[0:04] Good evening. I would like to call to

[0:06] order the regular meeting of the Newport

[0:08] News School Board for Tuesday, September

[0:10] 15, 2026.

[0:12] On behalf of the members of the school

[0:14] board and Dr. Mitchell, I welcome each

[0:17] of you present this evening and those

[0:19] who are watching on TV and online. We

[0:22] will begin tonight's meeting with the

[0:24] invocation and pledge to the flag. Here

[0:27] to do the honors is our school board

[0:29] representative, Cameron Smith.

[0:40] Good evening, Madam Chair, Madame Vice

[0:42] Chair, Superintendent Mitchell, members

[0:44] of the board, audience members, and

[0:45] viewers at home. As I spent time with my

[0:48] classmates during these first few weeks

[0:49] of school, I've been struck by the

[0:51] common emotion of excitement and desire

[0:53] for what's to come after graduation. And

[0:55] while no one can deny the allure of the

[0:56] many pathways we'll take following the

[0:58] end of our time in high school, I find

[1:00] it equally important to value the

[1:02] privilege that we have now to share with

[1:04] each other at school. So for tonight's

[1:06] invocation, I will share a poem on the

[1:08] significance of living in the moment

[1:10] written by Patricia Fleming entitled

[1:12] Each Moment is is precious. Live in the

[1:15] moment, just take it all in. Pay

[1:17] attention to everything right there and

[1:19] right then. Don't let your mind wander

[1:21] to what's coming next. Cherish this

[1:23] moment and give it your best. Don't let

[1:25] tomorrow make you rush through today or

[1:27] too many great moments will just go to

[1:29] waste. And the person you're with and

[1:31] that moment you share, give them all of

[1:33] your focus. Be totally there. Laugh till

[1:36] it hurts. Let the tears drop. Fill up

[1:39] each moment with all that you've got.

[1:41] Don't miss the details. The lesson is

[1:42] there. Don't get complacent. Stay sharp

[1:44] and aware. It can take but a moment to

[1:47] change your life's path. And once it

[1:48] ticks by, there is no going back. In

[1:51] just 60 seconds, you may make a new

[1:53] friend, find your true love, or see a

[1:55] life start or end. You become who you

[1:58] are in those moments you live. And the

[2:00] growth's not in taking, but in how much

[2:02] you give. Life is just moments so

[2:04] precious and few. Whether valued or

[2:06] squandered, it's all up to you. And now

[2:08] I invite you to all stand as we recite

[2:10] the pledge of allegiance.

[2:15] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[2:18] United States of America and to the

[2:21] republic for which it stands, one nation

[2:24] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[2:27] justice for all. You may now be seated.

[2:30] Thank you.

[2:38] Thank you, Cameron. Very nice.

[2:41] The next item on Next agenda is school

[2:44] board recognitions. Dr. Mitchell, please

[2:46] join me at the podium.

[3:10] This evening, we have the honor of

[3:13] welcoming our new alternate student

[3:15] representative to the school board,

[3:17] Holton Bailey. Mr. Bailey is a senior at

[3:21] an achievable dream high school. He

[3:23] brings a number of community building

[3:25] skills to this new position of alternate

[3:28] student representative and is an active

[3:31] leader in both school and community

[3:33] organizations. Mr. Bailey, please come

[3:36] forward to receive your oath of

[3:38] commitment and your family members are

[3:40] welcome to join.

[3:57] I didn't see her over there. Okay.

[4:04] Thank you.

[4:11] Mr. Bailey, as school board chairwoman,

[4:14] I have the honor and privilege of

[4:16] leading your oath of commitment. Please

[4:19] raise your right hand.

[4:22] Please repeat after me. I, Holton

[4:25] Bailey, do solemnly affirm

[4:27] I, Holton Bailey, do solemnly affirm

[4:30] that I will support the mission of

[4:32] Newport News public schools. I will

[4:34] support the mission of public schools.

[4:37] And I will faithfully perform my duties

[4:39] as the alternate student representative

[4:41] to the school board.

[4:53] Whenever I will attend meetings and

[4:56] participate

[4:59] I will serve as the co-f facilitator to

[5:01] the superintendent students advisory

[5:04] group on education

[5:08] yes I will serve as co- facilitator to

[5:11] the superintendent

[5:12] I will serve as co- facilitator to the

[5:14] superintendent

[5:15] student advisory group on education

[5:18] student advisory group on education

[5:20] I will contribute to schoolboard discuss

[5:22] discussion.

[5:22] I will contribute to school board

[5:24] discussions.

[5:25] I will strive to fulfill

[5:26] responsibilities of this position while

[5:29] excelling in my studies.

[5:31] I will strive to

[5:34] fulfill

[5:35] responsibilities

[5:37] of this position while excelling in my

[5:40] studies.

[5:40] of this position while excelling in my

[5:42] studies

[5:44] according to the best of my abilities.

[5:46] according to the best of my abilities.

[5:48] Mr. Bailey, congratulations and welcome

[5:51] to the school board.

[5:59] Would you like to offer a few comments?

[6:04] Good evening everyone.

[6:06] As she said before, my name is Hton

[6:07] Bailey. I am a senior at Achievable

[6:09] Dream High and I'm very excited to be

[6:12] the first one in this position, this new

[6:14] position. I'm ready to test out the

[6:16] waters of this position just to see what

[6:18] we can improve on and what the person

[6:20] after me may be able to do. I also am

[6:24] thankful for this position. You know, my

[6:25] principal here, Miss Hudges, she really

[6:28] did push me to apply not just for this

[6:30] position, but just to become student

[6:32] representative, and I did. And

[6:34] fortunately, I was able to take on this

[6:37] position. I'm here to advocate for my

[6:39] students. As soon as this announcement

[6:41] came out saying that I got the position,

[6:43] I had a whole bunch of students at

[6:45] school telling me, you know,

[6:46] congratulations, telling me to go

[6:48] represent for the students and that's

[6:49] what I plan to do. I am one who will

[6:52] speak. I will I won't be quiet. I am one

[6:57] I am one to hear the students as I'm

[6:59] with them every day. I know what they

[7:02] want and I know how to put it into

[7:04] professional words so that the members

[7:06] of this board can hear them loud and

[7:08] clear. So, I'm very thankful to get this

[7:10] position.

[7:17] Okay.

[7:50] Thank you and congratulations again. We

[7:52] look forward to working with you. And at

[7:54] this time, we're going to take a short

[7:56] break so that our presenters and guests

[7:59] and their families may leave if they

[8:01] wish to do so. You are certainly welcome

[8:03] to stay. So stand we will stand in

[8:05] recess briefly. Thank you.

[10:55] The next item on tonight's agenda is

[10:58] school board. Excuse me. During our

[11:00] regular meetings, we provide time for

[11:02] the public to address the school board.

[11:05] These opportunities are scheduled in the

[11:07] early part of our agenda and towards the

[11:10] end of the meeting. As advertised,

[11:12] citizens may submit comments via email

[11:15] up to 30 minutes prior to our meeting

[11:17] time to be included in the official

[11:19] meeting record.

[11:21] For those of you joining us in person,

[11:23] the board considers this an opportunity

[11:26] to listen to your comments. Please

[11:28] understand that we will consider your

[11:30] concerns. We ask that you comply with

[11:33] our threeminut time limit. As you begin

[11:35] your comments, a green light will come

[11:37] on. A yellow light signals that you have

[11:40] 30 seconds remaining and a red light and

[11:42] beep indicates that your time is up. I

[11:46] understand we may have a group or two

[11:48] that like would like to come up as a

[11:50] group, but we're going to ask you in the

[11:52] essence of safety, please do not do

[11:54] that. If you would like to recognize the

[11:56] people that are with you, they can stand

[11:58] and you are welcome to do so. As your

[12:01] name is called, please come forward.

[12:07] George Jordan and she will be followed

[12:11] by Tammy.

[12:29] Thank you.

[12:31] As stated, my name is George. I've been

[12:35] driving for 22 years for Newport News

[12:37] public schools and my question to you is

[12:42] aren't we in a bus driver shortage? So

[12:45] why are we limiting our drivers or shall

[12:48] I say our seasoned drivers by giving the

[12:52] new drivers more hours than our seasoned

[12:54] drivers?

[12:56] Last I heard,

[12:58] rent for one bedroom was $1,900.

[13:02] So, if you're limiting your seasoned

[13:04] drivers that's been here for 20, 15, 30

[13:07] years

[13:09] to $1,900 a month or $2,000 a month,

[13:15] they're not making their bills, let

[13:17] alone paying their rent.

[13:19] You're losing drivers.

[13:22] Workplace chaos, constant reactive and

[13:26] false urgency, lack of clear direction,

[13:30] poor communication, shift in priorities,

[13:35] cultural and impro interpersonal

[13:37] toxicity,

[13:39] unhealthy dynamics,

[13:41] lack of

[13:44] workplace

[13:45] ethics and manipulation and intimidation

[13:49] in the workplace. disorganization and

[13:52] leadership

[13:54] and creating widespread confusion.

[13:59] That's why you have a rapid turnover.

[14:01] Therefore, workers are leaving and

[14:03] scrambling when doing runs.

[14:07] Cronyism

[14:09] granting jobs to special favors to

[14:11] friends or close friends or personal

[14:14] allies.

[14:16] retaliation,

[14:18] workplace retaliation.

[14:20] Please don't speak up for yourself.

[14:23] Please don't stand up for your rights or

[14:27] talk about misconduct cuz you will be

[14:30] retaliated on. And we probably will have

[14:33] more drivers here tonight and more

[14:35] assistants, but they didn't want to get

[14:37] retaliated on. So, I would like to thank

[14:40] everybody, all the drivers and

[14:41] assistants that did show up tonight.

[14:44] A lot of drivers and assistants don't

[14:47] show up or are scared to because of lack

[14:51] of leadership,

[14:53] lack of management. So in short, I would

[14:56] say you don't have a bus driver

[14:57] shortage. You have a management,

[15:00] supervisor, and leadership problem.

[15:10] And Miss Tammy will be followed by Ivana

[15:12] Jones.

[15:15] Good evening. I am Tamara Brown. Tammy

[15:18] superintendent and members of the school

[15:20] board. I stand here tonight as a proud

[15:22] Newport News bus driver representing the

[15:24] dedicated team that ensures our students

[15:26] to get to school safely every day. We

[15:29] are here tonight because we value our

[15:31] partnership with the Newport News public

[15:33] schools. We want to work with you to

[15:35] solve the severe driver shortage that is

[15:37] currently straining our system. Where

[15:40] vacancy rates have honored near 30%,

[15:43] those of us behind the wheel are glad to

[15:45] step up, stretch routes, and keep the

[15:47] city moving. But to sustain this

[15:49] partnership, we urgently need the board

[15:51] to fulfill its commitments to us. Right

[15:54] now, the financial pressure on all of

[15:56] our drivers is immediate and real. We

[15:59] are already midway through September and

[16:01] we are facing a critical gap in our

[16:03] compensation. First, we urgently need

[16:07] clarity on the 4% salary rates

[16:09] authorized through the state budget

[16:11] compromise. This division promised this

[16:14] increase and yet our contracts have not

[16:17] been updated. We cannot afford to wait

[16:19] any longer for the paperwork to match

[16:21] the promise. Second, our drivers are

[16:24] anxiously waiting for the promise

[16:25] retention bonus. This bonus isn't just a

[16:28] line item. It is a vital buffer for our

[16:32] families right now. Working together

[16:34] means taking care of our people on the

[16:37] front lines. And the delay in these

[16:39] funds is hurting our team morale when we

[16:42] need it most. We want to help Newport

[16:44] News Public Schools remain competitive

[16:46] and strong. And to do that, we

[16:48] collaboratively ask the board for

[16:51] immediate action tonight. Issue a

[16:54] definitive timeline for when our updated

[16:56] contracts reflecting the 4% raise will

[16:59] be signed and implemented. Provide a

[17:02] specific urgent date for when the

[17:04] overdue retention bonuses will be paid

[17:07] out. Establish a collaborative dialogue

[17:11] between driver representatives and

[17:13] administration to review base

[17:16] compensation moving forward. And we are

[17:18] fully committed to all of our students

[17:20] and this city. We ask that you match the

[17:23] commitment by urgently honoring these

[17:26] agreements. Thank you.

[17:28] Thank you,

[17:32] Miss Ivana Jones. And she will be

[17:34] followed by Dr. James Graves.

[17:40] Schoolboard members, more and more

[17:42] citizens of Newport News are bringing

[17:44] serious concerns to your attention about

[17:46] what is happening within our school

[17:48] system. I hope you are listening. I hope

[17:50] you are taking heed, taking notes, and

[17:52] most importantly preparing to take

[17:54] actions to the address the concerns

[17:57] being brought to you before you by the

[18:00] people you were elected to represent.

[18:02] But I also want to make something very

[18:04] clear. Being elected to a term does not

[18:06] mean that accountability disappears

[18:08] until the next election. Virginia law

[18:11] provides a process through with an

[18:13] elected official may be subject to a

[18:15] petition for removal through the courts.

[18:18] That process requires a petition signed

[18:21] by registered voters equal to 10% of the

[18:24] votes cast in the last election for that

[18:26] particular office. And the petition must

[18:29] be based on grounds established by law.

[18:31] So if citizens believe that an elected

[18:33] representative is failing to fulfill the

[18:36] duties of the office, there are lawful

[18:38] avenues for accountability beyond simply

[18:41] waiting for the next election. You were

[18:43] elected to represent the people of

[18:45] Newport News, not to ignore them,

[18:47] dismiss their concerns, or allow their

[18:49] voices to go unanswered. We are paying

[18:51] attention. We are documenting what is

[18:53] happening. We are learning our rights,

[18:55] learning the law, and using appropriate

[18:57] channels available to us. We are asking

[19:00] you to do your jobs, listen to the

[19:01] people, and address the issues being

[19:03] brought before you because

[19:05] accountability matters, representation

[19:07] matters, and the voices of Newport News

[19:09] families matter. Thank you for your time

[19:11] this evening. and we look forward to

[19:13] continuing to advocate for our children,

[19:15] our families, and our community and to

[19:17] working toward a better Newport News.

[19:20] Thank you,

[19:22] Dr. James Graves. And he will be

[19:24] followed by Adena Rivera.

[19:32] Put on my reading glasses. Good evening,

[19:36] Dr. Mitchell, board, Dr. Best, Vice

[19:39] Chair, Miss Alger, and members of the

[19:41] school board. Thank you for placing the

[19:43] resolution establish a collective

[19:45] bargaining study group on tonight's

[19:47] action agenda. I also want to thank you

[19:50] for revising the resolution to state the

[19:52] study group shall include

[19:54] representatives from employee

[19:56] associations

[19:58] rather than may include. It is important

[20:01] that employees and representatives have

[20:02] a meaningful seat at the table

[20:04] throughout the process and we appreciate

[20:06] the board making that change. There is

[20:09] one recommendation VA and NEA would

[20:12] still like the board to consider. The

[20:14] study group shall be charged with

[20:16] developing a resolution authorizing

[20:19] collective bargaining for school board's

[20:21] consideration.

[20:23] Studying collective bargaining without

[20:25] an untimely developing and collective

[20:27] bargaining resolution will leave Newport

[20:30] News employees no closer to having an

[20:32] opportunity to e to elect a bargaining

[20:35] representative and negotiate a union

[20:38] contract.

[20:39] Once the study group completed its work,

[20:42] the board will still have to undertake

[20:43] the policy writing process. It makes

[20:46] more sense to include that work as part

[20:48] of the study group's charge from the

[20:50] beginning.

[20:52] Newu City Council provides a useful

[20:54] example. Last July, city council

[20:56] authorized collective bargaining for

[20:57] firefighters, police officers, and other

[21:00] city employees. The city's collective

[21:02] bargaining task force was followed by an

[21:04] ordinance establishing collective

[21:06] bargaining. The work performed by

[21:08] teachers and other News employees is

[21:10] very bit as important to our community

[21:14] as the work performed by city employees.

[21:18] City leaders ultimately gave the

[21:20] employees the opportunity to have

[21:21] collective bargaining rights and school

[21:24] employees deserve the same

[21:26] consideration. I also encouraged the

[21:28] board to establish a reasonable timeline

[21:30] for this work. According to the new city

[21:32] council's online records, city

[21:35] collective bargaining task force

[21:37] completed this work in approximately six

[21:39] months instead of a year. We should not

[21:42] have to take a whole year for something

[21:43] that's already been established with the

[21:45] city. If the city was able to complete

[21:47] the process in six months, we believe

[21:49] it's reasonable to ask the school board

[21:51] to do the same.

[21:53] City council has already established a

[21:55] framework for studying implementing

[21:57] collective bargaining for public

[21:58] employees. We respectfully ask the

[22:01] school board to build on that work,

[22:02] include employee repres represent

[22:05] representation at every stage, and

[22:07] ensure that the study group's work

[22:09] results is a collective bargain

[22:10] resolution for the board's

[22:12] consideration.

[22:14] News employees deserve the opportunity

[22:16] to have a voice in our working

[22:18] conditions and to be able to negotiate

[22:20] collectively for the benefit of our

[22:22] students and schools.

[22:24] There's a whole lot of bus drivers out

[22:25] here today for some reason. Something is

[22:29] going on.

[22:31] Please take heed to that. Something is

[22:34] going on because normally we don't have

[22:36] that many bus drivers out here. Probably

[22:38] about one or two. But a whole lot of

[22:40] them out here today. So, I encourage you

[22:42] to please listen, please investigate,

[22:46] and please make a change. Find out

[22:48] what's going on. I beg of you. Thank

[22:51] you.

[22:52] Thank you,

[22:56] Mr. Dina Rivera. And she will be

[22:58] followed by Aaron Woodard.

[23:05] Good evening, members of the board. I

[23:08] come to you only as a parent to speak to

[23:11] you about the JBP policy change. I stand

[23:13] by my previous arguments where I stated

[23:15] the previous policy version was a happy

[23:18] medium for everyone. It maintained the

[23:21] family unit and trust between parents

[23:23] and the school system by leaving the

[23:25] final decision for our children to

[23:26] socially transition or not up to each

[23:29] child's parent. Each family had the

[23:32] right and authority to make the decision

[23:34] that they were most comfortable with

[23:35] together. You have violated the right by

[23:38] taking the final decision away from the

[23:40] parents with the new policy version. We

[23:43] still have the authority. I know you may

[23:45] think that we don't, but we are the ones

[23:48] who put you on that board and we can

[23:50] vote to take you off. The previous

[23:53] policy version allowed the use of

[23:54] facilities of the opposite sex as long

[23:56] as the child was diagnosed with gender

[23:58] dysphoria by a medical professional.

[24:00] Whether you want to believe it or not,

[24:02] there are people who will pretend to

[24:04] identify as the opposite gender because

[24:06] they have ill intentions.

[24:09] This is not to say that every trans

[24:11] child has ill intentions. This is not an

[24:13] attack on trans children or saying that

[24:16] they do not exist. This is about

[24:19] maintaining a safe environment for every

[24:21] student because sooner or later this

[24:22] policy will cause someone to go into

[24:24] another gender's restroom or locker room

[24:25] and someone will get hurt.

[24:28] The new policy says that students can

[24:29] use the facilities for the gender they

[24:31] identify as. It also says some

[24:33] transgender students may want to access

[24:35] may want access to these facilities

[24:37] while others may want alternatives for

[24:40] more privacy. It says that schools will

[24:42] take steps to designate gender inclusive

[24:44] or single-use restrooms. It also says

[24:46] that if you have this kind of access

[24:47] that it should be available to all

[24:49] students. I just want to reiterate the

[24:52] use of all students. So if a biological

[24:54] female is uncomfortable with sharing a

[24:56] locker room or restroom with a

[24:57] biological male who identifies as a

[24:59] female, then make sure all students

[25:02] actually means that. According to this

[25:04] policy, she must be allowed access to a

[25:07] private area just as the transgender

[25:09] child would be. Every single one of

[25:12] them, even if there's more than one. If

[25:14] a girl says no, that she will not change

[25:16] in front of a boy, it is her right to

[25:17] call a biological male a boy, even if he

[25:19] identifies as a female. because we have

[25:21] freedom of speech in this country and

[25:24] she doesn't have to agree with it or use

[25:27] words that she does not agree with. This

[25:30] difficulty includes any

[25:34] sorry she should be offered the private

[25:37] space without any difficulty and this

[25:38] difficulty includes any hostility that

[25:40] might come from her exercising her right

[25:42] to say no. You have taken away the

[25:44] parents rights to say no with regards to

[25:46] our children. We will we we will not

[25:48] allow you to take it away from our

[25:49] children, especially our daughters.

[25:52] Thank you.

[25:54] Thank you,

[25:56] Mr. Aaron Woodard.

[25:58] And he will be followed by Mr. Francis

[26:00] Jacobs.

[26:02] Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of

[26:04] the board. Uh my name is Aaron Woodard.

[26:05] I'm the president of the International

[26:07] Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, uh

[26:08] located here in Newport, News, Virginia.

[26:10] Um, but I'm also a parent of two amazing

[26:14] young men who graduated from Warwick High

[26:17] School in the uh IB program. Um, so

[26:20] that's primarily why I'm here.

[26:23] These two amazing young men, one of them

[26:25] just graduated from William and Mary.

[26:26] The other one is a junior at ODU uh

[26:29] pursuing mechanical engineering. They

[26:32] were able to achieve that for a couple

[26:34] of different reasons.

[26:36] One is because of the amazing teachers,

[26:39] bus drivers that were there, picked them

[26:41] up in the morning,

[26:43] administrative staff

[26:45] that helped them in their educational

[26:46] path and to achieve the goals that they

[26:48] set out for theirel. The other reason is

[26:51] because they grew up in a union

[26:52] household.

[26:54] I'm able to send them to college. I'm

[26:56] able to do things to help them achieve

[26:59] the goals that they've set for their

[27:00] life and that these teachers and bus

[27:02] drivers and everybody associated has

[27:04] helped set them up for. I encourage the

[27:07] board um to to pass this resolution,

[27:11] create a task force because I've seen

[27:12] the impact it can have in somebody's

[27:14] life personally. Um and I'd also like to

[27:17] once again thank everybody that helped

[27:20] my kids become the young men that they

[27:21] are today. So, thank you.

[27:23] Thank you.

[27:26] Mr. Jacobs will be followed by Miss

[27:28] Chalet Jones.

[27:30] Thank you. Um, good evening school board

[27:33] members and um, superintendent. This is

[27:36] my first time coming here to speak and

[27:39] um I was on my own minding my business

[27:44] and these dignified

[27:46] bus drivers um came to me to complain

[27:51] that their voices have not been heard

[27:55] and I want to commend the schoolboard

[27:57] members for the great works you guys are

[28:00] doing and it will not go unnoticed. Dr.

[28:04] Best I have so much regard you know for

[28:08] your leadership and the entire board

[28:10] members I'm here today to appeal to your

[28:15] hearts to listen to the concern of these

[28:19] bus drivers for them to come here in

[28:22] group signifies that they are deeply

[28:26] hurt and I I I can't do anything other

[28:29] than to speak and to appeal

[28:33] after this meeting. I would like to

[28:36] encourage us to make decisions with

[28:39] these

[28:41] uh uh truck uh bus drivers in mind. They

[28:45] are the tools, the equipments that we

[28:48] use to service

[28:50] our children and if the tools and the

[28:54] equipments are not properly taken care

[28:56] of, it will reflect negatively on our

[28:59] kids and also on our administration.

[29:03] When we go home tonight, I want us to

[29:06] just listen to every word that they have

[29:09] said to us. Let it play in our mind. Let

[29:13] it play in our dreams. And when we sit

[29:16] down to make those policies, let's ask

[29:19] ourself, does the policy reflect the

[29:23] things that are on their mind? My name

[29:25] is Francis Jacobson. Please listen to

[29:28] them because when we do our kids will be

[29:32] happy. The parents as well will be

[29:34] happy. Thank you.

[29:36] Thank you.

[29:40] Mr. Shay Jones will be followed by

[29:44] Miss Pam Brown.

[29:51] Good evening members of the school

[29:53] board. I am a Newport News public school bus

[29:54] driver. I'm a resident of Newport News

[29:56] as well. My daughter attends a magnet

[29:59] school. I'm here tonight to voice my

[30:01] strong opposion to any proposals that

[30:04] would reduce or eliminate transportation

[30:06] for a magnet and specialty programs. You

[30:09] are all being told that a driver

[30:11] shortage makes makes cross town magnet

[30:13] routes unused sorry unsustainable.

[30:17] However, we must call we must call this

[30:20] what it really is a manufacturer crisis.

[30:22] The narrative of a bus driver shortage

[30:24] falls apart when you look at our current

[30:26] operation management where the

[30:28] operation supervisor is actively trying

[30:30] to limit bus drivers to a maximum of

[30:32] 32.5 hours on a contract. You cannot

[30:36] claim you don't have enough drivers

[30:37] while simultaneously rationing the hours

[30:39] of the willing qualified staff already

[30:42] employed. We have successfully

[30:44] transported students across the city for

[30:46] magnet program for years. The sudden

[30:48] illability to do so is a failure of

[30:50] operational strategy and labor

[30:52] management, not an absolute lack of

[30:54] human resources. Furthermore, we must

[30:56] look into this history of why these

[30:58] routes exist. News operates under a

[31:00] historic 1971 federal disegration law

[31:04] order. When our magnet system was built,

[31:07] these programs were deliberately chosen

[31:08] as a vehicle for integration. They were

[31:11] designed to maintain a healthy racial

[31:13] balance and ensure that a child's zip

[31:15] code did not dictate the quality of

[31:18] their education. Magnet school only

[31:20] works as a tool for equality if everyone

[31:22] can get to them. If you eliminate or

[31:25] severely restrict school bus

[31:26] transportation, you are effective

[31:31] effectively turning magnet schools into

[31:32] exclusive academics accessible only to

[31:35] families that have the wealth or

[31:36] flexibility work schedule to drive their

[31:38] children across town every single day.

[31:40] Working-class families and parents in

[31:41] the southern and central parts of our

[31:43] city will be disappointedly locked out.

[31:45] By dismantling transportation that

[31:47] supports magnet programs, the district

[31:49] risk reversing decades of progress

[31:51] and triggering de facto re-segregation

[31:55] in our schools. I urge the board to

[31:57] reject these transportation cuts,

[31:59] investigate the contract hour

[32:00] restrictions currently placing caps on

[32:02] our drivers and honor honor your

[32:04] historical and legal obligations to

[32:06] equity. Thank you.

[32:09] I believe that's Tamara Brown and she

[32:12] will be followed by Kashandanda White

[32:14] Miselle.

[32:24] Oh, that was Tamara. I'm sorry, Miss

[32:26] Cashonda White.

[32:37] Good evening, members of the board. I am

[32:39] here tonight to bring to your attention

[32:42] a serious breakdown in financial

[32:44] accountability, a breach of employee

[32:47] safety and active workplace retaliation

[32:50] occurring within the operations

[32:51] department of transportation Newport

[32:53] News public schools. I possess physical

[32:56] photograph evidence providing that the

[32:58] current operation supervisor

[33:01] manually arched time card to pay an

[33:04] employee for 10 hours of work that they

[33:06] did not perform. This is a direct

[33:09] misappropriations of public funds. I

[33:13] followed proper procedure and reported

[33:15] this fraud directly to human resources

[33:17] providing them with the photographic

[33:19] proof rather than investigating the

[33:21] misuse of public funds. HR closed the

[33:24] case, returned it to the supervisor

[33:27] director to handle internally. HR has

[33:30] informed the supervisor that I was the

[33:32] whistleblower. Because HR has exposed my

[33:36] identity, I am now facing aggressive

[33:38] retaliation. The operation supervisor

[33:40] has made verbal threats statements

[33:42] regarding our holiday pay, stating that

[33:44] under her watch, holiday pay will be

[33:46] stripped. Furthermore, whenever I

[33:49] contact HR regarding payroll questions,

[33:52] they block me. They send me right back

[33:55] to the director of transportation.

[33:59] I was issued a write up by the shop

[34:01] supervisor who works with our operations

[34:04] supervisor for an infraction I had

[34:06] absolutely no knowledge of. This is a

[34:09] transparent attempt to target my

[34:11] employment because I spoke up. Virginia

[34:14] law strickens strictly protects public

[34:16] employees who report fraud

[34:19] from this exact type of retaliation

[34:22] because the administration has failed to

[34:24] protect public fraud and has actively

[34:28] endangered my position by doing the

[34:30] right thing. I am passing a formal

[34:33] letter to the board tonight which I

[34:35] already have. I urge you to launch an

[34:37] independent external audit for the

[34:41] department financial records to

[34:43] investigate immediately to enforce the

[34:45] state's whistleblower protection. Thank

[34:47] you and y'all have a great evening.

[34:49] Thank you.

[34:53] Miss Lisa Lloyd will be followed by Miss

[34:56] Jackie Batters.

[35:03] Good evening, superintendent and members

[35:04] of the school board. My name is Lisa

[35:07] Lord and I am speaking on behalf of my

[35:10] daughter Kashonda White, a community

[35:13] stakeholder in the Newport News Public

[35:15] Schools District. I'm standing before

[35:18] you tonight to formally bring to your

[35:20] attention a severe breakdown and

[35:23] administrative procedure regarding a

[35:25] level three non-employee discrimination

[35:28] complaint. On July the 27th, 2026,

[35:32] I officially submitted a formal level

[35:35] three appeal to the superintendent under

[35:38] federal civil rights guidelines,

[35:40] including title number six and section

[35:43] 504 compliance as well as the district's

[35:47] own published grievance policies. The

[35:50] administration is required to provide a

[35:52] prompt, equitable, and timely resolution

[35:56] to discrimination complaints. As of

[35:59] tonight, September the 15th, 2026,

[36:03] over a month has passed, and the

[36:05] superintendent has maintained absolute

[36:09] silence. I have received no ruling, no

[36:12] explanation, and no response.

[36:15] Administrative silence is not a

[36:18] resolution. Stalling a discrimination

[36:21] complaint does not make it go away. It

[36:24] actively denies citizens the procedural

[36:27] rights guaranteed to them by law and by

[36:31] this district's own policies.

[36:35] Because the administrative chain has

[36:37] broken down at the superintendence

[36:40] level. I'm bypassing the silence and

[36:43] bringing this directly to the school

[36:45] board which is the level four authority.

[36:50] I'm not here to add the private

[36:52] sensitive details of the underlying

[36:55] discrimination in a public form. I'm

[36:58] here to hold the leadership of this

[37:01] district accountable to its own rules.

[37:05] I request two things tonight. First,

[37:09] that the school board clerk officially

[37:11] logs this public statement into the

[37:14] meeting minutes as a formal escalation

[37:18] to level four. second that a

[37:21] representative from the board contacts

[37:23] me by the end of this week to establish

[37:27] a clear timeline for reviewing her

[37:31] appeal. Thank you for the time and I

[37:34] look forward to your prompt response

[37:37] respectfully my daughter Kashonda White

[37:40] read by her mother Lisa Lord. Thank you.

[37:43] Thank you.

[37:48] Miss Jackie Batterson will be followed

[37:53] by Miss Kayla

[37:55] Seer.

[38:00] My name is Jackie Batterson. I am a

[38:03] resident of Newport News and a member of

[38:05] the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of

[38:07] the Peninsula.

[38:10] On August 20th, 2026, the Human Rights

[38:13] Campaign Foundation published an

[38:16] analysis of 2.45 million responses to

[38:20] the Census Bureau's

[38:22] Household Plus survey

[38:25] collected between July 2021 and

[38:28] September 2024.

[38:30] They concluded that 12% of young

[38:33] American adults identify as LGBTQ plus,

[38:38] the highest figure any major survey

[38:41] produced. It also found that 2.34%

[38:45] of young American adults identify as

[38:48] transgender.

[38:50] Nearly one in three adults under 25 now

[38:54] identify as LGBTQ plus, making up more

[38:58] than 10% of the adult population in 40

[39:02] states in the District of Columbia.

[39:06] Unfortunately, in 2025-26,

[39:10] the numbers might look different due to

[39:12] the extreme attacks from the Trump

[39:15] administration.

[39:16] Since that time, the Trump

[39:18] administration has dismantled the

[39:21] federal data collection.

[39:23] Due to the hatred perpetuated by the

[39:26] Trump administration and others, 36% of

[39:30] LGBTQ plus young people considered

[39:34] attempting suicide in this past year,

[39:37] including 40% of transgender and

[39:40] non-binary young people. The Trevor

[39:43] Project last year served more than

[39:46] 390,000

[39:48] crisis contacts by phone, chat, and

[39:51] text. None of this would be necessary if

[39:55] the continued hate and prejudice would

[39:57] be stopped by those perpetuating it.

[40:01] There are a group of people who spend

[40:03] their time stoking hatred toward

[40:06] children and young people. They do this

[40:09] under the guise of protecting them. But

[40:11] that is not true. They just want to

[40:14] control their children and our children.

[40:18] These same people love the Constitution

[40:21] right up and till it protects someone

[40:23] they don't like. Stop using our

[40:26] transgender children as political

[40:28] footballs. Stop trying to regulate their

[40:31] bodies. They have the same fundamental

[40:34] human rights as everyone in this room.

[40:38] I say this to the school board member

[40:40] who has aligned themselves with the

[40:42] anti-trans protesters. You have made

[40:45] your opinions perfectly clear on

[40:48] multiple occasions.

[40:50] School board members cannot effectively

[40:52] advocate for the well-being of all

[40:55] children while publicly displaying

[40:57] contempt for some of them. Your actions

[41:00] speak for themselves.

[41:03] Thank you.

[41:15] Good evening. My name is Cooper and I

[41:17] have some concerns about discipline and

[41:18] I want to share my experience. My son

[41:20] attends Warwick High School and in April of

[41:22] this year he was suspended and removed

[41:24] from school for the remainder of the

[41:25] school year for a weapons violation. I

[41:27] received the suspension notice but I did

[41:28] not receive written appeal procedures as

[41:30] the student handbook states and this is

[41:31] after I even made a request um to the

[41:34] administrator. A week after my son's

[41:36] suspension, an MDR meeting was held,

[41:37] which is required due to him receiving

[41:39] special education services. At the time

[41:41] of this meeting, I was unaware that a

[41:42] threat threat assessment was completed.

[41:44] I was told last Friday by the special

[41:46] education supervisor the threat

[41:47] assessment is not considered relevant

[41:49] information. The team outside of the

[41:51] parent outside of the parent can use the

[41:53] information in the threat assessment to

[41:54] understand student behaviors, but they

[41:56] do not have to share this information

[41:58] with parents. In May, my son had a

[42:00] hearing with at the office of student

[42:01] conduct. The hearing officer informed me

[42:03] that Warick has its own set of rules

[42:04] outside of the student handbook that is

[42:06] used for student discipline and that my

[42:08] son could have received as little as 5

[42:09] days out of school suspension. When I

[42:11] requested a copy of the suspension

[42:13] packet to review during the hearing, I

[42:14] was denied and told by the hearing

[42:16] officer that it was considered school

[42:18] property and I would need an attorney to

[42:19] access the records. I was accused by her

[42:22] assistant of violating my son's rights

[42:24] by not allowing him to speak at the

[42:25] hearing. and she and the assistant also

[42:27] shared with me that there would be no

[42:28] need to appeal her decision to the

[42:30] school board because my evidence would

[42:31] not be considered if my son did not

[42:33] speak. Due to their behaviors and

[42:35] comments, I made a formal complaint and

[42:36] requested an investigation by the

[42:38] superintendent to review the video

[42:39] footage and audio. After making a foyer

[42:42] request last month, I learned an

[42:43] investigation never happened and the

[42:44] camera in the room for disciplinary

[42:46] hearings does not record. Two weeks

[42:48] before the appeal hearing with the

[42:50] school board, I sent a furer request to

[42:51] the registar for disciplinary records.

[42:54] I was only given a disciplinary profile

[42:55] sheet. After the registar spoke with the

[42:57] assistant principal of operations, I was

[42:59] told the information I was looking for

[43:00] didn't exist. Yet, I received the

[43:02] suspension packet which included the

[43:04] threat assessment 20 minutes before my

[43:05] son's appeal hearing with the school

[43:06] board. The threat assessment is not

[43:08] credible. I saw my son was listed as a

[43:10] high-risisk threat and I was listed as

[43:11] an influence. Two people on the threat

[43:13] assessment team I reported prior to my

[43:15] son's suspension for unprofessional

[43:17] behavior and another person has criminal

[43:18] convictions. The threat assessment was

[43:20] completed before video evidence was

[43:22] viewed and the basis for determination

[43:23] used against my son doesn't match the

[43:25] statement the school security guard

[43:26] provided. I feel my son and I were I

[43:29] feel my son and I were retaliated for

[43:31] complaints I made against warwick's

[43:32] leadership and complaints I made against

[43:34] IEP team members for failing to

[43:36] implement my son's IEP calling out

[43:37] predeterminations and requesting a

[43:39] former case manager's removal after

[43:41] video evidence showed she lied about an

[43:43] incident my son reported. Thank you.

[43:46] Thank you.

[43:51] Thank you for your comments and thoughts

[43:53] this evening. We will now move on to

[43:55] section three, the consent agenda. Board

[43:58] members, you have received the consent

[44:00] agenda in your packet. At this time, may

[44:03] I have a motion to approve the consent

[44:05] agenda?

[44:06] I move to approve the consent agenda as

[44:08] presented.

[44:11] It's been moved and second that we

[44:13] approve the consent agenda as presented.

[44:15] Any questions, remarks? Miss Buffalo,

[44:19] please call the roll.

[44:21] Aman,

[44:23] Brown,

[44:24] for.

[44:24] Harris,

[44:25] for.

[44:25] Hunter,

[44:26] Surles Law,

[44:27] for.

[44:28] Alger,

[44:28] for.

[44:29] Best

[44:30] for.

[44:30] Motion passes 7-0.

[44:32] Thank you. We will move to section four,

[44:35] action items 4.01, the collective

[44:39] bargaining resolution. And I do have a

[44:42] comment.

[44:44] I have received a couple of calls and

[44:47] texts and emails regarding

[44:50] the um collective bar bargaining

[44:52] resolution and there seems to be some

[44:53] confusion that we're voting tonight on

[44:56] actual collective bargaining. And so

[44:58] that's why I'm going to make this um

[44:59] statement. So I would like I would

[45:02] emphasize that this resolution is about

[45:04] learning, listening, and preparing the

[45:06] board to make an informed decision.

[45:09] This resolution does not commit Newport

[45:11] News School Board to collective

[45:12] bargaining. Rather, it creates an

[45:14] opportunity for us to study the issue

[45:16] carefully, objectively, and responsibly.

[45:20] As a school board, one of our

[45:21] responsibilities is to make informed

[45:23] decisions that are in the best interest

[45:25] of our students, our employees, and our

[45:27] families and the school division as a

[45:29] whole. This requires us to understand

[45:32] all sides of an issue before determining

[45:34] what, if any, action should be taken.

[45:36] Tonight, we are not making that final

[45:38] decision. We are simply saying that this

[45:41] issue deserves thoughtful study,

[45:43] meaningful dialogue, transparency, and

[45:45] due diligence.

[45:47] Most importantly, I want our employees

[45:49] to know that their voices matter. Our

[45:51] teachers, support staff, administrators,

[45:54] and other employees are essential to the

[45:56] success of our schools. Creating a study

[45:59] group allows us to hear directly from

[46:00] those who are closest to the work.

[46:06] May I have a motion to approve the

[46:08] collective bargaining resolution?

[46:14] It's been moved and second that we

[46:15] approve the collecting bargaining

[46:17] resolution. Questions, comments?

[46:21] Mr. Brown,

[46:22] chair, I'll make a comment just in terms

[46:23] of the composition of the group. I think

[46:26] it's really critically important that we

[46:28] do uh at least uh whether we can

[46:30] guarantee it or not but extend uh

[46:32] invitation to members of council uh city

[46:35] council to be a part of the group uh

[46:37] because at least uh in studying the

[46:39] issue what we've talked about the

[46:41] last couple years uh at least on my end

[46:43] that has been the um the biggest

[46:45] stumbling block in the end if we're

[46:47] really seriously going to study the

[46:48] issue and figure it out I we have to

[46:50] figure out the funding mechanism the

[46:51] funding formula how we're going to to do

[46:53] that and I think that we can't do that

[46:54] without a member of council being a part

[46:57] of the study group.

[46:58] Thank you, Mr. Brown.

[47:02] Mr. I'm sorry, Miss Aman.

[47:08] Um I, you know, I've been doing a fair

[47:10] amount looking and seeing how these

[47:12] collective bargaining agreements have

[47:13] been implemented in areas across the

[47:15] state that have seen it, particularly

[47:18] with school divisions because we're in a

[47:19] slightly different position than say

[47:21] city councils. We don't generate our own

[47:24] funs. So, you know, as we've seen, even

[47:26] with the 4% raise and bonuses, when

[47:29] things come up from the legislature, we

[47:31] don't anticipate. We sometimes can't

[47:33] fulfill them even if we want to, unless

[47:35] until the city appropriates additional

[47:37] funds for us. And I've seen a handful of

[47:40] them, particularly in Northern Virginia,

[47:42] very well resourced

[47:44] um districts and localities, end up in a

[47:48] mudslinging contest between the school

[47:49] boards and the um the councils or boards

[47:53] of supervisors. Um, so my big concern

[47:56] regardless of what we do, um, is sort of

[47:59] how that's going to work if we haven't

[48:00] been a if we've seen a lot of challenges

[48:02] in some of the other divisions that have

[48:04] been doing it for a little while.

[48:07] Thank you, Miss A. Mr. Hunter.

[48:11] Is there anyone else?

[48:12] Yeah, I just want to make a statement.

[48:14] And I I feel like this is a great

[48:16] opportunity to build relationships and

[48:19] really on focus on the needs uh in terms

[48:23] of of staff um as a division and also to

[48:28] make sure that whatever we decide that

[48:30] we are always working towards what's

[48:34] best not only for our staff but for our

[48:36] children. So, I want families to know

[48:38] that and for everyone out there to

[48:40] understand that uh at the end of the day

[48:44] uh we are serving kids. Thank you.

[48:47] Thank you. I have a question. I'm sorry,

[48:49] Mr. Oswall. No, you go ahead.

[48:52] I would just say that I'm really looking

[48:54] forward to this time together for our

[48:57] community. It's going to definitely be

[48:59] relationship building. Um, it's going to

[49:02] be an opportunity for us to really

[49:04] understand the resources that we have,

[49:06] the resources that we need. Um, and I

[49:10] think the thing that is going to be one

[49:11] of the biggest issues here is we're

[49:13] going to learn what we don't know. Um,

[49:16] and I know that I'm relying on those who

[49:19] are going to be collectively around this

[49:21] table to help us get there and to help

[49:24] us make a very, very informed decision

[49:26] that's going to be the best thing for

[49:27] our community.

[49:29] Thank you. I have a question for our

[49:32] attorney. Would doing something like

[49:36] adding a city council member to this

[49:39] group, if we were to approve this

[49:42] resolution tonight, would we be

[49:43] procluded from doing that or would that

[49:45] have to be would it have to be

[49:48] uh changed tonight? Yeah, Len Wall could

[49:50] certainly um chime in on this, but

[49:54] number three

[49:56] um which of the of the proposed

[49:58] resolution um item three says that the

[50:00] study group shall consist of nine

[50:02] members and shall include

[50:03] representatives of employee

[50:05] associations, schoolboard

[50:06] representatives, and other stakeholders.

[50:09] So, if a member of council wanted to be

[50:11] on um the study group, I don't see how

[50:14] why they would be procluded from that

[50:16] because technically they're a

[50:18] stakeholder in that council does, you

[50:20] know, is going to be funding your

[50:22] decision. So, um I don't I don't think

[50:24] it would be precluded.

[50:26] Okay.

[50:26] With the language here.

[50:27] That was my thinking. I just wanted to

[50:29] make sure.

[50:30] Thank you.

[50:31] Thank you. Thank you.

[50:32] Any other questions?

[50:36] Can Miss Buffalo call the role? Aman

[50:39] against

[50:40] Brown

[50:41] for

[50:42] Harris

[50:42] for

[50:43] Hunter

[50:44] for

[50:44] Surles law

[50:45] for

[50:46] Alger

[50:46] for

[50:47] best

[50:47] for

[50:48] motion carries 6-1

[50:50] thank you we will move to section five

[50:53] reports and information

[50:55] Dr. Mitchell.

[50:57] Thank you so much, Madame Chair. This

[51:00] evening, we are pleased to provide an

[51:02] update on the Maritime Engineering and

[51:05] Environmental Studies Academy, otherwise

[51:07] known as MEESA . MEESA represents the type

[51:11] of opportunity we want to continue

[51:14] expanding for our students. rigorous,

[51:17] relevant learning that connects the

[51:19] classroom to college, industry, and high

[51:22] demand careers that are right here in

[51:24] Hampton Roads. Through our partnership

[51:27] with Old Dominion University and our

[51:30] regional in industry partners, students

[51:32] are gaining meaningful experiences,

[51:35] credentials, college credit, and

[51:38] exposure to career pathways that are

[51:41] important to the future of this region.

[51:43] Tonight you will hear more about the

[51:45] progress of the program but more

[51:47] importantly you will hear directly from

[51:49] one of the students about the impact of

[51:52] the MEESA experience. So at this time I

[51:55] am pleased to ask Miss Terza James who

[51:58] is our program administrator to come to

[52:00] the podium to begin the presentation.

[52:06] Good evening madame chair best vice

[52:09] chair and members of the board and Dr.

[52:11] Mitchell. My name is Tisa James and I'm

[52:13] the program administrator for MEESA , the

[52:15] Maritime Engineering and Environmental

[52:17] Studies Academy. It is a pleasure to be

[52:19] here this evening to share an update on

[52:20] the MEESA program and how this work is

[52:23] helping prepare students to be

[52:24] community, college, and career ready.

[52:34] Back one. There you go.

[52:37] Nissa is grounded in the larger vision

[52:38] of Elevate 2030. The strategic plan

[52:41] calls for us to expand advanced learning

[52:43] opportunities to prepare students for

[52:44] high demand careers and deepen the civic

[52:47] and business partnerships. MEESA brings

[52:49] these priorities together through

[52:50] rigorous real world learning experience.

[52:52] Tonight, I will briefly share what the

[52:54] program is, what makes it distinctive,

[52:56] what students experience, and where

[52:58] we're headed next.

[53:02] MEESA is a two-year half-day academy for

[53:04] 11th and 12th grade students. Its

[53:06] academic design joins two pathways that

[53:08] are often taught separately. In

[53:10] engineering, students learn to define

[53:12] problems, design solutions, and test and

[53:14] build and improve upon them. In global

[53:16] logistics, they learn how people, cargo,

[53:19] information, technology, and

[53:20] infrastructure work together to move

[53:22] goods safely and efficiently. The

[53:25] maritime engineering and sustainability

[53:27] focus is what threads these ideas

[53:29] together. MEESA 's location and maritime

[53:32] focus are intentional. Newport News sits

[53:35] at the center of the broader Hampton

[53:36] Roads maritime economy, an ecosystem

[53:39] shaped by ship building, ports, defense,

[53:42] offshore, and alternative entry um

[53:44] energy and related industries. By

[53:46] learning with this environment, Newport

[53:48] News public school students can see

[53:50] where they belong and how they can

[53:52] contribute and how the opportunities

[53:53] they have are available to for them to

[53:55] learn here at home.

[53:59] MEESA is also distinctive because it is a

[54:01] college partnership lab school created

[54:03] between Newport News public schools and

[54:05] Old Dominion University.

[54:07] This partnership is extended to expand

[54:09] what students and teachers can access.

[54:12] Old Dominion faculty can contribute to

[54:14] the subject matter expertise, guest

[54:16] instruction, case studies, academic

[54:18] resources connecting to emerging

[54:20] research and careers. A dedicated Old

[54:23] Dominion University program manager

[54:25] supports the coordination among the

[54:27] university, the school division, and the

[54:28] external partners. And finally, the

[54:31] partnership also creates a clearer

[54:32] bridge to college. Successful MEESA

[54:35] completion supports automatic admission

[54:36] to ODU and six undergraduate credits.

[54:41] This chart shows how MEESA is in

[54:43] intentionally structured as a two-year

[54:45] progression rather than a collection of

[54:47] separate courses. Reading from left to

[54:49] right, the first column identifies the

[54:51] foundational learning students complete

[54:53] in the 11th grade. The second column

[54:55] shows how their learning continues

[54:56] through deeper analysis and application

[54:58] in 12th grade. The final column

[55:00] highlights the credentials and college

[55:02] credit that result from their

[55:03] progression. Our seniors deepen their

[55:05] engineering and logistics learning

[55:07] connected to a capstone and a paid

[55:09] internship and demonstrate what they can

[55:11] do through industry credentials and

[55:12] college level outcomes. The AutoCAD

[55:15] certification is tied to the engineering

[55:16] pathway. The MSSC certification

[55:19] logistics associate and a certified

[55:21] logistics technician credentials are

[55:23] tied to the logistics.

[55:25] The most important point is that these

[55:27] are not isolated courses. The research

[55:30] and design and systems thinking and

[55:31] workplace readiness and professional

[55:33] communication run through the full

[55:34] experience.

[55:38] This learning experience at MEESA is

[55:40] deliberately active and authentic.

[55:42] Students learn beyond the traditional

[55:43] classroom through field experiences,

[55:45] university and industry engagement, and

[55:47] projects that resemble the work of

[55:49] engineers, logistics professionals,

[55:51] researchers, and technical teams. Last

[55:53] year, students built a minibboat,

[55:55] developed cargo and ERP workflows that

[55:57] learned recognition through the

[55:58] Congressional App Challenge through

[56:00] Virginia's third congressional district.

[56:02] They studied naval architecture and

[56:04] propulsion. They used robotics and

[56:05] marine technology. They presented their

[56:07] thinking to professional audiences. The

[56:10] Port Futures Expo asked them to bring

[56:11] multiple disciplines together and to

[56:13] defend their decisions. These

[56:15] experiences made the academic contact

[56:17] more meaningful because students could

[56:18] see not only where their knowledge goes,

[56:20] but why precision matters. How

[56:22] professionals collaborate across a

[56:24] complex system. Those experiences are

[56:27] best understood through the students

[56:28] who've lived them. Last year, MEESA gave

[56:32] its inaugural cohort opportunities to

[56:34] investigate the maritime industry,

[56:37] to complete hands-on engineering and

[56:38] logistics projects, to use professional

[56:41] tools, to present to outside audiences,

[56:43] and to begin building relationships with

[56:45] industry. I would like to now introduce

[56:47] Cameron Erenss, a senior at Woodside

[56:49] High School and a member of AMIS's

[56:51] inaugural senior class. Cameron also

[56:53] began an internship with the Virginia

[56:54] Maritime Association this summer.

[56:56] Cameron will share how those experiences

[56:58] have contributed to his growth, expanded

[57:00] his perspective, and changed how he sees

[57:02] his future.

[57:16] Good evening. My name is Cameron Ers. I

[57:18] am a senior at Woodside High School and

[57:19] a member of the inaugural senior class

[57:21] at MEESA . Last year at MEESA , I had the

[57:24] opportunity to design and build my own

[57:26] hydroponic system while learning how

[57:28] engineering and logistical worlds

[57:31] connect to the maritime industry. I

[57:33] especially valued the tren the

[57:35] constraints I was presented with because

[57:37] they introduced a new and unique

[57:42] outlook under the challenge I was given.

[57:44] This summer, I began an internship with

[57:46] the Virginia Maritime Association, where

[57:48] I learned how the company Gen Edge uses

[57:51] computer aided design welding machines

[57:53] to assist their employees. That

[57:55] opportunity helped me connect what I

[57:57] learned at MEESA to the people and

[57:59] organizations working within the

[58:00] industry. MEESA has helped me grow by

[58:03] improving my sense of technical skills

[58:05] and professionalism in my everyday life.

[58:08] It also showed me that my leadership

[58:09] skills have grown with every challenge

[58:11] that I come across. As I look ahead, I

[58:14] now aim to be a future senior reactor

[58:16] operator of a of a nuclear power plant.

[58:19] Thank you. Wow.

[58:33] This year, our next steps include

[58:36] deepening the high-quality workbased

[58:37] learning through senior paid internships

[58:40] aligned with students interests and

[58:41] pathways, increasing the enrollment so

[58:43] that more students can take part in the

[58:45] opportunities that are offered at MEESA .

[58:47] We are expanding our recruiting to begin

[58:49] developing student interest in grades 8

[58:51] through 10 uh through counselor

[58:53] engagement, clear family communication,

[58:55] school visits, student stories, and the

[58:58] visible evidence of what MEESA students

[59:00] can gain. Our goal is straightforward to

[59:02] connect Newport News students to the

[59:04] advanced learning, industry credentials,

[59:06] college access, and high demand careers

[59:08] right here in our region. MEESA is still

[59:10] growing, but the purpose is already

[59:12] clear. turning our regional assets into

[59:14] expanded possibilities, preparing

[59:16] students to set sail toward their future

[59:18] skills with the skills, confidence, and

[59:20] connections they need while remainly

[59:22] firmly anchored in Newport News.

[59:26] MEESA is creating a rigorous pathway that

[59:28] connects more Newport News students to

[59:29] advanced learning, college credit,

[59:31] industry credentials, and high demand

[59:32] careers within our region. Thank you for

[59:34] the opportunity to share our program's

[59:36] progress, and our next steps. I'm happy

[59:38] to answer any questions.

[59:40] Great. wonderful presentation. Any

[59:43] questions?

[59:44] I'm gonna let somebody else go first,

[59:46] Mr. Brown. Anybody else?

[59:49] All right, Miss Aean.

[59:51] Sure. Um, thank you for all the

[59:53] information. I have lots of questions,

[59:54] but I won't ask them all today because

[59:56] it's very exciting.

[59:57] Um, so the I just wanted to better

[1:00:00] understand the tracks, if you will. Do

[1:00:03] students pick one of the three or do

[1:00:06] they get exposed to all three tracks?

[1:00:08] They they do them all. So all the

[1:00:10] classes are integrated 11th goes to 12th

[1:00:13] and then at the end the credentials are

[1:00:15] the result of those two years.

[1:00:17] So will they all get like AutoCAD and

[1:00:19] the MSSC certified? Okay, that's super

[1:00:21] cool.

[1:00:26] Mr. Law,

[1:00:28] um I'm I'm bought in. I'm sold. Uh in

[1:00:31] fact, I think we're going to take a

[1:00:33] couple of students at the lab and really

[1:00:34] excited about that. Um, one of the

[1:00:37] things that I want to at least in this

[1:00:41] forum be able to get the answer to so

[1:00:44] others can hear. Are we having these

[1:00:47] opportunities uh through MEESA just for

[1:00:50] college

[1:00:52] bound students or CTE students as well?

[1:00:56] All the courses are CTE. Um, and the

[1:00:59] goal of the program is one of the three

[1:01:00] E. So if they would be employed,

[1:01:02] enrolled or enlisted, we would consider

[1:01:04] that a successful outcome for visa.

[1:01:10] Mr. Brown,

[1:01:11] what comes to mind is our community

[1:01:14] program

[1:01:16] uh CNU has partnered with us through the

[1:01:19] community captains and it looks like

[1:01:20] here this is a partnership with ODU. Uh

[1:01:23] is there any vision or thoughts about uh

[1:01:27] this being an ODU type of a preparation

[1:01:30] for uh get students having um like with

[1:01:35] our community captain program preferred

[1:01:36] acceptance at ODU with them getting this

[1:01:39] kind of college credit or going into

[1:01:40] ODU's engineering program.

[1:01:41] Every MEESA graduate with a minimum GPA

[1:01:43] of 2.5 has guaranteed acceptance to ODU

[1:01:45] along with the credit.

[1:01:46] Oh, okay.

[1:01:48] And they will already have expanded

[1:01:49] their um connections. And so they will

[1:01:51] have worked with current students, with

[1:01:53] professors, and so it'll it'll kind of

[1:01:55] be like, you know, feeling like they're

[1:01:57] they're at home already.

[1:01:58] All right.

[1:01:59] They they identify as ODU students

[1:02:01] already.

[1:02:02] Cool.

[1:02:02] All right.

[1:02:03] Okay.

[1:02:04] All right.

[1:02:05] Amen.

[1:02:06] Um to the end of like trying to develop

[1:02:09] partnerships, are there any thoughts on

[1:02:12] working with be it the the Navy or the

[1:02:14] merchant marine, any of our connections

[1:02:16] with the different branches of the

[1:02:17] military that might connect to maritime?

[1:02:20] Um

[1:02:21] we have already had um last year we had

[1:02:23] Coast Guard um and in the school as

[1:02:25] guest speakers and did some work with

[1:02:27] them. There is um they want to have us

[1:02:30] out like at one of their training

[1:02:31] facilities and definitely through STEM

[1:02:33] through the Navy. Um so we definitely

[1:02:35] would like to actually strengthen that

[1:02:37] connection with the military. Yes.

[1:02:41] Okay. I do think one thing that we

[1:02:44] should clarify is that the students when

[1:02:47] they do the internship are paid

[1:02:50] but the local don't pay that. Okay.

[1:02:53] So that the program provides that

[1:02:55] stipend for the students

[1:02:59] even for private employers or

[1:03:04] go ahead

[1:03:04] Cameron. Um I just wanted to ask could

[1:03:07] you kind of talk about the application

[1:03:08] process a little bit because with it

[1:03:09] starting in 11th grade it's unlike our

[1:03:12] normal magnet programs where it's all

[1:03:13] high school. So could you just kind of

[1:03:14] discuss that a little bit?

[1:03:15] Right. So the students can apply um that

[1:03:19] as they're rising juniors so in their

[1:03:20] end of their sophomore year they can

[1:03:22] apply. It is a lottery system. So we do

[1:03:24] not have um restrictions for GPA or

[1:03:27] anything like that. So the application

[1:03:28] process is really just to enter into the

[1:03:30] lottery once we have achieved um more

[1:03:33] than the slot the 50 slots. we would run

[1:03:35] the lottery but anytime we have less

[1:03:37] than 50 slots is guaranteed admission.

[1:03:40] Thank you. So I guess I'll do the final

[1:03:44] remark. So when this program was brought

[1:03:46] to the board a couple of years ago there

[1:03:49] was a lot going on in the division. So I

[1:03:51] was like, "One more thing." And so

[1:03:54] anyway, when I went to visit though the

[1:03:56] site and the students and just was

[1:03:59] immersed in the program, I was

[1:04:01] thoroughly just sold on it and

[1:04:03] thoroughly impressed. And and what I

[1:04:06] like about it is all of the students are

[1:04:09] very active and involved and able to

[1:04:12] articulate what it is that they're

[1:04:13] doing. You can just go to anyone and

[1:04:16] they're excited about it. And every time

[1:04:18] I go, I learn something. So, I was

[1:04:20] learning about hydroponic

[1:04:22] plants and and I'm a cruise. I like to

[1:04:24] take cruises and and they were sharing

[1:04:26] with me how they grow these plants on

[1:04:28] ships with using water and not soil. And

[1:04:31] it made me go and do a little more

[1:04:33] research. And so then just the jobs that

[1:04:36] they can um get as a result of that

[1:04:39] they're exposed to even as a result of

[1:04:42] participating in this program. And so I

[1:04:44] encourage board members if you have not

[1:04:46] been there, please go and especially

[1:04:48] when we get the invitation to the open

[1:04:50] house, please go because you will be

[1:04:52] thoroughly amazed at what these kids can

[1:04:55] do and what what they what they talk

[1:04:56] about. So you are doing a great job and

[1:04:59] and I'm also a little extra excited

[1:05:01] because I have a nephew in the program

[1:05:03] as well. So So good job and and thank

[1:05:06] you. And you're gonna be making some

[1:05:09] money there.

[1:05:13] But you did a great job. Thank you.

[1:05:15] Thank you so much.

[1:05:24] And

[1:05:29] thank you. We will move to section five.

[1:05:33] Oh, I'm sorry.

[1:05:35] Thank you. We will move on to continue

[1:05:38] with presentations. No, no, I'm sorry.

[1:05:41] We did. We're on to our 10day membership

[1:05:44] report. Board members, you've received a

[1:05:46] copy of this report. Are there any

[1:05:48] questions?

[1:05:50] Nope. All right. Moving on. You've

[1:05:53] received 5.03, the construction report.

[1:05:56] Board members, do you have any

[1:05:58] questions?

[1:06:01] And hearing none, we will move on to

[1:06:04] item 5.04. 04 comments by the

[1:06:06] superintendent. Dr. Mitchell.

[1:06:08] Thank you so much, Madam Chair. As we

[1:06:10] close tonight, I want to provide an

[1:06:12] update regarding an administrative move

[1:06:14] for Mr. Terry Finan. He is currently the

[1:06:17] assistant principal at Heritage High

[1:06:19] School. Mr. Fineran will now lead

[1:06:23] Enterprise Academy as a program

[1:06:25] administrator and we are really excited

[1:06:28] about this opportunity for him. And I

[1:06:31] want to say to Mr. Finner, I know you

[1:06:34] will do a great job in leading our

[1:06:36] students and staff at Enterprise

[1:06:38] Academy.

[1:06:40] And as you know, I um prepare my

[1:06:43] comments in advance. So, I was not aware

[1:06:46] that we would have bus drivers coming

[1:06:48] tonight. And please know bus drivers

[1:06:50] that we do appreciate it when you come

[1:06:52] and let us know what your concerns are.

[1:06:55] Um but I had already incorporated you in

[1:06:58] my comments for tonight. So, I want to

[1:07:00] start off by thanking our students, our

[1:07:03] staff, and our families for their hard

[1:07:06] work and their partnership. The

[1:07:08] increased academic results from last

[1:07:10] school year that we are now seeing

[1:07:13] reflect the collective effort and we are

[1:07:16] very proud of the progress that our

[1:07:18] students are making. To our parents,

[1:07:21] thank you for trusting us because it is

[1:07:23] an honor to partner with you in

[1:07:25] educating your children, but it's also

[1:07:27] an honor to transport them safely to and

[1:07:30] from school every day. I am asking

[1:07:34] families to please review uh remind

[1:07:37] their students of the expectations for

[1:07:40] appropriate behavior on school buses.

[1:07:43] You as parents can review those

[1:07:46] expectations on page 16 in the students

[1:07:49] rights and responsibilities handbook

[1:07:52] because we do thank our bus drivers.

[1:07:54] They are patient, they are committed and

[1:07:57] they care about your students and they

[1:07:58] demonstrate that every single day as

[1:08:01] they transport them safely. So again,

[1:08:03] parents, please review the expectations.

[1:08:06] If we expect students to behave in

[1:08:08] school, we expect students to behave on

[1:08:11] the bus. So, please support our bus

[1:08:13] drivers. So, thank you. And parents,

[1:08:16] let's continue to work together to

[1:08:18] elevate, empower, and move our school

[1:08:20] division forward. Also, moving forward,

[1:08:23] we have some upcoming events um that we

[1:08:27] want to share with you. September 22nd,

[1:08:30] we have our high school back to school

[1:08:32] night. September 23rd,

[1:08:36] um we have middle school back to school

[1:08:39] night. And then September 24th, we have

[1:08:42] elementary school back to school night.

[1:08:44] And you can see the times on the screen.

[1:08:47] And then Friday, October 16th, schools

[1:08:50] are closed for students. It's a half-day

[1:08:52] professional development in the morning

[1:08:54] for our teachers and family conferences

[1:08:57] in the afternoon and they will also be

[1:09:00] held throughout the week. Thank you,

[1:09:01] Madam Chair.

[1:09:03] Thank you, Dr. Mitchell. We will now

[1:09:06] move on to item six, another opportunity

[1:09:08] to hear from the public. And we do have

[1:09:10] some additional cards.

[1:09:14] Mr. David Brakman and he will be followed

[1:09:17] by Miss Ivon Bethea.

[1:09:25] Good evening, Dr. Mitchell and members

[1:09:28] of the board. I'm David Brakman. He/ him a

[1:09:31] resident of Newport News and a proud and

[1:09:34] grateful product of its public schools.

[1:09:36] I'm here in support of NEA's Red for Ed

[1:09:39] campaign for collective bargaining.

[1:09:41] Thank you for passing a resolution to

[1:09:44] study the matter and for accepting some

[1:09:46] of our feedback from the last meeting in

[1:09:48] committing to including union

[1:09:50] representation in the study group.

[1:09:52] However, I remain disappointed in its 12

[1:09:55] month time frame as compared to

[1:09:57] council's six months time frame and also

[1:10:01] that it was not amended to commit the

[1:10:03] group to recommending an implementation

[1:10:06] of collective bargaining. The heroes who

[1:10:08] work here to bring our kids to school,

[1:10:10] to teach them, and to keep them safe

[1:10:12] deserve a seat at the table. Uh with the

[1:10:15] resolution passed as is, I continue to

[1:10:17] urge the board for promptness and

[1:10:19] conviction in selecting and then

[1:10:21] implementing a framework for putting our

[1:10:24] money where our mouth is to provide

[1:10:26] whatever educators need to show up. Thank

[1:10:28] you.

[1:10:29] Thank you,

[1:10:31] Mr. Ivon Bethea. And she'll be followed by

[1:10:34] Miss Tama Gatlin.

[1:10:42] Good evening, school board members. My

[1:10:43] name is Ivon Bethea. Um, I stopped

[1:10:46] coming to the school board meetings a

[1:10:48] long time ago because this is like a re

[1:10:50] rinse and repeat of things that's going

[1:10:52] on over at transportation. Um,

[1:10:56] let me just tell you, I started in 98. I

[1:10:59] came from the military. I went to HRT. I

[1:11:02] came here. I've never had to keep a eye

[1:11:04] on my paycheck. I've never had to write

[1:11:07] the time down and then go back and

[1:11:08] check. And sometimes you look and the

[1:11:10] thing says zero after working eight and

[1:11:12] a half hours. The computer they have on

[1:11:14] the bus, you go and check it in and it

[1:11:16] says zero. I never had to go back and

[1:11:18] fuss about my money. I'm not dyslexic. I

[1:11:20] don't I don't transpose numbers. I've

[1:11:23] been doing it since I was in the a tech

[1:11:25] sergeant in the military in our Air

[1:11:26] Force. Okay, let me tell you how petty

[1:11:29] when I started in 1998. I haven't

[1:11:31] forgotten it. They set a tone with me

[1:11:33] with transportation. I put a plastic

[1:11:36] food lion bag trash can in my liner in

[1:11:39] my trash can. I got wrote up for that

[1:11:42] because it's supposed to been clear.

[1:11:44] Okay, that's how petty it is over there.

[1:11:46] Okay, retaliation is real. It's real.

[1:11:50] And these kids on these buses, you're

[1:11:51] telling these parents, "Oh, tell your

[1:11:53] kids to behave." The parents don't

[1:11:54] behave.

[1:11:55] The parents do not behave. The parents

[1:11:57] will tell the kids, "You ain't got to

[1:11:58] listen to them. I'm an assistant now

[1:12:00] because I start having panic attacks on

[1:12:02] the on the bus because of something

[1:12:03] happened in the military. Now I'm an

[1:12:05] assistant. And and this pay scale that

[1:12:07] they have for that is if you've been

[1:12:09] driving so many years, if a driver comes

[1:12:12] up and they've been driving 30 plus

[1:12:13] years, 20 plus years, there's a scale

[1:12:15] the HR has that deducts you say, "Oh,

[1:12:18] you're not doing the same job." But why

[1:12:20] does my pay stay the same? I couldn't do

[1:12:22] the same job at HRT. I had to stop

[1:12:24] working, but my pay stayed the same.

[1:12:27] They deducted almost $5 from my pay. My

[1:12:30] bills don't go down. There is actual

[1:12:32] scale that they are using for these

[1:12:34] drivers. It's a it's a it's a deterrent.

[1:12:37] These drivers are these drivers are

[1:12:38] driving sick. They're driving tired.

[1:12:41] They're driving on medication.

[1:12:42] I'm asking some of y'all to come. You

[1:12:44] want to visit other places? Visit the

[1:12:46] school buses. Get on the buses. Dress

[1:12:48] down. Come and and ride with these these

[1:12:50] bus drivers. You got some bus drivers

[1:12:52] that don't need assistants on the bus,

[1:12:54] but the bus is so bad they have to have

[1:12:56] an assistant on the bus. And I'm going

[1:12:58] to tell you something. Two years ago, we

[1:12:59] didn't have 175 drivers down. Now we do.

[1:13:02] If bus drivers like me and assistants

[1:13:04] like me talk to my friends and family,

[1:13:06] we all talk to the community. You're not

[1:13:08] going to get no bus drivers in here

[1:13:09] until you make the situation right where

[1:13:11] we are right now.

[1:13:12] That's all I'm saying. It's not It's not

[1:13:15] no joke. It's not a hard job because

[1:13:17] we're trained. We're professionals. But

[1:13:19] when you get this dirt that we getting

[1:13:20] on top of us, you think you doing good

[1:13:22] for the community and go back to your

[1:13:23] job and you hearing, "Oh, y'all tired,

[1:13:25] y'all lazy, y'all don't want to work.

[1:13:27] Come to work sick." And then you get an

[1:13:29] addable for coming to work sick. That's

[1:13:32] not right. And retaliation is real. I'm

[1:13:34] telling you, it's real. And if y'all

[1:13:36] don't do something about it, this place

[1:13:38] is going to go virtual. I'm telling you.

[1:13:41] Because around October time, if y'all

[1:13:43] trying if they trying to hold on to that

[1:13:45] doggone bonus until October, you won't

[1:13:47] have no drivers. Thank you.

[1:13:55] Was Miss Day,

[1:13:58] Miss Tamika Gatlin, and she will be

[1:14:00] followed by Miss Kiana Gates.

[1:14:03] Good evening, school board members and

[1:14:05] superintendent. I am here tonight

[1:14:06] because employees and transportation

[1:14:08] department need help. Our concern is

[1:14:10] about the amount of authority and

[1:14:12] control that has been concentrated under

[1:14:15] our current operation supervisor. She

[1:14:18] has served in several positions in

[1:14:20] transportation scheduling manager. She

[1:14:22] had responsibilities involving bus

[1:14:24] driver assistant pay. Special needs

[1:14:26] supervisor. She continues to have

[1:14:28] involvement with our pay. Now as

[1:14:30] operation supervisor, she continues to

[1:14:32] exercise significant control over our

[1:14:36] payroll and related compensations. We

[1:14:39] currently do not have a dedicated

[1:14:40] payroll specialist within

[1:14:42] transportation. Our operation supervisor

[1:14:44] has access to our contracts,

[1:14:46] compensation information, hours, and

[1:14:48] other payroll related information. And

[1:14:50] when I started, we had our own payroll

[1:14:53] department. We did not have any

[1:14:54] supervisor knew how much I made per

[1:14:56] hour. I don't need everybody knowing how

[1:14:57] much I make then. But this goes beyond

[1:15:02] payroll. Experienced supervisors are

[1:15:04] being micromanaged. decisions they make

[1:15:06] can be changed or overwritten. Employees

[1:15:09] are left asking, "What authority do our

[1:15:11] supervisors actually have if virtually

[1:15:13] everything has to be approved by one

[1:15:15] person?" And mind you, they are going by

[1:15:17] the policy that has been written

[1:15:18] already, not what has been. Let's add

[1:15:20] this in because that's what I want to

[1:15:22] do. So, we previously had a handbook

[1:15:25] committee. That process has no longer um

[1:15:27] it's no longer operating as it once did.

[1:15:30] We are concerned that significant

[1:15:32] handbook provisions can be now added,

[1:15:34] removed, or changed without meaningful

[1:15:35] employee involvement. We are also being

[1:15:38] told about changes involving overtime,

[1:15:40] holiday compensation, and our ability to

[1:15:42] accept additional work. For example,

[1:15:44] drivers are restricted from certain

[1:15:46] combinations of assignments. If we are

[1:15:48] athletic drivers, we cannot have a

[1:15:50] midday, which is the all day midday

[1:15:52] because we are athletic drivers.

[1:15:53] Sometimes our athletics are not u five

[1:15:56] hours in the evening. It's just might be

[1:15:57] taking them home. So, that's just an

[1:15:59] hour. So, we are missed over for a field

[1:16:01] trip, a full day field trip, that's

[1:16:02] extra hours we can have on our check.

[1:16:04] Those decisions affects people's

[1:16:06] livelihoods. So, to break that down,

[1:16:08] approximately if I made $33.19 per hour

[1:16:11] at 32.5 hour contract spread across our

[1:16:14] current 11month structure, our amount is

[1:16:17] approximately $3,530

[1:16:20] in gross monthly pay based on 106 hours

[1:16:24] per month. That is before taxes. That's

[1:16:27] ins before insurance, retirement,

[1:16:28] housing, utilities, transportation,

[1:16:30] food, and everything else that takes

[1:16:32] support in a household. We are not

[1:16:34] asking to work illegally or unsafeely.

[1:16:36] We're asking why employees are being

[1:16:37] prevented from accepting otherwise

[1:16:39] available work with um within safety and

[1:16:43] legal requirements. But my biggest

[1:16:45] concern tonight is accountability. When

[1:16:47] employees attempt to concerns about the

[1:16:48] operation um supervisor, we are often

[1:16:50] sent directly back to her. How can

[1:16:53] employees receive independent review of

[1:16:55] our complaint when we are sent back to

[1:16:57] the same individual whose decisions are

[1:16:59] we are questioning? So tonight I'm

[1:17:01] asking this board not to simply just

[1:17:02] send complaint back to transportation.

[1:17:05] Thank you.

[1:17:06] Thank you.

[1:17:09] Miss Tiana Gates will be followed by

[1:17:12] Miss Natalia Brown.

[1:17:19] Good afternoon. My name is Kiona Gates

[1:17:21] and I have four children that attend

[1:17:23] Newport News public schools. Um the

[1:17:26] first, he's five, he goes to Sanford. He

[1:17:29] um is enrolled in the before and after

[1:17:31] school program. So he has a bus that

[1:17:33] takes him to another site in the morning

[1:17:36] and then um or takes him to school from

[1:17:39] that site and then takes him to another

[1:17:41] site in the afternoon. I have my

[1:17:43] 10-year-old who's at Deer Park and his

[1:17:45] before and after school program is

[1:17:47] located on site so he doesn't need a

[1:17:49] bus. Now, my two oldest children,

[1:17:51] they're um 10th and 11th grade at

[1:17:53] Woodside. Um we recently had to move in

[1:17:56] with my parents and um so their bus stop

[1:18:01] is a longer walk, way longer compared to

[1:18:05] like

[1:18:07] um 1 minute or less where we lived at

[1:18:10] before. Now it's 12 minutes and they are

[1:18:13] both in the magnet program. I'm trying

[1:18:14] to keep them stable in the same school.

[1:18:16] They're doing good. But um I brought

[1:18:19] this issue up on August 21st first. It

[1:18:22] started with me contacting

[1:18:24] transportation and they told me that I

[1:18:26] had to contact their school so that they

[1:18:30] could initiate some kind of um bus stop

[1:18:33] location change or whatever. And so when

[1:18:37] I um I emailed I contacted the school

[1:18:41] and they said no that wasn't right that

[1:18:44] I had to contact transportation. So

[1:18:47] anyways I sent an email cuz I like to

[1:18:49] get everything in writing so there's no

[1:18:51] room for misinterpretation.

[1:18:53] Um and it still hasn't been resolved to

[1:18:55] this day. Most recently I came here

[1:18:57] Friday on my day off and I spoke to a

[1:19:00] lady in the front. I can't remember her

[1:19:02] name, but she gave me a Miss Angela

[1:19:05] Cider's information. Um, I emailed her

[1:19:09] and um, Mr. Fairheart on Sunday and, you

[1:19:14] know, I gave them some time to respond.

[1:19:17] Today, as of this afternoon, I did a

[1:19:18] follow-up. I didn't hear anything back.

[1:19:20] So, I figured my next best step was to

[1:19:22] just come here. So, the reason why this

[1:19:24] is an issue is because, yes, I know

[1:19:26] they're older. They're teenagers, but

[1:19:28] they're still my babies. It's dark

[1:19:30] outside in the morning and we have some

[1:19:32] kind of wild fox running around that

[1:19:34] animal control won't do anything about

[1:19:36] and I drive them to the bus stop right

[1:19:38] now because it's a 12-minute walk and

[1:19:40] it's very dark. But obviously I'm about

[1:19:42] to have a baby next month. So I won't be

[1:19:44] able to do that in the morning. Um my

[1:19:46] mom does pick them up in the afternoon

[1:19:49] but she's going to be um she is going to

[1:19:53] be helping me with the baby and she gets

[1:19:55] migraines. She's a disabled vet, so I

[1:19:57] really don't want to put that on her.

[1:20:00] Um, so I am asking that their bus stop

[1:20:03] be their bus stop location be changed,

[1:20:06] made a little closer. Um, even just

[1:20:09] having the six minute walk, half of that

[1:20:12] would be um better and I would know,

[1:20:15] okay, my babies are getting to the bus

[1:20:16] stop safely. Like I said, I don't care

[1:20:19] that they're in high school. They're

[1:20:20] still my children, and their safety is a

[1:20:22] priority. So, and for somebody to just

[1:20:24] respond

[1:20:26] Thank you.

[1:20:34] We will now Oh, I'm sorry. You have one

[1:20:37] more. Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

[1:20:39] Sorry. Hello. My name is Nata Brown. Um,

[1:20:43] I was not intending on speaking today. I

[1:20:46] was this is my first meeting and I

[1:20:48] wanted to come and network and learn

[1:20:51] about what was going on in my community

[1:20:54] with my school district that my children

[1:20:55] are in. And everything that I have

[1:20:59] learned here has completely matched my

[1:21:02] experience and disheartened me because

[1:21:05] it has been atrocious. The communication

[1:21:08] that I have had the past year that my

[1:21:11] children have been in the school,

[1:21:12] including the beginning of this year,

[1:21:14] has been non-existent. The only way that

[1:21:17] I am able to get things done is with

[1:21:20] threats of escalation or actual

[1:21:23] escalation.

[1:21:24] It's happening to your employees and

[1:21:27] it's happening to the parents.

[1:21:30] That is not the way a school district

[1:21:31] should be run. That is not the way that

[1:21:34] children are taken care of. Hearing that

[1:21:37] there are administrators lying to

[1:21:40] employees and parents and feeling that

[1:21:42] on our end, how can we trust that the

[1:21:45] district is taking care of our students

[1:21:47] and keeping them safe if the adults that

[1:21:49] are charged with that task are not safe?

[1:21:53] If they're not trusted, a trusted adult

[1:21:56] has integrity. And if I as a parent am

[1:22:01] feeling that, your employees are feeling

[1:22:04] that, the students are feeling that. And

[1:22:06] that's not a proper educational

[1:22:08] environment. So with that being said, I

[1:22:12] urge this district to look at how you're

[1:22:14] communicating with your staff, your

[1:22:16] parents, your students, because we're

[1:22:18] all feeling the lack of it. and it it's

[1:22:22] not the way to engage in your community

[1:22:25] and have successful relationships.

[1:22:28] That's all I have to say.

[1:22:30] Thank you.

[1:22:35] We will now move to matters by the

[1:22:37] school board and we will begin with our

[1:22:39] student representative.

[1:22:41] Uh thank you madam chair. I guess the

[1:22:43] first thing I want to say, I'll be the

[1:22:44] first person to say the first few weeks

[1:22:46] of school, most crazy, most hectic time

[1:22:49] time ever. But I'm really glad to see

[1:22:51] that you all are still here. And even

[1:22:53] when we face these hectic times, I'll

[1:22:55] kind of echo what Miss Alger was saying

[1:22:57] earlier. We face these hectic times in

[1:22:59] the first few weeks of school, but yet

[1:23:00] we still all make time to be here and to

[1:23:02] address our concerns. And what's at the

[1:23:03] heart of our concerns, no matter what

[1:23:05] they are, is our students. And I really

[1:23:06] want to make sure that we focus on that.

[1:23:08] Um, I also want to give a big

[1:23:10] congratulations to Hopton on taking his

[1:23:11] oath. Um, I've served on stage with

[1:23:13] Hopton these past years and I've gotten

[1:23:15] to know him fairly well, but the one

[1:23:17] thing that I know for certain is that

[1:23:19] he's going to do a great job in this

[1:23:20] role and I can't wait to work with him

[1:23:22] um, in SAGE and then also addressing

[1:23:24] matters by the board and discussing them

[1:23:26] on a student to student basis. Um,

[1:23:29] speaking of SAGE, the student advisory

[1:23:30] group on education is now accepting

[1:23:32] applications. They're available with the

[1:23:34] student support specialists within each

[1:23:36] high school and applications are due

[1:23:37] Wednesday, September 23rd. And I want to

[1:23:40] invite all students who are interested

[1:23:41] in applying, feel free do so. It's a

[1:23:44] great time. I love it. Um, I also want

[1:23:47] to share this past weekend I had the

[1:23:49] honor to attend an event, the Peninsula

[1:23:51] Walk for Compassion. It was hosted by

[1:23:53] the Youth Volunteer Corp of Hampton

[1:23:54] Roads and I found that it was a really

[1:23:56] excellent opportunity to honor the um

[1:23:58] lives lost during 911.

[1:24:01] And beyond just the event being

[1:24:02] wonderful, the organization, the Youth

[1:24:04] Volunteer Corps, is really truly such a

[1:24:06] wonderful organization. I've had the

[1:24:07] honor to work with them for many years

[1:24:09] now, and I would encourage you all to

[1:24:11] look into it because they provide so

[1:24:12] many opportunities um for students all

[1:24:15] across Hampton Roads, but specifically

[1:24:16] in Newport News through the service

[1:24:18] through Steam program. It's really just

[1:24:19] a wonderful organization and I really

[1:24:21] want you all to be able to look into it

[1:24:23] and see how amazing they are. And

[1:24:25] lastly, um on a light note, I'm excited

[1:24:27] for the Demi Day parade this weekend. I

[1:24:29] hope to see you all there. It'll be a

[1:24:31] great time.

[1:24:34] Thank you, Mr. Hunter.

[1:24:39] Mr. Brown,

[1:24:42] I'll make up.

[1:24:43] You don't have to.

[1:24:45] I know. I know. But I but I'd like to

[1:24:49] uh No, I I won't take a lot of time this

[1:24:52] evening. A couple of announcements that

[1:24:55] community as we've talked a lot about

[1:24:58] our transportation that's been something

[1:24:59] on uh top of mind for the board uh for

[1:25:02] the last you know year uh or more uh

[1:25:04] actually multiple years uh has been a

[1:25:07] top of mind where the board is

[1:25:09] undertaking our efficiency study uh and

[1:25:11] looking at all of our routes and all of

[1:25:12] our zones. There is going to be uh

[1:25:15] September 29th at Warick High School 6

[1:25:18] to 8:00 PM community session to uh

[1:25:21] review our transportation, our uh you

[1:25:24] facilities and and our the use of our

[1:25:26] facilities uh on September 29th. If you

[1:25:29] can't make that one, there's also one as

[1:25:31] well September 30th right at Woodside

[1:25:32] High School, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Uh

[1:25:35] that'll be in the north uh district

[1:25:37] area. And then as well uh October the

[1:25:39] 1st uh at Heritage High School 6-8 PM.

[1:25:42] So each one of these 6:00 to 8 PM. So

[1:25:44] please uh I just implore the community

[1:25:46] to uh make your voice heard because this

[1:25:49] is where we're taking this additional

[1:25:50] time this year uh to do this efficiency

[1:25:53] study. Look at all of our facilities.

[1:25:54] Look at our transportation. Look at all

[1:25:56] of our zones for all of our schools.

[1:25:57] Look at how we're doing transportation

[1:25:59] uh through the uh the entire division.

[1:26:01] And uh these are the opportunities to

[1:26:03] have your voice heard and actually to

[1:26:04] hear what the study is about, what the

[1:26:06] what they've discovered and what the

[1:26:08] analysis is showing. So I hope that you

[1:26:10] are able to uh take advantage of those

[1:26:12] dates and uh and to come out to those

[1:26:14] events and as well this week uh tomorrow

[1:26:17] actually be going to the legislative

[1:26:19] advocacy conference for the Virginia

[1:26:20] School Board Association. Looking

[1:26:21] forward to learning about the session

[1:26:23] that's coming up just as we learned uh

[1:26:25] you know things affect us, right? We we

[1:26:28] talked about you know so hey one of the

[1:26:29] things came up tonight. Where's the pay?

[1:26:31] Well, when the general assembly doesn't

[1:26:32] pass their budget and then when the

[1:26:35] budget is held up and then when the

[1:26:36] school board can't has to vote on the

[1:26:38] budget twice and we haven't had the

[1:26:39] budget approved and the city council

[1:26:40] hasn't appropriated the money for the

[1:26:42] budget yet, then there's your money.

[1:26:43] That's that's where the money went for

[1:26:45] the bonuses and the raises why that we

[1:26:47] don't have the money yet and we're we're

[1:26:48] waiting on that. So, uh working with our

[1:26:51] legislature legislators and making sure

[1:26:53] that um uh because the public doesn't

[1:26:56] necessarily understand or hear that, but

[1:26:58] making sure that they hear that. uh when

[1:26:59] I uh talk to them in the sessions uh

[1:27:02] this year, I'm going to be be imploring

[1:27:04] them that uh you know it does affect us

[1:27:05] locally uh that they really need to do

[1:27:07] their job and do their job on time

[1:27:08] because the budgets have to go on time

[1:27:11] or or the bonus pays and the and the

[1:27:12] escalation pays don't don't happen. Uh

[1:27:15] so that work is important. And then uh

[1:27:18] as well we've it's election season.

[1:27:20] There's going to be an election uh on

[1:27:22] the ballot this year and I hope that

[1:27:23] folks uh uh are in support of it. We're

[1:27:26] going to have our opportunity to do with

[1:27:27] a 1% uh sales tax for real estate. And

[1:27:30] that 1% sales tax that funds our schools

[1:27:33] uh in terms of our construction. It's a

[1:27:35] critical need for us to be able to

[1:27:36] actually fund school construction. We

[1:27:38] haven't been able to really build new

[1:27:40] schools in a long time. And this is an

[1:27:42] opportunity to fund that. That's on the

[1:27:44] ballot. It's taken

[1:27:46] about six years to do that effort um and

[1:27:49] get that on the ballot. So, I really

[1:27:50] want to implore people that it's

[1:27:52] important for you to educate yourself on

[1:27:53] that. look at what that 1% retail sales

[1:27:55] tax offers us. Uh it's a lock box for

[1:27:58] school construction and I hope that

[1:27:59] people support that. And then beyond

[1:28:01] that um that election Oh yeah. No, I

[1:28:04] still got two more minutes. Beyond that

[1:28:05] beyond that election, Mr. Beyond that

[1:28:07] election, uh I'm going to let you I'm

[1:28:09] going let uh this board know uh that uh

[1:28:12] this November during the V Virginia

[1:28:13] School Board Association annual

[1:28:15] convention, I'll be up for election for

[1:28:17] the president of the Virginia School

[1:28:18] Board Association. So informing this

[1:28:20] board that I have been nominated uh for

[1:28:22] that.

[1:28:27] So now you all have been publicly

[1:28:28] notified that I have been uh uh

[1:28:30] nominated for that position and I'll be

[1:28:32] up for election at that at the

[1:28:34] convention in November uh this year. And

[1:28:36] so I'll and lastly with the Denbigh uh

[1:28:39] community day parade, I'm excited about

[1:28:40] that this weekend. Uh excited to see

[1:28:43] hopefully see all of you out there. to

[1:28:45] the young man um who was angry with me

[1:28:48] last weekend at the Southeast Community

[1:28:49] Day parade because I ran out of candy at

[1:28:51] the end. He screamed at me, "Where's my

[1:28:54] candy?" And I told him, "I got you. I

[1:28:57] have I got extra candy. I will have

[1:28:58] candy for you." I told him, "See you

[1:29:00] this weekend. I got you on on candy. I

[1:29:03] will have extra candy for you. And I'm

[1:29:05] I'm loading up. I'll have plenty of

[1:29:06] candy to uh to toss to you uh as we go

[1:29:08] through the Denbigh Day parade." So, I'll

[1:29:10] see you this weekend. And I hope you all

[1:29:11] have a wonderful weekend.

[1:29:13] Thank you, Mr. Brown. Mr. Oaw.

[1:29:16] Okay. So now, oh, now you got something.

[1:29:17] No, no, no. His his time is up.

[1:29:20] Go ahead, Mr. Hunter.

[1:29:21] I just want to make a correction with

[1:29:22] something Mr. Brown said. It's not real

[1:29:25] estate taxes.

[1:29:27] It says sales taxes.

[1:29:30] Okay.

[1:29:32] Thank you.

[1:29:34] I was going to say that.

[1:29:36] Everybody else got

[1:29:39] Exactly. Exactly.

[1:29:42] Well, I I think the one thing that I'd

[1:29:44] like to just um say is I'm just really

[1:29:47] thrilled by the smooth start to school

[1:29:49] that we've had. Um we had the joy of

[1:29:52] hanging out with uh Dr. Mitchell and Dr.

[1:29:55] Rogers and doing 42 schools. I think I

[1:30:00] missed three of those. Um and it was

[1:30:02] just it was just exciting to see our

[1:30:06] students back in the buildings. um our

[1:30:08] teachers excited, our administrators

[1:30:11] orchestrating. Um

[1:30:14] I got a lot of calls this year and it

[1:30:17] they weren't negative, they were really

[1:30:20] positive calls and I think so my heart

[1:30:23] is dismayed that our bus drivers had to

[1:30:28] come tonight.

[1:30:29] Um so we've got to figure this out. We

[1:30:32] hear you. Um and what I will say is

[1:30:36] this. uh your professionalism

[1:30:40] um exceeds your frustration and I really

[1:30:43] do appreciate that because the calls

[1:30:45] that I got were like, "Wow, the buses

[1:30:49] were on time. They um are laying the

[1:30:52] rules down. Uh, I know we've had some

[1:30:55] changes and we have to move bus stops

[1:30:57] around and we still, you know, we're

[1:30:59] getting some of the calls from parents

[1:31:01] of I wish my um bus stop was a little

[1:31:04] bit closer, but they've been all

[1:31:06] positive. So, hearing you all this

[1:31:09] evening was important for us. So, thank

[1:31:11] you for coming.

[1:31:14] Thank you, Miss

[1:31:16] Aman.

[1:31:17] Sure. Just a couple things. one, if

[1:31:20] anyone wants to sort of see how our

[1:31:22] capital has or hasn't been funded over

[1:31:24] recent years, a good place to get extra

[1:31:27] information when you've looked at the

[1:31:29] watch the meetings or come to the

[1:31:30] meetings is to actually go to the

[1:31:32] Newport News public schools website, go

[1:31:34] to leadership and school board and

[1:31:35] you'll see a link for school board

[1:31:37] meeting agendas. That will take you to

[1:31:39] another site and you'll see um handouts

[1:31:42] or presentations. So earlier this

[1:31:44] evening, our working session was a

[1:31:47] presentation of the next round of our

[1:31:49] capital funding request to city council

[1:31:53] regardless of the sales tax. Um, but you

[1:31:56] can see in that presentation is a great

[1:31:58] history of how we've been you've done

[1:32:00] our research seen what's going to need

[1:32:02] to be done when and requested over the

[1:32:04] years and what has and hasn't been

[1:32:06] approved. So I think it's it's um

[1:32:08] instructive to see you know what we've

[1:32:10] known we've needed to do and where we

[1:32:12] are now. Um, so that's just a great

[1:32:15] resource for information. And then I'll

[1:32:17] just as a fellow parent, we're all back

[1:32:19] in school. Encourage all parents kind of

[1:32:21] keep up with your kids on parent view.

[1:32:23] It's a good way to keep things from

[1:32:24] getting too far away um when it's hard

[1:32:27] to get the grades back. I'm a big

[1:32:28] believer and as my kids get older, I try

[1:32:30] to let them do more and more on their

[1:32:31] own, but a little less frequently, a

[1:32:34] little bit of a a check. So, it's it's

[1:32:36] kind of a great way. And if um you're

[1:32:38] wondering what you can do to help our

[1:32:40] schools do better as a parent, you get

[1:32:42] involved with the local PTA, call the

[1:32:44] principal, have him or her connect you.

[1:32:47] You would be shocked at how few people

[1:32:49] get involved in that. And even just

[1:32:50] moral support can mean the world to um

[1:32:53] to a school and its leadership and its

[1:32:54] employees and teachers and staff. So,

[1:32:58] thank you, Miss Harris.

[1:33:03] Everything has been said. Just wanted to

[1:33:05] um thank uh everyone for coming out to

[1:33:08] the uh Southeast Day parade. That was a

[1:33:11] great time and seeing all of the school

[1:33:14] um representation out there. I think

[1:33:15] there were 100 plus uh parade numbers

[1:33:20] that I saw that were given out for

[1:33:21] different groups um and organizations

[1:33:24] that came out. Um and also looking

[1:33:26] forward to the Denbigh Day parade, my side

[1:33:28] of town. Uh so I have to get through all

[1:33:31] the traffic. Um, but I I wanted to um uh

[1:33:34] with with my colleague uh uh Miss

[1:33:37] Surles law uh also commend our drivers are

[1:33:40] our our for coming out and and um using

[1:33:44] your voice and um just want to say keep

[1:33:47] showing up until you don't have to. Um

[1:33:50] definitely respect um what you all do. I

[1:33:52] have two students myself that attend um

[1:33:56] Newport News public schools. So they're

[1:33:58] on those buses. Um they're on that those

[1:34:00] athletic buses. They both play sports.

[1:34:03] Um so they interface with with drivers.

[1:34:05] We need you because I live in Norfol and

[1:34:07] it took me five hours to get home. Um

[1:34:10] yesterday. Um yes, I work in Norfol. Oh

[1:34:14] yes, I work I work in Norfolk.

[1:34:16] Yes.

[1:34:18] Yes. Um so uh thanks for taking my son

[1:34:22] home from basketball practice. Um so

[1:34:25] yeah, that's all that I have.

[1:34:30] Miss Alger,

[1:34:33] mine is quite simple. Holton, uh, Mr.

[1:34:36] Bailey, congratulations. Thank you so

[1:34:39] much, uh, for choosing to serve. Uh, I

[1:34:42] think that's really big. And, uh,

[1:34:44] Cameron, thank you as well. Um, and for

[1:34:47] our bus drivers, uh, I know it takes

[1:34:50] courage, um, you know, to to say

[1:34:53] something. Um, please know that you, you

[1:34:57] know, we always listen in terms of

[1:35:00] hearing out, uh, you know, what's going

[1:35:03] on. At the same time, let's continue to

[1:35:05] work on building relationships. Uh, this

[1:35:08] is something that I continue to to talk

[1:35:10] about. Um, because with change comes

[1:35:13] that building of relationships. And I

[1:35:16] will say this, I went out to the

[1:35:18] schools, asked intentionally, you know,

[1:35:21] how did it go in terms of the first week

[1:35:23] with the buses and I must say that it

[1:35:25] was quite positive. So, thank you.

[1:35:28] Thank you. And so, I'm going to end with

[1:35:32] a little bit of history. say, so on this

[1:35:34] day um in 1963,

[1:35:37] there was a church that was bombed in

[1:35:39] Birmingham, Alabama, and four little

[1:35:42] black girls were killed and 22 um

[1:35:45] members of that church were injured. And

[1:35:48] if you recall, at that time in the

[1:35:50] country, there was quite a bit going on.

[1:35:53] Um struggle for civil rights, a lot of

[1:35:56] um divisiveness, and just just quite a

[1:35:59] bit going on. And if we think about

[1:36:02] where we are today, there's quite a bit

[1:36:04] going on. But in spite of that, because

[1:36:08] people continue to take advantage of the

[1:36:11] rights that are um provided to them in

[1:36:14] um our constitutional amendments. And so

[1:36:17] we can speak up such as like the bus

[1:36:18] drivers did today. We can be um we can

[1:36:21] agree to disagree and we can be

[1:36:23] courteous to one another.

[1:36:26] And although we have troubles in this

[1:36:28] country, I still say it's the greatest

[1:36:31] country in the world. I I I believe

[1:36:33] that. And so I'm just going to ask us to

[1:36:36] continue to work together, to continue

[1:36:38] to stand up what it is for you um

[1:36:40] believe in in a respectful way and just

[1:36:43] be extra nice because this political um

[1:36:46] season is just not getting pretty. And

[1:36:50] so for tonight though um it's it's all

[1:36:52] about the children. It's all about the

[1:36:54] children. And in 1963,

[1:36:57] um, four little black girls gave their

[1:36:58] lives, um, fighting so for the struggle

[1:37:01] of civil rights. So for those of us that

[1:37:03] still have our children with us, our

[1:37:05] parents with us, just hug them a little

[1:37:07] closer and just value the things that

[1:37:09] are um, important in our community and

[1:37:12] educating and and making our children

[1:37:14] better so we can continue to make this

[1:37:16] country better is is what it's all

[1:37:18] about. So with that being said, this

[1:37:20] meeting is adjourned.

School Board Meeting

Transcript