May 11, 2026 Board Meetings

[I. Call to Order]

[00:00:07]

I'LL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. GOOD EVENING, IT IS MAY 11TH, 2026, AND THE TIME IS 06:01 PM. I AM NOW CALLING THIS MEETING TO ORDER. PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

PLEASE, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? MR. IMKE.

PRESENT.

DR. HANSEN. HERE. MS. LEE.

PRESENT. MR. MYERS.

HERE.

MR. MICHELSON.

HERE.

MR. MILLER. HERE.

DR. SUPIAT. HERE.

BOARD MEMBERS,

[IV. Approval of Agenda]

SECOND.

ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

AYE.

NO OPPOSITION. THE AGENDA IS

[V.A. Career Academy]

THIS IS THE INTERIOR ACADEMY.

WE CREATE STRONG, INDEPENDENT STUDENTS READY TO TAKE ON THE WORKFORCE.

HERE WE PROVIDE EDUCATION LIKE NO OTHER, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH NOT ONLY STANDARD LECTURE TEACHERS, BUT ALSO UNIQUE EXTRACURRICULARS AND REAL-LIFE WORK EXPERIENCE.

IN THE EDUCATION PATHWAY, WE ARE GROWING OUR OWN FUTURE TEACHERS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE OVER 45 ALUMNI WORKING IN OUR DISTRICT.

WE GO ABOVE AND BEYOND, NOT JUST WITH THE KIDS WE SERVE, BUT WITH THE SCHOOLS WE SERVE AND THE COMMUNITY WE PARTNER WITH.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REGARDS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION— THAT MEANS US— AS A BENEFICIAL TOOL, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH HANDS-ON, JOB-SPECIFIC SKILLS THAT LEAD TO IMPROVED GRADUATION RATES, HIGHER INCOME, AND DIRECT EMPLOYMENT PATHS.

WORK-BASED LEARNING IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO.

STUDENTS ARE PLACED IN A VARIETY OF INTERNSHIPS IN OUR COMMUNITY, OFFERING REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCES AND EVEN PAID INTERNSHIPS.

WE ARE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS. WE HAVE BUILT 6 HOUSES. WE PUT TEACHERS IN CLASSROOMS. THEY'RE STUDENT TEACHERS, BUT THEY'RE TEACHERS NEVERTHELESS.

ENGINEERS ARE OUT IN THE FIELD. FIREFIGHTERS ARE PUTTING OUT FIRES. SAVING HUMANS IN THE FIELD. WE DO INCREDIBLE THINGS AT THE CAREER ACADEMY.

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE HOST A VARIETY OF COMMUNITY EVENTS, FROM OUR NEXT STEPS NETWORKING EVENT, THE CAREER ACADEMY SHOWCASE FEATURING OUR ANNUAL FASHION SHOW, AND THE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS SHOWDOWN.

IN THE SURVEY WE JUST RAN AROUND AND DID, WE ASKED STUDENTS IF THEY LIKED THE CAREER ACADEMY. OUT OF THE 13 STUDENTS WE TRACKED DOWN, HERE ARE THE RESULTS WE DISCOVERED.

WAIT, NOLAN, DO YOU LIKE THE CAREER ACADEMY? YES! OKAY, I DO TOO. OUT OF THE 50 STUDENTS WE TRACKED DOWN, HERE ARE THE RESULTS WE DISCOVERED.

THE STUDENTS RAVE ABOUT THE CAREER ACADEMY, AND I QUOTE, IT IS MORE COMFORTABLE THAN THE HOME SCHOOL. UH, IT ALSO HAS MORE FREEDOM, END QUOTE.

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT WORKING AT THE CAREER ACADEMY IS SERVING STUDENTS OUTSIDE OF OUR SCHOOL. THAT'S NOT REALLY TRUE. I ACTUALLY LOVE WORKING WITH BOTH OUR STUDENTS AND THE STUDENTS WE SERVE OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL. WE GET TO GO AROUND AND WORK WITH THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

WE GET TO WORK WITH THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS. WE GET TO WORK WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, SENATORS, GOVERNORS. IT'S THE COOLEST JOB EVER. MY NAME IS ERIC KILMER.

MY NAME IS ADELAIDE.

I AM NOAH.

MY NAME IS WENDY BRYCE. AND WE ARE ALL PRODUCTS OF THE SIOUX CITY CAREER ACADEMY.

[VI. Citizen Input]

CITIZEN INPUT ON ACTIONS AND DISCUSSION ITEMS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE TIME OF DISCUSSION EACH CITIZEN WILL SPEAK FOR 1 MINUTE. WE HAVE AN EXTENSIVE AGENDA THIS EVENING, SO WE WILL BE GIVING YOU 1 MINUTE TO SPEAK TO US. AND WITH THAT, SHANICE, DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? WE DO. DAN GREENWELL. WHEN YOU STATE YOUR NAME, UM, YOU WOULD ONLY HAVE TO STATE YOUR NAME. YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO STATE YOUR ADDRESS.

A COUPLE OF THINGS TONIGHT. NUMBER ONE, I HAVE AN ANNIVERSARY— I'VE GIVEN YOU THE ANNIVERSARY NOTICE— AND THAT IS THE ONE MONTH, ONE MONTH SINCE THE SIOUX CITY JOURNAL ASKED FOR YOUR RESIGNATION, MS. LEE, MR. MILLER, AND MR. IMKE. WE'RE ONE MONTH INTO IT. WE'LL BE CELEBRATING IT ON A REGULAR BASIS.

[00:05:01]

AND THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS NEVER BEEN RELUCTANT TO COMMENT ON SUPERINTENDENT AND ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT SEARCHES. I JUST AM REQUESTING THAT. I HAVE TWO FOIA REQUESTS THAT I'VE SUBMITTED TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC, BOTH THE SURVEY RESULTS BY K-12 AND WITH THE CHAMBER.

YOU OWE IT TO THE PUBLIC.

THANK YOU. SHANICE. IMELDA GARCIA. IMELDA GARCIA. WE ARE PARENTS AND WE ARE HERE TODAY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF OUR OWN CHILDREN WHO ATTEND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND WHO ARE NOT BEING PROVIDED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME BILINGUAL OR BILITERATE CITIZENS. THE DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM HAS EXISTED AT IRVING FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS A LOT OF US PARENTS WITH DISTRICT, UM, THE LEADERS, AND WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY ANSWERS OF WHY THE DUAL LANGUAGE HAS NOT CONTINUED IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL. WHEN THE BOUNDARIES WERE CHANGED FOR OUR SCHOOLS, WE WERE PROMISED THAT THE, THAT THE DUAL LANGUAGE WAS GOING TO CONTINUE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL, AND IT HASN'T HAPPENED. ALL WE GET ARE EXCUSES THAT THEY'RE— THEY CAN'T FIND TEACHERS THAT SPEAK SPANISH AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY, IF IRVING ELEMENTARY IS ABLE TO FIND TEACHERS TO HAVE THE PROGRAM RUNNING, WHY ISN'T THAT THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT FOR UPPER GRADES? I HAVE A CHILD WHO GRADUATED LAST YEAR AND NO SEAL OF BILITERACY BECAUSE NO CLASSES SINCE THEY, SINCE THEY LEFT IRVING DUAL LANGUAGE. WE ARE— WE DON'T WANT ANY MORE EXCUSES. WE HAVE PLENTY OF MEETINGS AND PLENTY OF PROMISES AND NOTHING HAPPENS. THANK YOU. RON KOCH.

I'VE CUT A LOT OUT OF THIS.

UM, OKAY, RON KOCH. I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT AS A FAMILY, AND I KNOW MANY OF THE FAMILIES REPRESENTED IN THIS ROOM INCLUDING YOU ON THE BOARD, UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY THAT. FOR MANY OF US, THIS DISTRICT IS NOT JUST WHERE WE WORK, IT'S PART OF WHO WE ARE. IT IS WOVEN INTO OUR FAMILIES, OUR FRIENDSHIP, OUR MEMORIES, AND OUR LIVES. MY OWN FAMILY'S CONNECTION RUNS DEEP. I HAVE MY, MY STUDENTS. MY WIFE'S BEEN A TEACHER 27 YEARS. MANY FAMILY MEMBERS ARE PART OF THAT. MY CHILDREN GREW UP IN THE SIOUX CITY SCHOOLS. MY CHILDREN CAME ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

FOR OUR FAMILY, IT'S FAR MORE THAN A SCHOOL DISTRICT. IT'S PART OF WHO WE ARE, AND WE WILL ALWAYS WANT THE VERY BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY, ITS STUDENTS, AND ITS FUTURE. I BELIEVE THAT JIM VANDERLOO'S FAMILY STORY IS VERY MUCH THE SAME. THE SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS NEVER BEEN A WORKPLACE FOR JIM'S FAMILY. THEIR COMMITMENT TO SERVING STUDENTS, SUPPORTING FAMILIES, GIVING BACK TO THIS COMMUNITY SPANS GENERATIONS. THAT KIND OF LIFELONG DEDICATION SAYS EVERYTHING ABOUT THE VALUES HE AND HIS FAMILY REPRESENT.

JIM'S FAMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN 100% DEDICATED TO THIS COMMUNITY AND AS DISTRICT TEACHERS, MENTORS, COACHES, LEADERS, ROLE MODELS. HIS WIFE, HIS CHILDREN, HIS PARENTS, ALL OF HIS BROTHERS HAVE ALL GRADUATED FROM CITY SCHOOLS.

HIS NEPHEWS, NIECES, GRANDCHILDREN ARE ALL CURRENTLY ENROLLED.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

I WILL SEND IT.

THANK YOU. PLEASE.

YES, RYAN DRENT. I SERVED ON THE INTERVIEW COMMITTEE FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH, AND I WISH I'D KNOWN FROM THE BEGINNING THAT THE BOARD REQUIRED A UNANIMOUS VOTE TO APPROVE THE HIRE.

IN MY OPINION, THAT OPINION— THAT INFORMATION WOULD HAVE CHANGED HOW WE APPROACH THE INTERVIEWS, THE QUESTIONS WE ASKED, AND THE DISCUSSIONS WE HAD AS A COMMITTEE. I ALSO WISH THERE HAD BEEN MORE DIRECT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE INTERVIEW COMMITTEE AND THE BOARD. WE COMPLETED A SURVEY, BUT THAT WAS THE EXTENT OF THE FEEDBACK PROCESS. IF UNANIMOUS DECISION WAS REQUIRED, I BELIEVE MORE VALUE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLACED ON STAFF INPUT. AS THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, I THOUGHT OUR VOICES WOULD HAVE CARRIED GREATER WEIGHT. OUR DISTRICT NEEDS STRONG LEADERSHIP.

IN MY OPINION, IT'S BEEN SEVERAL YEARS SINCE WE'VE HAD AN ACTIVE SUPERINTENDENT. THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW. I VOLUNTEERED TO SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE BECAUSE I WANTED TO REPRESENT OUR STAFF AND HELP BRING A POSITIVE CHANGE TO THE DISTRICT. INSTEAD, I FELT LIKE THAT COMMITTEE EXISTED SIMPLY BECAUSE IT WAS REQUIRED, RATHER THAN OUR OPINIONS WERE GENUINELY— WOULD INFLUENCE THE DECISION AT ALL.

ON THE DISTRICT WEBSITE, THE IDEAL SUPERINTENDENT IS DESCRIBED AS TRUSTED, HONEST, TRANSPARENT, STUDENT-CENTERED LEADER, BUILDS RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNICATES EFFECTIVELY, EMPOWERS OTHERS, AND MAKES STRATEGIC DECISIONS FOR THE DISTRICT. THAT'S JIM VANDERLOO, AND I HOPE THAT HE WOULD CONTINUE ON IN HIS ROLE AS SUPERINTENDENT.

[00:10:01]

THANK YOU, RICHARD. SINCE WE'RE NOT TAKING THAT— YOUR COMMENTS LIGHTLY, BUT PLEASE, IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO GET THROUGH, PLEASE EMAIL THOSE— THAT INFORMATION TO US. RICHARD TODD.

OKAY, RICHARD TODD. UH, FIRST I WANT TO THANK, THANK THE BOARD FOR YOUR SERVICE AND DEDICATION TO THE SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT. I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR JIM VANDERLOO AS SUPERINTENDENT.

JIM HAS ALWAYS SUPPORTED DISTRICT LEADERSHIP DECISIONS AND ASKED OUR BUILDING LEADERS TO LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE FOR OUR DISTRICT INSTEAD OF JUST OUR INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS AND DOING THE RIGHT THING AND SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER. HE DOESN'T TELL US PRINCIPALS WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR, HE TELLS US WHAT WE NEED TO HEAR. HE HAS BEEN A STABLE VOICE IN THIS DISTRICT FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND NEVER WAVERED FROM HIS COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT FOR THE DISTRICT AND THE COMMUNITY. IN EDUCATION, WE HAVE THE PERCEPTION THAT WE NEED TO FLY IN EXPERTS TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS, WHEN THE REALITY IS THE EXPERTS ARE RIGHT HERE WITH US. WE NEED A PERSON LIKE JIM VANDERLOO TO LEAD OUR DISTRICT.

LAURA STEVENSON. HELLO, I'M LAURA STEVENSON. A LOT OF WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY WAS ALREADY SAID IN THE HIGHLIGHT BY THE CAREER ACADEMY, SO I JUST WANT TO ADD A FEW NOTES. WHAT YOU DIDN'T SEE BEHIND THE SCENES WAS JIM BUILDING THOSE PARTNERSHIPS WITH BUSINESSES AND COLLEGES, ENSURING THAT THESE OPPORTUNITIES ARE MEANINGFUL AND SUSTAINABLE FOR OUR STUDENTS. THE CAREER ACADEMY IS A CULMINATION OF OUR DISTRICT'S BEST WORK.

IT MIRRORS THE DIVERSITY AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES OUR CITY PROUDLY OFFERS. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT'S THE ULTIMATE GOAL.

SO I HAVE A CHALLENGE FOR YOU.

AT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, COUNT THE NUMBER OF CTE HONOR CORDS YOU SEE. I'LL BET YOU A MILKSHAKE THAT YOU LOSE COUNT.

I ALSO AM HERE TO SAY THAT AS A TIER 1 COORDINATOR, WE SEE TEACHERS COLLABORATING AND ADJUSTING THEIR INSTRUCTION, AND THAT THERE ARE EXAMPLES THAT WE WANT TO SHOW YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JAMES KLEIN.

GOOD EVENING, JAMES KLEIN, PRINCIPAL, NORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS. UM, WE'RE HERE TO EXPRESS OUR STRONG SUPPORT FOR JIM TO BE THE NEXT SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS. OUR DISTRICT NEEDS CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP, CLEAR DIRECTION, AND A— SORRY, UNIFIED VISION FOR THE FUTURE. JIM BRINGS EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, LEADERSHIP SKILLS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE THAT STABILITY. HIS LIFELONG DEDICATION TO DISTRICT AS AN EMPLOYEE, PARENT, AND GRANDPARENT DEMONSTRATES A DEEP COMMITMENT TO OUR STUDENTS, STAFF, AND COMMUNITY. HE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE LACK OF CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP HAS CREATED CHALLENGES WITHIN THE SYSTEM.

JIM HAS CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED THE ABILITY TO LISTEN, COLLABORATE, AND PROBLEM-SOLVE IN WAYS THAT SUPPORT STAFF AND STUDENTS. WE ALSO BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT TO INVEST AND PROMOTE LEADERS FROM WITHIN. SUPPORTING DEDICATED HOMEGROWN LEADERSHIP STRENGTHENS STAFF COMMITMENT AND REINFORCES A CULTURE OF GROWTH AND STABILITY. WE ARE CONFIDENT JIM VANDALOU IS THE GUY FOR THE JOB. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. ERICA FUENTES. I'VE NEVER SPOKE FOR ONLY 1 MINUTE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, SO I'M ERICA FUENTES, AND I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT POLITICS, BUT AS I SAW IN THE NEWS THAT WHEN IT HADN'T BEEN DECIDED THAT JIM VANDERLOO WOULD BE BE OUR SUPERINTENDENT. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT NOT HURT EVERYBODY TO HEAR FROM SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT POLITICS, SO THAT'S WHY YOU'RE GETTING ME. WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT MY CHILDREN HAVE GONE THROUGH THE DISTRICT, AND I HAVE WORKED WITH THE CRITTENTON CENTER, UH, TAKING CARE OF OUR KIDS IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND THE PERSON WHO HAS WALKED ALONGSIDE THE CRITTENTON CENTER IN BUILDING PROGRAMMING TO TAKE CARE OF OUR CHILDREN, THINGS THAT PEOPLE WOULD NEVER NORMALLY TALK ABOUT IS MR. VANDERLOO. I NEVER CALL HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME, SO THAT'S WEIRD. BUT HE ABSOLUTELY— WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CREATING AN INFANT CENTER, WHEN WE WERE TALKING

[00:15:01]

JENNIFER GASAWAY. HI, JENNY GASAWAY. I'VE NEVER SPOKEN IN FRONT OF THE BOARD BEFORE, BUT I'VE BEEN TEACHING FOR 35 YEARS. I'M COMING TO SPEAK FROM ME AND MY HUSBAND MIKE GASAWAY. HE IS THE WIT CULINARY PROGRAM COORDINATOR, UH, AND HE WORKS WITH JIM AS WELL IN HELPING KIDS WITH, UH, COLLEGE BOUND. SO, UM, I GUESS THE FIRST THING I WANTED TO SAY IS MIKE AND I ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF JIM. WE HAVE NOT ALWAYS AGREED WITH EVERYTHING HE'S DONE, BUT WE ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE HE IS THE LEADER THAT WE NEED. LAST OCTOBER, THIS BOARD IDENTIFIED PRIORITIES INCLUDING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, SUPPORT FOR SPECIAL ED AND ELL STUDENTS, STAFF RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND FINANCIAL HEALTH. JIM IMMEDIATELY ALIGNED DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TO WORK ON THOSE PRIORITIES. AS ME AS A TIER 1 COORDINATOR, JIM WATCHED, UH, MATCHED OUR STRENGTHS TO THOSE PRIORITIES. HE GAVE EACH OF US A LANE TO FOCUS ON. MINE IS WORKING ON TEACHER RETENTION. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO RECORD THE EVIDENCE, AND THE TIER 1 COORDINATORS HAVE KEPT MEASURABLE DATA DEMONSTRATING THE IMPACT OF THIS WORK. THIS IS THAT PERSISTENT LEADERSHIP THAT THE DISTRICT NEEDS. ONE MORE SENTENCE. YOU LET THEM ANSWER THE CALL. THANK YOU. NATHAN IRWIN.

GOOD EVENING, MY NAME IS NATHAN IRWIN. UH, SO FAR YOU'VE HEARD FROM MULTIPLE PEOPLE, AND YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA HEAR SOME MORE AFTER THIS, SO I WON'T CONTINUE TO KICK A DEAD HORSE TO REITERATE HOW I BELIEVE WE ALL THINK THAT JIM VANDERLOO IS MORE THAN QUALIFIED FOR THIS POSITION. UM, I'M SOMEONE WHO'S PROBABLY GONNA HAVE THE LEAST EXPERIENCE OF ANYONE TALKING TO YOU UP HERE TODAY, BUT I AM GOING TO USE A FAMOUS JIM QUOTE THAT I HEAR EVERY DAY WHEN HE COMES TO OUR MEETING. IT'S, "WHAT ARE WE DOING, GUYS?" UH, THE QUESTION I HAVE WITH THAT IS WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HUNT, AND I WANT YOU TO THINK OF THIS AS A PERSPECTIVE. SO IF YOU WALK AWAY WITH ANYTHING YOU HEAR TONIGHT FROM WHAT I'VE SAID, THINK OF PERSPECTIVE. UM, THE MESSAGE WE'RE SENDING AT TIMES, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE TELLING OURSELVES THAT SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T GROW UP IN THE COMMUNITY OR IN THIS DISTRICT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR OUR DISTRICT. THIS PERSON SPENT MOST OF THE CAREER HERE.

I'M AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE. IF WE CONTINUE TO TELL HIM HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH, OR PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THIS DISTRICT THAT ARE GROWING UP IN THE HEIGHTS AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH, IT'S NOT GOING TO LOOK GOOD FOR ANYONE ELSE RAISING. I'VE ONLY BEEN IN THE DISTRICT FOR 10 YEARS, BUT I'VE MOVED UP BECAUSE OF JIM VANDERLOO AND PEOPLE THAT ARE BEHIND ME THAT SUPPORT ME.

UM, IF YOU'RE WAITING TO FIND SOMEONE BETTER, YOU MIGHT FIND SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE MORE QUALIFICATIONS, HAVE MORE THINGS ON THEIR RESUME AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIND SOMEONE BETTER THAN JIM VANDERLOO FOR THIS HANNAH NICKEL.

HI, HANNAH NICKEL. GOOD EVENING, BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME IS HANNAH NICKEL AND I'M PROUD TO STAND BEFORE YOU TONIGHT NOT ONLY AS A CURRENT EMPLOYEE OF THE SIOUX CITY SCHOOLS, BUT AS THE CHILD OF A MAN I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT, JIM VANDERLOO.

34 YEARS, THAT IS A LONG TIME MY FATHER HAS GIVEN THIS DISTRICT. 34 YEARS OF SHOWING UP, SERVING, POURING HIMSELF INTO THE STUDENTS, STAFF, AND FAMILIES THAT MAKE SIOUX CITY SCHOOLS WHAT THEY ARE. HE HAS WORN MANY HATS IN THAT TIME, AND IN EVERY ROLE HE HAS BROUGHT THE SAME UNWAVERING COMMITMENT AND GENUINE LOVE FOR THIS COMMUNITY. THIS DISTRICT IS NOT WHERE MY FATHER WORKS, IT IS WHAT HE LIVES FOR.

I GREW UP WATCHING HIM COME HOME AND STILL TALK ABOUT HIS STUDENTS, HIS CO-WORKERS, THE CHALLENGES HE WAS FACING, AND HOW THINGS COULD BE BETTER.

AND BETTER YET, PONDERING THINGS HE CAN DO TO MAKE IT BETTER. HE DIDN'T LEAVE THIS PLACE AT THE DOOR.

HE CARRIED IT WITH HIM BECAUSE HE CARES THAT DEEPLY. THAT DEDICATION IS NOT ABSTRACT TO ME. IT INSPIRED ME TO BECOME A DISTRICT EMPLOYEE AS WELL. I CHOSE TO WORK HERE BECAUSE I SAW THROUGH MY FATHER'S EXAMPLE THAT THIS IS A PLACE WORTH BELIEVING IN. AND TODAY, MY OWN CHILDREN, JIM'S GRANDCHILDREN, WALK THROUGH THE DOORS OF THE SIOUX CITY SCHOOLS EVERY MORNING. FOUR GENERATIONS OF OUR FAMILY ARE INVESTED IN THIS DISTRICT, AND THAT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE.

THAT IS A TESTAMENT TO WHAT JIM HAS BUILT AND WHAT HE REPRESENTS. THANK YOU. STACY HENDERSON. I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE EVER, EVER SPOKEN FOR UNDER A MINUTE, BUT I'M GOING TO DO MY VERY BEST. STACY HENDERSON, I'M THE PRINCIPAL AT LIBERTY ELEMENTARY, AND I'VE BEEN IN OUR DISTRICT FOR 25 YEARS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DO. AS YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR'S BROUGHT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF UNCERTAINTY AND CONFUSION CONFUSION REGARDING LEADERSHIP IN OUR DISTRICT. OUR KIDS, OUR BUILDINGS, OUR STAFF— EVERYONE DESERVES SOME RESOLUTION. WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK, AND YOU ARE THE ONES WHO CAN DO

[00:20:08]

MY NAME IS REBECCA REEKIN. I'M THE PRINCIPAL, PROUD TO SERVE AS THE PRINCIPAL OF WEST HIGH AND FORTUNATE TO SERVE UNDER JIM VANDERLOO AS OUR SECONDARY EDUCATION DIRECTOR. FOLLOWING JIM'S APPOINTMENT AS INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT, I WATCHED HIM PROCEED WITH THE LEADERSHIP OUR DISTRICT DESPERATELY NEEDED. HE ENCOURAGED US TO PARTNER WITH YOU, TO GO TOWARDS YOU FOR COMMUNICATION, NOT WAIT FOR YOU TO COME TO US. AND I THINK THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT WHAT HE WANTS TO SEE MOVING FORWARD. MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT JIM VANDERLOO LEADS ETHICALLY AND WITH BOTH INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONALISM. I DO NOT SEE HIM MAKE DECISIONS IN ISOLATION OR TO BENEFIT HIMSELF. WHEN DECISIONS ARE MADE, HE ARTICULATES THE WHY AND THE HOW THE DECISION WAS MADE TO SUPPORT THE DISTRICT IN MOVING FORWARD. I HAVE NEVER NOT FELT SUPPORTED BY JIM IN MY 10 YEARS AS AN ADMINISTRATOR. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES THE CONVERSATION WITH JIM STARTS WITH, "HOW CAN I HELP?" AND "WHAT DO YOU NEED?" JIM VANDERLOO IS AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE MODELED TO ME HOW NOT ONLY TO LEAD, BUT HOW TO SERVE AND SUPPORT THOSE HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.

AS I END MY MESSAGE FOR YOU TONIGHT, I REALLY IMPLORE YOU TO THINK ABOUT MOVING FORWARD WITH HIM AS OUR SUPERINTENDENT.

THANK YOU.

BRANT BEMIS.

BEMIS, PRINCIPAL AT NORTH HIGH SCHOOL. I'M A FAIRLY ACTIVE VIEWER OF THE SIOUX CITY SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS, AND ONE THING THAT I'VE CONSISTENTLY HEARD OVER THE LAST 4 YEARS IS THAT WE STRIVE TO BE A DESTINATION DISTRICT.

AS AN EMPLOYER.

OVER THE LAST YEAR, HOWEVER, THAT GOAL'S TAKEN SOME DIRECT HITS BASED ON WHAT THE PUBLIC AND POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES ARE SEEING WHEN THEY SEARCH SIOUX CITY SCHOOLS ONLINE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THIS IS A DISTRICT WHERE THEY WANT TO WORK. RECENT NEWS CYCLE OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS HAS BROUGHT INCREASED ATTENTION TO ISSUES THAT MAY SERVE AS A DETRIMENT TO PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES. ONE WAY TO COMBAT THIS IS THROUGH STABILITY, AND THAT'S WHY I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT. I BELIEVE I SPEAK FOR MANY IN THIS ROOM WHEN I SAY THAT JIM VANDERLOO AS OUR PERMANENT SUPERINTENDENT PROVIDES US THE KIND OF STABILITY WE'RE ASKING AND WE ARE SEEKING OVER THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. WE KNOW AND WE TRUST JIM BECAUSE HE SERVED IN OUR ROLES, UNDERSTANDS THE WORK HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOLS, AND HAS BUILT RELATIONSHIPS WITH MANY OF OUR PRINCIPALS AND DISTRICT LEADERS OVER THE YEARS. I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO RECONSIDER YOUR DECISION THAT YOU MADE RECENTLY.

THANK YOU. LISA BANKS.

BRENDA'S HONOR. LISA BANKS.

WE'RE SPEAKING TOGETHER, SAVE TIME. YEAH. UM, AND WE DON'T NEED 2 MINUTES, SO, UH, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, UM, WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR CHAIN OF COMMAND, SO WE'RE HOPING THAT YOU PUT SOMEBODY IN CHARGE AND QUICKLY SO THAT WE HAVE THAT CHAIN OF COMMAND BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE STABILITY OF THE DISTRICT AND THE STAFF.

AND I WOULD ECHO THAT. I REPRESENT A MAJORITY OF THE EMPLOYEES IN THE DISTRICT AND I AM IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH UPPER-LEVEL ADMINISTRATORS AND AND HOPEFULLY PREEMPTIVELY SOLVING SOME PROBLEMS. SO, AND I ALSO WANT TO MENTION, UM, I APPRECIATE THE DIFFICULT SITUATION THAT YOU'RE IN. I AM TRULY THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOUR SERVICE ON THE BOARD.

THANK YOU. MONIQUE SCARLETT.

GOOD EVENING. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING WRITTEN, SO I'M JUST GOING TO SPEAK FROM THE TOP OF MY HEAD BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT I FELT LED TO SAY. I WOULD NEVER ASK FOR ANY BOARD MEMBER'S RESIGNATION ON THIS CURRENT BOARD, BUT I DO APPLAUD YOUR RESILIENCE BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY HAS ASKED YOU TO BE DUE DILIGENCE IN FINDING A SUPERINTENDENT, YET THERE'S SO MUCH PRESSURE ON WHO THEY FEEL OR WHO WE FEEL SHOULD BE IN PLACE. SO I WANT YOU TO DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THIS DISTRICT SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, BECAUSE SIOUX CITY HAS A LOT TO OFFER. THERE'S A LOT IN OUR TOOLBOX. HOW ARE WE GOING TO BUILD OUR HOUSE? SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO.

THANK YOU. THAT IS IT

[VII. Consent Action Item(s)]

[00:25:14]

BOARD MEETING MINUTES FOR MAY— FROM MAY 5TH, 2026. THE FINANCE REPORT. MOU BETWEEN CATHOLIC CHARITIES AND DIOCESE OF SIOUX CITY AND THE SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT. MOU BETWEEN THE COUNSELING AND SUPPORT SERVICES. AND MOU BETWEEN FAMILY ACCESS CENTER AND THE SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT. MOU BETWEEN FAMILY SOLUTIONS SERVICES AND SCHOOL DISTRICT, MOU BETWEEN FAMILY WELLNESS ASSOCIATES AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND AN MOU BETWEEN SIOUXLAND MENTAL HEALTH CENTER AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT ITEMS? SO MOVED. SECOND.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? I NEED TO ABSTAIN FROM THAT.

OKAY. BOARD MEMBERS, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE.

AND SHANICE, WE HAVE ONE EXTENSION. OKAY, THE MOTION PASSES. THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS HAVE BEEN APPROVED. OUR

[VIII.A. FY26 Proposed Budget Amendment – Patty Blankenship]

THIS IS JUST FOR YOU TO CONDUCT THE HEARING. BOARD MEMBERS, THIS IS A NOTICE TO PROVIDE THE HEARING THAT WILL BE HELD ON AT 6 PM LOCAL TIME AT THE EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER, 627 4TH STREET, SIOUX CITY, IOWA, ON THE 11TH DAY OF MAY 2026, TO RECEIVE PUBLIC INPUT ON THE DISTRICT'S FY26 PROPOSAL BUDGET AGENDA. ANY INTERESTED PARTY MAY APPEAR AND FILE OBJECTIONS AT ANY, ANY INFORMATION FOR OR ADJUST. THE SAME WILL BE HEARD ON FY26 PROPOSAL BUDGET AMENDMENT WITH THE FINAL DECISION OF THIS BOARD OF EDUCATION AS A MATTER OF RECORD. SHANICE, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT FOR THIS ITEM? NO BOARD MEMBERS. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, THE BOARD ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE FY PROPOSAL BUDGET IS AMENDED. I THINK YOU JUST— SHE WOULD JUST CLOSE THE HEARING. YEAH, YEAH, THERE WAS NO CITIZEN INPUT, SO WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT HEARING.

YEP.

THE HEARING IS CLOSED. ANY

[VIII.B. Amendment to 2026-2027 School Calendar – Barb Caskey]

BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AMENDMENT OF 2026-27 SCHOOL CALENDAR? SO MOVED. SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSITION? NONE. THE MOTION

[IX. Board Committee Reports]

YES, MADAM PRESIDENT.

DR. IMKE.

YOU'LL SEE FROM THE AGENDA, OF COURSE, THAT WE HAD A VERY PRODUCTIVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT COMMITTEE. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF VERY EXCITING PROGRAMS TO TALK ABOUT IN OUR AREA OF OUR LANGUAGE LEARNING, AS WELL AS IN MATHEMATICS AND THE 5TH GRADE MUSIC BAND PROGRAM, AS WELL AS SOCIAL STUDIES AND THE, THE LIKE, FOR CURRICULUM THAT WILL BE EXCITING, EFFECTIVE, FOR THIS NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.

WHEN YOU HEAR THE PRESENTATIONS TODAY, YOU'LL BE PROUD OF WHAT OUR STAFF AT THE BUILDINGS IS DOING AND THE COMMITTEES THAT ARE BRINGING FORWARD GOOD CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATIONS. I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT, AND YOU WILL BE WHEN YOU HEAR IT. THANK YOU.

I WILL WAIVE MY REPORT FROM FINANCE COMMITTEE. DIRECTOR MEYER.

TWO MATTERS. ONE I MENTIONED BEFORE, BUT NOT WITH QUITE THE AUDIENCE WE HAVE NOW. THE LEGISLATURE DID US NO FAVORS ENDING THEIR SESSION. THEY— TO MAKE IT SHORT AS POSSIBLE, THE LEGISLATURE DECIDED TO TAKE 25% OF THE LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX THAT OUR VOTERS APPROVED YEARS AND YEARS AGO FOR BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS AND OTHER CAPITAL PROJECTS AND DECIDED TO USE THAT FOR PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION INSTEAD.

[00:30:05]

BUT A 25% REDUCTION IN— MY ESTIMATE WOULD BE SOMEWHERE AROUND $40 MILLION LESS THAT WE CAN BORROW FOR OUR SCHOOLS' IMPROVEMENTS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

THAT'S ON THE OTHER MATTER, JUST TO ME A MATTER OF LEGISLATIVE ARROGANCE, AND THEY WOULD SAY I'M BEING ARROGANT, BUT THE LEGISLATURE DECIDED WE HAVE— OUR BUDGET IS BASED ON SOMETHING CALLED SPENDING AUTHORITY. THE STATE GIVES US, BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PUPILS WE HAVE, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE CAN SPEND IN ANY YEAR. IF WE SPEND LESS THAN THAT, WE CAN CARRY IT FORWARD. IF WE SPEND MORE THAN THAT, WE DRAW IT DOWN. AND LONG BEFORE YOU GET TO ZERO, THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM DES MOINES TALKING TO YOU AND ASKING IF YOU'RE REALLY SANE.

WE'VE HAD SPENDING AUTHORITY ROUGHLY 43 OR SO PERCENT OF OUR GENERAL FUND. THE STATE DECIDED THAT NO SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE OF IOWA MAY HAVE MORE THAN 35%, AND THAT GOES INTO EFFECT JULY 1ST. WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE'LL HAVE LESS FLEXIBILITY IN CASE THINGS GO BAD. OUR BUDGETS NORMALLY DON'T USE MUCH SPENDING AUTHORITY. MORE COMES IN, IT'S ABOUT EVEN.

BUT THE IDEA THAT JUST LIKE THAT, FOR NO PARTICULAR BENEFIT TO THE STATE OR TO THE TAXPAYERS, THEY SUDDENLY DECIDE TO CHANGE A SYSTEM WHICH INCENTIVIZED DISTRICTS NOT TO SPEND BUT TO CARRY IT FORWARD IS BIZARRE IN MY VIEW. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR MEYER.

BOARD MEMBERS, I DO WANT TO TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE TO INVITE MR. OWEN HANSON TO THE PODIUM, PLEASE. BOARD MEMBERS, OWEN HANSON WAS THE RECIPIENT OF THE KIND WORLD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP, AND HE IS GOING TO AND HE HELPS RUN OUR TECHNOLOGY ON MONDAY EVENINGS. SO OWEN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING? UM, YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE BOARD AND OUR WONDERFUL DISTRICT FOR PROVIDING ME THE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS I AM.

AND CONGRATULATIONS. ALSO, BOARD MEMBERS, MR. LEGEND CAMPBELL, WOULD YOU TAKE THIS PODIUM PLEASE? HE WORKED WITH OUR— HE INTERNED, AND LESLIE, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT HE INTERNED WITH OUR PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT, AND HE WAS— HE RECEIVED AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FROM THE IOWA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC RELATIONS BECAUSE IT WAS A STUDENT-LED INITIATIVE. AND IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S OUR FIRST STUDENT-LED PROJECT WE'VE EVER BEEN HONORED FOR THROUGH THAT ORGANIZATION.

YES, AND SO, UM, LEGEND, CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, GUYS.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, BOARD

[X. Future Meetings]

[XI. Superintendent's Report]

THANK YOU, PRESIDENT LEE. I JUST— I KNOW OUR MEETING'S LONG, SO I'LL BE BRIEF.

BUT LET ME BEGIN BY SAYING THE MONTH OF MAY IS BOARD MEMBER MONTH. SO I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS FOR THEIR TIME AND ENERGY AND COMMITMENT TO OUR DISTRICT AND DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE AND ACROSS THIS COUNTRY. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FROM ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES. WE APPRECIATE THAT. THAT BEING SAID, I'LL JUST GO THROUGH THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS HAVE BEEN BUSY, BUT I'LL HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS.

ATTEND THE ARTWORKS THIS WEEKEND. WE HAVE SOME AMAZING ARTISTS IN THIS DISTRICT.

ROTARY STUDENT OF THE YEAR

[00:35:02]

AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR RETIREES IN THE DISTRICT. WE ALSO HAD OUR NEW TEACHER MENTORING GRADUATION. SO ALL OF OUR NEW TEACHERS IN THE DISTRICT SPENT A YEAR OF MENTORING, OR 2 YEARS DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU'RE AT IN THE CYCLE. AND THEIR GRADUATION WAS ALSO THIS LAST WEEK. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE MENTORS. UH, HAD A MEETING WITH SIOUX CITY PARKS AND REC AND WAYS THAT WE CAN PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF SIOUX CITY ON A VARIETY OF PROJECTS. AND THEN TODAY WE HAD, UH, THE SISTER CITY OF KOSOVO VISITED OUR CAREER ACADEMY AND HAD A NICE VISIT WITH THOSE PEOPLE. SO IT WAS GOOD. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

[XII.A. Board Advisory Committee - Board President]

SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

[XII.B. Human Resources Report(s) – Barb Caskey]

HUMAN RESOURCE REPORT, MS. BARB KASKY. SO WE HAVE A LOT ACTUALLY ON THE HR REPORT, SO IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.

BUT I DO KNOW BOARD LEADERSHIP HAS REQUESTED TO HAVE THE NEW ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS PROCESS EXPLAINED BY THE PRINCIPALS IN THE BUILDINGS THAT, THAT, THAT THEY'RE HIRING THEM IN.

SO I WOULD INVITE THE 4 OF YOU AT THIS TIME TO COME AND GO THROUGH THOSE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.

YOU'RE UP, MR. TAYLOR.

PERFECT.

ALL RIGHT, BLAIR TAYLOR, PRINCIPAL, NORTHERN AND SUNNYSIDE. UH, SO WE INTERVIEWED, UH, LAST WEEK FOR THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL POSITION. WE HAD 22 APPLICANTS, UH, FOR OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL POSITION. UM, OUT OF THOSE 22 APPLICANTS, WE HAD 4 THAT, UM, WORKED RIGHT WITHIN NORTHERN AND SUNNYSIDE. AND PART OF WHAT WE LIKE TO DO IS GROW GROW OUR OWN.

AND SO WE FELT LIKE THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE EARNED THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, TO TAKE ON THIS LEADERSHIP ROLE. THEY HAVE BEEN IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, UH, WITHIN OUR— WITHIN BOTH OF THE BUILDINGS, UM, FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN THERE. AND SO WE INTERVIEWED THOSE 4 APPLICANTS.

THERE WERE 9 PEOPLE ON THE INTERVIEW TEAM, UH, ADMIN, TIER 1 COORDINATOR, SPED TEACHER, UH, AN ENRICHMENT SPECIALIST, AND 5 CLASSROOM TEACHERS. UM, AND WE HAD— THERE WERE 17 QUESTIONS ON THE INTERVIEW. AND WE HIRED THE PERSON THAT WAS THE BEST FIT FOR OUR BUILDING.

THANK YOU.

HI, KEVIN THINKEY, UNITY ELEMENTARY. WE HAD 16 APPLICANTS FOR OUR POSITION. 6 OF THOSE WERE INTERNALS FROM THE— WITHIN THE DISTRICT. WE HAD A 12-PERSON BOARD THAT'S— OR COMMITTEE THAT SET TOGETHER TO DETERMINE WHO WOULD WE WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW. WE SPENT ABOUT 3 HOURS GOING OVER THE, THE STRENGTHS AND THE NEEDS OF UNITY TO DETERMINE WHO WE'D LIKE TO INTERVIEW, AND WE ULTIMATELY INTERVIEWED 6 CANDIDATES. THE INTERVIEW TEAM WAS MADE UP OF 12 PEOPLE: 3 SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, 2 RESOURCE, AND 1 FOUNDATIONS, 2 LOWER ELEMENTARY TEACHERS, 2 UPPER ELEMENTARY TEACHERS, 1 ELL STAFF MEMBER, ONE FROM THE OFFICE STAFF, THE ADMINISTRATION, AND MR. MOSER ALSO SAT IN ON SOME OF THOSE INTERVIEWS AS WELL.

WE HAD 21 QUESTIONS, 9 OF THOSE, 9 CATEGORIES FOR THOSE, INCLUDING BACKGROUND AND LEADERSHIP, INSTRUCTIONAL LEARNING, STUDENT SUPPORT, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS, EQUALITY BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT, DATA PROCESSING, SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND OPERATIONS. WE THEN, AFTER HAVING THE FINALIZATION OF THE INTERVIEWS, THE TEAM HAD A MATRIX. EACH INDIVIDUAL VOTED AS TO HOW THEY DETERMINED WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE, AND WE ENDED UP SELECTING THE PERSON THAT HAD THE HIGHEST POINT TOTAL, WHICH ALSO OF THE 6 PEOPLE THAT WE INTERVIEWED HAD EITHER THE TOP OR THE SECOND LEADING VOTES THROUGHOUT. SO WE ARE REALLY THRILLED WITH OUR HIRE AS WELL. I'M MIKE TILLO, THE PRINCIPAL AT HUNT A+ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

FIRST, I WANT TO THANK YOU, THANK THE BOARD FOR APPROVING THESE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL POSITIONS. THE SUPPORT WILL HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON OUR STUDENTS OUR STAFF AND FAMILIES WHILE ALSO STRENGTHENING OUR ABILITY TO CONTINUE IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, SUPPORTING THE GROWTH OF OUR EDUCATORS, AND MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY. SO I TRULY APPRECIATE THE INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE SUCCESS OF OUR SCHOOLS. THE POSITION

[00:40:01]

UH, BASED ON THIS INFORMATION, I SELECTED CANDIDATES TO MOVE FORWARD TO THE INTERVIEW PROCESS. UM, MY INTERVIEW TEAM— I INVITED MEMBERS OF BOTH MY LEADERSHIP, BUILDING LEADERSHIP FOUNDATIONS TEAM AND MY BUILDING LEADERSHIP ACADEMIC TEAM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS.

TOGETHER, THESE TEAMS CONSIST OF 13 STAFF MEMBERS. 8 STAFF MEMBERS THEN VOLUNTEERED TO SERVE ON THE INTERVIEW COMMITTEE, ALTHOUGH THE OPPORTUNITY WAS OPEN TO EVERYBODY ON BOTH TEAMS. THE INTERVIEW PROCESS CONSISTED OF 16 QUESTIONS THAT FOCUSED ON SOME SEVERAL KEY AREAS, INCLUDING PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE RELATED TO THE POSITION, LEADERSHIP SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE OF READING AND MATH CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS, AND SCENARIO-BASED QUESTIONS INVOLVING STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND STAFF. UM, FOLLOWING THE INTERVIEWS, THE COMMITTEE ENGAGED IN COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSIONS REGARDING EACH CANDIDATE'S QUALIFICATIONS, INTERVIEW PERFORMANCE, AND OVERALL FIT FOR THE BUILDING. THE HIRING DECISION WAS THEN ULTIMATELY BASED ON SELECTING THE CANDIDATE WHO BEST ALIGNED WITH THE NEEDS OF HUNTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN. APPRECIATE IT.

HI AGAIN, STACY HENDERSON, PRINCIPAL AT LIBERTY. AS YOU MAY KNOW, DAVE SCHIFFER, WHO HAS BEEN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT LIBERTY FOR 7 YEARS, IS MOVING ON TO SERGEANT BLUFF, AND SO DARN IT, HAD TO HIRE SOMEONE ELSE FOR THAT POSITION. SO WE HAD 12 APPLICANTS PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEWS, THEN 7 MORE CAME IN AFTER, SO A TOTAL OF 19.

BUT WE DID INTERVIEWS EARLIER ON IN IN THAT PROCESS. UM, AND SO I SCREENED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM THROUGH A TEAMS MEETING WHERE, UH, THE PERSON AND I SPOKE ONE-ON-ONE WITH A FEW QUESTIONS TO KIND OF DETERMINE WHETHER THEY WERE A GOOD FIT FOR LIBERTY BASED ON THEIR BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCES. UM, AFTER THAT, WE TOOK THAT DOWN TO 5, UH, 5 PEOPLE WHO WE BROUGHT IN FRONT OF OUR TEAM. OUR TEAM WAS IN— IT WAS A TEAM OF 12 PEOPLE AND THAT WAS PUT OUT TO THE ENTIRE STAFF. WE HAD INTERMEDIATE, WE HAD PRIMARY, WE HAD ELL, MTSS, SPECIAL ED PARAPROFESSIONAL, REALLY A BROAD, A REALLY BROAD CROSS-SECTION OF PEOPLE. ANYBODY WHO WANTED TO BE A PART OF THE INTERVIEW PROCESS WAS ABLE TO, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE PERSON BECAUSE WE HAD TWO AT THE SAME GRADE LEVEL, SO I JUST PICKED THE FIRST PERSON WHO APPLIED OR WHO ASKED TO BE PART OF THAT PROCESS.

THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WERE A COMBINATION OF QUESTIONS THAT WE HAD USED PREVIOUSLY, AND THEN I SOLICITED QUESTIONS FROM THE ENTIRE STAFF. EACH PLC SUBMITTED A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, AND SO KIND OF WOVE THOSE TOGETHER. THERE WERE 19 QUESTIONS, AND DR.

KEMPERS WAS CHOSEN AS THE VERY TOP CANDIDATE UNANIMOUSLY BY OUR COMMITTEE. DID WE GET THE PRESCHOOL? YEAH, CERTAINLY.

LAURA MCELROY IS WHO WAS SELECTED FOR MY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL POSITION.

SHE'S HERE TONIGHT. WE HAVE TO VOTE ON THAT, RIGHT? NO, PRESCHOOL, UM, PRESCHOOL INTERVIEWS ARE LATER THIS WEEK.

YEP. SO THAT'LL BE AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING.

WE'LL GET THAT ONE TO YOU.

THERE WERE 4 ASSISTANTS, JUST RECAP OF WHAT WE WERE DOING.

YEAH, SO THESE 3 JUST HAD THE ASSISTANT POSITIONS APPROVED, SO THOSE ARE NEW. UM, STACY'S POSITION WAS BORN BECAUSE, UH, SADLY WE LOST MR. SHIPPER OVER TO SERGEANT BLUFF. UM, SO THOSE WERE THE 4 HIRES, AND THEN WE STILL HAVE PRESCHOOL, AND WE HAVE INTERVIEWS SET UP FOR LATER THIS WEEK, AND THEN WE'LL BRING THE PRESCHOOL RECOMMENDATION FOR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AS WELL. SO THANK YOU.

CONGRATULATIONS. I'M GLAD, GLAD TO SEE THAT AT YOUR SCHOOL. SO THANK YOU.

BOARD MEMBERS, YOU WANT TO ADD ANY? YEAH, DIRECTOR LEE.

SURE.

UM, EITHER BARB OR JARED, CAN YOU TELL US WHY WE HAVE A DIFFERENT PROCESS AT EACH ONE OF THE SCHOOLS, AND IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN THIS, DO YOU FIND ONE OF THE FOUR PROCESSES BETTER THAN THE OTHERS? I THINK THE PRINCIPAL AND THE STAFF REALLY DETERMINE THAT. I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT.

THERE'S SOME TECHNICALITIES, BUT THEY'RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT.

EVERY BUILDING'S SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN THEIR NEEDS, AND I KNOW THAT'S PROBABLY NOT WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING TO HEAR, BUT I WOULDN'T SAY ONE WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE OTHER. I PARTICIPATED IN ALL OF THEM. I WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT OUT TO NODLAND SUNNYSIDE, BUT I PARTICIPATE IN ALL THE OTHERS. SO REALLY SIMILAR, SAME PROCESS AS FAR AS HOW WE INTERVIEW. THE TYPES OF QUESTIONS ARE VERY SIMILAR.

WE TALK THROUGH THOSE. I THINK THEY'RE A LOT MORE SIMILAR THAN DIFFERENT. THANK YOU.

YEAH.

CONGRATULATIONS TO FIND THE RIGHT CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB. I WANT

[00:45:05]

OKAY, I'M NOT TRYING TO THROW SHADE. I JUST WANT TO MAKE THE POINT THAT WE DO HAVE PEOPLE THAT IS INTERESTED IN COMING TO THE DISTRICT, RIGHT? I KNOW THAT THE SITUATION IS NOT GREAT, BUT THE REALITY IS THAT THERE ARE ROUGHLY A 3% DROP IN EDUCATION MAJORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THERE IS A THIRD DROP ON PROGRAMS LEADING TO CERTIFICATION OF PEOPLE THAT FINISH THEIR EDUCATION DEGREE AND ACTUALLY BECOME TEACHERS.

NATIONWIDE, WE HAVE A LACK OF TEACHERS BECAUSE FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, SEVERAL ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE DECIDED THAT TEACHING IS NOT A VALUABLE— VALUED PROFESSION. I FEEL THIS GREATLY BECAUSE MY FAMILY IS IN EDUCATION. I KNOW, I KNOW, AND I RAN SAYING THAT WE NEEDED TO CHANGE THINGS IN THE DISTRICT, AND I LOVE HOW THE DESTINATION DISTRICT HAS BECOME THE TAGLINE, BUT THE REALITY IS THAT THERE IS STILL PEOPLE WANTING TO WORK AND THEY ARE STILL TRYING TO APPLY TO THIS DISTRICT, RIGHT? UM, I KNOW AGAIN, AND I HAVE THIS CONVERSATION WITH LESLIE BEFORE, THAT THE NEWS DON'T HELP, AND THE NEGATIVE NEWS STICK MORE THAN THE POSITIVE NEWS, AND IT'S HARD TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE NEGATIVE AND FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE. BUT THERE IS STILL PEOPLE WANTING TO BRING— TO COME TO THIS DISTRICT. I'M NOT GOING TO GO OVER THE SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH, BUT WE HAVE A BIG POOL OF APPLICANTS AS WELL. WE DIDN'T HAVE A SHORTAGE, RIGHT? MAYBE NOT SUPER BIG, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE A SHORTAGE.

THERE IS PEOPLE THAT WANT TO COME HERE. MY WIFE IS FROM DES MOINES, BUT IT'S NOT FROM SOUTH CITY. WE END UP HERE. I AM NOT FROM NEWTON, FROM THIS COUNTRY, RIGHT? I BECAME A NATURALIZED CITIZEN I BECAME A U.S. CITIZEN 8 YEARS AGO, AND I WANTED TO COME HERE, AND I WANTED TO COME HERE BECAUSE OF THE DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM, BECAUSE I WANTED MY KIDS TO GROW UP BILINGUAL, AND SIOUX CITY WAS GIVING ME THAT OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT? SO THERE IS PEOPLE THAT WANT TO WORK HERE. I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT, AND YOUR OWN NUMBERS TELLS US THAT, RIGHT? THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE HUMAN RESOURCE REPORT? SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR— OR EXCUSE ME, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ANY MORE DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

AYE.

[XII.C. Regional Hazard Mitigation Resolution – Jim Vanderloo]

NEXT WE HAVE THE REGIONAL HORIZONTAL MITIGATION RESOLUTION. UH, JIM VANDERLOO. TIM AND I ARE GOING TO TAG TEAM ON THIS A LITTLE BIT. UM, WE MET, UM, TIM AND I ALONG WITH, UM, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE, UH, DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM MET WITH SIMCOE, UM, BACK IN EARLY 2024, UM, AS PART OF THEIR— I BELIEVE IT'S A 5-YEAR PROCESS. I THINK EVERY 5 YEARS THEY NEED TO ADOPT A NEW HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN. AND THEY INVOLVE ALL KINDS OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN THAT, INCLUDING THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHIN THE COUNTY. AND SO US BEING ONE OF THOSE, WE PARTICIPATED IN THAT PROCESS.

WE JUST IDENTIFIED SOME OF THE CURRENT PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE, SUCH AS OUR NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS, SOME OF OUR COLLABORATION WITH WITH POLICE AND LOCAL RESCUE DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SO IT'S REALLY JUST A JOINT REPORT BETWEEN THE WAY WE DO OUR RESPONSE AND COLLABORATE WITH THEM AS BEING ONE OF THE LARGE— OR AS THE LARGEST DISTRICT

[00:50:01]

AS PART OF THAT PLAN, WE DO NEED TO ASK THE BOARD, ALL OF YOU, TO ADOPT THIS RESOLUTION THAT'S IN YOUR PACKET THIS EVENING SO THAT THEY CAN COMPLETE THAT PROCESS. BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE 2026 REGIONAL HAZARDOUS MITIGATION RESOLUTION? SO MOVED. SECOND.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. SHANICE, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? THERE'S NOT.

SHANICE, WILL YOU PLEASE DO A ROLL CALL FOR THIS MOTION? YEP. MR. EMKE? YES.

DR. HANSEN? YES. MS. LEE? YES. MR. MYERS? AYE.

MR. MICHELSON? YES. MR. MILLER? YES. DR. SUPIAT? YES.

MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU.

[XII.D. FY26 Proposed Budget Amendment – Patty Blankenship]

BASICALLY, THIS WAS THE PUBLICATION THAT WAS IN THE NEWSPAPER FOR THE AMENDMENT. SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADOPT THE FY26 BUDGET AMENDMENT. BUDGETS HAVE TO BE AMENDED BY MAY 31ST.

IS THERE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE FY25 BUDGET AMENDMENT? SO MOVED.

SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? AND DIRECTOR LEE, I JUST— FY26, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY CLEAR.

UM, 25. SO THE MOTION'S FOR FY 26. YES, BUDGET AMENDMENT. THANK YOU. I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO LAST YEAR.

OKAY, SO CORRECTION, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE FY 26 BUDGET AMENDMENT? SO MOVED. SECOND.

OKAY, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? NO.

WILL YOU PLEASE DO A ROLL CALL? YEP.

MR. M. KEY? YES.

DR. HANSEN? YES.

MISS LEE? YES. MR. MYERS? MR. MICHELSON? YES.

MR. MILLER? YES.

DR. SUPIOT?

[XII.E. Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for 2026-2027 – Tim Paul/ Rich Luze/ Patty Blankenship]

NEXT, COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION. MR. PAUL, LUZ, AND MS. BLANKENSHIP. OKAY, SO COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION, OR WE SAY CPE. SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT A SITE THAT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS A CPE A CEP SITE PROVIDES FREE MEALS TO ALL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE BUILDING REGARDLESS OF FAMILY INCOME. A CPE DESIGNATION IS BASED ON THE DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBERS FROM THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.

EXAMPLES OF WHAT QUALIFIES AS A DIRECT CERTIFICATION ARE LISTED BELOW, ARE SEVERAL EXAMPLES.

THE DISTRICT RECEIVES THE DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBERS ELECTRONICALLY FROM THE STATE TWICE A MONTH.

SO HOW DOES A BUILDING— HOW IS A BUILDING OR A DISTRICT QUALIFY AS TO HAVE A COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION? YOU MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 25% DIRECT CERTIFICATION STUDENTS ENROLLED, AND THEN THERE'S A CALCULATION THAT DETERMINES WHAT PERCENTAGE OF MEALS WILL BE— CAN BE CLAIMED AT THE FREE REIMBURSEMENT RATE.

SO ONCE YOU DETERMINE THEIR DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBER, YOU TAKE THAT TIMES 1.6, THAT'S A FACTOR PROVIDED BY THE USDA'S FACTOR, AND THEN THAT GENERATES THE PERCENTAGE OF MEALS THAT A SITE CAN CLAIM EACH MONTH FOR REIMBURSEMENT AT THE FREE RATE. SO THE OTHER MEALS, SO SAY THE PERCENTAGE IS 90%, THEN THOSE 10%, THE REMAINING 10% OF THE MEALS THAT WERE SERVED HAVE TO BE COVERED BY ANOTHER NON-FEDERAL FUNDING SOURCE. SO THIS IS JUST KIND OF SPELLS OUT HOW THIS WORKS. SO THERE'S JUST AN EXAMPLE HERE THAT SHOWS THE DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBER DIVIDED BY THE TOTAL ENROLLED, AND IN THIS EXAMPLE IT ENDS UP WITH 52 82.43% IS THE DIRECT CERTIFICATION PERCENTAGE. AND THEN YOU TAKE THAT DIRECT CERTIFICATION PERCENTAGE TIMES THE 1.6 AND YOU GET 83.89%.

THAT'S THE PERCENTAGE OF MEALS THAT COULD BE CLAIMED AT THE FREE REIMBURSEMENT RATE.

THIS IS JUST KIND OF TO SHOW YOU HOW THIS WORKS, JUST A GENERAL UNDERSTANDING.

SO THEN HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE REVENUE? AND SO THIS IS

[00:55:01]

AND AT THE AVERAGE PRICE PER MEAL AT $4.02, THE REVENUE SHORTFALL IN THIS SCENARIO WOULD BE ABOUT 158,000. SO THAT'S JUST BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON HOW THIS WORKS. THIS NEXT PAGE SHOWS WHAT OUR CURRENT— OUR '25-'26 CEP SITES ARE. WE HAVE TWO OF THEM, A GROUP 1 AND A GROUP 2. THE GROUP 1 IS UP FOR RENEWAL, SO ONCE WE CERTIFY THESE SITES, THEY ARE CERTIFIED FOR UP TO 4 YEARS, DOESN'T HAVE TO BE 4 YEARS, BUT IT'S UP TO A MAX OF 4 YEARS. THIS GROUP HAS TO BE RECERTIFIED. AND SO THE LAST TIME THAT IT WAS CERTIFIED, WE WERE LOCKED IN THAT WE'D GET 94.74% OF THE MEALS REIMBURSED. THE DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBER AS OF APRIL 1ST, 2026, THAT'S THE MEASUREMENT DATE THAT HAS TO BE USED. WE ARE ONLY AT 95— AT 85. 85.95%. THAT'S ALMOST A 9% DROP IN THE PERCENTAGE THAT WOULD BE LOCKED IN. GROUP 2, IT'S NOT UP FOR RENEWAL, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT— IT WAS LOCKED IN AT 82.86%. AND AT THE TIME WE LOCKED IT IN, I BELIEVE IT HAS 2 MORE YEARS THAT IT COULD STAY LOCKED IN AT THE 82.86%. AT THE TOP, 82.86 IS REALLY KIND OF TOO LOW OF A NUMBER. IT ONLY WORKED BECAUSE WE HAD THE GROUP 1 LOCKED IN AT 94.75. SO WE WERE KIND OF LOOKING AT BOTH GROUP 1 AND GROUP 2 TOGETHER. WE WOULD NOT HAVE RECOMMENDED GROUP 2 ON ITS OWN AT 82.86 TO BE CONSIDERED A CEP SITE BECAUSE THE MATH, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T WORK. SO, BUT THEIR CURRENT THEY ARE AT 71.21%. SO IN ALL, IN THE LAST— THE TREND FOR LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR HAS BEEN THAT THESE DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBERS FROM THE STATE ARE DROPPING.

OKAY, SO THEN THIS SHOWS WHAT ARE THE PAID, THE CURRENT PAID SITES. AND, YOU KNOW, THE MAGIC NUMBER ON WHETHER YOU— WHEN YOU WANT TO CONSIDER SHOULD A SITE BE CONSIDERED A DIRECT CP SITE IS IF THEY HAVE A DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBER OF 62.5%, BECAUSE IF YOU TAKE 62.5% TIMES THAT 1.6, YOU GET 100%. SO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE 60% IS OKAY, I THINK, BUT YOU GET MUCH LESS, MUCH BELOW 60%, AND THE NUMBERS, THEY JUST, THEY DON'T WORK OUT. THIS IS SO FOR '26-'27, OUR PROPOSED CEP SITES. GROUP 1'S UP FOR RENEWAL. IT'S BEEN LOCKED IN AT THAT 94.75. THE DIRECT CERTIFICATION PERCENTAGE IS, IS DOWN TO 53.72%. THAT MAGIC NUMBER IS 62.5, SO THIS MEANS WE'D ONLY HAVE 85.95% OF THE MEALS WOULD BE REIMBURSED.

AT THAT FREE RATE. SO THE ADMINISTRATION IS NOT RECOMMENDING THAT GROUP 1 CONTINUE— WE DON'T RECOMMEND THAT THEY CONTINUE TO BE A CEP SITE AS THE MAKEUP OF THAT GROUP CURRENTLY IS.

AND THEN ALSO GROUP 2, BECAUSE WE'RE LOSING GROUP 1, IT DOESN'T— THE NUMBERS DON'T WORK FOR GROUP 2 AS WELL. IF WE DID NOTHING AND WE STILL CERTIFIED THOSE SITES AS CPE SITES, BASED ON THE NUMBERS, ESTIMATED NUMBER OF MEALS THAT WERE— WILL BE SERVED FOR THE WHOLE '25-'26 YEAR, THE SCHOOL NUTRITION FUND WOULD HAVE AN ESTIMATED INCREASE IN THEIR LOSS OF $560,000. SO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING FOR '26— FOR '26-'27 IS THAT THE DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBERS FOR HUNT, UNITY, AND LIBERTY ARE ALL ABOVE 60%. HUNT IS ABOVE THE 62.5%. SO IF WE

[01:00:02]

AND I THINK IN GENERAL, BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN SOME FLUCTUATION IN THE DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBERS FROM YEAR TO YEAR, I THINK WE HAVE TO— MOVING FORWARD, WE NEED TO LOOK AT KIND OF OUR THRESHOLD SHOULD BE 60%.

IF YOU DROP BELOW 60%, UM, IT MAKES IT HARD. UM, THE NEXT HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF DIRECT CERTIFICATION NUMBERS ARE LES HILLS, SPAULDING PARK, WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND BRYANT. SO THAT'S JUST— I'M JUST SHOWING YOU THE GAP BETWEEN THE 3 THAT I'M RECOMMENDING AND THEN THE NEXT FOR— THERE, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT GAP IN THEIR PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGES.

AND EACH YEAR WE CAN REVIEW THESE PERCENTAGES TO SEE IF WE NEED TO MAKE CHANGES. SO, AND HERE'S, HERE'S THE, THE 3 SCHOOLS AGAIN AND THE CALCULATION OF WHAT THEIR MEALS LOCKED IN AT, 97.94%. SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVE THE FOLLOWING THE CEP GROUPING FOR THE '26-'27 SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH WOULD BE HUNT, UNITY, AND LIBERTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

THAT WOULD HAVE A— THEY WOULD BE LOCKED IN AT 97.94%. THEY'D BE LOCKED IN FOR 4 YEARS. SO IF ONE OF THEIR PERCENTAGES DROPPED DOWN, WE WOULD STILL BE LOCKED IN AT THE 97.94%. AND THEN NEXT YEAR WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS, MAYBE ANOTHER SCHOOL IS HIGHER AND IT MAKES SENSE TO ADD THEM TO THAT GROUP, AND THEN THAT WOULD START THE BALL ROLLING ON ANOTHER, UM, NEW 4 YEARS.

BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE HUNT, UNITY, AND LIBERTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AS CEP SITES FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR? SO MOVED.

SECOND.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? YES, I WOULD JUST LIKE, UM, EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT WE WE DISCUSSED THIS QUITE A BIT AT THE FINANCE AND FACILITIES MEETING. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE EXPLANATION AND ANSWERING OF QUESTIONS THAT WAS DONE THERE. I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO RECOGNIZE THAT EVEN THOUGH THE OTHER SITES WON'T BE CERTIFIED AS CEP, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH IS GOING AWAY. IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO TURN IN YOUR PAPERWORK TO BE QUALIFIED FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH AT ANY OF SCHOOLS OTHER THAN THE ONES THAT WERE JUST APPROVED. SO IF YOU'RE NOT AT HUNT, UNITY, OR LIBERTY FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR TO QUALIFY FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH, PLEASE JUST TURN IN THE PAPERWORK AND WE CAN MAKE SURE TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE YOU THAT FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH.

I HAVE A QUESTION THAT IS MORE OF A CLARIFICATION. I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS.

FROM '25 TO '26, IT'S NOT THAT THE NUMBER OF KIDS THAT ACTUALLY ARE ON ECONOMIC NEED AND WILL QUALIFY IN '25 DON'T QUALIFY NOW. IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY SUDDENLY— FOR THE LACK OF ANOTHER WAY TO SAY IT— THEY SUDDENLY, THEY DIDN'T COME OUT OF POVERTY. RIGHT? IT'S JUST THE STATE HAS CHANGED THE WAY THE THRESHOLD TO QUALIFY FOR THAT. IS THAT WHAT IS GOING ON? WELL, MY UNDERSTANDING IS NOT REALLY. THE FORMULA HAS REMAINED THE SAME. IT GOES BY THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES THAT DIRECTLY APPLY FOR ONE OF THOSE SERVICES, SNAP, I CAN'T I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ALL WERE, BUT THE 4 THINGS— MEDICAID, THOSE, THOSE THINGS. SO THERE MAY BE FEWER PEOPLE APPLYING FOR THAT, WHICH WOULD THEN BE REFLECTED IN THAT WHY IT'S NOT DIRECTLY CERTIFIED ANYMORE. BUT THE WAY THE STATE CALCULATES THAT HAS NOT CHANGED. WHAT'S CHANGED IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE SHOWING IN THE DHHS SYSTEM AS APPLYING FOR ONE OF THOSE. OR QUALIFYING FOR ONE OF THOSE.

MIGHT IT BE THAT THERE WERE CHANGES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL IN WHAT CRITERIA THEY GET TO GET SNAP OR WHATEVER ELSE, AND IF THAT HAS CHANGED, THE QUALIFICATION PERCENT HAS CHANGED, THEN THAT WOULD HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT CAN SUCCESSFULLY APPLY? SO I THINK IT'S PROBABLY THE FEDERAL RULES ROLLING DOWNHILL. OKAY.

SO THEN MY QUESTION WAS SEMI-IN THE BALLPARK. IT WAS JUST THE WRONG GOVERNMENT TO BLAME FOR.

OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION?

[01:05:02]

AYE.

[XII.F. Specialty School Status Recommendation for Five Schools – Jarod Mozer]

DARREN MOSER, SPECIALTY SCHOOLS STATUS.

COME ON UP. GOT A GROUP WITH ME HERE. I JUST GOT TO FIND THE PRESENTATION.

YEAH, IT'S JUST— I KNEW THAT'S WHERE IT WAS. ALRIGHT, SO WITH ME TODAY, AND I'LL LET THEM TALK AS YOU GUYS HAVE QUESTIONS. I PROMISE I'M NOT TRYING TO STEAL THE WHOLE PRESENTATION, BUT I HAVE MIKE TILLO WITH ME. HE'S THE PRINCIPAL OVER AT HUNT ELEMENTARY. I HAVE MANDY MORAN. SHE'S THE PRINCIPAL OVER AT PERRY CREEK. I HAVE KIM CROUCH. SHE'S THE THE PRINCIPAL AT MORNINGSIDE. AND THEN I HAVE TAMMY VOGELAIS, SHE'S THE PRINCIPAL AT LOS HILLS. AND THEN I HAVE JODY VANDERLOO, THE PRINCIPAL OVER AT SPAULDING PARK. ALL RIGHT, SO AS WE START OFF, UM, I JUST WANTED TO GO THROUGH THE ORIGINAL INTENT.

SO, UM, RIGHT, LET ME BACKTRACK HERE MY PRESENTATION A LITTLE BIT. SO WE, WE CURRENTLY HAVE 6 SPECIALTY SCHOOLS WITHIN THE DISTRICT. IRVING'S NOT INCLUDED IN THAT COUNT.

IRVING IS A DISTRICT-FUNDED PROGRAM. YOU'RE GOING TO FIND THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THIS THESE BUILDINGS THAT THE FUNDING IS PRIMARILY COMING FROM THEIR BUILDING BUDGETS AND WHATEVER THEY CAN RAISE, ALTHOUGH IN SOME CASES THE MONEY IS, IS DISTRICT FUNDING, AND WE'LL, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT. SO THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF SPECIALTY SCHOOLS WHEN THEY WERE BROUGHT TO THE DISTRICT WAS TO ATTRACT STUDENTS TO THE DISTRICT AND THEN ALSO PROMOTE VARIED LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND INCREASE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

SO INCREASE OUR ENROLLMENT, INCREASE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

ALL RIGHT, SO THE PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW, THE REVIEW WAS REALLY TO FIGURE OUT, IS THAT WHAT'S HAPPENING? RIGHT? AND NOT ONLY ARE THOSE TWO THINGS HAPPENING, BUT ARE THOSE CONCEPTS UNDERSTOOD AND SUPPORTED BY OUR, OUR STAFF, OUR, OUR FAMILIES, AND OUR, AND OUR ADMINISTRATORS THAT ARE IN THOSE BUILDINGS? AND IF THEY'RE NOT BEING MET, WHAT DO WE NEED TO, TO MEET THAT? AND THEN HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PROCESS? AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? SO AGAIN, HERE ARE THE CURRENT SPECIALTY SCHOOLS. SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE MOVED THAT. THEY'RE LISTED HERE AND YOU'RE GOING TO NOTICE THAT THE ONE THAT IS NOT UP HERE SPEAKING TONIGHT IS NOVLIN SUNNYSIDE. AND I WILL GET TO THAT HERE THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION. ALL RIGHT. BUT NOVLIN SUNNYSIDE IS GOING TO BRING A DIFFERENT PROPOSAL TO YOU AT AN UPCOMING MEETING AND YOU'LL SEE WHY HERE IN A SECOND. ALL RIGHT. BUT THOSE ARE THE SPECIALTY SCHOOLS AS THEY STAND RIGHT NOW. AND THIS IS THE TIMELINE THAT WAS USED AND I WOULD HAVE SHARED THIS WITH THE BOARD. WITH THE BOARD IN— AND I KNOW NOT EVERYBODY WAS ON THE BOARD AT THAT TIME— BUT DURING THE FALL OF 2024. SO WE'RE GOING NEXT FALL, WE'LL CLOSE IN ON ABOUT 2 YEARS. SO THIS IS THE PROCESS AND TIMELINE THAT WE USED. WE SHARED THE PLAN WITH THE BOARD, GOT FEEDBACK AND MADE REVISIONS, THEN SAT DOWN WITH PRINCIPALS TO DISCUSS THE SPECIALTY STATUSES AND WHAT THE WORK THAT WAS ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE WITHIN THE BUILDINGS.

WHAT MAKES THE SCHOOL SPECIAL? WHAT PRESENTS UNIQUE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS? AND THEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE CURRENT DATA, THE TRENDS THAT WE HAD RELATED TO ENROLLMENT AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. I'LL GO THROUGH THOSE HERE IN A SECOND. AND THEN WE TALKED ABOUT HOW DO WE SHARE AND CONVEY THIS MESSAGE TO STAFF, AND AT THE SAME TIME GET THEIR FEEDBACK ON WHERE THEY'RE AT OR WHERE THEY FEEL WE'RE AT IN THE PROCESS, AND WHAT THEY FEEL WE COULD DO TO IMPROVE AND HOW WOULD WE MOVE FORWARD. THEN IN THE, THE THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER OF LAST YEAR, THE PRINCIPALS DID HOLD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS WITH THEIR STAFF. THEY GOT FEEDBACK, THEY COMPLETED STAFF SURVEYS ON WHAT'S CURRENTLY IN PLACE AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO MOVE FORWARD. AND THEN AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, THE PRINCIPALS DID HOLD TWO MEETINGS WITH THEIR PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THEY INVITED INDIVIDUALS INTO THE BUILDING. I'M GOING TO BE HONEST, WE HAD A HARD TIME GETTING ATTENDEES. WE DID GIVE FREE FOOD, WE DID OFFER A VIRTUAL OPTION.

THOSE ARE USUALLY SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE DO ATTRACT AND IT WAS CHALLENGING. SO INSTEAD OF JUST ADMINISTERING THE SURVEY AT THOSE MEETINGS, WE DID SEND THAT— WE PARTNERED WITH COMMUNICATIONS AND LESLIE'S DEPARTMENT, AND WE DID SEND THE SURVEY OUT TO EVERY SINGLE PARENT IN THOSE BUILDINGS. AND THAT WAS A 2-WEEK WINDOW. WE COLLECTED FEEDBACK, WE SENT A COUPLE OF REMINDERS OUT, AND I'LL SHOW YOU THOSE RESULTS HERE IN A SECOND TOO. BASED ON ALL THAT DATA THAT WE COLLECTED, MET WITH THE PRINCIPALS, WE REVIEWED THAT DATA FROM STAFF FROM PARENTS, FROM THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT, AND WE GOT IT BACK IN FRONT OF THE STAFF AND BASICALLY ASKED THEM HOW THEY WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD. IS THIS SOMETHING THEY WANT TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE, OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT, THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DISCONTINUE? AND THEN HERE WE ARE, WE'RE AT THAT TIME, QUARTER 4 OF 2026. THE 5 SCHOOLS BEFORE YOU, THE RECOMMENDATION THAT I'M GOING TO MAKE IS ACKNOWLEDGING THE

[01:10:01]

SO ATTENDANCE FINDINGS, AND HERE'S, HERE'S THE DATA. SO VARIATION ENROLLMENT, AGAIN, ONE OF THE GOALS WAS TO PROMOTE AN INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT AT OUR BUILDINGS, AND YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGES FROM 2017-18 TO 2025-2026. AND THE DIFFERENCE IN THE FAR RIGHT COLUMN.

AGAIN, NOT IN SUNNYSIDE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS DATA BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE BRINGING A SEPARATE, SEPARATE PROPOSAL AT A FUTURE MEETING. AND YOU'LL SEE WHY THESE NUMBERS— I'M GOING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I— IT'S DIFFICULT TO DECIPHER WHY SOME ARE WAY UP, SOME ARE WAY DOWN. HUNT GOT A NEW BUILDING. THE DEMOGRAPHER CAME IN. I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT YEAR. MR. VANDERLOO OR SOMEBODY ELSE WOULD PROBABLY REMEMBER, BUT THE DEMOGRAPHER AND REDRAWING THE LINES CONTRIBUTES TO SOME OF THOSE CHANGES IN THOSE NUMBERS. SO I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S THE BEST DATA TO LOOK AT, BUT I DID WANT TO SHARE IT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL PURPOSES BEHIND THEM. NEXT, YOU HAVE THE TRANSFER REQUESTS OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS. SO IN THE MIDDLE COLUMN, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE TOTAL TRANSFER REQUESTS TO THESE BUILDINGS. OKAY, SO HUNT HAD 188 TOTAL TRANSFER REQUESTS. THEN IN THE FAR LEFT-HAND SIDE, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE TRANSFER REQUESTS THAT WERE DUE TO SPECIALTY STATUS. SO THAT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT OUR FAMILIES NEED TO MARK. SO ALL OF THESE TRANSFERS WOULD BE FAMILIES THAT ARE INTERNAL IN OUR DISTRICT. THIS IS NOT EXTERNAL FAMILIES, OKAY? THESE ARE SIOUX CITY FAMILIES SAYING, HEY, I'M WITHIN THE LUSS HILLS BOUNDARY, BUT I WANT TO GO TO HUNT AND I WANT TO GO THERE FOR THE SPECIALTY STATUS. SO IN THE LAST 3 YEARS AT HUNT, WE'VE HAD 2 OF THOSE REQUESTS. IT'S 1% OR A LITTLE UNDER 1% OF THE TOTAL REQUESTS. LOST HILLS HAS HAD 8 OF THOSE REQUESTS FOR 4%.

MORNINGSIDE HAS HAD 10 OF THOSE REQUESTS FOR 5%.

PERRY CREEK'S HAD 2 FOR A LITTLE UNDER 1%. AND SPALDING PARK HASN'T HAD ONE IN THE LAST 3 YEARS. ALONG WITH THAT, THEN I HAVE OPEN ENROLLMENT DATA FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS. SO THESE ARE THE OPEN ENROLLMENT IN. SO THESE ARE STUDENTS THAT ARE NOT IN OUR DISTRICT, BUT MAYBE THEY'RE IN HINTON, MAYBE THEY'RE AT LUDDEN-BRONSON, AND THEY'RE OPEN ENROLLED IN. I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT IT'S EXPLICITLY BECAUSE OF THE SPECIALTY STATUS, BUT THOSE ARE OPEN ENROLLMENTS INTO EACH OF THOSE BUILDINGS, JUST SO YOU HAVE THAT DATA.

NEXT, I HAVE THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, AND THIS IS OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS. SO THE FIRST ONE'S THE ISASP. THIS IS THE STATE ASSESSMENT THAT WE TAKE EACH SPRING. WE JUST TOOK IT. IT'S THE BIG ONE YOU READ A LOT ABOUT AND HEAR A LOT ABOUT. SO THE SPECIALTY SCHOOLS, I'M GOING BACK UP, IT'S THOSE 5 PLUS— THOSE 5 PLUS NODLAND SUNNYSIDE. SO THEIR ACHIEVEMENT ON MATH WAS 67.99%, WHILE THE NON-SPECIALTY SCHOOLS WAS 58.46%. HOWEVER, UM, 2 OF THOSE SPECIALTY SCHOOLS ARE NOT TITLE I SCHOOLS. ALL OF THE NON-SPECIALTY SCHOOLS ARE TITLE I SCHOOLS. SO IF YOU TAKE THE NON-TITLE I SCHOOLS OUT, WHICH IS PERRY CREEK AND NORTHLAND SUNNYSIDE, 62% OF THE SPECIALTY SCHOOLS STUDENTS WERE PROFICIENT AND 58% OF THE NON-SPECIALTY SCHOOL SCHOOLS WERE PROFICIENT. SO IF YOU WANT TO COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES, IT'S GOING TO BE YOUR GOLD NUMBERS.

BUT IF YOU WANT TO THROW IN THE OTHER SPECIALTY SCHOOLS THAT AREN'T TITLE I SCHOOLS, IT'S THE OTHER NUMBER. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? OKAY. AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE ISASP ELA DATA RIGHT BELOW IT, YOU'RE GOING TO NOTICE AGAIN, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT TITLE I VERSUS TITLE I SCHOOLS, 58.91% OF STUDENTS WERE PROFICIENT 58.73% AT NON-SPECIALTY SCHOOLS. THEN THE SCREENERS, WE TAKE THE SCREENERS 3 TIMES A YEAR. IT USED TO BE FASTBRIDGE, NOW IT'S IREADY.

SO AGAIN, SAME THING, THE TOP ONE'S MATH. IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, 70.32% OF SPECIALTY SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE PROFICIENT ON MATH. BUT IF YOU TAKE OUT THE NON-TITLE I SCHOOLS AND YOU JUST COMPARE TITLE I SPECIALTY SCHOOLS TO TITLE I NON-SPECIALTY SCHOOLS, THE TITLE, IT'S FLAT. I MEAN, THE NON-TITLE ONES, SPECIALTY SCHOOLS SCORE SLIGHTLY HIGHER, BUT IT'S NOT EVEN A FULL PERCENT. IF YOU LOOK AT THE SCREENERS FOR LITERACY, SAME THING.

YOU'RE GONNA— IF YOU LOOK AT JUST THE TITLE I SCHOOLS VERSUS THE TITLE I SCHOOLS, YOU'RE GOING TO NOTICE THERE'S A 0.03 DIFFERENCE. I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT'S A DIFFERENCE. I'D SAY THAT'S FLAT.

BUT I GUESS TAKE IT FOR WHAT YOU WILL. SO THOSE ARE THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT NUMBERS. THEN WE HAVE STUDENT— THE STAFF SURVEY. SO AGAIN, AFTER WE LOOKED AT THOSE NUMBERS WITH ADMINISTRATORS, WE WENT

[01:15:01]

STAFF ASKED IF THE VISION WAS BEING MET. SO ARE WE MEETING THAT ORIGINAL VISION OF ARE WE INCREASING ENROLLMENT, ARE WE INCREASING ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH UNIQUE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES? HERE'S THE PERCENT OF STAFF THAT SAID NO. AND THEN WE ASKED STAFF TO IDENTIFY NEEDS. SO IF THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE MEETING THE VISION TOGETHER, ERIC, CAN YOU SLOW DOWN ON THE SLIDE THING? LIKE, MY HEAD IS SPINNING.

OH YEAH, YOU GUYS HAVE IT, RIGHT? WE DO. OK. YEAH. I MEAN, PLEASE GO THROUGH IT, BUT YOU'RE SCROLLING THROUGH IT AND IT'S MAKING ME A LITTLE— OK, I DON'T WANT YOU TO FAINT, SO— I WON'T.

SO STAFF IDENTIFY NEEDS. SO WE ASKED THEM THEN, WHAT WOULD YOU NEED TO MEET THAT VISION? AND THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM THAT DATA WERE THE PACING CHANGES THAT THE STATE HAS THE STATE HAS THROWN OUT AS REQUIRED HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING. THEY SHARED THEY WOULD NEED EXCEPTIONS FOR SPECIALTY SCHOOLS TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO SCHEDULE FLEXIBLY BASED ON THE ACTIVITIES FOR LEARNING THAT THEY HAVE.

AND THEN THE BIGGEST NEED THAT CONSISTENTLY COMES UP IS BUILDINGS NEEDING SET FUNDING, PRIMARILY STAFF AND TRAINING.

AND WHEN YOU— WHEN I OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EACH OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WE'LL SHARE IS WE USED TO HAVE A POSITION AT THE DISTRICT THAT, THAT REALLY HELPED LEAD THE SPECIALTY STATUS OF EACH OF THESE BUILDINGS, AND THOSE WOULD HAVE WENT AWAY IN ROUGHLY 2020, RIGHT AROUND COVID. AND NOT HAVING THOSE POSITIONS HAS, HAS BEEN A MAJOR CHALLENGE. SO AGAIN, STEM USED TO HAVE A STEM COORDINATOR. IB, THERE USED TO BE AN IB COORDINATOR. NOW IT'S A TEACHER AND A PRINCIPAL TRYING TO DO IT. COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, THERE WAS AN INDIVIDUAL THAT, THAT WORKED THROUGH THAT. PAT TOBIN, WHO I BELIEVE IS HERE, HELPED WITH THE A— THANKS, PAT— HELPED WITH THE A+ SCHOOLS. SO THOSE POSITIONS USED TO EXIST AND THEY DON'T. AND THEN THE OTHER COMPONENT IS, SO LIKE A+ TRAININGS DOWN IN NORTH CAROLINA, IB TRAININGS IN DIFFERENT PLACES AROUND THE UNITED STATES. WE USED TO PARTNER WITH THE AEA FOR THE COMPUTER PROGRAMMING AND THE STEM TRAINING. AND THAT ALL COSTS MONEY, AND FINDING THAT MONEY HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE. SO THEN, UM, LIKE I SAID, WE TOOK THAT FEEDBACK AND WE SHARED IT WITH OUR PARENTS. SO, AND THIS IS WHERE I'LL SLOW DOWN. THE SURVEY DETAILS. SO AGAIN, THESE WERE CONDUCTED IN PERSON AND THROUGH EMAIL.

WE SENT MULTIPLE REMINDERS THROUGH THE EMAIL. THIS IS THE PARTICIPATION LEVEL THAT WE GOT. SO ONE OF MY CONCERNS WITH THESE NUMBERS, BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THOSE ARE GREAT NUMBERS, IS THE, THE LACK OF PARTICIPATION IN THOSE NUMBERS IS CONCERNING.

UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO SAY IT. I, I, IF I JUST FEEL IF WE WERE A LITTLE— IF THERE WAS HIGHER NUMBERS, I WOULD THINK THAT THERE'S A HIGHER CONCERN, I GUESS, IS, IS MY ASSUMPTION, WHICH COULD BE INCORRECT. HERE'S THE PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS FROM PARENTS THAT KNEW THE SPECIALTY STATUS.

SO OUT OF THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN THAT TOOK IT, I WON'T SCROLL IT, BUT OUT OF THOSE NUMBERS THAT TOOK IT, THOSE ARE THE PERCENT THAT KNEW WHAT THE SPECIALTY STATUS OF THE BUILDING WAS. AND HERE'S THE PERCENT OF PARENTS THEN THAT DIDN'T KNOW HOW LEARNING WAS DIFFERENT. SO THAT'S THE PERCENT THAT TOOK IT THAT SAID, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE BUILDING. THEN THIS IS THE PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS OR PARENTS THAT SAID THE SPECIALTY STATUS IMPROVED LEARNING. SO, SORRY, I JUST WANT TO— HUNT HAD THE LOWEST NUMBER OF PARENTS THAT KNEW THE SPECIALTY STATUS, BUT THE HIGHEST PERCENT THAT SAID IT MADE A DIFFERENCE. SOME OF OUR BUILDINGS THAT HAD THE HIGHEST PARTICIPATION RATES ACTUALLY HAD THE LOWEST NUMBER OF PERCENT OF PARENTS THAT FEEL IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT. THEN WE ASKED STAFF ONE SIMPLE QUESTION. WE TOOK IT BACK TO THEM THIS SPRING AND SHARED THE PARENT SURVEY RESULTS. AND IN A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WE ASKED THEM, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO PROCEED WITH YOUR SPECIALTY STATUS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE AND SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO CONTINUE? AND WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, WE, WE LET THEM KNOW, HEY, IF WE WANT TO CONTINUE, LET'S DO IT RIGHT. LET'S MAKE A

[01:20:02]

AND HERE'S THE RESULTS OF THAT STAFF SURVEY. SO WITHOUT SCROLLING— OH, THAT'S REALLY SMALL. LET ME WORK SOME MAGIC. THAT'S BETTER.

SO THE REASON THESE BUILDINGS ARE HERE, 72% OF HUNT STAFF, 76% OF LOS HILLS STAFF 71% OF MORNINGSIDE, 86% OF PERRY CREEK, AND 95% OF SPAULDING PARK STAFF ARE ASKING FOR THE SPECIALTY STATUS TO END. UM, NODLAND, SUNNYSIDE IS A LITTLE MORE MIXED.

SUNNYSIDE, 67% WOULD LIKE IT TO CONTINUE, 39% OF NODLAND.

SO, UM, EACH OF THESE, AFTER THEY GOT THESE RESULTS, THEY WENT BACK TO THEIR BUILDING LEADERSHIP TEAMS AND THEY TALKED WITH THEIR BUILDING LEADERSHIP TEAMS, AND THEIR BUILDING LEADERSHIP TEAMS TALKED TO THEIR GRADE LEVEL TEAMS. TEAMS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS— THE SURVEY WAS SHOWING THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR THE BUILDING. SO IT'S THE, THE STAFF AND THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY ULTIMATELY TRUSTING THEM WITH THIS AS WELL. SO, AND BASED ON THEIR— BASED ON THE CONVERSATIONS THAT NODLAND SUNNYSIDE ADMINISTRATION HAD WITH THEIR BUILDING LEADERSHIP TEAM AND ULTIMATELY WITH THEIR GRADE LEVEL TEAMS, THEY FEEL IT'S WORTH PURSUING AND BRINGING A PROPOSAL OF WHAT THEY NEED. AND THEN THE COST. SO I JUST, I KNEW EVERYBODY WOULD WANT THIS. THE COST FOR THESE PROGRAMS CURRENTLY ISN'T ASTRONOMICAL.

IT'S HIGH, BUT IT'S NOT ASTRONOMICAL. A LOT OF THIS THOUGH IS FUNDED BY THE INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS.

THE DISTRICT PAYS OBVIOUSLY FOR THE TEACHING POSITION THAT'S AT PERRY CREEK, THE DISTRICT PAYS FOR THE SOFTWARE FOR IB SCHOOLS. BUT A LOT OF THE TRAINING AND THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FROM THE OTHER BUILDINGS IS COMING FROM THEIR BUILDING BUDGETS, SO THEY'RE FUNDRAISING. THE DISTRICT ALSO PICKS UP THE TAB FOR TINKER AT LES HILLS.

TINKER AND CODEABLE. SO THEN THESE BUILDINGS, I ASKED THEM, OKAY, THESE ARE YOUR CURRENT COSTS.

IF YOU WERE TO CONTINUE, WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOU NEED? AND EACH OF THEM TALKED ABOUT, LIKE I SAID, THEY PLANNED FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO HELP LEAD THE SPECIALTY STATUS AND THE TRAINING COMPONENT THAT COMES ALONG WITH IT. ALL RIGHT. SO THOSE ARE THE SLIDES THAT I HAVE AND THE INFORMATION I HAVE. SO AGAIN, THE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ACKNOWLEDGE THE DISCONTINUATION OF THE SPECIALTY STATUSES OF HUNT, LUSS HILLS, MORNINGSIDE, PERRY CREEKS, BALDING PARK, EFFECTIVE AT THE END OF THIS YEAR. SO QUESTIONS FOR ME AND THE GROUP? BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION. WE TALKED ABOUT IT EARLIER THIS— OR LAST WEEK, BUT I DO HAVE A COUPLE OTHER FOLLOW-UPS ON IT. THANK YOU FOR MORE EXPLANATION ABOUT HOW YOU TRIED TO ENGAGE PARENTS. I, AS I SHARED WITH YOU, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. I DO THINK THAT SAYS SOMETHING AS WELL. WHAT EXACTLY IT SAYS, I GUESS WE JUST HAVE TO ASSUME, BUT YOU CERTAINLY DID MAKE AN EFFORT, AND I GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT.

JUST A PREFERENCE, AND IT'S JUST A PERSONAL PREFERENCE, IF WE'RE GOING TO COMPARE ACHIEVEMENT DATA OVER TIME. I'D LIKE TO SEE A TREND LINE RATHER THAN A POINT IN TIME COMPARISON. NOT THAT IT'S GOING TO CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF THIS, BUT JUST I WOULD PUT THAT REQUEST IN THE FUTURE IF WE'RE GOING TO DO A COMPARISON OVER TIME. I'D LIKE TO SEE A TREND LINE.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

AND THEN THE BIGGEST COMMENT I HAVE IS NOT FOR YOU, IT IS FOR OUR LEGISLATORS, OUR STATE LEGISLATORS THAT ARE LISTENING.

AND FOR ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM WHO LIVE IN IOWA AND HAVE A LEGISLATURE IN IOWA. THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT WAS PACING, THAT PACING IS WHAT IS MAKING IT HARD FOR US TO CONTEXTUALIZE THE LEARNING.

AND AS SOMEONE WHO, WHO READS A LOT ABOUT EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES AND OUTCOMES, AND SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN BOOTS ON THE GROUND TALKING TO BUSINESSES. IN MY 30 YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, I'VE NEVER HAD A BUSINESS SAY TO ME, GEE, I WISH I HAD AN EMPLOYEE WHO KNEW HOW TO TAKE A TEST BETTER. I WISH THEY COULD REALLY TEST WELL. AND WHAT OUR STATE LEGISLATURE HAS DONE TO THESE TEACHERS, ALL OF THEM, HAS FORCED THEM TO SPEND THEIR TIME CREATING STUDENTS WHO CAN TEST WELL AND

[01:25:01]

AND SO I DO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS REQUEST BEGRUDGINGLY, AND IT'S NOT BEGRUDGING TO YOU, IT'S BEGRUDGING BECAUSE I KNOW THE SITUATION YOU'RE IN AND I KNOW THAT IT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AND WHEN WE GET THAT FREEDOM, AND WE WILL IF WE ALL STAND UP AND TELL THEM ENOUGH'S ENOUGH. BACK IT OFF.

AND I'VE ASKED FOR DATA SO THAT I CAN START WRITING LETTERS, AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH ANYBODY ELSE OUT THERE BECAUSE WE NEED TO START WRITING LETTERS NOW TO TELL THEM TO STOP THIS. THE NUMBER OF ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE GOING ON IN OUR SCHOOLS— AND WHO WANTS TO HIRE SOMEONE WHO CAN TAKE A TEST? YOU WANT TO HIRE SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO SOLVE A PROBLEM. LET'S LET EDUCATION BE EDUCATION AND SUPPORT THESE FOLKS IN WHAT THEY DO. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR NELSON. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, DISCUSSION? DIRECTOR MEYER.

I'D JUST LIKE TO THANK THE STAFF FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. I THINK THE SITUATION HAS PROBABLY EXISTED FOR SOME TIME, BUT FOR VARIOUS REASONS, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SHY IN BRINGING THE INFORMATION FORWARD FORMALLY. PERHAPS YOU THINK THIS BOARD IS A LITTLE EASIER TO GET ALONG WITH THAN SOME OTHERS. I'M NOT SURE. BUT IN ANY CASE, PLEASE CONTINUE TO TELL US TRUTH AS IT IS, EVEN IF WE DON'T LIKE TO HEAR IT. BECAUSE ONCE WE KNOW ABOUT TRUTH AND WE UNDERSTAND IT, THERE'S SOME CHANCE WE CAN MAYBE HELP A LITTLE BIT OR AT LEAST GROUSE A LITTLE LESS.

SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? JUST ONE THING QUICK, JARED.

WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY THAT SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THERE'S BEEN SOME— IT'S THE— THIS HASN'T REALLY BEEN AN EQUITABLE VENTURE TO START WITH CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE SCHOOLS IN SIOUX CITY ARE NOT CONSIDERED SPECIALTY SCHOOLS. AND IF I WERE TO, IF I WERE TO HAVE A KID WHO WAS A GOOD PIANO PLAYER, WOULDN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT I COULD MOVE INTO HUNT. IT WOULD STILL DEPEND ON CLASS SIZE. ATTENDANCE AND BEHAVIOR, WE'D STILL FOLLOW OUR TRANSFER POLICY. YOU'D HAVE TO TRANSFER, BUT IT WOULD— THOSE THINGS COULD STILL IMPACT THAT. THAT'S, THAT'S TRUE.

THANKS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT, SHANICE, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? YES, DAN GREENWELL.

THANKS, MR. MYERS, FOR TELLING THE TRUTH.

PREVIOUS BOARDS DIDN'T HAVE STOMACH TO ADDRESS THIS, THERE'S WHAT, SUPPORT FOR TAKING A HARD REVIEW OF IT. LET TIME PASS. LET US BURN DOWN OUR SPENDING AUTHORITY RESERVES, AND WE'RE AT THAT POINT RIGHT NOW. AND WITH YOUR OTHER POINTS THAT YOU MADE ON THE— WE ONLY GET 1 MINUTE FOR THIS? WELL, I JUST WANT TO RESPOND TO AN EARLIER SPEAKER TONIGHT, THE IRVING FOLKS, THERE WAS NEVER ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT EXPANDING THE DUAL LANGUAGE.

MR. GREENWELL, IS THIS SPECIFIC TO OUR SPECIALTY SCHOOLS? BECAUSE IRVING WASN'T MENTIONED.

PARDON ME? IT'S A SPECIALTY SCHOOL. IT WASN'T MENTIONED.

IT'S A PROGRAM.

IT IS NOT. IT IS NOT A SPECIALTY SCHOOL. JARED, IS IRVING IDENTIFIED AS A SPECIALTY SCHOOL? I'LL LET YOU GUYS ALL DETERMINE THAT.

WELL, YOU— FOR THIS PRESENTATION, IT IS NOT. AM I CORRECT? I DID NOT INCLUDE IT IN THIS PRESENTATION.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

HE'S NOT RECOMMENDING TERMINATION THE SAME WAY HE'S NOT RECOMMENDING TERMINATION OF NORTHLAND SUNNYSIDE AT THIS POINT AND THEIR SPECIALTY SCHOOLS AS WELL. THE POINT OF IT IS, IS WE CAN'T AFFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL DUAL LANGUAGE EXPANSION. WE CAN'T AFFORD ELEMENTARY EXPANSION. YOU HAVE A $7 MILLION DEFICIT RIGHT NOW. AND WITH WHAT MR. MYERS MENTIONED ABOUT THE FUTURE FUNDING OF THE STATE, IT'S GOING TO GET WORSE NEXT YEAR. SO AS

[01:30:01]

THANK YOU. THE QUESTION. I APPRECIATE IT. IT WAS NOT PART OF OUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU.

IS THERE ANY OTHER CITIZEN INPUT? OKAY. ALL RIGHT, BOARD MEMBERS, THE BOARD ACKNOWLEDGES THE DISCONTINUATION OF SPECIALTY STATUS FOR HUNT ELEMENTARY ARTS A+, LOS HILLS ELEMENTARY COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, MORNINGSIDE ELEMENTARY STEM, PERRY CREEK ELEMENTARY INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE, AND SPAULDING PARK ELEMENTARY ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, EFFECTIVE TO BE THE CONCLUSION OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. THIS IS, AGAIN, IT'S JUST AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, BOARD MEMBERS, UM, WE'VE ACKNOWLEDGED THE FACT THAT WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE CLOSURE OF THOSE SPECIALTY SCHOOLS. DO YOU GUYS WANT TO ADD ANYTHING? I MEAN, YOU'VE SPENT YOUR TIME HERE THIS EVENING. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD TO THE DISCUSSION THAT WE SHARED AS IT RELATES TO YOUR POSITION AND YOUR SCHOOL? TAMMY VOGEL, I LOST HILLS COMPUTER PROGRAMMING SCHOOL. I 100% BELIEVE THAT COMPUTER PROGRAMMING CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OUR KIDS IN THE FUTURE, BUT I ALSO THINK WE'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT, AND WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING TO DO IT RIGHT, AND WE DON'T HAVE THE CARRY-THROUGH TO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE BUILDING KIDS AND THEN IT KIND OF STOPS. AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I THINK THAT WE DO NEED TO DISCONTINUE OR DO IT RIGHT, ONE OR THE OTHER.

BUT THAT TAKES MONEY.

BUT I ALWAYS LIKE TO BACK COMPUTER PROGRAMMING. I 100% BELIEVE THAT THAT IS A CAREER THAT KIDS CAN GO INTO AND MAKE GOOD MONEY AND BE SUCCESSFUL.

AND THAT'S WHY WE HAD THAT.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE GOT THAT PROGRAM FOR OUR STUDENTS. SO THANK YOU.

KIM CROATS FROM MORNINGSIDE.

MOSTLY JUST APPRECIATION FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THE WORK THAT WE PUT IN AND THE WORK THAT MR. MOSER AND THE DISTRICT HAS PUT IN TO PUT A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE PROCESS.

IT MAY BE SOME SELF-REFLECTION, BUT WE'RE NOT OFTEN DIFFERENT THAN WHO WE WERE 20 YEARS AGO, OR EVEN MAYBE 5 MONTHS AGO.

AND TO LET THAT GO, AND THAT ASSUMPTION ABOUT PEOPLE OR PROGRAMS OR SYSTEMS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO LEAD WITH INQUIRY AND SEEK CLARITY.

BUT ALSO GIVE THINGS A CHANCE TO REALIZE THAT THINGS CAN CHANGE OR MAY NEED TO CHANGE.

NOT TO HOLD ON TO WHAT WAS JUST BECAUSE, BUT NOT TO SAY THAT A DIFFERENT WAY MUST BE THE BEST WAY. AND SO JUST KEEP IN MIND WITH THAT.

A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, WE WERE NOT VERY GAME TO SAY, LET'S END THE SIM SPECIALTY STATUS. BUT THROUGH THE REVIEW OF THE PROCESS, WE FOUND THAT WE HAVE CONTINUED TO CHANGE OVER THE YEARS TO MAKE SURE THAT A NEW INITIATIVE THAT WAS STARTED WITH GREAT INSPIRATION AND WAS, UM, AND TRUST, RIGHT? AND, UH, WAS STILL LIMITED SUPPORT WITH FINANCES, UM, WAS ABLE TO BECOME A GREAT THING. AND THEN YOU END UP OVER TIME, YOU BECOME A SYSTEMATIZED AND SO THEREFORE IT BUILDS INTO YOUR— THE WAY YOU DO EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO TO TEACH, EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO THAT YOU LOVE ABOUT EDUCATION, AND THAT YOU DON'T LET THINGS GO, BUT THAT ALSO YOU EMBRACE NEW AND YOU DON'T STAY STUCK IN WHAT YOU WERE. WE ARE IN A VERY RAPIDLY CHANGING TIME PERIOD, AND I WOULD JUST SAY THAT THE BIGGEST PIECE THAT WE NEED FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD, OUR DIRECTORS, OUR LEADERS— JIM, JARED, AND ALL THAT— AND AND THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT CONTINUE TO STAY STEP FORWARD IS THAT WE APPRECIATE YOU LISTEN TO US.

UM, YOU HEAR THAT, UM, TRUST IS HUGE.

AND WHEN YOU HAVE THAT TRUST, IT ALLOWS US TO BE INSPIRED BY OURSELVES, FIND OUR INSPIRATION, BUT ALSO INSPIRE OTHERS.

AND SO I THINK THAT IN THIS BIG PICTURE, I'M A SYSTEMS PERSON.

WE NEED YOU TO HELP US WITH JUST LIKE WHAT THIS DECISION WITH ALL THE DECISIONS THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW.

TO LAUNCH US INTO PLACE SO WE CAN GET READY TO GO AND GET TO WORK RIGHT NOW. SO THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THIS AND THE OTHER THINGS YOU'VE HEARD TONIGHT.

THEY'RE VERY IMPORTANT. AND I DID BRING SOME STAFF IF YOU WANT TO ASK THEM ANY QUESTIONS, IF YOU GUYS WANT TO COME UP, BUT BECAUSE THEY LIVE, EAT, AND BREATHE IB. AND IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE GETTING RID OF THE— OUR MODEL OF IB, IT'S JUST THE COST AND THE TRAINING.

SO WE WILL TAKE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED AND STILL INCORPORATE THEM INTO EVERY DAY.

BUT YOUR STAFF WOULD, WOULD, WOULD PREFER TO NOT BE SACRIFICED, I'M, I'M GUESSING.

BUT THEY CAME TO SHOW SUPPORT. THANK YOU.

OKAY, THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE?

[01:35:02]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU GUYS FOR SHOWING UP. ALL RIGHT, NEXT WE HAVE AMY DENNY, AND WE'LL GO INTO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT UPDATES. AMY, UM, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU ALL IF YOU MIGHT— WOULD JUST GIVE US 5 MINUTES. LET'S JUST TAKE A 5-MINUTE BREAK AND THEN WE'LL GET READY. OKAY, THANK YOU.

[XII.G. Student Achievement Update – Fifth Grade Band – Amy Denney]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. OKAY, WE'RE READY WHEN YOU ARE. GOOD EVENING, BOARD.

TONIGHT IS THE FIRST OF A NUMBER OF CURRICULUM REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE FOR YOU, AND SO WITH ME I HAVE MEMBERS OF OUR 5TH GRADE BAND CURRICULUM TEAM, AND I'M JUST GOING TO LET THEM TAKE IT AWAY.

SO MY NAME IS SEAN BURTON. I'M THE HEAD MUSIC TEACHER FOR THE DISTRICT, AND I TEACH ORCHESTRA AT EAST HIGH SCHOOL AND EAST MIDDLE SCHOOL. AND SO TO GET THIS STARTED, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR TEAM: DR.

ERIN SCHUCK, MRS. PAT TOBIN, MR. VICTOR SUNLEAF, AND MR. JESSE WIPPERLING.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE A TEAM OF 4 MUSIC EDUCATORS THAT TRAVEL ACROSS ALL 12 OF OUR ELEMENTARY BUILDINGS FOR CONSISTENCY IN OUR BEGINNING BAND PROGRAM.

UM, THAT ROLE STARTED, UH, WHEN I WAS COORDINATOR, THAT WE HAD A SEPARATE TEAM FOR 5TH GRADE BECAUSE OF THE— OUR SECONDARY PEOPLE ARE LEAVING FOR JAZZ BAND COMPETITIONS, ETC. SO IT'S A TEAM THAT IS DEDICATED STRICTLY FOR OUR 5TH GRADE— 5TH GRADERS, AND SO THAT THERE'S CONSISTENCY IN EDUCATION ACROSS, UM, ALL 12 OF OUR BUILDINGS. EACH TEAM MEMBER IS THE LEAD EDUCATOR, PLANNER, AND COMMUNICATOR FOR 3 OF THOSE BUILDINGS. SO WE EACH TAKE ON, UM, THE LEAD COMMUNICATION IN 3 OF THOSE BUILDINGS. WE SEE ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN BAND 2 DAYS OUT OF THE WEEK, ONE FOR 30 MINUTES FOR A SMALL GROUP, UM, INSTRUCTION, AND ONE DAY FOR 30 MINUTES OF LARGE GROUP INSTRUCTION.

UH, BAND FOSTERS ACADEMIC SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT WHILE ALSO CULTIVATING ESSENTIAL LIFE SKILLS, AS YOU TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. FORTUNATELY, OUR SUBJECT IS NOT A STATE-TESTED SUBJECT YET, AND SO WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO OFFER THAT CRITICAL THINKING. SO PERSEVERANCE AND LEADERSHIP.

ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'VE INCLUDED A QUOTE FROM JULIE GIROUX JUST TO DRIVE HOME THE POINT OF HOW MUSIC AND PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT CAN REALLY IMPACT THE STUDENT'S STUDENTS' LIVES OUTSIDE OF OUR OWN CLASSROOM. IF WE GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD FOR THE CURRICULUM, WE'VE SPENT THE LAST COUPLE YEARS REVIEWING EVERYTHING FROM OUR BELIEFS, MISSION, VISION, AND PHILOSOPHY.

OVER THE LAST YEAR, WE'VE UPDATED A NUMBER OF THINGS, INCLUDING OUR PACING FOR STUDENTS THROUGHOUT OUR, OUR LESSON BOOK. WE'VE ALSO REASSESSED WHICH STANDARDS WERE GOING TO BE ASSESSED. WE ARE NOW GOING FROM 1 TO 3, WHICH WILL HELP US BETTER GUIDE AND BETTER VIEW HOW THE STUDENTS ARE PROGRESSING IN PREPARATIONS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND. THE OTHER THING WE'RE WORKING ON IS THE— WE'VE, WE FINISHED CREATING RUBRICS FOR THOSE ASSESSMENTS, AND THEN WE'VE REVISITED OUR RESOURCES FOR WHAT WE NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

PERFECT. SO IN THIS WORK, AS HE MENTIONED, WE HAVE HAD VERTICAL CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM, BUT WE'VE ALSO HAD THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND LEARNING THROUGH THE ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM ADOPTION MUSIC ADOPTION THAT YOU DID LAST SPRING, AND WE'RE REALLY KIND OF THAT, THAT BUILD AND THAT BRIDGE IN BETWEEN.

SO AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH OUR NEEDS, WE'RE ASKING FOR DUET RHYTHM FLASHCARDS.

WE HAVE A COUPLE SETS RIGHT NOW, AND WE'RE ASKING FOR 12 SO THAT WE'RE NOT CARRYING THEM IN OUR BACKPACKS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.

DUET STUDENT CONSUMABLE WORKBOOKS ARE THE BOOKS THAT THE STUDENTS USE, AND THERE IS AN ONLINE AUDIO ACCESS CODE THAT THEY RECEIVE FOR THAT, SO THEY ARE CONSUMABLE WORKBOOKS FOR THEM.

AND THEN SUPPLIES FOR THEM TO HELP PLAY THEIR INSTRUMENTS.

UM, AND THEN OUR NEXT REQUEST IS FOR— SPEAKING OF INSTRUMENTS, WE'RE ALSO REQUESTING SOME NEW INSTRUMENTS FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR TO HELP US BRIDGE THE GAP BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE WE'VE SEEN IN STUDENTS REQUIRING SCHOOL-OWNED INSTRUMENTS IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR PROGRAM. IF YOU LOOK ON THE FIRST ITEM, THAT WE'VE HAD A 13% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR OF NEED FOR STUDENTS TO USE A SCHOOL-OWNED INSTRUMENT, WHICH HAS THEN SHOVED— PUSHED US OVER TO HALF— OVER HALF OF OUR STUDENTS USE A SCHOOL-OWNED INSTRUMENT. IN FACT, 11 OF OUR 12 BUILDINGS HAVE INCREASED THEIR USAGE, AND OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS, WE'RE NOW SEEING THE HIGHEST TOTAL OF 9 OF THOSE BUILDINGS.

IN TERMS OF SOME OTHER RESOURCES THAT WE'RE REQUESTING AS PART OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION, WE'RE WANTING OUR TEACHERS TEACHERS TO HAVE IPADS, SPEAKERS, STANDS, AND CABLES. SOME OF THEM ARE USING THEIR OWN PERSONAL SPEAKERS AND THEY GO FROM PLACE TO PLACE. SO REMEMBER,

[01:40:01]

AND CERTAINLY 5TH GRADE BAND, ELEMENTARY BAND, THE VERY BEGINNING, RIGHT? THAT'S WHERE WE SET THE TONE FOR THE FUTURE, RIGHT, FOR THE LIFE. AND SO WE WANTED TO BRING IN MARGUERITE WILDER. SHE IS ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS OF THE DO IT SERIES. SHE WAS ALSO A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL TEACHER, BAND DIRECTOR, UH, IN THE COBB COUNTY IN THE FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA AREA.

SO WE PROVIDED HER BIO AND INFORMATION, AND THIS WILL BE A 2-WEEK INTEGRATION. SO IT'S NOT LIKE SHE'S GOING TO STAND UP AND TALK AND WE'RE GOING TO LISTEN, RIGHT? SHE'S GOING TO BE GOING WITH THE TEACHERS, WORKING WITH THE STUDENTS AND OUR STAFF FOR 2 FULL WEEKS. ANY QUESTIONS? BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? UM, MAYBE YOU KNOW THIS AND MAYBE YOU DON'T KNOW THIS. HOW MANY OF OUR 5TH GRADE BAND STUDENTS CONTINUE ON TO BAND IN MIDDLE SCHOOL? UH, WE'RE SITTING AT ABOUT 70% THAT CONTINUE ON.

HOWEVER, WE ALSO SEE AN INCREASE OF STUDENTS WHO START 6TH GRADE WITHOUT HAVING DONE 5TH GRADE.

WE BELIEVE THAT PART OF THAT REASON IS BECAUSE OF ACCESS TO INSTRUMENTS. SO IF WE HAVE MORE OF A— IF WE HAVE A GREATER ACCESS FOR THOSE INSTRUMENTS FOR THOSE STUDENTS AT THE 5TH GRADE LEVEL, MORE OF THEM WILL START AT THE 5TH GRADE LEVEL RATHER THAN WAITING UNTIL 6TH GRADE. IS IT AN OPTION NOT TO TAKE 5TH GRADE BAND? IT IS.

WE DO ALLOW MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS FOR OUR STUDENTS. SO LET'S SAY, BECAUSE I TEACH ORCHESTRA, RIGHT, AND WE— IT'S A CONTINUOUS CURRICULUM THAT BEGINS IN 4TH, THEN 5TH, AND SO ON. BUT IF YOU HAVE A STUDENT WHO MAYBE IS REALLY INTERESTED AND A PARENT THAT'S LIKE, I, I REALLY WANT THIS FOR MY CHILD, WE'RE NOT GOING TO TURN THEM AWAY, RIGHT? WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO WELCOME PEOPLE WITH OPEN ARMS BECAUSE WE WANT PARTICIPATION, RIGHT? THAT'S CRUCIAL FOR, FOR EVERYTHING.

YEAH, I CAN ADD TO THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT AS WELL, COMING OUT OF NORTH HIGH OVER THE PAST 4 YEARS.

WHEN I WALKED INTO NORTH HIGH 5 YEARS AGO, WE HAD 84 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN HIGH SCHOOL BAND, AND WHEN I LEFT THIS PAST THIS FALL THERE WERE 128 REGISTERED, AND SOME OF THOSE KIDS WERE COMING BACK AFTER TAKING A LITTLE BRIEF LEAVE FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT THINGS.

AND IT REALLY IS ABOUT THAT COMMUNITY AND COMING BACK AND OR STARTING AT THE BEGINNING.

SO, BOARD MEMBERS, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? UM, THERE WAS A COMMENT IN— HELLO? YES. THERE WAS A COMMENT IN OUR WORK SESSION ABOUT THAT SEVERAL OF THESE PURCHASES ARE NOT JUST FOR YOU GUYS, RIGHT? RIGHT, CERTAINLY LIKE THE CHAIRS AND THE STANDS, THAT WOULD ALSO BE UTILIZED FOR THE ORCHESTRA PROGRAM AS WELL.

YEAH, IT TRICKLES— I HATE TO USE THIS EXPRESSION— TRICKLES DOWN TO EVERY PROGRAM.

I'M THE ONLY NON-MUSICIAN OF A LARGE FAMILY OF MUSICIANS. UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I DON'T APPRECIATE MUSIC, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MY FAMILY KEEPS REMINDING ME IS LIKE, MAYBE I'M LESS GOOD AT MATH BECAUSE I DIDN'T DO MUSIC, RIGHT? UM, SO FOR THOSE OUT THERE THAT STILL DON'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A LOT OF MATH IN MUSIC THERE THAT HELPS YOUR BRAIN TO, TO TO EXERCISE MEMORIZATION, TO— IT MAKES YOU BETTER AT LANGUAGES. IF YOU HAVE A GOOD— YOU HAVE AN EAR THAT IS TUNED TO SOUNDS, YOU WILL BE BETTER AT LANGUAGES IN THE LONG RUN.

SO, I MEAN, IT'S A GOOD MEDICINE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? AND I SALUTE DIRECTOR SUPPIATT TO CARRY ON THE SONG THAT I'VE SUNG THE WHOLE TIME I'VE BEEN ON THIS BOARD ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC TO MATH AND LEARNING. AND SO WE MOST WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT, AND I BELIEVE WE NEED A MOTION.

IS THAT CORRECT? ACTUALLY, IT'S JUST AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

OKAY.

DENISE, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? NO. OKAY, WELL, THE

[XII.H. Midbell Music – Amy Denney]

[01:45:01]

FOR ELEMENTARY BAND. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. I HAVE THE NEXT TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA RELATED TO THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU JUST HEARD. UM, THE FIRST ITEM IS FROM MIDBELL MUSIC AND— OR FOR MIDBELL MUSIC, AND IT IS A QUOTE FOR $96,109.21 TO PURCHASE THE RESOURCES THAT THEY IDENTIFIED IN THE PRESENTATION. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF THE 5TH GRADE BAND RESOURCES FROM MIDBELL MUSIC FROM THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR FOR $96,109.21.

SO I MOVE. SECOND.

IT HAS BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? YES, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING LOCAL, AND I ALSO WANT TO, UM, THANK MIDBELL MUSIC FOR BEING A GOOD PARTNER TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BECAUSE I COULD I COULD TELL WHEN I LOOKED AT THE INFORMATION THAT THEY ARE A VERY GOOD PARTNER TO US. THEY ARE A VERY GOOD PARTNER TO US, AND THEY HAVE PROVIDED— CONSISTENTLY PROVIDED VERY COMPETITIVE PRICES. YES. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT.

SHANICE, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? OKAY, HEARING NONE,

[XII.I. 5th Grade Band Professional Development – Amy Denney]

AYE. NO OPPOSITION. THE MOTION PASSES. AND THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS RELATED TO 5TH GRADE BAND AS WELL, AND IT'S TO PURCHASE THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR— FROM MARGUERITE WILDER FOR $12,000 FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.

SHE WILL BE COMING ON SITE TO PROVIDE A WEEK'S WORTH OF SUPPORT WITH OUR BAND TEACHERS SIDE BY SIDE. THEY WILL NOT NEED SUBSTITUTES FOR THIS, AND IT WILL BE A GREAT LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM. BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF ELEMENTARY MUSIC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FROM MARGUERITE WILDER? FOR THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE AMOUNT OF $12,000.

SO MOVED. SECOND.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? YES. DIRECTOR MILLER. YOU SAID ONE WEEK, BUT I THOUGHT I SAW TWO WEEKS IN THE PRESENTATION. IS THERE SOMETHING I'M MISSING? OH, TWO WEEKS. I'M SO SORRY.

I'M GETTING CONFUSED WITH ALL OF MY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

TWO WEEKS. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR DR. MILLER, WE ONLY HAVE 8 PAGES OF YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? SHANICE, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? BOARD MEMBERS, CAN I— ALL THOSE

[XII.J. Student Achievement Update – Secondary English Language Arts – Amy Denney]

AYE.

NO OPPOSITION. THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU.

AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE OUR SECONDARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM TEAM TO COME UP.

OUR TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AS WE ARE, ARE IN A 7-YEAR CURRICULUM CYCLE.

AND SO WITH THAT, I HAVE MEGAN POWERS, WHO IS OUR CURRICULUM FACILITATOR FOR SECONDARY ELA, AND BETH WHALEN, WHO IS AN ADDITIONAL CURRICULUM FACILITATOR FOR SECONDARY ELA, AND THEY HAVE A GREAT TEAM WITH THEM. SO I WILL LET YOU LADIES TAKE IT AWAY. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. WE ARE REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE OUR PROGRESS IN OUR CURRICULUM ADOPTION CYCLE HERE. AND SO OUR TEAM IS, IS MADE UP OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS REPRESENTING ALL OF OUR SECONDARY BUILDINGS, AND ALSO WE HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE EL CLASSROOM AS WELL. AND SO I'D LIKE JUST EVERYONE TO GO THROUGH AND JUST INTRODUCE THEMSELVES BRIEFLY IF YOU WANT TO I'M SEAN OLER-INDAMI.

I TEACH ENGLISH AT NORTH HIGH SCHOOL.

KAT MOSMAN, TIER 1 COORDINATOR PLC PROCESS.

USE THE MICROPHONE. OH, SORRY ABOUT THAT.

KAT MOSMAN, TIER 1 COORDINATOR PLC SUPPORT.

THANK YOU.

I'M EMILY GALLAGHER. I TEACH FRESHMAN ENGLISH AT EAST HIGH. ALLISON FRANK, I TEACH READING AT EAST MIDDLE SCHOOL. AND I'M CHLOE HORN. I TEACH ENGLISH 4 AT NORTH HIGH SCHOOL. REBECCA REAKIN, PRINCIPAL AT WEST HIGH SCHOOL. OKAY, SO THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS OUR INTENTIONAL MULTI-YEAR PROCESS TIMELINE, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE BUILT OUR FRAMEWORK, UM, THEN WE— I'M SORRY, WE IDENTIFIED OUR NEEDS, THEN WE BUILT OUR FRAMEWORK, AND NOW NEXT YEAR WE WILL BE READY FOR OUR PHASED IMPLEMENTATION.

SORRY, I CAN'T GET IT TO— IT'S GOOD. IT'S FINE.

IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR BOARD POLICY HERE, WE FIRST ANALYZED STUDENT DATA LOOKING AT A NUMBER OF STANDARDIZED,

[01:50:02]

WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE CONCEPT OF THE OPPORTUNITY MYTH, WHERE A DIPLOMA IS ONLY MEANINGFUL IF YOU'RE GETTING HIGH-QUALITY GRADE-LEVEL INSTRUCTION, AND HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT THAT IS HAPPENING, AS WELL AS THE WRITING REVOLUTION, WHICH GIVES US A SYSTEMS-LEVEL APPROACH TO TEACHING WRITING USING FRAMEWORKS THAT GET THEM THINKING IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

AND WE ALSO GOT TO TEACHER INPUT BECAUSE WE KNOW THEY'VE GOT BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND OUR TEACHERS ARE GOING TO HAVE FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE OF WHAT THEY'RE SEEING IN THE CLASSROOM. BASED ON THAT, WE THEN, UM, GOT SOME CLEAR IDEAS OF WHAT IT IS THAT WE NEEDED.

WE HAD FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY GAPS THAT WE WANTED TO ADDRESS, SO WE NEEDED A MORE COHESIVE SYSTEM THAT COULD DO THAT. WE WANTED TO HAVE GROWTH, MEANINGFUL GROWTH, IN LANGUAGE AND WRITING. AND WE NEEDED MATERIALS THAT WOULD SUPPORT ALL LEARNERS IN A WAY THAT, UM, TEACHERS HAD CLEARER TOOLS. WE HAVE A LOT OF TURNAROUND WITH OUR CO-TEACHING FOR ENGLISH, AND SO WE WANTED A CO-TEACHER TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND HAVE CLEAR DIRECTION FOR WHAT THE CURRICULUM DEMANDED OF THEM, AND THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT IT.

AFTER THAT STAGE, WE WERE MOVING— ABLE TO MOVE ON TO STAGE 2. AND WITH THIS STAGE, WE REALLY FOCUSED ON HAVING A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR NEEDS, AND WE WERE ABLE TO REFINE AND DEVELOP OUR CURRICULUM. WITH THIS, WE REVISITED OUR BELIEFS, AND WE CREATED A SHARED VISION THAT WE CENTERED ON HAVING HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND THEN ALSO DEVELOPING STUDENTS WHO WERE STRONG THINKERS, COMMUNICATORS, AND READERS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND THE CLASSROOM.

WITH THIS STAGE, WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE WRITING REVOLUTION AND WE PULLED SOME STRATEGIES FROM THERE TO REALLY SUPPORT OUR WORK AND MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS WERE WRITING A LOT MORE IN THEIR READING INSTRUCTION AS WELL. AND THEN WITH STAGE 3 IS WHERE WE REALLY STARTED TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND SELECT THE ONES THAT BEST FIT OUR NEEDS. WE USE EDREPORTS TO NARROW DOWN OUR OPTIONS, AND THEN WE WE HEARD FROM 3 DIFFERENT VENDORS. WE HEARD FROM MYPERSPECTIVES, HMH, AND STUDYSYNC. AND OUR TEAM EVENTUALLY REACHED CONSENSUS ON MYPERSPECTIVES AS BEING THE ONE THAT BEST FIT OUR NEEDS.

AS ALLISON SAID, WE CHOSE MYPERSPECTIVES AS THE BEST FIT FOR US, SO I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHY FELT THIS WAS THE BEST FOR WHAT WE NEEDED. THE FIRST THING WAS HAVING A TEXT-FIRST KNOWLEDGE-BUILDING APPROACH. SEAN TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR PDS THAT WE'VE HAD.

MEGAN HAS ALSO HAD US LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW HAVING STUDENTS HAVE A KNOWLEDGE-BASED APPROACH TO READING IS IMPORTANT. IT'S BETTER FOR THEM TO BUILD BACKGROUND AND BUILD VOCABULARY ON A TOPIC BEFORE READING ABOUT IT AND BEING ABLE TO LOOK DEEPER INTO THAT TEXT. AND OUR CURRENT CURRICULUM IS MORE FOCUSED ON THE STANDARD RATHER THAN ACTUALLY BUILDING KNOWLEDGE AND BEING ABLE TO APPLY THAT. SO THEN THE NEXT THING IS STRONG THEMATIC UNITS WITH HIGH-QUALITY TEXT, WHICH KIND OF GOES ALONG WITH THE PREVIOUS POINT.

BUT ALL OF THE UNITS IN MYPERSPECTIVES ARE BUILT AROUND ONE TOPIC, AND THEN STUDENTS STUDENTS WILL READ A LOT OF DIFFERENT TEXTS ABOUT THE SAME TOPIC, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO BUILD BACKGROUND ABOUT THE TOPIC AND LEARN MORE VOCABULARY, WHICH WILL THEN HELP THEM IN FURTHER READING AND WRITING THAT THEY'LL DO. THE NEXT THING IS RIGOROUS SPIRALED STANDARDS PRACTICE. SO, UH, MYPERSPECTIVES IS REALLY GOOD ABOUT FOCUSING ON WHICH TEXT WILL FOCUS ON WHICH STANDARD AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY APPLIED IN THE ASSESSMENTS. UM, AN ISSUE WITH OUR CURRENT CURRICULUM IS THAT SOMETIMES THE ASSESSMENTS ARE NOT REALLY ASSESSING WHAT THE STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM. WE THINK THIS CURRICULUM IS GOING TO BE MUCH BETTER AT THAT. AND THEN OUR LAST THING IS TO HAVE STRONG INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT ALIGNMENT, WHICH IS KIND OF WHAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT.

UM, OUR CURRENT CURRICULUM IS MORE OF HERE'S A TEXT, HERE'S A SKILL,

[01:55:01]

CURRENTLY WE ONLY HAVE MORE ONLINE RESOURCES. WE DON'T USE THE— WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A CONSUMABLE THAT STUDENTS CAN PERSONALLY INTERACT WITH. THEY CAN'T LIKE WRITE IN IT, THEY CAN'T LIKE TAKE IT HOME WITH THEM AND USE IT. SO THAT'S ONE THING MYPERSPECTIVES WILL DO IS GIVE THE STUDENTS ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN USE TO INTERACT PERSONALLY WITH THE TEXT, WHICH WE FOUND IS REALLY GOOD FOR THEM. AND IT WILL ALSO SUPPORT PLCS, AND IT HAS A SMOOTHER CANVAS INTEGRATION, WHICH WE'RE ALSO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. I'LL DO A BETTER JOB WITH THE MICROPHONE THIS TIME. OK, THERE WE GO.

WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS A WORD CLOUD, AND YOU CAN SEE IT SAYS, WHAT EXCITES US? THERE WAS A SURVEY TAKEN OF THE TEAM. AND WITH THAT, THE TEAM— THE LARGER THE WORD IS, THE MORE THE WORD OR PHRASE APPEARED IN CONTEXT OF WHAT THEY WERE EXCITED ABOUT WITH THE NEW CURRICULUM.

A FEW THINGS THAT STOOD OUT: HIGH-QUALITY TEXT, COHESIVE CURRICULUM, CONSUMABLES, VERTICAL ALIGNMENT. I AM THE TIER 1 COORDINATOR THAT SUPPORTS PLCS 6 THROUGH 9 IN 4 OF THE MAIN SUBJECTS. I GO TO THE 21 PLCS ENGLISH AND READING 6 THROUGH 9, AND I THINK THE ENERGY THAT THE TEAM HAS BUILT WITH THAT AMONG THEIR PLC MEMBERS AS WELL— THOSE ARE WORDS I CONSISTENTLY HEAR AS WELL WHEN I'M ATTENDING PLCS.

THESE ARE THINGS THAT THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT BECAUSE WHEN WE HAVE THESE THINGS IN PLACE WITH THIS CURRICULUM WE'RE ADOPTING, IT TAKES AWAY THAT NEED TO GO FIND THE RESOURCE AND MORE TIME COULD BE SPENT ON INSTRUCTIONAL RESPONSES.

WHAT ARE KIDS LEARNING, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NEXT? SO I— THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY.

AND I'LL LET— MRS. GALLAGHER IS GOING TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. I'M JUST GOING TO ADD A COUPLE THINGS THAT MY PLC IS PERSONALLY EXCITED ABOUT BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO BE ONE OF THE TEAMS THAT ARE GOING TO BE DOING THE PHASED IMPLEMENTATION NEXT YEAR. SO WE ARE PERSONALLY EXCITED ABOUT DEFINITELY SOME OF THESE LARGER FONTED THINGS LIKE HIGH-QUALITY TEXT AND THE COHESIVE CURRICULUM. THOSE KIND OF GO TOGETHER. WE FELT THAT OUR CURRENT CURRICULUM DOESN'T REALLY HAVE THOSE HIGH-QUALITY TEXTS THAT BOTH STUDENTS ARE EXCITED TO READ AND WE'RE EXCITED TO TEACH. IT'S MORE OF JUST A COUPLE RANDOM STORIES THAT DON'T REALLY FIT TOGETHER AT ALL, SO IT'S KIND OF PURPOSELESS ALMOST. SO NOW THIS NEW CURRICULUM WILL HAVE THE HIGH-QUALITY TEXTS, IT WILL BE MORE COHESIVE, IT ACTUALLY KIND OF MAKES SENSE TOGETHER. WE ARE ALSO EXCITED ABOUT THE CONSISTENCY WE ARE GOING TO HAVE WITH THESE COMPLETE UNITS.

PREVIOUSLY, WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT, AND KIND OF LIKE KAT SAID, SOMETIMES WE HAVE— FEEL LIKE WE HAVE TO PULL DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE ON OUR OWN TO KIND OF MAKE IT FIT, WHICH OBVIOUSLY TAKES A LOT OF TIME, AND THEN IT IS NOT NECESSARILY CONSISTENT BETWEEN BUILDINGS. SO THIS CURRICULUM IDEALLY IS A KID WHO'S AT EAST CAN TRANSFER MID-SEMESTER AND STILL BE RIGHT WHERE THEY WERE IDEALLY. AND HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY THAT'LL WORK OUT. BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PERSONALLY EXCITED ABOUT. ALRIGHTY, NOW WE ARE ON TO STAGE 4 OF OUR CURRICULUM PLAN. SO AFTER WE REVIEWED EVERYTHING AND FOUND THE RIGHT CURRICULUM TO FIT OUR STUDENTS' NEEDS, WE HAVE DECIDED TO ROLL OUT A PHASED IMPLEMENTATION YEAR.

THIS MEANS THAT THE TEACHERS WHO ARE ON THE TEAM WOULD BE IMPLEMENTING THIS NEW CURRICULUM IN THEIR CLASSROOM BEFORE IT ACTUALLY GOES DISTRICT-WIDE. THAT'S OUR GOAL HERE. SO IN THIS IMPLEMENTATION, THE OUR PACING GUIDE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO PREPARE FOR IT AS WE GO THROUGH THE REST OF THE SPRING AND INTO THE SUMMER. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THIS CURRICULUM, AND THEN STARTING NEXT FALL, THE TEACHERS WHO ARE ON THE TEAM WILL TRY OUT THE NEW CURRICULUM IN THEIR CLASSES ONLY. SO THIS WILL NOT BE EVERYBODY THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, JUST THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT. THE GOAL FOR THAT IS THAT WE WILL FIND ANY ERRORS OR ANY, UH, POTENTIAL FLAWS THAT WE NEED TO CORRECT BEFORE WE DELIVER THIS TO THE REST OF THE TEACHERS.

THAT COULD BE LESSON PLANS, SUPPORTS FOR OUR STUDENTS, WHETHER IT BE ELL OR IEP KIDDOS

[02:00:03]

SO DURING THIS PHASE IMPLEMENTATION THAT WE WOULD DO NEXT YEAR, WE WOULD GET ALL OF THOSE KINKS SORTED OUT BEFORE WE GO ON TO THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION, WHICH IS THE LAST POINT ON THIS SLIDE. THAT WOULD BE IN THE FALL OF 2027, SO NOT THIS NEXT SCHOOL YEAR BUT THE SCHOOL YEAR AFTER THAT. IF EVERYTHING GOES WELL AND WE SMOOTH OUT ALL THE ROUGH PATCHES, WE WILL FULLY IMPLEMENT THE CURRICULUM ACROSS THE ENTIRE DISTRICT. SO THAT'S OUR GOAL THERE. AND THEN YOU'LL GET TO HEAR FROM US AGAIN, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE LOVE PRESENTATIONS. SO ON TOP OF THE MY PERSPECTIVES PIECE, WE ARE ADDING ANOTHER LITTLE CAVEAT HERE. SO WE ARE GOING TO BE STARTING THIS FALL, UM, WE ARE GOING TO OFFER PRE-AP ENGLISH 1 AS AN 8TH GRADE ALTERNATIVE FOR 8TH GRADE ENGLISH. AND SO THIS IS GOING TO GIVE OUR STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EARN HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT AT THE 8TH GRADE YEAR FOR ENGLISH. AND THIS IS CURRICULUM THAT FOLLOWS THE AP BOARD, THE COLLEGE BOARD THAT SETS UP ALL OF THE AP CURRICULUM. AND IT'S— THE PURPOSE OF IT, IT'S GOING TO BETTER PREPARE OUR KIDS TO TACKLE ANY ADVANCED PLACEMENT WORK, ESPECIALLY.

AND IT'S DIRECTLY ALIGNED WITH OUR AP ENGLISH CLASSES AS WELL. AND SO WITH THIS, WE DO NEED A LITTLE EXTRA SUPPORT ON TOP OF THE AP CLASSROOM. SO WE, WE FOUND THAT THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE ALIGNS VERY NICELY WITH THE FRAMEWORK THAT THE COLLEGE BOARD PROVIDES FOR US IN THIS CLASS. AND SO WE WOULD— WE NEED SOME OF THOSE RESOURCE MATERIALS TO SUPPORT— THERE'S ONE GOING TO BE ONE CLASS AT EACH ONE OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS. AND SO THIS, UH, THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE, IT'S A TEXTBOOK AS WELL AS HAS A DIGITAL COMPONENT WITH IT TO HELP SUPPORT OUR KIDS AND PREPARE THEM FOR THAT. AND SO WITH THAT, UH, WE'RE GOING TO BRING FORWARD OUR, OUR NEEDS HERE. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE 3 THINGS FOR OUR NEEDED SUPPORTS. FIRST OF ALL, WE WOULD NEED FOR SECONDARY ELA RESOURCES OUR MY PERSPECTIVES FROM SAVVAS FOR OUR PHASED IMPLEMENTATION.

WE WILL ALSO NEED AS A SUPPORT EXTENSION OF ACCESS ACCESS TO OUR CURRENT ELA RESOURCE INTO LITERATURE FROM HMH. THAT WOULD BE FOR THE TEACHERS THAT WON'T BE PART OF THE PHASED IMPLEMENTATION.

AND THEN, AS MEGAN JUST SPOKE TO, THE PRE-AP ENGLISH 1 RESOURCES, THAT FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. SO WITH THAT, WE ASK THAT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT UPDATE FOR SECONDARY ELA. THEY WOULD WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS, OBVIOUSLY. BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? I DO HAVE A QUESTION. UM, OKAY, I'LL DEFER TO DIRECTOR HANSEN AND THEN DIRECTOR MILLER, AND THEN I'LL GO. MY QUESTION'S ANSWERED.

OKAY.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I HEARD YOU MENTION A COUPLE OF TIMES WAS THE IMPORTANCE OF TACTILE LEARNING, HAVING RESOURCES, HAVING WORKBOOKS HAVING TEXTBOOKS. I SEE YOU'RE RECOMMENDING A MIX OF BOTH ONLINE AND HARD COPY TYPES OF THINGS, AND I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK FOR SOME CLARIFICATION. IS THAT BECAUSE YOU WANT THE MIX OF THOSE, OR IS IT FINANCIALLY DRIVEN THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING A BLEND? BUT I WOULD LIKE JUST TO KNOW, WHAT IS— IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT, OR DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAD TO HAD TO COMPROMISE, UM, BECAUSE I HEARD SOME THINGS THERE THAT, THAT REALLY ALIGN WITH RESEARCH THAT I'VE BEEN READING AS WELL.

EVERYONE CAN ANSWER. OKAY, SO, UM, I KNOW THAT IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO— FOR OUR KIDS TO BE READING ON TEXT, LIKE AN ACTUAL PAPER. READING COMPREHENSION INCREASES BY 15% WHEN THEY ARE— LIKE, READING BRAIN IS ACTIVATED WITH PEN IN HAND, WHICH IS WHY WE NEED STYLUS.

WAIT, THAT'S ANOTHER PRESENTATION. AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED FOR THAT. BUT THE DIGITAL COMPONENTS ARE WHERE A LOT OF OUR DIFFERENTIATION PIECES LIE.

AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF OUR EL SUPPORTS AND DIFFERENT— AND FROM TRANSLATING ABILITIES TO EXTENDED VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION AND ANY ADDITIONAL REMEDIATION NEEDS ARE DIGITALLY OFFERED.

GREAT. THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? I GET REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. SORRY, GO AHEAD.

AND IF YOU WERE WONDERING ABOUT— AND MAYBE THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU WERE REFERRING TO, BUT THE HMH ONLINE RESOURCE WOULD BE JUST FOR THE TEACHERS. OK, YEAH, I WASN'T SURE IF YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT THAT. THANKS FOR CLARIFYING THOUGH. I APPRECIATE THAT.

I THINK IN THE PRESENTATION YOU'RE ASKING FOR ABOUT $78,000 FOR THE '26-'27 SCHOOL YEAR FOR A PHASED APPROACH.

APPROACH. SO WHEN YOU ROLL IT OUT TO EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE FALL OF '27, HOW MUCH MORE MONEY DO YOU WANT?

[02:05:01]

SO I'VE BEEN REALLY ADAMANT, DON'T ASK FOR A LITTLE SAMPLING OF MONEY WHEN YOU KNOW THAT IT'S GOING TO COST YOU A WHOLE BUNCH MORE.

TELL US UP FRONT HOW MUCH IT'S GOING TO COST.

I DO HAVE, AND WE KNEW THAT, SO WE ASKED FOR THE BIG QUOTE FROM THEM. SO WE HAVE THAT.

OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T AFFORD THE WORLD, BUT THAT'S WHERE OUR PHASED IMPLEMENTATION DOCUMENTATION WILL ALLOW US TO DETERMINE WHAT ACTUALLY WE NEED OF ALL OF THOSE RESOURCES.

BUT I DO HAVE— WE HAVE, MEGAN AND BETH HAVE WORKED WITH MYSELF AND THE VENDOR TO IDENTIFY THAT. WE HAVE SOME NOVELS WE'RE PURCHASING, WE HAVE OTHER THINGS WE'RE WORKING OUT. SO WE WILL STAY WITHIN THE REALMS OF OUR BUDGET, BUT IT WILL BE A LOT. IT WILL BE A LARGE AMOUNT.

ARE WE TALKING $200,000? ARE WE TALKING $2 MILLION? WE'RE TALKING MILLION. YEAH.

OKAY, THANK YOU. DIRECTOR SUPIAT.

DIRECTOR MILLER, JUST THAT DOESN'T WANT TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK NEXT YEAR, AND THIS IS— I TEND TO CAUSE THAT A FEW TIMES. YES.

UM, SO MY TWO POINTS WERE ONE, TO, TO EXPLAIN WHAT CONSUMABLES MEANT, AND YOU YOU GUYS HAVE DONE IT. I KNEW WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, BUT ALTHOUGH TO BE HONEST, LIKE RIGHT NOW WE'RE PREACHING TO THE CHOIR RIGHT NOW. THAT'S THE PEOPLE THAT IS LEFT AT 8:30. BUT I AM CURIOUS, AND I'M SORRY TO SINGLE YOU OUT, MR. OLUWADAMI. IT'S SEAN. YOU MENTIONED THAT MANY, MANY TEACHERS ARE NOT PREPARED TO TEACH READING. YOU YOURSELF DIDN'T FEEL PREPARED TO TEACH READING. I WONDER IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN, EXPAND A LITTLE BIT ON THAT. IS THAT BECAUSE YOUR DEGREE, THE WAY THAT YOUR DEGREE IS STRUCTURED, THE CURRICULUM OF THE DEGREE AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL DOESN'T MAKE A FOCUS ON READING PEDAGOGY, OR— YEAH, SO A SECONDARY ENGLISH DEGREE DOES NOT INCLUDE A READING ENDORSEMENT. THAT'S A SEPARATE ENDORSEMENT. THE ASSUMPTION IS THAT WHEN A STUDENT IS IN 7TH THROUGH 12TH GRADE, THEY HAVE PHONICS, THEY HAVE PHONEMIC AWARENESS.

THOSE ARE SKILLS THEY WOULD HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN. JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, A HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHER PROBABLY DOESN'T LEARNED IN THEIR COURSES TO DO ONE-TO-ONE CORRESPONDENCE.

IT'S A SKILL THAT YOU JUST ASSUME THEY HAVE. WE HAVE SEVERE DEFICITS, EITHER BECAUSE WE HAVE STUDENTS COMING FROM NATIVE LANGUAGES THAT DON'T HAVE THE SAME PHONEMES— THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME SOUNDS, SO THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO PRODUCE THAT SOUND. THEY CERTAINLY DON'T KNOW HOW TO READ THAT SOUND. AND SO WE ARE UNSURE HOW TO TEACH THAT.

WE ALSO HAVE STUDENTS WHO HAVE DEFICITS IN THEIR CULTURAL AWARENESS, AND SO THEY DON'T— THEY CAN READ A TEXT. MEGAN HAS A GOOD STORY, MAYBE SHE'LL SHARE IT, ABOUT A STUDENT IN THE DISTRICT WHO DIDN'T HAVE A BACKGROUND IN FOOTBALL. EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT STUDENT, DIDN'T KNOW FOOTBALL, READ A TEXT ABOUT FOOTBALL.

MEGAN, IF I'M NOT DOING THIS STORY JUSTICE, JUST PUSH ME OUT OF THE WAY. YOU'RE GOOD.

KEEP GOING. WHEREVER YOU ARE.

AND READ THIS TEXT, ANSWERED SOME COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS, BOMBED THE TEST.

NOT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO READ, BUT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE BACKGROUND IN A LOT OF THESE VERY NICHE WORDS THAT WERE USED IN THE TEXT. AND SO WHAT THE SCIENCE OF READING IS TRYING TO DO IS IT INTERWEAVES A NUMBER OF PREREQUISITE SKILLS AND CONCEPTS THAT A STUDENT— THAT A READER DOESN'T NEED TO BE A STUDENT THAT A READER NEEDS TO KNOW IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY UNLOCK A TEXT. AND THESE ARE THINGS THAT AS A HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER, WE'RE JUST NOT THINKING ABOUT, BECAUSE I ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE A CERTAIN BACKGROUND THAT KIDS TODAY DO NOT HAVE BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY SORT OF SPECIALIZED IN THINGS, AND WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CROSS-CULTURAL REFERENCE POINTS ANYMORE. AND THEY MAY HAVE MISSED SKILLS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. WE HAD SEVERAL DECADES MAYBE WHERE WE JUST DIDN'T TEACH PHONICS, AND SO THEY DON'T HAVE THOSE SKILLS. SKILLS. WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE COMING FROM OTHER CULTURES, AND SO THEY DEFINITELY DON'T HAVE THE CULTURAL BACKGROUND, THEY DON'T HAVE THE, THE PHONEMES, AND THEY'VE MAYBE NEVER BEEN TAUGHT READING EVEN IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE. AND SO WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT NOT ONLY WERE WE AWARE OF THESE ISSUES WE WERE SEEING, BUT WE HAD STRATEGIES AND TOOLS WE COULD USE TO THEN ADDRESS THEM. AND IF NOT US, AT LEAST OUR CO-TEACHERS WHO ARE EVEN A STEP FURTHER KIND BECAUSE THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE EVEN AN ENGLISH EDUCATION BACKGROUND. THEY JUST HAVE SORT OF GENERALIZED SPECIAL EDUCATION. SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD A CURRICULUM THAT COULD ADDRESS THOSE THINGS AND FRAMEWORKS AND SYSTEMS IN PLACE THAT COULD AS WELL.

THANK YOU. I WILL HAVE BEEN THAT STUDENT THAT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE FOOTBALL TEXT.

IT MIGHT AS WELL BE WRITTEN IN CHINESE. THANK YOU.

[02:10:03]

BUT YES, THAT WOULD JUST BE PEOPLE ON THE TEAM. AND HOW WERE THEY IDENTIFIED, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU SELECTED? UM, SO THE PEOPLE THAT WE SELECTED ARE ONLY ON THE CURRICULUM TEAM. OH, SORRY, UM, THERE'S A— OH, SO YES, MANY MEMBERS OF OUR— SORRY, MANY MEMBERS OF OUR ACTUAL CURRICULUM TEAM ARE DOING THE PHASED IMPLEMENTATION.

BUT WE ALSO NEEDED TO INCLUDE— BECAUSE WE HAVE PUSHED SO MUCH FOR THE PLC PHILOSOPHY IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, WE NEEDED THE WHOLE PLC TO COME ON BOARD. BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY IS DOING A DIFFERENT CURRICULUM, IT'S REALLY HARD TO HAVE THOSE MEANINGFUL PLC DISCUSSIONS AND LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER AND TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT. IT'S WAY MORE IMPORTANT TO AT LEAST HAVE A PARTNER OR A TEAM DOING THAT WORK. AND SO LIKE CHLOE IS GOING TO BE DOING ENGLISH 4, BUT SHE'LL BE THE ONLY ONE IN HER BUILDING.

BUT THERE'S A TEACHER AT WEST HIGH ON OUR TEAM WHO IS GOING TO BE DOING ENGLISH 4 AS WELL.

BUT AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND AT OUR FRESHMAN LEVEL, WE HAVE FULL PLCS IMPLEMENTING AS WELL.

ONE FROM EACH, ONE FROM EACH, YEAH, ONE FROM EACH BUILDING.

THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION, BUILDING SPECIFIC, OR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CROSS. AND BETH AND I TRIED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WOULD HAVE ENOUGH, UH, EXPERTISE BEING BUILT IN EACH ONE OF OUR BUILDINGS.

SO WHEN WE DO THE, THE ACTUAL FULL ROLLOUT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE SCRAMBLING BECAUSE IT'S JUST THE TWO OF US TO TRY TO SUPPORT SIX BUILDINGS. AND SO THESE, THESE TEACHERS THAT ARE PHASED IMPLEMENTERS WILL BE THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND TO HELP TROUBLESHOOT AND PROBLEM SOLVE WHEN WE RUN INTO A FEW ISSUES. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. SORRY ABOUT THAT. NO, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE— I'M ENGLISH FOR US, I DON'T HAVE PLC, SO I TOTALLY I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THE PLCS. IT'S OKAY, WE'RE ALL FIGURING THIS OUT.

YOU'RE FINE. THANK YOU.

DIRECTOR ENKE.

MR. PRESIDENT, WE APPRECIATED THE DETAIL THAT YOU GAVE US AT THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT COMMITTEE, AND I THINK IT'S USEFUL FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALREADY SEEING COMING FROM ELEMENTARY, LOWER ELEMENTARY, THE IMPACT OF THE BENCHMARK PROGRAM AND WHAT IS IT'S DOING IN TERMS OF BEGINNING WITH THE WRITING IN 4TH GRADE AND SO FORTH. AND SO PART OF WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH IS THAT YOU'RE SEEING THE NEW WAVE OF STUDENTS WHO ARE ESPECIALLY WELL PREPARED TO GO FORWARD AT THE LEVEL YOU'RE LOOKING AT, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE STUDENTS THAT, UH, DIDN'T HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THAT. SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF TRANSITION HERE THAT IS WORTH INVESTING IN SO THAT WHEN THEY'RE THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND, THAT EVERYBODY IS GETTING IMPROVED. I MEAN, IT'S GOING TO BE A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD, AS WELL AS THE COMMENTS THAT WE HAD ABOUT HOW YOU HANDLE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE LANGUAGE WORLD AND HOW WE TRAIN SO THAT WE KNOW THAT IT'S THE STUDENT AND NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY JUST DOWNLOADED. SO THANK YOU FOR THOSE EFFORTS, AND I WANT TO— I'M JUST EXCITED ABOUT THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE NOW GOING.

THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBERS. IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTION OR DISCUSSION— SHANICE, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? ALL RIGHT, THE BOARD DOES ACKNOWLEDGE THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT UPDATE FOR SECONDARY ELA. ELA, WE DO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DONE A DEEP DIVE INTO THIS, AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE OUTCOMES. YEAH, THANK

[XII.K. BFW Publishers – Amy Denney]

SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? SHANICE, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? OKAY,

[XII.L. HMH – Amy Denney]

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS FROM HMH,

[02:15:01]

BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF SECONDARY ELL RESOURCES FROM MHMH FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $7,843.50.

SO MOVED.

SECOND. SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ANY CITIZEN INPUT?

[XII.M. Savvas – Amy Denney]

AYE.

NO OPPOSITION. THE MOTION PASSES. THE NEXT THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS FOR SABES, AND IT IS TO SUPPORT THAT PHASED IMPLEMENTATION FOR 35 OF OUR TEACHERS, AND THAT WOULD BE FOR $78,664.36. BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE FOR SECONDARY ELA RESOURCES FOR SABES— SABES— FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $78,664.36. SO MOVED. WE GOT A FIRST AND A SECOND. DID YOU GET THAT, SHANICE? DID YOU GET THAT? ANY DISCUSSION? MEYER AND EMKE. ALL RIGHT, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? I JUST, UM, I DID WANT TO CLARIFY, THAT'S A, THAT'S A ONE-YEAR SUPPLY, CORRECT? SO THAT'S ONE YEAR WHILE WE WORK WITH 5 TEACHERS.

YES. AND STUDENTS, STUDENTS OF THOSE 35 TEACHERS ALSO.

YES. AND IT ALSO INCLUDES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT, ANY CITIZEN INPUT? ALL RIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU GUYS. OH, PLEASE STAY. WE'VE GOT 4 MORE PAGES.

DON'T WORRY, I HAVE MORE PEOPLE COMING.

DON'T FORGET DIRECTOR SOUPYET'S LIBRARY CARD CHALLENGE IDEA. DON'T LET THAT

[XII.N. Student Achievement Update – K-12 Social Studies – Amy Denney]

WE HAVE MULTIPLE GROUPS WORKING ON THAT. SO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS A STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT UPDATE FOR K-12 SOCIAL STUDIES. THE REASON THAT WE'RE BRINGING THIS TO YOU, WE ARE NOT AT THE END OF OUR CURRICULUM CYCLE.

HOWEVER, THE STATE HAS ADOPTED NEW SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR BOARD POLICY, WE'RE REQUIRED TO UPDATE YOU ON THOSE STANDARDS BEING APPROVED BY THE STATE OF IOWA, EVEN IF THEY DON'T LIKE THEM NOW. SO WE ARE GOING TO GO AHEAD WITH THAT. 3 SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM FACILITATORS TONIGHT. I HAVE KRISTEN ILDERS, WHO'S OUR ELEMENTARY SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM FACILITATOR, STEPHANIE GREASE, WHO IS A SECONDARY SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM FACILITATOR, AND RICHARD CARLSON, WHO IS ALSO A SECONDARY SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM FACILITATOR.

THANKS, AMY. ALL RIGHT, SO GOOD EVENING. UM, JUST GOING TO KIND OF GO THROUGH THESE KIND OF QUICKLY LIKE AMY HE SAID WE'RE JUST KIND OF UPDATING YOU ON SOME CHANGES WITH THE STANDARDS. SO IN 2025, THERE WAS HOUSE FILE 2545 THAT WAS PASSED, AND WITHIN THAT IT HAD INCLUDED REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES K THROUGH 12. SO THAT RESULTED IN A NECESSARY REWRITE OF THE STANDARDS. SO THE STANDARDS REVIEW COMMITTEE WAS TASKED WITH INCLUDING THOSE PIECES OF LEGISLATION AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES IN EACH GRADE LEVEL TO BUILD THE STUDENTS' CIVIC KNOWLEDGE.

SO IN ADDITION TO THOSE PIECES, THE COMMITTEE ALSO WANTED THE STANDARDS TO BE MORE CONTENT-SPECIFIC.

SO AFTER THE FIRST DRAFT WAS WRITTEN— SO THERE WAS A COMMITTEE AT THE STATE LEVEL— AFTER THE FIRST DRAFT WAS WRITTEN, THE STANDARDS WENT OUT FOR COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ACROSS IOWA. THEY EVEN CAME TO SIOUX CITY AND WERE AT WEST HIGH FOR ONE EVENING TO GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK FROM THERE TOO. THEN THEY WENT ON TO A SECOND COMMITTEE FOR FINAL REVISIONS. SO THEN THEY WERE POLISHED AND THEN PASSED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. DEPARTMENT OF ED IN JANUARY OF 2026. UH, KRISTEN DID A GREAT JOB EXPLAINING WHY THE STANDARDS WERE REVISED AND THE PROCESS BEHIND THAT WORK. WE WERE ACTUALLY INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS, UH, ONE OF THE FIRST COMMITTEES WE WERE ON THAT. SO WE WERE ON, UM, WE WERE INVOLVED IN THAT. WAS A REALLY GOOD PROCESS TO SEE HOW JUST HOW IT WENT THROUGH THE, THE MOTIONS AND THINGS. SO ON THIS SLIDE YOU WILL SEE THE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF STANDARDS THAT WE HAVE IN SOCIAL STUDIES NOW. THE FIRST ONE IS THE CONTENT-SPECIFIC STANDARDS, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE THE ESSENTIAL LEARNING THAT KIDS NEED TO HAVE IN GEOGRAPHY, GOVERNMENT, ECONOMICS, AND HISTORY. AND THEN THE SECOND PART OF THE INCREASED STANDARD— OR THE INCREASED STANDARDS— AND THAT IS HOW THE STUDENTS LEARN. SO THOSE ARE THE SKILLS: ASKING QUESTIONS, EVALUATING SOURCES— I'M MISSING ONE— OH, AND THEN USING EVIDENCE

[02:20:01]

SO THE STANDARDS WERE WRITTEN TO HAVE WHAT WE CALL VERTICAL ALIGNMENT. THAT JUST SIMPLY MEANS THAT IT ALLOWS THE STUDENTS TO BE EXPOSED TO IMPORTANT CONCEPTS AND GROW THOSE CONCEPTS AS THEY, AS THEY MOVE FROM YEAR TO YEAR AND GET OLDER. UH, ONE EXAMPLE, AND THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY EXAMPLES, IS THE CIVIL WAR. AND THAT'S A CONTENT STANDARD BECAUSE IT'S TALKING ABOUT SPECIFIC THINGS THAT HAPPENED. UH, STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT IT EARLY IN 5TH GRADE, AND THEY DO SO AT A 5TH GRADE LEVEL. IT'S KIND OF SURFACE-Y. UH, THEY REVISIT IT AGAIN IN 8TH GRADE. THEY COME BACK TO IT A LITTLE BIT LATER ON, ONLY THIS TIME THEY GO A LITTLE BIT A LITTLE BIT MORE DEEPER INTO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED BEFORE AND DURING THE WAR, AND A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AN 8TH GRADE UNDERSTANDING AS COMPARED TO 5TH GRADE. AND THEN THEY GET BACK TO IT IN HIGH SCHOOL.

THEY BRIEFLY REVIEW, BUT THEY DIG DEEPER INTO THE CONCEPTS, LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, HOW IT IS THAT THE WAR STARTED, THE OUTCOME AND THE CONSEQUENCES, AND RECONSTRUCTION AND EVERYTHING.

SO IT ALLOWS THEM TO GROW THE CONCEPT AS THEY MOVE AND GET A FULLER AND A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF ALL THE CONTENTS.

SO HOW DOES IT IMPACT STUDENT LEARNING? THIS SLIDE EXPLAINS HOW ALL OF THESE COMPONENTS WORK TOGETHER RATHER THAN EXISTING AS SEPARATE PARTS.

UH, STUDENTS BEGIN BY BUILDING FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE, WHICH PROVIDES THAT BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE NEEDED FOR DEEPER THINKING, AND THEN FROM THERE THEY STRENGTHEN CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THROUGH INQUIRY AND ANALYSIS.

AND AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE IMPROVING THEIR READING AND WRITING SKILLS AS WELL, BECAUSE THOSE ALL GO HAND IN HAND TOGETHER. THESE COMPONENTS REINFORCE ONE ANOTHER TO DEEP UNDERSTANDING AND HELP STUDENTS APPLY THEIR LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, AND THIS APPROACH HELPS THEM BECOME MORE ENGAGED, THOUGHTFUL, AND BETTER PREPARED TO USE THEIR LEARNING IN MEANINGFUL WAYS. UM, SO ANYTIME THERE'S NEW STANDARDS THAT ARE ADOPTED, WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE FOR OUR TEACHERS BECAUSE THE STANDARDS ARE WHAT THEY TEACH.

SO IT REQUIRES THEM TO LEARN AND UNDERSTAND THE STANDARDS FIRST BEFORE THEY'RE ABLE TO TEACH THEM TO THE STUDENTS. SO ON THIS SLIDE, WE'VE JUST KIND OF LAID OUT A PLAN THAT HOW WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN, BEGIN BY BREAKING DOWN OR UNPACKING THE STANDARDS FOR A SHARED UNDERSTANDING AMONG THE TEACHERS. THE NEW STANDARDS ARE A LOT MORE DETAILED THAN THE ONES THAT WE HAVE HAD IN THE PAST, SO THERE'LL BE A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE STANDARDS ARE THEMSELVES. THEN WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT KIND OF SOME DIVERSE TYPES OF HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS THAT WILL MEET THOSE STANDARDS, THE NEEDS OF THE TEACHERS AND THE STUDENTS. AND THEN THROUGH THAT PROCESS, LIKE I SAID, WE'LL BE PROVIDING THE TEACHERS WITH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THEN CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE ONGOING SUPPORT TO OUR TEACHERS THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION.

SO ALONG WITH THE NEW STANDARDS, UH, THE STATE HAS ALSO MANDATED NOW THAT ALL HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS MUST HAVE PASSED A CIVICS TEST IN ORDER TO GRADUATE. THAT'S NOT OUR SENIORS THIS YEAR, BUT IT STARTS WITH OUR 11TH GRADERS BEFORE THEY GRADUATE NEXT YEAR.

UM, WE'VE BUILT THAT OFFICIAL TEST INTO CANVAS FOR TESTING, ALONG WITH A MYRIAD OF DIFFERENT SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES TO HELP THEM PREPARE AND SUCCEED ON THE TEST, WE HOPE.

UM, WOULD POINT OUT THAT THE TEST IS CLOSELY ALIGNED TO THE NEW STANDARDS. IT COVERS A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. AND IT'S ALSO BASED ON THE 128 QUESTIONS THAT ARE IN THE QUESTION BANK THAT THEY DRAW FROM FOR THE CITIZENSHIP TEST, BUT THERE ARE SOME SUBTLE DIFFERENCES, AND THIS IS NOT JUST A CITIZENSHIP TEST, OKAY.

UM, WE DID PILOT THIS TEST LAST MONTH AT THE CAREER ACADEMY JUST TO KIND OF GET A FEEL AS TO HOW IT WOULD GO, AND A LOT OF THE STUDENTS DID PRETTY WELL, AND NOW WE HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS SUCCESS AND CHALLENGES.

UH, AND, UM, WE ALSO JUST GOT PERMISSION FROM THE STATE— BETTER LATE THAN NEVER— TO GIVE THIS TEST TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS THIS SPRING.

AND THOSE, ESPECIALLY OUR 11TH GRADERS, WHO PASS IT THIS SPRING, THAT COUNTS FOR THEM.

SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEM RUSHING THROUGH IT NEXT YEAR AS SENIORS. WE CAN FOCUS ON THOSE WHO MAYBE DON'T SUCCEED. SO WE'RE GETTING READY TO DO THAT. HERE IN THE NEXT— WELL, WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME, DO WE? NEXT WEEK. YEAH, RIGHT.

SO THIS IS JUST A LINK TO THE NEW SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS IF YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE PRESENTED FOR STANDARDS AND CIVICS TEST QUESTIONS? BOARD MEMBERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? DIRECTOR SUFIAT.

SO I'M JUST GOING TO START SAYING THAT I'M SORRY, SORRY, SORRY. I SHOULD SHUT MY MOUTH, BUT SOCIAL STUDIES IS MY LOVE LANGUAGE. THIS IS WHAT I UNDERSTAND. THIS IS WHAT I WAS TRAINED AS. SOMETIMES I DON'T

[02:25:02]

THAT THE MATERIALS HAVE NOT CATCH UP QUITE WITH THE NEW STANDARDS AND THE NEW CURRICULUM. AND I WILL JUST DROP THAT QUESTION FOR LATER IF WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT, THAT IF WE HAVE PLANS TO REPURCHASE AFTER THAT, OR WE'RE JUST PLANNING, HOPING THAT MCGRAW-HILL UPDATES LATER ON. BUT THAT'S, THAT'S ANOTHER ONE. I, I WANT TO USE MY TIME THE SAME WAY THAT CINDY I DID EARLIER TALKING ABOUT THE CIVICS TEST, SINCE I'M PROBABLY THE ONLY PERSON IN THE ROOM THAT HAS ACTUALLY TAKEN A SIMILAR TEST. AS PART OF MY CITIZENSHIP PROCESS, I TOOK THIS TEST. THE VERSION FROM THE IMMIGRATION AND CITIZEN SERVICES IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. IT'S A BANK OF 120 QUESTIONS. 128, AND THEN YOU TAKE RANDOMIZED 20 QUESTIONS OUT OF IT. THIS ONE INSTEAD ASKED OUR STUDENTS TO TAKE ALL 128. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THAT, AND THE PROBLEM IS THAT OUR LEGISLATORS ARE NOT EDUCATORS AND THEY DIDN'T LOOK AT THE QUESTIONS VERY WELL.

AND I'M JUST GOING TO POINT OUT THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL INSTANCES BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL THE QUESTIONS OF THE BANK WHERE ONE QUESTION CAN BE ANSWERED JUST BY READING THE QUESTION THAT FOLLOWS. WE CALL THAT A TEST-TAKING SKILL.

YEAH. OKAY.

SO I'M GOING TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO THINK THAT I'M MAKING IT UP.

IT'S DEFINITELY TRUE. QUESTION NUMBER 27: HOW MANY SENATORS DOES HOW MANY SENATORS DOES EACH STATE HAVE? OPTIONS ARE 02, 3, 4, OR DEPENDS ON THE POPULATION OF THE STATE. IMAGINE THAT YOU DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER AND CLICK SOMETHING. WELL, YOU'RE IN LUCK. QUESTION 28, RIGHT UNDER IT, WHY DOES EACH STATE HAVE 2 SENATORS? YEAH? THAT'S NOT ONE EXAMPLE. IT'S ONE OF SEVERAL.

SO I AM GLAD THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE TIME TO RETAKE IT, AND THE FACT THAT THEY CAN RETAKE IT AS MANY TIMES AS THEY WANT TO AND IT'S NOT GOING TO IMPACT THEIR GRADES ALSO SPEAKS ABOUT THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROCESS. AND I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO IT BEFORE THEY, THEY GET TO THEIR OWN, TO THEIR LAST GRADE AND THEY ARE BUSY DOING AND LEARNING SOMETHING PROBABLY MORE IMPORTANT THAN MEMORIZING 128 ANSWERS. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

IT'LL BE HARDER TO GET THOSE KIDS AS WELL BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN AP CLASSES AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE TAKING WIC CLASSES. SO YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE GLAD THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GET A LOT OF THESE KIDS TESTED BEFORE.

BOARD MEMBERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT, I DO HAVE A FEW. UM, SO I'M JUST CON— I'M JUST CURIOUS, HOW MUCH TIME HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO SUPPORT THESE STANDARDIZED CHANGES AND TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS? JUST APPROXIMATELY BALLPARK. HOW MUCH TIME HAVE WE STARTED? WE HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED YET WITH THEM. YEAH, HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED WITH THIS. NO, BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE SOME LEGISLATION, AND SO WE DON'T WANT TO WASTE THEIR TIME. I MEAN, WE'VE HEARD RUMORS ALL OVER THE PLACE. WE'RE JUST KIND KIND OF— WE BUILD CAPACITY WHERE WE CAN WHEN WE GO OUT TO PLCS. AND SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THEM, BUT WE HAVEN'T SPENT A LOT OF TIME BECAUSE WE KNOW THINGS CAN CHANGE. SO WE'RE WAITING FOR THINGS TO REALLY SETTLE DOWN BEFORE WE START TO REALLY DIG INTO THAT PROCESS AND KIND OF START WHAT ELA JUST WENT THROUGH. WE'RE GONNA DO THE SAME PROCESS THEY DID, BUT IT'S BEEN KIND OF MUDDY RIGHT NOW WITH OUR LEGISLATION. SO THE BEAUTY OF THAT IS WE'RE WAITING TO SEE WHAT FULLY IS GOING TO COME FROM THIS. HOWEVER, WE'RE PLANNING AND GETTING OUR STUDENTS PREPARED AND GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT'S CURRENTLY BEING IMPLEMENTED.

GO AHEAD.

YEAH, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY. I MEAN, WE'VE GOT THE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON, AND YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT STANDARDS, AND— BUT YOU'RE ALSO SPEAKING ABOUT THE TEST. THE TEST IS A DONE DEAL, AND THAT'S, THAT'S BASICALLY CEMENTED IN.

SO WE'VE PUT A LOT LOT OF EFFORT INTO GETTING READY FOR THAT, GETTING IT ONTO OUR PLATFORM, READY FOR THE STUDENTS TO TAKE, DOING THE PILOT JUST TO SEE WHAT WE COULD EXPECT FROM OUR KIDS, HOW MANY ARE GOING TO PASS, HOW LONG IT'S GOING TO TAKE, ETC. SO WE PUT A FEW HOURS INTO THAT TO GET THAT READY, AND WE'RE ALL BUT READY TO GO, UH, ON MAY 19TH AND 19TH, 20TH, 21ST.

IT'S THE 19TH AND 20TH.

THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU.

[02:30:01]

SO, SO THAT IS BASICALLY A DONE DEAL. WHETHER OR NOT THAT STAYS THE SAME OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, WE'LL SEE. SOCIAL STUDIES IS HIGHLY POLITICAL RIGHT NOW, SO THE STANDARDS THEMSELVES, WE'RE KIND OF WAITING AND SEEING. THE THREE OF US HAVE PUT A LOT OF TIME INTO WATCHING AND GETTING EVERYTHING READY TO GO. WE HAVE NOT ASSEMBLED ANY COMMITTEES OR DONE ANY OF THAT WORK YET TO UNPACK THE STANDARDS AS WE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER. SO THE TEST, IT'S READY TO GO, AND WE PUT TIME INTO THAT.

YEAH, JUST THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING, CLARIFYING, BECAUSE ALL OF THIS KIND OF BLEEDS TOGETHER. SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING SURE THAT I'M CLEAR ON THOSE. I DO APPRECIATE THAT.

AND I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT THIS CIVICS TEST IS NOT A CITIZENSHIP TEST THROUGH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

CORRECT, IT IS NOT. THERE'S SO MANY OTHER— NO, RIGHT. OKAY, IT'S JUST A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT AND IT'S NOT A CITIZENSHIP TEST THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTING FOR STUDENTS.

FOR— YES, FOR SOMETHING ELSE.

PARENT COMMUNICATION THAT WENT OUT, THAT WAS THE SAME MESSAGE THAT WE SENT TO OUR PARENTS AS WELL. THIS IS A CIVICS TEST, IS A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT.

WHAT COMMUNICATION WENT OUT TO OUR FAMILIES LAST WEEK.

OKAY, OKAY, GREAT. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW. YES, COMMUNICATION WENT OUT, AND THIS IS A REQUIREMENT FOR ALL STUDENTS IN IOWA, NOT JUST PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS.

IT'S ALSO PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS, IT'S STUDENTS ELECTING HOMESCHOOL INSTRUCTION. THE LEGISLATION MADE IT VERY CLEAR FOR THAT.

SO I ANTICIPATE THERE WILL BE MORE COMMUNICATION OUT ABOUT, ABOUT THIS. NOT EVERY DISTRICT IS USING THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF ED GRANTED US TO GIVE IT THIS SCHOOL YEAR, AND SO WE'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THAT, BUT NOT EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT IS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THIS ON. WELL, AND I DO WANT TO REITERATE, I'VE LOOKED AT THIS CIVICS TEST SINCE 2021, SO I PREDICTED IT WAS COMING, AND SO IT'S OUR CONTENT, SO IT'S OUR HISTORY CONTENT THAT WE TEACH. TEACH, AND IT'S OUR GOVERNMENT CONTENT THAT WE TEACH. SO IT'S NOT SOME WEIRD STUFF THAT JUST ISN'T CONNECTED TO ANYTHING. IT'S CONNECTED NOW TO OUR NEW CONTENT STANDARDS AND IS THE CONTENT STUFF THAT WE TEACH IN THOSE COURSES AS WELL, STARTING ALL THE WAY FROM 3RD GRADE UP.

IN CASE I MISSED IT, WHAT HAPPENS IF— AND I MIGHT HAVE MISSED THIS, I'M SORRY— BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY FAIL IT? THEY CAN RETEST.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY FAIL THE RETEST? TEST.

SO I— THEY CAN RETEST AS MANY TIMES AS THEY NEED TO, SO THERE IS NO LIMIT.

CONTINUALLY RETEST AND FAIL, DO THEY EVER GRADUATE? THEY HAVE TO PASS IN ORDER TO GRADUATE, BUT WE HAVE SUPPORTS BUILT IN PLACE. WE CAN PROVIDE ACCOMMODATIONS PER THEIR IEP, 504, OR OTHER TEAM DECISIONS.

WE CAN TRANSLATE THE TEST, AND THEN STEPHANIE AND RICH HAVE BUILT STUDY GUIDES GUIDELINES AND OTHER SUPPORTS FOR TEACHERS. WE HAVE A LAYER OF SUPPORTS PUT IN PLACE WHERE WE WON'T JUST BE RELYING ON TESTING DURING SCHOOL HOURS. WE'LL HAVE AFTER-SCHOOL HOURS FOR STUDENTS WHO AREN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. SO WE HAVE MANY MEASURES OF SUPPORTS BECAUSE IT'S A REQUIREMENT. I ALSO PITCHED IT— SORRY, I ALSO PITCHED TO AMY A COUPLE MONTHS AGO JUST DOING LIKE A STUDY SESSION, MAYBE AFTER SCHOOL, JUST COME IN, JUST THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LEARNING AND WHAT ARE WE CONFUSED ABOUT. SO THAT'S SOMETHING I'M WILLING TO DO, AND I PITCHED THAT A COUPLE MONTHS AGO. SO I'M WILLING TO HELP, HELP OUR KIDS GET THROUGH THIS. BUT IT'S REALLY NOTHING— IT'S NOT NEW CONTENT, I PROMISE. IT'S STUFF THEY'VE BEEN LEARNING. I JUST— WE JUST HAVE TO REVIEW IT AND GO THROUGH IT, I THINK. THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBERS. THERE IS NO OTHER DISCUSSION. IS THERE A MOTION? OH, THERE WASN'T AN ASK, BUT THE NEXT ITEMS ARE.

OKAY, WE ACKNOWLEDGE IT. WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, AND I ANTICIPATE YOU WILL HEAR MORE FROM SOCIAL STUDIES AS IT ISN'T THEIR CURRICULUM REVIEW, BUT THEY'VE BEEN CONTINUALLY REVIEWING. AND YOU ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME THEY'VE INVESTED. THEY'RE THEY'RE SO FOCUSED ON THE NEW STANDARDS THAT THEY HAVEN'T GIVEN THEMSELVES CREDIT FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, AS EVERY LEGISLATIVE SESSION HAS INCLUDED MEASURES TO ADDRESS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION, AND THEY HAVE PUT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME IN, SO THEY

[XII.O. McGraw-Hill Social Studies – Amy Denney]

AND DR. SUPIAT, YOU BROUGHT UP THE, THE CURRICULUM NOT BEING READY FOR— SO WE DO HAVE AN UPDATED QUOTE, AND I CHECKED WITH PATTY ABOUT THIS. I DIDN'T GET THE QUOTE IN TIME

[02:35:01]

CURRICULUM, BUT THE UPDATE IN THE QUOTE IS A DIFFERENCE OF $846.42 FOR THAT UPDATED CURRICULUM THAT WE NEED FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS. SO I DID NOT BRING A CALCULATOR WITH ME, WHICH I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DO MY MATH, WHICH WOULD BRING OUR TOTAL THEN TO— I SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS AHEAD OF TIME— $46,873. THANK YOU.

YES, YES, THANK YOU. THAT WOULD BRING THE TOTAL TO THAT. THANK YOU. GOSH, AM I RIGHT, PATTY? I NEED— OKAY, OKAY. WOW, THANK YOU. GREAT WORK. SO THAT IS AN— IT'S A NEW QUOTE, SAME VENDOR, A DIFFERENT MATERIAL, AND I WILL GET THAT UPDATED INFORMATION. BUT I— WE JUST DID GET THAT QUOTE, AND I WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT. SO IT IS FOR THAT AMOUNT. THIS MONEY COMES FROM THE INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT LEVY, AND, AND IT WILL SUPPORT THE PURCHASE OF— WE HAVE 3 NEW AP COURSES THAT THEY IDENTIFIED: MICRO AND MACROECONOMICS, AS WELL AS AP GOVERNMENT.

WE'VE MADE SURE THAT THOSE COURSES ARE IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR COLLEGES, THAT THOSE CREDITS DO TRANSFER TRANSFER IN IF STUDENTS EARN A 3, AND THEN ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR SOCIAL STUDIES FOR THE NEW IOWA SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS. GETTING CLARIFICATION THAT MY MATH WORKS.

YEP. BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF SECONDARY SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCES FROM MCGRAW-HILL FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE TOTAL AMOUNT ADJUSTED, TOTAL AMOUNT OF $146,873.28.

SO MOVED. OKAY, FIRST AND SECOND BY DIRECTOR IMKE AND SUPIAT. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? SHANICE, ANY CITIZEN INPUT? NO. ALL RIGHT, BOARD MEMBERS, ALL THOSE

[XII.P. Amazon – Amy Denney]

THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I HAVE THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM AS WELL, AND IT IS AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR AMAZON. THIS IS TO PURCHASE STYLUS PENS FOR IPADS FOR OUR 1ST THROUGH 5TH GRADE STUDENTS.

WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO PURCHASE THESE ALL YEAR AS IT WAS WRITTEN INTO OUR TITLE IV GRANT APPLICATION, BUT BUT WE WERE UNABLE TO SECURE THE QUANTITY THAT WE NEEDED AT THE COST THAT WE COULD AFFORD.

AND SO WE FINALLY HAVE A VENDOR THAT IS ABLE TO DO THAT, AND IT IS THROUGH MEDIPEN. SO IT'S NOT— IT'S THROUGH AMAZON, BUT THEY HAVE GIVEN US A QUOTE DIRECTLY THROUGH MEDIPEN. SO THE REQUEST IS FOR $47,450. BOARD MEMBERS, FOR THOSE NON-WORKING FINGERS OF OUR CHILDREN, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF THE STYLUS PENS FROM AMAZON FOR $47,450.00.

SO MOVED.

SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? SHANICE, ANY CITIZEN INPUT? NO. DIRECTOR LEE.

OH, I'M SORRY, DIRECTOR MILLER, DISCUSSION? MISS DENNY, IS STYLUS— IS THAT THE SAME FUNCTION FOR HAND TO BRAIN AS A PEN OR PENCIL? PENCIL.

IT IS THE ONES THAT WE SELECTED ARE— THESE ARE NOT THE CARPENTER STYLE CRAYONS, AND THEN THEY DO HAVE THE SAME— WE'VE CHECKED INTO THE RESEARCH ON THAT AS WELL. AND THEN THESE STYLUS PENS ADDITIONALLY HAVE THE SAME SENSITIVITY THAT A PENCIL WOULD HAVE FOR STUDENTS. SO THAT WAS— THAT, YEAH, THAT WAS PART OF OUR REASON IN, IN WAITING TO GET THE PRODUCT THAT WOULD BENEFIT OUR YOUNGEST STUDENTS.

THE MOST.

THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION AS WELL. SO THE STYLUS IS GREAT.

HOW IS IT GOING TO INTERACT WITH THE SOFTWARE? SO WE HAVE A NEW HARDWARE. IS IT GOING TO PROVIDE THEM THE WRITING EXPERIENCE ON THE SOFTWARE? YES, AND WE HAVE PILOTED THAT IN CLASSROOMS. THANK YOU. THIS DOES NOT REPLACE WRITING WITH PENCILS ON PAPER, THOUGH. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT. THAT. WE ARE NOT RECOMMENDING REPLACING THAT EXPERIENCE. IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION OR CLARIFICATION?

[XII.Q. Klett World Languages – Amy Denney]

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

AYE. AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSITION? THE MOTION PASSES. THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS FOR CLET WORLD LANGUAGES. UM, THIS WAS ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGED AND APPROVED LAST YEAR BY THE BOARD, BUT I WANTED TO BRING IT BACK TO YOU BECAUSE IT'S MONEY COMING OUT OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL

[02:40:01]

BOARD MEMBERS, YOU'VE HEARD THE ASK IS THERE ANY— IS THERE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE PURCHASE OF CURRICULUM RESOURCES FROM KLETT WORLD LANGUAGES FOR $501,830? YEAH, THAT AMOUNT.

SO MOVED.

THANK YOU.

SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? ANY DISCUSSION? YES, I COMMENT.

OKAY.

NEXT— SORRY.

NOPE, THAT'S OKAY.

NEXT STEP, WORKING ON MORE STUDENTS WITH THE SEAL OF BILITERACY.

WE ARE WORKING ON THAT, YES, AND THIS IS A BIG PART OF THAT.

I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION TOO.

THIS IS A MIX OF CONSUMABLES AND MULTI-YEAR MATERIALS? CORRECT. OKAY, THANK YOU. WE ALREADY HAVE ALL OF THE TEACHER MATERIALS, SO THE TEACHERS HAVE THE MATERIALS THEY NEED, BUT YES, IT'S DIGITAL RESOURCES AND CONSUMABLE RESOURCES.

THANK YOU. YES.

[XII.R. Pearson – Amy Denney]

AMY, THE NEXT ITEM IS FROM PEARSON, AND THIS I HAVE MACKENZIE HEISLER OUT HERE.

SHE IS OUR CURRICULUM FACILITATOR FOR CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION COURSES.

MACKENZIE HAS LED THE CURRICULUM WORK THAT I, I ASKED FOR THEM TO NOT PRESENT. I KNEW WE HAD A VERY FULL AGENDA, OTHERWISE SHE HAS A TEAM THAT COULD HAVE ALSO PRESENTED ON THE CULINARY UPDATES. SO WE HAVE CULINARY TEACHERS, AND IT IS PART OF THEIR CURRICULUM REVIEW PROCESS.

THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED A NEED FOR RESOURCES TO SUPPORT CULINARY, AND SO THE FIRST IS FROM PEARSON FOR THE AMOUNT OF $12,051.60. $1,361, AND THIS WOULD COME OUT OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT LEVY FUNDS. BOARD MEMBERS, YOU HEARD THE MOTION. IS THERE A FIRST? SO MOVED.

SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? DENISE, ANY CITIZEN

[XII.S. National Restaurant Solutions – Amy Denney]

AYE.

NO OPPOSITION. THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU FOR STAYING. OKAY, AND THEN MACKENZIE HAS AN ADDITIONAL RESOURCE THAT HER COMMITTEE HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER, AND IT IS NATIONAL RESTAURANT SOLUTIONS. THIS PROVIDES OUR FAMILY CONSUMER SCIENCE CULINARY CLASSES WITH THE TRAINING RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED FOR SERVE SAFE. SO THAT IS A CERTIFICATION THAT STUDENTS NEED, AND IT IS FOR THE AMOUNT OF $17,948.61. THANK YOU.

BOARD MEMBERS, YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION. IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED. SECOND.

WE HAVE A FIRST AND SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING

[XII.T. Really Great Reading – Amy Denney]

AYE.

NO OPPOSITION. THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU, LINDSEY.

THE NEXT ITEM IS REALLY GREAT READING, AND THIS IS FOR TITLE I RESOURCES FOR SECONDARY.

THIS IS AN AREA THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING TO SUPPORT. AND SO THE FIRST, THE FIRST ITEM IS FOR ADDITIONAL STUDENT MATERIALS.

WE HAVE ALL OF THE TEACHER RESOURCES, AND YOU APPROVED THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT ALL OF OUR TITLE I TEACHERS HAVE RECEIVED THIS YEAR. AND SO WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO UTILIZE THIS RESOURCE THROUGH TITLE I, AND SO IT'S A REQUEST FOR $6,223.80. SO MOVED.

SECOND.

OH, SORRY, BOARD MEMBERS, YOU'VE YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION, YOU'VE HEARD THE SECOND. WE'RE READY TO GO, AND HERE WE GO.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY, SHANICE, ANY CITIZEN

[XII.U. McGraw-Hill – Amy Denney]

AYE.

MOTION PASSES. MY FINAL ITEM TONIGHT IS FOR MCGRAW HILL, AND THIS IS OUR RESOURCE FOR MATHEMATICS FOR OUR SECONDARY TITLE I CLASSROOM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS FOR THE AMOUNT OF $8,385.

BOARD MEMBERS, YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION, ANY FIRST AND SECOND? SO MOVED. OR SECOND.

ALL RIGHT, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NO DISCUSSION. CITIZEN INPUT? ALL RIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THERE IS NO OPPOSITION. THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU VERY— THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT. I GET TO STAND AND BE LIKE A PROUD PARENT SEEING ALL

[XII.V. Newsela Contract – Kim Neal]

[02:45:01]

FINISHES OUT THIS SCHOOL YEAR AND IS THROUGH THE NEXT ONE.

NEWSELA.

BOARD MEMBERS, YOU HEARD THE MOTION FOR THE SUBSCRIPTION OF $2,338. IS THERE A FIRST AND A SECOND? I MOVE. I'LL SECOND.

ANY DISCUSSION? SHANICE, ANY

[XII.W. CMBA Design Agreement for Liberty Elementary – Tim Paul]

NO OPPOSITION. THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT, MINE, UH, IS FOR A DESIGN AGREEMENT FOR LIBERTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO CONSTRUCT A COMPASS ROOM.

THIS IS LOCATED IN A COMMON SPACE IN THE SCHOOL TO FULFILL THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS. THIS PROPOSAL FOR $6,500 IS NEEDED BECAUSE IT DOES HOUSE STUDENTS, SO BY IOWA LAW WE HAVE TO HAVE IT DESIGNED BY A PROFESSIONAL DESIGNER.

THE WORK WILL BE PERFORMED BY O&M STAFF. THIS IS JUST TO HAVE THE WORK DESIGNED TO MEET THOSE STANDARDS AND TO GET A CITY PERMIT.

BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE DESIGN FROM CMB ARCHITECTS IN THE AMOUNT OF $6,500 FOR THE ARCHITECT? SO MOVED.

ALL RIGHTY. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

ALL RIGHT, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? DIRECTOR LEE. YES. TIM, WHY DID WE LAND ON CMBA? WE'VE BEEN USING CMBA PRETTY CONSISTENTLY THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR, SO WE'VE JUST STUCK WITH THEM. JUST BECAUSE WE'VE DONE SOMETHING ONE WAY DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO DO IT THAT WAY, AND I WOULD LIKE US TO START EVALUATING OTHER OPPORTUNITIES WITH DIFFERENT ARCHITECTS MOVING FORWARD. OKAY.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHERE, WHERE AT, WHERE ARE THEY WANTING TO ADD THIS SPACE? CAN YOU HELP WITH THAT, JARED? IT'S IN A COMMON SPACE. IT'S UPSTAIRS. THEY CURRENTLY HAVE A SHED THERE. YEAH, THE SECOND FLOOR, BUT YEAH, THEY CURRENTLY HAVE A SHED.

IT'S AN OPEN SPACE. UM, IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN, STACY. UM, SO SHE KEEPS HER SOME OF OUR HOUSE SYSTEM STUFF IN THERE, AND WE'RE GOING TO ACTUALLY MAKE IT A CLASSROOM.

RIGHT NOW IT'S, IT'S A BIG NOTHING ZONE. IT KIND OF, BUT IT'S LIKE OPEN.

IT'S, IT'S WEIRD. I DON'T— IT'S A WEIRD DESIGN PIECE. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT. AND WE'RE GOING TO ENCLOSE IT AND MAKE IT INTO A CLASSROOM. YES. YEP. IF YOU GO DOWN, YOU'LL SEE THIS BIG OPEN SPACE.

IT JUST HAS A SHED, AND LIKE PEOPLE HAVE THROWN SOME THINGS THERE. IT'S GOING TO BE A ROOM. YEAH, IT'S RIGHT THERE THOUGH. IT'S WEIRD. I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY BUILT IT THAT WAY.

IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION?

[Items XII.X & XII.Y]

AYE.

NO OPPOSITION. THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU, TIM. YOU GOT SOMETHING ELSE FOR US? YES, I HAVE TWO MORE. I'M GOING TO COMBINE THESE NEXT TWO AND TALK ABOUT THEM. UM, SO THERE'S TWO DESIGN AGREEMENTS, ONE FOR KCL FOR REPLACEMENT OF BOILERS AT EAST MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND THEN THERE IS ALSO A DESIGN AGREEMENT FOR NORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL. UM, DURING FINANCE, DIRECTOR MYERS ASKED THAT WE EXPLORE SOME ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR THAT, AND I DID GET A PROPOSAL BACK FRIDAY AFTERNOON FROM KCL ENGINEERING, UM, TO LOOK AT THIS AND DO A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THREE DIFFERENT OPTIONS.

OPTION 1 WOULD BE TO REPLACE THE BOILERS WITH NEW CONDENSING HIGH-EFFICIENCY BOILERS, WHICH WERE PROPOSED IN THE, THE 2 PROPOSALS THAT I HAVE HERE TONIGHT. THE NEXT ONE WOULD BE TO REPLACE IT WITH AN AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMP.

WE'D REMOVE THE CHILLERS THAT ARE ON THE BUILDING, REPLACE THOSE WITH AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS THAT WOULD PRODUCE HOT WATER. AND THEN THE 3RD OPTION WOULD BE TO INSTALL GROUND SOURCE GEOTHERMAL AT THOSE 2 SCHOOLS. SO THAT DESIGN PROPOSAL IS FOR $4,000 TO TO DO JUST A FEASIBILITY STUDY TO SEE WHAT THOSE WOULD LOOK LIKE. SO SORRY TO THROW THAT AT YOU, BUT THAT'S THE 3 OPTIONS THAT WE ARE PROPOSING.

AND I JUST NEED BOARD TO GIVE ME DIRECTION. IF YOU WANT ME TO DO THE FEASIBILITY STUDY, THEN WE DON'T NEED TO APPROVE THE OTHER 2. AND IF YOU WANT ME TO GO AS RECOMMENDED, THEN WE'LL GO WITH THE BOILER REPLACEMENT.

SINCE I CAUSED THE PROBLEM, I HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO CLEAN UP. SINCE OUR FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW A RATHER LENGTHY LIST

[02:50:03]

SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO UPON REFLECTION, I WOULD JUST SUGGEST DO WHAT TIM SUGGESTED TO BEGIN WITH AND LET THEM DESIGN THE BOILER AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE VARIOUS GEOTHERMALS AND THINGS ON A MORE PRECIPITOUS SITE BECAUSE THERE ARE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE. UH, DIRECTOR MILLER, I'M NOT SURE WHERE WE'RE AT IN THIS PRESENTATION, BUT, UM, SINCE YOU COMBINE THE TWO ITEMS, CAN YOU TELL US THE DIFFERENCE IN THE PRICING BETWEEN EAST AND NORTH? YEAH, THE REASON THAT THE EAST HIGH SCHOOL AGREEMENT IS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER IS THOSE BOILERS ARE QUITE A BIT OLDER THAN THE, THE NEW ONES THAT WERE PUT IN AT NORTH, MIDDLE, AND THE, I BELIEVE 2002 WAS THAT BOILER RANGE. THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF REPIPING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND A LOT MORE DESIGN WORK ON THE BOILERS AT EAST HIGH— OR EXCUSE ME, EAST MIDDLE. SO THE, THE BOILERS AT NORTH MIDDLE ARE PRETTY MUCH JUST A REMOVE-REPLACE, AND THE ONES AT EAST HIGH ARE GOING TO— OR EAST MIDDLE ARE GOING TO TAKE CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF WORK TO DESIGN AND RELOCATE ALL THE PIPING. SO GIVEN DIRECTOR MEYER'S RECOMMENDATION I WOULD SAY SINCE EAST REQUIRES A LOT OF PIPE REPLACEMENT, WE SHOULD DO A FEASIBILITY STUDY THERE. I MEAN, I JUST HEARD THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND WE SHOULDN'T MAKE THE SAME RECOMMENDATION FOR TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS IF DIRECTOR MEYER THINKS THAT WE HAVE A DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH DIFFERENT EQUIPMENT IN THE FUTURE.

PIECES OF THE GEOTHERMAL OR THE AIR SOURCE OR WHATEVER IS OUT THERE FROM— AND THEN YOU CAN— LET ME EXPLAIN IT A LITTLE BIT MORE. THE PROPOSAL FOR THE— YEAH, TO GO TO A DIRECT REPLACE BOILER IS GOING TO BE THE MOST ECONOMICAL FOR THE DISTRICT. IF WE START TO REPLACE CHILLERS WITH HEAT PUMPS OR GO TO GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS, A LOT OF THE EQUIPMENT IN THE THE BUILDING IS AFFECTED AS WELL. AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT ALL OF THE AIR HANDLERS WOULD NEED TO HAVE THEIR COILS REPLACED.

ALL OF THE VAVS THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THEIR COILS REPLACED BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURE OF WATER THAT THE HEAT PUMPS PRODUCE AT MOST IS 140 DEGREES, AND MOST OF THOSE ARE SET UP FOR 160 TO 180 DEGREES. SO REALLY, UNLESS WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH AND REVAMP THE ENTIRE BUILDING, A DIRECT BOILER REPLACEMENT IS ABOUT THE ONLY OPTION WE HAVE.

THAT'S THAT, AND WE'LL HAVE PLENTY OF OTHER TIMES TO LOOK TO DO THE GEO— TO DO A DIFFERENT STUDY. I THINK SO. I— CAN I MAKE A MOTION TO DO WHAT TIM SAID WE SHOULD DO? IS IT TOO EARLY? I THINK YOU HAVE TO DO A MOTION ON ITEM X AND THEN A MOTION ON ITEM Y. WELL, I WOULD DO THAT EXCEPT MY SCREEN IS FROZEN AND I CAN'T ROLL BACK TO SEE WHICH ONE WE'RE ON. I'M JUST FAKING IT.

ALL RIGHT, SO I'M GOING TO START WITH— SINCE WE DID BOTH, I'M GOING TO START WITH THE FIRST ONE.

WE'LL VOTE IT UP OR DOWN AND THEN WE'LL MOVE TO THE SECOND, UP OR DOWN, AND THEN WE CAN GO IN DISCUSSION. OKAY, SO IS THERE A MOTION TO TO APPROVE THE DESIGN AGREEMENT FOR KCL ENGINEERING FOR THE AMOUNT OF $37,500 FOR THE DESIGN WORK OF REPLACING BOILERS AT EAST MIDDLE SCHOOL.

SO MOVED. SECOND.

OKAY, SHANICE, ANY CITIZEN INPUT? OKAY, BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

AYE.

OPPOSED? NAY.

MOTION PASSES. ALL RIGHT, SO THE SECOND IS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE DESIGN AGREEMENT FOR KCL ENGINEERING FOR THE AMOUNT OF $16,500 FOR THE DESIGN WORK FOR REPLACING BOILERS AT NORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL? IS THERE A FIRST OR SECOND? I'LL MOVE. SECOND.

[02:55:03]

[XII.Z. Elwood Olson Stadium Water Runoff Easement and Agreement – Tim Paul]

OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES.

OKAY, NEXT ONE IS ALL WE'RE ASKING TONIGHT IS TO SET A PUBLIC HEARING FOR ELWOOD OLSON STADIUM. THE CITY IS DOING A PROJECT THAT INVOLVES A SECTION OF THE PARKING LOT THAT IS DISTRICT-OWNED PROPERTY.

THEY'RE PUTTING IN A BIO-CELL COLLECTION SYSTEM TO HELP CONTROL FLOODING IN THAT PART OF MORNINGSIDE, ALSO PULASKI PARK. SO THE BOARD IS ASKED TO APPROVE AN EASEMENT, WHICH WILL SET THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR TONIGHT, WHICH WILL GO TO THE JUNE BOARD MEETING, JUNE 8TH, AND THEN THAT AGREEMENT WOULD BE APPROVED THAT SAME NIGHT WITH THE CITY OF SIOUX CITY FOR THEM TO CONSTRUCT THE WORK. THERE'S NO COST TO THE DISTRICT BECAUSE MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE HAS THE LEASE FOR THE PROPERTY, AND THEY ALSO ARE THE ONES THAT MAINTAIN IT UNDER THEIR LEASE. SO THAT'S OUR ASK FOR THIS EVENING.

SO IS THERE A MOTION TO SET THE PUBLIC— OOPS, SORRY. IS THERE A MOTION TO SET THE PUBLIC HEARING TO BE HELD AT 6:00 PM LOCAL TIME AT THE EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER, 627 4TH STREET, SIOUX CITY, IOWA, ON THE 8TH DAY OF JUNE, 2026? SECOND.

ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE A FIRST AND SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? I HAVE A QUESTION. SO THIS IS A PORTION OF THE PARKING LOT IS GOING TO BECOME A POINT FOR WATER COLLECTION, WHICH MEANS THAT IN THE FUTURE THAT WILL NEVER BE A PARKING LOT. NO, THEY'RE NOT— WE WON'T LOSE ANY PARKING LOT SPACE.

IT'S A BIOCELL COLLECTION SYSTEM, SO IT'S LIKE A VEGETATION THAT'S PLANTED IN THE THE PARKING LOT, BUT THERE'S NO LOSS OF SPOTS.

OKAY, THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT WAS. I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON BIOCELL COLLECTION SYSTEMS, BUT FROM WHAT I WAS TOLD— I AM ALSO NOT AN EXPERT.

THAT WAS WHY I WAS ASKING QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME.

THANK YOU. SHANICE, ANY CITIZEN INPUT? BOARD MEMBERS, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

[XII.AA. Food and Nutrition 5-year RFP – Year 4 Renewal – Rich Luze]

HEARING NO OPPOSITION, THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU.

NEXT, MR. RICH.

NEXT ITEM IS FOR THE BOARD TO AWARD YEAR 4 OF THE 5-YEAR RFP IN THE CATEGORIES OF DAIRY BREADS, THAT'S YOUR HAMBURGER BUNS, HOT DOG BREAD, GREENBERG PRODUCE, THE PORTION CUT SIDE OF IT, AND CASHWAY FOR NONFOODS, BENSTAR FOR NONFOODS, DAKOTA PAPER, COLES PAPER, AND EAKES FOR ALL NONFOODS. AND HAVE THE AMOUNTS LISTED THERE IN THOSE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.

THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO AWARD THE 4 OF THE FOOD AND NUTRITION 5-YEAR RFP FOR THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES FOR THE SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT FOOD SERVICE FOR THE 2023-2028 SCHOOL YEARS FOR ANNUAL RENEWALS.

SIMMONS, SECOND.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION?

[XII.AB. Food and Nutrition 5-year RFP – Year 2 Renewal – Rich Luze]

AYE.

NO OPPOSITION. THE MOTION PASSES. AND WHAT AGAIN? NEXT ITEM IS ANOTHER RFP. IT'S YEAR 2 OF A 5-YEAR RFP, AND THIS IS IN THE CATEGORIES OF THE FROZEN FOODS TO MARTIN BROTHERS DISTRIBUTING FOR $1,464,564. THE DRY FOOD CATEGORY ALSO TO MARTIN BROTHERS DISTRIBUTING FOR $1,038,685. AND THE THIRD CATEGORY FOR MARTIN BROTHERS, THE DIVERTED FOODS OF $934,866. ADDITIONALLY, CAPTAIN KEN'S FOR $44,000, HUBERT COMPANY, WHICH IS THE SMALLWARES, YOUR LADLES, SPOONS, THAT TYPE OF THING, FOR $75,000, AND FESTUS, FORMERLY TERRAMARK, FOR THE LEMON SERVICES.

BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO AWARD YEAR 2 OF THE FOOD AND NUTRITION 5-YEAR RFP TO THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES FOR THE SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT FOOD SERVICE FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR.

YES, PLEASE. SECOND.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? DENISE, ANY CITIZEN INPUT? ALL

[XII.AC. Contract for Board Approval – Jim Vanderloo/ Jarod Mozer]

THANK YOU, MR. MOSIER, AND SANDERLING. SO MOVED.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR MILLER.

PICTURES AT BRYANT FOR NEXT YEAR. NEXT JANUARY,

[03:00:01]

IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? WELL, WE ALREADY HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE AND EXECUTE THE CONTRACT TO SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING AND ACTIVITIES. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.

ALL RIGHT. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? SORRY. DIRECTOR HANSON. SO IS THIS JUST A ONE-OFF? AND SO EVERY BUILDING'S BEEN DOING THEIR OWN. SO THEN WE HAVE THEM ALL LAST— NEXT YEAR'S THE LAST YEAR THEY'LL DO THEIR OWN, AND THEN WE'LL PUT AN RFP OUT NEXT JANUARY AND SEE IF WE GET A BETTER RATE. AND JUST, YEAH, THANK YOU. OTHER DISTRICTS DO, SO WE'RE GOING TO PURSUE THAT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MOSER. IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? SHANICE, IS THERE ANY CITIZEN INPUT? ALL RIGHT, FOR ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? THE MOTION PASSES.

BOARD MEMBERS.

SO MOVED. CAN WE ADJOURN? NO, WE CANNOT. YES, BOARD MEMBERS, AT THIS TIME DIRECTOR IMKE WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, AND IT'S JUST A VARIATION FROM OUR BOARD THANK YOU FOR THIS PERSONAL POINT OF PRIVILEGE.

THE HOUR'S LATE. I'D GIVEN A LOT OF THOUGHT TO HOW MUCH I MIGHT SAY ABOUT ALL OF THIS. ALL I WILL SAY IS THAT OVER THE COURSE OF PROBABLY A COUPLE YEARS, I'VE HAD SOME HEALTH DEVELOPMENTS THAT DON'T NEED TO BE ELABORATED ON. THAT WE WERE BELIEVING STARTED WITH A HOSPITAL EPISODE BACK THEN, AND WE WERE BELIEVING THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO NURSE THIS ALONG THROUGH THIS TENURE.

UNFORTUNATELY, AS THE BOARD KNOWS, A COUPLE WEEKS AGO I SPENT A WHOLE WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL AGAIN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. BACK EARLIER WHEN WE WERE EXPLORING SOME SOLUTIONS INCLUDING SOME— I DON'T WANT TO CALL IT EXPERIMENTAL, BUT SOME PROGRAMS ARE NOT WIDELY AVAILABLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I WAS HEARING THINGS LIKE, DON'T WAIT TOO LONG. THINK ABOUT YOUR AGE. THINK ABOUT ALL THESE THINGS. DON'T WAIT TOO LONG. THEN WE HAD THIS EPISODE WHICH WAS INVOLVED IN INFECTION, EVEN WENT TO SEPSIS, AND WE WERE ABLE TO DEFEAT IT.

BUT WE WERE NEVER ABLE TO DETERMINE WHY IT HAPPENED.

AND NOW THE SAME PEOPLE I'VE CONFERRED WITH ARE SAYING, DON'T WAIT AT ALL. AND FRIENDS OF MINE WHO HAVE HAD CHALLENGES OF THEIR OWN SAY, LIFE IS SHORT AND YOU NEED TO CONSIDER TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. SO SADLY, VERY— I WAS HOPING THAT I COULD CONTINUE AND HELP US ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SUPERINTENDENT MATTER, BUT I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT. I WILL BE NEEDING TO MOVE AWAY FROM SIOUX CITY YET THIS MONTH, AND AS A RESULT, I NEED TO TODAY RESIGN FROM THE SIOUX CITY SCHOOL BOARD WITH GREAT REGRET. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY THE COMMUNITY HAS GIVEN ME TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE, AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE WORKED WITH ALL OF YOU. I'M ESPECIALLY PLEASED WITH THE WAY WE ARE NOW COLLABORATING AS 7, AND I THINK THAT WE'RE CERTAINLY HEADED INTO THE SUNRISE IN THE DIRECTION, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE CHALLENGES.

SO WITH RESPECT, I ASK ASK YOU TO ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR AMKE.

EFFECTIVE TODAY.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR AMKE. UH, BOARD MEMBERS, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING THAT THEY'D LIKE TO ADD? I WILL VERY QUICKLY JUST THANK YOU FOR, UM, FOR SERVING ON THE BOARD AND FOR SITTING NEXT TO ME AND I'M STARTING TO HAVE A COMPLEX AND EARL, WATCH OUT, I GUESS, WHOEVER SITS NEXT TO ME GOES.

IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, LANCE, I DO APPLAUD YOU FOR PUTTING YOUR HEALTH FIRST AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM YOU IN THE SHORT TIME THAT WE'VE HAD TOGETHER AND I WISH YOU THE BEST.

THANK YOU. I WILL ALSO ADD THAT THANK YOU, LANCE, FOR WHEN YOU'VE BEEN HERE TO SUPPORT THE MULTILINGUAL COMMUNITY. AND WE WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT ALBUM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND BETWEEN YOU AND DIRECTOR GEORGE, OLDER PEOPLE ARE IN SOME DANGER ON THIS BOARD, I THINK. I'M NOT SURE WHAT AGE OLDER IS, BUT LANCE, THANK YOU FOR RUNNING. THANK YOU

[03:05:01]

GO GET HEALTHY.

DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM, DOES ANYONE WANT TO ADD ANY— I KNOW HE SERVED ON SOME COMMITTEES.

YES, I WOULD WANT TO ADD A COUPLE OF THINGS.

DIRECTOR EMKE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU FOR THE YEARS OF BEING A GREAT LAWYER IN SIOUX CITY, AND I APPRECIATED YOUR SUPPORT WHEN WE HAD TO MAKE SOME MAKE SOME SNAP DECISIONS ON LEGAL, LEGAL MATTERS. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATED YOUR HELP ON THAT AND YOUR SUPPORT. AND I WISH YOU WELL, AND I WILL MISS YOU IN THIS COMMUNITY.

DIRECTOR EMKE, IT HAS BEEN A JOY AND A PLEASURE TO SERVE ALONGSIDE YOU. I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOU AND I VALUE YOUR INSIGHT AND PERSPECTIVE AND I EVEN APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU WILL HAVE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH ME AS IT RELATES TO CULTURE, CLIMATE, AND ENGAGEMENT. MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU KNOW, YOU ONLY HAVE— YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE AT THIS, AND I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE LIBERTY OF ENSURING THAT YOU LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST. THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO OUR BOARD, AND, UM, AND THANK YOU JUST FOR BEING DEDICATED TO THE COMMUNITY AND ADDING VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY. MUCH APPRECIATED.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING? PRESIDENT LEE? YES.

BEFORE WE DO THAT, BECAUSE THE BOARD'S NEXT MEETING IS, IS JUNE 8TH. UH, WITH YOUR APPROVAL, I WOULD LIKE TO PUBLISH A NOTICE IN THE PAPER THAT THE BOARD IS GOING TO CONSIDER MAKING AN APPOINTMENT TO FILL DIRECTOR EMKE'S SEAT. I NEED TO GET THIS DONE WITHIN 30 DAYS. WELL, THAT'S TIMELY BECAUSE 30 DAYS FROM NOW WILL BE JUNE 9TH, AND SO I'LL TRY TO GET THAT PUBLICATION IN SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID BEFORE AND WE COULD MAYBE BE READY TO DO SOME INTERVIEWS, DO WHAT YOU'VE DONE BEFORE.

YOU MIGHT HAVE TO HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING FOR THAT AND THEN DECIDE WHO YOU WANT TO APPOINT AND YOU COULD DO THAT AT THE JUNE 8TH MEETING AND THE APPOINTMENT WOULD BE DONE WITHIN THAT 30-DAY PERIOD.

OUTSTANDING. WE WILL NEED TO SET UP A TIME FOR SHANICE GEMINI TO MEET WITH YOU.

LIKE WE DID BEFORE? OKAY, SO IF WE NEED TO GET THAT DONE THIS WEEK, YOU GUYS LET ME KNOW AND I'LL— I'LL BE AVAILABLE ANYTIME TOMORROW.

OKAY, TOMORROW. ALL RIGHT, I CAN MAKE IT WORK. ALL RIGHT, LET'S FIND A TIME AND MOVE THAT. THANK YOU, MR. MOORE, FOR THAT. WE DO HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD. OKAY, WITH THAT BEING SAID, MEETING TO ADJOURN. MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO MOVED.

SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBERS.

THANK YOU ALL. GOOD NIGHT.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.