[11:35] City County School Board. May I have a member certify close session?

[11:40] » Madame Chair, I certify that to the best of each member's knowledge, the

[11:44] Williamsburg James City County School Board, while in closed session,

[11:47] discussed only public matters business. business matters lawfully exempt from

[11:51] open meeting requirements as stated in Virginia law and that only such public

[11:56] matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard

[12:01] discussed or considered. >> Thank you Mrs. Hunley. May I have a

[12:04] second >> second?

[12:06] » Thank you Mr. Hosang. Miss >> Mrs. Hunley

[12:10] » I. >> Mr. Riffle

[12:13] » I >> Dr. Fasos.

[12:14] » Hi. >> Miss Chen.

[12:15] » Hi. >> Mr. Hodgees.

[12:16] » Hi. >> Mr. Hosang.

[12:18] » Hi. >> Mrs. Honor

[12:19] » I we will move on to item 3.03 approval of the agenda. May I have a motion?

[12:26] » Madam Chair, I move to approve the agenda as presented.

[12:29] » Thank you, Mrs. Chen. May I have a second?

[12:31] » Second. >> Thank you, Mrs. Hunley. Miss,

[12:35] » Miss Chen, >> I

[12:37] » Mr. Hodgees, >> I

[12:38] » Mr. Hosing, >> I

[12:40] » Mrs. Hunley, >> I

[12:41] » Mr. Ripple, >> I

[12:42] » Dr. Kassos, hi >> Mrs. Donner,

[12:44] » I. We will now move on to our pledge of allegiance and minute of silence. Uh

[12:49] please stand if you are able.

[12:55] » I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

[13:01] republic for it stands nationy

[13:07] for all. Please remain standing for a moment of silence.

[13:16] Thank you.

[13:22] We will move now to item 4.01, uh, announcements and the superintendent

[13:27] report. Dr. Kever. >> Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the

[13:31] board, community members. Pleased to share a couple of items with you this

[13:35] evening. First thing I wanted to talk about was reading with a hero. uh the

[13:40] reading with a hero program. WJCC participated with the NAACP, the WJCA,

[13:47] Divine 9, and Barnes & Noble uh to be a part of this community literacy event on

[13:52] Saturday. Elementary age students were invited for story time with local heroes

[13:57] and left with a new free book. Uh as I've said repeatedly, literacy is a

[14:01] communitywide conversation and we're excited to build and extend programming

[14:05] like this across the city and county. wanted to extend the challenge for all

[14:11] of our community folks to join our PTAs. Our parent teacher association or at the

[14:17] secondary and high school level parent teacher student association uh is and

[14:21] meets on a monthly basis as a council PTAC uh and that group is composed of

[14:27] leaders from each of our building PTAs. Uh we meet regularly to talk about

[14:31] division and PTA goals and initiatives. New this year, we are dedicating time

[14:35] and space to extend collaboration between PTA officers and their

[14:40] principles. Our first conversation was earlier this month, and we're looking

[14:43] forward to our continued partnership. As I mentioned in our last meeting, and

[14:47] we'll mention again, I hope that I can challenge members of our community to

[14:52] join one or more PTAs. Information on the joining process is

[14:57] available on our website. There are a few tables that remain for our evening

[15:02] on the lawn celebration. We act, we suggest you act now to reserve yours. It

[15:06] helps support the WJCC schools foundation. Proceeds directly benefit

[15:10] our students and teachers most significantly through innovative

[15:14] learning grants. That event is scheduled to take place on October the 1st. And

[15:19] finally, I just wanted to mention briefly that the fall sports season is

[15:23] certainly out and in swing. I had a chance on Friday evening to spend time

[15:27] at the Warhill Jamestown football game and last night took in a volleyball

[15:30] match between Lafayette and Jamestown. I I did want to note that recently we

[15:36] shared communication with our high school families regarding uh the need

[15:40] for our students to celebrate their school and celebrate their teams in a

[15:44] positive manner. I've been made aware of some issues where uh students visit

[15:49] other campuses uh perhaps under the opaces of supporting their school uh but

[15:53] but leave behind remnants of their visit uh that's could be considered vandalism

[15:58] could be considered trespassing and I want to encourage our young people to

[16:01] make strong decisions. So encourage families to take a look at that

[16:04] communication and certainly want to support our students and student

[16:07] athletes. U Madam Chair that concludes my report this evening.

[16:11] » Thank you so much Dr. Kever. Miss Chen. Well, um, Dr. Cer,

[16:16] » sorry, Miss Chin, I apologize. >> That's okay. Um, but since we both sit,

[16:21] um, on the WJCC Schools Foundation, um, I promised them that on behalf of our

[16:26] WJCC Schools Foundation, I wanted to make sure that you all know about the

[16:30] upcoming evening on the lawn event October 1st. Um, it will be at the

[16:35] William Mary School of Business. The event brings together community members,

[16:39] leaders, educators, business partners, parents, friends of WJCC to support our

[16:44] students and teachers. So, our board along with Dr. Kever have already

[16:48] reserved a table. We will be there in attendance and we hope to see our city

[16:53] and county leaders there supporting with their presence as well. Um, and any of

[16:58] you here or anybody listening, um, if you can't make the event, uh, there are

[17:03] lots of ways to support our WJCC Schools Foundation. I think we can all get

[17:07] behind being very generous to support our teachers. The, um, the foundation,

[17:13] um, gives out innovative grants as well as supporting the the supply uh, shop so

[17:18] that teachers don't have to spend their own money on supplies. Um, and they also

[17:23] have lots of fun um, spirit events where they partner with local restaurants. So,

[17:28] you can look out for those. I get those flyers and peach jar as a parent of a

[17:33] WJCC student. So, I just want to highly encourage participation in that. Um, my

[17:39] second quick announcement is um, as a member on our special education advisory

[17:45] committee, just wanted to say a quick welcome. will be um officially voting on

[17:50] our new members. But um just wanted to say that those meetings are monthly and

[17:55] they are not just um open for our members but also um for any students,

[18:00] families, teachers, anybody who is interested in learning about special

[18:05] education advocacy and um touching base with our central office leaders. Um as

[18:11] well as there's always a school board member there. So um if that is something

[18:15] you're interested in, you can contact Dr. Bowmaster. You can join us via Zoom

[18:19] or in person.

[18:23] » Thank you so much. Are there any other members that have a report from any of

[18:26] their committees? >> I know those are just getting started.

[18:31] So looking forward to those as the year progresses. Uh we will meet move into

[18:35] our next set of items. Um our information discussion uh 5.01

[18:41] our presentation for WHRO.

[18:50] Madame Chair, Dr. Kever, members of the board, thank you for allowing me to

[18:54] speak with you tonight. Uh, my name is Bert Schmidt. I'm the president and CEO

[18:58] of WHRO. With me is Elmer Seward, my vice president of education. So, if you

[19:03] got the hard questions, he's here to help me out. Um, before we get into the

[19:08] report, I do want to thank Mr. Riffle. Mr. Riffle is the current chair of the

[19:13] 21 school division group that we call Heretta, the Hampton Roads Educational

[19:18] Telecommunications Association. So Randy, thank you for for all your

[19:22] efforts. Uh and little do you know what you're about to get into. Thank you. Um

[19:27] I come to you tonight if you don't know because you're one of the 21 school

[19:30] divisions that literally own the broadcast license to WHRO. We are the

[19:34] only media company in the entire country owned by collaboration of K12 school

[19:39] divisions. We work with all the school divisions with superintendent,

[19:44] schoolboard members, and many of the cabinet level folks to do things once

[19:49] for teachers and students rather than 21 times. We save taxpayers money and at

[19:53] the same time improve the services for children regardless of zip code is the

[19:58] model from day one when we were founded in 1961 as home room one which is what

[20:04] WHRO stands for home room one so it's core to to who we are each year we

[20:10] provide you an impact statement you should have one of these with you um I

[20:14] am not going to go through the whole thing but uh in preparation for this

[20:18] meeting we have created a video that does summarize

[20:22] this customized report that is customized to the division. But with

[20:25] that, I'll ask that they play the video. >> WHO stands out as the nation's sole

[20:31] public media station owned by a collaboration of 21 school divisions.

[20:37] This distinctive ownership model places education at the heart of our mission,

[20:41] influencing every aspect of our work. Our team of educators is committed to

[20:46] offering students, teachers, and families innovative, free, highquality

[20:51] programs and services. One key service that WHRO offers is E

[20:57] Media VA, Virginia's leading digital content repository. With nearly 100,000

[21:04] free top quality instructional resources, E Media VA provides educators

[21:09] and students with videos, interactive tools, games, lesson plans, images, and

[21:16] more. This platform is designed to enhance personalized learning and make

[21:20] classroom experiences more engaging. For our youngest learners, WHRO offers

[21:26] exciting educational activities to spark their imagination. Our Education vans

[21:32] visit elementary schools with programs tailored to Virginia's standards of

[21:36] learning covering literacy, numeracy, scientific investigation, and

[21:41] technology. We also support parents and caregivers, ensuring children are

[21:46] prepared for kindergarten and set up for success in their early school years. For

[21:51] secondary educators, WHRO provides a catalog of 30 awardwinning customizable

[21:58] online courses and digital resources. These mediarich

[22:03] aligned courses are designed to integrate seamlessly with various

[22:07] learning management systems. They offer flexibility for face-to-face, flipped,

[22:13] blended, and fully online teaching environments, enriching lessons with

[22:17] engaging content. At WHO, we celebrate students

[22:23] achievements through competitions that showcase their talents. The Great

[22:27] Computer Challenge, for example, gather school teams from across the region at

[22:32] Old Dominion University to tackle real world technology problems.

[22:37] Another highlight is the Town Bank Regional Spelling Bee, where middle

[22:41] school champions compete at WHRO Studio for a chance to advance to the scripts

[22:47] National Spelling Bee. The local competition is recorded and aired on

[22:51] WHRO each April. Elementary students also have an

[22:56] opportunity to shine through our PBS Kids Writers Contest. This competition

[23:02] invites young writers to craft and illustrate their original stories,

[23:06] fostering creativity and critical thinking.

[23:11] Our student advisory board reflects our commitment to student engagement. This

[23:16] group of high school students offers feedback on WHRO's content and has

[23:21] opportunities to create their own [music] influencing our online courses

[23:25] and e media VA resources. We're equally devoted to supporting

[23:30] educators through our professional development programs. Our workshops and

[23:35] training sessions provide teachers with cuttingedge strategies and tools,

[23:39] empowering them to inspire and guide their students effectively.

[23:44] Visit WHO's education web page to learn more about how these amazing free

[23:50] materials, programs, and resources can benefit you. At WHRO Public Media, we're

[23:56] proud to partner with our local school divisions and the Virginia Department of

[24:00] Education to shape the future of education, one student at a time.

[24:07] » Again, the impact statement we provide you is customized to the division. So it

[24:11] has usage and the only thing it doesn't has usage wise are the courses because

[24:15] we build the courses and then give them to you and then they're in your learning

[24:19] management system. So your folks would have to give you that together. Um as

[24:23] schoolboard members Oh before that uh hopefully you know that we have an

[24:26] office here in town on Richmond Road. If you ever need office space that's not a

[24:31] school building for some reason you need to get out of a school building just

[24:34] give us a call. You're more than welcome to use that space um being that we have

[24:38] this office here in town. Um, as schoolboard members, you care about the

[24:42] money, the finances. On page 13 of the report, it summarizes uh the financial

[24:47] relationship. You invest in WHRO last school year about $3 per student and

[24:54] received savings of value of over a million half dollars. It's a 37 to1

[25:00] return on your investment. And with that, I'm happy to take any

[25:04] questions. >> Thank you so much, Mr. Schmidt and uh

[25:09] Mr. Uh Randy, do you have anything as the

[25:12] chair? And >> of course, I could say a lot. At first,

[25:15] if you haven't visited WRO's like location, I think it's just a great

[25:19] place to see like a community of 21 school divisions hanging out and

[25:23] building public media like PBS and all those type of things that come to your

[25:25] TV. It was a really cool experience to see that and I think it's there are

[25:29] opportunities for the public to see sometimes. I I don't know, maybe I'm

[25:31] speaking for you all. Okay, great. They can come visit. Um it's pretty sweet. U

[25:36] I just want to say thank you to both of you all for being here and especially to

[25:39] you u for for your your work and and efforts. I know you are retiring after

[25:44] this year. So I just wanted to thank you for your your hard work as a um you the

[25:48] president and the person has led this organization but people like Elmer and I

[25:52] wouldn't be able to do it without all of us together. So thank you.

[25:55] » It has been an honor and my pleasure to work with the division for 20 years now

[25:59] and so I really appreciate the relationship. I mean, when I got in town

[26:03] 20 years ago, I tried to have people in Williamsburg come to Norfol to be

[26:06] interviewed and nobody would. So, we opened up that office about 17 years

[26:10] ago, and it's worked out great for us. We do a lot of broadcasting out of there

[26:13] and have lots of meetings as well. So, it's been a great pleasure to work with

[26:17] so many people over the last 20 years from the division. So, thanks to all of

[26:21] you. >> Thank you so much.

[26:23] » Take care.

[26:28] » We will go to our our next agenda item which is uh 6.01

[26:38] spotlight on our kindergarten

[26:43] » kindergarten orientation model. >> Yes, ma'am. Madam Chair, it's we have a

[26:46] video that we'd like to share. It's my pleasure to indicate that our

[26:50] kindergarten orientation model expanded from three schools to six schools this

[26:54] year. We believe it's helping students start school with confidence. As the

[26:58] school year continues, families and staff will be asked to share their

[27:02] experiences and feedback through a survey that will give us some indication

[27:06] of how we can continue to improve that model. Let's hear from families and

[27:10] staff about how that model supports developing relationships and helps

[27:14] teachers get to know each child in their classroom.

[27:17] » It's an important transition. I mean, it's a milestone. I look back to my own

[27:21] children um and that [music] transition to kindergarten. It's a time when kids

[27:26] become more independent. Um, and they also get welcomed to be part of a

[27:29] community. And so it's [music] really exciting for us as a school system to

[27:31] welcome kids and their families in so they have a really positive experience

[27:35] with our school system and our school community. We work together to create a

[27:39] community for the children. And so this model allows us to really do [music]

[27:43] that from the first day of school so that moving forward they they're well

[27:48] taken care of. >> When I first learned about it, I was

[27:54] confused a little bit because I didn't understand. and I had three other kids

[27:56] that go through kindergarten the oldfashioned way. So when I was

[28:00] introduced to that one, I was just confused on how it's going to work, like

[28:04] [music] how you really going to know these kids after these days. We collect

[28:07] all of the kindergarteners together and it is an all hands-on deck approach. So,

[28:12] in addition to the classroom teachers, [music] there's the teacher assistants

[28:15] and the um school counselors, our um even our speech and language

[28:19] pathologists, um OT, PT. Um every person that does not have a classroom at the

[28:25] start of the year is supporting kindergarten. We were able to assess

[28:29] their letter sound knowledge, alphabet knowledge, um some number sense, [music]

[28:33] some beginning number sense knowledge, and also we got to gauge their maturity

[28:37] levels and how they interacted [music] with each other. It was a wonderful

[28:41] experience because we were each as [music] teachers able to get to know

[28:45] every single student that came to our kindergarten. So during the school year,

[28:50] we still have those connections and those relationships. So even though a

[28:54] student may not be in my class for the year, [music]

[28:56] we still have a relationship. I'm still able to check in on them. They know that

[29:01] they have an additional safe person in the building to trust and to communicate

[29:06] with. >> Um, she enjoyed it actually. She got a

[29:09] chance to meet all the teachers. Made her feel comfortable because she got to

[29:12] see all the teachers beforehand and really get to know them before coming in

[29:16] because you know they're five, some four, some six and when they come in

[29:21] they see all these faces already. So I think it gives them a sense of

[29:24] comfortability. [music] We were able to really make um balanced

[29:27] classes last year which helped academically, it helped behaviorally, it

[29:31] helped socially, which is so important. But we also got to know our students and

[29:36] I think forged even stronger relationships with the families. Being

[29:40] that they're coming to kindergarten, I think it's very scary for them. It's a

[29:43] new adjustment and I think doing that doing it that way help them be

[29:47] confident, help them grow, too. Because when you're confident, you grow. You're

[29:51] willing to learn. You want to come to school. So, it's it's a big stepping

[29:54] stone for them coming from preschool. >> Once the students did join our

[29:58] classrooms, because they were so familiar with the environment, it's like

[30:01] almost like a second nature to them now. Yes, we're still learning routines and

[30:05] procedures, but they're just so much more comfortable in the class. We're

[30:09] able to get to know the whole child. We're able to use observations and use

[30:14] data to inform our classroom placements. And [music] that's really exciting and

[30:20] really special. I think families will truly benefit from this experience. We

[30:25] had so much positive feedback come from families [music] about how this

[30:30] benefited their child.

[30:34] » Madam Chair, I would like to note that the [clears throat] VSBA has um also

[30:39] given us an opportunity to talk about our kindergarten orientation model at

[30:42] their annual convention. And so we look forward to sharing that with other

[30:46] school divisions and we'll come back to the school board uh in and likely

[30:49] January to talk more about what does 2728 look like.

[30:53] » Thank you Dr. Kever. It's wonderful to see that expanded from the pilot schools

[30:58] last year and what we learned from them uh to our next three elementary schools

[31:02] and I look forward to being able to have that across the division and love and

[31:06] love that we're getting to share our innovation here uh with the other school

[31:09] division. So, thank you and thank you to all of those uh all those kindergarten

[31:14] teachers who were willing to try something new and uh made this pilot a

[31:20] success these these first two years. Thank you.

[31:22] » Thank you. >> Uh we'll move on to our next agenda item

[31:27] 7.01 citizens comments. Mr. Riffle, >> thank you madam chair. Is at this point

[31:32] in our meeting where citizens are invited to address the board. Those

[31:35] citizens desiring to speak have submitted speaker cards to the clerk

[31:37] prior to the start of this meeting. These speakers are asked to come to the

[31:41] podium when their name are called, state their names for the record, and direct

[31:44] their comments directly to the chair of the board. It is the board's interest

[31:47] and desire that all comments are heard and respected. Hence, the citizens are

[31:51] asked not to engage in applauding, verbal outbursts, or any audible

[31:54] demonstrations during speaker presentations. Personnel matters are not

[31:58] considered in public meetings. Therefore, the board request that all

[32:00] speakers refrain from making reference to specific individuals in any form or

[32:04] fashion. Though the board does not respond to your comments, your comments

[32:07] are heard and appreciated. Each speaker is allocated two minutes to make their

[32:11] presentation. Board ask they respect this time liotation. Also, please be

[32:14] reminded that no time may be yielded to another speaker. Your acceptance and

[32:18] adherence to these guidelines will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Madam

[32:21] Chair, and my directions are concluded. >> Thank you so much, Mr. Riffle.

[32:25] » The first speaker is Jamila Walker. The next speaker is Hope Donnelly. Please be

[32:30] ready after them.

[32:39] Um, good evening, Madame Chair Donner, members of the school board, and Dr.

[32:42] Kever. I'd like to briefly address the request to do away with diversity. Every

[32:48] child deserves to be celebrated, including those with differences. We

[32:52] celebrate gifted children, students with disabilities, military children, and

[32:57] others for who they are. So, I have to ask, is it really our plan to disregard

[33:01] these children because of their differences? And I have one final ask on

[33:05] this topic. Please stop using famous black people and people of color as a

[33:10] measure for what you want us to act like. Our children are individuals and

[33:14] they deserve to be valued as such. Now, the reason I'm here tonight is to talk

[33:19] about our students with disabilities. Right now, our students with

[33:22] disabilities have so pass rates below 50%. Some may believe that is simply

[33:28] what we should expect, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Students with

[33:33] disabilities are capable of learning and doing the work, but because of their

[33:37] learning differences, they require specially designed instruction to

[33:40] succeed. I appreciate the district's professional development efforts and the

[33:44] hiring of an SDI coach, but we do need to take it further. Give General

[33:49] education and special education teachers protected time to collaborate and plan

[33:54] together. Ensure we have trained support for assist of technology. Provide

[33:59] ongoing professional development for everyone working with students with

[34:03] disabilities. And most importantly, change the perception of disability.

[34:08] They are capable. They can learn. They are worth it. Having a child with a

[34:13] disability gives you a strength you never knew you had. As parents, we

[34:17] believe in our children so deeply that sometimes people think we're out of our

[34:20] minds, but we believe in them anyway. and I'm simply asking you to believe in

[34:25] them, too. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mrs. Walker.

[34:30] » Our next speaker is Hope Donnelly, and the speaker after that is David Herbst.

[34:34] Please be ready. >> Good evening. Um, my name is Hope

[34:39] Donnelly. I'm a former AP art teacher, um, mostly for Title One and Renaissance

[34:44] Schools in Florida. Um, I'm here in opposition of the current redistricting

[34:50] plan. As a small business owner and a creative consultant, I have experience

[34:54] with largecale city planning, mobility studies, placemaking, historic

[34:59] preservation, and public art installation boards for the city of

[35:01] Tampa. And I'm a mother of two, a first grader and a sixth grader. Um, and I did

[35:07] two years of research before moving to Virginia with my family, including the

[35:11] neighborhoods and the schools um that we could move to and chose Kings Point,

[35:16] which is slated to be moved from Matthew Whley to Laurel Lane. So, on an

[35:22] individual level, I am opposed to this as well as on a district level. During

[35:28] the last redistricting, um my understanding is that the Kings Point

[35:31] neighborhood fought to be zoned for Matthew Whley. And one of the main

[35:35] discussions was the number of families who prefer biking as well as the ease of

[35:38] traveling from Kings Point to Matthew Whley versus Laurel Lane. And especially

[35:43] when the Colonial Parkway will be completed, it makes more sense to cross

[35:48] 199 for a bike path to get to our school than it does to travel along 199. kids

[35:54] will and families will no longer have this mobility option.

[35:58] During this past year that I've lived here, I've also participated in the

[36:02] studies, emailed the board uh with questions and concerns, and reviewed the

[36:05] charts and demographics of schools with the proposed changes compared to if

[36:10] there were no changes. I believe that the negative changes to diversity,

[36:14] economic dispersement, and disproportionate number of students with

[36:18] special services dramatically outweighs the idea of keeping children together

[36:21] from K through 12, altering the bus routes and the forecast number of

[36:25] students, which can't totally agree with based on the areas of development that

[36:30] are possible and the areas that are not possible. Some may disagree, but without

[36:36] the appropriate studies and additional information, we are not making an

[36:39] informed decision at this time. >> Thank you so much, Mrs. Don.

[36:43] » You have comments, you may leave them with the clerk. Our next speaker is

[36:47] David Herbst. The next person after them is Brier Anderson. Please come to the

[36:51] end of the row so you can be ready. >> Good evening. My name is David Herbst.

[36:57] I'm a federal technologist and data architect, a veteran, and a concerned

[37:01] WJCC parent. The history maps before you tonight

[37:05] cannot be recreated with WJCC data. That is not an opinion. That is a forensic

[37:12] technical fact. The FOYA contained that I reviewed 228 files, 16 shape files.

[37:19] Everyone delivered with zero geographic features, no data dictionary, no

[37:25] methodology to create the maps, and the fields needed to verify the boundary

[37:30] decisions were deleted three days before the foyer was provided.

[37:35] That's documented in WJCC's own timestamped audit logs of the data. Of

[37:40] the six guiding principles this board has adopted, not one not one can in can

[37:46] be independently verified from the WJCC's data records or how the guiding

[37:52] principles were applied or whether they were even applied at all.

[37:57] That data was either deleted or withheld.

[38:02] You're being asked to accept recommendation for boundaries the public

[38:06] cannot audit, verify, or challenge. That's in violation of Virginia 2.237.04

[38:13] Virginia Public Records Act 42.1-76. I submitted eight forensic findings to

[38:20] the superintendent on August 31st. No WJCC employee has explained my data

[38:27] findings, the data deletions, the empty shape files or identified on the legal

[38:31] basis of withholding the empty capacity data. No WJCC employee has identified

[38:37] which guiding principle that data supports. And the superintendent has

[38:42] chosen to proceed with his recommendation without addressing a

[38:45] single forensic fact of missing data. I'm asking this board to halt this

[38:51] process immediately and investigate my findings and provide the WJCC public

[38:57] with answers. >> Thank you, Mr. H.

[38:59] » Thank you. >> Next speaker is is it Brier Anderson?

[39:04] and then Ryland Guio is after them. Please come to the end of the row so you

[39:09] don't have to walk over people. Thank you.

[39:13] » Hi, good evening. My name is Brier Anderson and I live in the Kings Point

[39:17] neighborhood. I'm a parent at Matthew Why Elementary School, a former teacher

[39:21] and have the privilege of serving on the PTA executive board at Matthew Whley.

[39:26] Tonight, I want to speak not just as a parent, but as someone who has seen

[39:29] firsthand how a strong school community is built. For years, Kingspoint families

[39:34] have provided leadership, volunteers, and helped fund raise almost $50,000 a

[39:39] year to support every student at Matthew. Those efforts make possible

[39:43] free school supplies, a field trip for every student, student support programs,

[39:47] teacher appreciation, and community events that strengthen our entire

[39:51] school. Like the title one night I just came from, not just one neighborhood.

[39:55] That is why I'm concerned about the proposed redistricting. Our schools do

[39:59] not all begin with equal footing. Some serve higher concentrations of students

[40:03] with greater needs, while others benefit from long-established community

[40:06] partnerships, volunteer networks, and family engagement that expand

[40:11] opportunities and support student success.

[40:14] Redistricting is an opportunity not only to balance enrollment, but to strengthen

[40:18] every school community. As proposed, these maps would increase the

[40:23] concentration of economically disadvantaged students at schools that

[40:27] already serve higher proportions of students with greater needs. While

[40:31] making some of the division's wealthiest schools even more economically

[40:34] advantaged, they would reduce socioeconomic and racial diversity at

[40:38] schools like Matthew Ay and James River Elementary by removing neighborhoods

[40:42] that have long contributed to the school's community and support systems.

[40:46] Rather than using redistricting to narrow existing disparities, these

[40:50] changes risk reinforcing them by concentrating both student need and

[40:55] community resources in ways that leave schools on increasingly unequal footing.

[41:00] King's Point is just one example, but it illustrates the larger principle. Every

[41:05] boundary decision affects more than enrollment numbers. It shapes

[41:08] educational opportunity, community support, and the conditions that help

[41:12] students succeed. We are asking the board and Dr. Kever to ensure a map

[41:18] advances educational equity. >> Thank you. Next speaker is Ryan Go.

[41:25] Sorry if I'm saying it wrong. Next person after them is Molen Roberts.

[41:32] » Good evening. My name is Brenn Gio. I'm a Kings Point resident. I'm also one of

[41:37] the co-founders of WJCC Redistricting Advocacy Group. Many of here tonight.

[41:41] I'm also a mom of a seventh grade student who receives special education

[41:44] services. I'm asking the board to consider a critical question as you

[41:48] evaluate these redistricting maps. What will the impact be on students with

[41:52] disabilities? We already know there are significant challenges within special

[41:56] education in WJCC. Families have raised concerns about specially designed

[42:00] instruction, transparency, the district's response to data and

[42:03] accountability. As well, SDI has not yet been implemented across all classes.

[42:08] While JCC currently has the capacity to pro to provide co-eing in only about 50%

[42:13] of inclusion classes, the academic data makes this even more important. The

[42:18] Virginia Department of Education's 2425 data on WJCC includes a specific metric

[42:23] examining the gap in proficiency rates between children with IEPs and all

[42:27] students against grade level academic achievement standards. Under that

[42:31] measure, the divor division performance reported for children with IEPs was 35%

[42:36] in fourth grade English reading, 43% in eighth grade, and 39% in high school. In

[42:41] math, it was 38% in fourth grade, 47% in eighth grade, and 24% in high school.

[42:48] None of the grade levels shown met the state standard. As a parent of a child

[42:52] receiving special education services, these numbers aren't just statistics to

[42:57] me. They represent children who are already facing academic gap and who

[43:01] depend on consistent appropriate supports to be successful. So, when we

[43:06] redraw boundaries, we need to know what happens to those supports. Will students

[43:09] have access to the specialized instruction in inclusion, co-eing,

[43:13] staffing, and services identified in their IEPs? Will some schools experience

[43:17] a greater concentration of students with significant needs without the staffing

[43:20] and resources to support them? And what happens to students who depend on

[43:24] consistency and already struggle with transitions? Before approving any map, I

[43:28] am asking the board to conduct and release a school by school equity impact

[43:32] analysis that includes special education. It should examine IEP

[43:36] populations, staffing and service capacity, inclusion and co-eing, student

[43:40] outcomes and discipline, and identify how each proposed map would affect these

[43:44] factors. Our students with disabilities cannot be an afterthought in this

[43:48] process. If equity is truly the goal, special education needs to be part of

[43:52] the equity analysis from the beginning. >> Thank you. [music]

[43:55] [bell] >> Next speaker is Meline Roberts and after

[43:58] them is Jennifer Arie.

[44:04] So close. It's Melanie. >> Sorry.

[44:06] » It's okay. My name is Melanie Roberts. I have one student who's graduated already

[44:11] from WJCC and one who is currently attending. I am here today to speak on

[44:16] behalf of changing school names that honor enslavers.

[44:21] For the last two years, you've heard everything there is to know about James

[44:25] Blair and have preferred to focus on his good attributes and consider his role as

[44:32] an enslaver as a flaw. Holding men, women, and children in

[44:38] bondage, forcing their work, profiting from it, renting people out as though

[44:45] they were machinery or cattle is not a flaw. It was the plan.

[44:53] That was always James Blair's plan. And it including hunting down anyone who

[45:01] defied it. Just look up S. Cooper or Solomon or any of the other people who

[45:09] self-liberated that the Blair family continued to hunt down. Remember,

[45:17] that was their plan after all, not a flaw. It was a plan that was rigorously

[45:23] enforced. And yet, this board continues to sit up here and all but order

[45:30] children to walk into a building with his name on it.

[45:36] Shame on you. This community will not rest until every

[45:42] enslaver's name has been removed from a public school building. Dignity for

[45:50] every student begins with the name on the building.

[45:55] » Thank you, Mrs. Roberts. >> Next speaker is Jennifer Arie. After

[46:00] them is Laura Bil. Please be ready.

[46:08] Hello, my name is Jennifer Arie and I have one child at Laurel Lane Elementary

[46:13] and one at Berkeley Middle School. I love this community and I served as the

[46:18] Laurel Lane PTA president for four years where I observed how an influx of new

[46:23] families from a more economically advantaged community transformed the PTA

[46:29] by enabling us to have a budget from of about $6,000. I can't even imagine

[46:35] having $50,000 um to 20,000 about 20,000. With these

[46:43] extra funds, we were a able to provide grants for all of the grade levels,

[46:47] centers, and special education, as well as providing schoolwide celebrations,

[46:52] and rewards such as free books for every student at each book fair.

[46:57] I would I would love to spend the remainder of my two minutes going over

[47:02] how the stat the statistics of how the new boundaries will decrease our

[47:06] economic and racial diversity in our schools, which it will,

[47:11] but I'm hoping my other fellow community members will

[47:17] will cover that. My children who wanted to come but aren't feeling well today

[47:22] have asked me to plead with the school board because despite the redistricting

[47:26] emphasis on neighborhood schools and children going to school with their

[47:31] friends all K through 12 that is not the case. If you super in impose the school

[47:37] level maps, you'll find there is a section of Laurel Lane Elementary School

[47:41] students who who not only are separated from their friends in middle from in

[47:47] middle school and high school, but will now have to drive past this very school

[47:52] to get to their new middle school. And that

[47:57] if you're in this car line, you know it's a maddening long car line in a

[48:02] single lane road. And now we're gonna have to drive through that to get to

[48:06] James Blair.

[48:10] At the request of my >> Thank you so much, Miss Sarnney. If you

[48:14] have comments that you want to leave, you can give them to the clerk or email

[48:17] them to her. >> Our next speaker is Laura Blile. And the

[48:21] next person after that is Joe Bailey. >> It's Bllye.

[48:25] » Yeah, it's a little hard to read. Sorry. >> It's It's okay. I'm sorry. Good evening.

[48:29] I'm Laura Bllye. My daughter is a junior at Lafayette and my family lives in the

[48:34] Poeton district. I'm here tonight because I'm concerned that the proposed

[48:39] redistricting maps are not just moving attendance lines. They risk increasing

[48:44] the separation that already exists among our schools. We already have significant

[48:49] socioeconomic differences among our three high schools. About 22% of

[48:55] Jamestown's students are economically disadvantaged compared with about 30% at

[49:00] Lafayette and 36% at Warhill. That disparity already exists. Redistricting

[49:06] should be an opportunity to reduce it, not to draw new boundaries that make our

[49:11] schools even more economically and demographically separated.

[49:15] If the result of our redistricting plan is greater separation among our

[49:19] students, that should not simply be accepted as an unfortunate side effect.

[49:24] It should be a reason to reconsider the plan. I understand that the division has

[49:30] to consider capacity, transportation, geography, and feeder patterns. But if

[49:35] we can measure all of those things, we can also measure what a proposed map

[49:39] does to the demographic and socioeconomic composition of each

[49:43] school. And we should because when a map makes a less diverse school less diverse

[49:49] and a more diverse school more concentrated, we aren't simply

[49:53] reflecting the residential patterns of our community. We are using school

[49:57] boundaries to reinforce them. That is a choice. Our children benefit from going

[50:03] to school with people whose lives, backgrounds, and experiences are

[50:07] different from their own. That is part of preparing them to live and work in a

[50:11] world that will not be divided neatly into attendance zones. So before

[50:15] adopting any map, I am asking this board to look what one more measure. Does this

[50:20] map bring our students together or does it separate them further? If the answer

[50:25] is that it separates them further, then we can and should draw a better map.

[50:31] » Thank you, Miss BL. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Joe

[50:35] Bailey, followed by Karen Beager. Be Eagle Sal.

[50:41] If you come more than once, I can I can get it right. I promise.

[50:44] Good evening. Um, my name is Joe Bailey and I am a Kings Point resident and a

[50:49] WJCC parent. I'm here to speak about the redistricting.

[50:53] Um, I'd like to use Kings Point and Matthew Whley as an example of the

[50:57] broader questions I hope the board will consider throughout this process. Our

[51:01] request is not simply that King's Point remain at Matthew Whale. Our request is

[51:05] that every proposed boundary change be evaluated for whether it actually

[51:09] advances educational equity. Under the proposed map, Matthew Whale would serve

[51:14] a higher concentration of economically disadvantaged students. That raises an

[51:19] important question. If another boundary configuration could meet the division's

[51:24] goals for capacity, transportation, and enrollment while creating a more

[51:28] balanced student population, why wouldn't that option be fully explored?

[51:34] For my family, Matthew Wh. My daughter's three older brothers all

[51:40] attended Matthew Wh. And between them, our family has been part of this

[51:43] community for 13 years. We love the school, its teachers, and the community

[51:48] that surrounds it. We purchased our home with this school district specifically

[51:51] in mind. Now, while my daughter is only in her second year of elementary school,

[51:56] that decision is being taken away with no meaningful consideration of a

[52:00] transition or phase out for families already enrolled.

[52:05] Many Kings Point students can walk or bike to Matthew Whley. And while Laura

[52:09] Lane may be a smaller similar distance on a map, it is primar primarily a car

[52:15] dependent trip. Those differences do matter.

[52:19] King's point is just one example, but it illustrates the larger principle. Every

[52:23] boundary decision has consequences beyond enrollment numbers. We ask that

[52:27] the board look at full impact of these proposals and whether it actually

[52:31] improves educational opportunity and serves students and families better.

[52:36] Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Bailey.

[52:40] » Next speaker is Karen Beagle. After that is Alexandra Josie.

[52:44] » It's Karen Burke. Sorry, >> I read the last name right. So,

[52:51] » yeah, there you go. Um, I'm Karen Bergle. I'm a 36y year resident of

[52:56] Robert's district. I'm here to ask you once again to reconsider changing the

[53:02] name of James Blair Middle School. James Blair was notorious as the man who

[53:09] institutionalized child slavery in Virginia.

[53:14] names have a special power. And to me, the question is really just very simple.

[53:21] When I first heard this um concern brought up by another

[53:29] citizen, her words were that no child should have to attend a school named for

[53:36] his ancestors in slaver. And that's exactly what we are asking

[53:42] some students at James Player to do today.

[53:47] I'll be happy to come every month so that Mr. Ripple can get my name right,

[53:52] but I'm going to have the same message every time. Please, it's never too late

[53:58] to make the right decision, and it's always the right time to make the right

[54:04] decision. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Bzel.

[54:09] Alexander Josie is next. Professor Alexander Josie

[54:14] after them is McKenzie Israel Thumbl. >> Good evening. My name is Dr. Alex Josie.

[54:20] I am a public policy professor at William and Mary and I am a parent of

[54:25] three kids, two at Clareboard Baker and one at James Blair. I'm talking to you

[54:30] tonight about my expertise which is called social network analysis. We study

[54:35] relationships that we, you know, as people form and their impacts on bigger

[54:41] societal outcomes. Um, I have two studies that I want to talk to you

[54:45] about. And the bottom line is that by concentrating need in certain schools,

[54:51] we are going to end up with bad long-term outcomes in terms of economic

[54:57] mobility. So the two studies, one of them is a large N study from Harvard and

[55:02] it shows that the connections that we make, the social capital that we um gain

[55:08] by our relationships with others, specifically something called economic

[55:12] connectedness. This is when low socioeconomic people and high

[55:16] socioeconomic people form connections. It is the number one indicator of

[55:21] economic mobility. They controlled for all kinds of things that affect economic

[55:26] mobility. And just that connectedness that comes from relationships between

[55:31] people of different economic classes is the number one indicator.

[55:36] The second study looks is a little bit more case study focused. It digs into

[55:40] the mechanisms and it looks at both racial and um economic disparities and

[55:46] it shows that kind of the mechanism. The reason we see this is that when we're

[55:51] friends with others who are not like us, it kind of it um shows us the

[55:55] possibilities of what we can do. And so when you have a low socioeconomic person

[55:59] and a high socioeconomic person as friends, you can see different

[56:03] possibilities just in regular conversations.

[56:06] The report concludes by saying the number one thing we can do is by

[56:10] creating local policies that bring together these kinds of diverse

[56:15] audiences. School is a great way to make friends. My friends have lots of my

[56:20] friends. My students Oh, my family has great friends through schooling. Thank

[56:24] you, Miss I'll drop the reports off. >> Um the next speaker is McKenzie Israel

[56:30] Thumbl followed by David Rudd Ross.

[56:41] Members of the school board, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak

[56:44] tonight. I am a parent of two Matthew children who are zoned to remain there.

[56:49] I'm also a faculty member at William and Mary and a survey researcher. Along with

[56:53] a group of parents concerned with how this process has unfolded, I fielded a

[56:56] survey to WJCC teachers and staff to gather their views. Through reaching out

[57:01] to contacts and PTAs, 50 teachers and staff members responded. Their opinions

[57:05] are illuminating. Overall, 80% of respondents said they expect the

[57:10] division will worsen as a result of these maps. Fewer than 10% said they

[57:14] expect the division will improve. Among teachers and staff at Title One schools,

[57:18] 87% said that they expect their school's quality to decrease compared to 44% at

[57:24] non-title one schools. Similarly, 60% at title one schools said the new maps make

[57:29] it more likely they will consider leaving their current position compared

[57:33] to only 20% of teachers and staff at non-title one schools. Many of the

[57:38] respondents indicated their frustration with the process, noting they were met

[57:41] with silence from WJCC leadership when they sought to communicate concerns.

[57:46] Several said they were afraid to speak out publicly. WJCC schools have

[57:51] long-standing problems with equity. Families and community groups like the

[57:54] village have raised these concerns time and again and the response has been

[57:58] underwhelming. These maps will concentrate need at a handful of schools

[58:02] and the division seems to be asking us to trust that resources will shift

[58:05] accordingly. I see little reason to trust that the resources will come as

[58:10] the initial presentations of these maps ignored the increased segregation they

[58:14] create. We need a concrete plan, not a promise that one will come after the

[58:20] maps are approved. I urge you not to approve these maps until there's a

[58:24] school-by-school equity impact analysis and a clear detailed plan to ensure that

[58:28] every child at every school receives a highquality education. Thank you. Thank

[58:33] you, Mr. Israel TR. >> Our next speaker is David Red Ross

[58:37] followed by Steven Mains.

[58:46] » Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on the school redistricting

[58:50] process. I'm a parent of two children currently in the WJCC system. I'm asking

[58:55] that you not approve the redistricting map without addressing the demographic

[58:58] change that will come about. Both the May and August maps produce significant

[59:02] shifts in demographics of need at all three levels. And in some cases, schools

[59:06] currently serving greater needs populations are tasked with taking on a

[59:09] further increase in needs, whether in terms of percentage of school

[59:12] population, the absolute number of students with greater needs, or both.

[59:16] This is a particular concern at schools already struggling to meet standards.

[59:20] Demographic change sadly was not addressed initially with the May draft

[59:24] map and town halls. Spreadsheet data was only provided after the fact and with

[59:29] the August map and September steering committee presentation, but without

[59:32] useful analysis or discussion with student population projections and

[59:37] a known resourcing matrix. The board and community can and should see what the

[59:42] staffing and resourcing impact is to representative students with additional

[59:46] needs at each school. Information such as how does their classroom ratio

[59:50] improve or degrade? How does special education staffing in a building change

[59:54] versus the new school population? What does English language learning staffing

[59:58] now look like? Without this context, the school board would be making a decision

[1:00:02] with only a partial view of the cost and benefits. Thank you.

[1:00:06] » Thank you, Mr. Ross. Our next speaker, Stephen Mains, followed by Matthew

[1:00:11] Haynes. >> Madam Chairman, board members, Dr.

[1:00:15] Kever, I'm Dr. Steven Mains, a James City County resident and son and brother

[1:00:19] of teachers. Uh, in the September briefing on the so results, I'm sorry to

[1:00:24] say that that they were down. Reading, math, history plateaued at unaccess

[1:00:28] unacceptable levels while science and writing fell. pass rates remain below

[1:00:33] prepandemic uh state averages and York County still outperforms us in reading,

[1:00:38] math, and science while spending less. Dr. Kever said that these patterns

[1:00:44] cannot become permanent, but I would submit that six years of flat or down uh

[1:00:49] scores is permanent. It's time for a new approach. In 2013, Mississippi ranked

[1:00:55] 49th in the nation on fourth grade reading. Uh and as of now, they've risen

[1:00:59] to ninth. uh adjusted for poverty and demographics, Mississippi is the is

[1:01:05] first in the country in fourth grade reading and math. And it's black fourth

[1:01:10] graders rank third in the nation. Hispanic fourth graders rank first. Uh

[1:01:15] Mississippi did not uh spend a lot of money. They did four things with

[1:01:21] discipline. Uh phonics, job embedded coaching, early screening and

[1:01:25] intervention, and an end to promoting third graders who cannot read. This

[1:01:30] division already has pieces of that in in place. What we lack is a coherent

[1:01:35] divisionwide K through3 science of reading program uh that uh that they are

[1:01:41] executing. I respectfully ask this board to direct the administration to develop

[1:01:46] a written plan for implementing at the semester break a plan consisting of

[1:01:50] phonics-based curriculum, trained coaches for every elementary school,

[1:01:55] universal early screening and mandated intervention in a third grade reading

[1:01:58] gate. Set the timeline, report progress in public, and no excuses.

[1:02:04] We cannot stagger another year in this plateau. We need to fix it now. We need

[1:02:09] a program that took the estate from 49th to 9th and we need it today. Thank you

[1:02:14] very much. >> Thank you, Dr. M.

[1:02:18] » Our next speaker is Matthew Haynes, followed by C. Hannes, which you should

[1:02:24] put your full first name next time, but I will allow you to come. Just kidding.

[1:02:29] You You always can come. It's how it works.

[1:02:33] » Good evening. My name is Matt Haynes and I live in the Kings Point neighborhood.

[1:02:37] I am here tonight to speak to the planned redistricting effort that is

[1:02:40] currently underway. As the parent of three children who have attended or

[1:02:43] still attend WJCC schools, I would like to vocalize my support for the current

[1:02:47] redistricting initiative. With the decrease in federal education

[1:02:52] funding and cuts to SNAP benefits that will reduce funding for free and reduced

[1:02:56] lunches, I appreciate that the board is assessing organizational and operational

[1:02:59] changes that will allow the district to rep prioritize existing funding and

[1:03:03] leverage existing facilities to provide equitable and high quality education to

[1:03:07] all WJCC school students. Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Mr. Haynes.

[1:03:13] » C Hannes, if you're here, After

[1:03:24] Mr. Haynes is Megan Steinman Stein Men.

[1:03:35] I'm Chuck Haynes and I live in Kings Point. U education of our children is

[1:03:41] probably the most important government responsibility we have in every

[1:03:47] increasing demand and we're always short on resources. So

[1:03:52] I commend you on your regististering solution. I think the best thing all of

[1:03:57] us can do is to support. Thank you. >> Thank you Mr. Haynes.

[1:04:03] » Next speaker is Megan Steinman followed by Quinn EMTT.

[1:04:10] » Good evening members of the school board. Um my name is Megan Steinman. I'm

[1:04:13] a resident of the city of Williamsburg. I have two children who attend Matthew

[1:04:18] Whley Elementary School. And for context, my children are not currently

[1:04:21] affected by the proposed elementary school redistricting, but have been

[1:04:26] redistricted for Berkeley to James Blair for the middle school. And you should

[1:04:30] absolutely consider changing the name of that middle school.

[1:04:34] My comments tonight are simple. The way the maps are currently drawn could lead

[1:04:38] to negative outcomes for our students if they are not met with adequate

[1:04:42] resources. They have the potential to deepen

[1:04:46] opportunity gaps across schools, create unequal teacher workloads, and

[1:04:50] concentrate students with higher needs in certain schools.

[1:04:55] They can have long-term effects for kids across their lifespans. Everything from

[1:05:00] whether they graduate high school to college attainment to their ability to

[1:05:03] get a good job. The board should consider and make a plan for investing

[1:05:09] in these resources. things like hiring more staff to lower the studenttoteer

[1:05:14] ratios in the schools that would be most impacted by these new maps or the board

[1:05:19] needs to consider redrawing them all together.

[1:05:23] As you consider this decision, I ask you to not only think about how to most

[1:05:27] efficiently utilize the building space we have, but to think about how to

[1:05:31] ensure that every school has the resources they need to give every child

[1:05:35] in our community a fair chance. Thank you.

[1:05:38] » Thank you. So, thank you so much, Mr. Steman.

[1:05:40] » Our next speaker is Quinn EMTT, followed by Jacqueline Bridgeworth Williams.

[1:05:50] » Good evening. Uh, my name is Quinn EMTT. I'm a WJCC alumnist, actually alumnest

[1:05:56] of this school, uh, and parent of three curtain students. Um, I have sought

[1:06:01] since the beginning of this process to not only use your own math, uh, the math

[1:06:06] you've actually shared with us, uh, to shape my arguments that this process

[1:06:09] does not only, uh, fail to achieve the desired outcomes for long-term building

[1:06:15] utilization, but fails to do so while unnecessarily adversely affecting

[1:06:19] students and families who are already disadvantaged in a district with many

[1:06:24] existing issues and disparities. Um there's a pattern I keep finding going

[1:06:29] through everything. Um which is that as a gentleman before noticed much of the

[1:06:33] data arrives to us at least uh very late or after the fact or after a decision uh

[1:06:38] it was meant to inform if we receive it at all. Um there's one exception uh and

[1:06:44] it's why I'm here. Your road map lists u this next bit under the phrase your own

[1:06:49] slide defines as prior to the school board vote which again is supposed to be

[1:06:53] October 20th which is anticipate potential impacts on title one based on

[1:06:58] proposed map configurations which the end of the quote um on September 1st the

[1:07:04] recommendation itself included a title one slide and staff said uh I'll

[1:07:08] paraphrase here uh that as economically disadvantaged students shift so will the

[1:07:12] resources to support them which is Uh I agree with that. Uh that is the

[1:07:17] point. Um but redistricting brings this not division no additional federal

[1:07:23] dollars. That money follows how many low-income children live here, not which

[1:07:27] building they sit in. Um so seven of our nine elementary schools already receive

[1:07:32] title one. Uh by the economically disadvantaged table in that same

[1:07:35] recommendation, those seven schools would hold about 130 more economically

[1:07:40] disadvantaged children uh than they do today. about 10% more. Uh the two

[1:07:45] schools that received no title one, Mata and Stonehouse, go down by about 120. Uh

[1:07:51] but divisionwide the total stays flat. So Moka's enrollment goes up by about 68

[1:07:55] students low income. >> Thank you so much, Mr. EMTT.

[1:07:58] » If you have anything you'd like to share, you can leave it with the clerk.

[1:08:04] » Our next speaker is Jacqueline Bridgeworth Williams, followed by Andrew

[1:08:08] Huckabe.

[1:08:13] Good evening board members, Superintendent Kever, and Madame Chair.

[1:08:17] I'm Jack Wimbridge, Forth Williams, founder and executive director of the

[1:08:21] Village Initiative, a local 5013C, where our center focus is social justice and

[1:08:27] educational equity in WJCC schools.

[1:08:36] First, I have three points I'd like to make. First, redistricting. The proposed

[1:08:40] maps raise serious concerns that existing disparities and inequities in

[1:08:45] our schools may be exacerbated beyond redistricting. Our community wants to

[1:08:51] know what special solutions, resources, and measurable supports will be put in

[1:08:58] place to address these inequities. Moving students by itself does not close

[1:09:05] the opportunity or the achievement gaps that have ex existed here since uh prior

[1:09:11] to integration. Second, James Blair. I continue to stand

[1:09:15] in solidarity with those calling for the removal of James Blair's names from our

[1:09:21] school. James Blair has a place in history and that history should be

[1:09:25] taught truthfully. But the name of an enslaver does not have to remain on our

[1:09:32] schools where our children learn and grow. Child slavery was horrific.

[1:09:39] We cannot acknowledge that history while ignoring the impact and the symbols it

[1:09:45] continues to have and how it impacts our descendants and our community. We can

[1:09:51] tell the history without honoring the name. Third, accountability. Our

[1:09:58] children deserve more than promises. They deserve action, transparency, and

[1:10:04] measurable progress. WJCC has an opportunity to be a beacon of hope, an

[1:10:10] example for our children and our young people. We can do better. We must do

[1:10:15] better. And our children deserve better. >> Thank you, Mrs. Williams.

[1:10:19] » Thank you so much. >> Our next speaker is Andrew Huckabe,

[1:10:23] followed by Amy Quirk.

[1:10:28] Hello, my name is Andrew Huckabe. I am a former student of WJCC and I know you've

[1:10:34] heard everything about the issues with the new map. So, I'm not going to repeat

[1:10:38] that. But I am going to say that this board has been in possession of these

[1:10:42] maps and they have seen the demographics and the shift in demographics and I

[1:10:48] think there should be a call to action because these numbers have been seen.

[1:10:52] But it seems like action has not been taken. and maybe we can all admit that

[1:10:57] we've been wrong and rethink these drawings and everything about them.

[1:11:02] Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Huckabe.

[1:11:05] » Our next speaker is Amy Quirk, followed by Rachel Tritner.

[1:11:11] » Good evening, superintendent, members of the school board. My name is Amy Quirk.

[1:11:15] I have two children that attend WJCC schools and I'm a member of the village

[1:11:19] initiative. Um, I'm here tonight um because I have significant concerns

[1:11:23] about the inequities across our schools. And I want to be really clear, these are

[1:11:27] long-standing inequities. The village has been around for 10 years coming to

[1:11:31] schoolboard meetings talking about these inequities. Um, and so it certainly does

[1:11:36] feel more urgent that we're um considering redistricting maps that um

[1:11:40] will exacerbate these inequities at elementary, middle, and high school

[1:11:44] levels across our schools. And I'm concerned that um if these masks go

[1:11:49] forward, we don't have a strong track record of um funding our schools um with

[1:11:55] equity in mind. Um so I'm here to urge you to do one of two things. One, it's

[1:12:00] not too late to reconsider these maps. It's a good um teaching moment for all

[1:12:04] our students is that we can take a pause and say maybe there's a better way to do

[1:12:08] this. Um and alternatively, or not even alternatively, no matter what maps go

[1:12:13] forward, we need a bold plan to address long-standing inequities. And this plan

[1:12:17] should have been in place a long time ago. Um such a plan um should include

[1:12:22] student teacher ratios of 15 to1 in schools and classrooms with the highest

[1:12:26] needs and the most classroom complexity. Our current ratio at James River is 19

[1:12:31] to1. Research suggests that will not move the needle on our deep achievement

[1:12:35] gaps. Um secondly, we should revisit the funding formula that provides additional

[1:12:40] funding to to schools per economically disadvantaged student. This funding

[1:12:44] formula was introduced in fiscal year um 2022. And I would like to ask if that um

[1:12:50] formula has been revisited since that year and does it need to be revised to

[1:12:55] improve outcomes? Has that is that was that enough funding to actually um

[1:12:59] change anything? and how will redistricting um be should it be revised

[1:13:04] because redistricting will generate more cumulative disadvantage and reduce PTA

[1:13:08] support in some schools. Thirdly, I don't understand why a dual language

[1:13:12] learner program has not been piloted 10 years ago at James River and Mass.

[1:13:16] » Thank you, Dr. Core. >> And fund the restorative center as

[1:13:19] promised. >> Thank you. Rachel Titler is next

[1:13:24] followed by Sarah Ren.

[1:13:29] Good evening, school board members. Um I my name is Rachel Tritler. I've lived in

[1:13:34] Williamsburg for 13 years. I'm a Matthew why parent and have been generally quite

[1:13:38] happy with um my school experience. But I'm incredibly disappointed, frustrated,

[1:13:44] frankly sad, um at the choice that this board has made in redistricting in a way

[1:13:48] that allocates the exact same student population in such an inequitable way.

[1:13:54] Um it's hard for me to find a reasonable explanation that a group of people that

[1:13:58] has been tasked or even elected to look out for the um equity of all students in

[1:14:05] WJCC schools to make a choice that increases disparity. Um that removes

[1:14:10] families with higher economic resources from a handful of schools that already

[1:14:15] have higher um percentages of economically disadvantaged students. Uh

[1:14:20] we're moving in the wrong direction. As many have commented tonight, there is no

[1:14:24] reason that a school should see an increase of nine or 12 percentage points

[1:14:29] in the percent of economically disadvantaged students when other

[1:14:32] schools stay the same or significantly decrease in those same factors. Um the

[1:14:38] board will be hardpressed to make up for the removal of volunteer and economic

[1:14:44] contributions with this increase in disparity using district resources.

[1:14:49] You're making your job harder. You're making the students job harder. You're

[1:14:52] making the teachers job harder. And we should and can do better. I hope that

[1:14:56] you hear the range of comments that you have heard tonight in this same vein as

[1:15:00] so much more than the discomfort that I'm sure you're expecting will come from

[1:15:04] any redistricting process. It is a community that is upset about a choice

[1:15:10] to move in the opposite direction of community building, of equality for all

[1:15:16] students. And if you do move forward with this choice, we need to see a much

[1:15:19] more robust plan of how you aim to fulfill your duty to look out for the

[1:15:24] equity of all students um and promote learning outcomes at all levels. Um

[1:15:30] please reconsider. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Kitler.

[1:15:34] » Next speaker is Sarah Ren followed by David Ren.

[1:15:43] » Hi, I'm Sarah Raiden. Um, I'm a student of Matthew Wh. I don't want to do the

[1:15:51] redistricting because I'll miss all of my friends in [snorts]

[1:15:56] Matthew Wh. >> Thank you so much, Miss Raiden.

[1:16:02] » Our next speaker is David Raiden, followed by Zachary Raiden.

[1:16:16] Hello, my name is David. Oops. Way down here. My name is David Braden. Uh we my

[1:16:23] family lives in the Holly Hills neighborhood um just about five six

[1:16:27] minutes away from this uh school. And with the proposed redistricting map uh

[1:16:32] sending us instead of Berkeley to James Blair, that increases the commute time

[1:16:36] for my kids uh to 12 minutes uh from about the five to six minutes it took us

[1:16:41] just to come down this road. As well as the you know bike lanes that are being

[1:16:47] worked on here. Uh my son currently loves biking to Matthew Willie where he

[1:16:51] currently attends. Was excited to bike to middle school and that would take

[1:16:55] away that opportunity. Uh besides all the disparity in the test scores and

[1:17:01] everything else that's been discussed already here tonight, uh I just

[1:17:04] encourage the board to consider other options. Think outside the box. For

[1:17:09] example, at Matthew Willy, currently there's a huge athletic field of which

[1:17:14] the children are not allowed to fully use for recess. Uh they don't use it for

[1:17:20] PE. It's not being used. There's raw land that's there. uh that could be a

[1:17:26] place where trailers could temporarily go for the pre kindergarten uh which is

[1:17:30] essentially a big part of why this redistricting is being discussed in the

[1:17:35] first place. While there's plenty of room to build uh secondary outbuildings

[1:17:40] at Matthew. I know that from Matthew Willy, but I don't know all the other

[1:17:45] schools. I haven't visited all the schools in this district, but perhaps

[1:17:49] there's similar land that's available in those school yards, in those areas to

[1:17:55] think about a better long-term plan instead of a shortsided thing that might

[1:18:00] create more hassle as some of the other people have said in the future. Thank

[1:18:05] you. >> Thank you, Mr. Raiden.

[1:18:07] » And this is Zachary. >> Um, hi, I'm a student of Matthew and you

[1:18:15] do the redistricting. Then once I go to middle school, then I won't be with any

[1:18:21] of my friends and um I just basically won't know anyone.

[1:18:28] Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Raven.

[1:18:30] » The next speaker is Jennifer Raiden and the person after that is Jake

[1:18:36] Lambert Lambert.

[1:18:41] » Hi, my name is Jennifer Raiden. I'm also a mom of two Matthew Ellie students that

[1:18:47] you just heard from. I'm here to express my strong opposition to the currently

[1:18:52] proposed school attendance zone redistricting areas. The current

[1:18:56] proposals raise serious concerns for our community and our students. The main

[1:19:01] concern that others have already raised is the equity and diversity. The

[1:19:06] proposed maps risk creating wider economic and academic disparities

[1:19:10] between schools rather than fostering balanced and inclusive learning

[1:19:15] environments. This proposed redistricting also impacts

[1:19:19] student well-being. Many students have formed strong connections with peers in

[1:19:24] the schools that they currently attend and this creates stress and anxiety for

[1:19:30] children who are navigating critical developmental years.

[1:19:34] Um, I also am really opposed to the additional length and distance that many

[1:19:40] of us will have to now travel nearly double from our existing schools that we

[1:19:45] are districted for. Um, so I would really like you all to strongly

[1:19:50] reconsider the redistricting proposal and look outside the box for other

[1:19:54] alternatives to better serve our students. Thank you.

[1:19:57] » Thank you, Mrs. Raen. Our next speaker is Jake Lambert, followed by Renee

[1:20:02] Vogghan.

[1:20:09] Good evening, Madame Chair and members of the board. Uh, thank you for your

[1:20:12] time tonight. My name is Jake Lambert and I'm the father of two Matthew why

[1:20:16] students. I want to talk about what redistricting does to equity across the

[1:20:21] division. Looking at the demographic projections, several schools including

[1:20:25] Matthew Whley, James River, James Blair Middle, and Lafayette High, will see

[1:20:30] meaningful increas increases in their share of economically disadvantaged

[1:20:35] students under this proposal. James River's English language learner

[1:20:39] population, already the highest in the division, grows further. At James Blair,

[1:20:44] the increases of in economically disadvantaged students appears large

[1:20:48] enough to exceed the steering committee's own stated goal of keeping

[1:20:52] only singledigit shifts and under 10 percentage points, a threshold the

[1:20:57] committee set for itself and one of the only places in the map where the

[1:21:01] threshold seems to be broken. I understand the division has real

[1:21:04] long-standing problems with building utilization and bus routes. Those are

[1:21:08] legitimate constraints. But what is missing is the other half of the

[1:21:12] equation, a funding plan that matches these shifts. There's no staffing ratio

[1:21:18] commitment, no dollar figure, no resource allocation tied specifically to

[1:21:21] the schools now absorbing more students in poverty, more English language

[1:21:26] learners, and more students who need additional support. The district's own

[1:21:30] transition roadmap doesn't begin staffing planning until December after

[1:21:34] family notifications and two months after the board is set to vote on maps

[1:21:38] in October. Whatever that planning covers, it isn't published equity

[1:21:43] specific funding commitment and none exists today. I understand that funding

[1:21:47] is fluid based on a number of factors, but it seems necessary to present at

[1:21:51] minimum a proposed funding and staffing plan along with the overall vote on

[1:21:55] redistricting. you're being asked to approve where the need goes before

[1:21:59] you've seen a plan meeting it. One more thing that is worth noting, the

[1:22:05] James City County Board of Supervisors voted to terminate the joint school

[1:22:08] contract with Williamsburg after the city studied operating its own school

[1:22:12] system. >> Thank you, Mr. Lambert.

[1:22:16] » Any additional comments can be left with the clerk. Um, Renee, sorry, I cannot

[1:22:20] pronounce your last name, but Von. >> Von. Okay, you're next. and your last

[1:22:24] speaker.

[1:22:27] » Members of the board, my name is Renee Vaughn. I'm a community member. I'm also

[1:22:31] the mother of a 5-year-old kindergartener who unfortunately is not

[1:22:35] currently attending kindergarten in the county. Um, we're having to pay another

[1:22:39] year of private school tuition in large part basically because of the

[1:22:42] redistricting issue because we felt uncomfortable putting him into James

[1:22:46] River Elementary and then potentially having to pull him and move him to a

[1:22:49] different school to Laurel Lane the following year. Uh, I just I I didn't

[1:22:54] get to prepare remarks in advance or practice them, so I won't be as eloquent

[1:22:57] as some of your other speakers. Um, but I just wanted to share with you that

[1:23:01] when my husband and I moved to Virginia a few years ago, we were very excited,

[1:23:05] enthusiastic to participate in the public school community here. Um, we

[1:23:10] were however taken aback uh when we started talking to community members and

[1:23:15] telling people, oh, you know, we're James River parents, we live in

[1:23:18] Kingsville. If it is, if you're not aware, there is

[1:23:22] whether a warranted or unwanted stereotype already out there about James

[1:23:26] River Elementary School. We were very taken aback by the reactions we got when

[1:23:31] we said we were going to be a James River family. Um, and they were

[1:23:35] predominantly negative reactions. However, when we talked to our own

[1:23:39] community members in Kings Mill, they were incredibly supportive, incredibly

[1:23:43] enthusiastic, went on and on about how wonderful the faculty is, how wonderful

[1:23:48] the teachers are, what a wonderful experience their children are having

[1:23:51] there. And so, we were very excited at the thought of being able to support

[1:23:56] James River Elementary with both our time and our money when our son was old

[1:24:00] enough. To my point, um during today's meeting, I actually received a message

[1:24:06] um discussing the fact that the uh all of the PTA administration for James

[1:24:12] River Elementary will be moving to Laurel Lane next year if you sustain the

[1:24:16] proposed map uh for redistricting. So, they are currently trying to figure out

[1:24:21] how to implement strategies and actions that can be sustainable when all of them

[1:24:26] leave. uh the budget or the amount of money

[1:24:29] that they've taken in is roughly 10% of what other schools.

[1:24:33] » Thank you, Miss Vaughn. Thank you. >> That concludes the speakers for tonight.

[1:24:40] » Thank you to all of our speakers who came out this evening. We're going to

[1:24:43] stand in a fivem minute recess.

[1:33:15] I will now reconvene this meeting of the Williamsburg James City County School

[1:33:18] Board. We will go on to our next um set of action items. Uh act number eight,

[1:33:25] the consent agenda. Um on the consent agenda this evening is 8.01, 01 approval

[1:33:31] of financial report and monthly bills and payroll June 2026

[1:33:35] 8.02 approval of financial report and monthly bills and payroll April August

[1:33:40] 2026 8.03 approval of minutes from work

[1:33:43] session at 9126 8.04 approval of resolution R-9-26

[1:33:50] bullying prevention month item 8.05 5 approval approval of resolution R-20-26

[1:33:58] National School Lunch Week. Item 8.06 approval of revisions to policy AE

[1:34:05] school division goals and objectives. 8.07 approval of creation of policy EA

[1:34:11] Aad use of school buses. 8.08 approval of revisions to policy I A instructional

[1:34:17] goals and objectives. 8.09 09 approval of revisions to policy

[1:34:23] IG A teaching about drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. 8.10, approval of revisions to

[1:34:30] policy IG AJ, driver education. Item 8.11, approval of revisions to

[1:34:37] policy IIA, instructional materials. Item 8.12,

[1:34:43] approval of creation of policy IK, academic planning and course selection.

[1:34:48] Item 8.13, approval of a creation of policy ILBC,

[1:34:55] College Board School Day Program. And item 8.14, approval of release from

[1:35:00] compulsory attendance case number R262705.

[1:35:05] May um does anyone want to remove anything

[1:35:09] from the consent agenda? If not, can I have a motion to approve?

[1:35:13] » Madam Chair, I move to approve the consent agenda as presented. Thank you,

[1:35:18] Mrs. Hunley. May I have a second? >> Second.

[1:35:20] » Thank you, Mr. Hosang. Miss Aller, >> Mrs. Hunley, I.

[1:35:26] » Mr. Riffle, >> I.

[1:35:27] » Dr. Kvassos, >> I.

[1:35:29] » Miss Chen, >> I.

[1:35:30] » Mr. Hodgees, >> I.

[1:35:31] » Mr. Hosang, >> I.

[1:35:33] » Mrs. Donner, >> I. We'll now move on to our action

[1:35:36] items. Item 9.01, approval personnel actions. May I have a motion?

[1:35:43] » Madam Chair, I move to approve personnel actions as presented.

[1:35:46] » Thank you, Mrs. Chen. May I have a second?

[1:35:48] » Second, Madam Chair. >> Thank you, Mr. Riffle. Miss Holler.

[1:35:51] » Miss Chen, >> I.

[1:35:53] » Mr. Hodgees, >> I.

[1:35:54] » Mr. Hosang, >> I.

[1:35:56] » Mrs. Hunley, >> I.

[1:35:57] » Mr. Riffle, >> I

[1:35:58] » Dr. Kvassos, >> hi.

[1:35:59] » Mrs. Donner, >> I.

[1:36:01] » Item 9.02, approval of minutes from regular meeting on 81826.

[1:36:06] May I have a motion? >> Madam Chair, I move to approve the

[1:36:09] minutes from the regular meeting on 81826.

[1:36:13] » Thank you, Mrs. Hunley. May I have a second?

[1:36:15] » One second. Thank you. Dr. Kavazos, Miss

[1:36:21] » Mrs. Hunley. >> Hi,

[1:36:22] » Mr. Riffle. >> Hi,

[1:36:24] » Dr. Kavasos. >> Hi,

[1:36:25] » Miss Chen. >> Hi,

[1:36:26] » Mr. Hodes. >> Hi,

[1:36:27] » Mr. Hosang. >> Hi,

[1:36:29] » Mrs. Donner. >> I'll abstain. I watched the meeting, but

[1:36:31] I was not in attendance. Uh, we'll move down to 9.03, approval of fiscal year

[1:36:37] 2026 year end financial report and proposed commitments of the fund

[1:36:42] balance. May I have a motion? Madam Chair, I move

[1:36:46] to approve the fiscal year 2026 year-end financial report as proposed commitment

[1:36:52] of the year end fund balance to the healthc care reserve fund.

[1:36:57] » Thank you, Mrs. Hunley. Is there a second?

[1:36:59] » Second, madam chair. >> All right. Any discussion?

[1:37:03] All right, Miss >> Mrs. Hunley.

[1:37:06] » I. >> Mr. Riffle,

[1:37:08] » I >> Dr. Kasos.

[1:37:09] » Hi, >> Miss Chen.

[1:37:11] » I >> Mr. Hodgees.

[1:37:12] » Hi, >> Mr. Hosang.

[1:37:14] » Hi, >> Mrs. Donner. I we'll go on to item 9.04,

[1:37:18] approval of the 2026 2027 textbox textbook selection and adoption

[1:37:23] proposal. May I have a motion? >> Madam Chair, I move to approve the 2026

[1:37:27] 2027 textbook selection and adoption proposal as presented.

[1:37:31] » Thank you, Mr. Hosang. May we have a second?

[1:37:33] » I second. >> Thank you, Miss Chen. Any discussion?

[1:37:36] Seeing none, Miss Aller. >> Mr. Hosang,

[1:37:39] » I. >> Mrs. Hunley,

[1:37:40] » I. >> Mr. Ripple,

[1:37:41] » hi. >> Dr. Kvassos,

[1:37:42] » hi. >> Miss Chen,

[1:37:43] » hi. Mr. Hodes. >> Hi,

[1:37:45] » Mrs. Donner. >> I item 9.05, approval of request to

[1:37:49] modify and extend construction management services for two preK centers

[1:37:53] to Mcdana Voliard Pek MBP. May I have a motion? Madam Chair, I move to approve

[1:38:01] the to modify and extend the contract for construction management services for

[1:38:07] two preK centers to Mcdow Ballard Peek MBP for the cost of $263,840.

[1:38:17] » Thank you, Mrs. Hunley. May I have a second?

[1:38:20] » Second. >> Thank you, Dr. Kavazos. Any discussion?

[1:38:24] Seeing none, Miss Aller. >> Mrs. Hunley.

[1:38:26] » Hi, >> Mr. Riffle.

[1:38:28] » Hi, >> Dr. Kavasos.

[1:38:29] » Hi, >> Miss Chen.

[1:38:30] » Hi, >> Mr. Hodes.

[1:38:31] » Hi, >> Mr. Hosang.

[1:38:33] » I >> Mrs. Donner,

[1:38:34] » I. [clears throat] >> Item 9.06, approval of calendar year

[1:38:37] 2027 schoolboard meeting dates. They have a motion.

[1:38:42] » Madam Chair, I recommend move the approval of the proposed school board

[1:38:46] meeting scheduled for calendar year 2027 as presented.

[1:38:50] » Thank you, Mrs. Hunley. May I have a second?

[1:38:52] » Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Hodgeges. Any discussion?

[1:38:56] Seeing none, Miss Aller. >> Mrs. Hunley.

[1:38:59] » Hi, >> Mr. Riffle.

[1:39:01] » Hi, >> Dr. Kabasos.

[1:39:02] » Hi, >> Miss Chen.

[1:39:03] » Hi, >> Mr. Hodgeges.

[1:39:04] » Hi, >> Mr. Hosang.

[1:39:06] » Hi, >> Mrs. Donner.

[1:39:07] » I We move on to our next session section information discussion items. The first

[1:39:12] is 10.01 annual recruitment and launch report.

[1:39:17] » Madam Chair, administration is excited to present this evening an annual

[1:39:21] recruitment and launch report. our chief human resources officer, Emily Haywood,

[1:39:25] and our chief strategy officer, Elena Trot, will take us through this

[1:39:29] presentation. We're excited to share with you the amazing work that's

[1:39:32] happening across the division. Emily, good evening, Madam Chair, Dr. Kever,

[1:39:37] and members of the board. Tonight, we are pleased to share a recruitment and

[1:39:40] launch annual report. This presentation reflects the collaborative work of human

[1:39:45] resources and organizational development to attract, support, and retain

[1:39:48] high-quality employees across the division.

[1:39:54] Utilizing an FTE neutral approach, we strategically reorganized the human

[1:39:58] resources department to better support recruitment, onboarding, employee

[1:40:02] engagement, and operational effectiveness. Two talent acquisition

[1:40:06] coordinators with educational backgrounds now provide focused

[1:40:09] recruitment support for elementary and secondary schools. Their experience

[1:40:14] allows them to better understand school needs and strengthen candidate

[1:40:17] engagement. We also added an employee experience coordinator dedicated to

[1:40:22] onboarding, employee support, and retention initiatives. A former human

[1:40:26] resources coordinator position was realigned to a new human resources

[1:40:30] operations coordinator role to focus specifically on operational staffing

[1:40:34] needs. Finally, we transitioned an administrative position into an HR data

[1:40:40] analyst role, improving our ability to leverage workforce data and make more

[1:40:44] informed decisions. Together, these changes are designed to shift HR from a

[1:40:48] transactional model to a more strategic and service service focused approach.

[1:40:56] One of our primary measures of success is ensuring schools begin the year fully

[1:41:00] staffed. This year, we open school with 99.6% of teaching positions filled with

[1:41:05] only four teaching vacancies division divisionwide.

[1:41:09] Support staff reached 95.3% and administrator staffing reached 99%.

[1:41:14] This result these results reflect improvements over the last year and

[1:41:18] demonstrate the effectiveness of our recruitment efforts.

[1:41:24] Retention remains one of our most important workforce indicators. Our

[1:41:28] target is 90% retention and we have showed continued improvement among

[1:41:31] teachers and support staff and retain nearly 90% of our administrators. It is

[1:41:36] important to note that each year a certain amount of turnover happens

[1:41:39] through relocations, retirements, and family needs, not factors related to

[1:41:44] working for WJCC. These results suggest our retention

[1:41:48] strategies are having a positive effect while also highlighting opportunities to

[1:41:52] further support staff retention.

[1:41:58] Our teaching workforce continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to

[1:42:01] professional growth and excellence. We currently employ 48 National Board

[1:42:06] certified teachers and more than 640 teachers with a master's degree or

[1:42:10] higher. This year we hired 141 teachers and nearly 18% of those hires

[1:42:16] contributed to increasing workforce diversity.

[1:42:19] 17 of our new hires came from support staff transitioning to teaching which is

[1:42:24] an important grow your own strategy. 22 of our new teachers are working on lure

[1:42:29] through alternative routes as associate teachers. These numbers reflect both the

[1:42:34] quality of our current staff and our strong recruitment results.

[1:42:40] We launched a new recruitment campaign called Purpose Starts Here to create a

[1:42:44] unified brand message across all recruitment platforms. In addition to

[1:42:48] digital recruitment efforts, we piloted community-based advertising initiatives

[1:42:52] to reach potential candidates in new ways. This approach strengthen

[1:42:57] strengthens awareness of employment opportunities and helps position WJCC as

[1:43:01] an employer of choice.

[1:43:07] Our redesign careers website provides candidates with a more engaging and

[1:43:10] informative experience. Applicants can quickly access information about career

[1:43:15] opportunities, benefits, certification pathways, resources that highlight our

[1:43:20] area, and support programs available to staff. This website serves as an

[1:43:25] important recruitment tool and helps candidates better understand what makes

[1:43:29] WJCC a great place to work.

[1:43:35] We expanded access to benefits information for both prospective and

[1:43:39] current employees. Employees now have a centralized location for reviewing

[1:43:43] benefit guides, videos, planning tools, and detailed plan information, improving

[1:43:48] transparency, and helping prospective and current employees making informed

[1:43:52] choices. This year we also continued access to

[1:43:55] our onetoone benefit coaches with over 224 employees taking advantage of

[1:44:00] individual appointments.

[1:44:05] This year represents the second phase of our three-year compensation study

[1:44:09] implementation. We continued adjustments to teacher compensation and salary

[1:44:13] progression while maintaining alignment with recommendations from the study. We

[1:44:18] made further adjustments to placement in titles in the unified scale and provided

[1:44:22] across the board adjustments to stipens. Year three will provide an opportunity

[1:44:27] to fully implement the study and position us to better maintain our

[1:44:31] scales moving forward. As a reminder, the average teacher increase was 5.2%

[1:44:36] for teachers with a bachelor's degree and 6.7% for teachers with a master's

[1:44:40] degree. These changes support recruitment, retention, and market

[1:44:44] competitiveness.

[1:44:49] Employee wellness remains a key component of employee engagement and

[1:44:53] retention. We established a divisionwide wellness team with representatives from

[1:44:57] each school, expanded events throughout the year with challenges and

[1:45:00] initiatives, enhanced our former benefits fair into a wellness event, and

[1:45:05] launched a new wellness resource through the vitality website and app. These

[1:45:10] efforts reflect our commitment to support to supporting employees both

[1:45:13] personally and professionally.

[1:45:18] We continue to modernize HR operations through technology and process redesign.

[1:45:24] New digital workflows, applicant tracking, records management systems,

[1:45:28] contract delivery, and substitute management tools have improved

[1:45:32] efficiency while creating a better experience for both applicants and

[1:45:35] employees. These changes reduce administrative burden and increase

[1:45:40] accountability across HR processes.

[1:45:46] Student teachers represent one of our most important future recruitment

[1:45:49] pipelines. This year, we expanded university partnerships and currently

[1:45:53] have student teachers from William and Mary, JMU, CNU, ODU, and Longwood. We

[1:45:59] conducted student teacher orientation, enhanced technology support with

[1:46:03] laptops, provided mileage assistance, and developed incentives to encourage

[1:46:08] student teachers to join WJCC upon graduation.

[1:46:12] These investments improve the student teacher experience and future hiring

[1:46:16] outcomes.

[1:46:20] Our teachers for tomorrow program helps cultivate future educators directly from

[1:46:25] our student population. Students gain college credit, real world classroom

[1:46:30] experience, industry credentials, and a clear pathway to entering the

[1:46:34] profession. This year, we strengthened incentives and employment opportunities

[1:46:38] designed to encourage participants to return to WJCC as future educators. This

[1:46:44] is one of our most promising long-term workforce strategies.

[1:46:50] The recruiting and retention accomplishments highlighted today

[1:46:54] represent the collective efforts of our supportive schoolboard, school leaders,

[1:46:58] human resources staff, and division employees. Together, we have

[1:47:02] strengthened our recruitment pipeline, improved employee support systems,

[1:47:06] expanded wellness initiatives, and implemented strategic organizational

[1:47:10] changes that position us for continued success. While there is still important

[1:47:14] work ahead, these results demonstrate meaningful progress toward attracting,

[1:47:19] developing, and retaining exceptional employees who support student

[1:47:22] achievement. I am now going to turn to Elena Trot, chief strategy officer, to

[1:47:27] tell you more about our launch program.

[1:47:32] Good evening. In the spring of 2023, we enlisted the help of four dedicated lead

[1:47:38] mentors from across our schools. I'd like to honor them tonight. Alisa Smith,

[1:47:43] Lindseay Ambrose, Abigail Neely, and Amy Zerovi. These four ladies helped to

[1:47:49] design a comprehensive induction and mentoring program to strengthen teacher

[1:47:53] recruitment and retention in WJCC. Guided by authentic feedback from new

[1:47:58] teachers, mentors, and administrators, we kicked off WJCC's launch program in

[1:48:03] the fall of 2023. Since then, it has evolved into a model

[1:48:08] of inspiration for other new teacher programs across the Commonwealth.

[1:48:12] Tonight I am pleased to share an update on launch and its growth from a new

[1:48:16] teacher mentoring initiative into a coordinated system of onboarding,

[1:48:21] mentoring, professional learning and lensure support.

[1:48:25] Designed for teachers by teachers, launch is anchored by the program's

[1:48:30] goals that reflect what new educators need to begin well and continue growing.

[1:48:35] First is belonging. We want each educator to feel connected to WJCC and

[1:48:40] welcomed into our community. Second, we build competency through personalized

[1:48:45] mentoring and professional learning. And third, we support autonomy by helping

[1:48:50] educators recognize their strengths, make sound professional decisions, and

[1:48:54] build a sustainable career within WJCC. Together, these goals promote a gradual

[1:49:00] release of teachers entering the profession and developing their

[1:49:04] craftsmanship as educators both in and outside of the classroom.

[1:49:13] Launch is informed and aligned to the Virginia Board of Education's guidelines

[1:49:17] for mentor teacher programs. Additionally, as active members of the

[1:49:22] Reach Virginia network, a consortium of 47 school divisions and 10 university

[1:49:27] partners across the state, we have continued to enhance our program through

[1:49:31] training and shared problem solving with other practitioners focused on preparing

[1:49:35] the next generation of teachers for success.

[1:49:39] Our new teacher mentor program advisory includes diverse perspective, including

[1:49:44] our school board representative, Mrs. Hunley, higher education and I teach

[1:49:49] Virginia partners, school-based administrators, lead mentors, novice

[1:49:53] teachers, and members of the organizational development, human

[1:49:57] resources, student services, and teaching and learning departments at

[1:50:00] central support. The advisory meets three times a year to review new teacher

[1:50:05] data, feedback, and recommendations for continuous improvement.

[1:50:10] Just as we expect our teachers to embrace the whole learner in their

[1:50:13] classroom, we've designed Launch to strategically meet the holistic needs of

[1:50:17] our adult learners entering the profession.

[1:50:20] Components of the program address teachers needs for instructional,

[1:50:25] institutional, physical, and emotional supports. Speaking of emotional

[1:50:29] supports, we know the first year teacher can often the we know the first year of

[1:50:35] teaching can often feel like a roller coaster as evidenced by this line graph

[1:50:39] from the new teacher center on the phases of firstear teachers attitudes

[1:50:43] towards teaching. With this research in mind, we have strategically designed a

[1:50:48] timely, human- centered approach to anticipating our new teachers needs at

[1:50:52] specific points in the school year and intentionally normalized these emotions

[1:50:56] so they understand they are not alone and we're here to support them for the

[1:51:00] entire journey. Our program is a balanced approach to sheltering our new

[1:51:05] teachers by simplifying the job so that it's manageable while they improve their

[1:51:09] craft and developing their effectiveness through mentoring, coaching,

[1:51:13] professional learning, and a gradual release of autonomy.

[1:51:17] From the very beginning, we want our new teachers to feel part of the WJCC family

[1:51:22] and have a clear understanding of what they can expect throughout the induction

[1:51:26] process. Once they are hired, they receive an onboarding checklist that

[1:51:29] outlines essential tasks they must complete and provides the point of

[1:51:33] contact for each task. Next, they attend a 4-hour pre-boarding session where they

[1:51:38] receive information from human resources and payroll, obtain their laptops and an

[1:51:43] introductory training from our instructional technology team, and learn

[1:51:47] about the launch program and the supports available to them. Next, they

[1:51:51] attend school launch day, a full day opportunity for them to tour their

[1:51:55] buildings, meet with their school leadership teams, have lunch with their

[1:51:58] mentor, and even get assistance with setting up their classrooms. During that

[1:52:03] time, they form initial relationships with the other new teachers who are

[1:52:07] joining their school faculty. Those budding bonds are special to witness

[1:52:11] when they come to the division launch day the next day.

[1:52:16] At division launch day, Dr. Kever facilitates a community building welcome

[1:52:20] session to set the tone for the family-like culture we strive to foster

[1:52:24] here. Next, they spend time with their teaching and learning coordinators,

[1:52:28] discussing all things curriculum, instruction, and assessment. It's then

[1:52:32] that they begin to form relationships with new educators from other schools

[1:52:36] who have similar teaching assignments as them. The day concludes with an ice

[1:52:40] cream debrief with their principles, a sweet conversation, and final check-in

[1:52:44] before pre-ervice week officially begins. We also offer a bonus session

[1:52:48] for our elementary educators that includes a deep dive into our benchmark

[1:52:52] advance and KDUm math curriculum so they have everything they need to be ready to

[1:52:56] collaborate with their colleagues on the first unit. It's important to note that

[1:53:01] we provide summer pay compensation for all of the days that I just outlined.

[1:53:06] Once the school year begins, our lead mentors take it from there, hosting

[1:53:09] monthly pull-in support sessions, monitoring our mentor mentee pairings,

[1:53:14] and managing requests for coaching cycles and personalized professional

[1:53:18] learning days. An opportunity for our new teachers to get a substitute for the

[1:53:22] day so they can observe other rockstar teachers in action. At the division

[1:53:27] level, we also host a series of tier 2 professional development sessions for

[1:53:31] teachers for specific target audiences. This year we have 148 new teachers

[1:53:39] attending our pull-in support sessions and receiving one-on-one mentors. As you

[1:53:44] may notice, this number is slightly higher than the number Mrs. Haywood

[1:53:48] shared earlier because it includes both classroom teachers, school counselors,

[1:53:51] and related service providers. Within our 2026 cohort, we have 18 elementary

[1:53:58] teachers and 36 secondary teachers who will attend our first launch and learn

[1:54:03] tomorrow. in an which is an indistrict program consisting of five half-day

[1:54:09] sessions specifically designed for firstear gener general education

[1:54:13] teachers. It's fun to watch these cohort members develop their own mini learning

[1:54:18] community with other educators in the same stage of their teaching careers.

[1:54:23] The sessions cover topics such as student engagement, classroom

[1:54:26] management, technology integration, collegialism, and managing their own

[1:54:31] well-being. Parallel to Launch and Learn is RISE, our tier 2 program designed for

[1:54:36] special education teachers. Our RISE one cohort will have 12 teachers this year

[1:54:41] in their first three years of teaching and our RISE 2 cohort will have 24

[1:54:46] teachers who have more than three years of experience in special education but

[1:54:50] are new to the division. We also use RISE 2 for our year 2 teachers who may

[1:54:55] need some follow-up supports. And finally, this year we'll have 20

[1:54:59] participants in William and Mary's CERN Novice Teacher Academy. This program is

[1:55:04] for second and thirdyear teachers who are new to the division or have been

[1:55:08] recommended by their principal. The novice teacher academy affords these

[1:55:13] teachers with the opportunity to connect with other new teachers from across the

[1:55:16] region and receive ongoing mentorship from a master teacher in the field.

[1:55:21] We're proud to have five of our very own educators serving as master teachers in

[1:55:26] the CERN novice teacher academy this year. And finally, as participating

[1:55:31] divisions with the as a participating division with the I teach Virginia

[1:55:35] program, we've been able to offer our novice educators coming into the

[1:55:39] profession through alternative pathways with a lowcost self-paced option for

[1:55:45] obtaining lensure. And even better, using our tuition assistance program

[1:55:49] benefits, these participants can receive 100%

[1:55:54] return on their investment through this lensure only program after three years

[1:55:59] of service to WJCC schools. The reimbursement schedule is broken up over

[1:56:04] the course of the three years so they have benchmarks to meet along the way as

[1:56:08] they obtain their renewable license. Because the I teach program has rolling

[1:56:13] enrollment. This has also been a viable option for recruiting mid-year hires to

[1:56:17] fill vacancies. We also offer passage preparation

[1:56:21] licenses to our employees who are studying to take the practice

[1:56:24] assessments free of charge. And finally, we know that starting a new career and

[1:56:29] balancing work life demands is difficult. So this year we've started

[1:56:33] quarterly advising sessions with all provisionally licensed teachers to serve

[1:56:38] as compassionate accountability partners to support them in completing their

[1:56:42] required coursework for lensure. And ju just as an awareness so far since we've

[1:56:47] joined as an I teach division we've had 34 employees who have received tuition

[1:56:53] assistance reimbursement through that program.

[1:56:57] So how effective is the launch program? Let's take a look. Each year in the

[1:57:02] fall, we conduct an onboarding survey for all of our new teachers, both novice

[1:57:07] and experienced, to gather their feedback. We wait until 30 days have

[1:57:11] passed and they've been acclimated to their new schools, students, and

[1:57:15] classrooms to ensure their feedback is informed by their actual experiences in

[1:57:19] the field. So that the survey actually is going out today for our new cohort

[1:57:25] members uh that joined us uh a month ago. But here you can see the onboarding

[1:57:30] survey data from last year's cohort. This question asked them to rate the

[1:57:34] level of support they received from each component of the launch program using a

[1:57:39] fivepoint liyker scale. The lighter shade blue represents a more favorable

[1:57:44] response. But I think it's important to note that the highest ratings came from

[1:57:48] the support they received from their school's lead mentors and individual

[1:57:52] mentors. A testament to our people being our greatest resource. And I also want

[1:57:58] to thank you board members for investing in those mentor teacher stipen increases

[1:58:02] over the past few years. This question, the launch onboarding

[1:58:08] process has made me feel welcomed and valued. Had a weighted score of 4.4 with

[1:58:14] 91 uh respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing which is evidence that our

[1:58:20] belonging goal is working. this question. How did your onboarding

[1:58:25] experience with WJCC compare to previous onboarding experiences in other school

[1:58:31] divisions? This question was only asked of teachers who had experience but were

[1:58:35] new to the division. With a weighted score of 4.12

[1:58:40] and 47% of respondents saying that our program was much more favorable, we are

[1:58:46] proud to put our competition behind us and put our new teachers first.

[1:58:51] We also conduct end ofear surveys in May for both our mentors and mentees. This

[1:58:57] data represents our new teachers perceptions of their experiences with

[1:59:01] their mentors. With a weighted score of 4.43 again at the end of the year, our

[1:59:07] mentors have done a phenomenal job with supporting our new teachers along the

[1:59:11] way.

[1:59:15] This question, how satisfied were you with the support you received from your

[1:59:20] school's lead mentor? Again, shows the value of our lead mentors in

[1:59:25] facilitating sitebased supports. And this series of statements with a

[1:59:30] weighted score of 4.32 also indicates that the majority of new

[1:59:35] teachers felt welcomed, supported, and understood by their building

[1:59:39] administrators throughout the year. And finally, when asked what their plans

[1:59:44] were for the 2627 school year, last year's cohort, 82% of the respondents

[1:59:50] who completed the survey shared that they planned on returning to teach at

[1:59:54] the same school this school year. The eight respondents who selected another

[1:59:59] option noted one or more of the following reasons why they would not be

[2:00:04] returning. One was an increase in salary to another school division. Seven noted

[2:00:11] personal reasons such as a relocation, family or illness. One noted inadequate

[2:00:17] support and two noted difficulties with student discipline. In all, however,

[2:00:23] last year's cohort provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about

[2:00:27] their experiences in the launch program. In a spirit of continuous improvement,

[2:00:32] we have planned several enhancements for the 2627 school year, including

[2:00:38] collaboration between the organizational development specialists and our two new

[2:00:42] talent acquisition coordinators, all three recent teachers transitioning out

[2:00:47] of the classroom to support our new teachers entering into the classroom.

[2:00:51] They'll be working on triaging lensure needs and tiered supports for new

[2:00:55] teachers. We also are revising our launch and learn curriculum to ensure

[2:01:00] alignment with teacher performance evaluation standards and professional

[2:01:04] development on co-eing structures and balanced learning. We're expanding our

[2:01:09] year 2 teacher supports to include coaching cycles and learning walks. And

[2:01:14] we offered an in-person option for mentor training which we provided in

[2:01:18] August which allows our mentors choice in how and when they receive training on

[2:01:23] coaching and mentoring. In closing, launch has evolved

[2:01:27] substantially since its initial development in 2023. It now connects

[2:01:32] recruitment, onboarding, mentoring, lenture, professional learning, and

[2:01:35] retention in a more coherent experience for new educators. The survey results

[2:01:41] show strong levels of welcome, mentor support, and intent to remain at the

[2:01:47] same school. We will continue to listen to participants and adjust the program

[2:01:51] as needed for our educators. Thank you for our your continued support of our

[2:01:56] new educators. I'm happy to answer any questions.

[2:02:00] » Thank you both for that thorough presentation. Uh it's wonderful to see

[2:02:04] the supports that our new teachers are receiving and understanding how those

[2:02:09] first few days or uh weeks can be really challenging. So, thank you for sharing

[2:02:14] that as well as um being getting more creative about how we uh work with our

[2:02:20] new teachers and student teachers and expanding our programs. Um, any comments

[2:02:24] from the board? Yes, Mrs. Hunley. >> So, I have been most excited because I

[2:02:28] started with them in 2023. And I'm not trying to be the poster schoolboard

[2:02:33] person for the launch program, but they never shied away from any results. They

[2:02:38] got on surveys. They always went to get better. Whatever they said, they said

[2:02:43] how they would already start working. How can we make that better? Um, I was

[2:02:48] super excited that um, Miss Chin and I got to go to all 16 schools and our the

[2:02:55] principles knew we were going to talk to new staff and that wasn't just the

[2:02:59] teachers. It could be cafeteria, it could be um, custodial. Everybody was

[2:03:04] just so happy and thrilled with their mentors, how things were going. We did

[2:03:08] tell them we're gonna come back for a checkup because, you know, in the

[2:03:12] beginning it is easy. So, um, but we but, uh, one young man, a high school

[2:03:18] teacher, we had to kind of like push him back in the classroom because he was so

[2:03:21] excited and we're like, "You got kids in there. You you need to go back in

[2:03:24] there." But, um, also for me, everybody knows whenever this report was done. Um,

[2:03:31] so, Miss Haywood, uh, I was very impressed with the 17% diverse staff at,

[2:03:37] you know, being at the initial, uh, new teacher thing with Miss Chin. men,

[2:03:43] women, uh new teachers, uh seasoned teachers, some teachers came out of

[2:03:49] retirement. Um that diversity is also needed. You don't want all new and in

[2:03:55] the buildings the teach the the principles were saying that the new

[2:04:00] people brought energy and even more excitingly there is an art to teaching

[2:04:06] and there are there are people that have never taught never had a student

[2:04:11] teaching experience that were doing amazing things and their principles were

[2:04:15] just just saying you got to come back later and see what they're doing and I

[2:04:20] think the thing that touched my heart the best was that um I know that I saw

[2:04:25] five of my former colleagues children who are now teaching for the first year

[2:04:31] and I don't know if you all know that when you you know with the way you know

[2:04:36] teachers teaching is going now with all the opportunities kids can go into and

[2:04:42] to watch a parent go through what they've gone through and then the child

[2:04:46] say I want to be a teacher that's that's that's huge and that I I did notice I'm

[2:04:52] like, "Wow, isn't that awesome um to have them here." So, I just commend you

[2:04:58] all. It it's um it has definitely evolved and it's only going to get

[2:05:03] better and I'm excited to touch base with those teachers later on to see um

[2:05:10] I'm sure the enthusiasm will still be there, but I know whatever inks they

[2:05:14] have, your team's going to work it out. So, thank you.

[2:05:19] Any any other board members having comments?

[2:05:23] Yes, Mr. Hodes. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, the saying

[2:05:27] goes, I believe you only get one chance to make a good first impression and by

[2:05:31] the looks of things, it seems like we're doing a really good job with that with

[2:05:34] our new teachers. So, just kudos to everybody involved in the program and um

[2:05:38] I look forward to seeing how it continues to grow here in the future.

[2:05:41] » Thank you, Mr. Hodgees.

[2:05:45] » See no other comments. Thank you so much for that presentation and all that

[2:05:49] you're doing to support. We'll move on to our next action item

[2:05:54] 10.02, elevate 28 strategic updates. Is that truly 50 slides?

[2:06:00] [laughter] >> I'm proud of the work that we're doing.

[2:06:04] Madam Chair, [laughter] >> the way I heard it, y'all do it anyway.

[2:06:09] We we initially had had this presentation slated for September the

[2:06:13] 1st and because of a number of other items on the work session agenda, we

[2:06:19] shifted it to this evening and I look forward to sharing in detail all of the

[2:06:24] fantastic things that are happening relative to Elevate 28.

[2:06:27] » We love that. Anybody need anything before we go into this? [laughter]

[2:06:31] » We want to make sure there's full attention.

[2:06:33] » Take your time, Dr. Kever. We don't want to miss a thing.

[2:06:38] Thank you. I just I tease. >> Yes, ma'am. [laughter]

[2:06:40] As as you will recall, in May and June, our team provided strategic updates on

[2:06:45] several of the strategic initiatives we implemented over the course of the

[2:06:48] school year. The purpose of those presentations was to provide a year in

[2:06:52] review and celebrate the collective work accomplished towards our strategic

[2:06:56] priorities. Tonight, several members of our leadership team will share the 2526

[2:07:01] quantitative data related to key performance indicators or KPIs outlined

[2:07:06] in our plan. These are the metrics that were previously adopted by the board to

[2:07:10] measure how well we're achieving our supporting priorities. These indicators

[2:07:14] not only reflect where we stand today, but also help us guide decisions as we

[2:07:19] continue to raise the bar over the last two years of the strategic planning

[2:07:22] cycle. In addition to reviewing our progress, you'll also hear about some of

[2:07:27] the strategic initiatives we will prioritize this particular school year

[2:07:30] initiatives designed to enhance safety and security, support and engage our

[2:07:35] staff and community, and ensure every student has the resources and

[2:07:39] opportunities to thrive. I'm proud of the work that our team has done and the

[2:07:42] focus that they maintain on what matters most, student success. With that, I will

[2:07:47] turn it over to Elena Trot, our chief strategy officer, to begin the

[2:07:51] presentation. Welcome, Elena. Thank you, Dr. Kever. And again, good evening,

[2:07:55] chair, daughter, and schoolboard members. Throughout tonight's

[2:07:58] presentation, you'll see what we've colorcoded. You'll see that we've

[2:08:01] colorcoded the year-over-year change in each KPI. Before we get started, I want

[2:08:06] to clarify that a change shown in green represents progress toward the KPI

[2:08:12] target. And while a change shown in orange indicates movement away from the

[2:08:17] target, not too many of those. Our first update this evening will focus on our

[2:08:22] fully integrated approach to safety. One that protects the physical environment

[2:08:26] while also supporting the social, emotional, and mental well-being of our

[2:08:30] students. There are seven key performance indicators that help us

[2:08:35] measure this priority. These include data relative to the implementation of

[2:08:39] safety and security recommendations, uh, student perceptions of belonging,

[2:08:44] school counseling services, suspension rates, attendance rates, and

[2:08:49] participation in the school healthy initiative program. I've got an all-star

[2:08:53] lineup behind me. So, we're going to start with Mr. Brian Weaver, followed by

[2:08:58] Mrs. Jessica Walter and Dr. Adam Brown.

[2:09:06] Good evening. >> Our first KP KPI related to safety and

[2:09:10] security is to implement the identified safety recommendations from the 2022

[2:09:15] threat risk vulnerability assessment. So far, we have completed 54% of the

[2:09:20] recommendations with many others currently in progress and nearing

[2:09:23] completion. Because several of the recommendations

[2:09:26] are being implemented in phases and can take several years to complete, we

[2:09:30] anticipate seeing a more substantial increase as 2028 nears.

[2:09:34] [snorts] We will continue our progress this year

[2:09:38] by debriefing the live reunification drill that was conducted in July and

[2:09:42] implementing next step recommendations before conducting the next drill. We

[2:09:46] will also continue installing loading dock cameras at all schools, updating

[2:09:50] universal signage on school properties, and posting campus speed limit signs.

[2:09:55] Additionally, we will begin the RFP process to conduct another threat risk

[2:09:59] or vulnerability assessment in the spring of 2027. These updates, combined

[2:10:04] with staff training and feedback on recurring drills, will enhance our

[2:10:07] safety processes across all campuses.

[2:10:14] » Good evening. Our goal for KPI 2.3 is to ensure school

[2:10:19] counselors spend the majority of their day providing direct services to our

[2:10:23] students. Due to an interruption and service for the platform used to track

[2:10:27] school counseling hours, we were unable to collect year-long data related to the

[2:10:31] percent of hours. However, as an alternative, school counselors were

[2:10:34] asked to report the number of students on their case load who received direct

[2:10:38] counseling services last school year. In total, 98.7% of all students in grades

[2:10:43] preK through 12 received direct counseling services last school year.

[2:10:47] The variance of 1.3% represents some students enrolled um in certain programs

[2:10:53] at the restorative center or bright beginnings who were not reported as

[2:10:57] having received those direct services or students who are full-time virtual or

[2:11:02] privately placed in an alternate setting. Of that total, 975 students

[2:11:08] across the division participated in small groupoup counseling sessions.

[2:11:12] While that number declined slightly from the previous year, our work with

[2:11:15] counselors has helped us better understand some of the barriers that can

[2:11:18] make these tier 2 supports difficult to access. One challenge we're seeing

[2:11:23] across all levels is finding time within the school day. Each level has its own

[2:11:27] unique scheduling complexities and changes to master schedules and

[2:11:31] instructional requirements have created some additional constraints. We're

[2:11:35] working directly with counselors and school leaders to identify the specific

[2:11:39] barriers within each building and find practical ways to reduce them.

[2:11:44] As we look ahead to this school year, our focus is on strengthening a

[2:11:48] coordinated system of school counseling and student supports across the

[2:11:51] division. A significant step forward is the addition of a coordinator of school

[2:11:56] counseling and student supports who will provide dedicated leadership to school

[2:11:59] counselors across all levels and support across departments in creating and

[2:12:04] implementing additional student supports in alignment with the superintendent's

[2:12:08] transition plan. We will continue our work in designing a graduate action

[2:12:13] planning process to help students intentionally prepare for life after

[2:12:18] high school. We'll also conduct student mental health focus groups with students

[2:12:22] and adults to better understand needs and identify opportunities to strengthen

[2:12:27] support. Finally, we're continuing to build staff capacity to support student

[2:12:32] needs by hosting 12 youth mental health first aid trainings, strengthening our

[2:12:37] school-based mental health teams, and creating PLC opportunities for

[2:12:41] elementary counselors focused on classroom counseling.

[2:12:47] There are also several pieces of new legislation that impact the work of our

[2:12:51] school counseling teams this year. At the high school level, new requirements

[2:12:56] expand our role in post-secary planning through financial aid workshops, SAT

[2:13:00] school day, and required communication with families about course requests. New

[2:13:05] legislation also strengthens our role in student mental health, including

[2:13:09] coordinating supports for students returning to school following treatment

[2:13:13] in a mental health facility and ensuring students have access to culturally

[2:13:17] responsive mental health supports. Collectively, these changes reinforce

[2:13:22] the important role counselors play in helping students successfully navigate

[2:13:26] both their academic journey and their overall well-being.

[2:13:36] KPI 2.4 monitors the percentage of behavioral referrals that result in a

[2:13:41] student's suspension from school. This year's data indicates a 23.8% suspension

[2:13:46] rate which is slightly improved from the baseline.

[2:13:50] We are committed to reducing the use of out of school suspension and to achieve

[2:13:53] this we know that supporting student behavior starts with having the right

[2:13:56] people in place. We've onboarded three new behavior specialists, bringing our

[2:14:00] total to six, along with nine elementary behavioral pair professionals. Starting

[2:14:05] in October, we'll begin meeting monthly with principles to review discipline

[2:14:08] data talks and work through necessary supports. We're also strengthening our

[2:14:13] supports around our students. Our mentor mentoring program design team recently

[2:14:17] held a second meeting to look at an official roll out for divisionwide

[2:14:21] mentoring. Additionally, we're re reimagining our student assistance plan

[2:14:25] process to better meet the needs of our students across the division. We

[2:14:29] continue to focus on students returning from long-term suspension. And finally,

[2:14:33] we have a team exploring alternatives to suspension for our elementary age

[2:14:36] students and looking at non-traditional pathways for them. We're looking also to

[2:14:41] redesign our alternative classroom setting program that are offered at the

[2:14:44] middle and high school levels. KPI 2.5 has two indicators. The first is

[2:14:50] related to the average daily attendance percentage and the second is related to

[2:14:54] the percentage of students identified as chronically absent. Our target is at 95%

[2:15:00] daily attendance rate and a 3% decrease in chronic absenteeism by 2028. I'm

[2:15:06] happy to report that we made gains on both indicators last school year.

[2:15:10] Improving attendance takes all of us and will continue that work and has been

[2:15:14] making a difference in the neighborhoods where our students have higher levels of

[2:15:17] absenteeism. We are maintaining our second

[2:15:20] multid-disiplinary team meeting each month so we can respond to student needs

[2:15:24] quickly along with offering a virtual options to make it easier for parents to

[2:15:28] take part. We continue to track attendance improvement plans and synergy

[2:15:32] and continue to hold conferences for students before the school year starts

[2:15:36] who are chronically absent the year before. What's new this year is a

[2:15:40] student activities KPI or key performance indicator. We've established

[2:15:44] a work group to design a process to promote extracurricular activities at

[2:15:47] each school. monitor student engagement and participation and connect students

[2:15:52] with opportunities to get involved. We know students who feel connected to

[2:15:55] school are more likely to be there and we look forward to collecting baseline

[2:15:58] data for this new KPI this year.

[2:16:05] KPI 2.6 seeks to measure student perceptions of our learning environment.

[2:16:11] We want students to feel heard, supported, and belonging. Our goal is

[2:16:16] for 90% of students to affirm that their school provides a safe, healthy, and

[2:16:20] well-maintained positive environment. Data for this KPI is collected through

[2:16:25] the Elevate 28 stakeholder survey. And this data uh was conducted last fall, so

[2:16:30] we're almost a year out from when this data has uh been collected. We are

[2:16:35] conducting that survey again next month. Statements from the survey that measure

[2:16:40] student perceptions include, I feel safe at school. My school is well-maintained

[2:16:46] and overall my school is a good place for learning. The percentages shown here

[2:16:51] represent those students who rated these statements a three standing for agree or

[2:16:56] a four representing strongly agree. Overall, we saw increased affirmations

[2:17:02] on all three indicators and an overall improvement of 4.7

[2:17:07] percentage points. This is my favorite slide in the entire presentation.

[2:17:13] To enhance belonging, we continue to create more intentional opportunities

[2:17:17] for students to feel connected, valued, and empowered within our school. We'll

[2:17:22] once again host the student voices tour, giving students across the division

[2:17:27] opportunities to share directly with division leaders about their experiences

[2:17:30] and ideas. We're also expanding student leadership development experiences by

[2:17:36] increasing the number of students from each high school on the Superintendent

[2:17:40] Student Advisory Council to 14. Continuing to send high school students

[2:17:45] to the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Summer Connections Institute

[2:17:50] and the VHSL leadership conference. Hosting in district student leadership

[2:17:55] workshops for elementary, middle, and high school students. and providing

[2:18:00] opportunities for SEA adviserss to collaborate and attend advisor

[2:18:05] workshops. We are also hosting three captains council meetings bringing

[2:18:10] together the athletic co- captains from all three high schools to sh to create a

[2:18:15] shared vision for sportsmanship and leadership. We'll also host our second

[2:18:20] leadership connect day, which allows students to shadow leaders throughout

[2:18:25] our community and learn firsthand about leadership in action. Finally, we're

[2:18:30] exploring additional internship experiences within the school division

[2:18:34] to provide students with opportunities to develop real world skills while

[2:18:38] contributing to our school community.

[2:18:45] Finally, in this supporting priority, KPI 2.7 seeks to ensure that 95% of our

[2:18:50] elementary students participate in a SHIP sponsored activity. We have met our

[2:18:55] established KPI and we attribute this increase in participation this year or

[2:18:59] last year due to the SHIP's collaboration with the Department of

[2:19:02] Special Education to adapt the curriculum to access more self-contained

[2:19:05] programming within our elementary schools.

[2:19:08] Looking ahead, our SHIP team will continue to look at ways in which a

[2:19:11] healthy balance of movement within the classroom can be achieved. And we know

[2:19:15] students learn and behave best when they have chances to move. So, we're

[2:19:18] expanding non- tech incentives for classroom behavior through movement

[2:19:21] activities and games. These opportunities will continue to enhance

[2:19:24] our alignment and focus on implementing our division's wellness policy. We'll

[2:19:29] also train our elementary pair professionals on in-class movement

[2:19:32] strategy so they can build these breaks into the day and help students reset and

[2:19:35] refocus. We're also continuing our work with special education teams to adapt

[2:19:40] SHIP programming for students in our self-contained elementary classroom so

[2:19:43] every student can take part in a way that fits their needs.

[2:19:48] We'd like to pause at this time to see if our team can help answer any

[2:19:51] questions that you may have about safety and security.

[2:19:55] » Thank you so much. Opening it up for questions.

[2:20:02] Um I don't know if I want to open this can

[2:20:05] of worms. Um the with some of the student behavior, will we get a more

[2:20:11] in-depth conversation about how that's kind of splitting out in terms of

[2:20:16] suspension rates? >> Yes, we can provide that to you. I don't

[2:20:21] have it available currently, but we can get that to you.

[2:20:23] » Okay. Thank you.

[2:20:28] » Any other questions? >> Okay,

[2:20:33] part two. The aim of our human capital and positive culture supporting priority

[2:20:38] is to recruit and retain an exemplary workforce by creating an environment

[2:20:42] where transparency and trust are the norm. There are five key performance

[2:20:47] indicators that help us measure this priority, including the percentage of

[2:20:51] personnel hired by the first day of school, annual employee retention rates,

[2:20:55] our salary ranking compared to neighborhood divisions, employee

[2:20:59] perceptions of WJCC being a supportive work environment, and professional

[2:21:03] learning opportunities. Miss Emily Haywood will now share some updates

[2:21:07] related to this priority.

[2:21:18] While our goal is always to be 100% staff, to begin the 2627 school year, we

[2:21:23] were just four teachers short or 99.6% staff for classroom teachers. While

[2:21:29] teachers are a critical for focus of our workforce, we were also extremely well

[2:21:33] staffed for support positions at 95.3% and we were at 99% staff for

[2:21:39] administrators. Our teachers and support employee fill rate is higher than it's

[2:21:43] been in the past three years. While our administrator rate is under 100%, all

[2:21:47] building administrator positions were filled at 100% and the one opening was a

[2:21:52] central support position that was being reviewed prior to recruiting.

[2:21:59] We want our employees to grow and be supported in their career paths and to

[2:22:02] maintain commitment to WJCC. To begin the year, we retained 87% of

[2:22:08] our teachers, 81.9% of our support staff, and 89.4% of our administrators.

[2:22:14] We have continued to make progress on retention of teachers and support. These

[2:22:18] are all increases from our previous year's retention rate. Our administrator

[2:22:23] retention did decline slightly. Out of the out of the 10 total departures, two

[2:22:28] were due to retirements, two were position changes, and six took

[2:22:31] promotional opportunities at other organizations.

[2:22:38] By June 2028, our goal is for WJCC to lead the region in salaries for

[2:22:43] teachers, support staff, and administrators. Competitive competitive

[2:22:48] pay is critical because when we invest in our people, we invest directly in our

[2:22:51] student success. We have made progress, but we know there's more work to do.

[2:22:56] Currently, our teachers rank four out of six divisions in starting salary. Our

[2:23:01] entry level support staff, custodians, cafeteria workers rank second in the

[2:23:06] region and our administrators are third out of six. These numbers remind us why

[2:23:10] this goal matters. To attract and retain the very best talent at every level, we

[2:23:15] must continue to move forward so that WJC is not just competitive but the

[2:23:20] clear leader in our region.

[2:23:25] This year we will seek to implement the third and final year of the compensation

[2:23:29] studies recommendations. Additionally, we will be seeking input from stipen

[2:23:33] holders to evaluate placement within the stipen framework. We will continue to

[2:23:38] focus on wellness initiatives with the launch of our vitality app, wellness

[2:23:42] committee, and ongoing wellness activities.

[2:23:45] In the area of recruitment, we've scheduled a February alternative

[2:23:49] pathways night and job fairs, including a VIP teachers event where we will where

[2:23:53] we will invite our student teacher candidates to meet and greet with our

[2:23:56] principles, a Saturday job fair in March. We are also reshaping how we

[2:24:02] recruit support staff with targeted recruitments. These efforts will help us

[2:24:06] attract and retain the highquality employees our students deserve.

[2:24:16] KPI 3.4 measures perceptions of WJCC schools being a supportive work

[2:24:24] environment. Data for this KPI is collected through the Elevate 28

[2:24:28] stakeholder survey which again was conducted about a year ago last fall. We

[2:24:33] will conduct that survey again next month. Statements from the survey that

[2:24:38] measure employee perceptions included, the administrators in this school care

[2:24:42] about staff well-being. I feel supported by teachers and staff in this school.

[2:24:47] Overall, my school is a good place to work and a good place to learn. This

[2:24:53] percentages shown here represent those who rated these statements a four agree

[2:24:58] or a uh I'm sorry a three agree or a four strongly agree with a combined

[2:25:03] average of 85.3% representing a 5.7 percentage point

[2:25:09] decline from the 24 survey. That change is important for us to acknowledge and

[2:25:14] understand. Rather than waiting until this year's

[2:25:18] Elevate 28 stakeholder survey, we followed up in the spring with an

[2:25:22] open-ended employee survey that asked staff to share their wins, wishes, and

[2:25:26] wonders. This gave employees an opportunity to move beyond a rating

[2:25:30] scale and provide more specific feedback about what's working well, where they

[2:25:36] see opportunities for improvement, and what they would like us to consider

[2:25:40] moving forward. What we heard through this survey gave us important context

[2:25:45] behind the numbers. Among the wins, employees highlighted collaboration and

[2:25:50] teamwork, student academic growth, increased communication and

[2:25:54] transparency, student voice, and positive school cultures. When asked

[2:25:59] about their wishes, some of the strongest themes centered on competitive

[2:26:03] compensation and retention, additional planning time and workload management,

[2:26:08] increased support for special education and student behavioral and mental health

[2:26:12] needs, and continued attention to staffing. And through their wonders,

[2:26:17] employees reinforced the importance of continued communication and

[2:26:21] transparency, but also raised an important question.

[2:26:25] How is our feedback influencing decisions? They want to see greater

[2:26:29] visibility into how their voice translate into action. It's also

[2:26:33] important to note that these categories weren't mutually exclusive. Some topics

[2:26:38] surfaced as wins, wishes, and wonders. For example, employees recognized

[2:26:43] improvements in communication and transparency as a win while also

[2:26:47] expressing a desire for continued improvement and asking how decisions are

[2:26:51] made and communicated. This tells us that progress is being recognized, but

[2:26:56] there is still an expectation that we continue to build on that progress.

[2:27:01] We've also disagregated this feedback at the school level and individual school

[2:27:05] data has been provided to principles who were recently appointed to new school

[2:27:10] buildings, giving them an additional source of employee voice as they get to

[2:27:14] know their new school communities and identify areas of strength and

[2:27:17] opportunity. All of this provides an important baseline as we prepare to

[2:27:22] administer the Elevate 28 stakeholder survey again next month. We'll be

[2:27:27] looking closely at whether employee perceptions have shifted and where there

[2:27:31] are additional opportunities to strengthen that support well-being and

[2:27:34] connection. Maintaining a positive workplace culture requires ongoing

[2:27:39] attention and will continue using employee feedback to inform both our

[2:27:43] division level efforts and the work occurring within individual schools. The

[2:27:49] feedback we've received directly informs our employee engagement priorities this

[2:27:53] year with a focus on strengthening voice connection communication and

[2:27:57] recognition. At the school level, every school will have three school-based

[2:28:02] advisory groups and host monthly staff meetings, creating more consistent

[2:28:06] opportunities for employees to provide input, engage with school leadership,

[2:28:11] and be recognized for their contributions throughout the year. The

[2:28:15] addition of our employee experience coordinator will also help to open lines

[2:28:19] of communication between employees and human resources and promote employee

[2:28:24] wellness and morale efforts. And through our new helping hands initiative, Dr.

[2:28:29] Kever has set the expectation that every central support employee will spend time

[2:28:34] working alongside colleagues in our schools at least two days this year,

[2:28:39] increasing our visibility in schools while also helping central support staff

[2:28:44] stay connected to the day-to-day experiences of the employees and

[2:28:48] students we serve. Finally, we're expanding how we celebrate our employees

[2:28:53] from enhanced recognition for National Board Certified Teachers and other staff

[2:28:58] accomplishments to divisionwide recognition and a new Oscars ceremony

[2:29:04] celebrating our operations services employees. Next June, we're being more

[2:29:09] intentional with ensuring our employees feel heard, connected, and valued.

[2:29:15] KPI 3.5 measures employee participation in meaningful growth professional growth

[2:29:21] opportunities. And we're pleased to share that we have exceeded our goal of

[2:29:24] 95% with 96.7% of our team members engaging in

[2:29:30] professional development related to their work. Within professional

[2:29:34] development, our focus this year is on improving the quality of our learning

[2:29:37] experiences while continuing to build leadership capacity. We're strengthening

[2:29:42] how we evaluate professional learning through a new facilitator and presenter

[2:29:46] evaluation tool as well as a revised session evaluation survey developed with

[2:29:52] input from our professional learning focus group last year. Additionally,

[2:29:57] with the launch of our new profile of an empowered learner, we're building

[2:30:00] capacity to engage students by hosting an Elevate Ed conference for our

[2:30:05] secondary teachers this spring and embedding strategies that develop the

[2:30:09] five attributes into our professional learning corner publication. Our teacher

[2:30:13] learn leadership and cognitive coaching cohorts will reach 160 educators as we

[2:30:19] empower them with strategies to lead, mentor, and develop others. And this

[2:30:24] winter, we'll host our third Pathways to Leadership listening tour, where we will

[2:30:29] visit schools to meet with aspiring leaders to learn more about them, their

[2:30:34] goals, and their pathways for obtaining an administrative endorsement. Finally,

[2:30:39] we're exploring new partnerships, including the possibility of a reading

[2:30:43] specialist degree cohort to continue creating meaningful pathways for

[2:30:47] professional growth within our organization.

[2:30:50] We're also focused on ensuring professional growth uh to our in beyond

[2:30:55] our instructional staff through parah pathways which is the new parapro exam.

[2:31:01] We'll continue offering assessment preparation and on-site administration

[2:31:05] to help paraprofessionals pursue additional credentials and pay

[2:31:08] advancement. Pending title 2A funding. We also hope to establish

[2:31:13] paraprofessional lead mentors to provide more structured peer support. And more

[2:31:18] broadly, we're expanding professional development for non-instructional

[2:31:21] employees and strengthening onboarding for our support staff so that all

[2:31:26] employees have the tools and connections they need to be successful. And finally,

[2:31:30] we're continuing to improve the systems behind the professional learning by

[2:31:34] digitizing our pro process for conference and travel requests, making

[2:31:40] it simpler and more efficient for employees to request these

[2:31:43] opportunities. We're going to pause here to see if you have any questions for

[2:31:47] human capital and positive culture.

[2:31:52] Thank you so much for everything that you've walked through here. Uh questions

[2:31:56] from the board or comments.

[2:32:01] I don't have a question, but I I appreciate seeing the orange that we're

[2:32:07] not hiding anything and I know that we're going to um turn that orange to

[2:32:12] green, but I do appreciate the transparency putting those orange

[2:32:17] numbers up there. Thank you.

[2:32:27] » Any other questions?

[2:32:32] All right. Third quarter. Here we go. Here we go.

[2:32:35] » Communications and engagement. The aim of this priority is to cultivate a

[2:32:40] culture of open and effective communication to inform and engage all

[2:32:44] stakeholders. There are four key performance indicators that help us

[2:32:48] measure this priority, including the number of communications that highlight

[2:32:52] student and staff success, division news, family participation in division

[2:32:57] sponsored events, volunteer participation, and community

[2:33:01] partnerships. Mrs. Cara Wall will now share updates related to this priority.

[2:33:09] » Thank you and good evening. This indicator reflects the number of

[2:33:12] communications we share, including newsletters, press releases, website

[2:33:16] stories, and social media posts. Each item aims to celebrate student and staff

[2:33:20] success or share important school division news. Our year-over-year growth

[2:33:25] reflects not only the efforts of the communications team, but also the

[2:33:28] support of school leaders and staff who are actively sharing stories from their

[2:33:32] classrooms and buildings. While we remain ahead of the 15% growth target

[2:33:37] set for 2028, we will use this momentum to further refine our storytelling,

[2:33:42] enhance transparency, and engage our community in the success of our students

[2:33:46] and schools to sustain this level of output.

[2:33:51] We saw growth in attendance at engagement events we hosted, which

[2:33:55] continues to be driven by our kindergarten registration family fest in

[2:33:58] April. And while aggregated participant satisfaction dips slightly across our

[2:34:02] events over the year, we're still pleased to report that nearly all

[2:34:06] attendees receive content and resources that meet their expectations through our

[2:34:11] engagement events.

[2:34:14] Prior to last year, we did not deploy a formalized data collection process to

[2:34:19] tally volunteers impact in totality. This baseline data represents our new

[2:34:24] monitoring program through Raptor that took effect late last fall and

[2:34:28] represents our volunteers support of our classrooms, schools, and division

[2:34:32] initiatives across the last school year. During the 2526 school year, 1,294

[2:34:39] individuals tallied 10,69 volunteer hours. A dollar amount can't

[2:34:45] fully quantify a volunteers's worth and contribution to our schools, but it does

[2:34:49] represent one measure of their impact on our system. Independent Sector, a

[2:34:54] national organization representing the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, and

[2:34:58] the University of Maryland together estimate the value of a volunteer hour

[2:35:02] in Virginia is worth $36.99. Meaning the value of WJCC's volunteers

[2:35:08] last year is more than $392,000.

[2:35:14] We are also pleased to report that the number of formal business and community

[2:35:18] organization partnerships increased by 70% representing 48 new partners each of

[2:35:24] which contribute to student learning for which we are deeply grateful.

[2:35:31] This year we're investing more intentionally in school-based engagement

[2:35:35] by increasing stipens for our school-based digital communications

[2:35:38] liaison and family and community engagement liaison.

[2:35:42] We're also conducting school-based needs assessments to better understand the

[2:35:46] unique engagement needs of each school and more intentionally connect them with

[2:35:50] resources that support their school success plans. We're also strengthening

[2:35:54] the partnerships that support our schools. A new community literacy

[2:35:58] collaborative will bring together external partners who have expressed a

[2:36:02] desire for a more coordinated approach to supporting literacy. In addition,

[2:36:07] we'll expand opportunities for community members to volunteer in our schools and

[2:36:11] host a legislative breakfast to strengthen relationships with our local

[2:36:14] and state policy makers. And finally, we're continuing to strengthen how we

[2:36:19] communicate and tell the WJCC story. That includes elevating student voices

[2:36:24] through our digital communications and publications while also personalizing

[2:36:28] our employee internet insider so employees can more easily find and

[2:36:33] access information that is most relevant to them.

[2:36:37] We'll be happy to pause again for any questions related to this priority.

[2:36:43] » I have a question for you, ma'am. >> Um there was 1,294 individuals. How many

[2:36:48] of those folks made a contribution to literacy programs?

[2:36:54] » I can get the information to you. I don't have it readily available in front

[2:36:56] of me. That represents engagement at schools in individual programs as well

[2:37:01] as divisionwide initiatives. >> Big number, small number in between.

[2:37:05] » I wouldn't want to quantify it without having the data in front of me.

[2:37:09] » Okay.

[2:37:16] What other comments are out there?

[2:37:22] I'm pleased to see the number of partnerships that have been that have

[2:37:26] increased between businesses and community organizations.

[2:37:29] I think especially as we've been rebounding from COVID where people got

[2:37:34] disengaged from our schools just nationwide. This is great to see that we

[2:37:39] had such a uh a huge increase and I know that there's a lot of work that's being

[2:37:44] done um to be intentional about that. So, it's wonderful to see.

[2:37:52] I also say that I I try to stay off of social media, but I do enjoy the WJCC

[2:37:58] posts and every now and then I see familiar faces of students that I know.

[2:38:02] So it's I think it's those are some of the fun joyful things that are on social

[2:38:07] media. So thank you for all of the engagement around that as well.

[2:38:13] Great. Any questions?

[2:38:18] Fourth quarter. >> Fourth quarter indeed.

[2:38:21] The aim of our organizational efficiency and effectiveness supporting priority is

[2:38:26] to optimize just that by establishing and strengthening processes and systems.

[2:38:32] There are seven key performance indicators that help us measure this

[2:38:36] priority, including the percentage of budget reversion funds, the number of

[2:38:40] vendors who are paid electronically, the percentage of capital improvement

[2:38:44] projects completed on time and within budget, the meanantime to repair

[2:38:50] maintenance work orders, our bus ontime rate, the average time that our network

[2:38:55] is accessible and operational, and the average repair time for all division

[2:39:00] issued computing devices. Mrs. Renee Ewing, Mr. Marcella Snipes,

[2:39:05] and Mr. Brian Landers will now share updates related to this priority.

[2:39:14] Our financial goal remains to keep budget reversion at or below 2.5%

[2:39:19] annually, ensuring that funds are directed where they are most needed.

[2:39:22] This year, we improved our percentage of reversion funds to 2.2%, showing a

[2:39:27] slight improvement on this indicator from fiscal year 25.

[2:39:33] KPI 5.2 focuses on transitioning toward 100% electronic vendor payments by 2028.

[2:39:40] Initiated in 2024, we are pleased to report that 90% of all eligible vendors

[2:39:45] are now paid electronically. This is an increase of 26 percentage points,

[2:39:50] getting us even closer to our goal.

[2:39:56] Within budget and finance, much of our work this year is focused on modernizing

[2:40:00] processes and making routine transactions easier and more efficient

[2:40:04] for both employees and schools. That includes implementing a new fundraising

[2:40:08] management platform, digitizing the approval process for contracts and

[2:40:13] agreements, and transitioning from employee self-service to the new

[2:40:16] employee access platform, which will also allow us to digitize employee

[2:40:21] reimbursements, reducing paperwork, and streamlining the process from submission

[2:40:26] through payment. Finally, within child nutrition services, we'll conduct a

[2:40:30] community eligibility provision analysis to better understand the feasibility and

[2:40:35] financial implications of expanding access to meals at no cost to students.

[2:40:40] Collectively, these efforts are about improving efficiency behind the scenes

[2:40:44] while creating simpler, more user-friendly processes for the people

[2:40:48] we serve.

[2:40:58] It's a little quiet in here. So, in honor of football season is fourth and

[2:41:02] one. Got one to go. Uh measuring the timeliness and stewardship of our

[2:41:08] capital improvement projects are KPI 5.3 and 5.4 respectively. I'm pleased to

[2:41:14] share that 100% of our CIP projects were completed on time and nearly 88% did not

[2:41:20] exceed 10% of the allocated budget. It's important to note that there were 13

[2:41:26] projects in 202425 and only eight projects in 202526,

[2:41:32] thus impacting the denominator for this indicator.

[2:41:38] KPI 5.5 focuses on meantime repair maintenance work orders.

[2:41:44] We did see an increase in our meantime repair maintenance work orders this

[2:41:47] year. This was driven largely by staffing

[2:41:50] vacancies in two critical trades, electrical and carpentry, which reduced

[2:41:56] our capacity to complete work orders as quickly as we would have liked. Filling

[2:42:01] and stabilizing those positions will be an important will be important to

[2:42:04] improving response times and moving forward.

[2:42:08] Because the type of assets being repaired vary, the time to receive parts

[2:42:13] is dependent on supply chains and some work orders require the use of external

[2:42:18] contractors. Please note there is no industry standard for meantime repair.

[2:42:24] However, our operations team is striving to ensure maintenance response times are

[2:42:29] at or below seven days, ensuring that the building issues are resolved quickly

[2:42:34] and learning environments remain safe and functional.

[2:42:41] The staffing challenge also points directly to one of our priorities. As we

[2:42:46] look ahead, we're exploring new ways to build a stronger pipeline into our

[2:42:50] operational areas, including growing your own opportunities,

[2:42:55] student internships, and entry-level maintenance assistance positions that

[2:43:00] can introduce individuals to careers in the steel trades. Beyond staffing, our

[2:43:05] focus in operations continues to be maintaining and improving the facilities

[2:43:10] and services that support students every day. that in includes continued

[2:43:14] investments in child nutrition services, completing construction of our two new

[2:43:19] prek centers, and advancing a number of capital improvement plan projects across

[2:43:24] the division from HVAC and roofing replacements to storm water repairs,

[2:43:29] painting, and other facility improvements. Together, these efforts

[2:43:33] are focused on strengthening our operational capacity while continuing to

[2:43:37] invest in safe, functional, and wellmaintained learning environments.

[2:43:44] KPI 5.6 measures the percentage of buses that arrive no later than 10 minutes

[2:43:49] after the school's dismissal time. We're pleased to see meaningful improvements

[2:43:53] in our transportation performance with on-time bus arrival rates increasing by

[2:43:58] 6.6 percentage points last year. We attribute much of that improvement to

[2:44:03] our success in recruiting and hiring additional bus drivers. Increasing our

[2:44:07] driver capacity allowed us to more consistently cover routes, re reduce

[2:44:13] disruptions, and ultimately provide more reliable transportation for our students

[2:44:17] and families. This is a great example of how investments in our workforce

[2:44:22] translate directly into improved service for students.

[2:44:27] Building on that progress, our transportation team is focused this year

[2:44:31] on using data more intentionally to improve both reliability and the student

[2:44:36] experience. We are monitoring and making adjustments

[2:44:41] to improve our on-time AM rates as well. We're enhancing our Zonar on time

[2:44:48] dashboard and establishing a monthly review of transportation data at the

[2:44:52] central support level so we can identify trends and respond more proactively.

[2:44:57] We'll also take a closer look at individual routes where student needs

[2:45:01] may require additional supports. At the same time, there is a significant

[2:45:07] planning underway for the future transportation.

[2:45:11] will design for the future. Transportation will design new routes to

[2:45:16] support the opening of our two preschool centers and begin the extensive routing

[2:45:20] work required for the WJCC United Transition. I'm available to answer any

[2:45:26] questions if you'd like. >> All right,

[2:45:31] questions.

[2:45:38] I have a fourth quarter question. We do have one more person. So,

[2:45:44] » yeah, it's Mr. Riffle. Thank you. >> Great work.

[2:45:47] » Thank you, Mr. [laughter] >> Everyone has been behind me and beside

[2:45:52] me, and now I'm handing it off as I'm >> see a touchdown here. Yeah,

[2:45:59] » we're almost at the goal. KPI 5.7 measures the average time the

[2:46:05] network is accessible and operational. Our technology infrastructure

[2:46:10] continues to perform at a high standard with a 99.45%

[2:46:14] uptime across the division, ensuring reliable access to digital learning and

[2:46:19] operations. 5.8 monitors the average repair time for

[2:46:24] all divisionisssued computing devices. Last school year, we were able to reduce

[2:46:29] that time from 4.9 days to 4.7 days, continuing to meet the target of less

[2:46:36] than five days for this indicator. KPI 2.2 is related to network security.

[2:46:44] Our aim is to always prevent any attempted data breaches and we were we

[2:46:50] are pleased to report that we had no successful breaches during the 202526

[2:46:55] school year. Our technology priorities this this year

[2:47:01] center around three areas. Making better use of our data, strengthening digital

[2:47:06] safety, and improving the systems that our employees use every day. We're

[2:47:11] expanding Synergy's data analytics capabilities to provide stronger

[2:47:15] progress monitoring at both school and division levels. We're also enhancing

[2:47:21] Lightseed to give teachers greater classroom management capabilities and

[2:47:26] amilies more visibility into their students technology use while continuing

[2:47:30] our broader analysis of screen time and purposeful instructional technology

[2:47:36] integration. Behind the scenes, we're strengthening

[2:47:39] network security through enhanced Microsoft tools and continuing

[2:47:43] improvements in Ununice with a particular focus on accessibility and

[2:47:47] data integration across systems. Finally, a new employee data workg group

[2:47:53] will bring departments together to examine how we collect, access, and use

[2:47:58] employee data, helping us create more efficient and interconnected data

[2:48:02] systems across the division. And we'll pause here for any questions

[2:48:08] in this area. >> Well,

[2:48:13] appreciate that we haven't had any data breaches. I have tried to I didn't say

[2:48:18] that I have tried access from abroad and shut down in all different ways. So,

[2:48:24] appreciate all that that has been done and everything that we learned um from

[2:48:29] the one incident. >> Madam Chair, this concludes the

[2:48:34] strategic updates for our supporting priorities. We look forward to sharing

[2:48:37] additional updates on our key priority of academic achievement, college and

[2:48:42] career readiness, and educational equity with you at the October 6 school board.

[2:48:46] » Thank you so much, Miss Trot.

[2:48:51] Um, you know, when it's this is the uh I'm trying to get my football. Are we at

[2:48:57] We're not even at the two. We're at the kind of the fourth quarter.

[2:49:00] » I believe this would be considered overtime, Madam Chair.

[2:49:02] » We're at overtime. [laughter] >> Yes. Because we have um I mean we have

[2:49:07] the exciting superintendent's recommendation. We've got a review

[2:49:12] advisory committee appointments. We've got a lot. Stay tuned in the audience.

[2:49:17] We are going to take a break for the people and we will return. We will stand

[2:49:21] in recess.

[2:57:17] convene this meeting of the Williamsburg James City County School Board. I would

[2:57:22] love to just say thank you. We still have six people in the audience

[2:57:26] » live. So, true and >> [laughter]

[2:57:32] » real but really appreciate it and we know we have a ton of people who are

[2:57:36] still watching at home or watching the replay but just want to thank you all

[2:57:39] for uh hanging in there with us. We will move on to our next action item or sorry

[2:57:46] proposed agenda items 11.01 review advisory committee appointments.

[2:57:54] Madam Chair, that's an opportunity. We did talk about it in closed session, but

[2:57:57] it's an opportunity just as an agenda item for the board to have this in front

[2:58:00] of you. We will ask you to take action on those appointments when we get back

[2:58:04] together again on October the 6th. >> Thank you. Is there any discussion or

[2:58:08] questions from board members?

[2:58:13] Okay, we will move on to 11.02, superintendent's recommendation for

[2:58:18] school division redistricting. Good evening, Madame Chair, members of

[2:58:23] the board, and members of our community. Tonight, I'm going to present my

[2:58:28] recommendation regarding attendance boundaries for the 2728

[2:58:32] school year. Before I do so, I want to review the circumstances that has made

[2:58:37] this work necessary. I want to go over the process to develop

[2:58:41] the proposed maps, the feedback received from our community, and the unanimous

[2:58:44] recommendation of the redistricting steering committee. I'll then describe

[2:58:48] the independent review that I conducted and explain both my boundary

[2:58:52] recommendation and the commitments I believe must go with it. I recognize

[2:58:57] that redistricting is not simply a technical exercise. In fact, it's a very

[2:59:02] human one. Attendance boundaries affects students, families, employees,

[2:59:08] neighborhoods, and school communities in deeply personal ways. That reality has

[2:59:14] remained at the forefront throughout this process.

[2:59:17] On the personal side, when I was a student in seventh grade, I learned that

[2:59:23] I would be redistricted in junior high. I spent junior high in seventh and

[2:59:26] eighth grade in one building, moved to a second junior high for 9th grade, and

[2:59:31] then back to a different high school for my high school years 10 through 12. I

[2:59:35] know the impact on redistricting that it has on a family, on a community, and I

[2:59:41] have approached that work incredibly thoughtfully. Although we recognize the

[2:59:46] personal connections that people have to their schools, we must also consider the

[2:59:49] needs of the school division as a whole. Following several years of discussion

[2:59:54] with our funding partners, we reached an agreement to construct two dedicated pre

[2:59:59] kindergarten or bright beginning centers. Together, these centers will

[3:00:03] allow WJCC to serve approximately 100 additional pre kindergarten students

[3:00:09] while providing our youngest learners with spaces designed specifically for

[3:00:14] them. Moving bright beginnings out of five elementary schools will also create

[3:00:19] additional classrooms within those buildings. That gives us an opportunity

[3:00:23] to address overcrowding, serve more students within our permanent buildings,

[3:00:28] use available space more effectively, and improve feeder alignment across all

[3:00:33] three levels. An adjustment like that allows us to consider a comprehensive

[3:00:38] systemic approach to boundaries and zone alignment, addressing yearslong

[3:00:42] fracture. from my perspective of cohorts across various levels. We've used this

[3:00:48] slide throughout the process to illustrate projected elementary

[3:00:52] enrollment beginning in 2027 compared with each building's capacity.

[3:00:59] The five schools outlined in pink are current host of our bright beginnings

[3:01:03] program. Each school except DJ Monagu Elementary is projected to have

[3:01:08] significant vacant space through 2035 under our current attendance zones.

[3:01:15] Stonehouse is already operating above its permanent building capacity and uses

[3:01:19] classroom trailers. Enrollment there is projected to continue to grow as

[3:01:23] approved residential developments come online. DJ James River Elementary and

[3:01:28] Matthew Why also operate at high utilization levels and use classroom

[3:01:33] trailers. At those schools, there is limited physical space uh to contain our

[3:01:38] ability to potentially uh reduce class size or add additional teachers. The

[3:01:44] central issue to me is particularly clear. The division will have available

[3:01:48] classroom space, but it will not be located where student enrollment is

[3:01:52] currently concentrated.

[3:01:55] The divergence in capacity versus projected utilization at the secondary

[3:01:59] level is seen across this slide both in 27, 2030 and 2035. Across the projection

[3:02:05] year, some schools retain available capacity while others approach or exceed

[3:02:09] their permanent building capacity. The projections reinforce why we cannot

[3:02:14] consider elementary boundaries alone. Changes at one level move through the

[3:02:18] system and affect middle school and high school enrollment over time. Our current

[3:02:23] boundaries also produce several fragmented feeder pattern systems. In

[3:02:27] some cases, relatively small groups of students separate from most of their

[3:02:31] classmates when they transition to the next level. This visual shows that

[3:02:35] overall pattern. The next slide uh illustrates what what it can mean for

[3:02:40] students from one particular elementary school. Clare Bird Baker currently

[3:02:45] serves more than three of our excuse me, students from Clare Bird Baker currently

[3:02:51] move to three of our four middle schools. Those middle schools then send

[3:02:55] students to two or three of the high schools. These splits can be incredibly

[3:02:59] difficult for small groups of students. They also make it harder for schools to

[3:03:03] build consistent academic programming, mentoring activities, and tr transition

[3:03:08] supports across grade levels. Improved feeder alignment will allow more

[3:03:13] students to move forward with a meaningful cohort of classmates.

[3:03:18] Recognizing these challenges, the school board administration, our consulting

[3:03:23] partner of MGT, and the redistricting steering committee have worked on this

[3:03:26] project for nearly two years. The committee's work was guided by six

[3:03:31] principles which we have talked about previously. Those principles helped

[3:03:35] organize the work, but they also created uh push and pulls as we've discussed at

[3:03:40] quite a length. The steering committee presented its

[3:03:45] first draft maps in May and revised maps in August. Following each release, the

[3:03:50] division invited the community to review the maps and provide feedback. The

[3:03:55] committee used the feedback to consider particular boundaries, assess possible

[3:03:59] alternatives, and evaluate proposed changes how they would affect the entire

[3:04:04] system. The division offered three online

[3:04:08] surveys at key points in the process. Nearly 6,800 students, employees, and

[3:04:14] family members participated in the first survey, which occurred in November of

[3:04:18] 2025. The two map specific surveys generated more than 3100s responses.

[3:04:24] Community members had the opportunity to participate through information

[3:04:27] sessions, schoolboard meetings, individual correspondents, neighborhood

[3:04:31] meetings, and direct conversations with members of the board, administration,

[3:04:35] and myself. The feedback was extensive, but it wasn't uniform. Different

[3:04:40] communities often expressed competing priorities and preferences for how we

[3:04:45] move forward. After reviewing the August survey

[3:04:49] results and evaluating possible changes, the steering committee reported on

[3:04:53] September 1st that it could not make another boundary adjustment that

[3:04:57] meaningfully advanced one guiding principle without compromising others.

[3:05:01] The committee therefore voted unanimously to recommend its August maps

[3:05:05] with no further boundary changes. They made that recommendation to me as

[3:05:09] superintendent. That unanimous recommendation was significant, but it

[3:05:13] did not conclude the decision-making process. It then became my

[3:05:17] responsibility to review the committee's work independently and determine what

[3:05:21] recommendation I believe should be presented to the school board.

[3:05:26] My responsibility was not simply to accept and transmit the committee's

[3:05:31] recommendation. It was to examine the recommendation, consider the full body

[3:05:35] of information, and determine what I believe best served the entire school

[3:05:39] division. That required balance balancing multiple and sometimes

[3:05:44] competing considerations. Current and future building utilization,

[3:05:48] class sizes, student supports, student safety, proximity, transportation,

[3:05:55] feeder pattern continuity, our capital investment program, and the long-term

[3:05:59] sustainability of the school division. No map can maximize every single

[3:06:05] consideration. A boundary change that might benefit one neighborhood can

[3:06:09] affect enrollment, transportation, or feeder alignment elsewhere. My task was

[3:06:15] to determine whether the committee's recommendation achieved a reasonable and

[3:06:19] sustainable balance across the school division.

[3:06:26] As I noted, the division received extensive community feedback. I have

[3:06:31] read every single survey response. I've also reviewed the presentation and

[3:06:36] analysis provided by MGT and the steering committee along with emails,

[3:06:40] letters, questions, and proposals submitted by members of this community.

[3:06:45] That review reinforced the tension amongst the guiding principles and the

[3:06:49] challenge of this work. Different communities understandably placed

[3:06:53] different weight on proximity, continuity, capacity, transportation,

[3:06:59] and minimizing change. Again, I took my responsibility seriously to consider

[3:07:04] those various perspectives while keeping the needs of current and future students

[3:07:09] at the very center of the decision.

[3:07:14] I've also reviewed an extensive amount of data, our enrollment trend data and

[3:07:18] projections, feeder pattern projection as cohorts move from one level to the

[3:07:23] next, but also what areas and where those areas of cohorts remain together

[3:07:28] for their entire K12 career. I reviewed anticipated impact numbers and

[3:07:32] understand the feelings of change that our families may have with students

[3:07:37] proposed to move schools within the level they currently attend and those

[3:07:41] who may level up to a different school. I've reviewed and approved I have

[3:07:46] reviewed approved and projected residential development, the complexity

[3:07:51] of our physical locations relative to schools in this community and the

[3:07:56] attendance zones in relation to those school locations. I've also examined

[3:08:01] individual group and neighborhood requests. In many cases, those requests,

[3:08:06] as I've mentioned, have conflicted with one another or produced additional

[3:08:10] impacts elsewhere. Attendance zones uh operate as one

[3:08:16] system. As such, no single request can be evaluated in isolation.

[3:08:24] Two distinct areas of feedback I've heard throughout related to building

[3:08:28] utilization. >> Does this work consider future

[3:08:32] residential development? Yes, approved developments are absolutely incorporated

[3:08:37] in the projections, much of which is connected to the upper county. Whereas

[3:08:41] Stonehouse is projected to be at 131% utilization in 2035 under current

[3:08:46] boundaries, the committee's recommendation predicts Stonehouse at

[3:08:50] 100% in the very last year, 2035. Why do some schools experience wider

[3:08:57] variance from 27 to 35 than others? It goes back to residential forecasting,

[3:09:02] goes back to future development, birth rates, enrollment rates, all play a part

[3:09:06] of that equation. Jamestown is projected to open at 103% utilization under the

[3:09:11] committee's recommended map, nearly the rate it opened at in this past school

[3:09:15] year. That region of our school division is projected to experience a decline in

[3:09:20] school age population, yielding a projected 77% utilization in 2035.

[3:09:26] Expanding the attendance area to have higher utilization in 2035 would further

[3:09:30] drive the 2027 utilization higher. Shrinking the attendance area to have a

[3:09:36] lower utilization would further reduce the utilization in 2035. The recommended

[3:09:41] maps do not produce identical utilization at every school in every

[3:09:45] year. They provide a reasonable balance across schools projection years and the

[3:09:50] other guiding principles. The committee recommendation also

[3:09:54] improves feeder pattern alignment at the elementary to middle school transition.

[3:09:59] It eliminates several small cohort splits. James Blair, for example, would

[3:10:04] receive students from three elementary schools rather than six. This creates

[3:10:08] better and stronger opportunities for vertical planning and articulation,

[3:10:12] student mentoring, program alignment, and more intentional transitions between

[3:10:16] schools. The same improvement is evident from middle to high. The recommend the

[3:10:22] recommendation from the committee does not eliminate every single split, but it

[3:10:27] significantly reduces the fragmentation within our current feeder system and

[3:10:31] allows more students to transition with meaningful groups of classmates.

[3:10:38] As a result, after completing my review, I recommend that the school board adopt

[3:10:42] the redistricting steering committee's August maps without any additional

[3:10:46] boundary changes. This is my recommendation reached after

[3:10:50] independently reviewing the committee's work, the underlying data, the community

[3:10:54] feedback, and the alternatives presented. I sincerely recognize that

[3:10:58] this recommendation will disappoint some families and communities, and I do not

[3:11:02] minimize that impact. I concluded, however, that additional boundary

[3:11:06] changes would shift impacts from one school or community to another without

[3:11:11] improving the overall balance or long-term effectiveness of the proposed

[3:11:15] attendance zones. For those reasons, I believe the recommended maps represent

[3:11:19] the most responsible divisionwide solution.

[3:11:23] Our recommendation also includes a transition option for members of the

[3:11:27] class of 2028 whose high school assignment would change. Those students

[3:11:31] would be permitted to attend either their currently assigned high school or

[3:11:35] the high school assigned under the new boundaries. WJCC would provide

[3:11:40] transportation for either option. Of the 87 students who responded to our initial

[3:11:45] outreach, 73 or approximately 84% indicated they would prefer to remain at

[3:11:51] their current high school. 27 of those students indicated that they would need

[3:11:55] daily division transportation and 16 indicated that they would need support

[3:11:59] for extracurricular transportation. Senior year carries important academic,

[3:12:04] extracurricular, and re relational considerations. This option recognizes

[3:12:09] those circumstances while also allowing the new attendance zones to take effect.

[3:12:15] With my recommendation, I want to underscore an important commitment.

[3:12:19] Staffing and student supports must follow students. I want to say that one

[3:12:24] more time. Staffing and student supports must follow students. When enrollment

[3:12:29] changes because of redistricting, the needs of our students do not remain at

[3:12:33] their former schools. We must adjust staffing and resources based on the

[3:12:37] students enrolled in each building and the services that they require. Subject

[3:12:42] to the school board's approval of the attendance zones and through the annual

[3:12:45] budgeting process. I will direct the development of the 2728 staffing plan to

[3:12:50] account for school enrollment and economic need continuity of

[3:12:55] interventions and tiered supports services for English learners and the

[3:12:59] requirements contained in students IEPs. We will also consider the needs that a

[3:13:04] standard formula may not fully capture, including student success supports,

[3:13:09] behavioral resources, administrative capacity, and school operating

[3:13:14] resources.

[3:13:18] More specifically, this table displays elementary class size targets and caps.

[3:13:22] This table is published in our budget book and outlines our practice to staff

[3:13:26] and allocate resources across buildings to meet each child's needs. Our staffing

[3:13:31] model has long been built on a tiered approach, lowering the studenttoteer

[3:13:36] ratio at schools with larger populations of students receiving free or reduced

[3:13:40] price meals. As students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds

[3:13:44] may shift, so too will resources to support their needs.

[3:13:51] Similarly, our staffing at the secondary schools is based on the corresponding

[3:13:56] class- size targets also related to free and reduced price meals.

[3:14:01] In addition, federal funding through Title One recognizes that schools may

[3:14:05] have different levels of student need. Title One Part A provides supplemental

[3:14:10] resources to schools with higher numbers or percentages of students from

[3:14:13] economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Schools may qualify for schoolwide

[3:14:17] program or targeted assistance. Resources can be used for additional

[3:14:21] instructional supports, staff interventions, and family engagements.

[3:14:26] As the numbers shift across our buildings, so too will the resources we

[3:14:30] allocate through title one andor the operating budget.

[3:14:34] Independent of redistricting, staffing allocations and resources follow need.

[3:14:39] ML or English learners have have English language proficiency levels ranging from

[3:14:45] a one to a six. As shown on this chart, a student's level is determined by the

[3:14:49] WEDA screener when they first enroll or by their annual WEDA access assessment.

[3:14:56] Instructional models vary based on each student's level, including sheltered

[3:15:00] instruction, in-class support, and pull out class resources.

[3:15:07] In May of 2024, the general assembly adopted a revised staffing model for

[3:15:12] English learners. As a result of that, WJCC increased its LEAP staffing

[3:15:17] allocation to meet student need across language levels. WJCC will continue to

[3:15:22] follow these staffing requirements, though the school where the students are

[3:15:26] served may shift. As such, the staffing may shift.

[3:15:32] As we talked about last time when we met, special education staffing is

[3:15:36] determined through case load points models that accounts for both students

[3:15:40] disability and the level of service required. Consequently, two schools with

[3:15:44] the same number of students with disabilities may require different

[3:15:48] staffing allocations. The determining factor is not simply how many students

[3:15:52] are enrolled, but what services those IEPs require. The IEP remains the

[3:15:57] governing document for each student. As enrollment changes, staffing will be

[3:16:02] adjusted to ensure that required services continue without interruption.

[3:16:08] Tonight, I'm presenting my proposed attendance zones to the school board.

[3:16:12] The school board will hold a public hearing at its October 6th work session

[3:16:16] providing additional formal opportunity for community comment. The school board

[3:16:20] is scheduled to act on the proposed attendance zones on October 20th with

[3:16:25] with respect to the board's decision-making authority. At the same

[3:16:28] time, its responsible implementation administratively cannot wait until after

[3:16:33] the vote. Uh the board and community received an initial presentation on the

[3:16:37] WJCC United transition roadmap on September 1st and the next update will

[3:16:41] occur on October the 6th. If the board approves the attendance zones as

[3:16:46] recommended, we'll move into a detailed implementation involving staffing,

[3:16:50] transportation, student transitions, school culture, family communication,

[3:16:55] and program continuity. That work will continue throughout this school year and

[3:17:00] be beyond the opening of the 2728 school year.

[3:17:06] I recognize some members of the community will disagree with my recommen

[3:17:09] recommendation. I respect that disagreement and appreciate the time

[3:17:13] people have taken to study the maps, participate in surveys, attend meetings,

[3:17:18] and communicate with us directly. I take my responsibility seriously in terms of

[3:17:22] making a recommendation to the board based on the needs of the entire school

[3:17:26] division including every school level both in the in immediate and long term.

[3:17:32] I believe this recommendation addresses our most significant capacity imbalances

[3:17:37] improves feeder pattern continuity and makes effective use of the facilities

[3:17:41] our community has provided. If the school board approves the attendance

[3:17:45] zone, our focus will turn fully to implementation and the people affected

[3:17:49] by these changes. We will approach that work with transparency, careful

[3:17:53] planning, and a commitment to supporting students, families, and employees

[3:17:57] throughout. Whenever our student wherever our students attend school,

[3:18:01] they deserve to be welcomed, supported, and challenged.

[3:18:06] You have my word and pledged. That's what will occur. Ladies and gentlemen of

[3:18:10] the board, thank you. Thank you so much, Dr. Kever. I will open it up to any

[3:18:16] comments or questions from

[3:18:23] » Yes, M. >> Um, so I just hope that uh the viewing

[3:18:27] public will try to embrace the possibility of something great that's

[3:18:32] going to happen through these changes. And um I'm just not wired to receive all

[3:18:38] of the things that will that have been brought forth that will

[3:18:44] potentially go wrong because I have seen the implementation transition plan and I

[3:18:48] have faith that that will address a lot of the um questions that the public may

[3:18:54] have. Um I also know that um we've heard some new

[3:19:00] things tonight and we'll continue to have hear new things and I'm quite sure

[3:19:04] the impleation implementation transition folk are um are getting on

[3:19:10] that as well. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Hley.

[3:19:14] » Yes, Mr. Hodgees. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um maybe it's

[3:19:18] too early to answer this question and my apologies if that is the case, but um at

[3:19:24] the last work session, we got um we got a United WJCC United transition um kind

[3:19:31] of layout. Um I'm just kind of curious what um the October 6 presentation, what

[3:19:36] do you expect to show there that maybe we didn't see at the last one and what

[3:19:40] sorts of things that the community can expect to see during that?

[3:19:43] » Yes, sir. Thank you. At the the last presentation we did, we tried to break

[3:19:48] down the the transition into various phases and what you'll see on October

[3:19:53] 6th is the awareness phase being flushed out in in more detail. Uh, I think it's

[3:20:00] I think it's important for for me to restate and and I' I've said this in

[3:20:05] some public settings. I've said this when I first got hired. Um, my goal for

[3:20:09] WJCC is not just to have good schools. My my goal is for us to have great

[3:20:14] schools and for this to be a premier school division. So, the steps that we

[3:20:17] take between now and October 6th and now in August of 2027, I believe will

[3:20:23] position us to become a premier school division. So, you're going to hear more

[3:20:26] about the awareness phase and and understanding what happens as we move

[3:20:31] into that phase when we get together again on October 6th.

[3:20:33] » Wonderful. Thank you.

[3:20:38] » Other questions? Yes, Mr. Ruffalo. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I just thank

[3:20:43] you, Dr. Kever, for sharing your your knowledge and and your perspective on

[3:20:49] the maps. I just wanted to kind of maybe kind of reiterate some points that

[3:20:53] already been spoken, but this is like the first time the board really gets to

[3:20:57] see kind of all the work and what we didn't know like your decision until

[3:21:01] tonight, right? It's not like we have meetings beyond the meetings you see.

[3:21:05] Um, so now it's like kind of the crucial month. It's it's prime time where people

[3:21:10] get to kind of tell us the last minute like what the thoughts are. So I just

[3:21:15] want to welcome people to our public sessions. Um, and our inboxes are open

[3:21:19] to that type of response. We really, you know, we're not taking your feedback and

[3:21:24] doing nothing with it, but there's a point in which we want to know, but

[3:21:28] there's a part we've done a lot of work to get here. It's not unnecessarily

[3:21:33] useless. It's just it's good to know the growing pains and and and then what is

[3:21:37] an actual pain, you know, so depending on your situation. So, I just wanted to

[3:21:42] speak to some of the things asked of us tonight. I think

[3:21:46] there is a need for us to have a bit more of an equity based plan um when it

[3:21:50] comes to schools. I think is it's a bit tough for I mean I I've seen the

[3:21:54] presentations and I can I can't really articulate you know to individual as

[3:21:57] they ask me besides saying like trust me right that's like a scary conversation

[3:22:02] to have as a whatever people believe in government or not but I do I work in

[3:22:06] public service and I like policy and this is fun for me but I would I would

[3:22:10] ask for that type of presentation to be even given before the public comment

[3:22:15] like the United road map I think there was a lot of people commenting tonight

[3:22:18] that didn't have understanding of where we were in the process

[3:22:21] And that one might be important to do before the public comment just just so

[3:22:25] we have a chance to cover as much as we can. I don't know if people want to

[3:22:27] watch these fun long episodes at the school board meeting, but you know all

[3:22:31] this is available on the website. It's not like it's not easy to find and there

[3:22:35] are going to be critiques everywhere about how the process works. So um that

[3:22:38] would be my recommendation is having at least the United presentation given

[3:22:42] before the public hearing so that you know it's going to be a long one but

[3:22:45] it's worth hearing again. it'll be our fourth time or maybe our third time

[3:22:49] after we have our joint meeting that moment. So, um yes, that that's my

[3:22:55] recommendation. I just I just want to ask a bit more and I know it's a lot to

[3:22:59] kind of come out but the plan is the bold plan is really something I think we

[3:23:03] all kind of understand a bit as members and we can kind of see a larger vision

[3:23:07] for 12,000 people but it's a bit tougher to kind of have a side park conversation

[3:23:12] with a neighbor about you know I don't think we're going to get there even with

[3:23:15] FAQs or whatever else but um that's how can we make it digestible for people who

[3:23:20] are just tuning in you know so >> thank you

[3:23:25] other comments. >> I mean, I think I'll just say that what

[3:23:30] I'm hearing from the public and I think as board members, each of us has gone

[3:23:34] through this in our own way. It's it's the classic change curve of, you know,

[3:23:38] as as you're going through the denial of we really redistricting, going through

[3:23:43] the anger and blame portion of it. Uh the fear and bargaining, well, can you

[3:23:48] just make this change? Um, and then that depression piece of I can't believe

[3:23:52] they're doing this. This is going to be awful. Um, and so I think I personally

[3:23:56] understand that change curve and had to go through my own change curve and you

[3:24:02] know, but with that change curve and you can cycle a little bit, but at some

[3:24:06] point, you know, we start getting to the exploration of what could this look

[3:24:10] like? Um, and that decision of okay, we could make this work and then being

[3:24:15] bought in. And so um one of the challenges I would put to the viewing

[3:24:21] public is that as you have raised concerns um what things should this

[3:24:27] should this go forward as is and what kinds of things could you do as an

[3:24:33] individual as a parent to start to kind of mitigate what you think are places

[3:24:39] where we need support you know I've heard a lot about PTAs you know well

[3:24:43] just because you go to a different school doesn't mean that you can't

[3:24:46] support the PTA from which you came. Um there's lots of you know when we talk

[3:24:50] about the socioeconomics that was brought up. Um I always ask the question

[3:24:55] of who's in your back seat when you talk about those interconnectedness. Um how

[3:25:00] diverse is your back seat and what are you doing to proactively of reach out

[3:25:05] and and have those um those connections with families that are different from

[3:25:10] yours. And so I think there's there are things that as individuals

[3:25:15] people can step into to really um embrace this and make this successful

[3:25:22] across the division. We're a board of seven and so we are contemplating this

[3:25:27] and thank Dr. Kever for the information and for all the public comment and we

[3:25:32] have two more of options for public comment as well as

[3:25:36] our email list as Mr. Riffle said. Um but then also thinking of the how could

[3:25:41] you make this work and how could you contribute to making this successful for

[3:25:44] all students? Uh because if it's one of those situations where kind of sitting

[3:25:51] in the back and I told you so or I told them so um that doesn't that doesn't

[3:25:56] bode well for anybody's child or anybody's student. So how can we come

[3:25:59] together as a community to make this really successful? That's my comment.

[3:26:05] All right. Yes, please.

[3:26:09] » Um, thank you, Dr. Kever. Um, I know that um

[3:26:15] this has been a a long process and I know that um your recommendation came

[3:26:20] with um the utmost fidelity and and reading every single one of those

[3:26:26] comments. I know that we have had extensive conversations um some hard

[3:26:30] conversations around the redistricting efforts. So, um just want to reiterate

[3:26:37] um that um you know,

[3:26:42] Mr. Hosen and I we we kind of were on the we were board members kind of part

[3:26:47] of the committee as well. And so I think it's important to reiterate again um

[3:26:53] that our committee was comprised of uh a diverse group of community

[3:27:01] representation and expertise in both the city and the county and that committee

[3:27:07] came together and we spent many hours. We were very focused on educational

[3:27:13] equity, academic and opportunity, growth, students, you know, these were

[3:27:18] all things that we had conversations in addition to those guiding principles.

[3:27:25] Um, and student and staff safety was at the top in terms of like utilization.

[3:27:32] Um, so I think it's important for that just to be said over and over in terms

[3:27:38] of trying to encourage positivity and trust around the process. Um,

[3:27:45] I think a huge challenge is that our schools are built

[3:27:53] in various locations across a very large area. Um, and again, these are all

[3:27:59] things that have been said and repeated, but um, since, you know, we're on the

[3:28:05] topic, I think it's important to just continue to reemphasize that these were

[3:28:10] huge challenges for the committee. And I imagine when Dr. Kever did his

[3:28:15] independent review, um, you know, that was all part of a divisionwide holistic

[3:28:22] approach to this process. Um, another huge challenge is our neighborhoods and

[3:28:27] where our students live and the diversity of our students is not

[3:28:31] socioeconomically diverse. Our neighborhoods are not. And so that also

[3:28:36] presents a huge challenge in trying to balance um the guiding principles set

[3:28:42] forth for this process. Um so I would just repeat that educational equity

[3:28:49] um is was a priority the committee is a priority of our board is a key priority

[3:28:57] of our strategic plan. Um and that equity across the division um continues

[3:29:03] to be what drives our work um to make sure that every student can succeed. Um,

[3:29:10] so just wanted to make sure that that was expressed and appreciation for um,

[3:29:17] Dr. Hver's recommendation tonight. Thank you so much, Mrs. Ch.

[3:29:22] Any other comments?

[3:29:26] » Well, uh, we look forward to to the public hearing on October 6th um, and

[3:29:32] your continued comments from the community and we will take your

[3:29:36] recommendation under advisement. We will move on to our next uh agenda

[3:29:43] item 12.01 board member comments.

[3:29:48] I think this is triple overtime. Who wants to start? I'll start with Mr.

[3:29:54] Hodgees who I gave him a hard time last time.

[3:29:57] » Madam Chair, you took my joke. I was going to open with a double triple

[3:30:01] overtime joke, so you beat me to the punch.

[3:30:04] Um, with the school year well underway at this point, um, I want to start by

[3:30:09] saying that I hope that our students and staff are finding their groove both in

[3:30:13] and out of the classroom. Personally, I find this time of year very exciting.

[3:30:18] You can start to feel a slight crisp in the air out at night, you know, not so

[3:30:22] much during the day. Um, fall sports have kicked in at high school, college,

[3:30:27] and the pros, and there's a sense of new opportunities and experiences every day.

[3:30:33] And new opportunities and experiences can be scary. Trust me, I dealt with

[3:30:39] anxiety disorders for a good chunk of my childhood and all of my adult life. I

[3:30:43] still do. The anxious mind hates nothing more than the unknown. So, the prospect

[3:30:49] of something new or unfamiliar and the fear and uncertainty that comes with it

[3:30:54] is nothing new to me. And I say that because having done a lot of therapy

[3:31:00] sessions in my day, I've become pretty adept in sensing anxiety in both myself

[3:31:04] and others. It's not the superpower I wanted, but it's the one that I got. But

[3:31:10] it doesn't take a heightened sense to recognize that there are still chunks of

[3:31:13] our community that are feeling a lot of anxiety over the proposed redistricting.

[3:31:17] Case in point, by my account, we had 22 citizens come out tonight speaking in

[3:31:22] opposition to it. And so I want to share a lesson that I've learned in therapy.

[3:31:27] Not just because I think it could apply here, but because it's one of the most

[3:31:30] valuable lessons I have learned from my years of therapy. And it's this.

[3:31:35] Catastrophizing about the future tends to lead to distorted expectations. And

[3:31:39] the thing you were fearing is almost never as bad as you were expecting. And

[3:31:44] I don't say that to say that these maps are perfect. There is no such thing as a

[3:31:48] perfect set of maps when it comes to redistricting. Like it's been said a

[3:31:52] million times before, there are too many factors to juggle to please everybody.

[3:31:57] And with and those with concerns are valid in their desire to express those

[3:32:01] concerns. But what I am saying is this. With change, there are often tremendous

[3:32:06] opportunities for growth that we might not see at first and previously wouldn't

[3:32:10] have thought possible. And with that, Madam Chair, I conclude my remarks.

[3:32:14] » Thank you so much, Mr. Hodgees. Appreciate you bringing that perspective

[3:32:18] in. Dr. Yes, ma'am. Um, there were a couple um

[3:32:24] comments tonight about literacy. So, staying with my theme of literacy, I

[3:32:29] just want to make a few comments. Um, reading is a critical skill in learning

[3:32:34] and proficiency needs to be accomplished by the third grade. In general, the WJCC

[3:32:40] so overall pass rates for reading for all students declined declined over the

[3:32:45] past 14 years from a high of 94% in 2011 to 2012 to the present level of 78% for

[3:32:52] the most recent school year from 20 2025 2026.

[3:32:57] In particular, the WJCC grade three reading so test rate for 2526 school

[3:33:04] year was 70.2% 2% which was a 3.5 increase from the 66.7% pass rate from

[3:33:11] the previous year. The nine elementary

[3:33:16] third grade students performance on the reading so tests this year ranged from

[3:33:21] 42 to 89%. Seven elementary schools increased their

[3:33:25] scores from the previous school year and two schools decreased their score from

[3:33:29] the previous academic year. Most notable improvement was a Matthew Wy was Matthew

[3:33:35] why which increased their score by 19%. Contrarily James River Elementary had a

[3:33:41] 14% decrease in their pass rate from the previous year. The pass rates for the

[3:33:48] remaining seven schools ranged from 66 to 76%.

[3:33:53] Stonehouse Elementary School had the highest pass rate with 89% and James

[3:33:57] River Elementary had the lowest pass rate of 42%.

[3:34:04] 823 third graders took the SO test this year and with a pass rate of 70%, 578

[3:34:10] students passed the test and 245 did not. Given that I am not a reading

[3:34:17] specialist and do not know all the nuances of the so test, I don't know if

[3:34:21] these 245 students will have a different trajectory of performance in their

[3:34:25] future academic endeavors. However, I would suggest that having passed the

[3:34:29] test was a meaningful accomplishment. with the results of the of the

[3:34:33] division's academic performance on the so the superintendent stated these

[3:34:38] results are not where we need them to be and those patterns cannot become

[3:34:42] permanent conditions WJCC school chairman said some pass

[3:34:48] rates aren't just aren't just a reflection of what's happening in

[3:34:51] classrooms but what families are able to provide kids academic-wise after school

[3:34:57] she asked community members watching the meeting how they can think of after

[3:35:01] school programs for students needing additional help.

[3:35:07] She commented, "Some kids are privileged enough to get extra help outside from a

[3:35:12] a variety of places. And how do we help support some of those other children?"

[3:35:18] I attended a volunteer recruitment program last night at a different school

[3:35:21] division and had a lengthy conversation with the group leaders. They commented

[3:35:25] on a particular elementary school which had a minority demographic

[3:35:31] and they had improved their so reading scores for the third graders at that

[3:35:36] school from 29 to 79% in two years which is an incredible achievement. They felt

[3:35:43] the major contributors to the rapid increase in scores included the use of

[3:35:47] the University of Florida literary institute reading program or newfly for

[3:35:51] 30 minutes in combination with benchmark for 30 minutes. They discontinued

[3:35:56] discontinued the use of digital devices for grade one through the first half of

[3:36:01] the second grade. Balance testing was accomplished three times a year and

[3:36:05] there is a consensus that a third grade gate was a viable option as a method of

[3:36:10] accountability. In other words, if the student did not pass the third grade so

[3:36:15] reading test, they would not be advanced to the fourth grade.

[3:36:19] Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Dr. Kasa.

[3:36:24] Mrs. Hun, >> I just want to thank Miss Chin for being

[3:36:27] my bopsy twin for we spent 15 hours together in schools and I know I stole

[3:36:32] her thunder, so I apologize. Um, but a lot of the teachers would say, "Oh, we

[3:36:37] saw you and you and they commented on and you're the one with the camera." But

[3:36:42] I wanted to do a shout out to Emma Hartley and um, Miss Donner did mention

[3:36:48] in her comments about the WJCC videos that are out. She has that nice

[3:36:55] camera and she has taken some phenomenal pictures and I enjoy going and seeing

[3:37:02] all the different schools. I think she picks a different school and just

[3:37:06] captures all these beautiful moments. So, it's nice to have another keeper of

[3:37:11] the stories out there. And also, um, there are things on Instagram. I don't

[3:37:16] get on Instagram much, but they have hilarious things on Instagram that the

[3:37:22] different schools have put out, and I love the ship ones. Ship, I mean, I'm

[3:37:27] always hungry after looking at all the things that they're doing with the

[3:37:31] children. So, um, If you haven't had a chance to get on social media in that

[3:37:37] way just to get another glimpse of glimpse of what's going on in schools um

[3:37:42] do that and Lafayette High School has on Wednesday it's called what did you learn

[3:37:46] Wednesday and Mr. Townson has he just randomly stops high school students and

[3:37:52] said what did you learn and then he gives them a follow-up question. So, the

[3:37:58] thing I love is what I'm seeing on social media is exactly what we see when

[3:38:03] we're in the schools. It mirrors what is really happening. And um it it's just

[3:38:08] exciting and it it it if you want to be excited about what's going on in WJC and

[3:38:14] not anxious about it, I encourage you to to just click on some of those videos.

[3:38:19] Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Thank you so much, Mrs. H. We'll go to

[3:38:23] you, Mr. Hosn. >> Yes, Madam Chair. [clears throat] I'll

[3:38:27] keep it uh short since we're in the third or fourth over time I think right

[3:38:31] now. Um at the last meeting I raised an issue regarding some contracts that we

[3:38:36] had uh previously approved uh with some my issue was some documents that we

[3:38:41] didn't have uh regarding those and I just want to thank uh Dr. Kever and the

[3:38:44] administration for providing those documents to us showing that those

[3:38:48] contracts were extended uh for this school year. So there should be no

[3:38:52] issues with us going forward with those. I just want to make sure that the public

[3:38:55] and the board if they didn't see that uh were are aware of that at this time.

[3:39:00] » Thank you so much for that clarification, Mr. H.

[3:39:02] » No problem. Thank you. >> Uh uh Mrs. Chen.

[3:39:07] » Um Mrs. Hunley, you can always steal my thunder. I tell everybody you are our

[3:39:13] MVP. Um is that right? So yeah, MVP. I'm very tired right now. So yes, you are

[3:39:19] our most valuable player. uh you bring light and positivity um and it was an

[3:39:25] honor and a privilege, probably the highlight of my year um and my board

[3:39:30] work to visit all four all 16 schools with you in four days and um you know as

[3:39:38] I go into my last year next year I hope we can do it again. So let's do it

[3:39:43] again. Um it was wonderful to welcome um our teachers and new staff and to say

[3:39:50] hello and to make good on our promise to try to shake as many of those new staff

[3:39:56] hands as possible. Um and my takeaway from that was that all of our schools

[3:40:03] are incredible places for kids to learn and grow. Um,

[3:40:09] I don't think people realize sometimes how lucky they are to have this

[3:40:15] community um and to have our schools and to have the people here um who are

[3:40:22] working um endlessly um till all hours of the night. Dr. Cooper, I'm not sure

[3:40:29] if you ever sleep, but um all of our teachers were prepared. They were

[3:40:36] encouraging. Um, and we met teachers and staff who went to WJCC schools and

[3:40:42] several teachers who have parents who work in WJCC and who also work at the

[3:40:47] College of Boyment Mary. So, that just felt really full circle and encouraging

[3:40:52] to see young people choosing a profession in teaching

[3:40:56] um, and committing to that. Um, I had one quick comment to make in reflection

[3:41:02] on the slides that you shared, Dr. I didn't say it earlier because it

[3:41:07] wasn't related to our board vote for the boundary lines, but as we continue to

[3:41:14] um present to the public monthly a more detailed transition plan, um it was

[3:41:20] mentioned tonight. It was interesting. There were some research articles

[3:41:24] mentioned regarding um social sort of uh social interactions

[3:41:33] for children as well as um educational research, longtime education research

[3:41:38] around classroom size and the ratios and the

[3:41:44] need for, you know, pretty aggressive class sizes like a 1 to 15 even to to

[3:41:49] see academic change in literacy and math and things like that. So, that's just a

[3:41:54] curious of mine. I'm wondering um it's not something that needs to be discussed

[3:42:00] anytime soon. It would be something that maybe we could think about during

[3:42:05] staffing or budgetary or just looking at research-based evidentiary things that

[3:42:10] are out there that have worked. um and also neighboring divisions who have done

[3:42:14] similar sort of aggressive approaches and that would fall within the board's

[3:42:18] purview of budget and staffing and that would be on administration to make those

[3:42:23] recommendations that they deem best. Um, and then the last thing I'll say, um, is

[3:42:29] I I have done a lot of reflecting, so I did prepare some just a brief comment.

[3:42:34] Um, and I'll just reiterate, and I've said this many times, we are one big

[3:42:39] neighborhood, and we should treat each other with love and respect as neighbors

[3:42:43] to support the success of every child. So, as we go into this next month where

[3:42:48] it is now up to our board to make a vote and to ensure that um we can get as much

[3:42:55] public support as possible. Um all of us are serving because we want to be

[3:43:00] better. We want to do better for our students from preK all the way to 12th

[3:43:05] grade. And all of this is being driven by exciting two new preK centers that we

[3:43:10] are all excited to go for that ribbon cutting ceremony very soon. So, we're

[3:43:15] opening the pre-K centers. It's the beginning of a new era for our

[3:43:19] collective WJCC neighborhood. Um, and it can only be successful when we all can

[3:43:26] support a very ambitious vision for change for our community. As was already

[3:43:32] stated tonight and as we all can experience and as a parent who has gone

[3:43:37] through the process of K through 12 in WJCC and have another one coming up, we

[3:43:42] have longstanding disparities in our community. So that I

[3:43:48] recognize and and I do believe we as a board in our administration, we are

[3:43:54] trying to foster that change in academic

[3:43:59] achievement and opportunities for our students. So, I want to encourage our

[3:44:04] community to be invested with us as we prepare for these changes and I want our

[3:44:09] community to trust the process and believe and invest in the possibilities.

[3:44:15] » Thank you so much, Mrs. Chen. Mr. Riffle,

[3:44:19] » I don't have much else to add besides what I said earlier. Um, besides that, I

[3:44:24] heard this this analogy I've ever said probably correctly, but um, someone

[3:44:29] mentioned that education is like a tree, especially things like redistricting. We

[3:44:33] all know trees by the way they look. Like I know my favorite tree is the

[3:44:36] eastern red bud and they grow beautiful purple flowers, not red. Um, but a tree

[3:44:44] also has roots and there's things you just can't see. But the idea is that you

[3:44:49] can trust a tree. you can trust that it's going to grow both ways, the fruit

[3:44:53] side and the root side. And redistricting is part of that. There's a

[3:44:56] lot of things that you cannot display in a presentation. You there's a lot of

[3:45:00] things you can't do or ask staff to do in this format. Like there's just things

[3:45:04] that has to happen in group settings in each building within families. Um and I

[3:45:10] think I think we're all here that we trust that narrative. Um, and so I trust

[3:45:14] the roots of our cis school system just as much as I trust the the beautiful

[3:45:18] leaves and trees and as they fall off this year, it's something I thought was

[3:45:22] kind of symbolic and kind of meaningful. So, um, but there's a lot that goes on

[3:45:26] to run a school system. This is it's not seven people sitting up here directing

[3:45:30] every day. Like I step into a school building maybe once or twice a month.

[3:45:34] Like the people do this every day and it's not us. Our job is to oversee it

[3:45:39] and we have very specific powers described to us in the Virginia

[3:45:42] Constitution of what we can and cannot do individually or how it works as a

[3:45:46] team. I think we exercise those as much as often and possible u mostly in

[3:45:51] through the budget is our big big big lever. So I'm excited for the public

[3:45:55] comments. I'm a big believer in doing that and hearing people. Um but there is

[3:46:00] a point in which we have to make a decision and I don't think we're going

[3:46:03] to slow this down as much as people want us to. there's a lot to mle over um and

[3:46:08] it's exciting to be able to have all the the full picture now at this point with

[3:46:11] Dr. Kever's recommendation. So, >> thank you, Madam Chair.

[3:46:15] » Thank you so much, Mr. Riffle. Um I have I I think I've there's one thing

[3:46:23] I do want to correct on the record. Um I thank you Dr.

[3:46:28] for talking about literacy and um I just wanted to make sure the viewing public

[3:46:32] um remembers that back in March of 2024. Um it one of our speakers said that we

[3:46:39] didn't have a that we weren't doing science of reading and we actually did

[3:46:43] vote on that as a board on March 5th of 2024 and that was implemented in the

[3:46:48] 2425 school year. And if you go back to last month's presentation or last last

[3:46:55] uh work session's presentation, we did know that from that implementation it's

[3:46:59] starting to to tick up. So I think it's just such an important thing that as Dr.

[3:47:03] Kavasos talked about where he saw it down in Newport News it was UFly and and

[3:47:08] benchmark advantage and that's what we also um purchased here. So I think be

[3:47:13] being able to bring those learnings forward and I know the viewing audience

[3:47:16] doesn't remember all of the votes that we take but I do think it's just

[3:47:21] important to remind everyone that um we do we have implemented science of

[3:47:26] reading and that was required by the state of Virginia in 2024. I think when

[3:47:30] you look at places like Mississippi they've been doing it over a decade

[3:47:36] longer than we have. And so when you look at those those increases and gains

[3:47:41] that they've had to u that they've gotten uh you know we're about 15 years

[3:47:45] behind at this stage from a state of Virginia. Um and so really thinking

[3:47:51] through how do we uh how do we support literacy

[3:47:57] within the classrooms? But as Dr. Kavasos and I are both on the same page

[3:48:01] of after the school bell because we can only do so much bell to bell. Uh with

[3:48:06] that we will go on to 13.01 upcoming events. Um

[3:48:13] the VSBA legislative advocacy conference on uh my gosh I'm

[3:48:20] tired too. September 17th, all day starting at 9:00 am at the Double Tree

[3:48:24] by Hilton Charlottesville, 990 Hilton Heights Road, Charlottesville, Virginia.

[3:48:30] Policy Committee meeting on September 18th at 11:30 a.m. That will be

[3:48:34] virtually via Zoom. And then an evening on the lawn benefiting the WJCC Schools

[3:48:39] Foundation on October 1st, 5:30 p.m. at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business,

[3:48:44] 101 Ucrop Way, Williamsburg, Virginia. I will put in one last plug. Please go and

[3:48:49] buy your tickets for a table. It is a lovely event. Our um item 3.02 upcoming

[3:48:55] meetings. Our work session action items with the

[3:48:59] redistricting public hearing will be on October 6, 2026. Uh please note that

[3:49:04] this is a time and location change. We will call to order and close session at

[3:49:08] 5:00 pm in room 300 here at Berkeley. Uh the we will open we have open session at

[3:49:15] 5:30m in the auditorium here at Berkeley Middle School. So the um closed sessions

[3:49:22] at 5 and then the public hearing will be part of the open meeting open session at

[3:49:27] 5:30 p.m. Uh we have a joint meeting on October 9th at 8:30 a.m. with city

[3:49:34] council and board of supervisors. That is at Legacy Hall uh in New Town. And

[3:49:39] then our regular board meeting will be October 20th. Call to order in close

[3:49:44] session at 6 PM in room 200. And then open sessions at 6:30 p.m. in the

[3:49:49] auditorium at Berkeley Middle School. With that, this meeting is adjourned at

[3:49:54] 10:14

Regular Meeting - Sep 15 2026

Transcript