 --> 04:49:03,666
the full measure of evaluation and status, we are

4592
04:49:03,746 --> 04:49:04,766
looking for

4593
04:49:05,626 --> 04:49:09,456
what would equate to be an average proficient or

4594
04:49:09,586 --> 04:49:13,226
higher score. So we're emphasizing

4595
04:49:13,266 --> 04:49:17,096
them in status. Value-added growth levels the

4596
04:49:17,186 --> 04:49:20,866
playing field, meaning that whether students'

4597
04:49:21,126 --> 04:49:24,356
scores

4598
04:49:25,026 --> 04:49:28,506
from either end, all along the

4599
04:49:28,566 --> 04:49:32,486
scale, we're looking at how much are they

4600
04:49:32,546 --> 04:49:36,366
meeting their expected growth or their predicted

4601
04:49:36,426 --> 04:49:40,276
growth. So we could get high growth from

4602
04:49:40,306 --> 04:49:43,386
advanced students, from basic students,

4603
04:49:43,966 --> 04:49:46,186
proficient students, or below basic students.

4604
04:49:46,566 --> 04:49:49,546
And then growth to proficiency is really reserved for

4605
04:49:49,606 --> 04:49:53,386
measuring those students moving to

4606
04:49:53,406 --> 04:49:53,886
proficient.

4607
04:49:54,266 --> 04:49:58,246
Okay, so you are able to pull in data from those

4608
04:49:58,305 --> 04:50:02,146
who, say, are in basic but have potential to go to advanced.

4609
04:50:02,226 --> 04:50:05,366
Because if you don't move the needle on those children,

4610
04:50:06,066 --> 04:50:09,406
you're really not doing them a service. Then you're failing that child.

4611
04:50:10,286 --> 04:50:13,816
So we do have an ability to track that-

4612
04:50:14,186 --> 04:50:15,136
To measure the-

4613
04:50:15,446 --> 04:50:16,546
Their growth.

4614
04:50:16,686 --> 04:50:17,746
Yes. Yeah.

4615
04:50:18,886 --> 04:50:20,756
From proficient or basic to advanced.

4616
04:50:20,826 --> 04:50:23,866
Yes. So that's going to show up in two places.

4617
04:50:23,926 --> 04:50:27,286
It will show up in the value-added growth, right?

4618
04:50:27,386 --> 04:50:27,806
And

4619
04:50:28,986 --> 04:50:32,966
any student in any level will show up in that value-added growth,

4620
04:50:33,326 --> 04:50:36,886
and any student's score at any level will show up in the

4621
04:50:36,986 --> 04:50:40,126
academic achievement level, or the status measure.

4622
04:50:42,226 --> 04:50:42,435
That was-

4623
04:50:42,526 --> 04:50:44,095
And-- Oh, I'm sorry. Dr.

4624
04:50:47,646 --> 04:50:49,456
Scholl, if the example was

4625
04:50:50,846 --> 04:50:54,506
will we see credit for that student who was at below basic and got to

4626
04:50:54,546 --> 04:50:57,646
proficient or advanced in one year? The answer is definitely yes.

4627
04:50:57,686 --> 04:50:59,406
They would show up in that bottom.

4628
04:50:59,466 --> 04:51:02,326
If they don't move, we would see it in this data.

4629
04:51:02,426 --> 04:51:02,826
That's right.

4630
04:51:03,146 --> 04:51:03,366
Okay.

4631
04:51:03,606 --> 04:51:03,846
Yes.

4632
04:51:06,286 --> 04:51:07,486
Carrie, did you have another question?

4633
04:51:07,846 --> 04:51:11,186
Similar to Gretchen's concern.

4634
04:51:14,346 --> 04:51:18,266
I feel like our model, I feel like it might be there, but

4635
04:51:18,306 --> 04:51:22,106
it's not obvious, and it's not recognized in a

4636
04:51:22,166 --> 04:51:22,836
way that

4637
04:51:24,146 --> 04:51:26,056
gives us a focus on have we

4638
04:51:27,766 --> 04:51:31,286
aided those students, even though they're already

4639
04:51:31,326 --> 04:51:31,926
proficient,

4640
04:51:32,826 --> 04:51:36,546
and therefore not failing, which is great, but have we done the

4641
04:51:36,586 --> 04:51:40,026
best service for them as well and moved them as-

4642
04:51:40,246 --> 04:51:40,406
Yeah

4643
04:51:40,506 --> 04:51:43,106
... and seen their growth. And I feel like that this

4644
04:51:43,666 --> 04:51:46,106
obfuscates it. I can't say the word.

4645
04:51:47,246 --> 04:51:47,646
Forget the word.

4646
04:51:47,886 --> 04:51:49,626
If you would allow me to

4647
04:51:50,646 --> 04:51:54,215
parking lot that one until we get to the questions at the end, because I

4648
04:51:54,246 --> 04:51:58,226
think that's one of the things we want to ask you for your

4649
04:51:58,286 --> 04:52:00,306
input on, is just that.

4650
04:52:04,926 --> 04:52:08,806
Okay. Just for your reference, when we talk about how many

4651
04:52:08,866 --> 04:52:12,616
schools, and this is, again, at the building level, there are

4652
04:52:12,616 --> 04:52:14,386
about 2,200 schools

4653
04:52:15,626 --> 04:52:16,886
in Missouri.

4654
04:52:17,966 --> 04:52:21,936
And the number and the distribution kind of changes a little bit from year to

4655
04:52:22,006 --> 04:52:25,966
year because things happen in school districts, construction projects and that kind

4656
04:52:26,026 --> 04:52:29,906
of thing. There are about 1,600 of them that would

4657
04:52:29,946 --> 04:52:33,876
be in some kind of configuration that's going to fall under this

4658
04:52:33,926 --> 04:52:36,176
framework. Now, the

4659
04:52:38,146 --> 04:52:41,756
way that this emphasis falls out

4660
04:52:42,446 --> 04:52:45,946
is going to change depending on what grades are in that school.

4661
04:52:46,566 --> 04:52:50,206
So if, for example, we had a school that is

4662
04:52:50,726 --> 04:52:52,366
kindergarten through fourth grade,

4663
04:52:53,386 --> 04:52:57,306
we're not going to see science. We don't test science until

4664
04:52:57,426 --> 04:52:59,986
fifth grade for those students.

4665
04:53:01,766 --> 04:53:05,346
And so, the relative emphasis, instead of

4666
04:53:05,386 --> 04:53:08,746
38%, is going to be 36%

4667
04:53:09,806 --> 04:53:10,986
academic achievement,

4668
04:53:11,986 --> 04:53:14,446
32% value-added growth, and

4669
04:53:14,606 --> 04:53:18,306
32% growth to proficiency for a

4670
04:53:18,346 --> 04:53:19,816
school that's

4671
04:53:20,746 --> 04:53:23,806
kindergarten through fourth grade. Just as an example.

4672
04:53:23,846 --> 04:53:27,406
There will be some flex in that. We have

4673
04:53:27,526 --> 04:53:31,366
lots of different grade configurations for schools in Missouri.

4674
04:53:31,706 --> 04:53:32,346
Mr. Otto.

4675
04:53:32,826 --> 04:53:36,086
I just have one question. Can you clarify, I know it's in the materials, but can

4676
04:53:36,126 --> 04:53:40,026
you just give a high-level summary

4677
04:53:40,106 --> 04:53:43,446
of the difference between English language arts and literacy?

4678
04:53:44,198 --> 04:53:47,108
Yes. So English language arts is based on

4679
04:53:47,958 --> 04:53:51,607
the MAP test, on our scale score, and

4680
04:53:51,658 --> 04:53:55,518
those performance levels. So below basic, basic, proficient, and

4681
04:53:55,578 --> 04:53:59,158
advanced. The literacy measure is the

4682
04:53:59,258 --> 04:53:59,977
Lexile,

4683
04:54:01,198 --> 04:54:04,818
and that comes from our English language arts MAP test

4684
04:54:05,278 --> 04:54:09,098
at grades three through eight, and it comes from the foundational

4685
04:54:09,198 --> 04:54:11,718
reading assessment at grades one and two.

4686
04:54:12,438 --> 04:54:16,037
And the Lexile score is a measure of our students

4687
04:54:16,537 --> 04:54:20,398
reading on grade level. So that's the literacy measure.

4688
04:54:22,218 --> 04:54:22,608
Commissioner.

4689
04:54:22,638 --> 04:54:23,358
I think maybe-

4690
04:54:23,918 --> 04:54:25,828
Oh, did I misunderstand your question?

4691
04:54:26,098 --> 04:54:27,898
ELA is a broader category.

4692
04:54:27,978 --> 04:54:28,278
Yeah.

4693
04:54:28,358 --> 04:54:32,298
So literacy is very specifically reading. ELA captures other things.

4694
04:54:32,338 --> 04:54:33,128
Is it a subset?

4695
04:54:33,948 --> 04:54:35,328
Literacy a subset of ELA?

4696
04:54:37,138 --> 04:54:39,258
Reading is.

4697
04:54:40,298 --> 04:54:43,668
And the Lexile score that she's talking about is

4698
04:54:43,698 --> 04:54:46,058
embedded in both of those. It's a very-

4699
04:54:46,598 --> 04:54:46,608
Both

4700
04:54:46,608 --> 04:54:47,118
... test.

4701
04:54:47,208 --> 04:54:47,998
Yes. Both tests.

4702
04:54:48,498 --> 04:54:52,128
So we have that in the MAP test for grades three through eight,

4703
04:54:52,458 --> 04:54:56,138
so that Lexile will be what's measuring the literacy, but that

4704
04:54:56,218 --> 04:54:59,938
overall ELA score will be what's in the ELA

4705
04:54:59,998 --> 04:55:00,698
portion of it.

4706
04:55:00,978 --> 04:55:01,638
They're in the-

4707
04:55:02,028 --> 04:55:02,028
So-

4708
04:55:02,058 --> 04:55:06,018
Yeah. They're in the same row on the chart, just to show

4709
04:55:06,078 --> 04:55:09,258
that they are the relationship. That they're-

4710
04:55:09,958 --> 04:55:11,658
Is it a double count, though?

4711
04:55:11,958 --> 04:55:12,198
Yes.

4712
04:55:12,878 --> 04:55:13,438
Yeah. So-

4713
04:55:13,698 --> 04:55:13,778
Yes

4714
04:55:13,818 --> 04:55:16,258
... if I'm good in literacy, I get

4715
04:55:18,238 --> 04:55:21,958
more benefit because I'm also good in ELA, even though ELA is broader.

4716
04:55:22,058 --> 04:55:23,558
But you're double-counting literacy-

4717
04:55:23,838 --> 04:55:24,138
Yes

4718
04:55:24,218 --> 04:55:24,688
... results.

4719
04:55:24,738 --> 04:55:24,918
Yes.

4720
04:55:26,558 --> 04:55:28,097
Is that what you want?

4721
04:55:28,138 --> 04:55:29,158
It's in the EO.

4722
04:55:30,778 --> 04:55:31,078
Okay.

4723
04:55:31,098 --> 04:55:31,518
EO literacy

4724
04:55:32,238 --> 04:55:33,618
If we go back-

4725
04:55:33,938 --> 04:55:34,498
Mr. McDonald

4726
04:55:34,558 --> 04:55:34,558
...

4727
04:55:35,438 --> 04:55:35,658
to-

4728
04:55:35,858 --> 04:55:39,498
That literacy also includes not just data from the MAP, it's also

4729
04:55:39,538 --> 04:55:40,488
from the other testing as well.

4730
04:55:40,488 --> 04:55:42,138
Foundational reading assessment. Yes.

4731
04:55:42,218 --> 04:55:44,138
Because ELA is solely from the MAP, correct?

4732
04:55:44,238 --> 04:55:44,678
Correct.

4733
04:55:44,718 --> 04:55:44,858
Okay.

4734
04:55:45,218 --> 04:55:45,228
Yes.

4735
04:55:45,258 --> 04:55:45,598
So they're-

4736
04:55:46,198 --> 04:55:47,758
It's pulling from multiple sources-

4737
04:55:47,998 --> 04:55:48,098
Yeah

4738
04:55:48,178 --> 04:55:49,858
... to establish that literacy score.

4739
04:55:50,118 --> 04:55:50,458
Yeah.

4740
04:55:50,538 --> 04:55:52,778
You just pull some of the same source data.

4741
04:55:52,897 --> 04:55:54,048
Some are duplicated from the MAP-

4742
04:55:54,068 --> 04:55:54,268
But-

4743
04:55:54,268 --> 04:55:55,407
... but then also, like your i-Ready score-

4744
04:55:55,418 --> 04:55:56,608
They become two different things

4745
04:55:56,638 --> 04:55:59,058
... some of those other assessments that students take.

4746
04:55:59,618 --> 04:56:00,277
Exactly.

4747
04:56:00,298 --> 04:56:01,378
I don't think... So-

4748
04:56:02,038 --> 04:56:02,788
Wouldn't... Is

4749
04:56:04,278 --> 04:56:04,718
ELA's-

4750
04:56:05,138 --> 04:56:06,198
Hold it, Jordan. Let's go to-

4751
04:56:06,278 --> 04:56:06,467
Oh, go ahead

4752
04:56:06,478 --> 04:56:08,578
... John first and then we'll get you, okay?

4753
04:56:08,798 --> 04:56:08,838
Oh.

4754
04:56:08,958 --> 04:56:10,698
I didn't see your arm.

4755
04:56:10,738 --> 04:56:11,278
What is the

4756
04:56:12,118 --> 04:56:14,497
Lexile then, since we're talking about it?

4757
04:56:14,558 --> 04:56:17,128
Is that a separate assessment or you said it's part of-

4758
04:56:17,238 --> 04:56:21,018
No. It's embedded in many tests. So

4759
04:56:21,178 --> 04:56:21,478
many

4760
04:56:22,478 --> 04:56:25,818
reading tests, lots of like

4761
04:56:25,878 --> 04:56:29,407
Renaissance, the STAR, the i-Ready, a number of tests that

4762
04:56:29,478 --> 04:56:33,438
are administered at the local level include,

4763
04:56:33,478 --> 04:56:37,378
in addition to what's my overall score on the

4764
04:56:37,438 --> 04:56:41,298
test, they also provide this additional measure

4765
04:56:41,318 --> 04:56:44,318
that's called a Lexile. And the company that

4766
04:56:44,378 --> 04:56:48,318
produces that Lexile has worked with the

4767
04:56:48,398 --> 04:56:50,778
test developer to

4768
04:56:51,978 --> 04:56:55,878
create those data pieces so that when the student takes the

4769
04:56:55,918 --> 04:56:57,758
test, and if they get a

4770
04:56:59,058 --> 04:57:02,548
57, whatever that means, on the overall test,

4771
04:57:02,948 --> 04:57:05,608
that there's some kind of corresponding Lexile score.

4772
04:57:06,278 --> 04:57:08,698
And Lexiles then can be used, there's a

4773
04:57:10,138 --> 04:57:14,038
set of charts that you can look up your child's Lexile score

4774
04:57:14,218 --> 04:57:16,838
and determine are they reading on grade level.

4775
04:57:17,618 --> 04:57:20,918
Oftentimes, Lexiles are used to

4776
04:57:21,038 --> 04:57:21,798
help...

4777
04:57:22,998 --> 04:57:26,778
A book will have a Lexile score on it, and then you can look up the Lexile

4778
04:57:26,938 --> 04:57:30,668
score and, "Oh, well, that book is at this

4779
04:57:30,718 --> 04:57:34,278
reading level for this particular grade." And it helps

4780
04:57:34,398 --> 04:57:37,678
parents and teachers and families pick books for children.

4781
04:57:39,798 --> 04:57:40,058
Okay.

4782
04:57:41,258 --> 04:57:42,178
Wait. Go ahead.

4783
04:57:42,338 --> 04:57:43,238
No, Jordan, go ahead.

4784
04:57:43,698 --> 04:57:45,488
I got the answer now. I've-

4785
04:57:46,258 --> 04:57:46,398
Okay

4786
04:57:46,418 --> 04:57:46,708
... heard it.

4787
04:57:47,178 --> 04:57:47,358
Okay.

4788
04:57:48,318 --> 04:57:52,128
I think maybe just to say one more point on that, so the executive order

4789
04:57:52,678 --> 04:57:56,418
included both literacy and ELA. So we're

4790
04:57:56,428 --> 04:57:59,738
trying to find a way to distinguish between those two things.

4791
04:58:00,298 --> 04:58:03,958
The Lexile represents literacy pretty well, because that's just

4792
04:58:04,038 --> 04:58:06,278
reading, and then ELA is a broader,

4793
04:58:07,598 --> 04:58:11,318
captures vocabulary and writing and those kinds of things.

4794
04:58:11,358 --> 04:58:12,498
Okay. Yeah, that's what I was...

4795
04:58:13,438 --> 04:58:13,488
Yeah.

4796
04:58:13,518 --> 04:58:13,668
Okay.

4797
04:58:13,798 --> 04:58:13,988
That's what I was-

4798
04:58:14,098 --> 04:58:17,598
I'm sorry, John. I might have made it more complicated than I needed to.

4799
04:58:17,998 --> 04:58:19,718
Excuse me, Vice President Otto.

4800
04:58:20,138 --> 04:58:21,648
Oh, that's all right. That's all right.

4801
04:58:21,698 --> 04:58:21,918
So-

4802
04:58:22,218 --> 04:58:22,478
Thank you

4803
04:58:22,578 --> 04:58:25,038
... so the ELA is reading, writing,

4804
04:58:25,918 --> 04:58:26,378
speaking-

4805
04:58:26,818 --> 04:58:27,438
And listening

4806
04:58:27,618 --> 04:58:31,278
... and listening. And the literacy is just strictly reading.

4807
04:58:31,998 --> 04:58:32,478
Correct.

4808
04:58:33,318 --> 04:58:37,038
And in our MAP tests, our English language

4809
04:58:37,098 --> 04:58:40,638
arts tests, you're correct that the standards include

4810
04:58:41,098 --> 04:58:42,718
reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

4811
04:58:43,228 --> 04:58:44,698
We don't assess listening

4812
04:58:45,678 --> 04:58:45,978
in...

4813
04:58:47,018 --> 04:58:50,818
I'm sorry. We assess listening, we don't assess speaking in our MAP test.

4814
04:58:56,418 --> 04:58:57,958
Okay. Moving on.

4815
04:59:00,098 --> 04:59:01,158
Okay. Now,

4816
04:59:02,138 --> 04:59:05,638
here's what that structure would look like for our high schools,

4817
04:59:05,938 --> 04:59:08,738
and here we're talking about

4818
04:59:11,778 --> 04:59:12,558
300,

4819
04:59:13,478 --> 04:59:15,718
350-ish

4820
04:59:16,818 --> 04:59:19,998
high schools, depending on the year to year

4821
04:59:20,158 --> 04:59:23,898
statewide. When

4822
04:59:24,838 --> 04:59:28,058
we look at the categories on the left are different.

4823
04:59:28,188 --> 04:59:31,738
Again, these are specified by the executive order.

4824
04:59:31,858 --> 04:59:35,758
This is what it called for, and there's nothing else included.

4825
04:59:36,378 --> 04:59:38,878
So academic achievement status

4826
04:59:40,058 --> 04:59:43,938
for those three subjects, value-added growth for those three

4827
04:59:44,018 --> 04:59:44,678
subjects

4828
04:59:45,610 --> 04:59:49,590
Then they included what's called a Success Ready Graduate Measure,

4829
04:59:49,610 --> 04:59:52,680
and we look at that in other places

4830
04:59:53,750 --> 04:59:57,470
in our annual performance report, and we report that in other

4831
04:59:58,070 --> 05:00:00,810
ways in the other data. But that includes

4832
05:00:03,090 --> 05:00:06,550
quantitative measures of readiness for what comes

4833
05:00:06,610 --> 05:00:09,590
next. So ACT score,

4834
05:00:10,450 --> 05:00:14,230
and when we evaluate those, we look at did the student's

4835
05:00:14,310 --> 05:00:18,250
score meet that college-ready benchmark

4836
05:00:18,289 --> 05:00:19,990
that's established by ACT?

4837
05:00:21,430 --> 05:00:25,150
The work keys for students that may

4838
05:00:25,210 --> 05:00:26,810
be seeking

4839
05:00:27,690 --> 05:00:31,450
to go directly into career. And again,

4840
05:00:31,510 --> 05:00:34,170
the test publisher has designed

4841
05:00:34,210 --> 05:00:37,870
multiple thresholds in work keys that

4842
05:00:37,950 --> 05:00:40,040
say students are ready if they

4843
05:00:41,010 --> 05:00:44,950
achieve this score. So we're not just looking at did they

4844
05:00:45,010 --> 05:00:48,790
take the test, but do they have

4845
05:00:50,070 --> 05:00:51,350
a qualifying score?

4846
05:00:53,090 --> 05:00:56,890
Advanced placement test scores would be included in

4847
05:00:56,910 --> 05:00:57,860
that category.

4848
05:01:01,790 --> 05:01:05,650
It's not new, graduation rate, we look at that in the annual

4849
05:01:05,670 --> 05:01:08,990
performance report. We look at that in some federal evaluation.

4850
05:01:10,350 --> 05:01:14,150
The difference here is the executive order specifies that four-year

4851
05:01:14,190 --> 05:01:17,920
graduation rate. In some of the other metrics, we look at a longer

4852
05:01:18,030 --> 05:01:20,630
period of time for students to graduate.

4853
05:01:21,030 --> 05:01:21,970
So this is a

4854
05:01:22,850 --> 05:01:25,350
more stringent measure here.

4855
05:01:32,890 --> 05:01:36,190
Now let's carry that out to the district level. Right?

4856
05:01:36,350 --> 05:01:40,250
So what goes into the district grade card, and it's all five

4857
05:01:40,330 --> 05:01:44,290
of those things, depending on what grades we

4858
05:01:44,410 --> 05:01:48,070
see in the district. So this would be a district that had

4859
05:01:50,090 --> 05:01:53,840
at least grades one through 12. It might be K through

4860
05:01:53,870 --> 05:01:57,470
12 or pre-K through 12, but that's what it looks like.

4861
05:01:57,630 --> 05:01:59,070
Again, you see the new

4862
05:02:01,290 --> 05:02:03,230
elements in green,

4863
05:02:04,290 --> 05:02:08,070
and we see them carry forward. And you see what happens to the relative

4864
05:02:08,150 --> 05:02:11,290
emphasis, those percents on the side, as we start

4865
05:02:11,950 --> 05:02:13,090
adding measures.

4866
05:02:15,050 --> 05:02:18,950
And we have about 550 some

4867
05:02:19,450 --> 05:02:23,350
districts and charter LEAs in the state,

4868
05:02:24,550 --> 05:02:27,970
and each of those would receive a grade

4869
05:02:28,010 --> 05:02:28,870
card.

4870
05:02:32,030 --> 05:02:32,320
I would

4871
05:02:34,330 --> 05:02:37,550
like to see the literacy component

4872
05:02:38,730 --> 05:02:39,410
amplified.

4873
05:02:39,550 --> 05:02:40,370
Sure.

4874
05:02:40,850 --> 05:02:44,210
I know it's already been double-counted

4875
05:02:44,830 --> 05:02:46,270
from earlier comments, but

4876
05:02:47,810 --> 05:02:51,790
to me, if we want to move schools out of those bottom tiers,

4877
05:02:53,970 --> 05:02:54,190
it's

4878
05:02:55,350 --> 05:02:56,590
literacy and-

4879
05:02:56,650 --> 05:02:56,950
Mm-hmm

4880
05:02:57,870 --> 05:02:57,870
...

4881
05:02:58,690 --> 05:03:00,310
so anyways, a comment.

4882
05:03:02,850 --> 05:03:06,810
Yeah. Okay. So how do we assign a grade to these

4883
05:03:06,830 --> 05:03:10,670
things, right? Once we have the measures together and we

4884
05:03:10,750 --> 05:03:12,170
have a score,

4885
05:03:13,570 --> 05:03:15,890
here is the proposed grading scale.

4886
05:03:16,090 --> 05:03:19,150
Now, why it looks a little odd. Right?

4887
05:03:19,650 --> 05:03:22,890
Not what you might expect. Why does it look the way it look?

4888
05:03:23,130 --> 05:03:26,310
Well, in order to maintain

4889
05:03:26,370 --> 05:03:28,750
consistency with what we have in

4890
05:03:29,750 --> 05:03:31,980
our classification of school districts,

4891
05:03:33,670 --> 05:03:37,410
that threshold for unaccredited status is

4892
05:03:37,430 --> 05:03:40,930
below 50%. So that's where that

4893
05:03:41,090 --> 05:03:44,810
failing cut is. At below 50% is

4894
05:03:44,850 --> 05:03:48,150
failing. And then it's really just a simple

4895
05:03:48,250 --> 05:03:50,630
distribution of the remaining points.

4896
05:03:50,750 --> 05:03:52,670
So we have each category is a little bit

4897
05:03:53,890 --> 05:03:56,930
bigger than the 10% range that you would

4898
05:03:57,270 --> 05:03:58,850
normally typically see.

4899
05:04:00,790 --> 05:04:01,139
This

4900
05:04:02,470 --> 05:04:03,049
allows us

4901
05:04:04,390 --> 05:04:07,429
to use this universally across those three

4902
05:04:07,830 --> 05:04:11,690
structures for each building, each

4903
05:04:12,210 --> 05:04:13,970
LEA that we would assign a grade to.

4904
05:04:14,390 --> 05:04:18,290
It also would allow us to adjust the thresholds if we

4905
05:04:18,370 --> 05:04:20,870
hit that 65% or more

4906
05:04:22,150 --> 05:04:26,070
district score A's or B's. Then each of these

4907
05:04:26,330 --> 05:04:30,150
thresholds could be adjusted upwards as the executive

4908
05:04:30,170 --> 05:04:31,050
order calls for.

4909
05:04:33,630 --> 05:04:34,730
All right. So

4910
05:04:35,630 --> 05:04:36,170
framework.

4911
05:04:37,070 --> 05:04:41,030
Remember, when we come back, this is what we're going to ask you

4912
05:04:41,050 --> 05:04:43,510
to approve next month, the

4913
05:04:44,530 --> 05:04:48,080
framework for K-8s, which would be elementaries and middle schools,

4914
05:04:48,650 --> 05:04:50,190
the framework for

4915
05:04:51,490 --> 05:04:55,370
the scoring for high schools, for districts and charter LEAs,

4916
05:04:55,790 --> 05:04:59,030
and then the grading scale. So taken all together is the framework.

4917
05:05:02,270 --> 05:05:02,650
Question?

4918
05:05:04,890 --> 05:05:05,930
Thank you, Lisa.

4919
05:05:06,930 --> 05:05:08,230
Have you done any modeling

4920
05:05:09,690 --> 05:05:11,830
using data that's available today?

4921
05:05:12,750 --> 05:05:14,390
I don't have any that's available today.

4922
05:05:15,910 --> 05:05:19,890
So I think before we can approve anything, I think we have

4923
05:05:19,910 --> 05:05:23,530
to understand what the expected outcome could look

4924
05:05:23,570 --> 05:05:24,010
like.

4925
05:05:24,030 --> 05:05:24,250
Mm-hmm.

4926
05:05:24,530 --> 05:05:25,030
Especially

4927
05:05:26,610 --> 05:05:29,750
if you start at the end and you look at the A through F

4928
05:05:29,830 --> 05:05:30,630
distribution.

4929
05:05:32,090 --> 05:05:35,370
I would love to think that all our schools would be A's, but we know they won't be,

4930
05:05:36,910 --> 05:05:40,730
but we don't want them all to be Fs. And I just think

4931
05:05:40,810 --> 05:05:44,370
for us to really grasp is this

4932
05:05:44,470 --> 05:05:47,569
framework correct, is to look at some

4933
05:05:47,630 --> 05:05:49,800
expected results.

4934
05:05:52,474 --> 05:05:56,394
And I know that might play into the timing, because we've had some conversation

4935
05:05:56,434 --> 05:05:58,634
about how we could begin to look at this.

4936
05:05:58,714 --> 05:06:01,094
So maybe I'll just leave that thought.

4937
05:06:02,754 --> 05:06:06,114
And if we could move on and talk about timing before we talk about

4938
05:06:06,674 --> 05:06:07,134
approving-

4939
05:06:08,714 --> 05:06:08,864
Very cool

4940
05:06:08,864 --> 05:06:09,753
... what we have to approve.

4941
05:06:10,314 --> 05:06:11,354
On the K through eight.

4942
05:06:11,974 --> 05:06:12,254
Yes.

4943
05:06:12,534 --> 05:06:16,354
So a school district, will they get one report card

4944
05:06:16,414 --> 05:06:19,814
for K through eight, or if they have four different campuses, do they get four

4945
05:06:19,874 --> 05:06:20,794
different report cards?

4946
05:06:21,164 --> 05:06:25,114
So there would be one grade card for each building, for each

4947
05:06:25,174 --> 05:06:28,883
individual building. Right? So if there were, yeah, four

4948
05:06:28,954 --> 05:06:32,714
different schools, then each of those four schools would get a grade card.

4949
05:06:35,694 --> 05:06:37,954
Question. Is there a plan in place for

4950
05:06:38,814 --> 05:06:40,474
the schools that do reach an A?

4951
05:06:42,314 --> 05:06:46,214
Is there a continual aim for them to

4952
05:06:46,394 --> 05:06:47,114
get even better?

4953
05:06:47,974 --> 05:06:51,794
Or is it just, hey, they've reached, this is kind of where we want to keep

4954
05:06:51,854 --> 05:06:54,254
them consistent, like momentum there?

4955
05:06:56,313 --> 05:06:59,834
And for schools that receive an F,

4956
05:07:01,794 --> 05:07:03,694
I guess I want to know

4957
05:07:05,334 --> 05:07:08,494
how long or short is their runway to

4958
05:07:08,654 --> 05:07:09,994
essentially

4959
05:07:14,194 --> 05:07:16,214
become much better than what they've scored-

4960
05:07:16,334 --> 05:07:16,554
Sure

4961
05:07:16,834 --> 05:07:18,274
... before their...

4962
05:07:19,814 --> 05:07:23,614
I guess I'm trying to find out what the recourse is for someone who

4963
05:07:23,654 --> 05:07:25,034
continually receives an F.

4964
05:07:25,454 --> 05:07:25,594
Right.

4965
05:07:26,414 --> 05:07:29,254
So that's the kind of so what question, right?

4966
05:07:29,614 --> 05:07:33,514
We can do all this and have a lot of reports, and we're just kind of

4967
05:07:33,574 --> 05:07:37,194
admiring the problem or the situation if we don't have

4968
05:07:37,994 --> 05:07:38,974
plans for support.

4969
05:07:40,554 --> 05:07:44,494
I think we'll have another conversation where

4970
05:07:44,594 --> 05:07:45,954
we will detail this,

4971
05:07:47,034 --> 05:07:50,694
which is how are we going to support the struggling

4972
05:07:51,074 --> 05:07:51,634
buildings?

4973
05:07:52,674 --> 05:07:54,814
We have a framework for

4974
05:07:55,634 --> 05:07:57,774
a protocol in place. If

4975
05:08:00,614 --> 05:08:04,274
they're struggling, if they knew exactly what to do,

4976
05:08:04,714 --> 05:08:08,574
right, and had the resources to fix it, then it

4977
05:08:08,594 --> 05:08:12,254
wouldn't be a problem. Right? So as the department, we've been

4978
05:08:12,294 --> 05:08:15,574
looking at what levers can we pull, what is our role,

4979
05:08:15,774 --> 05:08:19,454
and what is within our authority and your authority

4980
05:08:20,174 --> 05:08:22,374
to help these districts. The

4981
05:08:24,014 --> 05:08:27,934
grade cards, as I mentioned, we're going to be focusing on improvement

4982
05:08:28,014 --> 05:08:31,874
efforts and identifying what you need to

4983
05:08:31,914 --> 05:08:35,094
do to get from where you are to a better place.

4984
05:08:36,514 --> 05:08:40,474
The consequence regarding classification or

4985
05:08:40,554 --> 05:08:44,254
accreditation is at the district level, and that's a different

4986
05:08:44,294 --> 05:08:48,054
process. You'll see they'll line

4987
05:08:48,194 --> 05:08:51,814
up, and that's why we set the grading scale where we

4988
05:08:51,914 --> 05:08:55,434
did. But that consequence for lowering a

4989
05:08:56,034 --> 05:08:59,714
district's classification, that happens in a different

4990
05:08:59,754 --> 05:09:03,094
process than this. That happens with the annual performance report.

4991
05:09:04,834 --> 05:09:08,814
And just your initial question is, I'll

4992
05:09:08,874 --> 05:09:10,964
rephrase it, or I'll answer

4993
05:09:11,894 --> 05:09:14,434
a rephrased question, which is, yes, we expect

4994
05:09:15,794 --> 05:09:19,694
that all schools and all students, no matter where they are, should

4995
05:09:19,734 --> 05:09:21,194
be striving to improve.

4996
05:09:22,214 --> 05:09:25,974
We want to have that problem where we have all A's and B's

4997
05:09:26,214 --> 05:09:28,414
on a criterion-reference

4998
05:09:29,874 --> 05:09:30,654
grading scale.

4999
05:09:31,554 --> 05:09:34,934
Okay. It's time to go to the next presentation.

5000
05:09:35,614 --> 05:09:39,014
Right? So I get the last word, isn't it 2:00?

5001
05:09:39,854 --> 05:09:41,914
Yeah, but we're going over a little bit.

5002
05:09:42,114 --> 05:09:42,254
Yeah.

5003
05:09:42,354 --> 05:09:42,804
Because we still-

5004
05:09:43,214 --> 05:09:43,724
So do you want to-

5005
05:09:43,754 --> 05:09:45,093
We got decision points at the end.

5006
05:09:45,164 --> 05:09:49,114
Okay. So my question is, do we need to keep going then? Okay.

5007
05:09:49,814 --> 05:09:50,194
Good enough.

5008
05:09:52,014 --> 05:09:52,634
Yeah, let's keep going.

5009
05:09:52,694 --> 05:09:56,494
Okay. So I want to show you just really quickly, we

5010
05:09:56,594 --> 05:10:00,134
have some design concepts. This is just an early

5011
05:10:00,234 --> 05:10:03,714
concept of what the ultimate grade card would look like.

5012
05:10:03,834 --> 05:10:07,034
Now, this is not the this fall look.

5013
05:10:07,214 --> 05:10:10,794
This is the next fall look or concept.

5014
05:10:10,873 --> 05:10:14,534
So I want to level set the expectations.

5015
05:10:15,514 --> 05:10:19,394
And this is just to give you a flavor of working

5016
05:10:19,414 --> 05:10:19,774
with a

5017
05:10:20,834 --> 05:10:23,354
vendor who's given us some high-level

5018
05:10:25,334 --> 05:10:26,354
concept designs.

5019
05:10:27,214 --> 05:10:31,094
What you see here is what you might see on a computer screen in

5020
05:10:31,174 --> 05:10:32,634
that gray scale. So,

5021
05:10:33,674 --> 05:10:37,324
here is a sample of a grade card, and

5022
05:10:37,794 --> 05:10:40,154
you see this one would be for

5023
05:10:40,274 --> 05:10:44,144
an elementary school, because it has

5024
05:10:44,194 --> 05:10:47,994
achievement, growth, the value-added growth, and then growth to proficiency.

5025
05:10:48,954 --> 05:10:52,754
It's got an overall score on it and a grade, and then

5026
05:10:52,854 --> 05:10:56,694
some indicator of how that school did on each

5027
05:10:56,754 --> 05:10:58,494
one of the component measures.

5028
05:10:59,734 --> 05:11:01,974
There's a way to compare.

5029
05:11:02,914 --> 05:11:06,294
So this particular design would allow you to kind of toggle

5030
05:11:07,734 --> 05:11:11,534
between. If you wanted to see between and among these three, you could

5031
05:11:11,594 --> 05:11:13,344
select schools to compare

5032
05:11:14,194 --> 05:11:16,174
and toggle the one to the front.

5033
05:11:17,134 --> 05:11:21,034
I just have storyboards here, so my

5034
05:11:21,044 --> 05:11:23,754
display here is not super impressive.

5035
05:11:24,134 --> 05:11:26,804
But you get the idea of the look and the functionality.

5036
05:11:27,124 --> 05:11:30,884
And then you could dig into just a little bit more detail about, "Hmm,

5037
05:11:31,334 --> 05:11:33,064
how do I compare

5038
05:11:34,314 --> 05:11:37,894
to other districts, other buildings in my

5039
05:11:37,914 --> 05:11:38,454
region?"

5040
05:11:39,494 --> 05:11:42,444
And here's just that next level of data.

5041
05:11:42,964 --> 05:11:44,544
Again, we're trying to keep this

5042
05:11:45,654 --> 05:11:46,094
simple

5043
05:11:46,914 --> 05:11:48,174
and easy to use.

5044
05:11:49,514 --> 05:11:52,834
Before we get to a final version on this, of course, we'd like your input.

5045
05:11:52,914 --> 05:11:56,214
We also will be conducting focus groups with parents.

5046
05:11:56,494 --> 05:12:00,334
And we've said parents we want as our primary audience, so we want to

5047
05:12:00,414 --> 05:12:03,894
get their input on, is this really useful to you?

5048
05:12:03,994 --> 05:12:06,234
Does this communicate what would be helpful?

5049
05:12:07,126 --> 05:12:07,686
And then

5050
05:12:08,726 --> 05:12:12,586
it's responsive design, so it would be

5051
05:12:13,486 --> 05:12:17,346
easy to use and read across tablets, laptop,

5052
05:12:17,886 --> 05:12:18,346
telephone.

5053
05:12:19,966 --> 05:12:20,226
Okay.

5054
05:12:21,286 --> 05:12:24,426
Next steps. So I promised you we would talk about timing.

5055
05:12:26,126 --> 05:12:29,626
Once we get started, right, we're going to be on for

5056
05:12:29,726 --> 05:12:30,926
operational

5057
05:12:31,826 --> 05:12:35,246
rollout of these reports, we'll be on that September

5058
05:12:35,326 --> 05:12:37,946
15, September 30 timeline.

5059
05:12:39,255 --> 05:12:42,666
We were really struggling because we can't do this by ourselves.

5060
05:12:42,946 --> 05:12:46,686
We have to work with the Office of Administration, which is another state

5061
05:12:46,846 --> 05:12:50,366
agency, and their IT department. We don't have

5062
05:12:50,426 --> 05:12:53,786
that IT capability inside our

5063
05:12:53,866 --> 05:12:57,726
agency, and they have limited resources just like everyone

5064
05:12:57,866 --> 05:13:00,846
else. So they have a role to play in helping us

5065
05:13:02,206 --> 05:13:06,086
actually create, produce the coding, and

5066
05:13:06,746 --> 05:13:08,986
ultimately roll out the reports.

5067
05:13:09,846 --> 05:13:13,766
So rather than go through that process, which

5068
05:13:13,826 --> 05:13:17,586
connects all of our data to the

5069
05:13:17,666 --> 05:13:20,986
secure reports that DESE already

5070
05:13:21,026 --> 05:13:24,906
provides to schools and districts so they

5071
05:13:24,946 --> 05:13:28,586
can go in and evaluate their student-level data, that's a

5072
05:13:28,746 --> 05:13:32,646
huge infrastructure backbone. That's why we need to work with

5073
05:13:33,046 --> 05:13:35,546
the Office of Administration and their IT department.

5074
05:13:36,606 --> 05:13:39,666
So rather than do that, which takes a lot of time,

5075
05:13:40,386 --> 05:13:44,026
we decided that we would look back at the frozen

5076
05:13:44,086 --> 05:13:47,296
data from last year, from, well, year

5077
05:13:48,306 --> 05:13:50,626
before last, '24, '25,

5078
05:13:51,446 --> 05:13:55,326
and create a draft grade card to give our

5079
05:13:55,346 --> 05:13:58,666
schools and districts a look and all of us a look

5080
05:13:58,946 --> 05:14:02,426
publicly. Let's see how do these grades fall out?

5081
05:14:02,946 --> 05:14:05,686
Now, that first look would exclude the literacy

5082
05:14:05,726 --> 05:14:07,006
data.

5083
05:14:09,526 --> 05:14:13,346
What we're not so sure about, we're still working with our colleagues over in

5084
05:14:13,446 --> 05:14:16,766
OA IT, is to get the timing

5085
05:14:16,806 --> 05:14:20,766
for the '25, '26 draft. Again,

5086
05:14:20,926 --> 05:14:24,786
it will exclude literacy, and so we've been in

5087
05:14:24,826 --> 05:14:27,086
conversation with them about when that would be.

5088
05:14:28,146 --> 05:14:31,346
It will not be before the first of the year.

5089
05:14:31,446 --> 05:14:35,266
We know that, certainly. And then once we get to kind of

5090
05:14:35,306 --> 05:14:38,435
the first operational, which is on

5091
05:14:39,206 --> 05:14:43,026
this school year's data, the '26, '27 data, that will

5092
05:14:43,066 --> 05:14:46,826
go out September of 2027, and that will

5093
05:14:46,906 --> 05:14:49,466
have all of the elements, including literacy.

5094
05:14:51,126 --> 05:14:51,846
Mr. Matusik.

5095
05:14:52,386 --> 05:14:56,246
So just to reconfirm, so between now and

5096
05:14:56,286 --> 05:14:57,706
the fall of next year,

5097
05:14:58,646 --> 05:14:59,706
we'll have three

5098
05:15:02,186 --> 05:15:04,066
report cards, if you will, for...

5099
05:15:05,366 --> 05:15:09,186
And so the one in the fall of '26, using the '24,

5100
05:15:09,226 --> 05:15:10,066
'25 data,

5101
05:15:11,306 --> 05:15:11,786
I know the

5102
05:15:13,006 --> 05:15:16,286
sort of timeline or required timeline is the end of September.

5103
05:15:17,066 --> 05:15:19,026
Mid-September, and then end of September.

5104
05:15:19,486 --> 05:15:20,106
So is that

5105
05:15:21,566 --> 05:15:21,906
even-

5106
05:15:23,166 --> 05:15:25,426
We're going to get as close as we can.

5107
05:15:25,506 --> 05:15:28,986
Now, you're not approving the framework until mid-September,

5108
05:15:29,206 --> 05:15:32,926
so I don't think we're going to hit September 15th and

5109
05:15:32,966 --> 05:15:36,946
September 30th. We don't know at this moment exactly what that

5110
05:15:37,026 --> 05:15:40,936
timing looks like, but we are shooting for as close as

5111
05:15:40,966 --> 05:15:42,266
possible to those dates.

5112
05:15:44,686 --> 05:15:48,266
Just to let you know, we've stayed in regular communication with the governor's

5113
05:15:48,326 --> 05:15:52,146
office about how we're doing with this timeline, and actually, it was one of our

5114
05:15:52,206 --> 05:15:55,986
stakeholders, when we were realizing we weren't going to get anything by September

5115
05:15:56,026 --> 05:15:59,566
of this year, just given all the things that have to go into production,

5116
05:15:59,946 --> 05:16:03,846
said, "Why don't you take your '24, '25 and just do a test run and see what it

5117
05:16:03,886 --> 05:16:06,566
looks like?" And so that's what we have decided to do.

5118
05:16:06,666 --> 05:16:10,646
That should be able to be produced on time, and we've

5119
05:16:10,686 --> 05:16:12,796
had this conversation with them, and they seem to be

5120
05:16:13,926 --> 05:16:15,386
comfortable with that at this point.

5121
05:16:15,446 --> 05:16:18,686
But like I said, they know we're doing everything we can do within our

5122
05:16:20,686 --> 05:16:21,306
power to do.

5123
05:16:21,526 --> 05:16:25,326
But the data from 2024 or 2025,

5124
05:16:25,606 --> 05:16:26,266
you think that'll

5125
05:16:27,126 --> 05:16:28,606
be before the end of September?

5126
05:16:28,905 --> 05:16:29,106
Mm-hmm.

5127
05:16:29,406 --> 05:16:29,546
Okay.

5128
05:16:30,046 --> 05:16:30,126
I-

5129
05:16:31,046 --> 05:16:31,226
No.

5130
05:16:32,226 --> 05:16:33,066
Optimistically.

5131
05:16:33,826 --> 05:16:37,786
We're going to do every... I don't want to promise that because of something-

5132
05:16:38,706 --> 05:16:39,855
You may ask. We don't want to overpromise

5133
05:16:39,855 --> 05:16:43,826
... you may want us to make some changes that we don't anticipate between now

5134
05:16:43,886 --> 05:16:47,606
and when we come back to vote on the framework in September.

5135
05:16:48,606 --> 05:16:49,126
If I could ask-

5136
05:16:50,106 --> 05:16:53,486
We're going to do everything possible to hit that September 30

5137
05:16:53,506 --> 05:16:54,966
deadline.

5138
05:16:55,066 --> 05:16:55,266
So

5139
05:16:57,306 --> 05:17:00,726
you're not going to wait until our approval to at least build it

5140
05:17:00,846 --> 05:17:03,326
out with what you've got here using the-

5141
05:17:03,606 --> 05:17:03,836
Correct

5142
05:17:03,866 --> 05:17:04,706
... '24, '25 data.

5143
05:17:04,726 --> 05:17:04,936
Correct.

5144
05:17:05,106 --> 05:17:08,466
All right. Number one. You said a stakeholder, so we will go

5145
05:17:08,566 --> 05:17:11,536
outside. We won't look with... Well, a partner.

5146
05:17:12,466 --> 05:17:12,616
Well-

5147
05:17:12,616 --> 05:17:13,366
We won't use OA.

5148
05:17:13,586 --> 05:17:15,966
Well, no. As Lisa had mentioned,

5149
05:17:17,446 --> 05:17:20,486
we've been taking input from people since the beginning, and I say, well, they.

5150
05:17:20,706 --> 05:17:24,536
I came in at the 11th hour, but yes, they have been taking

5151
05:17:24,566 --> 05:17:28,156
input the whole time, and that was just one of the comments that came up from-

5152
05:17:28,766 --> 05:17:28,946
Mm-hmm

5153
05:17:29,226 --> 05:17:32,146
... someone that we were talking with and said, "Why don't you think about doing

5154
05:17:32,186 --> 05:17:32,745
this?" So-

5155
05:17:32,766 --> 05:17:32,806
Right

5156
05:17:32,816 --> 05:17:36,666
... we're actually able to work with our colleagues who help produce the growth

5157
05:17:36,746 --> 05:17:38,646
model, and they're working with us on drafts.

5158
05:17:38,706 --> 05:17:42,486
So we have data in hand that we can do that with, but like Lisa said,

5159
05:17:42,566 --> 05:17:44,326
it's not going to be that nice,

5160
05:17:45,146 --> 05:17:47,726
slick-looking... It really is a draft.

5161
05:17:47,866 --> 05:17:49,886
Just we want to see how this all works out.

5162
05:17:49,926 --> 05:17:50,746
But it's first look.

5163
05:17:51,106 --> 05:17:51,226
Yes.

5164
05:17:51,266 --> 05:17:51,406
So-

5165
05:17:51,446 --> 05:17:52,696
It's a first look

5166
05:17:52,696 --> 05:17:56,326
... it's expected that we may not have all of the finishing

5167
05:17:56,446 --> 05:17:58,546
touches to a particular-

5168
05:17:59,066 --> 05:17:59,186
Yes

5169
05:17:59,326 --> 05:18:00,966
... report card

5170
05:18:01,886 --> 05:18:05,686
draft, et cetera, but the data will be there, and it'll be presented with results.

5171
05:18:06,166 --> 05:18:06,216
Mm-hmm.

5172
05:18:06,846 --> 05:18:10,326
The polishing of the look of the report could come later.

5173
05:18:11,406 --> 05:18:11,626
So-

5174
05:18:13,570 --> 05:18:17,550
I think it's acceptable to put that

5175
05:18:17,610 --> 05:18:21,590
target in there. Things happen, and you can come back to the

5176
05:18:21,610 --> 05:18:24,810
board and explain what happened if we can't meet it.

5177
05:18:25,070 --> 05:18:27,910
But if we don't put that target in there, we're not going to meet it.

5178
05:18:29,310 --> 05:18:33,070
We've got to set a goal and do our best to meet that goal.

5179
05:18:34,970 --> 05:18:35,970
That would be my first

5180
05:18:37,270 --> 05:18:37,870
suggestion.

5181
05:18:39,770 --> 05:18:42,050
And then with that data,

5182
05:18:43,270 --> 05:18:46,790
ideally, you would even have that data for us to look

5183
05:18:46,890 --> 05:18:50,410
at with more time in the September

5184
05:18:50,510 --> 05:18:54,090
meeting to see it modeled out along with our approval

5185
05:18:54,170 --> 05:18:54,790
process.

5186
05:18:55,230 --> 05:18:55,390
Yeah.

5187
05:18:56,390 --> 05:19:00,210
And then we'd be meeting the governor's deadline of September 30th.

5188
05:19:00,450 --> 05:19:04,350
So I can't approve something without seeing what the data will

5189
05:19:04,390 --> 05:19:04,900
look like,

5190
05:19:05,850 --> 05:19:07,250
and so we've got to get it anyway.

5191
05:19:08,690 --> 05:19:12,210
Do we have any schedule to get together as a committee

5192
05:19:12,290 --> 05:19:13,820
or to kind of

5193
05:19:14,870 --> 05:19:16,890
look at this before the September meeting?

5194
05:19:16,950 --> 05:19:17,090
Well,

5195
05:19:18,250 --> 05:19:21,690
yeah. And if we could, that would, I think, be through the Student Success

5196
05:19:21,810 --> 05:19:25,570
Committee. That would be the logical committee to, I believe, look at it together.

5197
05:19:25,710 --> 05:19:29,010
Well, wasn't there webinars or something like that?

5198
05:19:29,890 --> 05:19:30,950
Or is that something different?

5199
05:19:31,130 --> 05:19:34,490
So that's for another stakeholder

5200
05:19:34,550 --> 05:19:37,990
engagement, so what I mentioned earlier.

5201
05:19:38,950 --> 05:19:40,810
The webinars would be for-

5202
05:19:40,860 --> 05:19:41,100
Oh, not the-

5203
05:19:41,170 --> 05:19:42,510
Yeah. Not-

5204
05:19:42,750 --> 05:19:45,930
But yeah. So I guess if you guys need to meet.

5205
05:19:45,950 --> 05:19:49,730
Mm-hmm. I mean, we'll be having committee meetings, so we absolutely can

5206
05:19:49,810 --> 05:19:51,789
run it through that committee.

5207
05:19:52,530 --> 05:19:52,830
And then

5208
05:19:54,610 --> 05:19:55,230
what is the

5209
05:19:56,310 --> 05:20:00,210
consumer purpose of this? I mean, I'm assuming it's so

5210
05:20:00,310 --> 05:20:04,010
that parents can have this information so they can decide

5211
05:20:04,510 --> 05:20:06,510
where they want to send their children.

5212
05:20:06,610 --> 05:20:10,090
And I assume it's for internal use at the schools to say,

5213
05:20:10,540 --> 05:20:14,310
"Hey, we've got to get better here, here, here, and here."

5214
05:20:16,230 --> 05:20:19,790
If I'm a parent and I don't get this data until the fall

5215
05:20:20,050 --> 05:20:20,530
each year,

5216
05:20:21,470 --> 05:20:25,410
and I find out that I just enrolled my kid in a failing

5217
05:20:25,470 --> 05:20:27,130
school, I'm going to be kind of annoyed.

5218
05:20:27,890 --> 05:20:31,830
Is there a way to get this out in a different

5219
05:20:31,870 --> 05:20:34,030
timeline where

5220
05:20:35,270 --> 05:20:37,690
parents and people making decisions about

5221
05:20:38,690 --> 05:20:39,290
schools...

5222
05:20:40,450 --> 05:20:42,920
I mean, is the fall the optimal time to put it out?

5223
05:20:42,950 --> 05:20:44,530
It just strikes me as an odd time.

5224
05:20:47,010 --> 05:20:49,530
If you're going to use end-of-year data.

5225
05:20:49,590 --> 05:20:49,820
That's-

5226
05:20:49,950 --> 05:20:51,890
If you're going to use current data.

5227
05:20:51,950 --> 05:20:52,210
Right.

5228
05:20:52,610 --> 05:20:53,990
It makes it difficult.

5229
05:20:54,090 --> 05:20:54,360
Okay.

5230
05:20:54,490 --> 05:20:54,670
Yeah.

5231
05:20:54,890 --> 05:20:55,060
Mm-hmm.

5232
05:20:55,290 --> 05:20:57,890
Or another reason to advance the data timeline.

5233
05:20:58,210 --> 05:20:58,330
Yeah.

5234
05:20:58,970 --> 05:20:59,250
And

5235
05:21:00,190 --> 05:21:01,470
we'll talk offline, but-

5236
05:21:01,710 --> 05:21:01,850
Mm-hmm

5237
05:21:02,710 --> 05:21:05,610
... I still don't understand it, but I'll figure it out.

5238
05:21:07,030 --> 05:21:10,310
Let's take a minute, because we can't do this by

5239
05:21:10,670 --> 05:21:14,070
ourselves, I mentioned. So let's take a minute

5240
05:21:14,170 --> 05:21:16,060
to just let me run through

5241
05:21:17,750 --> 05:21:21,610
the high points here. So I mentioned we need to collaborate

5242
05:21:21,670 --> 05:21:25,110
with the Office of Administration so we can have that

5243
05:21:25,410 --> 05:21:27,250
IT work and that support done

5244
05:21:28,190 --> 05:21:29,930
to connect the infrastructure.

5245
05:21:31,010 --> 05:21:34,610
We have to have input and data from our school

5246
05:21:34,730 --> 05:21:36,690
districts and our charter schools.

5247
05:21:37,250 --> 05:21:40,930
We capture the data in our Missouri Student Information

5248
05:21:41,030 --> 05:21:45,010
System, what we call MOSIS, and core data several times a

5249
05:21:45,070 --> 05:21:47,830
year, and we need that data from

5250
05:21:49,530 --> 05:21:52,130
the districts in order to create the grade card.

5251
05:21:52,790 --> 05:21:53,210
And

5252
05:21:54,170 --> 05:21:56,890
so we need money and people, right?

5253
05:21:57,210 --> 05:21:58,770
We always need resources

5254
05:21:59,830 --> 05:22:03,010
to not only do this programming

5255
05:22:03,430 --> 05:22:07,310
and publish the grade cards, so it's internal,

5256
05:22:07,810 --> 05:22:11,410
and then it's contractor work. We need vendors to do the

5257
05:22:11,450 --> 05:22:15,290
display. Those concept designs are not something that came

5258
05:22:15,850 --> 05:22:19,030
to you or to me from internally. That's a vendor.

5259
05:22:19,530 --> 05:22:23,270
And then most importantly is to support those school

5260
05:22:23,330 --> 05:22:24,770
improvement efforts. So,

5261
05:22:25,850 --> 05:22:29,680
that's what in the new decision item around the grade cards,

5262
05:22:29,870 --> 05:22:33,610
it's not just the calculations, the staff,

5263
05:22:33,810 --> 05:22:37,590
and the reports. It's some support

5264
05:22:37,650 --> 05:22:39,990
for those struggling schools.

5265
05:22:41,550 --> 05:22:45,210
And then finally, we have to make changes to our existing

5266
05:22:45,230 --> 05:22:47,970
procedures, and that's us at the department.

5267
05:22:48,000 --> 05:22:51,890
That requires our IT colleagues. It also

5268
05:22:51,930 --> 05:22:52,770
requires...

5269
05:22:53,590 --> 05:22:57,310
We're shifting expectations to our

5270
05:22:57,390 --> 05:23:00,630
schools and districts. We're trying to get better. We've moved things.

5271
05:23:00,690 --> 05:23:03,310
We're asking them to get better with data.

5272
05:23:03,790 --> 05:23:07,430
We have moved timelines on data submissions

5273
05:23:07,530 --> 05:23:10,170
and cleaning. We have shortened

5274
05:23:11,170 --> 05:23:13,430
corrections and appeals windows,

5275
05:23:14,850 --> 05:23:18,290
I think, to a pretty significant extent.

5276
05:23:18,410 --> 05:23:21,070
So that's the data collection and validation.

5277
05:23:21,610 --> 05:23:25,220
The other thing we're finding that we're going to need to do in order to hit that

5278
05:23:25,250 --> 05:23:29,070
September 15, September 30 deadline is

5279
05:23:29,170 --> 05:23:32,890
in the assessment window earlier, the Missouri Assessment

5280
05:23:32,990 --> 05:23:36,610
Program, so our grade level and our end-of-course test windows.

5281
05:23:37,970 --> 05:23:41,590
Right now, those windows run through the middle of

5282
05:23:41,650 --> 05:23:45,330
May, and in order to hit this timeline for the grade

5283
05:23:45,370 --> 05:23:49,070
cards, we're thinking we're going to need to end those test

5284
05:23:49,170 --> 05:23:50,670
windows at the end of April.

5285
05:23:51,550 --> 05:23:51,810
So

5286
05:23:52,790 --> 05:23:56,510
what does that mean for our schools and districts?

5287
05:23:56,650 --> 05:24:00,610
It puts them in a difficult position because we're going to put a stop time on

5288
05:24:00,690 --> 05:24:03,890
the assessment window, and there's a state

5289
05:24:03,990 --> 05:24:07,350
statute that limits how soon they can start

5290
05:24:07,490 --> 05:24:08,910
school in the fall.

5291
05:24:10,010 --> 05:24:13,890
And this year, the earliest day they can start school is August

5292
05:24:14,010 --> 05:24:15,650
24th, which is next Monday.

5293
05:24:16,678 --> 05:24:20,327
So, and that's a statutory requirement that

5294
05:24:20,398 --> 05:24:24,058
is, what is it? No more than 14 days before the

5295
05:24:24,118 --> 05:24:25,828
first Monday in September.

5296
05:24:27,168 --> 05:24:29,578
And so it floats a little bit each year.

5297
05:24:32,678 --> 05:24:34,438
We've heard feedback from stakeholders.

5298
05:24:34,478 --> 05:24:38,108
They have concern about instructional time, and

5299
05:24:38,108 --> 05:24:41,398
depending on their practice for testing.

5300
05:24:42,298 --> 05:24:43,038
We had,

5301
05:24:44,178 --> 05:24:48,018
just between last year and this year, or between '25 and

5302
05:24:48,058 --> 05:24:51,958
'26, we had shortened the assessment window by nearly

5303
05:24:52,058 --> 05:24:52,778
two weeks.

5304
05:24:54,118 --> 05:24:54,498
And

5305
05:24:55,858 --> 05:24:57,558
it was open until

5306
05:24:58,438 --> 05:25:01,618
right before Memorial Day. We had very few

5307
05:25:01,638 --> 05:25:05,098
districts or students who were

5308
05:25:05,158 --> 05:25:07,748
participating in testing in the last two weeks of May.

5309
05:25:08,858 --> 05:25:12,098
The story's a little bit different when you look at the first two weeks of May.

5310
05:25:14,318 --> 05:25:18,118
Is it fair to say that some of those challenges, as important as they are,

5311
05:25:18,358 --> 05:25:21,358
are part of the kind of longer-term

5312
05:25:21,658 --> 05:25:24,578
implementation plan here? It's not those...

5313
05:25:25,298 --> 05:25:29,258
We can sort that problem out however it is, but it doesn't have to be sorted out

5314
05:25:30,318 --> 05:25:32,238
by this September 15th.

5315
05:25:32,698 --> 05:25:32,898
Well-

5316
05:25:32,978 --> 05:25:36,958
It's important, but it can be done in parallel to getting

5317
05:25:37,118 --> 05:25:38,278
this model up and running.

5318
05:25:38,538 --> 05:25:40,618
Yes, it can be done in parallel.

5319
05:25:42,318 --> 05:25:44,698
Several right to the early

5320
05:25:45,698 --> 05:25:45,978
model,

5321
05:25:46,978 --> 05:25:48,088
getting the '24, '25 data.

5322
05:25:48,098 --> 05:25:48,738
The first look-

5323
05:25:49,078 --> 05:25:49,718
The first look-

5324
05:25:49,848 --> 05:25:49,848
... data

5325
05:25:49,848 --> 05:25:49,998
... out.

5326
05:25:50,238 --> 05:25:50,308
Yes.

5327
05:25:50,558 --> 05:25:54,218
But there are important decisions and changes that the department is

5328
05:25:54,278 --> 05:25:55,208
needing to make

5329
05:25:56,338 --> 05:25:59,888
so that we get them in the cycle for the '26,

5330
05:25:59,928 --> 05:26:00,898
'27 school year-

5331
05:26:01,018 --> 05:26:01,228
Mm-hmm

5332
05:26:01,228 --> 05:26:02,878
... so we can be on time next fall.

5333
05:26:05,168 --> 05:26:05,168
Yeah.

5334
05:26:05,238 --> 05:26:05,718
Okay.

5335
05:26:05,728 --> 05:26:06,038
Makes sense.

5336
05:26:07,088 --> 05:26:09,478
So decision points, finally.

5337
05:26:11,498 --> 05:26:14,838
These are some of the things I mentioned we've had, stakeholder

5338
05:26:14,878 --> 05:26:18,868
engagement. We've had different conversations over time with

5339
05:26:18,898 --> 05:26:20,678
some of you all on the board.

5340
05:26:21,778 --> 05:26:24,058
And we have convened

5341
05:26:25,038 --> 05:26:28,798
ad hoc and other groups of advisors

5342
05:26:28,818 --> 05:26:31,867
who advise us on other things, like our MSIP advisory, for

5343
05:26:31,998 --> 05:26:33,218
example.

5344
05:26:34,198 --> 05:26:38,118
And certain things, questions have kind of risen

5345
05:26:38,198 --> 05:26:42,038
to the top as being of concern, and

5346
05:26:42,298 --> 05:26:42,478
these

5347
05:26:43,598 --> 05:26:44,558
were three

5348
05:26:45,658 --> 05:26:48,438
that really got a lot of airtime that we think is important.

5349
05:26:48,518 --> 05:26:50,858
We'd like to hear from you about these.

5350
05:26:50,918 --> 05:26:54,188
The first is should all schools receive a grade card?

5351
05:26:55,138 --> 05:26:55,298
Now,

5352
05:26:57,038 --> 05:27:00,818
sure, the executive's order says one for each, right?

5353
05:27:01,078 --> 05:27:03,838
And that's our plan. That was in our assumptions.

5354
05:27:04,538 --> 05:27:08,198
But if we zoom out just a little bit or dial

5355
05:27:08,258 --> 05:27:08,538
in,

5356
05:27:10,258 --> 05:27:13,518
we have a number of school districts that

5357
05:27:14,638 --> 05:27:15,538
we only have

5358
05:27:16,678 --> 05:27:20,558
data for literacy for grades one and

5359
05:27:20,598 --> 05:27:24,438
two. We have some schools that are pre-K through

5360
05:27:24,498 --> 05:27:28,458
second grade, or kindergarten through second grade, or some

5361
05:27:28,518 --> 05:27:31,618
combination. So we don't have a map score.

5362
05:27:33,218 --> 05:27:35,498
All we would have would be that literacy,

5363
05:27:36,338 --> 05:27:39,518
that Lexile measure from the foundational reading assessment.

5364
05:27:40,078 --> 05:27:43,138
There's about 75 of those buildings

5365
05:27:44,178 --> 05:27:47,078
right now that would fall in that category.

5366
05:27:47,578 --> 05:27:50,998
So the question kind of came about, is that enough

5367
05:27:51,058 --> 05:27:53,538
information to create a grade for those schools?

5368
05:27:53,998 --> 05:27:57,538
So 75 buildings, how many school districts are we talking about?

5369
05:27:57,658 --> 05:27:59,718
75 buildings across

5370
05:28:01,138 --> 05:28:03,978
nearly 70 school districts. Yeah.

5371
05:28:05,798 --> 05:28:08,938
But other buildings in that school district could be getting a report card.

5372
05:28:09,418 --> 05:28:09,778
Yes.

5373
05:28:09,898 --> 05:28:10,018
Okay.

5374
05:28:10,258 --> 05:28:10,308
Yeah.

5375
05:28:10,658 --> 05:28:13,018
It's like we have to walk before we run here.

5376
05:28:13,438 --> 05:28:16,398
There's another thing that you might want to think about, too.

5377
05:28:16,418 --> 05:28:20,398
Sometimes we think about, well, what's the cell

5378
05:28:20,478 --> 05:28:24,298
size? We talk about that a lot. Well, that means how many students in the data

5379
05:28:24,338 --> 05:28:24,618
set.

5380
05:28:25,458 --> 05:28:29,378
So, if we kind of look at the distribution, there

5381
05:28:29,458 --> 05:28:32,178
seems to be a break point at 50 students.

5382
05:28:32,218 --> 05:28:35,967
We have about 60 school buildings that have fewer

5383
05:28:36,038 --> 05:28:38,518
than 50 students. So,

5384
05:28:38,998 --> 05:28:42,618
those don't, or very few of them, fall into

5385
05:28:42,678 --> 05:28:46,418
that 75 where they only have the literacy data.

5386
05:28:46,778 --> 05:28:50,638
So they might have all data across several grade

5387
05:28:50,738 --> 05:28:51,838
levels.

5388
05:28:52,718 --> 05:28:52,928
Is

5389
05:28:54,358 --> 05:28:58,318
50 students enough? Or is 30 students enough?

5390
05:28:59,518 --> 05:29:03,388
Most of our schools are going to fall in that population between

5391
05:29:03,618 --> 05:29:07,398
50 to 500 students in a building. That's

5392
05:29:07,458 --> 05:29:11,358
about 1,600, and then the remainder of them are

5393
05:29:11,758 --> 05:29:14,598
over 500. Most of those are high schools.

5394
05:29:15,678 --> 05:29:17,538
But that's another way to

5395
05:29:18,358 --> 05:29:21,978
think about the question, should all schools receive a grade card?

5396
05:29:22,038 --> 05:29:25,718
How much is enough data to say that's enough to

5397
05:29:25,738 --> 05:29:26,478
produce a grade?

5398
05:29:28,498 --> 05:29:29,328
Doug, do you have a question?

5399
05:29:29,978 --> 05:29:32,278
I was just going to say, are we ready to answer that?

5400
05:29:32,358 --> 05:29:36,347
I think that, in my opinion, one, it would be helpful if we

5401
05:29:36,698 --> 05:29:40,588
actually saw some samples of what a grade card would

5402
05:29:40,618 --> 05:29:44,178
look like for some schools, because that would drive more questions, I think.

5403
05:29:44,278 --> 05:29:46,068
But for this particular one,

5404
05:29:48,758 --> 05:29:50,538
because how many buildings do we have?

5405
05:29:50,678 --> 05:29:53,558
Is there 500-something in the state?

5406
05:29:54,358 --> 05:29:57,278
So we have about 2,200 schools.

5407
05:29:57,328 --> 05:29:57,498
Okay, so-

5408
05:29:57,858 --> 05:29:57,868
Yeah.

5409
05:29:57,898 --> 05:30:01,818
So out of those, those schools that have sufficient enough

5410
05:30:01,858 --> 05:30:05,108
data should receive a grade card, and then the ones that don't,

5411
05:30:05,558 --> 05:30:09,528
they should receive something that's not sufficient information,

5412
05:30:09,578 --> 05:30:13,498
or some kind of asterisk that's only those particular schools.

5413
05:30:13,658 --> 05:30:16,854
And then it's not really punitive, it's just then ...

5414
05:30:16,994 --> 05:30:20,654
whoever's looking at that can then look and say, "Oh, the reason why they're not

5415
05:30:20,694 --> 05:30:23,454
receiving a grade is because X, Y, Z," like you said-

5416
05:30:23,554 --> 05:30:23,784
Mm-hmm

5417
05:30:23,794 --> 05:30:24,794
... not enough students or they don't...

5418
05:30:25,234 --> 05:30:27,274
To me, that would be the most prudent-

5419
05:30:27,994 --> 05:30:28,074
Mm-hmm

5420
05:30:28,084 --> 05:30:28,874
... way to have that.

5421
05:30:28,894 --> 05:30:32,334
And I think that's kind of the question to you, is how much is enough?

5422
05:30:32,574 --> 05:30:35,354
How much data is enough to produce a grade card?

5423
05:30:35,364 --> 05:30:36,774
Well, I think that has to be-

5424
05:30:36,914 --> 05:30:37,594
Okay

5425
05:30:37,614 --> 05:30:39,184
... statistically proven-

5426
05:30:39,314 --> 05:30:39,364
Right

5427
05:30:39,374 --> 05:30:42,754
... not that we would be able to pull a number out of the air and determine that.

5428
05:30:42,814 --> 05:30:46,774
So you have to come to us with a recommendation, but we shouldn't let, what do

5429
05:30:46,814 --> 05:30:48,934
they say, perfect stand in the way of the good.

5430
05:30:49,574 --> 05:30:53,344
Let's just move forward, and for those that don't

5431
05:30:53,374 --> 05:30:56,924
initially have a grade card, we work through whatever the

5432
05:30:56,994 --> 05:30:59,194
challenge is, and ultimately they may get one.

5433
05:30:59,794 --> 05:31:03,094
But we shouldn't stop the process to make it

5434
05:31:03,194 --> 05:31:05,514
100%. If we get

5435
05:31:05,734 --> 05:31:09,474
98%ish, I think we're doing the

5436
05:31:09,534 --> 05:31:11,874
right thing, would be my recommendation.

5437
05:31:12,054 --> 05:31:12,914
Michelle?

5438
05:31:13,234 --> 05:31:17,154
Yeah. I think even if you have a statement that says inefficient data, that allows

5439
05:31:17,194 --> 05:31:19,794
for a conversation for a parent to say, "Well, why?

5440
05:31:20,014 --> 05:31:22,804
What's going on?" And just have that conversation.

5441
05:31:22,824 --> 05:31:23,064
Yeah, there could be answer-

5442
05:31:23,064 --> 05:31:24,274
So even if it's not a letter grade

5443
05:31:24,354 --> 05:31:26,654
... notes or whatever onto that particular thing.

5444
05:31:26,714 --> 05:31:28,654
That makes it a little easier.

5445
05:31:28,684 --> 05:31:28,684
Exactly.

5446
05:31:28,734 --> 05:31:32,154
How much opportunity for feedback from districts

5447
05:31:32,434 --> 05:31:35,854
and other stakeholders have we had in this process so far?

5448
05:31:35,914 --> 05:31:37,954
I know

5449
05:31:39,074 --> 05:31:42,994
you're operating under a strict timeline here, but I

5450
05:31:43,074 --> 05:31:44,194
was curious.

5451
05:31:44,294 --> 05:31:45,404
So we've had

5452
05:31:47,234 --> 05:31:50,834
this topic before. The commissioner has an advisory

5453
05:31:50,894 --> 05:31:53,684
council that meets about four times a year.

5454
05:31:53,754 --> 05:31:57,254
This topic has been before that advisory council

5455
05:31:57,314 --> 05:32:00,914
twice. We have what's called an MSIP

5456
05:32:00,954 --> 05:32:04,414
advisory, our Missouri School Improvement Program.

5457
05:32:05,134 --> 05:32:08,834
That has been before, I think, that group

5458
05:32:09,914 --> 05:32:13,654
at least twice. And in both

5459
05:32:13,674 --> 05:32:17,114
cases, we've asked for structured feedback, so

5460
05:32:17,694 --> 05:32:18,874
provided information.

5461
05:32:19,814 --> 05:32:23,714
We've presented at our administrators conference last

5462
05:32:23,854 --> 05:32:27,114
month, ran a couple of large sessions,

5463
05:32:28,114 --> 05:32:30,594
our cooperative conference for school administrators.

5464
05:32:31,474 --> 05:32:35,284
We've spoken to other groups that they've invited us to their

5465
05:32:35,354 --> 05:32:36,814
various conferences.

5466
05:32:37,754 --> 05:32:39,874
And then as we come down to the...

5467
05:32:42,194 --> 05:32:46,154
I guess before I get to the very end, we've had, as I mentioned,

5468
05:32:46,694 --> 05:32:50,374
I would say at least half a dozen conversations, perhaps

5469
05:32:50,534 --> 05:32:53,124
more, with various stakeholder groups,

5470
05:32:54,194 --> 05:32:57,434
that we've convened to ask them for feedback.

5471
05:32:58,034 --> 05:33:01,323
And then we've pulled together groups of technical

5472
05:33:01,394 --> 05:33:05,314
advisors, so folks who are kind of in the weeds on

5473
05:33:05,354 --> 05:33:06,454
the measurement,

5474
05:33:07,634 --> 05:33:10,674
and received feedback from them. So we've had

5475
05:33:11,454 --> 05:33:15,114
feedback from various stakeholders, and then as we come down to

5476
05:33:15,674 --> 05:33:17,274
the meeting in September,

5477
05:33:18,354 --> 05:33:22,244
as I said, we have a couple of virtual sessions scheduled and

5478
05:33:22,734 --> 05:33:24,514
we'll be doing a couple of onsite

5479
05:33:25,594 --> 05:33:26,854
sessions to capture that.

5480
05:33:27,474 --> 05:33:28,934
If we do this

5481
05:33:32,014 --> 05:33:32,834
preemptively, and I

5482
05:33:34,254 --> 05:33:35,774
don't know how I'm going to vote on this, but

5483
05:33:35,854 --> 05:33:39,534
you could do a lot of damage

5484
05:33:39,574 --> 05:33:43,154
here if this isn't done, if we don't do this carefully.

5485
05:33:43,934 --> 05:33:47,274
And I'm thinking

5486
05:33:47,334 --> 05:33:48,574
specifically of the

5487
05:33:49,454 --> 05:33:51,513
charter schools in the city of St. Louis.

5488
05:33:53,314 --> 05:33:55,034
I don't know what happens to their enrollment.

5489
05:33:55,114 --> 05:33:57,894
I don't know what happens to the enrollment at SLPS,

5490
05:33:59,134 --> 05:34:02,034
if we don't do this

5491
05:34:03,034 --> 05:34:04,694
carefully. And

5492
05:34:06,114 --> 05:34:08,254
so anyway, I know we're under a deadline.

5493
05:34:08,354 --> 05:34:11,914
I'm not sure anything can be done about it, but I would just...

5494
05:34:16,894 --> 05:34:20,554
Potentially here, we could do a lot of damage if we're not careful.

5495
05:34:24,494 --> 05:34:24,914
Certainly.

5496
05:34:26,434 --> 05:34:26,634
Okay.

5497
05:34:28,034 --> 05:34:28,274
So

5498
05:34:30,054 --> 05:34:32,154
two more questions. Kind of we would

5499
05:34:33,154 --> 05:34:35,934
like to hear what you all are thinking about them.

5500
05:34:36,074 --> 05:34:39,734
So should growth to proficiency include already

5501
05:34:39,774 --> 05:34:43,474
proficient students? So as I'll remind you, the executive

5502
05:34:43,534 --> 05:34:47,454
order says that it wants a measure

5503
05:34:47,514 --> 05:34:50,494
to determine for each student that has

5504
05:34:52,154 --> 05:34:54,434
two consecutive MAP scores

5505
05:34:55,654 --> 05:34:58,154
to determine whether they are on track to

5506
05:34:59,974 --> 05:35:02,714
reach grade-level proficiency in three years.

5507
05:35:04,954 --> 05:35:08,614
As I said, the way we interpreted that language

5508
05:35:08,794 --> 05:35:12,414
was that it would focus only on those student

5509
05:35:12,494 --> 05:35:14,874
scores in the non-proficient range.

5510
05:35:15,243 --> 05:35:18,674
And we evaluate them every year, so we

5511
05:35:19,454 --> 05:35:21,794
look at where those scores are this year,

5512
05:35:22,754 --> 05:35:26,734
and then no matter what they did between this

5513
05:35:26,794 --> 05:35:29,934
year and next year, we'd look at everybody's scores again next year.

5514
05:35:30,214 --> 05:35:30,394
So

5515
05:35:31,774 --> 05:35:35,154
we had some conversation about that, I think earlier.

5516
05:35:36,874 --> 05:35:38,494
I have a question for clarification.

5517
05:35:38,514 --> 05:35:42,414
When you say grade-level proficiency, first of all,

5518
05:35:43,314 --> 05:35:46,634
proficiency as it's defined within the MAP rating, not the

5519
05:35:46,694 --> 05:35:50,474
grade-level implementation. We have all these words being mixed

5520
05:35:50,494 --> 05:35:50,834
together.

5521
05:35:51,754 --> 05:35:53,614
So proficiency

5522
05:35:55,714 --> 05:35:56,014
at

5523
05:35:56,994 --> 05:36:00,954
that particular grade level. So we will define

5524
05:36:00,994 --> 05:36:04,034
proficiency. If they're in second grade, then it's

5525
05:36:04,074 --> 05:36:08,034
proficiency... Well, at third grade, when we're measuring it through the MAP

5526
05:36:08,414 --> 05:36:11,274
scores, we see that they're below, and

5527
05:36:12,274 --> 05:36:15,894
we're saying, as you demonstrated three years out, which would

5528
05:36:15,954 --> 05:36:19,814
be third, fourth, fifth, fifth grade, that in fifth grade, they need to

5529
05:36:19,854 --> 05:36:23,138
be proficient- At fifth-grade level proficiency.

5530
05:36:23,258 --> 05:36:23,638
Mm-hmm. Yes

5531
05:36:23,878 --> 05:36:23,888
That's-

5532
05:36:23,918 --> 05:36:24,038
Yes

5533
05:36:24,047 --> 05:36:24,448
... just for clarity-

5534
05:36:24,478 --> 05:36:24,978
That is correct

5535
05:36:24,987 --> 05:36:25,938
... and up out of the way there each way.

5536
05:36:26,058 --> 05:36:26,318
Yes.

5537
05:36:26,658 --> 05:36:30,378
Okay. All right. You were going to say something. I just wanted to clarify that.

5538
05:36:30,418 --> 05:36:31,938
I have an opinion, but I'll-

5539
05:36:32,258 --> 05:36:36,198
I was just going to say, we were kind of talking about this earlier, and

5540
05:36:37,218 --> 05:36:41,018
I thought maybe Dr. Schill kind of brought up a point about it, but we

5541
05:36:41,078 --> 05:36:44,198
tabled it, but I can't remember now the details of what it was.

5542
05:36:44,238 --> 05:36:47,178
But I think it was something about

5543
05:36:48,298 --> 05:36:50,538
measuring students who are already proficient-

5544
05:36:50,598 --> 05:36:50,648
Mm-hmm

5545
05:36:50,648 --> 05:36:51,778
... or if students are

5546
05:36:53,018 --> 05:36:56,378
really low, but they've improved, but they're still below or something like that,

5547
05:36:56,558 --> 05:36:58,848
to capture... Like a weighted type measure.

5548
05:36:58,848 --> 05:36:59,018
Mm-hmm.

5549
05:36:59,058 --> 05:36:59,938
Does that make sense or-

5550
05:37:00,258 --> 05:37:00,498
Right

5551
05:37:00,598 --> 05:37:02,448
... at least I think that's what you were talking about.

5552
05:37:02,468 --> 05:37:05,678
Because you kind of said it would be captured in the other elements of the

5553
05:37:05,718 --> 05:37:06,298
reporting.

5554
05:37:06,538 --> 05:37:06,698
Right.

5555
05:37:06,818 --> 05:37:07,058
Right.

5556
05:37:07,618 --> 05:37:11,518
So for any students that in the current year, if their score

5557
05:37:11,538 --> 05:37:14,898
is proficient, any score is proficient or above,

5558
05:37:15,698 --> 05:37:18,818
we're not going to see them in the growth to proficiency measure.

5559
05:37:18,848 --> 05:37:22,738
They've already hit proficient. We will see them in the value-added

5560
05:37:22,818 --> 05:37:25,898
growth, we'll see them in the academic achievement.

5561
05:37:27,358 --> 05:37:31,218
And then I think the other part of the question was, well, what

5562
05:37:31,278 --> 05:37:34,778
happens if a student was at that below basic level

5563
05:37:35,798 --> 05:37:39,658
and they grow to proficient or advanced even?

5564
05:37:39,748 --> 05:37:42,718
Those will show up in that,

5565
05:37:45,818 --> 05:37:49,138
we will recognize that movement.

5566
05:37:52,218 --> 05:37:53,058
My opinion

5567
05:37:54,158 --> 05:37:56,278
is that we should include growth to

5568
05:37:57,318 --> 05:37:58,098
proficiency,

5569
05:37:59,738 --> 05:38:02,798
should include those students that are already proficient.

5570
05:38:03,338 --> 05:38:07,158
I think we should be looking at growth of all students, bottom line.

5571
05:38:07,238 --> 05:38:09,578
And yes, they'll get credit when they're in status,

5572
05:38:11,058 --> 05:38:14,998
in that level, and then they'll get other credits.

5573
05:38:15,038 --> 05:38:15,128
But

5574
05:38:16,418 --> 05:38:20,078
we want to incent the behavior that all

5575
05:38:20,198 --> 05:38:22,318
students achieve excellence,

5576
05:38:23,938 --> 05:38:27,758
and it gets lost if we're only looking at

5577
05:38:27,818 --> 05:38:30,138
it through status. You don't see it,

5578
05:38:31,078 --> 05:38:33,258
but you'll see it here in growth to proficiency.

5579
05:38:33,658 --> 05:38:37,018
Maybe it shouldn't be called growth to proficiency, it should be called growth,

5580
05:38:37,138 --> 05:38:40,658
or it's maybe weighted differently, to John's point.

5581
05:38:40,718 --> 05:38:43,578
When you're below proficient, there's a greater

5582
05:38:43,618 --> 05:38:47,198
weighting than when you're already proficient.

5583
05:38:47,238 --> 05:38:51,118
You're still getting credit, but you get more credit when you're on the way up

5584
05:38:51,158 --> 05:38:52,538
to proficiency.

5585
05:38:52,548 --> 05:38:56,498
And I would just add onto that, not to beat this to death, because I know

5586
05:38:56,798 --> 05:39:00,768
I had earlier statements, but I won't go through specific details, but just

5587
05:39:00,778 --> 05:39:02,068
through personal experience,

5588
05:39:04,138 --> 05:39:07,878
I question if things like dyslexia get missed in certain patients who

5589
05:39:07,958 --> 05:39:11,918
are proficient, but yet they have struggles and

5590
05:39:11,958 --> 05:39:14,218
would still benefit from EIPs, et cetera.

5591
05:39:14,998 --> 05:39:18,978
So that part makes sense to me then, that we still need

5592
05:39:19,038 --> 05:39:22,158
to include them if they're already proficient, and we need to look at their growth.

5593
05:39:23,238 --> 05:39:23,518
Mm-hmm.

5594
05:39:24,078 --> 05:39:24,258
So.

5595
05:39:26,498 --> 05:39:27,298
Okay, so.

5596
05:39:27,678 --> 05:39:31,428
Okay. Because I would say the counterargument there is if you are proficient in

5597
05:39:31,438 --> 05:39:33,958
third grade and then you're proficient in fourth grade, you grew.

5598
05:39:34,518 --> 05:39:34,698
Mm-hmm.

5599
05:39:34,838 --> 05:39:37,458
The fourth-grade assessment's more difficult than the third-grade assessment.

5600
05:39:37,518 --> 05:39:37,738
Mm-hmm.

5601
05:39:37,998 --> 05:39:38,747
Now, if you grew-

5602
05:39:39,558 --> 05:39:39,778
But you-

5603
05:39:39,848 --> 05:39:43,718
... at a larger rate than you were expected, that's captured in value-added growth.

5604
05:39:43,958 --> 05:39:44,228
Mm-hmm.

5605
05:39:44,638 --> 05:39:48,578
So you now get proficiency value on that element, and you

5606
05:39:48,618 --> 05:39:52,118
get value-added growth as a plus residual versus a negative

5607
05:39:52,218 --> 05:39:56,198
residual. So I think your growth is being captured in two spots,

5608
05:39:57,018 --> 05:40:00,768
and then growth to proficiency is kind of a, "Okay, you didn't make it,

5609
05:40:00,918 --> 05:40:01,918
but are you improving?"

5610
05:40:02,858 --> 05:40:06,718
Is my read of that. Right? So that seems like that's why that's a

5611
05:40:06,758 --> 05:40:10,438
new piece. Hey, we have kids that didn't make it, but are they improving?

5612
05:40:11,078 --> 05:40:14,178
Which is a new study. But the kids that are making it, they're doing what they need

5613
05:40:14,218 --> 05:40:15,138
to be doing. Correct?

5614
05:40:15,818 --> 05:40:19,458
The way we interpreted that as, and the

5615
05:40:19,558 --> 05:40:23,078
reason that it does not include already proficient

5616
05:40:23,198 --> 05:40:27,018
students, is that when you look at the status measure, it's a

5617
05:40:27,118 --> 05:40:29,938
blend. It's an average, right? It's a blend of everybody.

5618
05:40:30,078 --> 05:40:33,338
So it can mask low performance.

5619
05:40:34,478 --> 05:40:38,418
If you have a lot of high performers, that average can mask

5620
05:40:38,478 --> 05:40:39,478
the low performing.

5621
05:40:40,798 --> 05:40:44,418
I'm not saying that it's right or wrong, I'm just explaining that's how we

5622
05:40:44,458 --> 05:40:47,518
interpret that. And this is why we've heard about this.

5623
05:40:47,618 --> 05:40:51,478
We've heard some differing opinions, which is why we're bringing this to you

5624
05:40:51,538 --> 05:40:52,418
for discussion.

5625
05:40:52,958 --> 05:40:53,218
I would

5626
05:40:54,798 --> 05:40:56,898
counter what you're saying, Mike, in that

5627
05:40:57,918 --> 05:40:59,958
if our target audience is our parents,

5628
05:41:00,818 --> 05:41:03,478
is why we want to do this, we want clarity, we want

5629
05:41:04,478 --> 05:41:06,358
parents to be able to determine

5630
05:41:07,298 --> 05:41:10,738
the quality, if you will, of the academic outcomes in the school.

5631
05:41:11,238 --> 05:41:14,758
If my child stays at grade level, yes, he grew,

5632
05:41:15,498 --> 05:41:18,998
but only within grade level. Meaning, he was

5633
05:41:19,058 --> 05:41:22,658
satisfactory in third, he's satisfactory in fourth, and again in fifth.

5634
05:41:22,718 --> 05:41:25,578
He's not growing. I want him to be advanced.

5635
05:41:26,278 --> 05:41:29,758
And so that's the measure of growth that we're trying to achieve.

5636
05:41:29,898 --> 05:41:33,518
We always say we want excellence in education for all students.

5637
05:41:34,048 --> 05:41:37,958
Well, is excellence in education achieving going above and beyond,

5638
05:41:38,018 --> 05:41:41,998
achieving your best? And if they stay at grade level, to me as

5639
05:41:42,018 --> 05:41:43,878
a parent, that's not achieving your best.

5640
05:41:45,498 --> 05:41:49,278
So that's why I promote that they be included in the

5641
05:41:49,378 --> 05:41:49,958
growth

5642
05:41:50,878 --> 05:41:53,318
component, but just with that appropriate weighting.

5643
05:41:53,778 --> 05:41:57,278
We really do want to focus on our underperforming

5644
05:41:57,418 --> 05:42:01,368
students and help them to get to at least the minimum, what I'd

5645
05:42:01,478 --> 05:42:05,418
say, of satisfactory, and then we want everybody else, and to continue

5646
05:42:05,458 --> 05:42:06,978
to grow beyond it.

5647
05:42:07,008 --> 05:42:10,128
That's what I'd say, is what you're describing is exactly what value-added growth-

5648
05:42:10,198 --> 05:42:10,718
Mm-hmm

5649
05:42:10,728 --> 05:42:12,238
... is designed to communicate.

5650
05:42:12,278 --> 05:42:12,568
Mm-hmm.

5651
05:42:13,058 --> 05:42:16,958
Because it sets a trajectory based on where you are in past performance, and

5652
05:42:16,978 --> 05:42:20,468
then you exceed that trajectory, you get a positive value-added

5653
05:42:20,618 --> 05:42:21,237
growth.

5654
05:42:21,278 --> 05:42:21,528
Mm-hmm.

5655
05:42:21,578 --> 05:42:22,768
It's already built in there

5656
05:42:24,234 --> 05:42:28,134
But maybe value-added growth is a concept that's hard

5657
05:42:28,194 --> 05:42:30,314
for the reader to understand.

5658
05:42:30,354 --> 05:42:30,564
Mm-hmm.

5659
05:42:31,074 --> 05:42:34,654
And maybe a simpler measure is better. So I'll certainly concede that.

5660
05:42:35,034 --> 05:42:35,174
Okay.

5661
05:42:35,234 --> 05:42:37,024
Because I had to read up on what value-added-

5662
05:42:37,334 --> 05:42:37,344
Yeah

5663
05:42:37,344 --> 05:42:40,814
... growth was. As I've taught statistics, I understood the explanation.

5664
05:42:41,244 --> 05:42:43,024
If I didn't teach statistics, I don't know if I would've.

5665
05:42:43,024 --> 05:42:44,514
You probably understand it better than I do.

5666
05:42:45,534 --> 05:42:47,754
So, in conclusion, can you tell me what the...

5667
05:42:49,274 --> 05:42:52,693
I mean, what's the timeline here? It seems like things are

5668
05:42:53,854 --> 05:42:54,254
slow-

5669
05:42:55,194 --> 05:42:55,204
Yeah

5670
05:42:55,204 --> 05:42:58,014
... right now as far as getting this up and going.

5671
05:42:58,774 --> 05:42:59,214
Would that be-

5672
05:42:59,394 --> 05:42:59,404
I-

5673
05:42:59,404 --> 05:43:00,094
... accurate or?

5674
05:43:00,434 --> 05:43:04,034
We feel like we're moving pretty quickly and being able to

5675
05:43:04,134 --> 05:43:07,854
stand up, coming up with an alternative to

5676
05:43:07,954 --> 05:43:11,054
use the '25 data to stand something up this fall.

5677
05:43:11,174 --> 05:43:11,634
We're feeling-

5678
05:43:11,674 --> 05:43:11,683
Mm-hmm

5679
05:43:11,683 --> 05:43:12,654
... pretty good about that.

5680
05:43:14,134 --> 05:43:17,854
I think a lot of work has been done in the last six months.

5681
05:43:19,314 --> 05:43:19,714
Eight months.

5682
05:43:20,594 --> 05:43:24,254
Yeah. But we've been talking about using the

5683
05:43:24,394 --> 05:43:27,894
25-year data for what seems like almost the whole year,

5684
05:43:28,274 --> 05:43:29,274
and

5685
05:43:30,994 --> 05:43:34,774
we just don't seem to be moving forward, in my opinion, as

5686
05:43:34,794 --> 05:43:36,374
rapidly as we should on this topic.

5687
05:43:36,554 --> 05:43:39,794
Because when do you think that it will be implemented into the

5688
05:43:40,854 --> 05:43:43,853
classes in the schools? I mean, what's the plan

5689
05:43:43,894 --> 05:43:45,374
there?

5690
05:43:45,474 --> 05:43:46,954
I think we'll have,

5691
05:43:48,494 --> 05:43:51,994
as soon as possible after the September board meeting,

5692
05:43:52,554 --> 05:43:55,934
we'll have those grade cards available.

5693
05:43:56,094 --> 05:43:59,254
I think we can take a lot of this conversation and the comments that you all have

5694
05:43:59,294 --> 05:44:02,774
made and use the '24, '25 data to run the

5695
05:44:02,794 --> 05:44:06,414
simulations to see what the impact of some of these different decision points are,

5696
05:44:06,494 --> 05:44:08,914
so we can bring that back and show you in September.

5697
05:44:09,114 --> 05:44:09,214
Yeah.

5698
05:44:09,254 --> 05:44:09,554
That would be-

5699
05:44:09,594 --> 05:44:10,034
Be helpful.

5700
05:44:10,214 --> 05:44:10,224
Yeah.

5701
05:44:10,234 --> 05:44:10,694
Is that good?

5702
05:44:10,734 --> 05:44:10,914
Sure.

5703
05:44:10,934 --> 05:44:11,294
Mm-hmm.

5704
05:44:11,314 --> 05:44:15,234
And to answer your last question, I say no, but we can answer that question later.

5705
05:44:16,054 --> 05:44:16,634
And I agree.

5706
05:44:17,154 --> 05:44:18,184
After we see some examples.

5707
05:44:18,214 --> 05:44:18,454
Yeah.

5708
05:44:18,494 --> 05:44:20,394
Well, while we're here, why don't we discuss that?

5709
05:44:20,534 --> 05:44:20,794
Tell us-

5710
05:44:20,834 --> 05:44:21,384
Yeah, I think we should

5711
05:44:21,414 --> 05:44:21,674
... what-

5712
05:44:21,714 --> 05:44:21,864
Sure

5713
05:44:21,914 --> 05:44:23,194
... conversation brought that up.

5714
05:44:23,734 --> 05:44:26,894
So, I think that the conversation was

5715
05:44:29,974 --> 05:44:32,314
should the framework adjust for demographic characteristics?

5716
05:44:32,394 --> 05:44:35,434
So what about our most vulnerable student populations?

5717
05:44:35,694 --> 05:44:39,614
So those charts that Shawn showed you that had the student groups

5718
05:44:39,674 --> 05:44:42,654
in them, particularly students in poverty.

5719
05:44:42,774 --> 05:44:44,104
So, the ones that

5720
05:44:45,254 --> 05:44:48,934
participate in free and reduced-price lunch, or we identify as students in

5721
05:44:49,034 --> 05:44:52,594
poverty by what we call a direct certification process,

5722
05:44:53,234 --> 05:44:56,194
of income or income status.

5723
05:44:56,814 --> 05:45:00,694
So those, when we look at the test data, those students

5724
05:45:00,754 --> 05:45:03,974
tend to be the ones that are underperforming.

5725
05:45:05,234 --> 05:45:08,214
We see that historically. It seems to be

5726
05:45:08,434 --> 05:45:11,014
difficult to

5727
05:45:12,374 --> 05:45:14,114
move that group,

5728
05:45:14,954 --> 05:45:17,234
performance of that group as a whole.

5729
05:45:17,754 --> 05:45:19,234
So there was a question about

5730
05:45:20,494 --> 05:45:21,034
should we

5731
05:45:22,254 --> 05:45:26,234
highlight or use the framework in some way, the grade card

5732
05:45:26,274 --> 05:45:26,694
to

5733
05:45:27,534 --> 05:45:31,054
shine light on the performance of that group of students,

5734
05:45:32,094 --> 05:45:33,934
or those groups of students?

5735
05:45:34,934 --> 05:45:38,634
Should we somehow adjust in the way we score,

5736
05:45:38,774 --> 05:45:42,374
and consider those student groups?

5737
05:45:42,714 --> 05:45:45,334
In the annual performance report,

5738
05:45:46,634 --> 05:45:50,014
the overall evaluation looks at

5739
05:45:50,134 --> 05:45:53,734
the group of students at a building or a district as a whole,

5740
05:45:54,834 --> 05:45:58,534
and then it looks at those student groups as its

5741
05:45:58,594 --> 05:46:02,474
own population, and considers both in the overall scoring.

5742
05:46:03,414 --> 05:46:07,354
So I think, may I follow up on that? I think one of the reasons that we're looking

5743
05:46:07,414 --> 05:46:11,234
at this question is because unlike the APR, that specifically does pull

5744
05:46:11,334 --> 05:46:14,004
out student groups and let you look at that separately,

5745
05:46:14,904 --> 05:46:17,194
the executive order's not charged us to do that.

5746
05:46:17,254 --> 05:46:19,454
In fact, it charges us to keep it simple.

5747
05:46:19,994 --> 05:46:20,214
So

5748
05:46:21,034 --> 05:46:24,574
if we start disaggregating by student groups and reporting that way,

5749
05:46:25,394 --> 05:46:28,214
to acknowledge that there are differences, then,

5750
05:46:29,334 --> 05:46:33,114
well, one, it doesn't become simple anymore, and we

5751
05:46:33,174 --> 05:46:37,014
get into schools with really small cell sizes, and we end up suppressing more

5752
05:46:37,084 --> 05:46:40,754
data than we're able to use. So we're wanting to keep the concentration of

5753
05:46:40,814 --> 05:46:44,553
students as big of a pool as we can so that we can report out on

5754
05:46:44,634 --> 05:46:47,574
it. But those are a couple of reasons why we're thinking about

5755
05:46:47,634 --> 05:46:51,434
if we want to consider it, is there a way to embed it as opposed

5756
05:46:51,494 --> 05:46:54,394
to a separate calculation the way MSIP does?

5757
05:46:55,394 --> 05:46:55,774
Is that fair?

5758
05:46:56,194 --> 05:46:56,314
Mm-hmm.

5759
05:46:56,424 --> 05:46:57,474
Terry.

5760
05:46:57,644 --> 05:47:00,614
I think we should have the same expectations for all students.

5761
05:47:00,774 --> 05:47:01,174
Agreed.

5762
05:47:01,654 --> 05:47:02,554
And therefore,

5763
05:47:03,754 --> 05:47:06,514
measurements should not be determined differently.

5764
05:47:07,194 --> 05:47:07,994
Everybody should

5765
05:47:09,314 --> 05:47:11,154
work to achieve the same standard.

5766
05:47:12,154 --> 05:47:15,794
We have other ways of addressing the needs and concerns

5767
05:47:15,914 --> 05:47:19,074
of students that are struggling, maybe because

5768
05:47:19,174 --> 05:47:22,414
of a particular demographic background of sorts.

5769
05:47:22,494 --> 05:47:26,254
So, we're working here to deliver education to

5770
05:47:26,314 --> 05:47:30,194
children, and every child is capable of achieving.

5771
05:47:31,044 --> 05:47:34,434
We should have the expectation the same for all children.

5772
05:47:35,654 --> 05:47:35,834
Okay.

5773
05:47:35,974 --> 05:47:36,594
Is my vote.

5774
05:47:36,734 --> 05:47:37,684
Can I go Robbie and then-

5775
05:47:38,314 --> 05:47:41,974
Yeah, I don't see putting in an artificiality and inflating that

5776
05:47:42,074 --> 05:47:45,794
is not giving good data to the parents, and it defeats the

5777
05:47:45,834 --> 05:47:49,454
purpose of what the simple report card is.

5778
05:47:51,814 --> 05:47:53,274
Respond. Any response?

5779
05:47:54,234 --> 05:47:54,694
Okay, John.

5780
05:47:55,094 --> 05:47:58,594
Yeah, I was just saying, I think at this point, at this stage,

5781
05:47:58,834 --> 05:48:01,154
my answer would be just not right now.

5782
05:48:01,234 --> 05:48:05,133
I mean, if we get report cards out and we see that there's...

5783
05:48:05,514 --> 05:48:09,164
I mean, obviously we will know based on building some of the

5784
05:48:09,234 --> 05:48:12,054
demographic characteristics just by common sense.

5785
05:48:12,194 --> 05:48:12,434
But,

5786
05:48:13,514 --> 05:48:15,874
I think then if we did need to

5787
05:48:16,994 --> 05:48:20,554
adjust it, I don't even say adjust it, just flag it or something, or put a

5788
05:48:20,634 --> 05:48:23,334
footnote, just like how we were talking about school buildings that might have

5789
05:48:23,854 --> 05:48:27,534
insufficient data. And maybe you could add a footnote to say, "Oh, by the

5790
05:48:27,594 --> 05:48:31,474
way, this particular building has 100% free and reduced

5791
05:48:31,514 --> 05:48:35,454
lunch," or something like that. And so that, it's like an asterisk on that

5792
05:48:35,894 --> 05:48:37,254
particular school because I don't-

5793
05:48:38,254 --> 05:48:42,014
I recognize that there are differences, but we want it to be the

5794
05:48:42,074 --> 05:48:42,763
same level

5795
05:48:48,174 --> 05:48:49,134
of

5796
05:48:50,094 --> 05:48:54,074
expectation for everyone, but that

5797
05:48:54,114 --> 05:48:57,474
there are other factors that weigh in, and I don't want

5798
05:48:57,494 --> 05:49:01,364
people just look on the surface. Like I said, for the most part,

5799
05:49:02,354 --> 05:49:06,234
common sense looking at it is like, "Okay, this school is based on location or

5800
05:49:06,274 --> 05:49:10,134
whatever." But I think down the road, once we

5801
05:49:10,234 --> 05:49:14,074
start to perfect this grade card system, that's when we can add

5802
05:49:14,094 --> 05:49:17,114
stuff. I think for right now, though, it's just get something simple out there, and

5803
05:49:17,154 --> 05:49:20,014
if we need to adjust it later, then we can do that.

5804
05:49:20,274 --> 05:49:21,414
Yeah. So we'll get something simple.

5805
05:49:21,454 --> 05:49:25,334
And I think really the underlying point with that is we don't want to

5806
05:49:25,374 --> 05:49:28,874
produce grade cards that end up just being a reflection of the

5807
05:49:28,914 --> 05:49:31,094
socioeconomic status of the community.

5808
05:49:31,474 --> 05:49:33,194
That's not informative to parents.

5809
05:49:33,234 --> 05:49:36,814
So, that's the consideration there, but I understand, and I think

5810
05:49:36,874 --> 05:49:38,574
we can run simulations.

5811
05:49:39,354 --> 05:49:40,174
Yeah, that would be-

5812
05:49:40,854 --> 05:49:43,494
Trying different things and seeing what we come up with.

5813
05:49:46,174 --> 05:49:47,394
Okay. Anything else?

5814
05:49:49,094 --> 05:49:52,554
Just say one more thing. On the prior slide, you discussed potentially moving up

5815
05:49:52,694 --> 05:49:54,714
assessment windows two weeks prior.

5816
05:49:55,034 --> 05:49:55,174
Yes.

5817
05:49:55,184 --> 05:49:57,114
And I understand you want to get data as soon as possible.

5818
05:49:57,174 --> 05:49:57,514
Yes.

5819
05:49:57,554 --> 05:49:58,564
A little concern over that-

5820
05:49:58,894 --> 05:49:59,114
Mm-hmm

5821
05:49:59,194 --> 05:50:03,094
... being a classroom teacher. We already don't go to the

5822
05:50:03,154 --> 05:50:05,834
end of the year or the end of the semester, right?

5823
05:50:05,874 --> 05:50:06,294
If you're

5824
05:50:07,134 --> 05:50:10,684
assessing the first two weeks of May, we lose the second two weeks of May, and now

5825
05:50:10,734 --> 05:50:12,814
you're saying we're basically going to lose the month of May.

5826
05:50:14,034 --> 05:50:16,514
A lot of our classes are semester-long classes, actually.

5827
05:50:16,634 --> 05:50:17,834
So you're losing

5828
05:50:18,994 --> 05:50:22,694
maybe 20% of your class time. So it's a concern.

5829
05:50:22,834 --> 05:50:25,234
I understand you want to get data as soon as possible.

5830
05:50:26,034 --> 05:50:27,154
Weigh that concern, I suppose.

5831
05:50:27,874 --> 05:50:28,504
Yes. And

5832
05:50:29,314 --> 05:50:32,954
you're echoing what we've heard from stakeholders, and the

5833
05:50:34,374 --> 05:50:37,194
impact will not be trivial. We've

5834
05:50:38,334 --> 05:50:39,854
looked at, quantified it.

5835
05:50:41,394 --> 05:50:44,734
Happy to share that information if you'd like to hear me talk

5836
05:50:44,774 --> 05:50:45,714
longer.

5837
05:50:48,634 --> 05:50:51,014
Okay. We're going to stop right there.

5838
05:50:51,074 --> 05:50:53,754
We're going to have a quick break of 10 minutes.

5839
05:50:54,694 --> 05:50:56,274
We do appreciate your presentation.

5840
05:50:56,374 --> 05:50:57,214
Thank you very much.

5841
05:50:57,894 --> 05:50:59,234
So come back at 3:00.

5842
05:50:59,654 --> 05:51:00,034
Yeah.

5843
06:00:57,328 --> 06:00:58,068
Right on time.

5844
06:00:59,488 --> 06:01:01,408
But we're about an hour behind in the meeting.

5845
06:01:01,748 --> 06:01:02,048
So-

5846
06:01:03,528 --> 06:01:04,768
What'd you expect with this group?

5847
06:01:04,848 --> 06:01:05,748
We'll go from there.

5848
06:01:08,968 --> 06:01:12,428
So if I could get everybody's attention, we're going to start through this.

5849
06:01:14,848 --> 06:01:15,068
Yep.

5850
06:01:16,148 --> 06:01:20,028
Now we have the assistant, uh, commissioner with the Office of Childhood, uh,

5851
06:01:20,328 --> 06:01:20,848
Childhood-

5852
06:01:21,008 --> 06:01:21,018
Childhood

5853
06:01:21,018 --> 06:01:24,808
... Childhood with us, and, uh, we welcome, it's Jocelyn

5854
06:01:25,028 --> 06:01:25,628
Schluss?

5855
06:01:25,988 --> 06:01:27,108
Jocelyn Schluss, yes.

5856
06:01:27,348 --> 06:01:28,228
Okay, very good.

5857
06:01:28,688 --> 06:01:28,768
Yeah.

5858
06:01:28,848 --> 06:01:30,288
It's a little bit of a unique last name.

5859
06:01:30,388 --> 06:01:33,068
It is, it is. It's a mouthful. Um, yes.

5860
06:01:33,248 --> 06:01:36,898
My name is Jocelyn Schluss. I'm the assistant commissioner for the Office of

5861
06:01:36,968 --> 06:01:37,568
Childhood.

5862
06:01:38,598 --> 06:01:42,098
I am finishing up my second month in the position,

5863
06:01:42,268 --> 06:01:46,248
so here to give you just a quick overview of our office and talk

5864
06:01:46,268 --> 06:01:48,568
to you about a few items that you may be hearing about.

5865
06:01:49,268 --> 06:01:52,788
In a nutshell, the Office of Childhood really builds the foundation of our

5866
06:01:52,848 --> 06:01:53,868
K-12 schools.

5867
06:01:54,728 --> 06:01:58,168
Our efforts are to set up all children in Missouri for success.

5868
06:01:58,388 --> 06:02:02,228
So I'm going to talk to you briefly about, um, how the Office of Childhood came to

5869
06:02:02,248 --> 06:02:05,608
be, and then our three kind of larger areas or programs.

5870
06:02:07,008 --> 06:02:07,628
That's very nice.

5871
06:02:07,778 --> 06:02:11,338
So the office was formed five years ago this month, actually, we're

5872
06:02:11,368 --> 06:02:14,388
celebrating an anniversary, um, by Executive Order

5873
06:02:14,588 --> 06:02:18,138
2102. The intent was to bring all early

5874
06:02:18,188 --> 06:02:22,028
learning, all services for children birth through five and after-school

5875
06:02:22,068 --> 06:02:25,778
programming into one spot, one office, to make it a little bit

5876
06:02:25,828 --> 06:02:27,688
easier for stakeholders to access.

5877
06:02:28,248 --> 06:02:31,588
So prior to the Office of Childhood being in DESE,

5878
06:02:32,168 --> 06:02:36,048
it, it brought together three, um, three agencies

5879
06:02:36,188 --> 06:02:37,808
and offices that were housed there.

5880
06:02:37,908 --> 06:02:39,898
So in DESE, there was the early learning,

5881
06:02:40,808 --> 06:02:44,228
uh, from Department of Social Services, Child Care Subsidy,

5882
06:02:44,908 --> 06:02:48,758
and then Child Care Compliance and Regulations came to this office from the

5883
06:02:48,788 --> 06:02:50,728
Department of Health and Senior Services.

5884
06:02:51,568 --> 06:02:55,488
The idea, like I said, was really to kind of form a one-stop shop for all

5885
06:02:55,548 --> 06:02:59,368
people who are interacting with early childhood initiatives and care.

5886
06:03:04,308 --> 06:03:07,888
So this is our kind of high-level organizational chart.

5887
06:03:08,007 --> 06:03:11,948
You'll kind of see those three divisions or three programs that came over

5888
06:03:11,988 --> 06:03:15,708
from the other agencies. So to the side, you'll see

5889
06:03:15,768 --> 06:03:19,748
outreach. Our outreach section really services our

5890
06:03:19,788 --> 06:03:23,168
entire office, so they report directly to me.

5891
06:03:23,268 --> 06:03:25,708
But essentially, they focus on communication.

5892
06:03:25,768 --> 06:03:29,688
We have a program called Community Leaders that also supports Missouri Family

5893
06:03:29,768 --> 06:03:32,908
Resources, an app, and Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

5894
06:03:33,828 --> 06:03:37,668
In addition to our outreach section, we have those three larger programs, like I

5895
06:03:37,708 --> 06:03:41,648
said, that came over. So early learning is about 22% of

5896
06:03:41,688 --> 06:03:45,228
our staff, um, and they focus on all

5897
06:03:45,308 --> 06:03:49,028
quality initiatives, um, early learning initiatives, all of

5898
06:03:49,068 --> 06:03:53,038
those types of things. And they support school districts, childcare providers, and

5899
06:03:53,068 --> 06:03:56,857
families. The Child Care Compliance program is

5900
06:03:56,908 --> 06:04:00,538
about 43% of our staff. That's what came over from

5901
06:04:00,568 --> 06:04:02,438
Department of Health and Senior Services.

5902
06:04:03,048 --> 06:04:07,017
And then Child Care Subsidy came from DSS, and that's about 30% of our

5903
06:04:07,148 --> 06:04:08,828
staff.

5904
06:04:15,968 --> 06:04:19,568
Um, so this slide just shows all of the different programs or

5905
06:04:19,628 --> 06:04:23,448
initiatives that are housed in early learning.

5906
06:04:23,488 --> 06:04:27,028
You'll see a lot of things that, uh, support parents, support childcare

5907
06:04:27,048 --> 06:04:29,108
providers, and support school districts.

5908
06:04:29,948 --> 06:04:33,698
Early learning's focus really is on early childhood development and

5909
06:04:33,788 --> 06:04:37,548
school readiness. These programs help build the foundation for our future

5910
06:04:37,648 --> 06:04:41,608
K-12 students. Um, the emphasis in early learning is developing

5911
06:04:41,628 --> 06:04:45,088
the whole child. So, um, we look at physical

5912
06:04:45,168 --> 06:04:48,908
development, social-emotional development, academic, cognitive, all of those

5913
06:04:48,928 --> 06:04:50,908
things across the board for every child.

5914
06:04:51,488 --> 06:04:55,308
And many of the services and initiatives that are housed in early learning

5915
06:04:55,348 --> 06:04:58,828
are small pieces of a larger puzzle for our early childhood

5916
06:04:58,888 --> 06:05:02,228
programs, um, school districts, and care providers.

5917
06:05:04,848 --> 06:05:06,448
You have questions about any of those?

5918
06:05:06,528 --> 06:05:10,228
I'm going to talk about a couple that you maybe are hearing about, but while

5919
06:05:10,268 --> 06:05:13,368
they're all kind of up there in front of you, does anybody have questions about any

5920
06:05:13,408 --> 06:05:15,368
of those specifically?

5921
06:05:17,748 --> 06:05:20,728
I didn't realize there were so many, uh...

5922
06:05:22,448 --> 06:05:23,488
I just didn't realize it.

5923
06:05:23,788 --> 06:05:24,258
Yeah. Lots of things that-

5924
06:05:24,258 --> 06:05:25,308
No questions, just a comment.

5925
06:05:25,468 --> 06:05:28,968
Yeah, lots of, um, things that target families specifically, trying to

5926
06:05:29,008 --> 06:05:31,268
support in-home. Um,

5927
06:05:32,148 --> 06:05:35,908
also initiatives to improve the quality of our childcare facilities and

5928
06:05:35,928 --> 06:05:39,848
preschool programming across the state, curriculum resources.

5929
06:05:40,068 --> 06:05:40,408
Um,

5930
06:05:42,648 --> 06:05:46,588
yes, lots of things. Um, I should probably note the Program Integrity section in

5931
06:05:46,648 --> 06:05:50,428
here really serves as a kind of checks and balances for subsidy and

5932
06:05:50,508 --> 06:05:53,748
how those federal dollars are, are, um, implemented.

5933
06:05:54,188 --> 06:05:58,048
So Program Integrity is housed here, but really serves as a checks and balances of

5934
06:05:58,088 --> 06:05:59,948
some of the other programming in the office.

5935
06:06:04,888 --> 06:06:08,328
So the things that you're maybe hearing about, most recently,

5936
06:06:08,808 --> 06:06:12,708
we awarded, um, after-school grants and MO QPK

5937
06:06:12,868 --> 06:06:15,388
grants, which are preschool spots across the state.

5938
06:06:16,028 --> 06:06:19,308
So, um, I'm going to read some of this to make sure I don't miss anything.

5939
06:06:20,228 --> 06:06:23,388
Uh, a small but important part of early learning are these grants.

5940
06:06:23,468 --> 06:06:27,188
So we have three after-school grants: 21st Century Community Learning Center,

5941
06:06:27,808 --> 06:06:31,168
School Age Community, and Missouri Comprehensive Afterschool Learning.

5942
06:06:31,808 --> 06:06:35,448
The data from these grants shows improvement for our students that participate in

5943
06:06:35,508 --> 06:06:38,958
reading and math, and definitely an increase in engagement.

5944
06:06:39,068 --> 06:06:42,928
Over 90% of the students that participate in those after-school grant programs

5945
06:06:42,968 --> 06:06:44,928
are reported to have increased engagement at

5946
06:06:44,948 --> 06:06:48,848
school. Having those after-school opportunities

5947
06:06:48,908 --> 06:06:52,748
really are, um, helpful, safe, enriching activities for children

5948
06:06:52,808 --> 06:06:55,468
whose parents are still working and need that before or after-school

5949
06:06:55,568 --> 06:06:59,532
care. Um- The graph really is

5950
06:06:59,592 --> 06:07:02,112
about the Missouri Quality Pre-K grant.

5951
06:07:02,452 --> 06:07:05,912
So this year, there was an $11 million less

5952
06:07:05,952 --> 06:07:09,672
appropriation to MO QPK for childcare centers and

5953
06:07:09,912 --> 06:07:12,612
20 million less for school districts or LEAs.

5954
06:07:13,172 --> 06:07:15,952
Plus, an additional $6 million was restricted.

5955
06:07:16,452 --> 06:07:20,412
So as you can see, this has resulted in fewer grants being awarded,

5956
06:07:20,492 --> 06:07:24,352
which then in turn reduces the total number of preschool spots available,

5957
06:07:24,832 --> 06:07:28,572
or districts and providers have to pass that cost of preschool pre-K

5958
06:07:28,652 --> 06:07:31,232
spots onto parents or their providers.

5959
06:07:33,592 --> 06:07:36,172
From 2023 to '24 to

5960
06:07:36,332 --> 06:07:39,952
2025-26, MO QPK grew from

5961
06:07:40,172 --> 06:07:43,762
2,500 spots up to just under 7,000 spots.

5962
06:07:44,292 --> 06:07:47,972
And then for this current school year, we're awarding right at 5,000 spots.

5963
06:07:48,312 --> 06:07:51,652
So you can see the difference that that reduction in funding is making for this

5964
06:07:51,672 --> 06:07:52,412
coming school year.

5965
06:07:58,632 --> 06:08:02,032
The next kind of large program, again, subsidy came to us from

5966
06:08:02,092 --> 06:08:05,572
DSS. The subsidy program focuses on family

5967
06:08:05,672 --> 06:08:09,532
eligibility, provider contracts, and payment, as well as childcare

5968
06:08:09,592 --> 06:08:10,352
data system.

5969
06:08:11,232 --> 06:08:11,952
Subsidy

5970
06:08:13,252 --> 06:08:17,032
came to us from DSS, I've already said that, sorry, but DSS still houses

5971
06:08:17,112 --> 06:08:21,052
other programs that are determined by income eligibility, and this can be a

5972
06:08:21,092 --> 06:08:24,972
hurdle for us because we're trying to verify and gather data to make sure

5973
06:08:25,032 --> 06:08:25,652
that we're

5974
06:08:26,572 --> 06:08:30,412
offering subsidy to the right families and that we're reducing fraud,

5975
06:08:30,532 --> 06:08:33,792
spending the dollars efficiently and effectively, that kind of thing.

5976
06:08:37,452 --> 06:08:41,302
This program does a lot of work on determining family eligibility,

5977
06:08:41,372 --> 06:08:45,202
issuing provider contracts, and provider payments, and they do a

5978
06:08:45,212 --> 06:08:47,482
great deal of work with that data system.

5979
06:08:48,312 --> 06:08:52,092
We have a team that provides training and technical assistance and operates a

5980
06:08:52,152 --> 06:08:55,782
call center, and that work in that particular section with the data

5981
06:08:55,892 --> 06:08:57,992
system is going to continue to grow.

5982
06:08:58,072 --> 06:09:02,012
As that system is developed, things are added onto it, and then we're going

5983
06:09:02,022 --> 06:09:05,502
to try and take ownership of that and provide that maintenance and operation moving

5984
06:09:05,532 --> 06:09:09,421
forward for that system. Questions about

5985
06:09:09,451 --> 06:09:10,452
anything in subsidy?

5986
06:09:14,132 --> 06:09:18,072
So the things that you're probably hearing about, what we've been in the news

5987
06:09:18,132 --> 06:09:21,992
about recently for childcare subsidy, is about the wait list

5988
06:09:22,252 --> 06:09:25,932
and provider rates. So the wait list had to be implemented on March

5989
06:09:25,972 --> 06:09:26,892
1st of this year.

5990
06:09:29,092 --> 06:09:33,052
The table breaks down the number of children served and the total payments, as

5991
06:09:33,112 --> 06:09:36,972
well as the wait list numbers for the last half of fiscal year '26.

5992
06:09:37,892 --> 06:09:38,592
A total of

5993
06:09:38,602 --> 06:09:43,912
$174,791,000

5994
06:09:43,922 --> 06:09:47,772
was paid in childcare subsidy during the last half of fiscal year '26.

5995
06:09:50,832 --> 06:09:54,432
An additional piece of this that we're getting ready to take a look at is subsidy

5996
06:09:54,472 --> 06:09:58,042
payment rates are very complex. There are multiple factors that

5997
06:09:58,052 --> 06:10:01,812
determine how much a childcare is paid for each child that they care for.

5998
06:10:02,492 --> 06:10:06,392
The base rates for providers are determined by market rate studies

5999
06:10:06,452 --> 06:10:08,512
that our office conducts every few years.

6000
06:10:08,961 --> 06:10:12,812
The rates differ based on cost and the geographic region that the

6001
06:10:12,832 --> 06:10:13,771
provider is in.

6002
06:10:14,992 --> 06:10:18,912
The rates have fluctuated over the years, and so a hold harmless policy was

6003
06:10:18,952 --> 06:10:22,552
implemented to ensure that providers were never paid less, as their

6004
06:10:22,872 --> 06:10:26,612
market rate study indicated maybe their rates had reduced.

6005
06:10:27,932 --> 06:10:29,392
In addition to those base rates,

6006
06:10:31,092 --> 06:10:34,382
Missouri has offered rate enhancements to increase the quality and

6007
06:10:34,412 --> 06:10:38,142
availability of providers. So we're trying to increase the number of

6008
06:10:38,252 --> 06:10:41,672
spots for children who receive subsidy, and we're trying to incentivize

6009
06:10:41,712 --> 06:10:45,702
providers increasing their quality and the services that they offer through

6010
06:10:45,752 --> 06:10:49,692
these rate enhancements. But as you can see, the cost over time

6011
06:10:49,732 --> 06:10:53,512
to operate this program has increased, and then that in turn limits the number of

6012
06:10:53,552 --> 06:10:55,532
children that can be served with the subsidy.

6013
06:10:59,032 --> 06:11:01,332
One of the tasks that our office has been

6014
06:11:02,332 --> 06:11:05,752
working on is trying to make sure that we're serving as many children as

6015
06:11:05,772 --> 06:11:08,492
possible while also being fair to providers.

6016
06:11:08,952 --> 06:11:09,232
So,

6017
06:11:11,592 --> 06:11:14,312
we explored paying on enrollment versus attendance.

6018
06:11:14,491 --> 06:11:17,052
A lot of providers ask for that. It helps them

6019
06:11:18,212 --> 06:11:22,172
have a better... They can depend on what kind of income's coming versus paying on

6020
06:11:22,212 --> 06:11:25,872
attendance. We did that with a beta group of children, and it was

6021
06:11:25,992 --> 06:11:28,612
much more cost prohibitive than what we had expected.

6022
06:11:29,012 --> 06:11:32,672
So we have returned back to paying on attendance versus enrollment.

6023
06:11:33,152 --> 06:11:36,562
Another thing that providers have asked us to look at is the number of

6024
06:11:36,562 --> 06:11:39,772
allowable absences that they can bill us

6025
06:11:39,812 --> 06:11:43,792
for. But again, all of those decisions, while they may help providers,

6026
06:11:43,812 --> 06:11:46,492
they impact the number of children that we can serve.

6027
06:11:46,592 --> 06:11:49,612
And so that's something that our office is always kind of trying to take into

6028
06:11:49,632 --> 06:11:53,592
consideration when we make those decisions about rates and enhancements

6029
06:11:53,652 --> 06:11:55,492
and how many kids we can serve.

6030
06:11:57,512 --> 06:12:01,482
In fiscal year '27, House Bill 2 introduced language that

6031
06:12:01,532 --> 06:12:04,881
directs us to form a stakeholder group to look directly at

6032
06:12:05,472 --> 06:12:09,252
rate enhancements and provide some feedback for the general assembly about

6033
06:12:09,632 --> 06:12:13,451
our rate enhancements. So we are working right now with the governor's office

6034
06:12:13,552 --> 06:12:17,432
on that stakeholder group. We actually have our kickoff meeting tomorrow, and

6035
06:12:17,452 --> 06:12:20,652
we'll have those recommendations ready for the governor's office and the general

6036
06:12:20,732 --> 06:12:22,212
assembly by November 1st.

6037
06:12:26,052 --> 06:12:29,872
The last kind of larger program or section in our office is

6038
06:12:29,892 --> 06:12:32,232
childcare compliance and regulations.

6039
06:12:32,622 --> 06:12:36,572
And again, this table just kind of shows the different sections and the things

6040
06:12:36,632 --> 06:12:39,612
that compliance and regulations teams looks at.

6041
06:12:40,892 --> 06:12:43,881
This program came from Department of Health and Senior Services.

6042
06:12:44,312 --> 06:12:47,712
DHSS still regulates medical care and facilities

6043
06:12:48,192 --> 06:12:51,802
through safety and health standards, which is primarily what our compliance and

6044
06:12:51,872 --> 06:12:55,402
regulations are about. They also work closely with the other

6045
06:12:55,432 --> 06:12:58,381
programs in our office to support our mission of increasing

6046
06:12:58,412 --> 06:13:02,132
accessibility to high-quality programs in

6047
06:13:02,172 --> 06:13:05,452
early childhood education. They work on licensing new

6048
06:13:05,532 --> 06:13:08,892
providers, they do compliance inspections for licensed

6049
06:13:08,932 --> 06:13:12,052
providers, and they do complaint investigations.

6050
06:13:12,172 --> 06:13:15,952
So as anyone can call in or file a complaint about a

6051
06:13:15,992 --> 06:13:19,872
provider, and so our investigators go out and take a look at that and determine

6052
06:13:20,912 --> 06:13:23,392
if corrective action needs to be taken or that kind of thing.

6053
06:13:24,500 --> 06:13:28,240
This team also reviews the background screenings of childcare workers.

6054
06:13:28,780 --> 06:13:31,940
So we recently stopped paying for background screenings to help reduce

6055
06:13:32,000 --> 06:13:35,740
expenditures, and because that code had gotten out there, I think there was a lot

6056
06:13:35,780 --> 06:13:39,430
of extra screening happening that wasn't coming back to

6057
06:13:40,040 --> 06:13:42,220
increase our workforce in childcare.

6058
06:13:42,260 --> 06:13:45,440
So we stopped paying for that, but this team still reviews that and

6059
06:13:45,480 --> 06:13:49,340
determines if those people are eligible to work in our childcare

6060
06:13:49,620 --> 06:13:50,210
facilities.

6061
06:13:55,740 --> 06:13:59,150
The big project right now, their big news in compliance and

6062
06:13:59,220 --> 06:14:02,180
regulations is Executive Order 2515.

6063
06:14:02,580 --> 06:14:06,560
The order directed DESE and the Office of Childhood to review and revise

6064
06:14:06,640 --> 06:14:08,660
Missouri's childcare licensing rules.

6065
06:14:09,120 --> 06:14:13,080
The order's goal was to reduce the rules by at least 10%

6066
06:14:13,300 --> 06:14:17,200
and make licensing more practical and accessible so that we can, in turn, expand

6067
06:14:17,220 --> 06:14:19,980
the availability of licensed childcare across the state.

6068
06:14:20,860 --> 06:14:24,400
The regulations and compliance team has been working to complete that executive

6069
06:14:24,500 --> 06:14:25,640
order, and they're getting there.

6070
06:14:25,760 --> 06:14:29,020
So very soon, they're going to be ready to come talk to you about the new rules

6071
06:14:29,660 --> 06:14:32,040
and all of the rules that they want to rescind.

6072
06:14:32,920 --> 06:14:36,780
To date, right now, they have already reduced by more than 10%, so

6073
06:14:36,840 --> 06:14:40,460
we feel very good about the new sets of rules that they'll be bringing to you.

6074
06:14:41,160 --> 06:14:44,520
They're going to rescind all of the existing licensing rules.

6075
06:14:44,580 --> 06:14:48,280
There are currently two sets of rules, one for childcare centers and group

6076
06:14:48,340 --> 06:14:50,680
homes, and one for family childcare homes.

6077
06:14:51,100 --> 06:14:54,400
So the new sets of rules that they're going to bring to you are, again, two sets of

6078
06:14:54,460 --> 06:14:56,850
rules. But one is going to be all of the

6079
06:14:57,680 --> 06:15:01,480
family childcare homes and centers, and then the second one is going to be about

6080
06:15:01,490 --> 06:15:04,860
school-age childcare, so for before and after-school programming.

6081
06:15:05,100 --> 06:15:08,640
They think that it's much more readable, going to be much easier to

6082
06:15:08,680 --> 06:15:11,150
navigate for people who are working to get licensed.

6083
06:15:13,540 --> 06:15:17,020
Additionally, this initiative has recently become part of the

6084
06:15:17,040 --> 06:15:20,920
Governor's MO Great Initiative, trying to streamline processes and cut

6085
06:15:20,960 --> 06:15:24,760
out red tape for people. So, we recently submitted a report

6086
06:15:24,800 --> 06:15:26,720
about this work to MO Great as well.

6087
06:15:30,020 --> 06:15:33,700
So, that is a very brief overview. Tried to highlight just the high

6088
06:15:33,760 --> 06:15:35,700
points, things that you might be hearing about.

6089
06:15:36,420 --> 06:15:39,240
Thank you for the opportunity to share with you today.

6090
06:15:39,960 --> 06:15:42,860
I am happy to try to answer questions, or if there's something you want

6091
06:15:42,900 --> 06:15:46,620
more information about, I'm happy to

6092
06:15:46,820 --> 06:15:49,320
gather that and get back with you.

6093
06:15:50,500 --> 06:15:51,740
All right. Go ahead, John.

6094
06:15:52,520 --> 06:15:53,360
I just had a quick question.

6095
06:15:53,420 --> 06:15:53,430
Yep.

6096
06:15:53,430 --> 06:15:55,780
If you could go back to slide number five.

6097
06:15:58,540 --> 06:16:00,920
I'm looking at the year-over-year

6098
06:16:02,920 --> 06:16:06,480
pre-K spots requested and then pre-K spots

6099
06:16:06,740 --> 06:16:07,160
funded.

6100
06:16:08,340 --> 06:16:12,120
It looks like for this year coming up, not even

6101
06:16:12,180 --> 06:16:14,920
half of the spots were funded.

6102
06:16:16,700 --> 06:16:20,410
Does funding come from somewhere else, or do

6103
06:16:20,480 --> 06:16:22,340
those kids just not get to go to daycare?

6104
06:16:22,480 --> 06:16:22,949
It depends.

6105
06:16:23,880 --> 06:16:27,760
So this is about preschool, specifically pre-K, so the four-year-olds

6106
06:16:27,840 --> 06:16:29,540
right before kindergarten entry.

6107
06:16:30,080 --> 06:16:33,800
So the LEAs that are requesting it, some of them are going to fund it if their

6108
06:16:33,840 --> 06:16:37,580
budget allows, but lots of them are going to not have that option.

6109
06:16:37,600 --> 06:16:41,330
And so those spots won't be offered through those school districts for many of

6110
06:16:41,360 --> 06:16:45,200
them. The childcare providers will likely still

6111
06:16:45,280 --> 06:16:48,120
offer those spots, but that cost will go back to the parent.

6112
06:16:48,200 --> 06:16:50,199
They'll have to pay for that slot.

6113
06:16:50,960 --> 06:16:52,360
And then if the

6114
06:16:54,960 --> 06:16:58,820
LEA doesn't have the funds to offer that spot, then

6115
06:16:58,860 --> 06:17:02,810
those kids or parents would then have to go to the

6116
06:17:02,820 --> 06:17:03,510
childcare centers?

6117
06:17:03,550 --> 06:17:07,420
They would have to find another option for preschool, or unfortunately, their kiddo

6118
06:17:07,480 --> 06:17:08,620
wouldn't have preschool.

6119
06:17:09,200 --> 06:17:12,840
Okay. And just for going back to our budget,

6120
06:17:13,360 --> 06:17:15,260
this fund comes out of our

6121
06:17:16,160 --> 06:17:18,000
budget, or is this a grant from somewhere else?

6122
06:17:18,420 --> 06:17:18,970
I need Kyle to-

6123
06:17:19,000 --> 06:17:19,540
It's our budget.

6124
06:17:20,460 --> 06:17:20,600
All right.

6125
06:17:20,680 --> 06:17:23,840
I think I know the answer, but I don't want to speak incorrectly.

6126
06:17:30,600 --> 06:17:34,340
These lines, Kyle Kruse, deputy commissioner of financial administrative services.

6127
06:17:34,400 --> 06:17:38,000
These lines are in our budget, and our budget request was

6128
06:17:38,260 --> 06:17:40,740
reduced during the legislative process, and

6129
06:17:42,139 --> 06:17:45,800
a resulting impact is the fewer

6130
06:17:45,860 --> 06:17:49,240
spots being funded, both for LEAs and at childcare providers.

6131
06:17:50,220 --> 06:17:50,600
Okay.

6132
06:17:51,660 --> 06:17:55,540
We should put a pin in this

6133
06:17:56,020 --> 06:17:59,960
when we talk about our budget for when we have our special budget

6134
06:17:59,980 --> 06:18:03,760
meeting. Because to me, this is the foundation stuff that we always talk

6135
06:18:03,820 --> 06:18:07,760
about. It's scientifically proven that pre-K helps

6136
06:18:07,800 --> 06:18:08,250
kids do better.

6137
06:18:08,340 --> 06:18:08,860
Absolutely.

6138
06:18:08,940 --> 06:18:10,120
If we're cutting funding, it's-

6139
06:18:11,220 --> 06:18:11,450
May I-

6140
06:18:11,450 --> 06:18:12,880
... shooting ourselves in the foot, it seems like.

6141
06:18:13,480 --> 06:18:17,130
And definitely adding onto that discussion,

6142
06:18:17,560 --> 06:18:21,210
Kyle, mentioning that we no longer will be paying on

6143
06:18:21,220 --> 06:18:24,980
enrollment. We're going back to paying on attendance.

6144
06:18:25,760 --> 06:18:26,660
For childcare spots.

6145
06:18:27,080 --> 06:18:29,320
If I could expand a moment on that situation.

6146
06:18:30,300 --> 06:18:30,310
Yeah.

6147
06:18:30,340 --> 06:18:33,940
Historically, childcare subsidies have been paid on attendance, and that

6148
06:18:34,120 --> 06:18:37,700
is when the kid's in attendance and for up to five

6149
06:18:37,860 --> 06:18:41,840
absences per month, the childcare provider could bill and receive payment.

6150
06:18:42,940 --> 06:18:43,720
There was an effort,

6151
06:18:45,620 --> 06:18:46,880
the federal government

6152
06:18:47,920 --> 06:18:51,560
basically instructed states to move towards paying on enrollment, which

6153
06:18:51,680 --> 06:18:55,640
is paying for all the days of a month for a kid to be

6154
06:18:55,700 --> 06:18:59,240
there, and there were minimal requirements for students to actually be in

6155
06:18:59,900 --> 06:19:01,360
the room. But,

6156
06:19:02,560 --> 06:19:06,280
with the change of the administration, the pay-on-enrollment push

6157
06:19:06,290 --> 06:19:10,060
has been rescinded, so it's no longer really a

6158
06:19:10,100 --> 06:19:13,460
push of the federal government. There had also been a move to

6159
06:19:13,520 --> 06:19:15,280
pay on

6160
06:19:16,840 --> 06:19:20,120
prospective pay, pay at the beginning of the month instead of the end of the month,

6161
06:19:20,140 --> 06:19:23,920
and that's also been taken back. So through the legislative process

6162
06:19:23,980 --> 06:19:24,380
this year-

6163
06:19:25,232 --> 06:19:26,872
The Missouri legislature actually

6164
06:19:27,952 --> 06:19:30,972
has essentially stated, "We're going to stay with pay on attendance."

6165
06:19:31,912 --> 06:19:35,672
If funds are available, DESE may have some leeway to

6166
06:19:35,692 --> 06:19:39,512
move from paying for a maximum of five absences per child per month

6167
06:19:39,712 --> 06:19:43,392
to six or seven, up to 10. However, there are budgetary

6168
06:19:43,452 --> 06:19:46,732
constraints on what is actually possible.

6169
06:19:46,852 --> 06:19:50,672
So we are working very hard to stay within the, I think

6170
06:19:50,712 --> 06:19:54,372
it's a total $343 million budget for these childcare subsidy

6171
06:19:54,472 --> 06:19:54,832
payments.

6172
06:19:55,642 --> 06:19:59,442
And when you serve more kids, there's only so many ways to get

6173
06:19:59,492 --> 06:20:03,432
that paid for. You either have to reduce rates, or make some changes

6174
06:20:03,472 --> 06:20:07,232
to enhancements, or some changes to other parts of the

6175
06:20:07,272 --> 06:20:08,512
program. And I think

6176
06:20:09,472 --> 06:20:12,952
what Jocelyn referenced also was the budget language has

6177
06:20:12,992 --> 06:20:16,872
instructed them to create a group to study rate

6178
06:20:16,912 --> 06:20:20,642
enhancements and see what is the appropriate level, and report to the

6179
06:20:20,712 --> 06:20:21,032
governor.

6180
06:20:22,352 --> 06:20:23,132
Commissioner Priest.

6181
06:20:23,192 --> 06:20:27,172
That's actually just what I was going to point out, is that that group that

6182
06:20:27,212 --> 06:20:30,572
Jocelyn is working with, they've been charged with, "You have this pot of money,

6183
06:20:31,472 --> 06:20:34,932
make it go as far as you can." And so that's what they're going to be doing is

6184
06:20:35,232 --> 06:20:39,152
really examining the rate enhancements that are given to providers to try to get

6185
06:20:39,172 --> 06:20:41,812
more children off that wait list and being served. So...

6186
06:20:43,072 --> 06:20:43,351
Thank you.

6187
06:20:43,422 --> 06:20:43,832
Mm-hmm.

6188
06:20:44,312 --> 06:20:47,872
And while timing is everything, the output of that is not

6189
06:20:48,012 --> 06:20:51,952
yet... The budget amount is

6190
06:20:51,992 --> 06:20:54,412
what the budget amount is within our current budget.

6191
06:20:54,472 --> 06:20:57,742
We have asked for additional

6192
06:21:00,252 --> 06:21:03,012
budget for childcare, if I look back.

6193
06:21:03,532 --> 06:21:07,432
We'll not go into that, but I guess the importance of that

6194
06:21:07,492 --> 06:21:11,232
exercise and how it plays into what we ask for in the budget.

6195
06:21:11,892 --> 06:21:15,572
If you could look at that very closely to see if there's anything else we need to

6196
06:21:15,592 --> 06:21:16,892
address based on that review.

6197
06:21:16,972 --> 06:21:18,092
We'll be watching very closely.

6198
06:21:18,132 --> 06:21:18,252
Yeah.

6199
06:21:18,272 --> 06:21:18,492
Yes.

6200
06:21:20,272 --> 06:21:22,112
Is that all state general revenue money?

6201
06:21:23,452 --> 06:21:27,432
I believe this one is. The childcare subsidy is not

6202
06:21:27,552 --> 06:21:30,952
entirely state general revenue. I would need to go double-check this one.

6203
06:21:31,012 --> 06:21:33,372
But I believe it's all or mostly GR.

6204
06:21:34,192 --> 06:21:36,071
You mean MO QPK is mostly GR?

6205
06:21:36,432 --> 06:21:36,712
Yes.

6206
06:21:37,081 --> 06:21:40,312
Yes. The childcare subsidy is substantially federal.

6207
06:21:40,392 --> 06:21:40,402
Correct.

6208
06:21:40,492 --> 06:21:42,092
There is some state match as well.

6209
06:21:43,772 --> 06:21:44,532
Mr. Petusek.

6210
06:21:46,692 --> 06:21:46,972
So,

6211
06:21:48,632 --> 06:21:48,652
I

6212
06:21:49,812 --> 06:21:53,472
know a school district that has a

6213
06:21:53,512 --> 06:21:57,312
half-day pre-K program, and there's 40, 50,

6214
06:21:57,552 --> 06:21:59,452
60 students in it, and it's relatively small.

6215
06:22:00,552 --> 06:22:04,052
There's a wait list, I think, to get in it, and it's not a full-day thing.

6216
06:22:05,452 --> 06:22:07,232
And I think the rate is

6217
06:22:08,092 --> 06:22:11,012
not a market rate, right? So it's whatever,

6218
06:22:11,972 --> 06:22:13,852
let's say it's 500 bucks a month or something.

6219
06:22:13,892 --> 06:22:14,831
District can set...

6220
06:22:15,672 --> 06:22:18,752
And there are lots of different ways that districts can pay for their preschool

6221
06:22:18,852 --> 06:22:22,581
program. So for example, the district that I was at, we used Title I funds,

6222
06:22:23,112 --> 06:22:26,052
and we had a half-day program. We didn't charge.

6223
06:22:26,172 --> 06:22:29,272
I know there are other districts that'll put them on a sliding scale, so they'll

6224
06:22:29,332 --> 06:22:33,152
set a daily tuition rate, and they'll charge the parents based on that sliding

6225
06:22:33,252 --> 06:22:37,032
scale and their income. And then there are some that are able to offer

6226
06:22:37,092 --> 06:22:40,652
it free of charge. And that, I think, that's the intent of MO

6227
06:22:40,772 --> 06:22:43,382
QPK is trying to increase the number of full-day spots.

6228
06:22:43,402 --> 06:22:45,832
That's a lot of the feedback that we receive.

6229
06:22:45,892 --> 06:22:48,292
Those half-day spots are hard for parents to navigate.

6230
06:22:49,592 --> 06:22:53,112
So trying to increase the availability of pre-K, but also a full-day

6231
06:22:53,172 --> 06:22:54,892
spot and fund it.

6232
06:22:55,672 --> 06:22:57,252
Schools can also actually

6233
06:22:58,372 --> 06:23:02,182
turn in some pre-K attendance for formula dollars, and

6234
06:23:02,252 --> 06:23:04,292
that is, they're allowed to

6235
06:23:05,332 --> 06:23:09,312
claim for formula dollars up to 8% in

6236
06:23:09,392 --> 06:23:12,892
number of their free reduced lunch population as pre-K students.

6237
06:23:12,992 --> 06:23:15,352
So there is some formula money available.

6238
06:23:15,492 --> 06:23:19,201
But as Jocelyn said, it's a mixture of ways in which districts

6239
06:23:19,672 --> 06:23:20,432
fund pre-K.

6240
06:23:22,272 --> 06:23:22,592
So

6241
06:23:23,612 --> 06:23:24,152
if the

6242
06:23:25,432 --> 06:23:29,272
rate in a school district for whatever their pre-K

6243
06:23:29,282 --> 06:23:32,592
program is, is say, $500 a month, right?

6244
06:23:32,632 --> 06:23:36,452
I'm just making numbers up. Is that 500 paid from

6245
06:23:36,472 --> 06:23:40,452
this? Or do the parents pay that 500, and this makes up

6246
06:23:40,492 --> 06:23:42,872
the difference to the district for what it actually costs?

6247
06:23:44,192 --> 06:23:48,172
If they receive this grant, they're probably using it to make up the difference

6248
06:23:48,212 --> 06:23:48,822
of what that cost-

6249
06:23:48,852 --> 06:23:49,752
To make up the difference.

6250
06:23:49,782 --> 06:23:49,782
Mm-hmm.

6251
06:23:49,972 --> 06:23:53,612
So if it's going to an LEA that has a half-day or whatever their pre-K program

6252
06:23:53,672 --> 06:23:57,232
looks like, this is making up the difference between what they're charging and what

6253
06:23:57,292 --> 06:23:59,172
it actually costs. Okay. Thank you.

6254
06:23:59,592 --> 06:24:00,182
This grant

6255
06:24:01,552 --> 06:24:03,492
is separate from childcare subsidy.

6256
06:24:04,532 --> 06:24:08,432
So the subsidy is going to pay... That's birth through school age

6257
06:24:08,732 --> 06:24:12,712
and beyond, for after-school care that children are eligible for, and then

6258
06:24:12,792 --> 06:24:14,532
the rate is paid per kiddo.

6259
06:24:16,152 --> 06:24:19,452
The provider gets an extra rate if the child has a special need, that kind of

6260
06:24:19,492 --> 06:24:23,312
thing. But the childcare subsidy is separate from

6261
06:24:23,352 --> 06:24:24,592
the MO QPK.

6262
06:24:25,012 --> 06:24:28,732
And that is separate from the formula claiming for pre-K.

6263
06:24:29,652 --> 06:24:32,712
They're all separate pots, and they're not supposed to overlap. No double-dipping.

6264
06:24:34,132 --> 06:24:34,872
Thank you.

6265
06:24:37,292 --> 06:24:38,552
How important is pre-K?

6266
06:24:39,332 --> 06:24:40,232
It's extremely important.

6267
06:24:41,012 --> 06:24:41,242
Why?

6268
06:24:41,352 --> 06:24:41,702
You guys,

6269
06:24:42,572 --> 06:24:45,352
that's where their brains are developing. They're learning to regulate.

6270
06:24:45,432 --> 06:24:49,292
We talked a little bit earlier about behaviors and the increase

6271
06:24:49,392 --> 06:24:53,072
there. We talked about literacy, all of their

6272
06:24:53,112 --> 06:24:56,832
development, their language skills, their early literacy skills.

6273
06:24:56,972 --> 06:25:00,912
All of that's happening before they turn five, and so they need

6274
06:25:00,972 --> 06:25:03,992
lots of exposure, lots of conversation.

6275
06:25:04,042 --> 06:25:07,802
They need to be around peers that are giving them appropriate models and

6276
06:25:08,072 --> 06:25:09,052
that interaction.

6277
06:25:11,012 --> 06:25:13,212
Early childhood is so important, and

6278
06:25:14,072 --> 06:25:15,612
I don't think that we have enough of it.

6279
06:25:16,612 --> 06:25:19,472
And I don't know that that's an easy solution.

6280
06:25:20,792 --> 06:25:24,272
But coming from a school district, I know that that was crucial.

6281
06:25:24,512 --> 06:25:25,112
You could tell,

6282
06:25:26,652 --> 06:25:30,212
halfway through kindergarten, it was still obvious who had had some good

6283
06:25:30,272 --> 06:25:33,332
exposure and early childhood experiences and who had not.

6284
06:25:37,262 --> 06:25:40,882
Yeah. I wanted you to come here

6285
06:25:40,942 --> 06:25:43,742
because- ... I believe in it as well.

6286
06:25:43,822 --> 06:25:45,762
I think it's extremely important.

6287
06:25:45,832 --> 06:25:49,732
But it kind of came from a question from Mike Matusik, because he was

6288
06:25:49,782 --> 06:25:52,102
doing, on your committee,

6289
06:25:53,302 --> 06:25:54,722
the strategic plan.

6290
06:25:57,322 --> 06:26:00,822
You asked me the question, where does early childhood go,

6291
06:26:01,302 --> 06:26:03,582
and is it part of the strategic plan?

6292
06:26:04,402 --> 06:26:05,052
Remember that you asked me that?

6293
06:26:05,052 --> 06:26:05,302
Yeah.

6294
06:26:05,762 --> 06:26:06,662
I think that

6295
06:26:07,682 --> 06:26:11,582
because we've never had you in here, because we weren't really clear

6296
06:26:11,642 --> 06:26:13,782
of the relationship that existed-

6297
06:26:13,942 --> 06:26:13,972
Sure

6298
06:26:13,972 --> 06:26:17,262
... and things like that, I thought it was important for us to have you come in.

6299
06:26:18,031 --> 06:26:18,842
Put a face with a-

6300
06:26:19,182 --> 06:26:20,902
Yeah. I appreciate the opportunity.

6301
06:26:21,062 --> 06:26:21,482
I think,

6302
06:26:24,442 --> 06:26:28,362
as a state, no matter where our kiddos are, we can't mandate where

6303
06:26:28,382 --> 06:26:30,882
they're at before they are school age.

6304
06:26:31,382 --> 06:26:34,992
So, I think that's a lot of the work in our early learning division, in our office,

6305
06:26:35,062 --> 06:26:38,762
is trying to make sure that no matter where they're at, they have opportunities to

6306
06:26:38,782 --> 06:26:41,142
learn. So, we have programs that work with parents.

6307
06:26:41,182 --> 06:26:44,062
So, if they're a kiddo who's taken care of at home, that's great.

6308
06:26:44,142 --> 06:26:48,122
But how can we support that parent so they understand how to help their

6309
06:26:48,162 --> 06:26:52,062
child grow, how to make sure that their child is receiving those language and early

6310
06:26:52,142 --> 06:26:55,522
literacy skills that they need for the rest of their school career.

6311
06:26:56,462 --> 06:26:59,222
And then that's the work also with the childcare providers.

6312
06:26:59,282 --> 06:27:03,002
Our school districts recognize, I think, the importance of early learning,

6313
06:27:03,342 --> 06:27:05,201
but the funding isn't always there for them.

6314
06:27:05,402 --> 06:27:08,042
So, that's different by district, what they can afford.

6315
06:27:09,362 --> 06:27:12,662
And then learning to navigate the different funding sources that are available to

6316
06:27:12,702 --> 06:27:15,002
them is sometimes tricky for school districts.

6317
06:27:15,682 --> 06:27:19,252
And then our childcare providers, when we're thinking about regulation,

6318
06:27:19,322 --> 06:27:22,692
licensing, that's the minimum standard of health and

6319
06:27:22,722 --> 06:27:26,512
safety. But what we really want to get at is making sure that they're offering

6320
06:27:26,512 --> 06:27:29,922
great early learning experiences, and that they're working to develop that whole

6321
06:27:29,962 --> 06:27:33,502
child, so that when they get to kindergarten, they can regulate

6322
06:27:33,542 --> 06:27:35,502
themselves. Their brains are ready to learn.

6323
06:27:35,582 --> 06:27:39,482
They have some of those early experiences to connect new learning to when

6324
06:27:39,502 --> 06:27:40,022
they get there.

6325
06:27:44,042 --> 06:27:45,042
Well, thank you for your presentation.

6326
06:27:45,082 --> 06:27:45,701
Yep. Thank you.

6327
06:27:45,742 --> 06:27:46,662
Very much appreciate it.

6328
06:27:47,302 --> 06:27:47,702
Thank you.

6329
06:27:55,342 --> 06:27:58,542
Up next, we have Lisa Sereno with regards

6330
06:27:58,602 --> 06:28:00,392
to school safety.

6331
06:28:21,802 --> 06:28:25,042
All right. We're going to give you

6332
06:28:25,642 --> 06:28:29,482
control. Okay. Thank you. Again, Lisa Sereno,

6333
06:28:29,722 --> 06:28:31,962
Deputy Commissioner for Learning Services.

6334
06:28:33,182 --> 06:28:36,502
I would like to just give you a brief

6335
06:28:36,622 --> 06:28:39,922
introduction for our presentation here

6336
06:28:40,522 --> 06:28:43,551
this afternoon regarding unsafe schools, and the

6337
06:28:43,682 --> 06:28:46,952
definition, or school safety and the definition of persistently

6338
06:28:47,042 --> 06:28:50,742
dangerous schools. I would like to thank the

6339
06:28:50,762 --> 06:28:54,672
board, in particular Member Matusik, for

6340
06:28:55,702 --> 06:28:57,822
raising this to our attention.

6341
06:28:59,042 --> 06:29:02,662
School safety, as we all are aware, is so important,

6342
06:29:03,242 --> 06:29:06,562
and that safe and healthy environment, so that

6343
06:29:06,662 --> 06:29:07,282
students

6344
06:29:08,862 --> 06:29:12,042
can learn and teachers can teach.

6345
06:29:12,562 --> 06:29:16,022
There are a number of provisions,

6346
06:29:16,222 --> 06:29:16,822
laws,

6347
06:29:17,682 --> 06:29:21,211
policies that cover school safety in

6348
06:29:21,242 --> 06:29:23,062
Missouri and around the country.

6349
06:29:24,162 --> 06:29:28,142
Today, our presentation is going to focus on some requirements in

6350
06:29:28,242 --> 06:29:32,222
federal law and how we interpret them here in Missouri.

6351
06:29:33,032 --> 06:29:33,282
So,

6352
06:29:34,302 --> 06:29:38,042
just to give you a little bit of background before I introduce our

6353
06:29:38,102 --> 06:29:39,002
guest speakers.

6354
06:29:40,102 --> 06:29:42,461
I just want to give a little framing.

6355
06:29:43,512 --> 06:29:47,302
We're here to talk about what's called the Unsafe School

6356
06:29:48,262 --> 06:29:51,642
Choice Option. It's a provision in federal

6357
06:29:51,762 --> 06:29:55,642
law. The No Child Left Behind Act

6358
06:29:55,782 --> 06:29:58,932
in 2002 first

6359
06:29:59,242 --> 06:30:03,102
required states to define persistently dangerous

6360
06:30:03,162 --> 06:30:06,002
schools. So, that's been around for a while.

6361
06:30:07,162 --> 06:30:10,502
And then the Every Student Succeeds Act in

6362
06:30:10,722 --> 06:30:14,022
2015 added some requirements onto

6363
06:30:15,002 --> 06:30:18,462
that to provide options for

6364
06:30:18,582 --> 06:30:22,202
students who either were a victim of violence in

6365
06:30:22,342 --> 06:30:26,242
school or who attended schools

6366
06:30:26,282 --> 06:30:27,442
that had been

6367
06:30:29,362 --> 06:30:33,182
designated as persistently dangerous, to give them an

6368
06:30:33,282 --> 06:30:36,582
option to attend another safe school.

6369
06:30:39,842 --> 06:30:43,762
The federal law leaves the definition of

6370
06:30:43,782 --> 06:30:46,182
what's persistently dangerous up to the states,

6371
06:30:47,542 --> 06:30:50,772
and each state defines it a little bit

6372
06:30:50,802 --> 06:30:54,662
differently. Not very many states actually

6373
06:30:54,722 --> 06:30:58,362
have definitions that result in designating persistently

6374
06:30:58,442 --> 06:31:02,202
dangerous schools. So, that's what we're going to hear a little

6375
06:31:02,302 --> 06:31:03,862
bit about today.

6376
06:31:06,282 --> 06:31:06,942
Also,

6377
06:31:08,902 --> 06:31:09,282
over

6378
06:31:10,782 --> 06:31:14,592
the years since these federal provisions came into

6379
06:31:14,662 --> 06:31:18,122
effect, our colleagues at the US Department of Education

6380
06:31:18,522 --> 06:31:22,202
have periodically reminded us of our responsibility as

6381
06:31:22,342 --> 06:31:26,322
states. And we did receive, last year from

6382
06:31:26,402 --> 06:31:30,162
the US Department of Education, that reminder that,

6383
06:31:30,292 --> 06:31:33,942
"Remember, periodically, take a look at this definition.

6384
06:31:34,042 --> 06:31:35,302
Take a look at the data."

6385
06:31:36,258 --> 06:31:40,238
All with an eye toward making sure that our students are safe in

6386
06:31:40,258 --> 06:31:43,248
schools. So, with that little bit of

6387
06:31:43,298 --> 06:31:47,158
preamble, and thank you for your patience with that,

6388
06:31:47,578 --> 06:31:50,838
I'd like to introduce Corey Codell and Rhiannon Lee.

6389
06:31:52,078 --> 06:31:55,998
And they're here to just give us some background, talk about the

6390
06:31:56,018 --> 06:31:59,998
data that are available, and some thoughts on that definition of

6391
06:32:00,058 --> 06:32:01,838
persistently dangerous schools.

6392
06:32:03,638 --> 06:32:07,518
Thanks, Lisa. Hi, everyone. Some familiar faces, some folks I haven't met yet.

6393
06:32:07,698 --> 06:32:07,777
It's

6394
06:32:08,598 --> 06:32:09,118
nice to be here.

6395
06:32:09,958 --> 06:32:13,378
I'm Corey Codell. I'm the Education Policy Director at the Show-Me Institute.

6396
06:32:13,458 --> 06:32:15,218
I'm also a professor at the University of Missouri.

6397
06:32:16,038 --> 06:32:18,098
Lisa did a nice job covering

6398
06:32:19,278 --> 06:32:22,138
some of the basics, so I can maybe go a little faster over some of this stuff.

6399
06:32:22,158 --> 06:32:25,878
But the Unsafe School Choice Option is a provision of federal law.

6400
06:32:25,938 --> 06:32:29,778
It requires each state to establish and implement a policy to ensure students

6401
06:32:30,138 --> 06:32:33,098
who attend persistently dangerous schools have an alternative option.

6402
06:32:33,138 --> 06:32:36,878
So, the goal is to not trap kids in schools that are

6403
06:32:36,918 --> 06:32:39,198
dangerous, which seems like a very reasonable goal.

6404
06:32:41,398 --> 06:32:43,598
Do you guys have handouts for me? Did that happen, Stacy?

6405
06:32:44,858 --> 06:32:46,738
Stacy's looking at me like I'm crazy for asking her.

6406
06:32:47,218 --> 06:32:47,418
Did-

6407
06:32:47,898 --> 06:32:50,378
I included some handouts that should've been in your packet.

6408
06:32:50,438 --> 06:32:51,838
You shouldn't be able to read this slide.

6409
06:32:52,558 --> 06:32:54,497
I see you guys flipping, but maybe...

6410
06:32:55,358 --> 06:32:58,778
If we didn't, we will take care of that. I didn't get anything coming to me, so.

6411
06:32:59,138 --> 06:32:59,668
Okay. I-

6412
06:32:59,668 --> 06:33:01,218
It was in the books.

6413
06:33:01,578 --> 06:33:02,358
Okay, maybe you have it.

6414
06:33:02,458 --> 06:33:02,598
It is?

6415
06:33:04,138 --> 06:33:07,557
I apologize if you don't. I actually have copies in my car, but that's not doing us

6416
06:33:07,618 --> 06:33:08,238
much good right now.

6417
06:33:09,178 --> 06:33:09,868
Blue folder.

6418
06:33:11,318 --> 06:33:13,028
So, I did-

6419
06:33:13,478 --> 06:33:14,098
Oh, the blue-

6420
06:33:14,218 --> 06:33:15,738
Oh, this stuff's closed session stuff.

6421
06:33:15,778 --> 06:33:16,058
Yeah.

6422
06:33:16,278 --> 06:33:18,078
No, this is just letters, right?

6423
06:33:18,108 --> 06:33:18,108
No, it's not.

6424
06:33:18,158 --> 06:33:18,278
Yeah.

6425
06:33:18,658 --> 06:33:18,948
It's not.

6426
06:33:19,358 --> 06:33:20,838
Correspondence is the blue folder, so.

6427
06:33:20,858 --> 06:33:21,798
Well, this is a bust.

6428
06:33:23,378 --> 06:33:23,818
No, it's...

6429
06:33:24,758 --> 06:33:27,758
Okay, the handouts were never delivered. Okay. I have them in my car.

6430
06:33:27,818 --> 06:33:30,738
Maybe I'll go back and get them after I talk, and I can at least distribute them to

6431
06:33:30,798 --> 06:33:33,258
you. So for now, you'll have to just take my word because there's no way you can

6432
06:33:33,298 --> 06:33:37,078
read this slide. But this is the first page of the letter that

6433
06:33:37,098 --> 06:33:40,218
Lisa was referencing that the federal government sent to all the state school

6434
06:33:40,318 --> 06:33:44,178
chiefs last May. You'll have the letter by the end of the

6435
06:33:44,498 --> 06:33:48,138
day one way or another. Two main things about the letter that I want to point out

6436
06:33:48,198 --> 06:33:49,798
to you, and you're welcome to look at all of it.

6437
06:33:49,918 --> 06:33:53,767
One is, as Lisa alluded to, a big push of the letter is

6438
06:33:53,818 --> 06:33:57,578
that most states are essential--

6439
06:33:58,238 --> 06:33:59,238
Well, how do I want...

6440
06:34:00,198 --> 06:34:02,088
I'll say that they're circumventing the law by

6441
06:34:02,978 --> 06:34:06,878
setting a definition of persistently dangerous schools, which no school is

6442
06:34:06,938 --> 06:34:09,778
ever identified. And Missouri is one of those many states.

6443
06:34:09,818 --> 06:34:13,578
And so, since 2002, we have never had a

6444
06:34:13,638 --> 06:34:16,118
persistently dangerous school identified in Missouri.

6445
06:34:16,258 --> 06:34:20,138
So that doesn't hold a lot of face validity to me, and it's true of a lot of

6446
06:34:20,198 --> 06:34:22,858
states. I believe there's only five states that have actually identified a

6447
06:34:22,918 --> 06:34:26,638
persistently dangerous school. Another thing in the letter that's notable given the

6448
06:34:26,738 --> 06:34:30,178
Missouri context is it urges states to consider using

6449
06:34:30,198 --> 06:34:34,018
definitions of a persistently dangerous school based on violent incidents

6450
06:34:34,558 --> 06:34:36,878
and not responses to violent incidents.

6451
06:34:36,908 --> 06:34:40,658
So, a violent incident is an assault, bringing a weapon to

6452
06:34:40,738 --> 06:34:44,038
school, something like that. A response is a suspension or expulsion.

6453
06:34:44,098 --> 06:34:47,758
So we want to capture the incidents, not necessarily the responses.

6454
06:34:48,098 --> 06:34:50,978
And so, that's going to feed into my next slide about what Missouri's doing.

6455
06:34:51,058 --> 06:34:54,978
So, Missouri's current definition of a persistently dangerous school is a

6456
06:34:55,078 --> 06:34:57,618
"and" condition, so there's two requirements.

6457
06:34:57,738 --> 06:35:01,498
One, there must be a gun-free schools violation or act of violence each

6458
06:35:01,578 --> 06:35:05,368
year for three consecutive years, and there must be a certain number of

6459
06:35:05,418 --> 06:35:08,878
expulsions that are determined based on the size of the school, so

6460
06:35:09,338 --> 06:35:10,998
some sort of enrollment-based thresholds.

6461
06:35:11,818 --> 06:35:15,378
The fundamental issue is Missouri schools don't expel kids in any meaningful

6462
06:35:15,458 --> 06:35:19,198
numbers, and so, that's the reason that no schools are ever identified as

6463
06:35:19,218 --> 06:35:23,068
persistently dangerous. That's the piece of the rule that's never catching any

6464
06:35:23,178 --> 06:35:27,008
schools. It also goes against this best practices idea of not

6465
06:35:27,078 --> 06:35:30,198
using the policy response to count issues.

6466
06:35:30,238 --> 06:35:31,698
It's rather you want to count incidents.

6467
06:35:32,158 --> 06:35:35,178
So, the bottom line is we're not designating any persistently dangerous schools.

6468
06:35:35,238 --> 06:35:37,118
We're not alone in this, but we're not doing it.

6469
06:35:38,718 --> 06:35:41,778
This part of the presentation, what we were hoping to do, is present to you some

6470
06:35:41,818 --> 06:35:45,678
data on what kind of incidents or violent incidents are happening in schools

6471
06:35:45,718 --> 06:35:48,548
across Missouri. I've had some nice conversations with

6472
06:35:49,378 --> 06:35:52,968
the folks at DESE about this, but the data right now just don't seem reliable,

6473
06:35:53,008 --> 06:35:56,848
and we were reluctant to put the data up on the screen because hard numbers

6474
06:35:56,858 --> 06:35:59,718
gives this sense of confidence, and we didn't want to give a false sense of

6475
06:35:59,798 --> 06:36:03,278
confidence. So, there's a lot of weird inconsistencies in the data.

6476
06:36:03,358 --> 06:36:05,478
I spent a lot of time doing data analysis work.

6477
06:36:05,538 --> 06:36:08,198
I'm very used to looking at data, and I just didn't quite trust the data.

6478
06:36:08,518 --> 06:36:11,818
But I will say, there's some indicators in there that there's some schools with

6479
06:36:11,858 --> 06:36:15,778
some violence problems. So University City Senior High is an example

6480
06:36:15,798 --> 06:36:18,938
of a high school that seemed to have pretty reasonable data.

6481
06:36:19,278 --> 06:36:23,098
Over a three-year period, 51 violent incidents and 21 weapons violations.

6482
06:36:23,178 --> 06:36:25,638
That does not sound like a very safe school.

6483
06:36:25,898 --> 06:36:28,058
There's other indicators outside of the data.

6484
06:36:28,178 --> 06:36:28,378
So,

6485
06:36:29,678 --> 06:36:33,558
the St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered a petition that staff

6486
06:36:33,598 --> 06:36:37,158
and teachers at Vashon High sent to the school district about safety,

6487
06:36:37,638 --> 06:36:40,458
talking about the conditions aren't suitable for learning for the students.

6488
06:36:40,878 --> 06:36:44,038
They don't have clear policies in place, they don't have consequences for

6489
06:36:44,078 --> 06:36:46,178
behaviors, and they don't have effective building leadership.

6490
06:36:46,258 --> 06:36:50,018
So, there is concern, there's indication out there that there's some safety

6491
06:36:50,118 --> 06:36:53,778
issues. And this is where I'm going to pass the talk over to my colleague,

6492
06:36:53,838 --> 06:36:57,638
Rhiannon Lee, here. And she has worked as an advocate in Columbia for

6493
06:36:57,658 --> 06:37:01,578
many years, and in the absence of hard data, she's talked to a lot of people,

6494
06:37:01,638 --> 06:37:04,188
and she's going to talk to us a little bit about what she's heard on the ground,

6495
06:37:04,558 --> 06:37:06,178
and then I'll jump back in with the presentation.

6496
06:37:07,138 --> 06:37:09,738
Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for allowing me to speak.

6497
06:37:10,778 --> 06:37:14,158
Like Corey had mentioned, the data on violence in Missouri schools is not

6498
06:37:14,178 --> 06:37:18,098
reliable, so we aren't really feeling comfortable about sharing those hard

6499
06:37:18,158 --> 06:37:19,238
numbers with you right now.

6500
06:37:20,318 --> 06:37:22,858
But as an advocate in the Columbia area,

6501
06:37:23,918 --> 06:37:27,548
I have heard from families, educators, and students about incidents occurring in

6502
06:37:27,578 --> 06:37:31,548
our schools that go far beyond what should be happening or considered normal

6503
06:37:31,558 --> 06:37:34,798
for childhood behavior. For example, since approximately

6504
06:37:34,898 --> 06:37:38,718
2022, advocates in the area have encountered reports involving

6505
06:37:38,798 --> 06:37:42,638
students and staff suffering serious injuries, including

6506
06:37:42,718 --> 06:37:45,866
fractured skulls, broken jaws, broken teeth...

6507
06:37:45,886 --> 06:37:49,155
chemical burns, stab wounds from a hypodermic needle,

6508
06:37:49,526 --> 06:37:53,346
lacerations, scalp lacerations, including that needed stitches,

6509
06:37:53,866 --> 06:37:57,626
and broken ribs. I also have reported a report from a teacher in

6510
06:37:57,666 --> 06:38:01,176
Columbia who shared with me that in separate incidences, she had been choked while

6511
06:38:01,246 --> 06:38:05,226
pregnant and also had a student hold up scissors to her stomach to threaten to cut

6512
06:38:05,266 --> 06:38:08,826
out her baby. The same teacher told me that she, along with the other

6513
06:38:08,846 --> 06:38:12,686
educators she worked with, have physically intervened in at least 30 fights

6514
06:38:12,746 --> 06:38:16,706
since 2023. School safety is an important issue, and we cannot

6515
06:38:16,726 --> 06:38:19,326
expect students to learn if they are not safe.

6516
06:38:20,046 --> 06:38:21,766
Thank you for taking on this issue.

6517
06:38:23,446 --> 06:38:26,806
I should mention we're both available for Q&A if you guys have questions after.

6518
06:38:26,926 --> 06:38:27,106
So,

6519
06:38:28,306 --> 06:38:32,146
basically I'm going to go on and talk a little bit about what this body, DESE, can

6520
06:38:32,266 --> 06:38:36,236
do to address this issue. But any serious effort to do this

6521
06:38:36,266 --> 06:38:39,766
is going to require dealing with the fact that we don't have good data right now,

6522
06:38:39,866 --> 06:38:42,666
so we're going to have to have some sort of response to that to fix that

6523
06:38:42,726 --> 06:38:46,606
fundamental problem. If we can get some data that we can

6524
06:38:46,646 --> 06:38:50,126
trust, what can we do about this? We can change the rule of how we define

6525
06:38:50,145 --> 06:38:53,606
persistently dangerous school in Missouri to protect children who are trapped in

6526
06:38:53,646 --> 06:38:56,466
these schools. A smart rule is going to be based on incidents and not school

6527
06:38:56,526 --> 06:39:00,206
responses, and it's going to take a careful approach not to over-identify

6528
06:39:00,246 --> 06:39:04,116
schools. I just want to be clear. I think right now we're erring on one side, and

6529
06:39:04,146 --> 06:39:08,006
we're not identifying any schools as dangerous, which I don't think is the right

6530
06:39:08,026 --> 06:39:11,586
place to be. There can be a knee-jerk reaction to overreact in those kind of

6531
06:39:11,606 --> 06:39:15,026
settings and maybe set too strong of a rule and cause a lot of disruption we don't

6532
06:39:15,046 --> 06:39:15,206
need to

6533
06:39:16,246 --> 06:39:16,646
cause. So,

6534
06:39:17,566 --> 06:39:18,426
we need some care with this.

6535
06:39:19,746 --> 06:39:19,926
So,

6536
06:39:21,026 --> 06:39:23,686
with the caveat that we're not legal experts, and again, it's going to be bad

6537
06:39:23,766 --> 06:39:26,956
because I was counting on a handout for you guys, but I have a handout again that

6538
06:39:27,006 --> 06:39:30,816
I'll make sure I get to you before the end of the day, with a suggestion

6539
06:39:30,846 --> 06:39:34,506
for language you could use to adjust the rule.

6540
06:39:34,616 --> 06:39:38,416
So, the language we're suggesting is that a persistently dangerous

6541
06:39:38,446 --> 06:39:42,206
school will be defined as a school that in each of two consecutive years

6542
06:39:42,306 --> 06:39:45,976
has a gun-free schools violation and has a certain number of

6543
06:39:45,976 --> 06:39:48,106
violent incidents based on enrollment.

6544
06:39:48,146 --> 06:39:51,706
And so the rule that we have in mind is two incidents per 100

6545
06:39:51,786 --> 06:39:52,196
students

6546
06:39:53,026 --> 06:39:56,946
up to a cap of 750 students. And so if you go

6547
06:39:56,986 --> 06:40:00,836
to 750 students, that would be 15 incidents, and our thinking is

6548
06:40:00,866 --> 06:40:04,616
anything over 15 incidents is just going to be a dangerous school, even if you have

6549
06:40:04,646 --> 06:40:08,206
more than 750 students. I would love for these to be

6550
06:40:08,286 --> 06:40:11,766
data-driven recommendations, but since we don't have data we can trust, they're

6551
06:40:12,186 --> 06:40:15,926
not. If nothing else, they're a starting point for you guys to think about how you

6552
06:40:15,946 --> 06:40:19,586
might want to do this. But these are the numbers that seem reasonable to us.

6553
06:40:20,926 --> 06:40:24,606
The acts of violence and violent behavior, these are terms that you have to

6554
06:40:24,646 --> 06:40:28,526
define. It turns out they're already defined in the core data in

6555
06:40:28,566 --> 06:40:32,466
MOSIS reference manual. There is another sheet in the hand-- Oh, there's another

6556
06:40:32,526 --> 06:40:35,386
sheet in a handout. Maybe the handout's going around now. Excellent. Look at that.

6557
06:40:35,786 --> 06:40:39,326
All right. On maybe the back of our recommendation, there

6558
06:40:39,506 --> 06:40:42,686
is the page out of the MOSIS reference manual where

6559
06:40:43,286 --> 06:40:47,006
violent incidents, let's see, acts of school violence and violent behavior are

6560
06:40:47,026 --> 06:40:50,526
defined. They're synonymous with unsafe school

6561
06:40:50,586 --> 06:40:53,506
violations. And so you can see the full list that's already in the manual.

6562
06:40:53,806 --> 06:40:57,586
Our idea is you would just use that list as it already exists.

6563
06:40:58,066 --> 06:41:00,386
If you look closely at that list, you will see there are some

6564
06:41:01,406 --> 06:41:04,546
transgressions on there that we could quibble about whether it's violent,

6565
06:41:04,886 --> 06:41:07,266
dealing drugs and things like this.

6566
06:41:07,646 --> 06:41:11,166
So you could use a subset of the list, and then you might change the

6567
06:41:11,426 --> 06:41:15,326
counts for the instances you'd want to use for the recommended numbers we give

6568
06:41:15,386 --> 06:41:17,126
here. But give-- Yes.

6569
06:41:17,966 --> 06:41:20,686
So I'm pulling up the statute right now, but

6570
06:41:23,386 --> 06:41:24,126
looking at it,

6571
06:41:25,766 --> 06:41:29,346
would a violent, an act of school violent or violent behavior--

6572
06:41:30,626 --> 06:41:33,806
It doesn't look like it. I don't know.

6573
06:41:35,046 --> 06:41:37,206
Would that be like your run-of-the-mill school fight?

6574
06:41:38,506 --> 06:41:38,516
So-

6575
06:41:38,546 --> 06:41:41,526
Or would it be if a fight sort of escalated to

6576
06:41:42,426 --> 06:41:46,286
something where a student was seriously injured, or a weapon was

6577
06:41:46,386 --> 06:41:46,626
used?

6578
06:41:46,666 --> 06:41:50,486
I think there's a fair

6579
06:41:50,526 --> 06:41:54,426
amount of discretion in some of these instances where-- And I'm not

6580
06:41:54,446 --> 06:41:56,666
an expert on what people at school personnel are going to do.

6581
06:41:56,766 --> 06:42:00,756
Certainly, there's some level where a fight would elevate to an assault, and

6582
06:42:00,766 --> 06:42:03,446
there's probably some level where they would decide it didn't.

6583
06:42:04,466 --> 06:42:08,146
But I do think there's going to be some discretion on an incident-by-incident basis

6584
06:42:08,226 --> 06:42:11,706
as to what school personnel are going to report.

6585
06:42:11,936 --> 06:42:14,536
This may or may not be the source of your question, Mike, but it could be feeding

6586
06:42:14,546 --> 06:42:17,586
into the question of how are we going to develop reporting guidelines that we can

6587
06:42:17,646 --> 06:42:18,166
trust.

6588
06:42:19,246 --> 06:42:22,506
There are certain thresholds where you could require reporting, for example, if the

6589
06:42:22,526 --> 06:42:26,506
police have to be called or if certain types of things happen

6590
06:42:26,546 --> 06:42:29,626
that require notifying building personnel and things like that.

6591
06:42:29,646 --> 06:42:32,966
But there is going to be a gray area in this about what a violent

6592
06:42:33,726 --> 06:42:34,336
act is. I don't know.

6593
06:42:34,386 --> 06:42:38,326
And local school boards would generally have a policy in place that says when the

6594
06:42:38,366 --> 06:42:40,206
administration is supposed to contact-

6595
06:42:41,366 --> 06:42:41,546
Enforcement

6596
06:42:41,566 --> 06:42:43,166
... yeah, law enforcement. That's

6597
06:42:44,146 --> 06:42:45,366
for the most part, or?

6598
06:42:45,446 --> 06:42:49,366
There are some statutory requirements for reporting to law

6599
06:42:49,406 --> 06:42:52,826
enforcement, and then there are also some requirements for board

6600
06:42:52,866 --> 06:42:56,166
policy around other reporting and disclosures, yeah.

6601
06:42:59,446 --> 06:43:02,326
Okay. So I want to talk a little bit about Arkansas.

6602
06:43:02,426 --> 06:43:03,166
Arkansas, and

6603
06:43:03,986 --> 06:43:06,046
I guess I'll say... Oh, are we okay?

6604
06:43:06,506 --> 06:43:10,296
Arkansas, I think, is the only state I'm aware of that

6605
06:43:10,326 --> 06:43:13,706
is implementing this with some degree of,

6606
06:43:15,106 --> 06:43:17,246
I want to say fidelity. I can't even say that much.

6607
06:43:17,286 --> 06:43:20,366
They're the only ones that are meaningfully identifying unsafe schools.

6608
06:43:21,526 --> 06:43:23,446
I'll get to some numbers in a second.

6609
06:43:23,546 --> 06:43:27,206
I'll just say them now since I'm thinking of it, but I believe in '23,

6610
06:43:27,266 --> 06:43:30,706
'24, 25 schools across the country were identified as

6611
06:43:30,726 --> 06:43:33,366
persistently dangerous. 15 of those were in Arkansas.

6612
06:43:33,966 --> 06:43:37,446
So they have a real rule. And they do things a little differently

6613
06:43:37,506 --> 06:43:41,406
than what we're suggesting, and again, it's a soft suggestion because we don't

6614
06:43:41,446 --> 06:43:44,766
have great data, but they have a narrower definition of violent incidents.

6615
06:43:45,186 --> 06:43:48,926
You could certainly take the list that you're starting with DESE, and you could

6616
06:43:48,966 --> 06:43:51,646
pare it down and kind of mimic their approach there.

6617
06:43:52,666 --> 06:43:56,586
The other thing about Arkansas, the top bullet there is some numbers

6618
06:43:56,646 --> 06:43:58,806
on there identifying persistently dangerous schools.

6619
06:43:59,850 --> 06:44:03,710
The language we provided to you follows in the language that we already had in

6620
06:44:03,750 --> 06:44:07,470
Missouri, which is a trigger to identify a persistently dangerous school.

6621
06:44:07,530 --> 06:44:09,830
If you have a certain number of things happen, you're a persistently dangerous

6622
06:44:09,910 --> 06:44:13,770
school. What Arkansas does is their criteria trigger a

6623
06:44:13,830 --> 06:44:17,590
process. So if you have a certain number of incidents that

6624
06:44:18,010 --> 06:44:21,790
are problematic, then the superintendent and local school

6625
06:44:21,850 --> 06:44:25,120
board can submit a letter to Arkansas's Department of Elementary and

6626
06:44:25,590 --> 06:44:29,410
Secondary Education. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reviews

6627
06:44:29,990 --> 06:44:33,230
that letter, talks to other LEAs, and makes some sort of decision.

6628
06:44:33,310 --> 06:44:35,700
So the events trigger a process, not

6629
06:44:35,830 --> 06:44:39,810
a hard hit. And going

6630
06:44:39,870 --> 06:44:42,730
back to the question earlier, you might have a situation, maybe there's a big brawl

6631
06:44:42,750 --> 06:44:46,670
at school and 30 kids get charged with assault, but things

6632
06:44:46,690 --> 06:44:47,790
don't usually happen that are bad.

6633
06:44:47,830 --> 06:44:51,690
Maybe that's an incident where you would have a special circumstance where a school

6634
06:44:51,730 --> 06:44:54,890
might meet the number, but not be something you'd want to designate as persistently

6635
06:44:54,950 --> 06:44:58,570
dangerous. At any rate, something like that could be done.

6636
06:44:59,190 --> 06:45:02,030
You just want to maintain a rigorous process that does not allow persistently

6637
06:45:02,070 --> 06:45:04,410
dangerous schools to continue to get a pass.

6638
06:45:04,470 --> 06:45:08,370
And that is all we prepared. There's our contact information, and we're happy to

6639
06:45:08,410 --> 06:45:09,950
take any questions if folks have them.

6640
06:45:13,110 --> 06:45:16,470
Yeah, just a couple of comments really for the board.

6641
06:45:17,970 --> 06:45:19,630
I think we all talk with people

6642
06:45:21,010 --> 06:45:24,370
about any number of issues all the time, right?

6643
06:45:24,510 --> 06:45:24,790
And

6644
06:45:25,830 --> 06:45:29,610
I know I've had a couple of conversations with Corey over the last year about a

6645
06:45:29,670 --> 06:45:30,730
number of issues, and

6646
06:45:31,670 --> 06:45:32,470
this was one that

6647
06:45:33,550 --> 06:45:36,630
really got my interest. I thought, well, here's this

6648
06:45:37,410 --> 06:45:41,390
requirement that there's never been a designation of an

6649
06:45:41,430 --> 06:45:45,310
unsafe school in Missouri and most states, right, as Corey

6650
06:45:45,370 --> 06:45:45,690
said.

6651
06:45:49,530 --> 06:45:53,490
So part of adding this to

6652
06:45:53,530 --> 06:45:57,370
the agenda was I thought it was something that the full board would be

6653
06:45:57,410 --> 06:45:59,270
interested in at least hearing about,

6654
06:46:00,190 --> 06:46:04,170
and then also show the board that we have a process now where any board

6655
06:46:04,230 --> 06:46:06,230
member can add something to the agenda, right?

6656
06:46:06,310 --> 06:46:10,189
If you're meeting with someone and you think it's an issue that the

6657
06:46:10,250 --> 06:46:11,120
board should hear about,

6658
06:46:12,230 --> 06:46:15,670
add it to the agenda, and that's kind of part of this.

6659
06:46:15,690 --> 06:46:19,680
But one of the things that Corey and I, what really got me was I think

6660
06:46:19,710 --> 06:46:21,120
our initial discussion was,

6661
06:46:22,070 --> 06:46:25,410
well, if a school has expelled 10 people,

6662
06:46:26,730 --> 06:46:28,270
is that a dangerous school, right?

6663
06:46:28,370 --> 06:46:32,060
It's more maybe the schools that have these incidences

6664
06:46:32,170 --> 06:46:35,390
that are not expelling students. And I

6665
06:46:35,430 --> 06:46:39,170
think that is what Corey and

6666
06:46:39,210 --> 06:46:41,419
Rhiannon are kind of getting at here is

6667
06:46:42,250 --> 06:46:42,770
how do we

6668
06:46:45,010 --> 06:46:48,770
find a balance there, right? And I know Corey and I were talking about these

6669
06:46:48,830 --> 06:46:51,230
numbers, and it's just a starting point, right? It's an idea.

6670
06:46:52,110 --> 06:46:55,890
It could be tweaked if it ever goes to a rulemaking or whatever that

6671
06:46:55,930 --> 06:46:59,070
process looks like. But again, I thought this was an interesting one.

6672
06:46:59,730 --> 06:47:03,610
I agree completely. If you don't have a safe

6673
06:47:04,090 --> 06:47:07,650
learning environment and you have fights or assaults or people

6674
06:47:08,090 --> 06:47:11,850
bringing weapons to school, how the hell can a student learn in an environment like

6675
06:47:12,010 --> 06:47:12,850
that? And so,

6676
06:47:14,490 --> 06:47:18,390
we know that little disruptions in the classroom, right, create a lot of

6677
06:47:18,470 --> 06:47:22,170
issues for everyone, and some of these where there is violence involved.

6678
06:47:23,250 --> 06:47:24,830
So I thought it was an interesting issue

6679
06:47:25,930 --> 06:47:29,410
that they brought up, and that's why I wanted to put it on the agenda, just so

6680
06:47:29,930 --> 06:47:33,850
people could hear it. And in my opinion, it's something we really have two

6681
06:47:33,870 --> 06:47:37,830
choices, right? We just do nothing and leave it where it's

6682
06:47:37,890 --> 06:47:41,870
at and sort of disregard or ignore what

6683
06:47:41,890 --> 06:47:43,270
the federal requirements say,

6684
06:47:44,130 --> 06:47:47,270
or we actually take a look at it and see if there's a way we can look at what other

6685
06:47:47,350 --> 06:47:49,930
states have done and address it in some meaningful way.

6686
06:47:50,010 --> 06:47:53,730
So that was really why I thought this was a good agenda item,

6687
06:47:53,770 --> 06:47:56,850
and want to thank you both for coming and presenting on this.

6688
06:47:56,910 --> 06:47:58,010
I think it's a good issue.

6689
06:47:59,870 --> 06:48:00,030
So,

6690
06:48:01,870 --> 06:48:02,390
Mrs. Case.

6691
06:48:02,830 --> 06:48:06,490
Thank you. First of all, Corey, great to see you again, and very nice to meet you,

6692
06:48:06,530 --> 06:48:07,810
and thank you for the presentation.

6693
06:48:07,870 --> 06:48:11,370
Mike, I think it's great, and thank you for driving this.

6694
06:48:11,390 --> 06:48:15,360
And it definitely just underscores, even from a budget discussion,

6695
06:48:15,470 --> 06:48:18,590
what we need to do about student behavior in the classroom.

6696
06:48:18,650 --> 06:48:22,210
While there's

6697
06:48:22,270 --> 06:48:26,110
overlapping between just general student behavior

6698
06:48:26,270 --> 06:48:29,550
and things we need to address there versus the safe

6699
06:48:30,210 --> 06:48:33,990
school initiatives and the rule that we're talking about here.

6700
06:48:34,450 --> 06:48:38,240
But it also coincides with what we mentioned earlier we're seeing in other

6701
06:48:38,370 --> 06:48:39,810
states that are addressing bullying.

6702
06:48:39,890 --> 06:48:43,470
Again, only one aspect of what's going on in schools,

6703
06:48:43,930 --> 06:48:47,770
potentially. So it is an area that's very important, and everything

6704
06:48:47,830 --> 06:48:51,290
is connected, and I'm grateful that you brought it forward.

6705
06:48:51,330 --> 06:48:52,510
Yeah.

6706
06:48:53,810 --> 06:48:54,390
Dr. Shaw.

6707
06:48:54,610 --> 06:48:56,290
Just a thought for conversation.

6708
06:48:57,350 --> 06:49:00,450
When you mentioned Arkansas and what they were doing, just from a healthcare

6709
06:49:00,530 --> 06:49:04,370
perspective, it kind of reminds me of quality and safety committees

6710
06:49:04,390 --> 06:49:07,890
and the system and organization. We talk a lot about

6711
06:49:07,950 --> 06:49:10,210
quality, and this is the safety aspect.

6712
06:49:10,310 --> 06:49:11,670
So in a hospital structure

6713
06:49:13,110 --> 06:49:14,310
that has a bigger tier,

6714
06:49:15,570 --> 06:49:19,230
you'll have a patient fall or someone have

6715
06:49:19,290 --> 06:49:21,470
a low blood sugar or a seizure,

6716
06:49:22,650 --> 06:49:24,250
name your issue or outcome,

6717
06:49:25,070 --> 06:49:25,410
and then

6718
06:49:26,310 --> 06:49:30,050
if you do it right, that event happens, you have a team either on the

6719
06:49:30,110 --> 06:49:33,990
floor or the hallway or wherever that comes together and has a huddle

6720
06:49:34,290 --> 06:49:38,210
that minute, and then later talks about it, takes it up the flag

6721
06:49:38,290 --> 06:49:40,770
pole, says, "Okay, what could we have done? How did this escalate?

6722
06:49:41,390 --> 06:49:42,900
Why did this happen?" So if it's a fight,

6723
06:49:44,710 --> 06:49:47,550
what's the deal with that kid? Behaviors previously.

6724
06:49:47,630 --> 06:49:50,810
Is it a hallway encroachment? Did the kid bring a weapon to school?

6725
06:49:50,890 --> 06:49:53,850
How could we have kept that from happening? Is it a doorway issue?

6726
06:49:54,150 --> 06:49:57,920
20,000 things, but it's just a system approach that

6727
06:49:57,950 --> 06:50:01,810
maybe it would go to legislative priorities committee or something else

6728
06:50:01,850 --> 06:50:03,450
to kind of start that conversation.

6729
06:50:04,662 --> 06:50:08,102
Yeah, absolutely. And as a parent with two kids

6730
06:50:08,162 --> 06:50:10,862
in school, school safety is-

6731
06:50:11,582 --> 06:50:11,742
Mm

6732
06:50:12,022 --> 06:50:13,862
... every day I drop my kids off at school, right?

6733
06:50:14,302 --> 06:50:16,222
I want to be sure I can pick them up in the afternoon.

6734
06:50:17,562 --> 06:50:21,162
And I'm fortunate that we were in the Platte County School District,

6735
06:50:21,922 --> 06:50:25,382
pretty safe school district. We live in Park Hill, right?

6736
06:50:25,462 --> 06:50:27,132
Probably has their share of fights, but it's

6737
06:50:28,062 --> 06:50:31,042
what, 14,000 students or something. So it's a big district.

6738
06:50:32,342 --> 06:50:34,652
You're going to expect fights and things like that, but

6739
06:50:35,522 --> 06:50:39,102
I imagine... To me, this was like

6740
06:50:39,142 --> 06:50:42,102
accreditation in a sense, and I'll tell you why.

6741
06:50:42,242 --> 06:50:43,162
So,

6742
06:50:43,202 --> 06:50:47,282
the

6743
06:50:47,342 --> 06:50:51,182
worst-performing school districts in the state are

6744
06:50:51,422 --> 06:50:53,482
unaccredited, right? Generally speaking.

6745
06:50:53,702 --> 06:50:55,482
And this is kind of the same thing, right?

6746
06:50:55,902 --> 06:50:59,862
There's going to be schools that are dangerous, and they've

6747
06:50:59,902 --> 06:51:03,402
never had that designation, and students are just stuck.

6748
06:51:04,822 --> 06:51:08,542
And maybe in Kansas City and St. Louis, it's a little

6749
06:51:08,642 --> 06:51:11,502
different because there is that charter school option already.

6750
06:51:13,302 --> 06:51:13,942
But

6751
06:51:16,122 --> 06:51:18,122
I just think this is a worthwhile issue.

6752
06:51:19,022 --> 06:51:22,062
I think it's something... It doesn't require legislative action.

6753
06:51:23,322 --> 06:51:25,562
It's something that the board could direct DESE to.

6754
06:51:25,642 --> 06:51:27,162
I'm not saying that's what we should do, but

6755
06:51:28,002 --> 06:51:31,542
for consideration and for next steps, it could be something the

6756
06:51:31,582 --> 06:51:35,402
legislative committee takes a look at, or one of the other committees,

6757
06:51:35,902 --> 06:51:39,082
to see if this is something that we want to try and clean up.

6758
06:51:39,122 --> 06:51:42,002
And what kind of a lift it is, how much does it cost?

6759
06:51:42,222 --> 06:51:44,022
How long does the rulemaking process take?

6760
06:51:44,342 --> 06:51:48,222
I just think this is something that I think

6761
06:51:48,242 --> 06:51:52,222
is worthy of our consideration. So, and I would leave it with, it'd be nice

6762
06:51:52,282 --> 06:51:53,362
to leave here with

6763
06:51:55,062 --> 06:51:59,002
not any sort of guarantee on anything, but a potential next

6764
06:51:59,062 --> 06:52:00,941
step, right? Is it the committee looking at it?

6765
06:52:01,902 --> 06:52:05,762
Or is it, maybe in a couple of months, we just kind of revisit it to see if

6766
06:52:05,782 --> 06:52:07,622
people have had time to think about it, and so...

6767
06:52:09,182 --> 06:52:13,022
Yeah, just to follow up. I think this is a good example of kind of

6768
06:52:13,062 --> 06:52:16,982
more of the administrative or quote, unquote, "boring stuff" that DESE is

6769
06:52:17,022 --> 06:52:18,222
responsible for. But,

6770
06:52:19,102 --> 06:52:22,842
no, I think 100%, this is something that the legislative committee

6771
06:52:22,962 --> 06:52:23,282
should

6772
06:52:24,162 --> 06:52:27,202
discuss and then come to the board

6773
06:52:28,182 --> 06:52:31,892
with a recommendation at one of our next meetings and say, "Hey, we looked at this,

6774
06:52:32,062 --> 06:52:33,852
we did some research, and we think this is

6775
06:52:34,682 --> 06:52:38,262
something that we should fix." And then we would just direct the

6776
06:52:38,282 --> 06:52:42,222
department to go through the regular rulemaking process, which

6777
06:52:42,282 --> 06:52:45,282
we have outlined. And that's when we

6778
06:52:46,502 --> 06:52:47,922
reviewed one today, for example.

6779
06:52:48,202 --> 06:52:51,362
I'll visit with Commissioner Priest to see if we need legislation.

6780
06:52:51,502 --> 06:52:52,142
I don't know that we-

6781
06:52:52,302 --> 06:52:52,702
No, there isn't that.

6782
06:52:52,782 --> 06:52:56,502
I don't know that we need it to enact, but I'll work with the commissioner on that.

6783
06:52:56,662 --> 06:53:00,322
Yeah. No, we don't, and I was just going to say one thing.

6784
06:53:00,362 --> 06:53:01,682
Were you finished?

6785
06:53:01,982 --> 06:53:04,962
Yeah. No, I was just saying that that's kind of what our rulemaking-

6786
06:53:04,972 --> 06:53:04,972
Yeah

6787
06:53:04,972 --> 06:53:07,862
... process that we- ... don't really talk about that much, but that's one of our

6788
06:53:07,902 --> 06:53:10,291
big duties with... Like I said, it was on our agenda earlier.

6789
06:53:10,342 --> 06:53:13,802
We reviewed one. So this would fall under that

6790
06:53:13,922 --> 06:53:14,422
umbrella.

6791
06:53:14,842 --> 06:53:15,042
So,

6792
06:53:15,962 --> 06:53:18,582
Deputy Commissioner Serino and I met with Dr.

6793
06:53:18,622 --> 06:53:21,822
Codell, actually, to talk about this a little bit, and I had a couple of big

6794
06:53:21,882 --> 06:53:23,162
takeaways. One was,

6795
06:53:24,542 --> 06:53:28,412
being able to identify as persistently dangerous, one of the problems is

6796
06:53:28,462 --> 06:53:32,452
that a lot of definitions rely on expulsion, and schools don't do that

6797
06:53:32,502 --> 06:53:36,272
anymore. So that ends up being... So talking about identifying based

6798
06:53:36,442 --> 06:53:39,862
on the incident and not the punishment, right?

6799
06:53:39,962 --> 06:53:40,482
That would be-

6800
06:53:40,582 --> 06:53:40,592
Right

6801
06:53:40,592 --> 06:53:44,342
... a good first step. I think determining, there are some

6802
06:53:44,382 --> 06:53:46,402
numbers on your page as a place to start, but

6803
06:53:47,282 --> 06:53:51,162
how much is persistently? What kind of ratio are you looking for to think

6804
06:53:51,222 --> 06:53:55,102
about that? And then the other big takeaway I had was we will work closely with

6805
06:53:55,122 --> 06:53:59,022
our LEAs on better data submission and making sure that we have clean

6806
06:53:59,042 --> 06:54:01,242
data, because we're not going to be able to do anything with this if we don't

6807
06:54:01,262 --> 06:54:04,202
really know what kinds of things are happening.

6808
06:54:04,322 --> 06:54:05,382
So that's all I would say.

6809
06:54:05,422 --> 06:54:08,822
And that's a question I had. Do we get incident

6810
06:54:08,882 --> 06:54:11,122
reports from school districts too?

6811
06:54:12,542 --> 06:54:14,562
Not individual incident reports, no.

6812
06:54:14,922 --> 06:54:17,582
Do you want to talk just a little bit about how they report?

6813
06:54:17,822 --> 06:54:17,832
Sure.

6814
06:54:18,002 --> 06:54:21,522
Right. The individual reports would be things that if they're

6815
06:54:21,562 --> 06:54:24,582
required to report to local law enforcement.

6816
06:54:24,642 --> 06:54:26,122
So that would be between the

6817
06:54:27,642 --> 06:54:31,322
LEA and local law enforcement. They're required to

6818
06:54:31,382 --> 06:54:35,002
report incidents to us in the June

6819
06:54:35,122 --> 06:54:39,002
core data submission. So we would see reports of

6820
06:54:39,062 --> 06:54:42,802
those incidents each year for the prior school

6821
06:54:42,902 --> 06:54:43,102
year,

6822
06:54:44,002 --> 06:54:46,182
and that's how we're capturing the data.

6823
06:54:46,502 --> 06:54:50,182
On that screen 32, or I think it's screen 32, but

6824
06:54:50,322 --> 06:54:53,442
on one page of that handout, that list,

6825
06:54:54,782 --> 06:54:57,262
we would capture those once a year from school districts.

6826
06:54:57,662 --> 06:54:57,862
Okay.

6827
06:54:58,182 --> 06:55:02,062
Can I interject one thing? So those are the data that are not very reliable right

6828
06:55:02,122 --> 06:55:06,042
now. So something would have to be done to work on how to

6829
06:55:06,082 --> 06:55:08,522
get the data sent in reliably to DESE.

6830
06:55:08,902 --> 06:55:09,622
And why is it

6831
06:55:10,522 --> 06:55:13,462
not? Is it just under-reporting or not reporting?

6832
06:55:13,522 --> 06:55:15,682
Or why is it not reliable?

6833
06:55:16,922 --> 06:55:20,202
So I, without speaking for Dr. Codell,

6834
06:55:20,582 --> 06:55:24,222
when I looked at the data, I just saw anomalies in the data that didn't make sense.

6835
06:55:25,902 --> 06:55:29,062
In a few places, I think the same things that you saw.

6836
06:55:29,262 --> 06:55:32,882
So an extreme example, you see schools that have five violent

6837
06:55:32,922 --> 06:55:36,022
incidents one year and 186 the next year.

6838
06:55:36,502 --> 06:55:40,332
I think there's a lot of data elements DESE collects from all these LEAs.

6839
06:55:40,342 --> 06:55:43,502
They're all, it's individual people at each LEA

6840
06:55:43,942 --> 06:55:47,722
submitting this information, and I think it's a data element that we

6841
06:55:47,802 --> 06:55:51,522
haven't paid much attention to. And so I think data elements like that in DESE's

6842
06:55:51,562 --> 06:55:55,382
system, folks at DESE can probably communicate this better than me, but those kind

6843
06:55:55,422 --> 06:55:59,122
of data elements where no one's paying attention to them often are not as reliable

6844
06:55:59,182 --> 06:56:00,822
as the data elements that everyone's looking at

6845
06:56:01,374 --> 06:56:05,134
I think this particular element is not

6846
06:56:05,214 --> 06:56:07,074
like some of those that

6847
06:56:08,254 --> 06:56:10,714
there's a correction window or an appeal window.

6848
06:56:11,194 --> 06:56:14,594
So the data are reported, we see an

6849
06:56:14,614 --> 06:56:18,454
anomaly. Someone picked up the phone in a

6850
06:56:18,494 --> 06:56:21,754
couple of cases when we were comparing notes about the data.

6851
06:56:22,284 --> 06:56:26,244
And so our staff had previously looked at those data, picked

6852
06:56:26,274 --> 06:56:29,054
up the phone and asked the district, "What's happening here?"

6853
06:56:29,874 --> 06:56:33,354
And in both cases, the district said, "Oh, well, we

6854
06:56:34,074 --> 06:56:37,934
misreported." And they over-reported

6855
06:56:37,994 --> 06:56:38,893
by a whole lot.

6856
06:56:39,934 --> 06:56:43,724
But we didn't have a mechanism for correcting that

6857
06:56:43,754 --> 06:56:47,594
data after the fact in our system. So that's a

6858
06:56:47,634 --> 06:56:51,244
flaw in our system. And then certainly, that

6859
06:56:51,274 --> 06:56:55,014
regular validation on our part, training

6860
06:56:56,054 --> 06:56:58,254
district folks who are responsible for

6861
06:56:59,274 --> 06:57:00,604
entering that data

6862
06:57:01,854 --> 06:57:03,974
is something else that we can improve on, too.

6863
06:57:06,534 --> 06:57:10,474
Would this be a big administrative burden for a district to

6864
06:57:10,894 --> 06:57:11,894
better report?

6865
06:57:12,094 --> 06:57:12,134
I

6866
06:57:12,174 --> 06:57:16,634
hate

6867
06:57:16,654 --> 06:57:18,254
to speak for our school districts.

6868
06:57:18,354 --> 06:57:18,794
I think it

6869
06:57:19,674 --> 06:57:21,434
should not be.

6870
06:57:22,334 --> 06:57:26,294
But in the big scheme of all the data that they're reporting, I think a lot

6871
06:57:26,334 --> 06:57:29,794
of it depends on the size of the district and the

6872
06:57:29,874 --> 06:57:31,994
resources that are available to them.

6873
06:57:32,034 --> 06:57:35,774
We know that our larger districts have staff that are just dedicated

6874
06:57:36,074 --> 06:57:39,774
to these types of things. And then in some of our

6875
06:57:39,814 --> 06:57:41,424
smaller districts,

6876
06:57:42,414 --> 06:57:46,094
it's somebody who is wearing a lot of different hats and may

6877
06:57:46,194 --> 06:57:48,154
not have a sense that, "Oh,

6878
06:57:48,834 --> 06:57:52,754
I'm entering this number,

6879
06:57:52,774 --> 06:57:56,714
and it's way out of range." They don't have context for

6880
06:57:56,774 --> 06:57:56,934
it.

6881
06:57:58,014 --> 06:58:01,894
So I think it wouldn't seem

6882
06:58:01,994 --> 06:58:03,914
like it should be a huge lift.

6883
06:58:04,724 --> 06:58:08,254
As a former teacher, I would say that I would've loved for it to

6884
06:58:08,294 --> 06:58:11,634
be reported so that resources were given.

6885
06:58:11,643 --> 06:58:14,994
And to kind of give you a different instance of relevance as well,

6886
06:58:16,074 --> 06:58:20,034
we've been here for a few hours listening and I'm hearing about the grade card

6887
06:58:20,054 --> 06:58:24,014
coming up for schools. And as a former teacher, I can tell you that your

6888
06:58:24,074 --> 06:58:27,574
schools that'll come in on your lower grades will probably be your most

6889
06:58:27,834 --> 06:58:29,554
violent schools that you have.

6890
06:58:30,754 --> 06:58:34,724
And I was drilled in university that Maslow's hierarchy,

6891
06:58:34,834 --> 06:58:38,564
right? Our kids have to feel safe and secure before they can

6892
06:58:38,614 --> 06:58:42,554
even learn. So really, this is a root of how you can grow to make sure

6893
06:58:42,614 --> 06:58:44,974
that all of those grade cards are coming in as As.

6894
06:58:48,794 --> 06:58:49,054
So,

6895
06:58:49,914 --> 06:58:50,974
is there any other comments?

6896
06:58:51,594 --> 06:58:55,374
Yeah, just one clarifying thing. So I kind

6897
06:58:55,394 --> 06:58:58,554
of just shoved this under the legislative committee, but

6898
06:58:58,614 --> 06:59:02,214
we can skip that step if it's something that we can

6899
06:59:02,234 --> 06:59:05,054
directly talk-- It sounds like you guys have already been working on it, and so

6900
06:59:05,994 --> 06:59:07,014
if that's just something-

6901
06:59:07,254 --> 06:59:07,264
Yes. Mm-hmm

6902
06:59:07,264 --> 06:59:08,594
... that, yeah, we don't even need to have-

6903
06:59:08,674 --> 06:59:09,194
Yeah.

6904
06:59:09,234 --> 06:59:09,354
You know.

6905
06:59:09,534 --> 06:59:11,774
We can certainly bring something back for a proposal.

6906
06:59:11,854 --> 06:59:12,664
Yeah, that's what I-

6907
06:59:12,674 --> 06:59:14,023
We'll do the legwork and bring it back.

6908
06:59:14,034 --> 06:59:16,854
Yeah, I think that would be helpful, so...

6909
06:59:18,674 --> 06:59:19,534
Very much so.

6910
06:59:19,574 --> 06:59:23,154
Yeah. Thank you both for coming, and this was very good. Thank you.

6911
06:59:23,234 --> 06:59:23,454
Thank you.

6912
06:59:23,654 --> 06:59:23,914
Thank you.

6913
06:59:24,234 --> 06:59:24,754
Thanks for your time.

6914
06:59:24,774 --> 06:59:25,774
Thank you.

6915
06:59:29,954 --> 06:59:30,594
Megan Fork.

6916
06:59:34,414 --> 06:59:36,594
Welcome, Megan. It's good to have you here.

6917
06:59:52,424 --> 06:59:56,314
Hello, my name's Megan Fork. I am chief counsel for

6918
06:59:56,614 --> 06:59:58,634
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

6919
06:59:59,574 --> 07:00:01,474
I have one item

6920
07:00:02,474 --> 07:00:06,114
for the agenda about licensure. Before I get

6921
07:00:06,194 --> 07:00:09,894
into the item, we do have some new board members, so I want to

6922
07:00:09,954 --> 07:00:13,894
clarify what we are going to be talking about when I talk about licensure with you

6923
07:00:13,954 --> 07:00:17,874
and how that works a little bit. I know we are late, and so I'll be

6924
07:00:17,934 --> 07:00:19,034
as brief as I can.

6925
07:00:20,474 --> 07:00:20,734
So,

6926
07:00:22,374 --> 07:00:26,294
168.071 is the statute that grants

6927
07:00:26,354 --> 07:00:30,034
you guys, the board, the power to refuse to issue

6928
07:00:30,074 --> 07:00:33,594
licenses, to revoke or to suspend existing licenses.

6929
07:00:34,414 --> 07:00:38,174
It also grants you guys the sole authority to

6930
07:00:38,274 --> 07:00:42,174
grant licenses when there is a felony or a crime of

6931
07:00:42,214 --> 07:00:44,374
moral turpitude in their history.

6932
07:00:44,474 --> 07:00:47,874
So we essentially will bring to you three types of cases.

6933
07:00:48,274 --> 07:00:51,914
The first is where we have denied a license

6934
07:00:52,114 --> 07:00:52,894
based on

6935
07:00:54,894 --> 07:00:58,594
their criminal history. They have the opportunity to

6936
07:00:58,654 --> 07:01:02,644
appeal our denial to the commissioner, and then that

6937
07:01:02,674 --> 07:01:04,974
appeal, they can then appeal that to the board.

6938
07:01:05,974 --> 07:01:07,614
We also will bring you

6939
07:01:08,694 --> 07:01:12,674
discipline for a license where someone has committed a

6940
07:01:12,734 --> 07:01:16,214
felony or a crime of moral turpitude while holding a

6941
07:01:16,254 --> 07:01:20,034
license. When that happens, that is

6942
07:01:20,074 --> 07:01:21,434
first brought as a complaint

6943
07:01:22,314 --> 07:01:25,534
on the behalf of either a school board or DESE.

6944
07:01:26,934 --> 07:01:29,414
That complaint is brought to a hearing officer.

6945
07:01:29,454 --> 07:01:32,474
The hearing officer will issue their decision.

6946
07:01:32,694 --> 07:01:34,934
That decision is just a preliminary decision.

6947
07:01:35,554 --> 07:01:38,354
You all at the board have to approve that decision.

6948
07:01:40,014 --> 07:01:42,954
And then finally, we will also be bringing you

6949
07:01:44,454 --> 07:01:48,254
licenses where we are recommending that you

6950
07:01:48,474 --> 07:01:52,454
grant a license despite the fact that there is a felony or a

6951
07:01:52,494 --> 07:01:56,210
crime of moral turpitude. Um, it's also a

6952
07:01:56,330 --> 07:02:00,280
little confusing sometimes because I will talk to you in open about some of

6953
07:02:00,330 --> 07:02:01,990
these and in closed about some of these.

6954
07:02:02,690 --> 07:02:06,480
That just has to do with whether the crime that we're talking about,

6955
07:02:06,530 --> 07:02:08,170
whether the felony we're talking about,

6956
07:02:09,070 --> 07:02:11,030
is on their official record or not.

6957
07:02:11,150 --> 07:02:15,130
The statute allows us to take these actions whether or not sentence has been

6958
07:02:15,210 --> 07:02:18,850
imposed. And so if they have a suspended

6959
07:02:18,910 --> 07:02:20,130
imposition of sentence,

6960
07:02:21,010 --> 07:02:25,000
that is not something that is public, so we would talk about

6961
07:02:25,050 --> 07:02:28,930
that in closed. We also might otherwise close if there's

6962
07:02:28,990 --> 07:02:32,200
something else about the crime that is sensitive, that

6963
07:02:33,290 --> 07:02:35,710
it's been expunged or something along those lines.

6964
07:02:37,730 --> 07:02:40,210
So that is the background of licensure.

6965
07:02:40,430 --> 07:02:40,670
I have

6966
07:02:41,570 --> 07:02:43,430
one to discuss with you all first.

6967
07:02:44,430 --> 07:02:44,780
Yes, absolutely.

6968
07:02:44,810 --> 07:02:45,350
So this,

6969
07:02:46,330 --> 07:02:50,010
maybe you said it, but the vote on these has to be unanimous.

6970
07:02:51,370 --> 07:02:51,690
Correct.

6971
07:02:51,790 --> 07:02:53,590
So if any one board member

6972
07:02:55,030 --> 07:02:57,130
disagrees with it, then yeah.

6973
07:02:57,300 --> 07:02:58,950
And that vote will happen by roll call.

6974
07:02:59,150 --> 07:02:59,270
Yep.

6975
07:02:59,510 --> 07:03:01,510
And has to be unanimous for us to act on it.

6976
07:03:05,390 --> 07:03:08,590
So the first one I'll bring to you guys is

6977
07:03:09,870 --> 07:03:10,890
the case of

6978
07:03:12,450 --> 07:03:13,430
Sheridan Powell.

6979
07:03:14,670 --> 07:03:18,030
She has a content substitute teacher

6980
07:03:18,110 --> 07:03:21,610
certificate, which is set to expire in September of

6981
07:03:21,770 --> 07:03:22,610
2027.

6982
07:03:23,730 --> 07:03:27,630
She pled guilty to a Class A misdemeanor of fraudulent

6983
07:03:27,670 --> 07:03:29,890
procurement of a credit or debit card,

6984
07:03:31,150 --> 07:03:34,530
and she was sentenced to 60 days in Green County Jail.

6985
07:03:34,870 --> 07:03:37,510
She had a suspended execution of sentence,

6986
07:03:38,350 --> 07:03:40,730
which is different than a suspended imposition of sentence,

6987
07:03:42,230 --> 07:03:44,550
but essentially means she is on probation.

6988
07:03:45,650 --> 07:03:49,470
And then if she violates that probation, then she would serve that sentence.

6989
07:03:52,010 --> 07:03:54,220
She had a hearing in front of the hearing officer

6990
07:03:55,350 --> 07:03:55,910
about

6991
07:03:57,290 --> 07:03:57,890
this issue,

6992
07:03:58,830 --> 07:03:59,610
and she

6993
07:04:00,770 --> 07:04:03,950
admitted to her fault in this incident,

6994
07:04:04,910 --> 07:04:08,630
and had testified that she had already completed the

6995
07:04:08,910 --> 07:04:10,610
community service. That was verified as well.

6996
07:04:12,870 --> 07:04:16,650
It is the recommendation of the department that we

6997
07:04:16,710 --> 07:04:20,639
suspend Ms. Powell's certificate for a period of one year

6998
07:04:22,010 --> 07:04:25,930
preceding that hearing, which was in March of 2026.

6999
07:04:26,470 --> 07:04:30,419
And so that is the recommendation of the board for this

7000
07:04:30,450 --> 07:04:34,210
one. This is a little bit different than those other ones.

7001
07:04:34,280 --> 07:04:38,070
So we are recommending a suspension in this case

7002
07:04:38,130 --> 07:04:38,810
for one year,

7003
07:04:39,670 --> 07:04:40,830
given the

7004
07:04:43,310 --> 07:04:46,470
breadth of the crime as well as her actions since

7005
07:04:47,030 --> 07:04:48,490
that has taken place.

7006
07:04:50,230 --> 07:04:54,110
Question, what would the period of the year be, beginning from when to

7007
07:04:54,170 --> 07:04:54,330
when?

7008
07:04:54,370 --> 07:04:58,120
It would begin from the date of the

7009
07:04:58,210 --> 07:04:58,520
hearing,

7010
07:04:59,630 --> 07:05:03,280
which was March of this year, through March 24th,

7011
07:05:03,510 --> 07:05:07,430
2027. That also gives chance for that

7012
07:05:07,510 --> 07:05:10,330
probationary period to pass as well.

7013
07:05:11,030 --> 07:05:14,490
She is on probation through October of this year,

7014
07:05:15,250 --> 07:05:17,780
so we would know that she has successfully completed-

7015
07:05:17,810 --> 07:05:21,690
If we suspend for one year, does it come back before review at the end

7016
07:05:21,750 --> 07:05:25,670
of that year? Not necessarily to our level, but come within

7017
07:05:25,690 --> 07:05:29,150
the process for review again by appropriate team

7018
07:05:29,190 --> 07:05:32,650
members at the conclusion of the year's suspension, or is it

7019
07:05:32,730 --> 07:05:33,410
automatically?

7020
07:05:35,170 --> 07:05:38,870
So it depends on whether or not that

7021
07:05:38,910 --> 07:05:42,450
person's certification expired during the

7022
07:05:42,490 --> 07:05:46,390
suspension. If it expired during the suspension,

7023
07:05:47,850 --> 07:05:51,250
then that person would actually have to apply

7024
07:05:51,630 --> 07:05:55,570
again, and everything would be reviewed at that point.

7025
07:05:56,470 --> 07:05:58,010
If the certification

7026
07:06:00,090 --> 07:06:01,890
would have normally been maintained

7027
07:06:02,770 --> 07:06:04,110
during that period of time,

7028
07:06:05,310 --> 07:06:06,670
we would

7029
07:06:07,890 --> 07:06:09,130
just turn it on again,

7030
07:06:10,150 --> 07:06:11,070
basically, reissue.

7031
07:06:13,269 --> 07:06:14,950
And it appears that her

7032
07:06:15,769 --> 07:06:19,590
teaching certificate would expire September 29th of 2027.

7033
07:06:19,690 --> 07:06:22,700
So it would automatically turn on as-

7034
07:06:23,350 --> 07:06:25,790
It would require a reapplication at the end of that.

7035
07:06:25,890 --> 07:06:26,270
It would not.

7036
07:06:26,400 --> 07:06:27,910
It would not. Because we're going through March-

7037
07:06:27,920 --> 07:06:27,920
March

7038
07:06:27,920 --> 07:06:31,670
... of '27, and it doesn't expire until September of '27.

7039
07:06:32,070 --> 07:06:33,910
But if there's obviously another infraction-

7040
07:06:34,750 --> 07:06:35,110
Certainly

7041
07:06:35,210 --> 07:06:37,870
... crime appropriate, it comes through the process.

7042
07:06:38,090 --> 07:06:42,050
So I've got a question. I believe due to alphabetical order, I'll

7043
07:06:42,110 --> 07:06:45,170
probably have to go first. So I just want to make sure.

7044
07:06:45,230 --> 07:06:46,230
You set the tone.

7045
07:06:46,990 --> 07:06:47,150
Well,

7046
07:06:47,970 --> 07:06:48,350
so

7047
07:06:49,390 --> 07:06:50,570
as the gentleman explained,

7048
07:06:52,290 --> 07:06:54,750
you're suggesting a one-year suspension.

7049
07:06:55,910 --> 07:06:58,110
And if everything goes well,

7050
07:06:59,810 --> 07:07:03,790
because she's still under contract, or her certification, this will

7051
07:07:03,910 --> 07:07:07,390
exist until 2027, there will be

7052
07:07:07,510 --> 07:07:11,450
no coming back to the board for a revote,

7053
07:07:11,510 --> 07:07:14,830
essentially. She'll just be able to continue on with employment.

7054
07:07:15,870 --> 07:07:17,750
So this vote is just for

7055
07:07:18,690 --> 07:07:21,710
suspension for a year based on the crimes. Okay.

7056
07:07:23,850 --> 07:07:27,330
I'm

7057
07:07:27,930 --> 07:07:29,130
struggling with this one a little bit.

7058
07:07:29,930 --> 07:07:32,570
Usually, these are pretty easy.

7059
07:07:34,790 --> 07:07:35,950
So she stole a debit card.

7060
07:07:36,770 --> 07:07:37,070
Correct.

7061
07:07:38,190 --> 07:07:38,310
So

7062
07:07:40,130 --> 07:07:43,890
according to the documents and the criminal charges that were

7063
07:07:43,910 --> 07:07:44,330
reviewed,

7064
07:07:45,550 --> 07:07:45,970
we

7065
07:07:47,470 --> 07:07:49,970
do not have evidence to say that she's the one who stole it.

7066
07:07:50,150 --> 07:07:54,060
She received a stolen debit card from someone and

7067
07:07:54,250 --> 07:07:55,180
utilized that card

7068
07:07:56,498 --> 07:08:00,418
It is unclear how much she knew about where that card, where that

7069
07:08:00,498 --> 07:08:00,938
came from.

7070
07:08:01,898 --> 07:08:05,768
And I was trying to scroll through this, but is there a dollar amount

7071
07:08:05,778 --> 07:08:07,438
of how much? Any idea?

7072
07:08:08,638 --> 07:08:09,698
550 bucks. I

7073
07:08:11,598 --> 07:08:17,538
don't

7074
07:08:17,558 --> 07:08:21,378
want my debit card stolen, and nobody does.

7075
07:08:22,518 --> 07:08:26,328
I don't know if I can wrap my head around

7076
07:08:26,398 --> 07:08:26,888
suspending

7077
07:08:27,698 --> 07:08:30,998
basically part of her livelihood, presumably.

7078
07:08:31,678 --> 07:08:35,338
But maybe that's ignoring the person who's had their debit card stolen, too.

7079
07:08:36,158 --> 07:08:37,178
This one I'm struggling with.

7080
07:08:37,518 --> 07:08:37,998
I think,

7081
07:08:39,438 --> 07:08:43,037
if I may, these are heard in front of a hearing officer, and so I am

7082
07:08:43,758 --> 07:08:44,718
inputting my--

7083
07:08:46,778 --> 07:08:49,008
trying to think through what he was thinking, right?

7084
07:08:49,668 --> 07:08:52,698
And I think my impression is that

7085
07:08:53,938 --> 07:08:56,718
Dr. Neal was probably struggling with the same things you are, right?

7086
07:08:57,598 --> 07:09:00,998
And I think that's why, typically speaking, I have seen

7087
07:09:01,298 --> 07:09:02,678
either we

7088
07:09:04,558 --> 07:09:07,978
take away their license altogether or we do nothing.

7089
07:09:08,038 --> 07:09:11,678
That's typically what I see and what I think we typically

7090
07:09:11,718 --> 07:09:15,678
do. And so I think that Dr. Neal was struggling with the same things you are

7091
07:09:15,718 --> 07:09:17,418
in saying, "Okay, so let's

7092
07:09:18,478 --> 07:09:19,878
do a middle path on this one."

7093
07:09:21,258 --> 07:09:25,198
Which is the suspension, but is

7094
07:09:25,238 --> 07:09:26,098
that a middle path?

7095
07:09:26,138 --> 07:09:31,178
Thinking

7096
07:09:31,278 --> 07:09:33,898
about some of the other certificate issues we've dealt with,

7097
07:09:35,478 --> 07:09:37,788
whether it's reinstating or whatever, I'm

7098
07:09:40,838 --> 07:09:44,518
having a hard time seeing this as more serious

7099
07:09:44,618 --> 07:09:46,458
than other stuff.

7100
07:09:47,178 --> 07:09:51,058
Has there been any recommendations?

7101
07:09:51,718 --> 07:09:53,438
Where is she currently working? He or she.

7102
07:09:55,758 --> 07:09:56,638
Let me check.

7103
07:09:57,648 --> 07:10:01,578
And my question is, have there been letters of

7104
07:10:01,638 --> 07:10:05,597
recommendation received from that as part of the case,

7105
07:10:05,658 --> 07:10:08,378
if you will, in the case review from

7106
07:10:09,938 --> 07:10:13,498
either her workplace, her church, or the community in

7107
07:10:13,618 --> 07:10:14,038
support?

7108
07:10:15,498 --> 07:10:18,978
And I will say I'm trying to find them currently-

7109
07:10:19,198 --> 07:10:19,498
Mm-hmm

7110
07:10:19,518 --> 07:10:22,958
... but that is part of the record that is reviewed-

7111
07:10:23,238 --> 07:10:23,268
Uh-huh

7112
07:10:23,268 --> 07:10:26,358
... by the hearing officer, and that is those

7113
07:10:27,038 --> 07:10:27,598
letters.

7114
07:10:27,658 --> 07:10:29,178
Yeah. Normally we hear about them.

7115
07:10:29,218 --> 07:10:29,718
It kind of

7116
07:10:31,258 --> 07:10:34,478
expands on our understanding

7117
07:10:34,558 --> 07:10:38,338
of the person in the case, not just the fact of the

7118
07:10:38,358 --> 07:10:38,718
crime.

7119
07:10:39,998 --> 07:10:43,698
And how long has she had her

7120
07:10:43,738 --> 07:10:44,238
license?

7121
07:11:04,078 --> 07:11:05,538
Why are you looking at Robbie?

7122
07:11:05,618 --> 07:11:09,238
Yeah. And this is more educational as opposed to

7123
07:11:09,618 --> 07:11:13,278
presenting this forward. Do we have to go up or down on what was

7124
07:11:13,318 --> 07:11:16,178
recommended, or could we say we want her suspended till her

7125
07:11:16,238 --> 07:11:20,218
probation's over? Do we have that option?

7126
07:11:20,298 --> 07:11:21,798
Yeah, you can change the amount of time.

7127
07:11:22,578 --> 07:11:24,758
It was 1,100 on the card.

7128
07:11:24,938 --> 07:11:27,068
Yeah. It was 1,100.

7129
07:11:27,068 --> 07:11:27,658
1,100.

7130
07:11:31,098 --> 07:11:33,158
Is she a substitute teacher, did you say?

7131
07:11:33,538 --> 07:11:34,138
That's correct.

7132
07:11:36,598 --> 07:11:38,488
So if I'm understanding this correctly,

7133
07:11:39,298 --> 07:11:42,778
we can suggest or recommend a new

7134
07:11:42,858 --> 07:11:43,818
suspension time.

7135
07:11:45,038 --> 07:11:45,848
So we can say,

7136
07:11:47,038 --> 07:11:47,418
"Hey,"

7137
07:11:49,638 --> 07:11:50,258
I'd say,

7138
07:11:51,398 --> 07:11:53,238
"I'd like her to be suspended for a month,"

7139
07:11:54,298 --> 07:11:55,778
and that would have to then, what,

7140
07:11:56,938 --> 07:11:59,918
go through our vote, and would it go back to the drawing board for

7141
07:12:00,978 --> 07:12:03,118
another hearing, or that's it?

7142
07:12:04,058 --> 07:12:04,218
No.

7143
07:12:05,478 --> 07:12:07,418
So the hearing is essentially

7144
07:12:08,858 --> 07:12:12,848
the department's review and us making a recommendation

7145
07:12:12,878 --> 07:12:14,747
to you. You can

7146
07:12:16,297 --> 07:12:19,358
adopt that recommendation. You can alter that recommendation.

7147
07:12:20,247 --> 07:12:24,218
You can toss it in the trash. All of those are options available to

7148
07:12:24,258 --> 07:12:24,818
you.

7149
07:12:25,778 --> 07:12:29,738
You could unanimously vote to... Or

7150
07:12:29,758 --> 07:12:33,678
sorry, not unanimously vote. You could vote for her to continue

7151
07:12:33,938 --> 07:12:37,038
without any discipline. You could vote for her to

7152
07:12:38,318 --> 07:12:41,018
have a harsher discipline or a lesser discipline. Yes.

7153
07:12:41,178 --> 07:12:41,538
Okay.

7154
07:12:41,678 --> 07:12:44,138
So being on probation,

7155
07:12:45,558 --> 07:12:47,298
if we voted so she could go

7156
07:12:48,298 --> 07:12:51,838
teach tomorrow, even though she's under probation, if we so voted.

7157
07:12:52,258 --> 07:12:52,918
Is that accurate?

7158
07:12:54,218 --> 07:12:54,418
Yes.

7159
07:12:54,978 --> 07:12:56,418
How long's her probation until?

7160
07:12:56,858 --> 07:12:58,358
It is through

7161
07:13:00,218 --> 07:13:04,078
September. Oh, sorry, through October of this

7162
07:13:04,158 --> 07:13:04,278
year.

7163
07:13:04,658 --> 07:13:06,158
October 1st, is it?

7164
07:13:06,378 --> 07:13:07,358
October 21st.

7165
07:13:07,398 --> 07:13:09,228
October 21st, so like two months from now.

7166
07:13:09,238 --> 07:13:10,738
She's had her license for three years.

7167
07:13:12,478 --> 07:13:13,678
It's a substitute license, right?

7168
07:13:13,738 --> 07:13:14,038
So is she working-

7169
07:13:14,078 --> 07:13:14,848
Since '23

7170
07:13:15,078 --> 07:13:15,078
...

7171
07:13:16,258 --> 07:13:17,318
right now? I don't know if you

7172
07:13:19,178 --> 07:13:20,118
know that, but...

7173
07:13:21,878 --> 07:13:25,538
While she's on probation, can she be teaching?

7174
07:13:28,078 --> 07:13:28,278
Mm-hmm.

7175
07:13:28,358 --> 07:13:28,498
Yes.

7176
07:13:28,658 --> 07:13:29,018
Okay.

7177
07:13:29,118 --> 07:13:29,478
Absolutely.

7178
07:13:29,678 --> 07:13:30,098
Makes sense.

7179
07:13:31,118 --> 07:13:31,798
On probation.

7180
07:13:35,078 --> 07:13:38,858
Can you bring this back to us and check out these answers and come back to us in

7181
07:13:38,868 --> 07:13:39,438
September?

7182
07:13:39,798 --> 07:13:39,858
Yeah.

7183
07:13:40,318 --> 07:13:40,658
We'll help.

7184
07:13:43,098 --> 07:13:44,538
I do have their letters.

7185
07:13:47,998 --> 07:13:51,438
She has a letter from the Monett School District.

7186
07:13:51,838 --> 07:13:54,778
She says that the person who writes it is the

7187
07:13:54,818 --> 07:13:58,328
superintendent, and he states that

7188
07:14:00,206 --> 07:14:04,046
She has been open and transparent with the district throughout the process.

7189
07:14:04,126 --> 07:14:07,766
Um, she self-reported the situation promptly and continues to keep the district

7190
07:14:07,826 --> 07:14:09,605
informed as the court proceedings.

7191
07:14:11,686 --> 07:14:15,556
He says her honesty and willingness to communicate demonstrate professionalism and

7192
07:14:15,606 --> 07:14:17,846
accountability during a difficult circumstance.

7193
07:14:18,746 --> 07:14:20,186
I move that we take no action.

7194
07:14:21,206 --> 07:14:21,506
Second.

7195
07:14:22,266 --> 07:14:25,686
Well, I don't think we need a motion. We just vote no on the recommendation.

7196
07:14:27,266 --> 07:14:27,636
Is that right?

7197
07:14:27,686 --> 07:14:28,106
Which is-

7198
07:14:28,606 --> 07:14:28,726
Yeah

7199
07:14:29,346 --> 07:14:29,926
... what I'm saying-

7200
07:14:30,186 --> 07:14:30,196
Yeah

7201
07:14:30,196 --> 07:14:30,726
... take no action.

7202
07:14:30,816 --> 07:14:30,816
Yeah.

7203
07:14:30,846 --> 07:14:31,326
No on the recommendation.

7204
07:14:31,386 --> 07:14:31,726
Oh, oh.

7205
07:14:31,906 --> 07:14:32,606
Yeah, kind of thing.

7206
07:14:32,726 --> 07:14:33,186
Yeah, just-

7207
07:14:33,266 --> 07:14:33,526
You're right.

7208
07:14:33,606 --> 07:14:34,366
Yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah.

7209
07:14:34,826 --> 07:14:37,986
So she's just allowed to work on October the 21st?

7210
07:14:38,086 --> 07:14:38,326
Mm-hmm.

7211
07:14:38,976 --> 07:14:38,976
Yeah.

7212
07:14:39,426 --> 07:14:41,186
No, she would be allowed to work now.

7213
07:14:41,586 --> 07:14:42,086
She can go back tomorrow.

7214
07:14:42,186 --> 07:14:42,446
Okay.

7215
07:14:42,846 --> 07:14:42,916
Yeah.

7216
07:14:43,026 --> 07:14:44,715
Okay, so her probation is over.

7217
07:14:44,786 --> 07:14:45,206
Right now.

7218
07:14:45,546 --> 07:14:45,586
Got it.

7219
07:14:45,626 --> 07:14:45,866
Yeah.

7220
07:14:47,226 --> 07:14:47,446
I think-

7221
07:14:47,456 --> 07:14:51,366
So is this something that needs a roll call vote, or is it just

7222
07:14:51,386 --> 07:14:53,496
the same as taking no action, or does it-

7223
07:14:53,526 --> 07:14:54,646
We need a roll call.

7224
07:14:54,706 --> 07:14:55,196
It needs a roll call, yeah. It needs a roll call.

7225
07:14:55,206 --> 07:14:58,886
It's a roll call vote, and even one no would kill the recommendation.

7226
07:14:58,926 --> 07:14:59,086
Yeah.

7227
07:14:59,966 --> 07:15:00,346
Gotcha.

7228
07:15:00,446 --> 07:15:01,226
No pressure, Jordan.

7229
07:15:02,186 --> 07:15:02,986
Mr. Bradberry?

7230
07:15:04,126 --> 07:15:04,326
Aye.

7231
07:15:04,466 --> 07:15:05,225
Hold it, hold it.

7232
07:15:05,246 --> 07:15:08,146
Hold it. We should make sure we have a proper motion on the floor.

7233
07:15:08,246 --> 07:15:08,366
Yeah.

7234
07:15:08,426 --> 07:15:09,166
Okay.

7235
07:15:09,186 --> 07:15:13,016
Well, we don't need the... You're voting on the recommendation-

7236
07:15:13,086 --> 07:15:13,096
Yeah

7237
07:15:13,096 --> 07:15:15,416
... which is to, for the one year. So you either are in favor or not.

7238
07:15:15,416 --> 07:15:19,386
And my motion is that we decline

7239
07:15:19,406 --> 07:15:21,546
that recommendation and do not-

7240
07:15:21,646 --> 07:15:22,246
Oh, no.

7241
07:15:22,906 --> 07:15:24,126
But I think you just-

7242
07:15:24,586 --> 07:15:25,606
Well, somebody just do the motion to-

7243
07:15:25,786 --> 07:15:26,786
It takes it.

7244
07:15:27,366 --> 07:15:28,006
So moved.

7245
07:15:29,626 --> 07:15:32,506
And then second, and then we vote, and we all vote no.

7246
07:15:32,686 --> 07:15:34,576
So restate the motion as it-

7247
07:15:34,986 --> 07:15:35,166
Yeah

7248
07:15:36,526 --> 07:15:36,696
... as a motion.

7249
07:15:36,696 --> 07:15:40,346
I think the recommendation is one

7250
07:15:40,426 --> 07:15:44,126
year. If any one of you says no, then that

7251
07:15:44,206 --> 07:15:47,906
recommendation won't be followed. So you don't need a motion, it's just a vote.

7252
07:15:48,626 --> 07:15:50,476
So just no takes away-

7253
07:15:51,206 --> 07:15:52,586
One no takes away the recommendation

7254
07:15:52,606 --> 07:15:54,446
... and then she can go on to work-

7255
07:15:54,506 --> 07:15:54,826
Correct

7256
07:15:54,906 --> 07:15:55,986
... tomorrow if she'd like.

7257
07:15:56,206 --> 07:15:56,525
Correct.

7258
07:15:56,926 --> 07:15:57,146
Okay.

7259
07:15:57,506 --> 07:15:58,296
Mr. Bradberry?

7260
07:15:59,376 --> 07:15:59,656
Aye.

7261
07:16:03,306 --> 07:16:03,686
I'm sorry.

7262
07:16:04,286 --> 07:16:05,986
You were going to say, "I needed a minute."

7263
07:16:07,206 --> 07:16:10,006
Yeah. It's a lot. I vote no.

7264
07:16:10,686 --> 07:16:11,026
There you go.

7265
07:16:13,166 --> 07:16:13,406
We've got to-

7266
07:16:13,526 --> 07:16:15,066
We still do the roll, I think, don't we?

7267
07:16:15,266 --> 07:16:15,486
Probably.

7268
07:16:15,546 --> 07:16:16,026
Ms. Casey?

7269
07:16:16,386 --> 07:16:16,506
No.

7270
07:16:16,746 --> 07:16:17,386
Mr. Matusik?

7271
07:16:17,486 --> 07:16:17,706
No.

7272
07:16:17,886 --> 07:16:18,366
Mr. Miller?

7273
07:16:18,646 --> 07:16:18,786
No.

7274
07:16:19,006 --> 07:16:19,626
Mr. Myers?

7275
07:16:19,786 --> 07:16:19,906
No.

7276
07:16:20,086 --> 07:16:20,586
Mr. Otto?

7277
07:16:21,126 --> 07:16:21,246
No.

7278
07:16:21,946 --> 07:16:22,846
Mr. Shamel?

7279
07:16:23,226 --> 07:16:23,366
No.

7280
07:16:23,606 --> 07:16:24,066
Dr. Scholl?

7281
07:16:24,366 --> 07:16:24,446
No.

7282
07:16:26,326 --> 07:16:27,386
All right. And I do want to...

7283
07:16:28,186 --> 07:16:31,666
Eric Avon, the gentleman behind me that we keep turning to, is the head of educator

7284
07:16:31,706 --> 07:16:34,626
certification. Conduct investigations is under him.

7285
07:16:34,826 --> 07:16:38,026
They're the ones that pour through all of the records and the details, so I want to

7286
07:16:38,066 --> 07:16:39,866
make sure you know who he is.

7287
07:16:43,846 --> 07:16:46,026
We appreciate your work. I think we just-

7288
07:16:46,086 --> 07:16:46,386
Yeah

7289
07:16:46,506 --> 07:16:48,805
... saw a little more compassion, too.

7290
07:16:51,166 --> 07:16:52,886
Should do those at the beginning.

7291
07:16:55,306 --> 07:16:59,186
I want to raise just a rules process. No one made a motion.

7292
07:16:59,286 --> 07:17:02,226
The recommendation was there, but you still have to make a motion and second it,

7293
07:17:02,336 --> 07:17:05,546
and then vote. You just can't vote on a recommendation.

7294
07:17:06,406 --> 07:17:08,606
So I think while we-

7295
07:17:08,926 --> 07:17:11,246
It's usually a motion to accept the recommendation or-

7296
07:17:11,846 --> 07:17:12,306
And that's what I'm saying.

7297
07:17:12,455 --> 07:17:12,455
Yeah.

7298
07:17:12,526 --> 07:17:13,486
I made a motion to-

7299
07:17:13,586 --> 07:17:13,866
So I have-

7300
07:17:13,876 --> 07:17:17,246
... decline the recommendation. So either way, we can accept the recommendation,

7301
07:17:17,486 --> 07:17:20,186
second it, and all vote no, or we can-

7302
07:17:20,395 --> 07:17:21,206
Which is what we just did.

7303
07:17:21,386 --> 07:17:21,486
Yeah

7304
07:17:21,546 --> 07:17:22,846
... no, but no one made a motion.

7305
07:17:22,966 --> 07:17:23,566
Yeah, I thought you-

7306
07:17:23,666 --> 07:17:23,786
No.

7307
07:17:23,926 --> 07:17:24,726
I thought you made a motion.

7308
07:17:24,786 --> 07:17:25,606
I thought you had-

7309
07:17:25,626 --> 07:17:26,166
But it was-

7310
07:17:26,296 --> 07:17:26,886
You said so moved.

7311
07:17:26,895 --> 07:17:27,726
I said I moved.

7312
07:17:27,886 --> 07:17:28,276
Right, but

7313
07:17:29,266 --> 07:17:31,895
you all said that wasn't needed, and it was not the motion.

7314
07:17:31,926 --> 07:17:33,126
You're right, you're right. We needed a motion.

7315
07:17:33,166 --> 07:17:33,786
Just to clarify.

7316
07:17:34,006 --> 07:17:34,806
If I could weigh in.

7317
07:17:36,266 --> 07:17:40,246
A motion to not do something is not generally considered

7318
07:17:40,266 --> 07:17:43,256
appropriate. You make a motion to do something.

7319
07:17:43,766 --> 07:17:47,186
So in this case, I would suggest the motion would be to approve the recommendation-

7320
07:17:47,526 --> 07:17:48,366
And then vote against it

7321
07:17:48,446 --> 07:17:49,466
... and then you vote against it.

7322
07:17:49,526 --> 07:17:50,156
So can we just-

7323
07:17:50,156 --> 07:17:53,186
It's okay to make a motion and then vote against your own motion.

7324
07:17:53,306 --> 07:17:53,426
Yeah.

7325
07:17:53,466 --> 07:17:53,656
That's-

7326
07:17:53,666 --> 07:17:56,646
So can we just let the record reflect that Carrie

7327
07:17:57,926 --> 07:17:58,306
moved-

7328
07:17:58,546 --> 07:17:59,056
I seconded it

7329
07:17:59,066 --> 07:18:00,566
... he seconded, and then we all voted no.

7330
07:18:00,796 --> 07:18:02,306
And that's the clarity we needed.

7331
07:18:02,446 --> 07:18:03,886
Yeah, I think that is the correct procedure.

7332
07:18:04,206 --> 07:18:04,546
Thank you.

7333
07:18:04,746 --> 07:18:05,006
Thank you.

7334
07:18:06,826 --> 07:18:08,166
Okay, second item you have?

7335
07:18:08,706 --> 07:18:12,306
Uh, I do have a second item. That we have gotten some new

7336
07:18:12,346 --> 07:18:14,046
information, we need to move that to closed.

7337
07:18:14,546 --> 07:18:14,786
Okay.

7338
07:18:15,726 --> 07:18:19,346
Very good. So that's where we're at right now, and

7339
07:18:19,386 --> 07:18:23,146
I'll excuse the gallery from the next closed session.

7340
07:18:24,226 --> 07:18:24,236
Oh, hold on.

7341
07:18:24,266 --> 07:18:24,726
We need to meet-

7342
07:18:24,736 --> 07:18:26,986
We need to meet. I'll make the motion to go into closed session.

7343
07:18:27,686 --> 07:18:28,266
I'll second.

7344
07:18:28,366 --> 07:18:28,566
Second.

7345
07:18:28,606 --> 07:18:30,066
Well, now I have to read it. Sorry.

7346
07:18:30,386 --> 07:18:30,606
No.

7347
07:18:30,796 --> 07:18:32,726
There's a more formal process for this one, so.

7348
07:18:33,066 --> 07:18:33,296
Yeah, yeah.

7349
07:18:33,326 --> 07:18:37,266
I move that the State Board of Education go into closed session as posted

7350
07:18:37,306 --> 07:18:41,256
by the executive assistant to consider the following items: legal actions,

7351
07:18:41,366 --> 07:18:45,316
causes of actions, litigation, or legal work product relating to the State Board of

7352
07:18:45,386 --> 07:18:46,826
Education and the Department of

7353
07:18:47,666 --> 07:18:51,526
Elementary and Secondary Education, as well as any confidential or privileged

7354
07:18:51,566 --> 07:18:55,346
communication between those entities and legal counsel, individually

7355
07:18:55,426 --> 07:18:59,126
identifiable personnel records, performance ratings, or records

7356
07:18:59,166 --> 07:19:02,766
pertaining to employees or applicants for employment, and criminal records closed

7357
07:19:02,806 --> 07:19:03,206
by law.

7358
07:19:04,086 --> 07:19:05,285
Is there a second to that motion?

7359
07:19:05,466 --> 07:19:06,646
I'm not seconding to that.

7360
07:19:08,276 --> 07:19:08,526
Yeah.

7361
07:19:08,776 --> 07:19:08,956
We didn't-

7362
07:19:08,956 --> 07:19:10,326
I'll second that.

7363
07:19:11,126 --> 07:19:12,206
All right. Now we need a roll call.

7364
07:19:12,846 --> 07:19:13,546
Mr. Bradberry?

7365
07:19:14,506 --> 07:19:14,746
Yes.

7366
07:19:14,976 --> 07:19:15,526
Ms. Casey?

7367
07:19:15,686 --> 07:19:15,926
Yes.

7368
07:19:16,066 --> 07:19:16,666
Mr. Matusik?

7369
07:19:16,726 --> 07:19:16,906
Yes.

7370
07:19:17,146 --> 07:19:17,686
Mr. Miller?

7371
07:19:17,806 --> 07:19:18,086
Yes.

7372
07:19:18,156 --> 07:19:18,786
Mr. Myers?

7373
07:19:18,866 --> 07:19:19,126
Yes.

7374
07:19:19,166 --> 07:19:19,686
Mr. Otto?

7375
07:19:19,966 --> 07:19:20,146
Yes.

7376
07:19:20,246 --> 07:19:20,806
Mr. Shamel?

7377
07:19:21,126 --> 07:19:21,306
Yes.

7378
07:19:21,506 --> 07:19:22,006
Dr. Scholl?

7379
07:19:22,246 --> 07:19:22,486
Yes.

7380
07:19:24,426 --> 07:19:24,686
All right.

7381
07:19:25,406 --> 07:19:27,066
Okay, so we've moved to closed session.

7382
07:19:27,306 --> 07:19:28,706
And the teacher riveting