[1. Meeting Called to Order by Chair Alderton ]
[00:00:04]
ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THE MAY 18TH, 2023 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYONE IN ATTENDANCE, ESPECIALLY OUR FRIENDS FROM LAOS, CROUCH ELEMENTARY.
I AM GOING TO CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 6:33 P.M.
UH MEAGAN. ALDERTON SHE WILL BE VIRTUAL TONIGHT, SO SHE'S ABSENT FOR NOW.
ALL RIGHT. WE WILL NOW OBSERVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE.
[3. Adopt the Agenda for the May 18, 2023 School Board Meeting ]
THE VICE CHAIR WILL NOW ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.BUT I'M SURE I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE AGENDA.
IS MOVED BY MR.. NEWBY TO ADOPT THE AGENDA SECONDED BY DR.
RIEF. WE WILL NOW TAKE A VOTE IN.
WE NOW NEED TO ALLOW CHAIR ALDERTON TO PARTICIPATE BY ELECTRONIC MEANS.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO DO SO, PLEASE? MADAM CHAIR, WHERE IS BOARD CHAIR? MEAGAN ALDERTON HAS NOTIFIED THE BOARD THAT SHE IS UNAVAILABLE TO BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT FOR TODAY'S SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DUE TO A PERSONAL MATTER, SPECIFICALLY CHILD CARE, AND WHERE SHE HAS NOT PARTICIPATED IN MORE THAN 2 OR 25% OF SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS BY ELECTRONIC MEANS DURING 2023.
AND. WHEREAS, BOARD MEMBER ALDERTON REQUESTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING BY VIDEO CONFERENCE CALL FROM ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, WHERE THE CONFERENCE CALL SHALL BE HEARD BY ALL PARTICIPANTS IN THIS BOARD ROOM.
AND. WHEREAS, A QUORUM OF SCHOOL BOARD IS PHYSICALLY ASSEMBLED IN THIS BOARD ROOM, THEREFORE I MOVE PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE 2.23708 THAT THE BOARD APPROVED THE PARTICIPATION OF BOARD MEMBER MEGAN ALDERTON IN THIS MEETING BY VIDEO CONFERENCE CALL.
SIMPSON BAIRD'S MOTION AND MAY I HAVE A VOTE, PLEASE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
OKAY. WE'RE MOVING RIGHT ALONG HERE FOR WITH COMMUNICATIONS AND ADDRESSES TO THE BOARD.
[4. "Simply the Best" School Profile--Lyles Crouch Traditional Academy ]
WE'RE GOING TO START OFF WITH OUR SIMPLY THE BEST SCHOOL PROFILE.AND IT IS WITH THE WONDERFUL LOUIS CROUCH TRADITIONAL ACADEMY.
K WYATT AND ALL DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS KAYLEE CARSTENS, AND I AM A STUDENT AT LYLE CROUCH TRADITIONAL ACADEMY.
STANDING WITH ME ARE MY FELLOW FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS AND FRIENDS, ELIZA KNOWLES AND EZRA STONE.
THANK YOU FOR INVITING US TO JOIN YOU THIS EVENING.
THIS IS OUR FIRST BOARD MEETING AND WE FEEL REALLY HONORED ON BEHALF OF OUR PRINCIPAL, DR.
ZAZIOS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL MISS BURKHART, AND THE LYLES CROUCH STAFF, STUDENTS AND PARENTS.
I WILL START WITH SOME REMARKS ABOUT THE FIRST COMPONENT CHARACTER AND CITIZENSHIP.
NEXT, ELIZA, WHO IS ALWAYS THE STUDENT WHO EVERYONE INCLUDING ME, TURNS TO IN CLASS.
IF WE DON'T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE SECOND COMPONENT ACADEMICS.
FINALLY, EZRA, WHO IS MR. PERSONALITY AND LIKED BY EVERYONE IN SCHOOL BECAUSE HE BECAUSE HE IS AN EXPERT AT BEING A GOOD FRIEND WILL TALK WILL SPEAK ABOUT THE THIRD COMPONENT RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
FIRST CHARACTER AND CITIZENSHIP.
AT LYLES CROUCH, WE LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER BUILDING.
BUILDING CHARACTER IS AT THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING WE DO.
[00:05:02]
THIS YEAR, I GOT TO HELP LEAD OUR SCHOOL'S TRADITIONAL ANIMAL BENEFIT EFFORTS.THIS YEAR, WE RAISED $8,400 FOR THE ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE OF ALEXANDRIA AND KING STREET CATS.
IT WAS REALLY NEAT TO SEE THE LOCAL BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS OF OUR COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER FOR AN IMPORTANT CAUSE, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE PANDEMIC WHEN LIFE HAD BEEN SO ISOLATED.
ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS WERE THERE WITH ADOPTABLE ANIMALS.
WE GOT TO SEE AND INTERACT WITH THESE ADORABLE FURRY FRIENDS BEFORE THE TALENT SHOW.
TO ME, HAVING CHARACTER MEANS BEING KIND AND CHOOSING THE RIGHT THING.
THIS IS HOW WE MAKE THE THINGS BETTER AROUND US.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ELIZA KNOWLES.
WE USE THE CORE KNOWLEDGE CURRICULUM, WHICH IS A RIGOROUS CURRICULUM THAT FOCUSES ON THE FOUR C'S.
IT'S CONTENT RICH INTRODUCING US TO THE WORLD, BOTH PAST AND PRESENT.
EVERYTHING IS TAUGHT IN CONTEXT, SO IT ALL MAKES SENSE.
AND THE MORE WE KNOW, THE FASTER WE LEARN.
I LOVE THIS BECAUSE I REALLY LIKE LEARNING.
SO WE STUDY THE SAME SUBJECT MATTER YEAR AFTER YEAR, BUT DIVE DEEPER EACH YEAR.
THE FINAL C IS THAT IT IS CROSS-CURRICULAR.
FOR EXAMPLE, THIS YEAR IN FIFTH GRADE, WE STUDIED THE RENAISSANCE.
WE EVEN VISITED THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART TO SEE IN PERSON SOME OF THE MASTERPIECES WE STUDIED.
SAINT LOUIS. OTHER STUDENTS EXPLORED THE QUESTION WHO ARE MODERN DAY RENAISSANCE FIGURES? WHO WOULD BE REMEMBERED SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE AND THEN PRESENTED THEIR IDEAS IN VIDEOS? I REALLY LOVE LEARNING.
I LOVE BEING CHALLENGED, DISCOVERING NEW THINGS, CRITICAL THINKING, AND I REALLY LOVE READING BOOKS.
I'M SO GRATEFUL I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO TO A SCHOOL THAT VALUES ACADEMICS AND ONE THAT NOT ONLY HELPS ME TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE, BUT ALSO TEACHES ME WHY KNOWLEDGE IS SO IMPORTANT, FOR KNOWLEDGE HAS SHAPED MY ACADEMIC JOURNEY BY SHOWING ME HOW TO MAKE CONNECTIONS TO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER SUBJECTS INTO REAL LIFE AND OF COURSE, HOW TO THINK CRITICALLY FOR MYSELF.
HERE'S EZRA. HELLO, MY NAME IS EZRA STONE.
WALLACE-CRABBE SCRATCHES TAUGHT ME THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
ONE OF THE MOST COMMUNITY BUILDING EVENTS OR SCHOOL HOLDS EVERY YEAR IS INTERNATIONAL NIGHT.
IT'S THE MOST INCREDIBLE NIGHT THAT SHOWCASES THE DIVERSITY OF THE LOUSE CROUCH FAMILY.
THIS YEAR WE HAD 24 NATIONS REPRESENTED TO INCLUDE PUERTO RICO, FINLAND, AFGHANISTAN, NEPAL, ETHIOPIA, PERU AND IRELAND, TO JUST NAME A FEW IN THE LEAD UP TO INTERNATIONAL NIGHT.
AND TO HELP US PREPARE, OUR LIBRARIAN, MISS HOEFLICH MADE A GREAT GOOGLE SLIDES PRESENTATION FEATURING A BOOK, A FLAG COLORING ACTIVITY AND A WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLE REPRESENTING EVERY COUNTRY THAT WAS AT OUR INTERNATIONAL NIGHT.
THIS WAY. THIS WAS A GREAT WAY TO LEARN IN ADVANCE ABOUT THE COUNTRIES WE WOULD BE VISITING.
FAMILY, SHARED GAMES, BOOKS, FUN FACTS AND DELICIOUS FOOD.
THE FOOD IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS, LIKE THE OUT OF THIS WORLD HOMEMADE EMPANADAS FROM ARGENTINA.
THERE IS ALSO ONGOING ENTERTAINMENT WHERE WE SHARE DANCES AND SONGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE PERFORMED A CANADIAN DANCE.
IT IS AMAZING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CULTURES OF MY FRIENDS.
IT FEELS LIKE THE WHOLE WORLD IS SUDDENLY APPEARING ON THE GROUNDS OF OUR LITTLE SCHOOL.
[00:10:05]
IN FACT, IT IS SO EXCITING, EXCITING AND FUN THAT EVERYONE LOOKS FORWARD TO IT ALL YEAR LONG AND NO ONE WANTS IT TO END.WE FEEL WELL PREPARED FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF OUR EDUCATION.
MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE PERSON WHOSE LEADERSHIP HAS BREATHED LIFE INTO THESE THREE AREAS, WHO IS NOW, AFTER NEARLY 50 YEARS OF SERVICE IN EDUCATION, RETIRING NEXT MONTH. 19 OF THOSE YEARS HAVE BEEN SERVING LASSE CROUCH, OUR PRINCIPAL, DR.
PATRICIA MRS. DR. DECIUS, WILL YOU PLEASE COME UP? NOW, IT JUST SO HAPPENS MY MOM IS ALSO A PRINCIPAL.
SHE'S A PRINCIPAL AT A SCHOOL IN D.C., SO I KNOW HOW TO SPOT AN AMAZING PRINCIPAL WHEN I SEE ONE.
SEUSS IS DEFINITELY AN AMAZING PRINCIPAL.
ESSER. ON JANUARY 23RD OF THIS YEAR, DR.
ZAIUS WAS RECOGNIZED AT THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY BY DELEGATE ELIZABETH BENNETT.
PARKER. BENNETT PARKER STATED ABOUT DR.
ZAIUS, QUOTE, HER VISION AND DEDICATION HAVE LED LYLES CROUCH TO BECOME ONE OF THE HIGHEST ACHIEVING SCHOOLS IN THE CITY, THE COMMONWEALTH AND THE COUNTRY, END QUOTE.
THIS STATEMENT DESCRIBES HER POWERFUL IMPACT, WHICH HAS BEEN FELT BY COUNTLESS STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR MANY YEARS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE FELT FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.
WE ARE THE CABOOSE AT THE END OF A LONG LINE OF STUDENTS BEHIND DR.
SHE HAS TAUGHT US THE POWER BEHIND SAYING, I THINK I CAN.
NO MATTER HOW CHALLENGING THINGS GET.
AND JUST LIKE THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD.
SHE SHOWS US THAT WHEN WE THINK WE CAN, WE WILL.
WE WILL. ON BEHALF OF OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
DR. ZAIUS, THANK YOU FOR BEING OUR PRINCIPAL.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE.
OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS GRATEFUL FOR YOU, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU WITH ALL OUR HEARTS.
IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL JOURNEY.
THIS COMMUNITY HAS BEEN WHAT HAS KEPT ME HERE AND DESERVES TO CONTINUE TO HAVE WHAT THEY HAVE TREASURED FOR SO MANY YEARS.
AND THE LEGACY OF ALL THAT THEY HAVE SUPPORTED NEEDS TO CONTINUE.
THANK YOU. MY CHILDREN, THIS IS THE LAST OF MY KINDERGARTNERS.
AND WE WILL HOPE THAT WE CONTINUE ON.
SO THANK YOU. THOSE THAT CAME OUT TO.
BACK TO SAY, CAN YOU COME BACK TO THE PODIUM JUST FOR A QUICK SECOND? COME BACK TO THE PODIUM.
AND STUDENTS. THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY LOVELY.
LOVELY. YOU DID A WONDERFUL JOB.
YOU REPRESENT YOUR SCHOOL, YOUR COMMUNITY AND YOUR PRINCIPAL VERY WELL.
AND DR. Z, WE JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEART FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE TO CPS.
UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE THE KIDS SAID, WHEN WE THINK WE CAN, WE DEFINITELY WILL.
DID YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND IN YOUR SCHOOL? AND WE GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU FOR THAT.
AND YES, YOU SIMPLY ARE THE BEST AND BELIEVE DR.
K WYATT WOULD LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS AS WELL.
SO I'VE GOT TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE CREATIVE.
IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN IN HER BUILDING ON A TOUR, I CAME OVER TO HELP OUT WITH ONE THING.
I LEFT HOURS LATER IN A LIST OF EVERYTHING.
SHE WANTED TO MAKE THAT SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT GREAT.
[00:15:01]
AND SO WE HAVE A LITTLE JOKE ABOUT RECRUITMENT POOLS.I'M ALWAYS GOING TO REMEMBER YOU FOR THAT.
I THINK SHE'S LOOK, SHE'S SHAKING HER HEAD AT ME RIGHT NOW.
BUT DOCTORS. NO, NO, WE'RE NOT.
DON'T TURN IT ON. DON'T TURN IT ON.
DOCTOR, YOUR LIST HASN'T BEEN FULFILLED.
SO SHE WILL ALWAYS BE KNOWN IN MY HEART AS OUR DISCUSSIONS AROUND RECRUITMENT POOLS.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU.
YOU'RE, OF COURSE, A GREAT RECRUITER, WE KNOW THAT.
AND ESSER, WE CAN TALK TO YOUR MOM ABOUT COMING TO WORK FOR TEACHER.
SO, DOCTOR, SINCE YOU'RE GOING BACK TO THE SEAT, YOU CAN RECRUITER DURING THE BREAK HERE, SO.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, DOCTOR ZAIUS, WE HONOR YOU.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN.
THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.
OKAY. WE ARE AS WE TRANSITION HERE, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM AND THINK I WAS SUPPOSED TO TURN THE MEETING OVER TO THE CHAIR AFTER WE VOTED HER IN.
AND I'M SO SORRY, CHERYL, BUT BEFORE I BEFORE I DO TURN IT OVER TO YOU, I DO WANT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TEASE MR. HARRIS A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE HE GOT HERE JUST IN TIME FOR THE DEBUT OF HIS STRATEGIC PLAN VIDEO VIGNETTE.
I WAS. I WAS TRYING TO MISS IT.
SO. ALL RIGHT. AND CHAIR ALDERTON, THE MEETING, JAWS.
WELL, GUESS I SHOULD THANK YOU ALL FOR LETTING ME PARTICIPATE.
BUT WITH THAT, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN VIDEO VIGNETTE STARRING MR.
[5. Strategic Plan Video Vignette ]
CHRISTOPHER HARRIS.LORBER ALEXANDER CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHO MAKE OUR SCHOOL DIVISION WHERE IT IS TODAY.
WHY BUS DRIVERS, CUSTODIANS TO OUR TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, TO OUR DEPARTMENTAL AND LEADERSHIP TEAMS. EVERYONE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN ENSURING THE SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY.
THROUGHOUT 2025 STRATEGIC PLAN EQUITY FOR ALL.
THIS IS WHY ENHANCING RECRUITMENT EFFORTS, CAREER GROWTH AND PIPELINE OPPORTUNITIES AND ESTABLISHING A STRONG STAFF WELLNESS PROGRAM TO BECOME AN AREA OF FOCUS. IN THIS VIDEO, WE WILL SHARE HOW STAFF WELLNESS AND GROWTH IS CRITICAL IN SUPPORTING ACP'S VISION TO INSPIRE STUDENTS AND ADDRESS BARRIERS TO LEARNING.
TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR RECRUITMENT EFFORTS BY PARTNERING WITH DIVERSE INSTITUTIONS AND PROFESSIONAL GROUPS SUCH AS LATINX ORGANIZATIONS, HBCUS AND CAREER SWITCHER PROGRAMS. WE PARTNER WITH THESE GROUPS TO HOST IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL RECRUITMENT EVENTS ACROSS COMMUNITIES TO PROVIDE STRONG PIPELINES FOR ALL POTENTIAL CANDIDATES.
CPS ALSO RECENTLY LAUNCHED A NEW AIR CAREERS TWITTER ACCOUNT TO PROMOTE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND ENGAGE CURRENT STAFF, AS WELL AS BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES.
[00:20:03]
WITH AND RECRUIT THE BEST FOR OUR SCHOOL DIVISION.IN ADDITION, A COMBINED FUNDS BUDGET FOR THE 2023 FISCAL YEAR STRIVES TO STRENGTHEN OUR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS IN SEVERAL WAYS, INCLUDING RAISING PAY THROUGH SALARY STEP INCREASES AND MARKET RATE ADJUSTMENTS FOR ELIGIBLE STAFF TO MAKE SALARIES COMPETITIVE IN THE REGION.
BY SUPPORTING A COMPETITIVE SALARY AND BENEFITS PROGRAM, WE POSITION ACP TO CONTINUE TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN HIGH QUALITY STAFF, INCLUDING BUS DRIVERS, CUSTODIAL STAFF, PARAPROFESSIONALS, ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AND DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP.
THROUGH PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES, CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TEACHER AND LEADER PIPELINES, STAFF AND CONTINUOUSLY GROW THEIR SKILLS TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THEIR WORK AND TO ENSURE THE BEST LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS.
THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO.
SUPPORT NEW TEACHERS AS THEY INTEGRATE INTO THE CULTURE AND CLIMATE OF OUR SCHOOLS AND DIVISION.
CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND PRACTICE EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL LEARNERS.
ENHANCE TEACHERS PRACTICE THROUGH PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND REFLECTION.
INCREASE AND IMPROVED RECRUITMENT, SUCCESS AND RETENTION OF NEW TEACHERS TO CPS.
AND PROMOTE AND DEVELOP TEACHER LEADERSHIP IN THE DIVISION.
WE ALSO SUPPORT STAFF AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS THE NATIONAL BOARD OF CERTIFIED TEACHERS AND WILL FUND A MAJORITY OF THE COSTS FOR SELECTED CANDIDATES.
SCHOOL STAFF GET THEIR BEST WHEN THEY FEEL THEIR BEST.
THE ACP'S EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM PROVIDES RESOURCES AND EVENTS TO ENCOURAGE STAFF TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THEIR PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL WELLNESS.
MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS PARTICIPATE IN WELLNESS RELATED EVENTS ORGANIZED BY THEIR WELLNESS CHAMPION AND STAFF MEMBER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF WELLNESS EVENTS AT THEIR SCHOOL.
YOGA HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY POPULAR AT FERDINAND DE AND DOUGLAS MACARTHUR TO THE WORKOUTS AT JAMES K POLK HAVE HELPED BOOST THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELLNESS TENETS FOR STAFF. AND CHARLES BARRETT RECEIVED PILATES BALLS AND LEARNED EASY WAYS TO RELIEVE TENSION.
OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS THESE DIVISION WIDE EFFORTS LIKE WELLNESS, BINGO AND MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS HAVE BEEN CREATED TO PROVIDE ALL STAFF WITH THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO THRIVE IN THEIR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIVES AND HELP MAINTAIN A WORK LIFE BALANCE.
OUR EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ALSO OFFERS IMMEDIATE NO COST ASSISTANCE FOR EMOTIONAL OR WORK LIFE COUNSELING, FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND LEGAL SUPPORT AND RESOURCES.
RE ACCESS TO THE CALM ACT AND MY STRENGTH APP TO HELP WITH SELF-CARE TECHNIQUES.
WELLNESS COACHING THROUGH KAISER PERMANENTE.
ANYTIME. ACCESS TO A LICENSED THERAPIST THROUGH TALKSPACE.
UNLIMITED ON DEMAND OR RATE REDUCED LIVE EXERCISES THROUGH CLASSPASS.
FREE FLU SHOTS FOR UNITED HEALTH CARE MEMBERS AND MORE.
THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF ALL OUR STAFF HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON OUR STUDENTS.
WE ENSURE THAT THEY ARE WELL EQUIPPED TO SERVE AS A FOUNDATION FOR ALL STUDENTS TO SUCCEED.
THE SCHOOL BOARD, WITH THE WORK AND INPUT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT SENIOR LEADERSHIP, OUR DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, STAFF, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ENSURES THAT DECISIONS WE MAKE ARE ALIGNED WITH THE NEEDS AND PRIORITIES OF THE SCHOOL DIVISION AND WITH OUR CORE VALUES.
[00:25:10]
STRONG AND MOVING TOWARDS THE FUTURE.THANK YOU, MR. HARRIS, FOR TAKING SOME TIME OUT TO DO THAT VIDEO.
I MEAN, YOU GUYS WERE, LIKE, LAUGHING AT DR.
WHITE ON THE POGO STICK, BUT I THINK THE MOST SHAMEFUL PART OF IT WAS FOR ME BECAUSE I'M THE WIFE OF THE PE TEACHER AND I COULD NOT JUMP ON THAT POGO STICK.
I COULD NOT GET MORE THAN TWO JUMPS IN AND DR.
WHITE WAS JUST GOING, GOING, GOING.
WHITE. YOU. YOU'VE GOT SKILLS.
OKAY. I'LL BE TALKING TO THE EDITOR IN THE MORNING.
[6. Public Hearing on ACPS/APD Memorandum of Understanding ]
ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON.WE DO HAVE OUR PUBLIC HEARING ON THE APD MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.
SO WE HAVE TWO COMMENTS ON THAT.
AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO THE CLERKS TO TO CALL EACH COMMENTER UP.
MY GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF THE MOU BETWEEN APD AND APPS WERE THAT IT WAS EXHAUSTIVE AND SPEAKING TO WHAT SROS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO DO, AND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD VIEWED APD INVOLVEMENT IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AS NOTHING MORE THAN A TOKEN GESTURE TO PARENTS OF STUDENTS AS WELL AS THE ALEXANDRIA COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
THE OVERVIEW OF THE MOU READS, QUOTE, THE ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT HEREBY ENTER INTO THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING OF SCHOOL LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP TO FOSTER RELATIONS OF MUTUAL RESPECT, COLLABORATION AND UNDERSTANDING IN ORDER TO BUILD A POSITIVE AND SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT. OF THE TEN INSTANCES OF THE WORD TRAINING IN THE BODY OF THE MOU, EIGHT OF THEM REFER TO THE EXTENSIVE SRO TRAINING REQUIRED OF ALL APD PERSONNEL ACTING AS SROS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS, KNOWLEDGE OF CPS POLICIES AND UNDERSTANDING OF STATE POLICIES AS WELL. THE TWO INSTANCES OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TAKING TRAINING WERE IN REFERENCE TO UNDERSTANDING THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SROS IN THEIR SCHOOLS.
I EXPECTED THAT THIS SCHOOL BOARD WOULD UNDERSTAND AT LEAST THAT BASIC PRINCIPLE.
PARAGRAPH FOUR. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS.
SECTION B VII ON PAGE EIGHT EXPLAINS THAT CPS INTENDS TO USE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION STRATEGY AND RESTORATIVE PRACTICES, INCLUDING RESTORATIVE CIRCLES, TO MEDIATE DISCIPLINARY ISSUES WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS.
I ASK THAT CPS CONSIDER ADDING THE WORD PARENTS INTO THAT SENTENCE.
TIER TWO RESTORATIVE PRACTICES DESIGNATED BY THE CPS POLICY ON RESTORATIVE PRACTICES TO ADDRESS WRONGDOING, CONFLICTS OR PROBLEMS DOES NOT EXPLICITLY NAME PARENTS TO BE PART OF RESTORATIVE CIRCLES.
PARENTS INFLUENCE THEIR CHILDREN IN WAYS THAT SCHOOL STAFF JUST CAN'T.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CINDY CARBALLO GARCIA, AND SHE WILL BE ATTENDING VIA ZOOM.
MS.. GARCIA. WE ARE ALLOWING YOU TO TALK.
MY NAME IS CINDY, YOUTH, ORGANIZER OF TENANTS AND WORKERS UNITED AND FORMER STUDENT.
I'M HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS CONCERNS OF THE PROPOSED MOU CHANGES BETWEEN CPS AND APD.
[00:30:04]
EDUCATION.OUR YOUTH CONTINUE TO SEEK FOR MORE RESOURCES IN THE BUDGET EVERY YEAR, BUT WE CONTINUE TO SEE AN INCREASE IN OTHER INVESTMENTS THAT DO NOT HAVE THE POSITIVE, THE POSITIVE IMPACTS FOR OUR YOUTH, ESPECIALLY YOUTH OF COLOR.
THIS CURRENT MOU AND THE PROPOSED CHANGES INCLUDE A GLOSSARY OF TERMS, QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REVIEW MEETINGS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, THE REMOVAL OF REFERENCE OF TO DISCIPLINE AND THE SRO ROLE, AND THE USE OF SHARED TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES.
SOME CONCERNS THAT THESE CHANGES RAISE INCLUDE THE FAILURE TO INCLUDE CRITERIA THAT ASSESSES ANY HARM THAT STUDENTS EXPERIENCE WHILE INTERACTING WITH THE POLICE OR THEIR PRESENCE.
THE INCLUDED SRO ASSESSMENT FORM ONLY ASKS WHETHER THE SROS ARE PUNCTUAL AND ACT APPROPRIATELY, WHICH DOES NOT INCLUDE A FURTHER DEFINITION OF WHAT APPROPRIATELY ENTAILS.
WE NEED TO BE INCLUSIVE OF STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN THESE SITUATIONS AND NOT ONLY SRO PERSPECTIVES.
THE REVISED CHANGES ALSO REMOVE THE REFERENCES OF DISCIPLINE IN THE SRO ROLE, BUT EXPLICITLY ADD THAT SRO MAY PHYSICALLY INTERVENE IN FIGHTS TO RESTORE ORDER AND SAFETY, WHICH WILL ONLY CAUSE AN ESCALATE, AN ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE AND HARM IN A SITUATION.
HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE A SAFE, HAVE A SCHOOL CLIMATE THAT MAKES THEM FEEL SAFE AND THAT IS CULTURAL COMPETENT FOR EVERYONE THIS WAY.
THE MOU INCLUDES AN ENDORSEMENT OF SHARED TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES WITH USAGE OF BODY WORN CAMERAS, BUT IS NOT CLEAR REGARDING THE PROTECTION OF STUDENT PRIVACY, HOW DATA IS USED, SHARED, OR HOW LONG IT'S RETAINED.
WHILE RESTORATIVE PRACTICES IS ENCOURAGED AND IT IS A GOOD STEP FORWARD IN THE MOU, THE DEFINITION PROVIDED A FIELD WITHIN SOCIAL SCIENCES THAT STUDIES HOW TO STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS SOCIAL CONNECTIONS WITHIN COMMUNITIES DOES NOT TRULY CAPTURE THE MEANING. WE ARE HOPING THAT YOU CAN TAKE THESE CONSIDERATIONS AND AND DO WHAT WOULD TRULY PRIORITIZE STUDENT WELL-BEING AND SAFETY IN THE LONG RUN, WHICH INCLUDE ALTERNATIVES LIKE RESTORATIVE PRACTICES AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT.
WE HOPE TO FOLLOW UP WITH EACH OF YOU IN THE FALL AND WORK TOGETHER TO SEEK SOLUTIONS ON HOW LEADERSHIP WILL TAKE ACTION TO ENSURE SUCCESS FOR OUR YOUTH OF COLOR.
WE DO HAVE WE DID SCHEDULE A PUBLIC HEARING ON OUR FY 2024 COMBINED FUNDS AND 24, 2024, 33 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET.
[8. Public Comments ]
SO WE CAN MOVE ON THEN TO PUBLIC COMMENT.SO I'LL JUST QUICKLY REITERATE A FEW THINGS ABOUT OUR PUBLIC COMMENT.
SPEAKERS ALWAYS HAVE THE OPTION, THE OPTION TO SHARE COMMENTS VIA ZOOM.
YOU ALSO HAVE THE OPTION TO SHARE COMMENTS IN WRITING AS WELL.
EVERY SPEAKER HAS UP TO THREE MINUTES AND THAT THOSE YOU'RE SPEAKING IS TIMED.
SO WHEN THE THREE MINUTE MARK IS UP, YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED BY THE CLERKS.
WE JUST ASK THAT ALL COMMENTS ARE RESPECTFUL AND PLEASE AVOID NAMING INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING INDIVIDUAL STAFF, INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS, PARENTS, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND ETCETERA.
SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THE CLERKS TO CALL UP THE FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTER.
[00:35:01]
OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS JENNIFER RING.I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF OUR PTA BOARD.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME THIS EVENING.
I WANTED TO COME AND SPEAK TO YOU ALL TONIGHT ABOUT CORE KNOWLEDGE.
BUT I'LL ADD THAT LYLES CROUCH ADOPTED CORE KNOWLEDGE AS ITS CURRICULUM IN 2009 AND IS A SCHOOL OF DISTINCTION, WHICH MEANS THAT WE DISPLAY AND OUR ADMINISTRATORS DISPLAY THE BEST PRACTICE IN BEST PRACTICES IN IMPLEMENTING THIS CURRICULUM.
AS A PARENT, I SEE THE VALUE IN CORE KNOWLEDGE TO TWOFOLD.
WHILE THERE IS CERTAINLY MORE WORK TO DO, LYLES CROUCH PRODUCES SOLID RESULTS IN CLOSING THE GAP FOR STUDENTS EXPERIENCING THE WIDEST ACHIEVEMENT GAPS AND IS MAKING UP GROUND FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE FALLEN BEHIND DURING THE PANDEMIC.
SO JUST HAVE HAVE TWO THINGS THAT I WANT TO ASK OF YOU TONIGHT.
FIRST, PLEASE FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE EVIDENCE THAT CORE KNOWLEDGE WORKS AND EXPLORE AND POSSIBLY CONSIDER IF THIS IS A FIT TO USE MORE WIDELY WITHIN CPS. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO VISIT AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS, BUT WE'LL WELCOME YOU BACK AND FURTHER THIS DISCUSSION WITH YOU ALL.
THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DEE OLIPHANT.
HELLO, AND THANK YOU FOR HEARING ME THIS EVENING.
MY NAME IS DOLENT AND I AM THE CHAIR OF YOUR TAG TALENTED AND GIFTED ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
I'M ALSO A PARENT OF THREE KIDS AT CORA KELLY SCHOOL.
SO NEXT YEAR I'LL BE A TWO SCHOOL PARENT.
THIS IS MY FIFTH YEAR ON THE TAG ACT.
WHEN I STARTED IN 2018, A KEY FOCUS OF THE COMMITTEE THEN WAS THE FACT THAT OUR LOCAL PLAN HAD EXPIRED IN 2017 AND NEEDED TO GET A NEW ONE IN PLACE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
IT IS NOW 2023 AND IS STILL OPERATING UNDER THE LOCAL PLAN WRITTEN IN 2011, APPROVED IN 2012 AND EXPIRED IN 2017. IN MY FIVE YEARS ON THE TAG ACT, WE HAVE SEEN CHANGES IN THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, THE OFFICE OF TEACHING, LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP, INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT AND THE TAG PROGRAM ITSELF.
WE'VE SEEN COVID 19 CLOSE OUR SCHOOLS.
WE'VE HAD A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ACP PUT INTO PLACE.
WE HAVE LISTENED TO PARENTS, STAFF, TEACHERS AND EXPERTS IN GIFTED EDUCATION FROM OUTSIDE OF CPS.
WE HAVE ANNUALLY REVIEWED TAG RELATED DATA FROM THE OFFICE OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
WE HAVE REGULARLY CHALLENGED THE STAFF OF THE OF THE TAG OFFICE TO ADDRESS OUR IDEAS AND CONCERNS AS PARENTS AND AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND THEY HAVE RESPONDED.
TAG HAS MAINTAINED A FOCUS ON TWO BIG CONCERNS IMPROVING THE EQUITY WITHIN THE TAG PROGRAM AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF TAG SERVICES DELIVERED. I BELIEVE AND THE TAG ACT RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS YEAR ARE ON THEIR WAY TO YOU AND YOU WILL SEE THIS REFLECTED IN THOSE AS WELL THAT THE UPDATED LOCAL PLAN PRESENTED BY DR.
TEMPLE MILNER LATER THIS EVENING WILL MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION ON BOTH OF THOSE AREAS OF CONCERN.
[00:40:01]
IT WON'T BE SUCCESSFUL, HOWEVER, IF YOU UPDATE THE LOCAL PLAN, BUT THEN DO NOT SUPPORT IT WITH THE FUNDING, STAFFING AND OTHER RESOURCES.PLEASE VOTE YES ON THE LOCAL PLAN AND START WORKING NOW TO MAKE A PLAN TO SUPPORT IT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS WITH A STAFF CURRICULUM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES THAT IT NEEDS TO SUCCEED.
THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JEREMY MILLER.
HI, MY NAME IS JEREMY MILLER AND I'LL BE SPEAKING ABOUT TAG SERVICES.
I'M THE PARENT OF A FIRST GRADER WHO IS IDENTIFIED FOR TAG.
LAST YEAR AT LAST MONTH'S SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, I SHARED SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT MY CHILD'S EXPERIENCE WITH TAG, WHAT SEEMS TO BE BENEFICIAL ALONG WITH WHAT MIGHT BE IMPROVED AS WELL AS SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BOARD.
THIS YEAR DID SOMETHING VERY POSITIVE WHEN IT CAME TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF GIFTED LEARNERS.
IT IMPLEMENTED UNIVERSAL SCREENING FOR ALL FIRST GRADERS.
I THOUGHT THIS APPROACH WAS FANTASTIC.
IT MEANS THAT NO CHILD HAS TO DEPEND ON BEING REFERRED FOR TAG IDENTIFICATION, EITHER BY A TEACHER WHO MAY NOT RECOGNIZE GIFTED CHARACTERISTICS OR A PARENT WHO HAS NOT EVEN HEARD OF TAG. EVERY SINGLE CHILD GETS THE SAME FAIR SHOT WITH THIS APPROACH, CPS ACHIEVES ITS GOAL OF REMOVING BARRIERS TO EQUITABLE IDENTIFICATION.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THE NEW PLAN PROPOSES TO COMPLETELY DO AWAY WITH IDENTIFICATION OF GIFTED LEARNERS IN GRADES K TO THREE, WITH THE RATIONALE THAT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH DATA TO DETERMINE WHETHER A CHILD IS GIFTED OR NOT BEFORE FOURTH GRADE.
OF COURSE, IT'S NOT STATED THIS WAY IN THE PLAN.
THIS DESCRIPTION DOES NOT PASS THE SMELL TEST.
HOW CAN GIFTED LEARNERS RECEIVE THE SERVICES THEY NEED IF THEY'RE NOT PROPERLY IDENTIFIED? YOU MIGHT ALSO HEAR THAT THE COST OF SCREENING ALL FIRST GRADERS IS SOMEHOW PROHIBITIVE.
HOWEVER, THE ACTUAL NUMBERS DO NOT BEAR THIS OUT.
FURTHERMORE, WE SHOULD ASK OURSELVES WHAT IS THE COST TO A WOULD BE GIFTED LEARNER, BOTH IN TERMS OF LOST POTENTIAL AND ADVERSE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL IMPACTS IF WE FAIL TO IDENTIFY THEM. THE BIGGER PROBLEM WITH ELIMINATING IDENTIFICATION OF GIFTED K-2 LEARNERS IS THAT IT MEANS THE PROPOSED PLAN IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAWS.
THE STATUTE READS AS FOLLOWS EACH SCHOOL DIVISION SHALL ESTABLISH UNIFORM PROCEDURES FOR SCREENING, REFERRING, IDENTIFYING, AND SERVING STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE WHO ARE GIFTED IN GENERAL INTELLECTUAL OR SPECIFIC ACADEMIC APTITUDE FOR GRADES K TO THREE.
THE PROPOSED PLAN ELIMINATES THESE PROCEDURES.
THIS DISCREPANCY MEANS THE PLAN CANNOT BE PASSED IN ITS CURRENT FORM.
COPY AND PASTE THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID PALADIN FERNANDEZ.
IN MY PREVIOUS COMMENTS, I SPOKE ABOUT HOW VITAL IT IS TO BRING RESPECT BACK TO THE EDUCATION PROFESSION AND HOW CRUCIAL IT IS IN PRESERVING OUR COUNTRY'S DEMOCRATIC IDENTITY. IN FACT, DURING THE LAST SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, WE HIGHLIGHTED THREE EDUCATORS WHO HAVE DONE THE UTMOST TO UPHOLD THAT IDENTITY.
THE PRINCIPAL AND TEACHER OF THE YEAR WERE RIGHTFULLY SUNG THEIR PRAISES, AS WAS OUR NEW SUPERINTENDENT, WHO DESERVES HER OWN SPEECH ABOUT THE HISTORY SHE MADE AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MINORITY LEADER IN A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE TOWN.
BUT I'M AFRAID I MUST DIGRESS.
IN THE CONTEXT OF CELEBRATING OUR FRONTLINE EDUCATORS.
THE CEREMONY, HIGHLIGHTING THE PRINCIPAL AND TEACHER OF THE YEAR, WAS MOVING, TO SAY THE LEAST.
AND IF WE DO NOT FOLLOW UP OUR CEREMONIES WITH CONCRETE ACTION, THEN PEOPLE WILL START TO NOTICE.
IN REALITY, PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO NOTICE.
FALLS CHURCH HAS PASSED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
PRINCE WILLIAM HAS PASSED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
[00:45:01]
FAIRFAX HAS PASSED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.BUT IN GREATEST CONTRAST TO CPS IS ARLINGTON.
I KNOW THE PRINCIPAL OF THE LARGEST HIGH SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA RESIGNED.
AND WHERE DID HE DECIDE TO GO? ARLINGTON. THE PROBLEM IS BECOMING SO PERVASIVE THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE OPENLY ASKING, WHY ARE SO MANY OF OUR EDUCATORS LEAVING? AND I GET THESE QUESTIONS SO OFTEN.
I SOMETIMES WONDER WHY I HAVE NOT DECIDED TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE RECRUITING ME TO LEAVE.
AND THE REASON IS, WHEN THINGS GET HARD, YOU DO NOT RUN.
YOU STAY AND MAKE THEM BETTER.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT FIGHT HAS A FINITE SHELF LIFE AND MANY EDUCATORS HAVE USED THEIRS UP AND WITHOUT ANY DIRECT SUPPORT OR GUIDANCE FROM THE BOARD, THE PEOPLE WILL FORM THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS. AND WE KNOW HOW EASY IT IS FOR PEOPLE TO FORM THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS.
AS SUCH, THIS BOARD MUST MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT AS SOON AS IT CAN BE WRITTEN.
I FIRST JOINED IN 2016 BECAUSE IT WAS THE MODEL.
IT HAD THE HIGHEST SALARIES AND GREATEST SUPPORT OF ANY DISTRICT IN THE AREA, IF NOT THE COUNTRY.
BUT SOMETIME BETWEEN THEN AND NOW, WE HAVE LOST OUR WAY.
AND WE NEED TO WORK TO GET BACK TO OUR CITY UPON THE HILL STATUS.
THE HEALTH OF OUR VERY COMMUNITY REQUIRES IT.
OUR LAST SPEAKER IS DEBORAH J.
THANK YOU. TONIGHT, I'M SPEAKING ABOUT SAFETY, SECURITY AND THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2025.
FIRST, I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE SOMETHING THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO MENTION AT THE LAST SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, AND THAT IS HAPPY ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH. TWO WEEKS AGO, THE ALEXANDRIA COMMUNITY HELD A MEETING ON SAFETY AT FORT WARD PARK.
I APPRECIATE THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD WAS THERE TO LISTEN TO AND ADDRESS SCHOOL RELATED CONCERNS.
DURING ONE CONVERSATION, A COMMUNITY MEMBER SUGGESTED THAT ALEXANDRIA LOOK AT OTHER CITIES WITH SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHICS TO SEE HOW THEY MANAGE ISSUES RELATED TO SAFETY AND SECURITY. IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND ONE THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD SHOULD ADOPT AS WELL.
PERHAPS OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL START TO MOVE IN A POSITIVE TRAJECTORY IF IT DOES.
WHENEVER THIS CITY SCHOOL BOARD CONSIDERS A NEW IDEA OR MAKES A DECISION, IT LOOKS TO WHAT OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS CLOSE TO US ARE DOING FIRST, ESPECIALLY ARLINGTON AND FAIRFAX.
EVERYTHING FROM THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2025, WITH ITS FOCUS TO HOW WE MIGHT CHANGE UP THE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS, IS PREDICATED BY WHAT THESE TWO DISTRICTS, AT THE VERY LEAST, ARE DOING IN THAT REGARD.
I CONTEND THAT BY COMPARING US TO THEM, THE SCHOOL BOARD IS ABDICATING ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT CONFRONT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE SAME AS OUR NEIGHBORS.
THESE CONSIDERATIONS NECESSARILY AFFECT BOTH PRIORITY AND FUNDING OF PROJECTS.
ARLINGTON, THOUGH, MUCH CLOSER IN SIZE TO ALEXANDRIA, STILL HAS TWICE AS MANY SCHOOLS AS WE DO.
YOU NEED TO THINK LESS ABOUT WHAT THE JONESES ARE DOING AND AND GIVE MORE THOUGHT TO BOTH IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING SPECIFIC CONCERNS THAT OUR STUDENTS FACE ON A DAILY BASIS AND HOW BEST TO PROVIDE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM WITH THE QUALITY EDUCATION THEY DESERVE.
AS FOR SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS, WHY CHANGE WHAT WORKS? KEEPING ELECTIONS AS THEY ARE WILL PUT THE LEAST AMOUNT OF STRESS ON BOTH CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF AND ALEXANDRIA CITY VOTERS.
[00:50:04]
OKAY. THAT IS THE END OF OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ THOSE AS WELL.
IF YOU WISH TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK OR SUBMIT WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS, MAKE SURE YOU VISIT THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING PAGE AND PLEASE SIGN UP BY NOON THE WEDNESDAY PRIOR TO THE NEXT MEETING.
[9. Report from Student Representatives Emily Milton and Torenzo Ricks ]
MOVING RIGHT ALONG, WE DO HAVE OUR STUDENT REPS WHO WILL SHARE THEIR UPDATES, SO I WILL START WITH MS.. WHO AM I GOING TO START WITH? MS.. MELTON. HELLO, EVERYONE.BUT WE APPRECIATE HER WORK AND WE WILL SPEAK ON BEHALF OF HER.
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO PUT OUT THERE, AS WE ALL KNOW, THE EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL OF ALEXANDRIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL, MR. PETER BALAS, HAS ANNOUNCED THAT HE WILL NO LONGER BE RETURNING TO ALEXANDRIA CITY NEXT YEAR.
I COULD NOT SPEAK MORE HIGHLY OF MR. BALAS. HE HAS BEEN A HUGE CONTRIBUTOR TO MY EDUCATION AND ME AS A STUDENT ALL THE WAY BACK TO MOUNT VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL WHEN HE WAS MY PRINCIPAL AND I WILL BE HONORED FOR HIM TO HAND ME MY DIPLOMA ON JUNE 3RD AS I GRADUATE.
AND I HOPE HIM I WISH HIM THE BEST IN HIS FORWARD JOURNEYS AND I HOPE TO SEE HIM AGAIN.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT ON THE WEBSITE THERE IS A SURVEY PUT OUT THERE FOR COMMUNITY STUDENTS, STAFF AND FAMILY FEEDBACK ON WHAT TYPES OF TRAITS WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN OUR NEW EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL FOR ALEXANDRIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL.
I ALSO ASSUME THAT WE ALL KNOW AT.
I WILL PREFACE BEFORE I SAY ANYTHING ELSE THAT I HAVE NOT BEEN IN THE BUILDING THIS PAST WEEK DUE TO SENIOR EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US SENIORS TO DO INTERNSHIPS BEFORE WE GRADUATE AND BEGIN OUR NEW LIVES.
AND TO SAY THE LEAST, IT WAS A IT WAS A CHALLENGE.
MANY STUDENTS HAD TO TAKE OUT THEIR ENTIRE BACKPACKS.
MANY STUDENTS HAD THEIR THINGS SEARCHED.
IT WAS A PROCESS THAT DEFINITELY WAS NOT THE MOST EFFICIENT.
BUT AS WE'VE GONE ON THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY IMPROVEMENTS TO IT AND IT HAS BECOME A FASTER SYSTEM AND MOST OF THE CHALLENGES HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED. BUT THERE IS ONE PART THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SPECIFICALLY TALK ABOUT, BECAUSE WHEN WE FIRST BROUGHT UP THE WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM, WE WERE WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS A VERY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY THAT WOULD ONLY DETECT WEAPONS, SPECIFICALLY KNIVES AND GUNS AND CETERA.
THAT MAY SET OFF THE ALARM BEFORE THEY EVEN WALK THROUGH THE DETECTOR, WHICH TAKES TIME AND AIDS IN THE TIME TO GET THROUGH THE METAL DETECTORS, WHICH IS THE PROBLEM THAT I INITIALLY HAD HAD WITH THE PROGRAM ITSELF.
AND I WAS ASSURED THAT THAT WOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A HIGH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.
I, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW WE FIX THAT PROBLEM, BUT I THINK THAT THAT AIDS IN THE EFFICIENCY OF THE PROGRAM THAT WE WERE PROMISED AND AIDS IN MAKING THIS PROCESS AND THE TECHNOLOGY ITSELF MORE HELPFUL TO THE STUDENTS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT TAKING 30, 45 MINUTES TO GET ALL THE STUDENTS IN THROUGH THAT TO SCHOOL AND MAKING SURE THAT IT'S HELPFUL AND THE STUDENTS IN THE LONG RUN.
I ALSO WANT TO PUT OUT THERE THAT I STILL DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE ONLY SOLUTION THAT WE NEED IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND WE SHOULD NOT REST SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE IN OUR BUILDINGS AND WE SHOULD STILL BE WORKING FORWARD EVERY DAY TOWARDS SOLUTIONS TO FIX THE PROBLEMS. AND I'LL PASS IT OFF TO TERENZO.
UM, WELL, I GUESS I'M GOING TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF WHAT EMILY SAID.
I DO ECHO EVERYTHING THAT SHE HAS SAID.
[00:55:01]
UM, REGARDING THE WEAPON ABATEMENT SYSTEM.I KIND OF FORGOT THAT WE WERE STARTING IT ON MONDAY, SO IT WAS A BIT OF A SHOCK.
BUT THEN I REALIZED WHAT IT WAS.
UM, AND I WILL SAY IT, IT WAS, IT WAS SOMETHING VERY HARD TO SEE, UM, BECAUSE THE, THE RESPONSES THAT BOTH EMILY AND I WERE GETTING, YOU KNOW, BOTH WERE GOOD AND BAD.
UM, AND I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MAIN THING THAT MOST STUDENTS ARE LOOKING FOR, UM, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE PROCESS OF THE WEAPON SCREENING IS JUST IF WE CAN DO IT A LOT MORE EFFICIENTLY.
UM, I WILL SAY SINCE WE HAVE STARTED, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE DONE A COUPLE OF GOOD IMPROVEMENTS.
BUT I DO THINK THAT, UM, THE TRANSPARENCY WITH THAT AND OTHER THINGS THAT CAN DETECT OR WILL SET OFF THE DETECTORS SHOULD BE EXPRESSED TO STUDENTS.
UM, AND YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD SAY FOR THE WEAPON SYSTEM.
I WILL SAY THAT SINCE WE HAVE STARTED AGAIN, IT HAS BEEN, UM, A LOT MORE EFFICIENT.
UM. TO GO INTO SOME STUFF THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK.
AND IT WAS JUST REALLY A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY JUST TO SEE THE DIFFERENT STUDENTS COMING IN AND SEEING, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY WILL BE GOING ONCE THE NEW YEAR STARTS WITH THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR STARTS.
AND IT WAS JUST AMAZING. I GOT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET DIFFERENT PEOPLE AT CENTRAL OFFICE.
PEOPLE CAME OUT FROM THE COMMUNITY.
IT WAS JUST PRETTY WONDERFUL TO SEE.
UM, THE ALEXANDRIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR SPRING CONCERT WILL BE HELD AT THE KING STREET CAMPUS AUDITORIUM ON JUNE 1ST, SO UNFORTUNATELY YOU ALL WILL NOT BE GRACED WITH MY PRESENCE.
YOU ALL CAN SAY THAT YOU ALL WILL MISS ME.
BUT YOU ALL ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO.
WELL, ACTUALLY, YOU GUYS CAN'T COME.
YOU GUYS ARE MEETING, BUT I'LL SING TO YOU THROUGH THE MEETING.
ON TUESDAY, MYSELF, EMILY AND ZARA, WE MET WITH OUR AMAZING VICE CHAIR FOR OUR VICE CHAIR CHECK INS, AND THIS GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS, UM, A COUPLE MORE GOALS THAT WE HAD IN THE REMAINDER OF OUR TERMS. AND WE MAINLY DISCUSSED.
AND SPEAKING OF THAT, AN EMAIL HAS BEEN SENT FROM THE STUDENT REP ACCOUNT FROM EMILY AND MYSELF, AS WELL AS ZAHRA, ASKING THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMIN IF THEY CAN LET US KNOW THEIR SCHEDULE.
SO THAT WAY, MYSELF, EMILY AND ZAHRA AND A COUPLE OF BOARD MEMBERS ARE ABLE TO GO OVER THERE TO EXPLAIN TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOLERS WHAT THE POSITION IS AND THAT THEY ARE 100% ABLE TO APPLY FOR IT.
LASTLY, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF TALKING WITH A LOT OF STUDENTS REGARDING NARCAN TRAINING AND A LOT OF STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, A LOT OF STUDENTS BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS TO GET A STANDARD OR ADVANCED DIPLOMA IS THAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH A CPR CLASS SLASH TRAINING THROUGH OUR PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS AND A STUDENT BROUGHT UP A REALLY GOOD POINT WHERE WHAT IF THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT WE CAN ADD NARCAN TRAINING TO THAT CURRICULUM? AND I 100% AGREE WITH THEM.
AND I ECHO THAT FOR THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THE SOCIETY THAT WE'RE IN.
IT IS PRETTY HARD FOR STUDENTS.
IS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO DRUGS AND STUFF.
SO I DO BELIEVE WITH STUDENTS BEING ABLE TO KNOW WHAT TO DO IN CASE THEY HAVE TO, LET'S SAY, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, SAVE SOMEBODY'S LIFE. I DO FEEL THAT IT'S NECESSARY AND NOT JUST AT SCHOOL.
UM, SO I DO PROPOSE THAT WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT OUR CURRICULUM AND POSSIBLY ADD THAT TO THE POSSIBLY ADD THE NARCAN TRAINING TO THE CURRICULUM. THANK YOU.
AND SORRY NOT TO HAVE ZARA TONIGHT, BUT WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HER NEXT TIME.
SO IT IS TIME TO ADOPT OUR CONSENT CALENDAR, AND WE NEED A MOTION TO DO SO.
[Consent Calendar ]
[01:00:08]
MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE TO ADOPT THE CONSENT CALENDAR.HAVE MR. HARRIS WHOSE SECONDS? DR. RIEF A MOTION.
ARE THERE ANY ITEMS TO PULL? SEEING THAT THERE ARE NONE.
WE CAN VOTE. AND MY VOTE IS YES.
MS.. ALDERTON YOU HAVE TO GIVE AN ORAL VOTE.
THANK YOU. SO MOVING RIGHT ALONG.
[16. Closed Meeting ]
WE DO HAVE A CLOSED SESSION THAT WE NEED TO GO INTO, SO I WILL NEED MADAM VICE CHAIR TO GET US READ US INTO CLOSE.I MOVE THE BOARD CONVENE A CLOSED MEETING PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE 2.2 3711A 19 FOR THE DISCUSSION OF PLANS TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY AS IT RELATES TO SPECIFIC CYBERSECURITY THREATS OR VULNERABILITIES AND BRIEFINGS BY STAFF MEMBERS CONCERNING ACTIONS TAKEN TO RESPOND TO SUCH MATTERS OR RELATED THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
DISCUSSION OF INFORMATION SUBJECT TO THE EXCLUSION AND SUBDIVISION 4 OR 14 OF VIRGINIA CODE 2.23705.2, WHERE DISCUSSION IN AN OPEN MEETING WOULD JEOPARDIZE THE SAFETY OF ANY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM OR SOFTWARE PROGRAM.
I THINK THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE.
MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD CONVENE A CLOSED MEETING PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE 2.23711.
HAVE DR. RIEF WHO'S SECOND VICE CHAIR, GREENS MOTION.
I WILL CALL FOR THE VOTE AND I AM GIVING A VOTE OF YES.
THANK YOU. I'M CONFIRMING YOUR VOTE.
OKAY. SO I THINK EVERYONE IS TAKING THEIR SEATS.
AND, MADAM VICE CHAIR, WHENEVER YOU ARE READY, I WILL HAVE YOU CERTIFY THE CLOSED SESSION.
EVERYONE. WE'RE GOING TO GET BACK STARTED.
[17. Certification of Closed Meeting ]
ALL RIGHT. MADAM VICE CHAIR, I JUST NEED YOU TO CERTIFY THE CLOSED MEETING.MADAM CHAIR, PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE 2.23712.
I MOVE THAT THE BOARD CERTIFY THAT TO THE BEST OF EACH MEMBERS KNOWLEDGE, ONLY PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS IDENTIFIED IN THE MOTION BY WHICH THE CLOSED MEETING WAS CONVENED AND ARE LAWFULLY EXEMPTED BY THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT WERE HEARD, DISCUSSED OR CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD IN THE CLOSED MEETING HELD ON MAY 18TH, 2023.
RIEF WHO SECONDS VICE CHAIR GREENE'S MOTION.
MOVING ON. WE HAVE SOME OLD BUSINESS THAT WE NEED TO ATTEND TO.
[18. Technology Plan 2023-2028 ]
AND FIRST UP ON THAT LIST OF OLD BUSINESS IS OUR TECHNOLOGY PLAN.HOOVER. WELL, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR.
WYATT, AND SHE CAN TURN IT OVER TO HER TEAM.
WELL, THAT'S FINE, MADAM CHAIR.
SO YOU'VE ALREADY DONE THE INTRODUCTION.
[01:05:06]
SO, DR. HOOVER, TURN IT OVER TO YOU.WE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT OUR NEW 23 TO 28 TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
AND WITH ME IS MY STELLAR TEAM.
MARIAH RUNKEL AND JOHN CRITES HERE TO SUPPORT ME THROUGH THIS EVENING AND TO SHARE THE WORK THAT WE HAVE ALL DONE WITH OUR TEAMS AND WITH STAFF ACROSS AND STUDENTS ACROSS THE DIVISION.
SO WE HAVE AS OF 2018, THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NO LONGER REQUIRED SCHOOL DIVISIONS TO SUBMIT TECHNOLOGY PLANS FOR APPROVAL. INSTEAD, WE CAN INTEGRATE THEM INTO THE STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH WE DO SOME.
BUT WE BELIEVE THAT HAVING A STANDALONE PLAN ALLOWS US TO ADDRESS AREAS MORE BROADLY AND INTENTLY, AND IT ALLOWS US TO SUPPORT THE STRATEGIC PLAN MORE HOLISTICALLY, AS WELL AS OTHER DEPARTMENT PLANS ACROSS THE SCHOOL DIVISION.
SO YOU WILL NOTICE HOPEFULLY THAT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, OUR GOAL, OUR FIRST GOAL AREA IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND IT'S SURROUNDED BY THREE OTHER GOAL AREAS INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY, SECURITY, PRIVACY AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
YOU ALSO NOTICE AND I'LL TALK ABOUT IT AS I GO ON, BUT EACH GOAL AREA HAS SOME OTHER ADJECTIVES OR VERBS AROUND THEM, AND THEY REPRESENT THE VALUES AROUND THOSE GOALS. SO ANOTHER REASON THAT WE LIKE HAVING A TECHNOLOGY PLAN IS IT'S NICE TO HAVE SOME STRUCTURED TIME TO TALK TO STAFF AND STUDENTS ABOUT WHAT THEY WOULD WANT TO SEE AND GET FEEDBACK ABOUT OUR OUR PROGRAMS AND OUR PRACTICES.
BUT THIS GIVES US A DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THINGS MORE STRATEGICALLY.
AND THAT WAS THE BEST FEEDBACK TO TO READ.
SO THESE ARE SOME MAJOR THEMES THAT EMERGED BASED ON OUR PREVIOUS TECH PLAN.
AND I REALLY BELIEVE THAT THESE WERE ALL REALLY COVID INFLUENCED.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD AND I'VE HEARD THIS FROM MY STUDENTS, INCLUDING MY OWN CHILDREN, I HAVE HEARD IT FROM STAFF AND PARENTS, IS THE REAL NEED TO BALANCE THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN OUR CLASSROOM AT HOME DURING COVID.
THAT'S ALL WE DID. AND NOW THAT WE'RE COMING BACK, HAVING SOME MORE INTENTIONAL FRAMEWORKS AROUND THAT BALANCE, AND WE HEARD THAT FROM OUR KINDERGARTNERS ALL THE WAY TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.
SO COLLABORATION WITH OUR INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT TEAM AND WE'VE ALWAYS COLLABORATED WITH THEM, BUT WE HAD SOME REALLY GREAT STRUCTURES IN PLACE BEFORE COVID THAT WE WANT TO RETURN TO SOME IN-PERSON SUPPORT THAT WE WANT TO DO.
THE NEED THROUGH PANDEMIC WAS HUGE, BUT THAT THAT THAT NEEDS TO CONTINUE AS WELL.
SO WE STARTED DOING SOME GREAT THINGS AND WE WANT TO MAKE THOSE EVEN BETTER.
WE KNOW THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAVVY AND THEY KNOW HOW TO GET AROUND THINGS AND SO IT IS CONTINUES TO BE A CHALLENGE TO MAKE SURE WE ARE CONTINUALLY REVIEWING OUR FILTERS AND OUR PRODUCTS TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS FOCUSED ON THEIR WORK AND THE CLASSROOM CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND AS WELL AS THERE'S A REAL DESIRE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE HAVING OUR STUDENTS BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE USE OF THEIR DEVICES.
AND A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COULD JUST SAY MORE AND MORE AND MORE, WE EVERY STAFF WANTS MORE ONLINE, MORE FACE TO FACE, MORE COHORTS, MORE TARGETED EMPLOYEES, A MORE TARGETED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR DIFFERENT EMPLOYEE GROUPS.
INFRASTRUCTURE. I THINK I MENTIONED THIS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO WHEN I WAS HERE.
IF YOU DON'T DRIVE YOUR CAR FOR A YEAR AND YOU GET IN IT A GOOD CHANCE IT DOESN'T TURN ON OR YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME PROBLEMS. THAT WAS OUR REALITY. COMING BACK FROM COVID IS DEALING WITH INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES.
HOWEVER, THAT WE'VE HAD THE FUNDING AND WE STILL HAVE THE FUNDING THROUGH THE ESSER TO ADDRESS THAT.
AND THEN WE WE HEARD THE FINAL TWO BULLETS UNDER THERE.
WE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SOME TIMELY PROJECTS, THE NEED FOR AN IMPROVED EMAIL SYSTEM.
[01:10:02]
AND THEN EQUITY OF RESOURCES, ESPECIALLY A LOT OF CONVERSATION ON SMART BOARDS.THROUGH THE YEARS WE'VE DONE SMART BOARDS OF THE VARIETY OF PTA TITLE ONE OPERATING, BUT IN OUR NEW BUDGET WE PUT A CYCLE TO ATTACK ATTACK THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR, PUTTING IN NEW SMART BOARDS IN THOSE BUILDINGS, AND THEN THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THEN A CYCLE OF OUR ELEMENTARY.
SO WE'RE THRILLED AND WE KNOW OUR SCHOOL STAFF IS EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND WITHIN THAT GOAL WE HAVE RESULTS.
AND UNDER ALL THE RESULTS, WE HAVE SPECIFIC ACTIONS.
BUT TONIGHT FOR YOU ALL HAVE THE TECH PLAN THAT YOU RECEIVED.
AND THEN AT THE END OF OUR TECH PLAN, WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED CROSSWALKS.
SO LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, YOU CAN READ THE GOAL, BUT WHAT WE REALLY VALUE AROUND HERE AND IT SUPPORTS THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS ACCESSIBILITY, ENGAGING, INNOVATIVE AND EQUITABLE. AND OUR RESULTS UP THERE.
THOSE FIRST THREE RESULTS ARE ACTUALLY SIMILAR RESULTS THAT WE HAD IN OUR PREVIOUS PLAN.
THEY CERTAINLY LIKE THE ACCESS TO OUR DEVICES.
IN FACT, SOME WERE WORRIED THAT WE WERE GOING TO GO BACK TO A 3 TO 1 RATIO FOR THE YOUNGER STUDENTS.
WE HAD ACCESS TO DEVICES, NOT AS MUCH AS WE DO NOW, BUT WE HAD A VARIETY OF TOOLS AS WELL.
BUT WHAT WE HEARD MORE IS ABOUT ALSO EXPECTATIONS OF USE OF STUDENTS.
HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO BE USED BY THEIR KIDS OR BY THEIR STAFF OR BY THEIR TEACHERS AND WHAT TO EXPECT? YOU'LL SEE SOME SPECIFIC COLLABORATION.
AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK WE'RE DOING WITH THAT IN VIRGINIA TECH.
AND THEN, AS I MENTIONED, BALANCE EARLIER.
SO BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, WE HAD SOME TECHNOLOGY USE GUIDELINES AND WE STILL HAVE THEM.
WE'RE GOING TO REVISIT THOSE AND RE COMMUNICATE THOSE OUT.
AND THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS GOT SOME REALLY COOL ABILITIES TO SHOW US THAT.
SO I THINK THAT'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SURE OUR STAFF IS USING OUR DIVISION APPROVED TOOLS AND THEN HOW ARE THEY USING THEM IN THEIR CLASSROOMS? AND THEN WE YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE HAD A 1 TO 1 SINCE 2003, WE'VE BEEN AHEAD OF THE GAME WHEN IT COMES TO DEVICES.
BUT THERE'S A REAL DESIRE TO REALLY KIND OF STRUGGLE WITH THIS.
HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY USE SHOULD WE BE USING IN THE CLASSROOMS? K THROUGH 12. SO WE PROPOSE DOING AN ADVISORY GROUP, A MULTI YEAR ADVISORY GROUP, JUST KIND OF STUDY THIS AND GET THE TEACHER FEEDBACK AND PARENT FEEDBACK AND RESEARCH FEEDBACK TO SEE HOW WE DO THIS, BECAUSE IT IS A CHALLENGE.
WE'RE FEELING IT IN OUR HOMES AND WE'RE FEELING IT IN OUR SCHOOLS.
AS I SAID, WE'RE USING SO MUCH TECHNOLOGY ALL OVER.
WE HAVE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMON SENSE MEDIA.
AND THAT GOES TOWARDS OUR FIFTH RESULT ABOUT OUR FAMILIES HAVING ACCESS.
THEY DO HAVE ACCESS TO STUDENT RECORDS AND GRADES.
AND BUT WE WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THEIR ACCESS AND MAKING SURE WE ARE GIVING THEM THE INFORMATION NOT ONLY ABOUT THEIR STUDENT RECORDS, BUT HOW TO USE THE INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AT HOME.
AND WE DO HAVE A TOOL CALLED SECURELY TO HELP MANAGE THE DEVICE AT HOME AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COMMUNICATING THOSE ALL THOSE TOOLS OUT TO FAMILIES TO TO HELP THEM BE OUR PARTNERS.
SO THE NEXT GOAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS THEY'RE ALL EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
BUT OF COURSE, THIS IS A FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING WE DO.
RELIABLE, SCALABLE, TRANSPARENT AND ALSO RESILIENT.
RESILIENCY IS A NEW WORD WE HAVE IN HERE BECAUSE WITH THE WORLD, WITH THE CYBER THREATS THAT WE HAVE AND WE HAVE TO PREPARE FOR, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR NETWORK IS RESILIENT AS WELL.
[01:15:06]
SO THE STANDARDIZATION OF OUR SMART BOARDS OR OUR AV, OUR DOCUMENT CAMERAS, AS WE'VE HAD, AND THEN COMING IN FROM AFTER COVID, HAVING THE INSTRUCTIONAL CAMERAS INSTALLED IN ALL OF OUR CLASSROOMS AS WELL.FOR THE RESULTS RESULT TO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO WITH OUR HELP DESK SOFTWARE AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO IS MONITOR OUR ASSETS, AGE OF OUR ASSETS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE KEEPING WITH FUNDING STAFF DEVICES FOR YEARS OR YOUNGER, THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR WORKLOAD AND OUR RESPONSE TIME FOR OUR TECHS TO STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESPONSIVE AND THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TRENDS SO WE CAN PROACTIVELY BE PROACTIVE.
WHEN ARE TRENDS, WHETHER THEY'RE DEVICE OR SYSTEMS? AND THEN FINALLY, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAINTAIN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS CONTINUALLY CHALLENGED BY CHANGING NEEDS.
I WAS LAUGHING, LAUGHING THE OTHER DAY BECAUSE AS WE STARTED SOLS BACK IN 2010, I USED TO TAPE GRAPHS EVERY DAY OF THE BANDWIDTH USAGE BECAUSE I WAS SO WORRIED WE WERE GOING TO GO OVER THE BANDWIDTH AND THINK WE HAD 130.
SO WE'VE COME FAR TO SAY THE LEAST.
WE HAVE OVER 500% MORE BANDWIDTH THAN WE DID THEN.
SO WE USE ON AVERAGE ABOUT EIGHT OUT OF OUR TEN GIGS A DAY.
AND WE HAVE JUST GONE THROUGH AN RFP TO PREPARE TO MOVE THAT UP TO 40 WHEN WHEN WE NEED THAT.
WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE TESTED FREQUENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS, IN FACT RESILIENT.
SO SAFETY, SECURITY AND PRIVACY.
IF I CAN HAVE A FAVORITE GOAL, IT MAKES ME KIND OF GEEKY, BUT THIS IS MY PROBABLY MY FAVORITE BECAUSE IT'S THE NEW ONE AND IT'S JUST THE STATE OF OUR WORLD RIGHT NOW, MAKING SURE OUR DATA IS SAFE, OUR STUDENTS ARE SAFE, OUR DEVICES ARE SAFE.
WE GOT THE RIGHT SECURITY AND THE RIGHT PRIVACY PRACTICES.
SO WHAT THIS YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE'RE DOING? MAKING SURE WE'RE RENEWING AND UPGRADING OUR CONTENT FILTER TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE ONLINE? MOVING TO 24 OVER SEVEN, MONITORING OF OUR NETWORK TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT SAFEGUARDS AWAY FROM OTHERS, THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT INCIDENT RESPONSE PLANS AND PLAYBOOKS SO THAT WHEN THINGS HAPPEN THAT WE ARE PREPARED AND WE KNOW HOW TO RESPOND AND THEN VENDOR POLICIES TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR VENDORS ARE USING OUR DATA RESPONSIBLY, RESPONSIBLY, AND THE WAY THAT IT'S INTENDED AND CONTRACTUALLY.
AND THEN FINAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IS.
CRUCIAL BECAUSE THAT WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, YOU CAN'T OPERATIONALIZE THE TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
SO IN OUR INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF AND OUR OPERATIONAL STAFF, WE HEARD SIMILAR THINGS.
THEY WANT MORE ONLINE. THEY WANT MORE FACE TO FACE.
THEY ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING IT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, NOT JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
I THINK WE ALWAYS DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, BUT WITH TRANSITION AND MOVEMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. UM, AND THEN THE THIRD RESULT TIES IN TO ACTUALLY THE, THE GOAL OF THE SAFETY SECURITY POLICY, MAKING SURE OUR STAFF IS TRAINED AND AWARE OF DATA USAGE, THE COLLECTION, THE STORAGE, THE DESTRUCTION OF IT.
AND THEN I WANT TO REALLY EMPHASIZE THIS LAST PART AND CURRENT EMERGING AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES.
AS WE LEARNED ABOUT THAT, WE'RE TAKING THE TIME TO LEARN ABOUT IT IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND UNDERSTAND THE BARRIERS, THE CHALLENGES, IF AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO USE THESE TECHNOLOGIES, BECAUSE THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF DATA IMPLICATIONS.
AND THEN FINALLY, THIS IS A NEW FEATURE OF OUR TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
WE HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO USE OUR TECH PLANS AS A COMMUNICATION TOOL AS WELL.
WE DON'T WANT OUR PLAN TO LIVE ON A SHELF AND ITS HIGH LEVEL.
SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IF I'M A PARENT OR TEACHER MOVING AND WHAT IS OUR TECHNOLOGY PLAN ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE IN OUR IN OUR DIVISION? SO HERE WE HAVE OUR EXAMPLE OF OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
SO REALLY, WHAT DOES WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? WHAT TOOLS DO WE USE? HOW DOES IT SUPPORT THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT? HOW DOES IT ALIGN WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN? AND ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC STAFF OR FAMILY RESOURCES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT GOAL?
[01:20:03]
SO NOT ONLY DOES IT HELP COMMUNICATE, BUT WE WANT TO HAVE THIS HELP US KEEP ACCOUNTABLE.WE'RE ALWAYS EXCITED ABOUT OUR TECH PLANS.
AND THEN HAVE TO SHARE THIS LAST QUOTE, THIS QUOTE FROM OUR CLASS OF 2035, FROM OUR COMPUTER MATH FOR MATH, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL.
SO THE BEST PART OF THE PLAN, AS I SAID, WAS LISTENING TO THE KIDS AND SEEING WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY.
AND I WOULD I THINK THIS REMARKABLY PROBABLY I'VE DONE A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY PLANS IN THE SCHOOL DIVISION, AND OUR STUDENTS REALLY ECHOED WHAT OUR ADULTS WERE SAYING AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
CHERYL JOHNSON. HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES.
OKAY. I THINK THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A DELAY.
HOOVER. AND WHAT WE CAN DO IS GO AHEAD AND DO QUESTIONS.
IF BOARD MEMBERS, IF YOU WANT TO USE THE ZOOM FUNCTION TO RAISE YOUR HAND, WE CAN DO THAT.
GREAT. THANK YOU FOR FOR THE POSITIVE ENERGY AND YOUR CHEERLEADERS IN THE BACKGROUND.
IN THIS UPDATE. SO IN TERMS OF THE REVIEWING NOW, HAVING SOME ANALYTICS IN TERMS OF USAGE OF YOUR VARIOUS APPS AND PROGRAMS AND STUFF, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO USE THAT TO DETERMINE WHETHER SOMETHING MAKES SENSE FOR THE DISTRICT TO CONTINUE TO PAY FOR VERSUS NOT? BECAUSE PERHAPS SOMETIMES SOMEBODY IS NOT USING IT BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE IT AND THERE'S STILL A LOT OF VALUE.
SO HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT HOW YOU'RE GOING TO GO ABOUT MAKING SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS? THAT'S A GREAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT USAGE.
SOMETIMES IT'S ABOUT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE OF THAT.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE OUR COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNERS AND BECOMES IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY KNOW THE TOOLS AND HOW THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE USED AND THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GENERALLY, I THINK IT IS HELPFUL SOMETIMES WHEN YOU LOOK AT FOR OVERUSE, I THINK THAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING.
AND THEN LOOKING AT SCHOOLS THAT ARE USING IT AND THEN SCHOOLS ARE NOT AND THEN LOOKING DIGGING IN AND SAYING, WHY AREN'T THEY USING IT? MAYBE THEY HAVEN'T HAD A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OR MAYBE THEY DON'T HAVE THE CHAMPIONS ON THERE.
AND WE DO HAVE A LOT OF TOOLS.
AND AND WE'VE HEARD PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, SUNSETTING MR. TURNER, WOULD HE BE HERE? HE'D BE LIKE, TURN ON INVESTMENT TIME TO SUNSET.
SO THIS IS A TOOL TO HELP DO THAT.
I DON'T THINK IT'S THE ONLY I DON'T THINK THIS DEFINES JUST THEIR USAGE.
I THINK IT'S MORE, MORE, MORE NUANCED THAN THAT.
BUT IT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T HAD BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THINGS BROADLY.
HOOVER, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
JUST A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT SECURITY, CYBER SECURITY.
WELL, BAD ACTORS WERE ABLE TO ACCESS THE NETWORK SOMEHOW THROUGH THAT.
SO DO WE HAVE ANY POLICY FOR PERSONNEL WORKING OVERSEAS IF THEY NEED TO? AND HOW ARE WE THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT? GREAT QUESTION.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT DOESN'T HAPPEN.
AND WE DO NOT ALLOW THAT TO GO.
WE DID DURING THE PANDEMIC HAVE FAMILIES SAYING, I'M IN EUROPE AND WHY IS IT MY SWAGIT WORKING? IT'S BECAUSE THERE'S A VERIZON OVER THERE.
GOOD POINT TO MAYBE PUT INTO PRACTICE.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. YOU OKAY? DR. RIEF? THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE AND THE TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
THE FIRST ONE IS ABOUT YOU TALKED ABOUT THE GOAL OR THE FEEDBACK OF NEEDING BALANCE AND THE GOAL OF WANTING TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE LEARNING, WHICH IS LIKE SPEAKING MY LOVE LANGUAGE.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I DEFINITELY HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT.
[01:25:05]
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THINGS LIKE THE DECLINE IN READING NATIONALLY, LIKE SOMETIMES I WONDER HOW THAT'S RELATED TO TECH USE.SO AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT THE MULTIYEAR ADVISORY GROUP TO STUDY THE ISSUE.
I'D LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT LIKE HOW YOU'RE LIKE, WHO'S GOING TO BE ON THAT GROUP, HOW YOU'RE GOING TO APPROACH IT, AND HOW DOES TECHNOLOGY SERVICES AND LIKE HOW DO YOU KIND OF LIKE WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR KIND OF FIGURING SOME OF THIS STUFF OUT AROUND HOW TO MAKE THE TECHNOLOGY SERVE LEARNING? I THINK IT'S COLLABORATION.
SO WE DO SEE OURSELVES AS PARTNERS WITH SO SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE IS OUR TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION SPECIALISTS HAVE PAIRED UP WITH THE DIFFERENT TEAMS IN ESPECIALLY WITH SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALISTS.
SO THOSE ARE REALLY VALUABLE RELATIONSHIPS WHEN WE PAIR ARTISTS WITH THOSE INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALISTS BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY NEED THE SUPPORT GETTING WHETHER THEIR APPLICATIONS OUT OR LEARNING MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER TOOLS.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S HOW WE PAIR WITH THEM REALLY 1 TO 1, MOSTLY WITH INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALISTS AND THEN OUTWARDS TOWARDS SCHOOLS. SO THIS IS JUST OUR ORIGINAL GOAL WITH OUR FOR THE ADVISORY.
I SOME OF OUR THOUGHTS ARE PAIRING, YOU KNOW, WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS NOW AS WELL.
UM, CERTAINLY STUDENT SERVICES, COUNSELING, NURSES, PARENTS.
WHAT WE KNOW IS OR WHAT WOULD BE A HARD SELL RIGHT NOW TO SAY THIS CLASS, YOU KNOW, THIS GRADE LEVEL, YOU CAN USE IT 20 MINUTES AND IT'S JUST NOT PRACTICAL TO PUT THOSE KIND OF CONSTRAINTS.
AND I DO THINK EVERYBODY WANTS THE BEST AND THE MOST HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT.
SO I THINK LEARNING ABOUT IT TOGETHER AND I THINK THAT'S HOW WE HAVE TO DO IT.
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE BUY IN AS WELL.
GREAT. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEAR MORE HEARING MORE ABOUT IT IN THE FUTURE.
MY OTHER QUESTION WAS ABOUT I WAS RECENTLY AROUND A GROUP OF KIDS, DIFFERENT AGES, AND IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT SOMEHOW SOMEBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT THEIR SCREEN WAS CRACKED ON THEIR CHROMEBOOK AND THEN EVERYONE'S LIKE, MY MY SCREEN IS CRACKED TO LOOK, MY SCREEN IS CRACKED TOO.
AND I WAS LIKE, HOW MANY? WOW. HOW MANY KIDS ARE WALKING AROUND WITH CRACKED SCREENS? AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, AND TRYING TO GET KIDS TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TAKING IT TO THE HELP DESK AND GETTING IT REPAIRED.
SO I WAS KIND OF WONDERING HOW YOU YOU TALKED ABOUT MONITORING ASSETS, LIKE HOW IS THERE A PROCESS FOR THAT DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR TO JUST KIND OF CHECK IN ON WHAT'S GOING ON WITH FOLKS CHROMEBOOKS.
SO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS MORE DESTRUCTIVE PRACTICES FROM KIDS.
AND THAT'S NOT TO SAY KIDS DROP THEM OR BREAK THEM.
AND SO I'VE ACTUALLY HAVE TO SAY EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING.
MY OWN CHILD, I KEPT SAYING GO TO HELP DESK, GO TO HELP DESK AND DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT.
UM, SO I THINK SOME OF IT IS KIDS NOT WANTING TO DO THAT.
WE COULD LOOK INTO THAT, BUT ALSO THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE REPLACEMENT CHROMEBOOKS AND WE ARE REALLY GOING TO HAVE TO WORK HARDER WITH SCHOOLS TO MAKE SCHOOLS HELP US BE MORE ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE THE WE HAVE HAD MORE CHROMEBOOKS BROKEN UP AT POST COVID THAN WE DID BEFORE.
SO WE'VE GOT TO DO SOME PREVENTATIVE WORK AND WE ARE RESPONSIBLE USE POLICY DOES HAVE SOME FEES.
WE'VE BEEN VERY LAX ON SOME OF THAT AND SOME FAMILIES DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS.
BUT AGAIN, WE THINK WE CAN WORK WITH SCHOOLS AND PRINCIPALS TO HELP SUPPORT ADDRESSING THAT.
AND SOMETIMES IT'S SCHOOL BY SCHOOL, TOO.
AND SO THEN WE KNOW WE WE'VE GOT TO ADDRESS SCHOOLS DIFFERENTLY.
OKAY. THANK YOU. I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS SO WE CAN MOVE RIGHT ALONG.
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE WORK.
[19. Updated Local Plan for the Gifted ]
SO NEXT UP ON THE AGENDA, WE HAVE THE UPDATES TO OUR LOCAL PLAN FOR THE GIFTED.AND I'LL TURN THAT OVER TO DR.
WYATT TO TURN OVER TO HER TEAM.
AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO HAVE MISS CARMEN SANDERS COME UP.
THEY'RE MAKING THEIR WAY DOWN TO THE FRONT NOW.
SO, MISS SANDERS, IT'S ALL YOURS.
[01:30:04]
GOOD EVENING, MADAM.MADAM CHAIR. ALDERTON, VICE CHAIR, GREENE AND ESTEEMED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.
DR. WYATT, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU TONIGHT ON THE UPDATED LOCAL PLAN.
DR. TEMPLE MILNER, OUR DIRECTOR OF GIFTED AND ADVANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS, HAS WORKED INCREDIBLY HARD TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN BRING BEFORE THE PUBLIC AND THE BOARD.
THIS IS WORK THAT HAS SPANNED OVER TWO YEARS AND HAS BEEN VETTED THROUGH SO MANY DIFFERENT STEERING COMMITTEES WHERE WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET INSIGHT AND FEEDBACK FROM MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS PRIOR TO ASSUMING THIS POSITION.
I JUST SO HAPPEN TO BE ON ONE OF THOSE STEERING COMMITTEES AS A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR AND THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE DISCUSSIONS AND THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND WHAT OUR STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY GIFTED PROGRAMS MAY NEED.
AND SO THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU WILL HEAR TONIGHT ARE STEEPED IN GIFTED RESEARCH AND BEST PRACTICES AND EQUITY FOCUSED AND TRULY INFORMED BY CPS DATA.
AND SO I WILL NOT PROLONG THE EVENING AND I WILL TURN THE MICROPHONE OVER TO DR.
THANK YOU, MISS SANDERS, FOR THE INTRODUCTION.
AND THANK YOU TO THE SCHOOL BOARD AND DR.
WYATT FOR HAVING US HERE TONIGHT.
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO ALL OF YOU.
UM, OUR LOCAL PLAN WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH THREE INSTRUCTIONAL COMMITTEES STEERING COMMITTEES, ONE REPRESENTED BY SCHOOL IN A CENTRAL OFFICE, ADMINISTRATORS. ANOTHER ONE REPRESENTED BY OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM.
AND OUR THIRD IS OUR PARENT COMMITTEES.
TONIGHT WE ARE GOING TO PRESENT FORWARD THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND I AM SO PROUD RIGHT NOW TO ALSO INTRODUCE TO THE BOARD, UM, MY CO-PRESENTER, MISS MARY WHITFIELD, WHO IS OUR NEW GIFTED AND ADVANCED ACADEMIC INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST IN OUR OFFICE.
SO CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM THAT SHE IS QUIETLY WITH ME, WITH US.
UM, SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO HER FOR OUR NEXT SLIDE.
THEN WE WILL PROVIDE TIME FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD TO ASK QUESTIONS OF US.
ALL RIGHT. SO, AS YOU KNOW, CPS HAS NOT UPDATED THE LOCAL PLAN SINCE 2012.
AND THROUGHOUT ITS IMPLEMENTATION, CPS HAS PROVIDED ADDENDUMS TO THIS LOCAL PLAN.
AND THESE WERE BASICALLY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM EXTERNAL REVIEWS FROM THE TALENTED AND GIFTED ADVISORY COMMITTEES AND ALL UNDER ALSO OUR FORMER COORDINATOR OF GIFTED SERVICES.
THE WORK ON THE LOCAL PLAN WAS NOT JUST DONE OVER THESE TWO YEARS.
THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING MISSION FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
OBVIOUSLY, IF THIS WAS DUE IN 2017, WE WERE WORKING ON THIS IN 2016.
FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, OUR STEERING COMMITTEES, WHICH WERE COMPOSED OF OFFICE ADMINISTRATORS, CENTRAL OFFICE, ADMINISTRATORS, SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, HAVE EXPLORED THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS, BRAINSTORMING, MADE RECOMMENDATIONS FOLLOWING THE STATE GUIDELINES.
FAMILIES, FIELD EXPERTS AND OUTSIDE ADVISORY COMMITTEES.
WE HAVE REFLECTED BACK ON THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED AND MADE CHANGES RECOMMENDED BY THESE COMMITTEES.
IN ADDITION, OUR TAG TEACHERS AND POLICY COMMITTEES HAVE PROVIDED OUR COMMITTEES WITH INPUT ON AREAS OF GROWTH IN AREAS OF STRENGTH BASED ON THE CURRENT PROGRAM, AS WELL AS WHERE OUR PROGRAM NEEDS TO START MOVING.
SO ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS EMBARKED UPON A PARADIGM SHIFT IN HOW WE SERVE ALL KIDS IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, EMPHASIZING ACADEMIC RIGOR FOR ALL. WE ARE REPLACING THE OUTDATED HISTORICAL CONCEPT OF GIFTEDNESS BY FOCUSING ON ACADEMIC NEEDS THROUGH A TALENT DEVELOPMENT MODEL
[01:35:09]
PHILOSOPHY. WE PROPOSE TO CHANGE THE NAME FROM GIFTED AND TALENTED OR TALENTED AND GIFTED TO ADVANCE ACADEMIC SERVICES.ABBREVIATION ARS, WHICH BETTER ALIGNS WITH THIS THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK.
WITHIN THIS SHIFT, WE IDENTIFY SERVICES EACH STUDENTS NEED ALONG A CONTINUUM.
WE WILL MOVE AWAY FROM LABELING STUDENTS AS GIFTED AND TALENTED AND TRANSITION TO A MINDSET OF IDENTIFYING STUDENTS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ADVANCED ACADEMIC SERVICES. STUDENTS REQUIRE IN OUR SCHOOLS SIMILAR TO THE MTS MODEL.
THROUGH THIS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW WHAT THESE ADVANCED ACADEMIC SERVICES MEAN.
AND I'VE PRESENTED THIS GRAPHIC OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS ABOUT RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION IN MTS.
WILL PROVIDE SERVICES TO ALL K THROUGH 12 STUDENTS IN GRADES K THROUGH THREE.
WE WILL RECEIVE STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE IN CLASS SERVICES USING AN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT MODEL WHICH WILL FIND AND NURTURE SPECIFIC ACADEMIC TALENTS. THE ADVANCE ACADEMIC SUPPORT TEACHER, FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE TALENTED AND GIFTED TEACHER, WILL BE CO-TEACHING WITH TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM IN MODELING HIGH LEVEL INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES IN ALL K THROUGH THREE CLASSROOMS, EITHER ONCE A WEEK OR ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE SCHOOL.
IN ADDITION TO STUDENTS RECEIVING DIRECT SERVICES FROM AN ADVANCED ACADEMIC SUPPORT TEACHER, THE SECONDARY GOAL IS ALSO TO BUILD CAPACITY WITH OUR TEACHERS. AND TO FURTHER OUR SCREENING PROCEDURES WHERE WE'RE GIVING CHILDREN MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO THINK AT HIGHER LEVEL, HIGHER LEVELS AND USING THAT AS PART OF OUR IDENTIFICATION PROCESS, NOT JUST USING ONE WORK SAMPLE AS WE CURRENTLY ARE DOING.
WE'LL FOCUS ON THE SPECIFIC ACADEMIC SERVICES MODEL.
THIS WILL BE OUR TIER THREE INTERVENTION.
WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON SPECIFIC ACADEMIC APTITUDE.
WITHIN TIER THREE MATH STARTING NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, WE PROPOSE THAT WE MOVE AWAY FROM ACCELERATED MATH TO ADVANCE MATH, WHICH IS A FOCUS ON ENRICHMENT RATHER THAN FULL YEAR ACCELERATION OF STANDARDS, WHICH OUR DATA SHOWS IS NOT WORKING FOR OUR CHILDREN.
AS A DIVISION IN COMMITTEE THAT KEEPS EQUITY AS A TOP PRIORITY.
OUR COMMITTEE HAS TAKEN COURAGEOUS STEPS TO ENSURE WE USE IDENTIFICATION PROCEDURES AND INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES THAT ARE CULTURALLY, LINGUISTICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY UNBIASED FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
THE DATA FOR IDENTIFICATION IS MORE ROBUST WHEN OUR STUDENTS GET INTO THIRD GRADE.
WHICH IS THE GRADE LEVEL IN WHICH WE WILL BE DOING UNIVERSAL SCREENING.
GRADE THREE UNIVERSAL SCREENING WILL ALSO INCLUDE CONTINUING OUR USE OF NATIONALLY NORMED ABILITIES TESTING, WORKING WITH OUR ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE TO DETERMINE IF LOCAL NORMS IS APPROPRIATE FOR OUR CHILDREN.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'LL BE CONTINUING TO USE STANDARDIZED ACHIEVEMENT TESTS.
AND THEN WE WILL ALSO BE USING A NATIONALLY RESEARCHED OBSERVATION SKILL FOR OUR CHILDREN.
IF WE ARE DOING WORK IN OUR CLASSROOMS, HIGHER LEVEL WORK, KINDERGARTEN AND THIRD GRADE, OUR KIDS WILL HAVE GREATER OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM WELL ON THAT OBSERVATION SCALE.
[01:40:03]
IT WILL BE THREE WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN UNIVERSALLY SCREEN CHILDREN.ONCE ARE WE DEVELOP OUR UNIVERSAL SCREENING POOL IN THIRD GRADE.
OUR SCHOOLS WILL BE THE LEAD CONTACT FOR SCREENING, AND WE'LL DO THE REST OF THE DATA COLLECTION.
WHEN DECISIONS ARE MADE FOR TIER THREE INSTRUCTION THAT WILL NOW MOVE TO THE CENTRAL OFFICE LEVEL, WHERE WE WILL BRING IN COMMITTEES FROM THE SCHOOLS, FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES, AND WE'LL BE DOING THE SCREENING THERE.
THAT WILL ALLOW US TO HAVE MORE OVERSIGHT ON HOW STUDENTS ARE BEING FOUND ELIGIBLE, AS WELL AS HAVE A STANDARD PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT IS SET ACROSS THIS SCREENING COMMITTEE VERSUS JUST VARIOUS SCHOOLS ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
WE THINK THIS IS A WAY THAT WE COULD TIGHTEN UP IDENTIFICATION.
SOME STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND I KNOW YOU ALWAYS GET STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHATEVER PROJECTS COMING UP.
SO THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS PART.
UM, SO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS FOR THE ADVANCED ACADEMIC SUPPORT, TEACHERS WILL NOW BE MOVED FROM TALENTED AND GIFTED TEACHERS TO ADVANCE ACADEMIC SUPPORT TEACHERS STARTING NEXT YEAR, SCHOOLS WITH TO ADVANCE ACADEMIC SUPPORT.
TEACHERS WILL USE ONE OF THE BEST TEACHERS AS A SCHOOL BASED SCREENING LEAD.
CURRENTLY WE HAVE A LOT OF SCHOOLS THAT ARE STILL USING THEIR SCHOOL COUNSELORS FOR SCREENING.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, OUR SCHOOL AND I ALWAYS CALL THEM I CALL THEM THE TEDDY BEARS OF THE SCHOOL.
OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS ARE PLACES OR PEOPLE WHERE FAMILIES CAN COME TO TO SHARE AREAS OF SUPPORT THAT THEIR CHILD MAY NEED OR THEIR FAMILY MAY NEED.
AND ALTHOUGH OUR COUNSELORS ARE EXTREMELY PROFESSIONAL, THERE COULD BE A PERSPECTIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT THAT MIGHT HURT THEIR CHILD'S CHANCES OF GETTING INTO ADVANCED ACADEMIC SERVICES. WE REALLY NEED TO SHIFT AWAY FROM THAT.
SO OUR SCHOOLS THAT CONTINUE TO HAVE TWO TEACHERS NEXT YEAR WILL SHIFT TO DOING THE SCREENING.
THE TEACHER WILL SHIFT TO DOING THE SCREENING.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'RE ASKING FOR A SECONDARY SPECIALIST AT THE ADVANCED ACADEMIC CENTRAL OFFICE TEAM, SIMILAR TO MUSHARRAF'S ROLE AS AN ELEMENTARY PERSON, BUT SECONDARY. AND THEY WOULD BE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH CONTENT SPECIALISTS TO DIFFERENTIATE FOR MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES AND LANGUAGE ARTS FOR TIER TWO AND TIER THREE INTERVENTIONS. LOOKING AT WHAT OUR HONORS CLASSROOMS LOOK LIKE, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUR GEN ED AND OUR HONORS CLASSES? AS WELL AS PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL AND COACHING ACROSS THE SECONDARY LEVELS? FINALLY, WE'RE ASKING THAT BY 2526 THAT WE HAVE TO ADVANCE ACADEMIC SUPPORT TEACHERS AT EVERY SINGLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
THERE IS A DISCONNECT BETWEEN WHAT SCHOOLS HAVE TO AND WHICH SCHOOLS HAVE ONE.
I HAVE SOME SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ALMOST 900 KIDS IN IT AND THEY HAVE ONE TECH TEACHER.
I HAVE OTHER SCHOOLS THAT HAVE 300 CHILDREN IN IT AND THEY HAVE TO TAG TEACHERS.
AND SO THERE IS WHEN OUR SCHOOLS THAT ARE THAT LARGE THAT HAVE 900.
YOU ALSO NOTICE THAT THERE'S AN UNDERREPRESENTATION AT THAT SCHOOLS.
WELL, WHY IS THAT? BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ABLE TO GET INTO THE CLASSROOMS TO WORK WITH CHILDREN AND TO WORK WITH TEACHERS.
SO OUR GOAL IS TO INCREASE THAT SO WE HAVE EQUAL AND EQUITABLE ACCESS ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
AND THEN THE GOAL ALSO BY 25, 2027 IS TO PROVIDE A COACH AT EACH OF THE SECONDARY LEVELS TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION.
CURRENTLY WE HAVE 36 TEACHERS WHO HAVE THEIR TAG ENDORSEMENT.
ALMOST EVERY SINGLE CONTENT TEACHER CORE CONTENT TEACHER AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHES AT LEAST ONE FORM OF HONORS, ADVANCED PLACEMENT OR DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSE WITHOUT THE PROPER TRAINING BEHIND GIFTED EDUCATION.
SO THIS IS AN AREA IN WHICH WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN OUR PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE ACROSS THE BOARD.
I WILL NOW TURN IT BACK TO MS..
WHITFIELD. SO FINALLY, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WILL BE THE CORNERSTONE OF THIS PLAN.
ALL ADVANCED ACADEMIC SUPPORT TEACHERS WILL ATTEND MONTHLY FULL DAY TRAINING, FOCUSING ON COACHING, CURRICULUM, RESOURCES AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES. SINCE THE ROLE IS UNIQUE, WE WILL ALSO DEVELOP A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR PLANNING, LEARNING AND DATA ANALYSIS RELATED TO ADVANCED INSTRUCTION.
[01:45:05]
WE WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR QUESTIONS.THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
YOU. AND SO I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR QUESTIONS.
RIEF. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION, DR.
I WILL SAY THIS FEELS LIKE A MOMENT TO ME TO FINALLY BE AT THIS PLACE.
IT'S. IT'S REALLY BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
I THINK WE'VE HAD A LOT OF KIDS IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SERVED WELL.
FOR MANY YEARS BY THIS PROGRAM.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE WORK.
THAT YOU'VE PUT INTO GETTING US TO THIS PLACE.
YOU AND AND ALL THE OTHER FOLKS WHO'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS.
I WANT TO SAY THAT IT'S A DATA DRIVEN DECISION.
THE CHANGES THAT ARE GOING INTO THIS PLAN.
UM. AND I JUST I'M REALLY EXCITED.
UM. I THINK THAT THE SUCCESS OF IT IS GOING TO DEPEND ON THE IMPLEMENTATION.
UM. SO I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK.
ARE GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST CHANGES THAT FOLKS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ADAPT TO AND HOW ARE WE THINKING ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE ALONG ON THIS IMPLEMENTATION JOURNEY? I'M THINKING OF, OF COURSE, FAMILIES.
I'M THINKING ABOUT OUR STAFF MEMBERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE THINKING ABOUT THAT AND BUILDING SORT OF CHAMPIONS FOR THIS REVISED LOCAL PLAN? SO THAT'S MY FIRST QUESTION.
I THINK ULTIMATELY WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS WE NEED TO ESTABLISH A LEVEL OF TRUST.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT MS..
WHITFIELD AND MYSELF HAS REALLY BEEN TRYING TO DO OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, IS HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH TEACHERS, HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH PARENTS, HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH CHILDREN IN A VERY GUARDED FASHION, BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A HOT TOPIC.
WE DON'T WANT TO TRAUMATIZE CHILDREN RIGHT WITH THIS CONVERSATIONS, BUT IT'S ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING TEACHERS WITH THE SUPPORTS THAT ARE NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT THESE. SO FAR, WHAT WE HAVE DONE OVER THE LAST ESPECIALLY LAST YEAR, IS WE HAVE THOUGHT LIKE EVEN IF THIS PLAN DOESN'T GET APPROVED, WHAT IS GOOD INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES THAT WE CAN START USING NOW REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER APPROVAL HAPPENS? AND SO THIS YEAR WE FOCUSED ON MATHEMATICS WORKSHOP.
WE'VE TEAMED UP WITH THE MATH OFFICE TO DO SO.
SO WE HAVE THESE STRATEGIES IN THE POCKET.
WE'VE HAD VERY CANDID, CANDID CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR CURRENT TEACHERS.
WHY IS THIS OCCURRING? WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS OCCURRING? WHAT CAN WE DO? BEING OPEN AND CANDID ABOUT THE MISSION AS TO WHY WE ARE MAKING THESE CHANGES IS WHAT'S GOING TO BRING PEOPLE ALONG WHEN WE ARE INTERVIEWING AND WE'VE ACTUALLY INTERVIEWED AND BROUGHT ON QUITE A NUMBER OF NEW TAG TEACHERS ALONG THE WAY.
AND THE IDEA OF THIS IS A TALENT DEVELOPMENT MODEL.
A FIVE YEAR OLD, IF WE WANT TO GO THROUGH SCREENING, PARENTS HAVE THE RIGHT, THEY'LL STILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO SCREEN BUT HAVE NEVER MET A KINDERGARTEN FIRST OR SECOND GRADE TEACHER THAT HAS SAID TO ME, I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE THIS CHILD A HIGHER LEVEL READING ABILITY OR READING GROUP BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT IDENTIFIED AS GIFTED.
AND SO WORKING WITH K ONE, TWO, THREE IS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO START BUILDING THAT CAPACITY AND IT WILL CARRY THROUGH ALONG THE WAY, BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF WORK.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF FACE TIME.
AND YOU KNOW, ALREADY MICHELLE RHEE, MS..
[01:50:07]
IT. WE'VE BEEN IN CLASSROOMS, WE'VE BEEN IN SCHOOLS.WE'RE AND WE'RE JUST HAVING CONVERSATIONS.
AND I THINK ULTIMATELY THAT IS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GET THE BIGGEST BUY IN AND THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WHERE TEACHERS FEEL SAFE TO LEARN NEW IDEAS. AND, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY WE DID A TRAINING IN APRIL.
AND THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, MEAGAN, WHAT WE REALLY WANT IS WE ALSO WANT TIME WHERE WE GET TO START WORKING TOGETHER AND BUILDING THIS NEW MISSION AND THIS NEW APPROACH TO WHAT WE'RE DOING ISN'T EVEN NEW.
LIKE, IT'S JUST GOOD PRACTICE, RIGHT? BUT WORKING TOGETHER BECAUSE AT TIMES WE'RE ALONE IN OUR SCHOOL.
YES, WE HAVE A THIRD GRADE TEAM, BUT ULTIMATELY OUR JOB IS JUST US.
I KNOW THAT WAS LONG WINDED, BUT.
IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF MODELING, A LOT OF TRUST BUILDING, AND A LOT OF WHAT WE'VE PRESENTED, OUR TEACHERS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH IN THOSE DECISION MAKINGS PROCESSES FOR RECOMMENDATIONS.
THANK THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
AND I YOU KNOW, I REALLY THINK THAT IF WE CAN IMPLEMENT THIS PLAN, YOU KNOW, WE CAN JUST BE LIKE A MODEL, YOU KNOW, FOR OTHER SCHOOL DIVISIONS.
I HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION ABOUT THE JUST THE EARLY CHILDHOOD TALENT DEVELOPMENT MODEL.
IF YOU COULD JUST KIND OF TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
AND MY QUESTION IS, IS A PORTFOLIO GOING TO BE CREATED FOR EVERY ELEMENTARY STUDENT IN K, IN THE K THROUGH TWO? SO THE FIRST AND QUICK ANSWER TO YOUR SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION IS YES, EVERY SINGLE STUDENT WILL HAVE A PORTFOLIO DEVELOPED FOR IN K THROUGH THREE.
UM, AND THEN WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE IS OUR TEACHERS WILL BE GOING INTO THE CLASSROOM EITHER MODELING CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING LESSONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
WE WILL ENCOURAGE OUR ADVANCED ACADEMIC SUPPORT TEACHERS TO ALIGN WITH THEIR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL TO SAY, WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THIS SCHOOL? SO, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN WHEN MISS WHITFIELD CAME ON AT THE BEGINNING OF YEAR WHEN SHE WAS AN ITINERANT TEACHER, WE MET WITH EVERY SINGLE PRINCIPAL IN ONE PRINCIPALS.
LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE REALLY WANT TO HAVE A SCIENCE FOCUS.
I'M GOING TO DO THIS RESOURCE WITH YOU.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT THIS MODEL IS GOING TO BE ABOUT.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A ONE SIZE FIT DISTRICT, RIGHT? IT'S REALLY GOING TO RELY ON CO-TEACHING, CO PLANNING AND ALIGNING WITH THE NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL TO DETERMINE WHAT WE WHAT KIND OF CURRICULUM WE'RE USING.
THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO BE WE'RE JUST GOING TO PLAY A FUN GAME TODAY.
BUT BUT IT NEEDS TO ALIGN TO OUR PROGRAM OF STUDIES AND OUR SOULS.
AND SO PART OF THAT TALENT DEVELOPMENT MODEL WILL BE INCORPORATING THIS CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING USING WHAT WE KNOW IS BEST PRACTICE AND ALIGNING WITH SOULS, AS WELL AS THE EXTENDED STANDARDS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR GIFTED CHILDREN.
THAT'S GREAT. AND THE LAST THING I JUST WANT TO SAY IS WHEN, IF IF THERE ARE HARD DAYS AHEAD, I JUST I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT I SUPPORT YOU. WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU.
THIS IS IT'S IT'S A LOT OF WORK, BUT I'M EXCITED.
AND AS A PERSON IN THE COMMUNITY, THIS IS WHY I CAME TO CPS AND THIS IS WHY MS..
WHITFIELD IS AN EXEMPLARY TEACHER WILLING TO DO THIS WORK AS WELL.
IT'S HARD. OKAY, MR. NEWBY. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
AND WELCOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
RIEF SAID. YOU KNOW, YOU GOT MY FULL SUPPORT, AND THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS HARD WORK.
IN JANUARY, WHEN YOU PRESENTED TO US, YOU WERE WORKING ON GETTING A DATA ANALYST TO SUPPORT YOU, AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON A DATABASE SYSTEM OR GETTING A DATABASE SYSTEM TO INCREASE THE RELIABILITY AND EFFICIENCY OF DATA TRACKING.
SO I WONDER WHAT'S THE STATUS ON THOSE? AND MY SECOND QUESTION IS YOU WERE ALSO WORKING ON THE DATA OR FOR THE HOPE SCALE IDENTIFICATION.
[01:55:06]
I DIDN'T HEAR YOU MENTION IT TODAY, BUT MAYBE YOU USED A DIFFERENT NAME.SO GREAT QUESTION ABOUT THE DATA SYSTEM.
SO WE WORK REALLY CLOSELY WITH THE OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY AND I'M SORRY, DR.
HOOVER, IF I'M SAYING THE WRONG NAME RIGHT NOW.
SO WE HAVE NOT HAD A DATABASE THAT HAS BEEN CREATED YET.
UM, BUT WHAT WE HAVE DONE THIS YEAR IS WE HAVE CREATED AN EXCEL SHEETS AND I'VE PAID FOR HOURLY SUPPORT TO COME IN TO LOOK THROUGH EVERY SINGLE SCREENING FILE AND ENTER INTO OUR DATABASE OR I'M CALLING IT A DATABASE OR A SPREADSHEET, UM, HOW KIDS ARE BEING FOUND ELIGIBLE FOR, FOR SERVICES. UM, WE CURRENTLY, IN OUR CURRENT LOCAL PLAN, WE ARE IN A PERPETUAL STATE OF IDENTIFICATION.
I WOULD SAY 60 TO 70% OF MY TIME IS SPENT ON IDENTIFICATION.
UM, THAT'S A LOT WHEN WE SHOULD BE SERVING CHILDREN, RIGHT.
WHAT MISS WHITFIELD AND I HAVE BEEN DOING OVER THE COURSE OF THIS SCREENING CYCLE FOR J FOR K THROUGH THREE AND THIRD GRADE IS WE'VE BEEN MEETING WITH WITH SCHOOLS AND WE'VE NOTICED TRENDS IN THE DATA.
AND THEN WE'VE HAD SOME DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH, WITH, YOU KNOW, SCHOOLS AT TIMES SAYING, HEY, WE NOTICED THAT SOME OF YOUR HOPE SCALE SCORES, WHICH IS OUR OBSERVATION SCALE OR SEEM A LITTLE LOW BUT YET WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE PROGRESS REPORTS AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE WORK SAMPLES AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO ALIGN RIGHT.
SO IF KIDS ARE GETTING ALL FOURS IN MATH OR LANGUAGE ARTS, BUT WE'RE SEEING A HOPE SKILL THAT'S REALLY DEFLATED AND SOMETIMES IT'S DEFLATED FOR JUST SPECIFIC POPULATIONS. IT'S THE TRUTH, THOUGH.
THAT'S HOW. THAT'S HOW WE FEEL.
BUT THAT ALSO POINTS TO THE IDEA LIKE WE NEED TO CONTINUE DOING OUR TRAINING AND IN THE UPDATED LOCAL PLAN FOR THE GIFTED, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS NOT ONLY THE HOPE SKILL RATING, BUT A NARRATIVE OF OBSERVATIONS FOR CHILDREN AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE PHASES OF SCREENING, BECAUSE THAT NARRATIVE GOES A LONG WAY. A NARRATIVE CAN TELL A LOT MORE, AND THE NARRATIVE IS ONLY GOING TO FOCUS ON STUDENT STRENGTHS.
BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AS HUMAN BEINGS, RIGHT? UM, SO.
SO I CAN'T WAIT FOR A DATABASE.
I REALLY CAN'T BECAUSE WE NEED INSTANTANEOUS DATA, RIGHT? WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS IT RIGHT AWAY.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO WHEN PARENTS CALL ME AND SAY, HEY, DR.
TEMPLE MILNER, CAN YOU GO OVER MY CHILD'S SCREENING FILE INSTEAD OF ME SAYING, LET ME GO EMAIL THE SCHOOL AND SEE IF THEY CAN SEND ME THE FILE AND I'LL GIVE YOU A CALL IN A COUPLE OF DAYS. LIKE WE NEED TO GET TO THAT POINT AND I'M HOPEFUL WE'LL GET THERE.
I REALLY AM. AND I'M SORRY, JUST FOLLOW UP.
DID THE DATA ANALYST THINK THAT WAS FOR ALL OF YOU TO ALSO SUPPORT TAG? RIGHT. WHAT'S THE STATUS ON THAT? DID YOU END UP GETTING THAT? YEAH, I'M GOING TO PASS THAT OVER TO DR.
QUIET OR MS.. SANDERS IF THEY'RE STILL IN THE ROOM.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. ALL RIGHT.
BAIRD. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
I THINK WHAT THE I HAD THE SAME QUESTION THAT DR.
RIEF LED OFF WITH HOW ARE WE GOING TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THIS CHANGE? AND I THINK WHAT MAKES IT.
AND I THINK WHAT'S SO REMARKABLE ABOUT THIS PLAN IS THAT HISTORICALLY WE HAVE HAD A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO SERVE A SPECIFIC GROUP OF STUDENTS AND NOT ALL STUDENTS. AND SO I THINK THAT IS A REALLY BIG MENTAL SHIFT.
IT INVOLVES REALLY AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE COLLECTIVE NATURE THAT IS EDUCATION.
AND WE ARE EVERY SORT OF THE RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS.
SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT MADE A VERY CONVINCING ARGUMENT TO ME.
SO OBVIOUSLY IF THAT HELPS BUILD THE CASE AS WE KIND OF.
GET THIS OUT THERE AND SHARE WITH WITH FOLKS.
THINK THOSE NUMBERS ARE QUITE COMPELLING.
[02:00:09]
THINK YOU CALLED IT ADVANCED.I SAW IT AS LIKE A DEPTH OVER BREADTH SORT OF THING, BECAUSE I THINK WHAT I'VE SEEN HAPPEN IS THAT A LOT OF CONTENT GETS COVERED AND OFTEN TOO QUICKLY FOR STUDENTS AND THEY DON'T RETAIN THAT DEEPER SENSE OF MATHEMATICAL UNDERSTANDING THAT SERVES THEM IN THE FUTURE.
SO YOU TOUCHED ON IT BRIEFLY, BUT I'D LOVE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THOSE CHANGES WILL LOOK LIKE, BECAUSE I THINK THOSE WILL BE SORT OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT MAYBE WE SEE IN PRACTICE.
YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
SO ACTUALLY IN CPS CURRENTLY, IF YOU ARE IDENTIFIED FOR TAG SERVICES IN MATH, YOU ARE ACCELERATED ONE GRADE LEVEL IN FOURTH GRADE.
SO YOU'RE TAKING THE FIFTH GRADE.
SO YOU TAKE THE SIXTH GRADE IN MATH.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WHEN OUR CHILDREN IN TAG MATH GET TO SEVENTH GRADE, THEY ARE AUTOMATICALLY ENROLLED IN AN ALGEBRA ONE COURSE, WHICH IS A HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL COURSE. AND THEN THEY ARE TAKING GEOMETRY IN EIGHTH GRADE, ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS ALREADY ACCELERATES ALL STUDENTS INTO A HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL MATH COURSE IN EIGHTH GRADE.
RIGHT? SO IT'S DOUBLE ACCELERATION.
AND WE EVEN HAVE KIDS THAT ARE TRIPLE ACCELERATED.
BUT WHAT WE'RE FINDING IN THE DATA IS FOR OUR KIDS IN WHO ARE IN EIGHTH GRADE TAG MATH, WHEN GIVEN THE MATH ASSESSMENT, UM, THE PERCENTAGES OF KIDS WHO ARE TAG ELIGIBLE WHO ARE SCORING BETWEEN 95 PERCENTILE AND 99TH PERCENTILE IS ABOUT 6%. BETWEEN 90 AND 94.
IT'S ABOUT DEPENDING ON WHAT WINDOW IT IS.
IT GOES ANYWHERE FROM 8 TO 13%.
SO THESE ARE CHILDREN WHO ARE HAVE THE HIGHEST, QUOTE UNQUOTE ABILITY IN MATH YOU WOULD EXPECT THEM TO BE ACHIEVING IN THE 90TH PERCENTILE OR HIGHER.
HOW MUCH GOES INTO HAVING TO ACCELERATE IT.
THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO GO DEEPER.
AND THEN WHEN OUR KIDS ARE GETTING TO HIGH SCHOOL, THEY'RE STOPPING MATH.
WE HAVE SOME KIDS WHO ARE ABLE TO STOP MATHEMATICAL INSTRUCTION IN NINTH GRADE.
CAN YOU IMAGINE GOING ON TO COLLEGE AFTER NOT HAVING THREE YEARS OF MATH? THAT WOULDN'T GO WELL FOR ME.
AND I'M A MATH PERSON OR THEIR PARENTS ARE GETTING TUTORS FOR THEIR KIDS TO CONTINUE ON WITH THIS ACCELERATION AND OR THEY'RE RELYING ON TRICKS TO SOLVE MATHEMATICAL PROBLEMS. AND SO ULTIMATELY, WE'RE NOT BENEFITING OUR CHILDREN BY DOING THIS MASS ACCELERATION.
SO DOING THIS ENRICH OR ADVANCE MATH IS OUR WAY OF SAYING MATH IS MORE THAN AN ALGORITHM.
MATH IS ABOUT PROBLEM SOLVING, PLAYING WITH MATH, USING MANIPULATIVES, AND USING DISCOVERY AND MATH WHERE KIDS ARE DISCOVERING HOW TO DO MATH VERSUS BEING TOLD HOW TO DO MATH.
AND SO ULTIMATELY, THAT IS WHERE OUR SHIFT WILL BE.
I'VE SPOKEN TO A NUMBER OF PARENTS ACROSS THE COMMUNITIES ALONG THE WAY, AND I'VE ACTUALLY HAD PARENTS THAT SAID TO ME, I WISH I COULD JUST STOP IT NOW. I DON'T WANT BECAUSE I DON'T I DON'T WANT MY KID ON THIS ACCELERATION PATHWAY.
AND THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, IN THE LONG RUN, IT'S GOING TO BE BETTER FOR MY CHILD.
SO PARENTS ARE ASKING FOR THIS.
WE STILL WILL HAVE AN ACCELERATION POLICY FOR KIDS WHO TRULY, TRULY NEED THAT ACCELERATION.
BUT TO BE A BLANKET ACCELERATION IS JUST IN THE DATA IS SHOWING IS NOT EFFECTIVE AT ALL.
MRS. GREENE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
AND I'LL MAKE THIS VERY QUICK.
I KNOW WE NEED TO MOVE ALONG, BUT DR.
TEMPLE MILNER, MS.. WHITFIELD, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE PUT INTO THIS.
UM. IT HAS TAKEN FAR TOO LONG TO GET HERE.
BUT WE ARE HERE AND WE ARE ALL EXCITED.
AND I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE HEAR YOU THAT SHOULD THIS SHOULD THIS PLAN BE ADOPTED.
AND I'M VERY HOPEFUL THAT IT WILL, THAT THE PROPER RESOURCES ARE NEEDED TO SEE IT THROUGH.
AND WE ARE LISTENING VERY CLOSELY TO THAT.
WE HEAR YOU AND WE UNDERSTAND AND ALL OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT HAVE COME BEFORE US AS WELL.
I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION AND YOU DON'T NEED TO ANSWER.
WYATT TO PULL THE INFORMATION FOR US.
[02:05:10]
BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS AND HOW, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SUPPORTING THEM, WANTING TO STAY, BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THERE'S PROBABLY IS THERE PROBABLY IS QUITE A SIGNIFICANT BIT OF TURNOVER AT THE TEACHER LEVEL.THIS. THIS IS. THIS IS THE GOOD WORK, MR. NEWBY. SO WE'LL DEFINITELY TRY TO PULL THAT.
I THINK IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CHALLENGING THAN YOU THINK BECAUSE IF PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN ON DIFFERENT ROLES FOR PROMOTIONS, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT AND THINGS LIKE THAT AS WELL. SO BUT WE'LL DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT.
AND I ALSO HEARD MR. NEWBY'S PLUG FOR THE POSITION.
SO WE WILL WE WILL TALK LATER.
THANK YOU, EVERYONE. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION AND.
THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOU ALL.
SO MOVING ALONG, WE HAVE SOME NEW BUSINESS AND I THINK I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MS..
[20. 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Nominees ]
GREENE BECAUSE WE HAVE THE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME.THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. EISENHOWER. ARE YOU ON ZOOM WITH US? THERE YOU ARE. OH, HELLO THERE, MR. EISENHOWER. HELLO.
ALL RIGHT. JUST. I WILL BRIEFLY DO AN INTRODUCTION AND PASS IT OFF TO MR. EISENHOWER, THE CHAIR OF THE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME.
I DO WANT TO GIVE, AS ALWAYS, I THINK THIS IS MAYBE THE FIFTH TIME I'VE DONE THIS NOW, BUT SOME HISTORY ON THE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME, WHICH IS A SCHOOL BOARD CREATED COMMITTEE.
AND I BELIEVE MISS BOOS MIGHT HAVE BEEN ON THAT SCHOOL BOARD AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME.
BUT THEY DID SOME INCREDIBLE WORK AND SAW THE EXTREME NEED TO RECOGNIZE STUDENT ATHLETES THAT HAVE COME THROUGH ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND WE ARE SO VERY PROUD OF OF THEM AND WHAT THEY CONTINUE TO REPRESENT FOR ALEXANDRIA AND FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. THE OUR COMMITTEE IS MADE UP OF SOME VERY DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT ATHLETICS.
AND IT'S VERY HARD TO NARROW IT DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, TEN PEOPLE, HOWEVER MANY WE DECIDE TO BRING IN AT THAT IN THAT PARTICULAR YEAR BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY ATHLETES THROUGH THE YEARS AND WE ONLY STARTED THIS IN 2014.
SO WE'RE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WORKING BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL, WHEREAS OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR NUMEROUS YEARS AND EVEN HAVE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAMES IN EACH INDIVIDUAL HIGH SCHOOL.
AND IT JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.
AND WE BROUGHT MR. EISENHOWER OUT OF RETIREMENT TO COME AND SHARE THE COMMITTEE.
AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO HIM NOW AND JUST IN JUST A SECOND.
BUT I DO WANT TO THANK OUR BOARD CLERK, SUSAN NIELSEN, WHO DOES AN INCREDIBLE JOB KEEPING US TOGETHER WITH, YOU KNOW, JUST EVERY EVERYTHING.
IT'S IT'S VERY LABOR INTENSIVE.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU DO, SUSAN.
ALL RIGHT, MR. EISENHOWER, I WILL LET YOU TAKE IT AWAY.
THANK YOU AND GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR.
SUPERINTENDENT, DR. WYATT AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I AM EXTREMELY PROUD TO SERVE AS THE CHAIR OF THE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO BEGIN BY THANKING MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, OUR SCHOOL BOARD LIAISON, MS..
GREENE, AND MISS SUSAN NIELSEN, FOR THEIR GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT.
THE COMMITTEE SET A DEADLINE OF JANUARY 30TH FOR NEW NOMINATIONS AND THEN BEGAN THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING APPLICATIONS AND CONDUCTING MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF VOTING TO PRODUCE THE FINAL SLATE OF NOMINEES PRESENTED HERE TONIGHT AND HOPEFULLY FOR YOUR APPROVAL AT A FUTURE MEETING.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 11 ATHLETES AND ONE TEAM NOMINATED THIS EVENING.
AND WE ARE ESPECIALLY PROUD OF THE NUMBER OF FEMALE NOMINEES.
[02:10:05]
EARLIER THIS MONTH, WE RANDOMLY RECEIVED IN THE MAIL A RARE VOLUME OF THE 1929 ALECTO ALECTO, WHICH IS THE NAME OF THE ALEXANDRIA HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK.IN HIGH SCHOOL, SHE LED THE TITANS TO THE STATE SEMIFINALS AND WAS NAMED FIRST TEAM.
ALL CONFERENCE, ALL REGION AND ALL MET AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL.
FITZGERALD IS NOW A COACH AT HHS.
FINALLY, THE LAST PERSON, LAST GROUP I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS THE 1984 FOOTBALL TEAM.
WHILE THE 1971 FOOTBALL TEAM IS VERY WELL KNOWN, THE REAL PEAK OF T.C.
ONE OF TONIGHT'S NOMINEES IN 1984 TEAM FOLLOWED UP AN UNDEFEATED REGULAR SEASON WITH PLAYOFF VICTORIES OVER PULASKI COUNTY AND HAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL, WHO THE MIGHTY TITANS DEFEATED TEN TO NOTHING IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.
THOSE ARE BUT THREE OF THE CLASS OF HOPEFULLY INCOMING CLASS OF 2023.
AND I HOPE THAT EVERYONE CAN JOIN US NEXT FALL ON OCTOBER 14TH, ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14TH AT 2:00 IN THE AUDITORIUM FOR THE INDUCTION CEREMONY.
THANK YOU. AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. EISENHOWER. AND ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY. IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
SO, MISS GREENE, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY? YES. I JUST WANT TO ONCE AGAIN THANK THE COMMITTEE AND MR. EISENHOWER, WHO JUST DO AN EXTREMELY THEY'RE JUST DEDICATED TO THIS PROCESS AND DO A WONDERFUL JOB EACH AND EVERY YEAR.
AND I LOVE THE DIVERSITY OF OUR NOMINEES.
THANK YOU. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON OCTOBER 14TH AT THE EVENT.
[21. Equity Climate Survey 2022-2023 Results ]
WYATT AND SHE CAN INTRODUCE HER TEAM.AND I'M GOING TO TURN THAT RIGHT OVER TO DR.
SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
WE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO GO THROUGH OUR EQUITY CLIMATE SURVEY RESULTS FROM THE MOST RECENT YEAR.
AS IT RELATES TO OUR ADMINISTRATION.
AND WHEN WE SAY THE WORDS EQUITY CLIMATE SURVEY, THIS WAS A UNIQUE INITIATIVE BORN OUT OF THE CURRENT STRATEGIC PLAN WHERE WE WANTED TO TAKE WHAT ARE TYPICAL SURVEYS IN THE FIELD AROUND CLIMATE AND REALLY DO THAT WORK THROUGH AN EQUITY LENS.
SO WE COMBINE THOSE TWO EFFORTS TO ULTIMATELY CREATE AN INSTRUMENT THAT WE FEEL IS EXTREMELY POWERFUL AND REALLY ASSIST US IN MOVING OUR EQUITY WORK FORWARD FOR THIS YEAR.
THAT WAS REALLY DONE FOR TWO MAIN REASONS.
THE FIRST REASON IS SO THAT WE COULD GET RESULTS BACK EARLIER IN ANTICIPATION OF LEVERAGING THOSE RESULTS IN SCHOOL AND DEPARTMENT IMPROVEMENT PLANNING PROCESSES THIS SPRING, WHICH WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT AND IS ONGOING WORK THAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
[02:15:08]
SURVEY FOR FAMILIES IN TERMS OF TRYING TO PROMOTE PARTICIPATION.YOU CAN SEE THOSE LISTED THERE.
THE SURVEY WAS TRANSLATED ACROSS ALL OF OUR FIVE LANGUAGE.
WE ALSO HAVE AN AWARDS PROGRAM FOR OUR SCHOOLS WHICH TAPS INTO THEIR NATURAL COMPETITIVENESS.
AND I KNOW THERE IS FRIENDLY BANTER AMONGST OUR PRINCIPALS ABOUT WHO IS AND WHO IS NOT IN THE LEADER SEAT AS WE GO THROUGH THE SURVEY ADMINISTRATION. IN TERMS OF PARTICIPATION.
WE HAD OVER 6000 RESPONDENTS THIS YEAR.
IN PARTICULAR, OUR LARGEST DECLINE WAS AMONG OUR STUDENT GROUP AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL.
AND WHAT WE DID SEE WHEN WE BEGAN TO LOOK AT RESPONDENTS AT OUR FAMILY LEVEL BY RACE, ETHNICITY, YOU CAN SEE THERE WE HAD 43% OF THOSE RESPONDENTS IDENTIFYING AS WHITE, 21% AS HISPANIC OR LATINX, AND 19% AS BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN.
LATINX POPULATION IS APPROXIMATELY 37%, AND OUR BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN IS 26%.
SO YOU CAN SEE THERE A LITTLE OVER UNDER AS IT RELATES TO WHAT WE ULTIMATELY SEEK.
I WILL SAY THOSE RESULTS ARE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF WHERE WE WERE AS RECENTLY AS FIVE YEARS AGO, WHERE WE WOULD FREQUENTLY SEE DISPROPORTIONALITY RATES OF WHITE FAMILIES RESPONDING AT A 65% RATE.
SO WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE FROM A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT FRAME WE'VE REACHED A BIT OF A PLATEAU IN THE LAST TWO YEARS AND THAT'S GOING TO BE ONGOING DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW WE CONTINUE TO MOVE THAT FORWARD IN TERMS OF SEEKING PROPORTIONALITY, GREATER PROPORTIONALITY IN OUR RESULTS.
IN TERMS OF HIGH LEVEL KIND OF RESULTS.
RESULTS WERE LARGELY CONSISTENT FROM WHAT WE SAW FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR, WITH ALMOST 90% OF RESPONSES ACROSS RESPONDENT GROUPS FALLING WITHIN FOUR PERCENTAGE POINTS OF WHAT WE SAW IN 2022.
I WILL SAY ONE KEY PIECE ABOUT THAT FINDING IS THERE IS A UNIQUE FEATURE OF OUR STUDENT POPULATION IN THE SURVEY GROUP, WHICH IS THAT IS ONLY OUR SECONDARY STUDENTS, RIGHT? SO WE'RE NOT SERVING OUR KINDERGARTNERS OR OUR FIRST GRADERS OR OUR SECOND GRADERS.
AND WHEN YOU BEGIN TO SEGMENT RESULTS BY GRADE LEVEL, WE START TO SEE SOME DIFFERENCES IN TERMS OF PERCEPTIONS BY GRADE BANDS, RIGHT? SO THAT MAY BE LESS OF A FEATURE ABOUT STUDENTS SPECIFICALLY HAVING DIFFERENT OPINIONS THAN STAFF OR FAMILIES AND MORE OF A FEATURE OF ELEMENTARY HAVING DIFFERENT RESULTS THAN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL HAVING DIFFERENT RESULTS THAN HIGH SCHOOL.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? WE'LL TALK SOME MORE ABOUT THAT.
TEACHERS AND SCHOOL CLIMATE, WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE.
SO WE CAN SEE THAT THERE IN TERMS OF FEELING WELCOME AT SCHOOL, PROVIDING EXTRA HELP TO STUDENTS WHEN THEY NEED IT, AS WELL AS ENCOURAGE TO BE ACTIVE AND PARTICIPANTS IN LEARNING. WE ALSO SAW THAT RESPONDENTS REPORT GENERAL POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS ON SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND SUPPORT AT THEIR SCHOOL.
AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE ITEMS LISTED OUT THERE.
AGAIN, DO WANT TO NOTE, RIGHT, WE ARE SEEING SOME DIFFERENCES IN TERMS OF THAT STUDENT GROUP VERSUS WHAT WE'RE SEEING FROM OUR STAFF AND FAMILIES IN TERMS OF THE LEVEL OF AGREEMENT. AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE SAW POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS OF STAFF.
AND THIS HAS BEEN A THEMATIC SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS SURVEY EFFORT, WHICH I THINK IS PARTICULARLY NOTABLE AS IT RELATES TO THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC AND WHAT WE KNOW HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY STRESSFUL TIME AND CONTINUING TO SEE POSITIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS, NOT JUST PEER TO PEER, BUT ALSO FROM PEER TO MANAGER IS SOMETHING THAT WE CERTAINLY LIKE TO SEE AS WE TALK ABOUT RETENTION.
WE KNOW RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR BOSSES CERTAINLY DO MATTER IN TERMS OF OVERALL JOB SATISFACTION.
[02:20:05]
AREAS OF CONTINUED FOCUS ARE LARGEST AREA OF DECLINE THIS YEAR, AS IT WAS LAST YEAR, CONTINUED TO BE AROUND THE FEELING OF SAFETY AT SCHOOL. SO WE CAN SEE FROM OUR INITIAL YEAR IN 2021 TO 2023, WE SAW A 28 PERCENTAGE POINT DECLINE WITHIN OUR STUDENT RESPONDENTS, WHICH YOU CAN SEE THERE ON THE FIGURE TO THE RIGHT.THE OTHER THING I WOULD POINT OUT HERE IS WHEN WE LOOK AT STAFF AND FAMILY GUARDIAN RESPONSES AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL, THEIR RESPONSES ARE EXACT MIRRORS OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING FROM THE SECONDARY STUDENTS, RIGHT? SO WHILE WE'RE SEEING HIGHER RATES HERE FOR STAFF AND FAMILY THAT'S BEING ARTIFICIALLY INFLATED BY THE ELEMENTARY STAFF AND FAMILY RESPONDENTS, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT BREAKING THIS OUT BY THE RESPECTIVE GRADE LEVEL BANDS IN THIS FIGURE.
SO IT'S NOT THAT STUDENTS HAVE A DIFFERING OPINION.
IT'S REALLY THAT IT'S DIFFERENT BY THE RESPECTIVE GRADE BANDS.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE STATISTICS THERE WHICH YOU CAN SEE AROUND FEELING STUDENTS ARE FREQUENTLY BULLIED AT SCHOOL AND THOSE RESULTS SHOWING FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.
SO WE CAN SEE HERE STAFF RESPONSES REMAINING OVERALL LOW IN TERMS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AS WELL AS THOSE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.
WE ALSO SEE OPPORTUNITIES AS IT RELATES TO COMMUNICATING AND FEELING VALUED AND VOICE FROM SCHOOL BASED STAFF TO CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF AND POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES THERE FOR CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT.
THE OTHER AREAS AROUND CONTINUED FOCUS.
AND THAT'S THAT'S NOT AROUND RESTORATIVE PRACTICES PER SE.
BUT WE DID FIND IT NOTEWORTHY THAT THAT WAS A 14 PERCENTAGE POINT DECLINE FROM THE BASELINE YEAR OF 21 FOR OUR SECONDARY STUDENTS WHO RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY AROUND RESTORATIVE PRACTICES.
HALF OF STAFF APPROXIMATELY REPORTED FACILITATING COMMUNITY CIRCLES AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK.
SO THAT WILL REQUIRE SOME FURTHER INVESTIGATION IN TERMS OF OUR STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING WHAT A COMMUNITY CIRCLE IS OR ARE WE JUST, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE MISCOMMUNICATIONS THERE? OR KIND OF WHAT IS LEADING TO SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENCES? SO WHAT ALL OF THESE LEARNINGS AND AREAS WILL HOW THEY WILL BE USED, AS I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, IS THESE ARE FOUNDATIONAL DATA TO OUR SCHOOL AND DEPARTMENT IMPROVEMENT PLANS.
A LOT OF OUR WORK IN THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT REALM IS REALLY LOOKING AT ROOT CAUSES AND LOOKING AT WORK BEYOND JUST RESULTS, RIGHT? OR STUDENT ACADEMIC OUTCOMES AND REALLY LOOKING AT THE BROADER PICTURE TO INCLUDE CLIMATE.
WE KNOW CLIMATE HAS SO MUCH IMPACT ON WHAT WE ARE OR ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH AS AN EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION, AND IT IS A CRITICAL FACTOR THAT WE MUST HAVE A FINGER ON THE PULSE OF.
ANOTHER PIECE THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO IS WE KNOW A BIG PIECE OF PARTICIPATION IN THIS FOR OUR STAKEHOLDERS IS FEELING THAT THEIR VOICES ARE HEARD AND THAT THE SURVEY RESULTS AFFECT CHANGE.
AND SO A PIECE OF THAT IS IN OUR RETURN TO SCHOOL MESSAGING.
AND AS SCHOOLS BEGIN TO IMPLEMENT THEIR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS AND AS DEPARTMENTS BEGIN TO IMPLEMENT THEIR DEPARTMENT IMPROVEMENT PLANS GOING INTO NEXT YEAR, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE MAKING THOSE EXPLICIT LINKAGES BACK TO THE SURVEY AND HOW THAT INFORMATION IS DRIVING THE CHANGE THAT THEY ARE NOW SEEING WITHIN THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ON THE STAFF SIDE, WE DO.
THERE IS AN INTERACTIVE DASHBOARD THAT ALL OF OUR SCHOOL LEADERS, AS WELL AS DEPARTMENT LEADERS HAVE ACCESS TO THAT ALLOWS THEM TO GO IN AND REALLY DIVE INTO THESE DATA AND ANALYZE THEM IN PRETTY MUCH ANY WAY IMAGINABLE.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE WORK WITH OUR OFFICE OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT, AS WELL AS OUR SCHOOL AND DEPARTMENT LEADS AND ASSISTING THEM USING THAT TOOL AS THEY GO ABOUT THEIR PLANNING PROCESS, AS THEY BUILD OUT THEIR SCHOOL AND DEPARTMENT PLANS.
[02:25:02]
AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT BACK OVER FOR ANY QUESTIONS.PAIGE. AND SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR QUESTIONS.
AND I HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. AL-NUBI. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
UM, DR. PAIGE, CAN YOU JUST REPEAT THE PART WHERE THE DATA'S BEING INFLATED? WE'RE NOT SURVEYING ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, BUT ONLY HIGH SCHOOL.
CAN YOU JUST, LIKE, CLARIFY THAT PART FOR ME? YEAH. SO WE SURVEY SECONDARY STUDENTS.
SO ANY STUDENT GRADES SIX THROUGH 12 WILL HAVE BEEN OFFERED THAT OPPORTUNITY TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY.
WE DO NOT SURVEY ELEMENTARY STUDENTS IN THIS EFFORT.
AND SO WHAT THAT DOES IS WHEN WE'RE WHEN WE'RE SHOWING RESULTS BY STAKEHOLDER GROUP AND IT'S SAYING FAMILIES THAT'S INCLUSIVE OF ALL FAMILIES K THROUGH 12, RIGHT? WHEN WE'RE SAYING STUDENTS, THAT'S ONLY INCLUSIVE OF STUDENTS 6 TO 12.
AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT DASHBOARD.
I'D LIKE TO PLAY WITH THAT DATA.
I THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US.
PLEASE. UM, THE OTHER OBSERVATION IS.
I'M JUST HOPEFUL. I THINK I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN SOME AREAS.
K LEADERSHIP AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE BOARD.
CULTURE CHANGE TAKES TIME, BUT WE'LL GET THERE.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, DR.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS FOR YOU OR DR.
WYATT. ARE THOSE MEANT TO BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE? AND WHERE CAN THE PUBLIC FIND THOSE PLANS? YOU CAN GO. I ACTUALLY, I.
SO WE CAN WE CAN MAKE THEM PUBLIC.
OF COURSE. I THINK THE PROBLEM WITH MAKING THEM PUBLIC IS THAT THEY'RE CONTINUOUSLY CHANGING.
YEAH, I MEAN, I WHERE I'VE KIND OF SEEN THE INFORMATION IN THE PAST.
I JUST. AND MAYBE MRS GREENE AND CHARLES WILL REMEMBER WHEN WE HAD A PARENT YEARS AGO COME AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS PARTICULAR SCHOOL HAS THIS PLAN AND MY SCHOOL DOESN'T HAVE A PLAN.
AND I KNOW I'VE SEEN SOME OF THAT IN OUR BUDGET BOOK IN THE PAST.
I'VE SEEN PLACES ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITES WHERE THAT WAS GOING TO LIVE.
AND I JUST BUT I CAN'T CONSISTENTLY FIND THAT INFORMATION.
YES. SO EVERY SCHOOL WILL HAVE A PLAN.
BUT EVERY SCHOOL WILL HAVE A PLAN.
AND THEY'RE CONTINUOUSLY MONITORED.
SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD.
I JUST WANT US TO BE MINDFUL THAT AS THEIR DATA CHANGES OR THEIR NEEDS CHANGE, THAT IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE STAFF TO COME AND MAYBE SPEAK TO THAT AT DIFFERENT POINTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY DO AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT OUR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROCESS LOOKS LIKE, AND I THINK WE'VE DONE THAT.
I BELIEVE YOU DID ONE LAST YEAR.
I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THAT IF YOU DID THAT LIKE A WHOLE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, AND I KNOW WE'VE SPOKEN TO IT AT DIFFERENT COMPONENTS AND PRESENTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR THIS YEAR. SO, DR.
YEAH. NO, I WOULD AGREE WITH THE SENTIMENT IN TERMS OF IT IS VERY MUCH THE INTENT IS THIS IS A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT JOURNEY AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE CHANGES AS WE LEARN AND GROW THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.
AND I THINK THERE IS SPACE THERE FOR KEY MESSAGE POINTS, ESSENTIAL STRATEGIES FOR THE YEAR FOR SCHOOLS CLEARLY TO BE MADE PUBLIC. YEAH.
I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
PAIGE. AND WE CAN MOVE ALONG IN OUR AGENDA.
[22. Policy Revisions ]
[02:30:04]
AND WE ARE AT THE END OF OUR OFFICIAL MEETING PORTION OF OUR MEETING, BUT WE HAVE SOME POLICY REVISIONS. OUR CHAIR.IT'S THE POLICY HOUR WITH MR. MATT SMITH, SO I'LL HAND IT OVER TO HIM.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND I WILL BE QUICK AS WE GO THROUGH THESE POLICY REVISIONS FOR YOU TONIGHT.
I'VE GOT FIVE POLICIES TO GO OVER WITH YOU.
UM. A LOT OF OUR FOCUS THIS TIME IS GOING TO BE ON SYSTEMATIC ALIGNMENT.
A LOT OF OUR POLICIES ARE FOCUSING ON IMPROVING THE ALIGNMENT ACROSS THE POLICIES.
SO OUR FIRST POLICY UP IS VENDING MACHINES, THE EVER POPULAR POLICY OF VENDING MACHINES.
THIS IS A STANDARD FIVE YEAR REVIEW AND IT WAS STANDARD CHANGES TO THIS ONE.
THERE'S NO MODEL POLICY FOR THIS ONE.
AND THE WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS WE ADDED BREADCRUMBS TO OTHER POLICIES.
SPECIFICALLY, IF YOU RECALL, WE DID A FOOD SERVICES POLICY AND IT TALKED ABOUT SORT OF THE SCHOOL NUTRITION SERVICES AND THOSE ALSO PROVIDE GOVERNANCE OVER VENDING MACHINES. AND SO REALLY WE JUST ADDED BREADCRUMBS BACK TO THAT TO BE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE AWARE THAT THOSE RULES APPLY TO VENDING MACHINES AS WELL.
THE SECOND POLICY UP IS IGAC, WHICH IS ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL DISSECTION.
AGAIN, IT'S A FIVE YEAR REVIEW.
THE ONLY REAL CHANGE AROUND THIS ONE IS UPDATING THE ALTERNATIVES, WHICH WERE FAIRLY DATED AROUND THINGS LIKE VIDEODISCS AND BRINGING IN THINGS LIKE DIGITAL SOLUTIONS SO THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF THE CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES.
SO THAT WAS A PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD CHANGE ON THAT ONE.
APPROVAL FOR RESEARCH STUDIES, WE ACTUALLY PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO THIS ONE.
A LOT OF TIME WENT INTO THIS ONE BIG SHOUT OUT TO DR.
SUSAN BAIRD, WHO HELPED US THINK ABOUT THIS, DR.
WE ALL COLLABORATED ON THIS ONE.
SO THERE'S A REALLY GREAT EXAMPLE OF TAKING A BEST PRACTICE, LIKE DR.
HOOVER'S DATA PRIVACY AGREEMENTS WITH THE VENDORS AND USING IT FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
SO WE JUST REPURPOSED THAT CREATED AN EFFICIENCY.
IT'S A GREAT SOLUTION FOR THAT.
AND DR. PAGE WAS ON BOARD, MADE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS JUST SO IT APPLIES TO RESEARCHERS.
THE OTHER ONE THAT WE DID WAS WE ADDED A CLAUSE THAT THE INTERNAL REVIEW BOARD, IF THE ORGANIZATION HAS ONE OF THOSE, THAT WE MUST ALSO APPROVE THE POLICY OR APPROVE THE RESEARCH, THAT'S SORT OF A SHARING THAT EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE.
SO WE ADDED THAT REQUIREMENT THERE AND THEN WE ADDED A DEFINITION OF FORWARD THING.
SO I'M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THAT.
AND I JUST LOVE THE TERM CORRESPONDENCE BRINGS BACK MEMORIES OF, YOU KNOW, MAILING IN YOUR ITEM AND COMING IN A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, SEEING HOW YOU DID LATER AND EARNING A GRADE THROUGH THE LETTERS AND STUFF LIKE THAT THROUGH THE THROUGH THE MAIL.
AND OBVIOUSLY THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN ANYMORE.
PRIOR TO THAT, THE INSTRUCTOR DIDN'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY BE A CURRENTLY CERTIFIED TEACHER.
IT WILL BE WORKING ON THEIR TEACHERS OR HAVE OTHER QUALITIES AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
NOW THEY HAVE TO BE A CERTIFIED TEACHER, SO THE POLICY IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THAT.
THAT WAS WHAT THAT CODE CHANGE WAS.
WE ADDED MORE BELIEF STATEMENT, WHICH SORT OF HELPS TO UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF ALL OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SERVICES WE PROVIDE AND SETS THESE TWO IN CONTEXT OF THE REST OF THE SERVICES WE'RE PROVIDING.
[02:35:07]
AND THEN WE DID AN ALIGNMENT WITH THE VSBA MODEL POLICY.SO THAT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD AS WELL.
THE LAST ONE IS COLLEGE AND CAREER PLANNING.
THERE WAS A CODE CHANGE HERE THAT PRECIPITATED THIS ONE.
AND WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE CAPTURED THAT IN GOVERNANCE.
SORTS OF CERTIFICATE AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. THE STATE GENERATES THAT, AND WE JUST HAVE TO SHARE THAT WITH OUR STUDENTS IN THE EVENT THAT THEY ARE EXPRESSING INTEREST.
SO REALLY, IT'S JUST A PASS THROUGH FROM THE STATE ON TO THE STUDENTS TO KEEP THEM AWARE.
SO THEY'RE STARTING TO MAKE THOSE CHOICES ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO GO AND THEY'RE SORT OF VENTURING INTO THAT WORLD, USING SOME RESEARCH FROM THE STATE TO HELP INFORM THOSE DECISIONS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE MAKING.
SO THE NEXT STEPS IN THEIR LIFE AND THAT'S IT, REAL STRAIGHTFORWARD TODAY.
GOT WE'RE NOT GOING TO QUITE HIT OUR 100, BUT WE'RE GOING TO COME CLOSE.
UH, JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS, TONIGHT, WE GOT SOME PRESENTATIONS.
WE HEARD THE TAG PRESENTATION.
WE'LL BE THE TAG POLICY, GIFTED POLICY NEXT WEEK.
WE ALSO HAD WE HEARD THE WHOLE MOU WITH THE POLICE.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THAT'S AT.
SO IT'S 18 POLICIES NEXT TIME, SO BE PREPARED FOR A LITTLE BIT LONGER.
OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. SMITH. SO EVERYBODY'S BEEN WARNED.
BUT THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
AS ALWAYS. I'M GONNA SEE IF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
QUESTION THREE SO I CAN MOVE ON TO MY ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE EVENING.
[25. Announcements ]
VERY BRIEF.WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A WORK SESSION ON MAY 25TH.
THE DISCUSSION WILL BE ABOUT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
SO WE'LL GET MORE OF A SORT OF A PROJECT SCOPE THAT WE WILL DISCUSS.
AND THE TIME IS OFFICIALLY GOING TO BE 530.
SO MADAM CLERK HADN'T CONFIRMED THAT WITH YOU YET, BUT NOW YOU KNOW, AND EVERYBODY KNOWS.
UM, SECONDLY, WE HAVE OUR BOARD RETREAT ON MAY 31ST.
OUR NEXT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING IS ON JUNE 1ST.
UM, ALSO, GRADUATION IS COMING SOON ON JUNE 3RD.
YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY TO THE FINISH LINE.
YAY! SO, JUNE 3RD, WE WILL BE THERE CHEERING YOU ON.
UM, OUR LAST SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF THE YEAR WILL BE JUNE 15TH.
AT THAT MEETING, WE'LL HAVE OUR STUDENT ART SHOWCASE, UM, AND OUR FINAL JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING FOR SCHOOL BOARD AND COUNCIL WILL BE ON THE 22ND.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR.
WYATT. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
I DO HAVE SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS TONIGHT.
WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENT RECOGNITIONS.
WE'LL BEGIN WITH THE ACHIEVEMENT OF FOUR OF OUR ALEXANDRIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF 2023 GRADUATES WHO HAVE SECURED NOMINATIONS FOR AND ACCEPTED APPOINTMENTS AT THREE OF OUR NATION'S MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMIES.
THEY HAD A CEREMONY LAST WEEK WITH THEIR FAMILIES.
[02:40:09]
ATTENDING THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY.READ A KID WILL BE PART OF THE CLASS OF 2027 AT THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT, AND MAXWELL MCCORMICK WILL BE ATTENDING THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE STUDENTS.
BUT ALSO LIKE TO OFFER MY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS IN THE TELEVISION AND MEDIA PRODUCTION PROGRAM AT HHS FOR THEIR C-SPAN STUDENT CAM VIDEO COMPETITION.
OUR STUDENTS PLACED FIRST ON THE DISTRICT LEVEL AND SECOND IN VIRGINIA IN THE STATE COMPETITION.
AT OUR MAY 10TH EVENT, WE CELEBRATED 65 STUDENTS.
WHAT A NUMBER THEY ARE 65 STUDENTS GRADUATING FROM THIS PROGRAM, WHICH FOCUSES ON BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS AND MS MEDICAL LAB SCIENCES, NURSING, SPORTS, MEDICINE AND SURGICAL SCIENCES.
THIS PROGRAM IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY.
OUR STUDENTS EARN 18 COLLEGE CREDITS WITH THAT PROGRAM.
SO WHAT A FABULOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE STUDENTS.
CONGRATULATIONS IS ALSO IN ORDER FOR OUR SENIOR CLASS NURSE AGED STUDENT ON THEIR MAY 12TH NURSE'S PINNING CEREMONY, THE STUDENTS HAVE COMPLETED AT LEAST 230 HOURS OF TRAINING OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS AND 40 HOURS OF DIRECT PATIENT CARE AND LONG TERM HEALTH CARE FACILITIES.
ANOTHER BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR HHS.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S THEIR NIGHT TONIGHT.
THE THEOGONY, WHICH IS A STUDENT RUN MEDIA ORGANIZATION, ANNOUNCED ITS EDITORS FOR NEXT YEAR.
THEY ARE RISING SENIORS YANNI SANGER AND CHLOE.
EXCUSE ME, CHLOE JAKAITIS, WHO WILL LEAD THE PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES ON THREE DIFFERENT PLATFORMS NEXT YEAR, WHICH IS PRINT, ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA AS COEDITORS IN CHIEF.
ALSO, THE TEAM INCLUDES RISING SENIORS.
EMILIA MAZARIEGOS I'M HOPING I'M PRONOUNCING THAT CORRECTLY.
ALSO, CASSIE DONAHUE AND JAMES LIBRESCO WILL ALSO BE JOINING THAT TEAM NEXT YEAR.
AND JUST ANOTHER REMINDER, WE HAVE A HOLIDAY COMING UP.
MEMORIAL DAY IS ON MONDAY, MAY 29TH.
AND I'D LIKE TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT OUR OFFICES AND SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED ON THAT DAY.
SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE THIS EVENING, MADAM CHAIR.
WHY DO WE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? OKAY. I DON'T SEE ANY.
SO I DO SEE A HAND UP FOR MR. RIX. YOU HAVE SOMETHING, MR. RIX? LORENZO HAS HIS HAND UP.
I'M ACTUALLY HELPING YOU OUT, DOCTOR.
I WANTED TO ADD MORE TO YOUR REPORT.
UM, MISS PETERS JUST SENT THIS TO ME.
UM, REGARDING THE END OF THE YEAR SUMMARY UPDATE.
YOU CANNOT BE MAKING ME LAUGH.
UM, FIRST OFF, KUDOS TO OUR AVID NINE STUDENT.
SECONDLY, WE CELEBRATE OUR 33 AVID 12 SENIORS THIS YEAR WHO HAVE WHO HAVE BEEN AWARDED MORE THAN $3.8 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS THIS YEAR, ALONG WITH CELEBRATING 12 SCHOLARSHIP FUND OF ALEXANDRIA WINNERS IN THIS GROUP WITH AN AVERAGE OF 3.4 GPA AND AN AVERAGE OF FIVE YEARS OF AVID ENROLLMENT.
AND LASTLY, AS OF HOURS AGO, OUR ALEXANDRIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VARSITY SOCCER TEAM JUST BECAME THE PATRIOT DISTRICT WINNERS.
[02:45:02]
EXCELLENT. ALL GREAT NEWS.I DO NEED A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
MADAM CHAIR. I MOVE THAT WE ADJOURN.
ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE MISSED MR. HARRIS. WHO'S SECOND? DR.
RIEF A MOTION, THE CREDIT MAN.
ARE WE TAKING A BREAK OR GOING STRAIGHT TO STRAIGHT? ALL RIGHT. IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE ADJOURNED.
SO IT IS LET ME JUST REMIND EVERYBODY, IT'S 1004.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO GET TO THE WORK SESSION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
YOU WANT A BREAK OR NOT? MADAM CHAIR. THEY WANT TO START RIGHT AWAY.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO FOR IT.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.