Feb 01, 2022 Board of Education Meeting

[00:00:03]

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE, SORRY FOR THE DELAY.

[1. Opening Items]

OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND ON TEACHER EVALUATION.

THAT BEING SAID, LIKE I MENTIONED IT'S 6:06.

BOARD MEMBERS, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION? SO MOVED. MOTION BY MS. WAYMAN.

SECOND. SECOND BY MR. JONES ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, AYE, THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT, BOARD, IF WE CAN STAND AND EVERYONE SAY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE.

BOARD MEMBERS, STAFF AND PUBLIC, IT'S IN CAROLINE COUNTY IS A SMALL COMMUNITY.

IT'S A TRAGEDY.

ALL THE CHALLENGES WE'VE GONE THROUGH IN THE LAST YEARS AND FRIENDS AND FAMILIES WE'VE LOST DUE TO SOME OF THE CRAZINESS IS GOING ALONG WITH COVID.

BUT IT'S EVEN WORSE WHEN IT'S A CHILD STUDENT, ANYONE THAT HASN'T EVEN BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO TO THE LUCK AND THE PRIVILEGE THAT WE'VE HAD TO LIVE THE LIVES THAT WE'VE LIVED. SO WITH THAT, I THINK SOME OF YOU WE'RE ALL AWARE THAT THERE WAS A TRAGEDY ON THE WESTERN SHORE THAT AFFECTED ONE OF OUR YOUNG STUDENTS FROM THE SOUTH END OF THE COUNTY NAMED MR. KYLE RICHARDS. AND HE'S NO LONGER WITH US.

AND I JUST ASK FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE OF THOUGHT AND PRAISE FOR TO SUPPORT HIM AND HIS AND HIS FAMILY AT THIS TIME.

[SILENCE] THANK YOU. I DIDN'T PERSONALLY KNOW THE GENTLEMAN, HE DID GO TO SCHOOL WITH MY DAUGHTER AND SOME OF HER FRIENDS, BUT AGAIN, NO IMMEDIATE INTERACTIONS WITH I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY KNOWS THEM OR HAS ANY ANY THOUGHTS OF HIM OR HIS FAMILY.

IT'S AN UNEXPECTED.

JUST JUST A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.

THAT'S ALL RIGHT. VERY WELL KNOWN, WELL-LOVED WELL-LIKED KID.

KYLE WAS IMPACTED.

HIS DEATH IS DEFINITELY BEEN FELT AROUND THE CAROLINE COMMUNITY.

KYLE'S FAMILY IS A LONG TIME CAROLINE COUNTY FAMILY.

MOM AND DAD BOTH WORKED WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM MS. BRENDA, MR. LEWIS AND THEIR KIDS.

THEY'VE ALL GONE THROUGH THE SYSTEM.

LEWIS [INAUDIBLE] GRADUATED [INAUDIBLE] WHEN I WAS DOWN THERE.

[INAUDIBLE] JUST ABSOLUTELY TRAGIC AND [INAUDIBLE] INFORMATION'S OUT THERE ABOUT THE SERVICES.

THEY'RE HAVING A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL [INAUDIBLE] ON FRIDAY AT 5:30.

AGAIN, ANYTHING ANYBODY CAN DO TO HELP SUPPORT THE FAMILY, IT'S JUST TRAGIC FOR WHAT THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY PROCESSING AND WORKING THROUGH AND OBVIOUSLY WHAT THE KIDS ARE GOING THROUGH [INAUDIBLE] AS WELL AS STAFF.

JUST AGAIN, TOUGH.

ABSOLUTELY TOUGH. THERE'S NOTHING REALLY ELSE CAN BE SAID, BUT THANK YOU.

[INAUDIBLE] BOARD MEMBER, JUST A REMINDER THAT WE ARE TRYING TO MAINTAIN OUR DISTANCE HERE IN OUR MEETING ROOMS UNDER THE CURRENT STATE REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOL SYSTEMS. WE ARE ALSO TRYING TO MAINTAIN MASKS, BUT WE ALSO FEEL COMFORTABLE ACCEPTING

[00:05:05]

WITH THAT JUST A REMINDER WE'RE MOVING ON TO APPROVE THE AGENDA.

BOARD MEMBERS. ARE THERE ANY SUGGESTED EDITS TO THE AGENDA OR DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT? MAKE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE AGENDA, MOTION BY MR. DIGIACOMO, I'LL SECOND, SECOND BY MR BARTON.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, AYE. ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU, BOARD. MOVING ON INTO BOARD MEMBER REPORTS.

[2. Reports]

[INAUDIBLE] SESSION AND WORK SESSION, I WON'T CALL ANYBODY OUT BECAUSE WE'VE ALL KIND OF ATTENDED THE SAME THINGS, ANYBODY HAVE ANY TAKEAWAYS THEY'D LIKE TO [INAUDIBLE].

OH YES, I DO. OK.

I DIDN'T SEE IT MENTIONED HERE ANYWHERE, BUT THE FBLA WENT TO [INAUDIBLE] THEY HAD THEIR. THE REGIONAL CONFERENCE, IN NORTH CAROLINA, AND WE HAD ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN STUDENTS WHO.

ONE HIGH ENOUGH TO MAKE THE STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE, AND IT WAS [INAUDIBLE].

I'M GOING TO PUT YOUR HER NAME AND I'M I'M APOLOGIZING RIGHT NOW.

IT'S [INAUDIBLE] FOR BROADCAST JOURNALISM.

JULIANA HOFFMAN FOR GRAPHIC DESIGN, SHELBY MACFARLANE FOR INTRO TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION. [INAUDIBLE] FOR INTRO TO FINANCIAL MATH.

BAILEY THALER AND LESLIE MONTER CASTILLO FOR PUBLIC SERVICE.

CASSIDY JOSEPH.

OLIVIA KEATON. HAYLEY CHESTER FOR PUBLICATION, DESIGN AND OWEN [INAUDIBLE] AND MASON [INAUDIBLE] FOR SALES PRESENTATIONS.

SO I THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC THAT THEY ALL MADE THAT.

SO CONGRATULATIONS AND A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU TO THEIR ADVISOR.

MRS MELISSA MAHONEY ANDERSON DOES A GREAT JOB.

STUDENTS ARE ALWAYS DOING WELL, AND SO THEY'RE BE MOVING ON TO THE STATE CONFERENCE MARCH 10TH THROUGH 12TH, AND I BELIEVE AT THIS POINT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE HELD IN PERSON.

[INAUDIBLE] I THOUGHT THAT WAS AWESOME.

I JUST DON'T KNOW, FOR WHATEVER REASON, THIS MONTH I DID SPEAK TO A LOT OF STAFF WERE WERE, YOU KNOW, JUST SEEING THEM OR REACHING OUT, AND ALL ALMOST HAD THE ONE OVERWHELMING THING IS THEY'RE OVERWORKED.

THEY'RE STRESSED OUT.

THEY LOVE THE KIDS. THEY LOVE THE JOB.

BUT THAT THE TESTING AND THE FINALS.

YOU KNOW, AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE.

TOO MUCH TESTING.

NOT ENOUGH TEACHING.

YOU KNOW, WE GOT RIGHT BACK.

WELL, WE MISSED THE WEEK AND THEN BOOM.

THEY'VE BEEN GONE FOR THREE WEEKS AND THEY'RE TESTING.

AND IT'S JUST I JUST THINK THAT'S CRAZY.

SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING THAT UP.

BUT THEN SOME OF THE PEOPLE THEY THEY LOVE THE FACT ABOUT WITH THE WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT THE BLUEPRINT THAT IT ENCOURAGES DUAL ENROLLMENT AND AP CLASSES.

THERE WAS A LOT OF POSITIVE FEEDBACK ON THAT, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GREAT.

SO IT WAS FOR ME, EVEN THOUGH, LIKE I HAD THREE THINGS THAT WERE POSTPONED THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO ATTEND. IT WAS AN INTERESTING TO LEARN ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE I THINK AND I ASKED YOU THIS QUESTION ABOUT THE BUS DRIVERS AND THE LAW CHANGED BECAUSE IT USED TO BE WE COULD TRAIN OUR OWN BUS DRIVERS.

AND NOW WE CAN'T. NO, WE CAN.

WE DID GET THAT. WE'RE A TRAINING CENTER.

WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THE TRAINING CENTER, SO WE STILL CAN.

BUT THE LAW DID CHANGE AND YOU WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE APPROVED TRAINING PROGRAMS. CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE. BUT NO, IT IS.

WE'VE DONE OUR PART TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN OUR BUS DRIVERS [INAUDIBLE] THAT WAS LAST WEEK, SO THEY'LL DO THEIR DRIVING.

[INAUDIBLE] BECAUSE IF NOT IT WOULD HAVE JAMMED UP, THAT'S FOR SURE, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY'D HAVE TO PAY FOUR OR FIVE OR SIX THOUSAND.

AND THIS WAY, THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY THAT CORRECT.

THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S THE WAY WE'RE DOING IT, RIGHT? BECAUSE I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT WAS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE BECAUSE WE KNOW I MEAN, I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU GO, EVEN IN WHAT STATE YOU SEE SIGNS, HIRING BUS DRIVERS, HIRING

[00:10:03]

SO THAT'S GOOD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT.

SO THAT'S THE MAIN THING.

BUT I JUST WANTED TO CONGRATULATE THE FBLA STUDENTS AND GOOD LUCK IN MARCH.

I'D LIKE TO SAY I DID ATTEND THE MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION IN MARCH, AND IT WAS A VERY GOOD, VERY WELL ATTENDED EVENT.

AND WE DID HAVE THE YOUNG MAN WHO'S A JUNIOR AT NORTH CAROLINA.

TRAVIS IS HIS FIRST NAME.

I DON'T KNOW HIS LAST NAME, BUT HE SPOKE VERY WELL AS A PART OF THAT PROGRAM.

SO I DID CONGRATULATE HIM THEN AND I WANT TO CONGRATULATE HIM NOW.

AND I WAS AT THE MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION WITH MS. WAYMAN AND HELPING TO REPRESENT THE BOARD AND WITH ALL THE UPROAR IN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO AND CRAZINESS AROUND THE WORLD, IT IS A GOOD DAY TO REMEMBER.

THERE'S MORE THAT BRINGS US TOGETHER THAN THAN DIVIDES US.

WE JUST GOT TO FOCUS ON WHAT BRINGS US TOGETHER AND NOT ALWAYS ON WHAT DIVIDES US, AND THAT'S HARD SOME DAYS.

BUT THAT MESSAGE WAS CLEAR THERE THAT DAY.

ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON TO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.

THANK YOU, MR. NEWCOMB. THE ITEM I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, ACTUALLY, IS ONE THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS BEEN REALLY ASKING FOR FEEDBACK, AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY.

I THINK THAT CAROLINE COUNTY NOT ONLY EMPLOYEES, BUT FAMILIES HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE THIS FEEDBACK.

A LOT OF TIMES MORE OF THE RURAL COUNTIES DON'T SEEM TO SHOW UP, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE THEIR FEELINGS AND DIRECTION.

THEY WANT TO GO. BUT WITH THE NEW STATE SUPERINTENDENT COMING IN [INAUDIBLE] HE IS WALKING THE STATE WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS OF A NEW MULTI-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.

CAROLINE COUNTY WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS A FEW YEARS BACK, AND THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A WIDE SWATH, VERY DIVERSE RESPONSE ACROSS THE STATE OF MARYLAND TO GET FEEDBACK TO HELP GUIDE THE STATE BOARD AND THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT IN THAT DIRECTION AS THEY MOVE FORWARD BLUEPRINT AS WELL.

SO WITHIN THIS PRESENTATION, THE LINK IS THERE FOR THE STRATEGIC PLANNING SURVEY.

WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE PUSH THAT LINK AS WELL THROUGH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, AND WE DID JUST SEND IT TO ALL EMPLOYEES TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE THAT FEEDBACK AGAIN.

CAROLINE COUNTY BEING A SMALLER COUNTY, MORE RURAL, A LOT OF TIMES WE FEEL LIKE WE DON'T HAVE A SAY IN MATTERS THAT HAPPEN AT THE STATE LEVEL, BUT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS TO PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK TO THE STATE BOARD IN THE DIRECTION THAT THEY NEED TO HEAR AND GET TO HEAR THOSE VOICES ACROSS THE STATE.

BESIDES THOSE THAT ARE JUST KIND OF OUTSIDE THE DOOR.

SO AGAIN, WE'LL BE PUSHING THIS AS WELL TO GET SOME FEEDBACK AND GET MORE PARTICIPATION UP IN OUR AREAS. SO WE'RE KIND OF NOT MISSING OUT ON THAT OPPORTUNITY.

QUICK QUESTION. I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS IS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THE PUBLIC.

YES, THIS IS ALL ALL PUBLIC WORTHY, HAVE KIDS OR NOT.

SO THE PUBLIC THAT IS WATCHING THIS TONIGHT, FOR THOSE WHO ARE ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA EITHER OR WHO ARE COMPLIMENTARY OR CRITICAL OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS SURVEY. YES, YOU WANT YOUR VOICE HEARD.

THIS IS ONE WAY TO DO IT.

SO I'M GLAD YOU INCLUDED THAT IN YOUR REPORT.

OUTSTANDING. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

MOVING TO DIRECTOR'S SNAPSHOT.

AND INSTRUCTION IS UP FIRST AGAIN THIS EVENING.

GOOD EVENING, PRESENT NEWCOMB, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD INSTRUCTION, IT'S IT'S BEEN BUSY.

THERE IS A LOT ON THIS SLIDE.

I'M SIMPLY GOING TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW.

OUR CCTC PROGRAMS ENDED THEIR SEMESTER BY TAKING SOME POST-SECONDARY INDUSTRY CREDENTIAL EXAMS, SO THESE ASSESSMENTS OR TESTS ACTUALLY LEAD TO CERTIFICATIONS FOR THOSE STUDENTS. SO IN CONSTRUCTION, CAD, AMP, AUTO AND COSMETOLOGY STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ASSESSED AND EARN CERTIFICATIONS IN THOSE AREAS.

WE'VE ALSO HAD SECONDARY STUDENTS.

MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING, AND YOU CAN SEE THERE THAT WE'VE HAD STUDENTS BOTH AT COLONEL HIGH AND NORTH CAROLINE HIGH EARN RECOGNITION FOR THE STATE OF MARYLAND LITERACY ASSOCIATIONS YOUNG AUTHORS CONTEST, AS WELL AS LOCKERMAN STUDENTS.

THEIR WORKS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN YOUNG WRITERS, UNSOLVED WRITING CONTEST AND THEN LITERACY. COACHES FOR BOTH MIDDLE SCHOOLS HAVE CHOSEN A FEW EIGHTH GRADE WRITING SAMPLES TO SHARE WITH YOU IN REGARDS TO HELPING DISTRACTED TEENS BECOME MORE FOCUSED IN SCHOOL.

[00:15:01]

SO THOSE ASSESSMENTS ARE CONCLUDING ON FEBRUARY 11TH, WITH [INAUDIBLE] CONTINUING ON UNTIL MARCH 4TH.

THOSE ARE FOR OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS.

I HAVE A QUESTION, THE CLASSES WHERE STUDENTS CAN EARN THEIR CERTIFICATION, COSMETOLOGY, AND I THINK IT'S MORE THAN THAT, BUT CAN YOU GIVE US FEEDBACK NEXT MONTH ON HOW THEY DO? ABSOLUTELY, I CAN.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE EXCELLENT PROGRAMS AT CCTC THAT I CAN'T BELIEVE MORE PEOPLE DON'T TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.

YOU'RE TOTALLY CERTIFIED.

YOU CAN GO OUT AND START MAKING A LIVING EVEN IF YOU WANT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE. YOU COULD BE MAKING MONEY TO GET TO COLLEGE.

I WISH WE HAD THAT WHEN I WAS YOUNG.

I REALLY DO. SO IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

OK. SPECIAL PROGRAMS IS UP NEXT.

I HAVE THREE HIGHLIGHTS TONIGHT.

THE FIRST ONE WE START IN THE AREA OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.

MSDE HAD A MEETING A FEW MONTHS BACK WHERE THEY ROLLED OUT A PILOT OF A PROCESS PERFORMANCE INDICATOR.

AND WHAT THIS IS, IS AN ONLINE TOOL THAT ACTUALLY ANALYZES OUR IEP TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE IN COMPLIANCE.

AND AS MSD ALWAYS DOES WITH THE PILOT, THEY ASKED FOR VOLUNTEERS.

SO CCPS DECIDED THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S LET'S GET SOME REAL FEEDBACK BESIDES OUR OWN INTERNAL AUDITS. SO WE WENT AHEAD AND WE PUT OURSELVES OUT THERE AND WE CAME BACK NINETY FIVE PERCENT COMPLIANCE.

SO THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT OUR STAFF, SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT'S BEING PROVIDED TO OUR STAFF.

SO BIG KUDOS.

BIG SHOUT OUT TO SPECIAL ED THE NEXT ONE.

I WANTED TO PUT THIS OUT THERE AS AN AWARENESS.

PRE-K IS UP FOR ITS FIVE YEAR ACCREDITATION PROCESS.

THIS IS THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

THERE'S ACCREDITATION STANDARDS THAT WE ARE MEASURED ON, AND THIS CAN BE FROM JUST THE LAYOUT OF OUR PRE-K CLASSROOMS TO THE EIGHT CENTERS THAT ARE IN THE CLASSROOMS AND HOW THOSE CENTERS ARE SET UP AND WHAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO OUR STUDENTS.

ALSO, THEY TAKE A LOOK AT OUR PERFORMANCE, ALL THE DATA THAT COMES IN FROM THE STATE AND THEY EVEN GO OUT ON THE PLAYGROUNDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY MEET THE STANDARDS.

SO PRETTY EXCITING. IF ANYBODY'S INTERESTED AND WANT A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT, LET ME KNOW BECAUSE I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO EMAIL OUT THEIR STANDARDS.

AND THEN THE THIRD HIGHLIGHT IS CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE.

WE WERE ABLE TO PULL IT OFF.

WE TRAINED ALL FIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

THIS WAS GEN ED SPECIAL ED, GUIDANCE COUNSELORS, RELATED ARTS AND SAT MONITORS AND ANY OTHER SPECIALISTS. WE WHAT WE DID WAS WE USED OUR TWO BIGGEST LOCATIONS NORTH CAROLINE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLONEL RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL DIVIDED IT UP WHERE WE HAD KINDERGARTEN FIRST AND SECOND AT ONE LOCATION AND THEN THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH.

AND WHAT WE DID WAS WE ROLLED OUT CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE, WHICH IS A COMPREHENSIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CURRICULUM THAT ISN'T JUST ABOUT TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO BEHAVE.

IT'S ABOUT KNOWING YOURSELF AND HOW WHAT BRAIN STATE YOUR SELF IS IN AND HOW YOU REACT TO CHILDREN. THIS ISN'T ABOUT PUNISHMENT.

THIS IS ABOUT TAKING SITUATIONS WHERE WE ARE APPLYING DISCIPLINE AND IT BECOMES A LEARNING MOMENT FOR CHILDREN AND A LEARNING MOMENT FOR US.

THE FEEDBACK HAS BEEN OVER THE TOP, AND I CAN'T SAY THAT ENOUGH.

I NEVER EXPECTED TO HAVE THE NUMBER OF EMAILS OF STAFF REACH OUT AND SAY THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS I'VE EVER HAD.

THIS WAS LIKE I FELT LIKE IT WAS LIKE A PLAY DAY FOR OUR ELEMENTARY STAFF.

THIS WAS THE TIME TO PUT THE STANDARDS ASIDE, PUT TESTING ASIDE AND ACTUALLY HAVE FUN.

WE LEARNED BREATHING TECHNIQUES.

AND YOU KNOW, I THINK I REMEMBER TEACHING EVERYBODY THE STAR TECHNIQUE A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK OR A YEAR BACK, BUT WE LEARNED THE GENIE TECHNIQUE AND WE LEARNED THE SUPERMAN TECHNIQUE. LOTS OF FUN THINGS.

AND THEN WE ALSO LEARNED A LOT ABOUT I LOVE YOU RITUALS.

AND THIS IS REALLY ABOUT INTERACTING WITH CHILDREN, WITH COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN, UNDERSTANDING HOW IMPORTANT TOUCH IS WHEN YOU ARE RUBBING SOMEBODY'S SHOULDER AND THAT FEEL GOOD MOMENT FOR THAT CHILD AND ALSO FOR THE TEACHER.

SO WE HAVE MORE TO COME.

[00:20:02]

IT GOES ON FOREVER.

SO THERE'S ALWAYS MORE TO LEARN.

SO I'LL BE BRINGING MORE TO YOU IN FUTURE BOARD MEETINGS.

I FIND IT INTERESTING THAT USE THE WORD IN SAME SENTENCE, YOU USED THE WORD DISCIPLINE AND FUN IN THE SAME SENTENCE.

YES. YOU USUALLY DON'T THINK OF THOSE TWO WORDS TOGETHER.

NO, BUT I GET IT.

IT'S NOT NOT ABOUT PUNISHMENT.

NO, ARE THERE MORE IN SERVICE TO COME? YES. OK, I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE I GET VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I REALLY AM A STRONG BELIEVER OF THIS.

AND I MEAN, YOU CAN DO.

YOU CAN GO ONLINE. YOU CAN GOOGLE THE RESEARCH THAT SUPPORTS THIS, I MEAN, WE HAVE DISTRICTS THAT HAVE GONE K TO 12 AND WHAT WE DO IN KINDERGARTEN, WE DON'T NECESSARILY DO IN 10TH GRADE. I THINK THERE ARE SOME OF SOME OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL KIDS MIGHT LIKE SOME OF THOSE THINGS BECAUSE THEY ARE THEY ARE VERY REWARDING.

IN MARCH, WE HAVE THE NEXT LAYER OF CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE ON THE 14TH AND THAT IS FOR PRE-K AND K.

OUR PRINCIPLES ARE IN LEADERSHIP TRAINING.

THEY HAVE HAD ONE TRAINING.

I THINK IT WAS NOVEMBER, AND THEY WILL BE COMING UP ON THE NEXT ONE, MARCH 18TH, AND THEN WE HAVE SEVERAL CALLS WITH ADMINISTRATORS BECAUSE IN ORDER TO BE A CONSCIOUS, DISCIPLINED SCHOOL, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CONSCIOUS, DISCIPLINED LEADER.

AND THEY THEY LEAD THE CHARGES INSIDE THEIR SCHOOL.

AND CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE IS NOT JUST SEEN IN THE CLASSROOM, ITS SEEN THROUGHOUT THAT ENTIRE BUILDING AND IT'S HOW WE INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER.

SO AND THEN WE HAVE A WHOLE PLAN THAT WE'RE WORKING ON FOR NEXT YEAR.

SO WILL WE BE EXTENDING THIS TO MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL DOWN THE ROAD? OR WHAT'S IT LOOK LIKE FOR US? WE ARE HOPING THAT WE ARE EXTENDING IT FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH.

WE WERE ONLY GOING TO GO.

I THINK IT WAS STILL SECOND GRADE THIS YEAR.

YEAH, WE STARTED [INAUDIBLE] AND I WON'T BE QUITE AS GIDDY AS [INAUDIBLE], THOUGH I REALLY COULD BE ABOUT THIS.

WE STARTED DOWN THE ROAD OF THIS WORK THREE YEARS AGO.

WE'VE REALLY BEEN TRYING TO GET THERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, BUT IT WAS A FUNDING PIECE.

WE WERE AWARDED AND THE BOARD HEARD ABOUT IT LAST YEAR AND WE WERE AWARDED A GRANT CALLED PROJECT AWARE, WHICH WAS A GRANT TO RAISE AWARENESS AROUND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS FOR KIDS AND HELP RAISE AWARENESS IN OUR COMMUNITY AROUND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS.

OUR ORIGINAL PLAN WAS GOING TO BE TO USE THAT MONEY, WHICH WAS GREAT MONEY FOR US, THOUGH SMALL FOR LARGER SYSTEMS TO HAVE TO STAGGER THIS UP GRADE LEVEL OR ONE OR TWO GRADE LEVELS AT A TIME BECAUSE WE COULDN'T AFFORD TO TAKE THAT BIG OF A BITE OF THE PIE.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY CLEARLY WHERE, BECAUSE OF MONIES COMING IN RELATED TO THE IMPACT OF COVID THROUGH OUR CARES FUNDING AND THROUGH OUR [INAUDIBLE] FUNDING AND THOSE KINDS OF AVENUES, IT IS COMPLETELY OPENED UP THE ABILITY WHICH IT MAKES SENSE TO LIFT AT ONE TIME INSTEAD OF A THREE YEAR PIECEMEAL.

AND IT'S COMPLETELY ALLOWED US TO LIFT AT ONE TIME WHAT WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT WAS GOING TO TAKE THREE YEARS TO GET THROUGH ELEMENTARY.

WE'RE ABLE TO START IT IN ONE WHICH ALLOWS US TO BUILD THAT PIPELINE SOONER, WHICH MEANS WE'VE GOT TO START LOOKING AT HOW DO WE BRING THIS TO THE SECONDARY LEVEL BECAUSE AS THE KIDS MATRICULATE UP, THEY'RE LEARNING SKILL SETS THAT THEY CAN IMPLEMENT FOR THEMSELVES.

A LOT OF THIS IS A LOT ABOUT SELF-REFLECTION.

IT'S A LOT ABOUT LEARNING TO REGULATE YOUR OWN SELF.

BUT WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRAINING AND GIVING OUR STAFF THE TOOLS THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO HELP OUR STUDENTS STILL USE THOSE TOOLS AS THEY GET OLDER.

SO YES, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE BRING THIS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PROBLEM TO HAVE, BUT IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US.

WE DID NOT WANT TO MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE IT ALONG QUICKER BECAUSE WE ALSO SAW FIRST QUARTER, FIRST THIRD OF THE YEAR.

THESE WORDS WERE THE BIG STRUGGLES WERE WITH OUR KIDS, AND IT'S BEEN NICE TO BE ABLE TO REALLY LIFT THIS AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

SO RIGHT NOW, I AM GETTING GIDDY.

AND TO ADD ONE MORE PIECE TO THIS, THOUGH, BECAUSE I THINK THIS MEANS A LOT ABOUT WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO ESTABLISH SOMETHING SCHOOL WIDE.

WE HAD A TRAINING IN SEPTEMBER, THE END OF SEPTEMBER AND WHEN THE TRAINING WAS OVER, AND I HAVE TO GIVE THE SHOUT OUT TO [INAUDIBLE].

I REALLY DO. SHE CAME TO ME SAME DAY AND SAID, I WANT TO GO ALL THE WAY TO FIFTH GRADE AND SHE'S, HOW DO WE DO IT? I CAN FIGURE THIS OUT IN HOUSE.

AND I WAS ADAMANT THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO GO TO FIFTH GRADE, WE'RE DOING IT.

FIVE SCHOOLS AND ALL THE PRINCIPALS WERE ON BOARD.

I'LL TELL YOU, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THEM WHEN THEY HAD THEIR FIRST LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND STARTED TO LEARN SOME OF THESE RITUALS THAT WE DO.

SOME OF THE STRATEGIES TO PUT IN PLACE WITH INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE.

THEY HAD SO MUCH FUN AND IT WAS IT WAS A LOT OF FUN WORKING WITH THEM AND IT WAS LIKE KIND OF MORE OR LESS LIKE BONDING TOO, THAT DAY.

IT ALSO REALLY GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO I MEAN, SINCE THE TRAINING, I'VE HAD THE

[00:25:05]

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD OUT IS WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT TEACHING THE LOVE OR WHATEVER THAT THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO TOUCH A KID LIKE GO ON THE BACK BECAUSE REMEMBER, FOR A WHILE, SOCIETY WAS LIKE, DON'T TOUCH CHILDREN.

AND I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THIS WAS CRAZY, BECAUSE ESPECIALLY THE YOUNGER ONES NEED IT.

MM HMM.

SO AND THEN WE BRING IT BACK.

THEN YOU THROW COVID INTO IT WHERE WE REALLY COULDN'T.

I MEAN, YOU CAN'T. AND THE THING IS, WHAT IT IS IS THEY TALK A LOT ABOUT THE BRAIN RESEARCH AROUND TOUCH AND THAT THE IMPORTANCE OF TOUCHING DOES ESTABLISH THESE CONNECTORS INSIDE OF OUR NEURONS, HOW IT CONNECTS THEM TOGETHER.

AND IT ESTABLISHES THAT THAT RESILIENCE THAT YOU HAVE, THAT YOU DEVELOP IN YOUR BODY, ESPECIALLY AS YOU GET OLDER.

SO PRETTY EXCITING STUFF.

IT REALLY IS. NOBODY WANTS TO COMMENT THAT I WILL SEND THIS OUT BECAUSE YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME. I'M TELLING YOU YOU WILL WALK AWAY AND YOU WILL APPLY SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU LEARN BECAUSE YOU IT'S FUNNY IN HIGH SCHOOL, EVEN HIGH SCHOOL KIDS NEED HUGS SOMETIMES. BUT IT WAS SO DRILLED INTO US DO NOT TOUCH, DO NOT TOUCH.

IT HELPS SELF-AWARENESS FOR THE STAFF AND TO DEAL WITH ALL THE INCONSISTENCIES AND CRAZINESS AS WE KEEP THAT HAVE BEEN COMPOUNDED THAT WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, KIDS NEED LOVE AND AFFECTION, AND TOUCH LIKE WE TALK ABOUT, BUT THEY ALSO NEED BOUNDARIES AND DISCIPLINE NORMAL.

AND I JUST I JUST NOT TO BE NEGATIVE, NANCY.

I THINK THIS SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND MORE THAN ANYTHING, SELF-AWARENESS.

BREATHING TECHNIQUES FOR THE TEACHERS KNOW WHEN TO WALK AWAY, WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP.

BUT YOU KNOW, I'M JUST SITTING HERE LISTENING TO IT AND, YOU KNOW, BEING HERE FOR A WHILE, I REALIZE IT ALL TAKES TIME.

AND BESIDES STAFF BEING OUR NUMBER ONE RESOURCE TIME IS OUR MOST MINUTE RESOURCE.

I GUESS I WOULD SAY MOST VALUABLE AND MOST OF YOU KNOW, MINIMAL AND NOT THAT IT'S NOT GOOD, BUT SOMETIMES I JUST JUST PUT IT IN THERE.

WE GOT TO WE CAN'T ASK OUR STAFF TO DO EVERYTHING.

WE'VE GOT TO GET THE PROBLEM OUT OF THE CLASSROOM AND LET THEM EARN THEIR OPPORTUNITY TO COME BACK AND PARTICIPATE WITH THEIR CLASSMATES UNDER THIS PURVIEW.

MAYBE. BUT I JUST, YOU KNOW, I HOPE THAT'S PART OF THE CONVERSATION.

IT IS. I MEAN, BEFORE YOU CAN DO ANYTHING ELSE, YOU HAVE TO ESTABLISH STRUCTURE INSIDE YOUR CLASSROOM. THERE HAS TO BE RULES.

THERE HAS TO BE ROUTINES.

YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S PART OF A CLASSROOM.

THE ONE THING THAT I AND I ACTUALLY PUT IT IN WRITING AND I PUT IT IN WRITING ON PURPOSE BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT THERE TO BE ANY MISUNDERSTANDING.

THIS WAS A LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION.

AND THE EXPECTATION THAT I PUT IN THAT EMAIL TO ALL STAFF WAS THIS IS A TIME TO DIGEST WHAT YOU LEARNED. JUST THINK ABOUT IT.

THINK ABOUT HOW YOU COULD USE THIS IN SITUATIONS THAT DEFINITELY ESCALATED, THAT DIDN'T NEED TO ESCALATE.

THINK ABOUT HOW THIS CAN MAKE YOUR CLASSROOM MORE MANAGEABLE SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE THE INSTRUCTION THAT YOU'VE BEEN ASKED TO DO.

THESE ARE THINGS TO HELP SUPPORT THAT CLASSROOM AND THEN WALK AWAY AND TRY SOME OF THE THINGS YOU LEARNED. NOBODY'S COMING AROUND WITH A RUBRIC.

NOBODY'S COMING AROUND WITH A CHECK OFF.

WE'RE TRYING TO HELP YOU BECAUSE WE WANT YOU TO HAVE A HEALTH AND SAFETY AND HEALTH HEALTH SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT FOR YOU AND YOUR KIDS.

THIS IS THIS IS FOR ALL.

GOOD, THANK YOU. JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY.

ARE PARENTS IN ANY WAY MADE AWARE OF THIS EFFORT THAT IS GOING ON BECAUSE I WOULD, I WOULD HOPE THAT THEY WOULD PICK UP ON IT, YOU KNOW? WELL, ACTUALLY CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE DOES PARENT COACHING SESSIONS.

WE ACTUALLY DID CONSCIOUSLY.

YEAH, I GOT TO WORK.

I GOT TO WORK WITH MY PEOPLE ON THAT ONE.

BUT WE DID CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE TRAINING WITH OUR DAYCARE CENTERS.

[00:30:03]

SO YEAH, IT'S DEFINITELY OUT THERE.

BUT WE WE HAD JUST TALKED ABOUT IT AFTER THE TRAINING.

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF WE COULD BRING SOME OF THESE TRAINERS IN FOR OUR FAMILIES.

AND MS. WAYMAN, THEY HAVE A PROGRAM THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN AND IT WAS AN ONLINE ONE AND I TRIED IT.

[INAUDIBLE] IT WAS GOOD AND IT IS.

IT IS A VITAL PIECE TO HELP.

SAME CONVERSATION PIECES IN BOTH SETTINGS COULD REALLY BE VERY, VERY HELPFUL.

YEAH, JUST OFF ONE LAST SPOT.

IF YOU DO WANT TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS, YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO INTO CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE ONLINE, OK, CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE.COM OR YOU CAN GO INTO YOUTUBE AND LOOK AT LOOK UP. DR.

BECKY BAILEY BAILEY.

SO MANY VIDEOS OF ALL OF HER PRESENTATIONS.

SOME ARE JUST LIKE MINI SESSIONS, AND THEN SOME ARE THE HOUR AND A HALF.

THANK. OK, WELL, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, OPERATIONS [INAUDIBLE].

I WILL NOT BE AS GIDDY AS THE LAST PART OF THIS, AS THIS IS NOT A GIDDY SUBJECT, BUT IT IS AN IMPORTANT ONE. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH SNOW SINCE JANUARY 3RD. AND SO I THOUGHT THAT THE TIMING OF THIS PRESENTATION WAS WAS ACTUALLY VERY, VERY WELL. SO I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT GOES INTO THE DECISION OF ACTUALLY MAKING THE CALL TO EITHER DELAY AN OPENING OR TO CLOSE SCHOOLS BASED ON INCLEMENT WEATHER IF THE POSSIBILITY OF INCLEMENT WEATHER EXISTS OR IS FORECASTED.

THE TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR BEGINS AS EARLY AS 3:30 A.M., REVIEWING WHETHER TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE COUNTY, REVIEWING THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS.

SAFE TO ASSUME THAT WHAT SHE'S DONE FOLLOWING UP ON ALL THAT, MONITORING, THOSE RADARS AND EVERYTHING, SHE DOESN'T GET A LOT OF SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE WHEN THERE'S INCLEMENT WEATHER COMING. SO THEN A TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR DRIVES CAROLINE COUNTY ROADS TO ASSESS THE RISK LEVEL OF SAFE DRIVING THAT MORNING.

SO THE SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS THAT SHE CONSIDERS INCLUDE THE SCHOOL BUSSES ON THE ROUTES SHE CONSIDERS, THE SAFETY OF THE STAFF GETTING TO THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS FOR WORK.

AND SHE ALSO TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION THE INEXPERIENCED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT DRIVER WHO JUST, YOU KNOW, THEY PROBABLY GOTTEN A LOT OF EXPERIENCES LAST MONTH DRIVING SOME SNOW.

SO THAT'S ALWAYS AN IMPORTANT THING TO TAKE CARE OF.

TO GAIN A LOCAL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S OCCURRING, THE TRANSPORTATION STAFF CONDUCT ON ROAD OBSERVATIONS FOR ACTUAL ROAD AND WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE COUNTY, STATE AND COUNTY ROAD DEPARTMENTS ARE ALSO CONTACTED TO DETERMINE ROAD STATUS AND TO LEARN OF ANY ACTION PLANS FOR TREATING ANY NEEDED ROAD SURFACES.

THE TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR ALSO CONTACTS BOTH THE STATE POLICE AND THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENTS SO THEY CAN GET A BETTER ASSESSMENT OF WHAT THEY'RE SEEING ON THE ROADWAYS.

THEY GAIN A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE TRANSPORTATION STAFF CONTACTS NEIGHBORING COUNTY SCHOOL OFFICIALS FOR CONDITIONS IN THEIR COUNTIES, BEING THAT THERE'S NO OTHER COUNTIES EAST OF CAROLINE.

WE'RE ABLE TO GATHER FROM OUR NEIGHBORS VERY VALUABLE INTEL ON THE CONDITIONS AND PREDICT THOSE ROAD CONDITIONS THAT MAY BE COMING AN HOUR, HOUR AND A HALF IN ADVANCE FROM THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES COMING OFF THE BAY.

WE'VE EVEN BEEN KNOWN TO SOMETIMES REACH OUT TO [INAUDIBLE]COUNTY IF SOMETHING'S REALLY BAD WE'LL EXTEND THAT FAR OUT.

BY 4:30 A.M.

THERE'S ONE FINAL ROADS AND WEATHER ASSESSMENT THAT'S MADE.

ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS THEN REVIEWED AND A RECOMMENDATION IS PREPARED BASED ON THE WORST ACTUAL AND OR THE PREDICTED ROAD WEATHER CONDITIONS.

THE SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE IS CONTACTED BY 4:45 A.M.

NO REVIEW IS PROVIDED BY THE TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR WITH THE OPERATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOLS AND FOR STAFF THAT DAY.

THE OPTIONS ARE VERY SIMPLE EITHER OPEN ON TIME, YOU DO A TWO HOUR DELAY OR WE CLOSE SCHOOLS.

BY 5:00 A.M. THE SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE MAKES THE FINAL DECISION.

ONCE THAT DECISION IS MADE TO EITHER DELAY OR TO CLOSE SCHOOLS, COMMUNICATIONS IMMEDIATELY GOES OUT TO THE PUBLIC VIA PHONE CALLS THROUGH OUR NOTIFICATION SYSTEM, WHICH IS SCHOOL MESSENGER THROUGH THE CCPS WEBSITE, THROUGH CCPS TWITTER FEED AND FACEBOOK FEEDS, AS WELL AS LOCAL TV AND RADIO STATIONS.

IF THE ORIGINAL DECISION WAS A TWO HOUR DELAY OPENING, THEN ALL THE ABOVE STEPS WE JUST MENTIONED REPEAT AGAIN.

WE BEGIN THAT PROCESS ABOUT 5:30 IN THE MORNING AS JUST THE ADDITIONAL LAYER OF SAFETY

[00:35:03]

I NICKNAME IT A LOOK AND SEE BECAUSE WE MAKE A DECISION EARLY IN THE MORNING.

IT'S DARK, AND SO SOMETIMES WE NEED TO MAKE A TWO HOUR DELAY SO WE CAN LOOK AND SEE WHAT IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE. WITH A LITTLE BIT OF SUNLIGHT ON THE ROAD, AS YOU KNOW, CONDITIONS AND VISIBILITY DRASTICALLY CHANGE.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF DECISIONS THAT GO IN AT A VERY QUICK, SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME TO EITHER OPEN SCHOOLS, CLOSE SCHOOLS OR DELAY SCHOOLS.

SO I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T TAKE THE DECISION LIGHTLY BY ANY MEANS, AND THERE'S A LOT OF GATHERING OF DATA AND INFORMATION THAT'S USED TO MAKE THE SAFEST DECISIONS POSSIBLE.

ANY QUESTIONS? IT'S KIND OF AN OBVIOUS POINT, BUT I GUESS THE WEATHER SYSTEM IS COMING IN LIKE I THINK THE ONE THE FIRST ONE IN JANUARY AND COMING IN RIGHT ABOUT THAT TIME OR IT WAS GOING, I CAN'T REMEMBER NOW.

SO WHILE YOU'RE TRYING TO ASSESS, THAT'S WHEN IT'S HITTING.

YES. AND THAT'S GOT TO MESS UP YOUR TIMELINE A LITTLE BIT.

YEAH. AND WHAT'S NICE ABOUT THAT IS THAT I THINK THAT STORM THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, I BELIEVE, CAME FROM THE NORTH.

SO WE TALKED TO KENT COUNTY AND QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY, SAW WHAT THEY WERE EXPERIENCING GAVE US ABOUT AN HOUR, HOUR AND A HALF.

THEN WE'RE JUST HONESTLY, WE'RE KIND OF ROLLING THE DICE TO SAY, I HOPE WHAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO US BECAUSE WE MAKE THE WRONG CALL.

AS YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE STORMS BECOME A BUST AND WE DON'T WANT TO BE ON THAT SIDE OF IT EITHER. SO IT'S A TOUGH CALL.

BUT WE DO RELY A LOT ON OUR NEIGHBORS AND WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE THAT GEOGRAPHICALLY WHERE WE'RE POSITIONED, WE HAVE THAT BUFFER OF A COUPLE OF COUNTIES NORTH AND SOUTH AND EAST AND WEST OF US. TOUGH DECISION AND I KNOW PEOPLE APPRECIATE EVERYONE THE DECISIONS MADE THE NIGHT BEFORE OR SOMETHING THE FOLLOWING DAY, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE YOUNG DRIVERS OR PARENTS THAT HAVE TO COME UP WITH A DAY CARE PLAN OR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE.

I KNOW, YOU KNOW, THAT I HAVE TO COMMENT ABOUT THE PICTURE AND SAID, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GOT THAT YELLOW LINE TO COVER IT LIKE THAT.

IS THAT A YELLOW LINE THERE OR WHAT IS THAT CURVY? LOOKS LIKE THE LINE ON A FOOTBALL FIELD, YOU KNOW, OR THE NFL GAME, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY THERE, BUT IT'S LIKE UP IN THE AIR.

YEAH, AND I LIKE THE SCHOOL BUS THAT YOU KNOW THEY HAVE.

THEY'RE GIVING PEOPLE A LITTLE EXTRA SNOWFALL WHEN THEY'RE DRIVING ALONG.

THAT'S RIGHT. [INAUDIBLE] YEAH, GOOD REPORT.

I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU.

LOTS TO DO. I MEAN, EVERYBODY'S GOT TO COMPLAIN NOW, AND EVERYBODY FORGETS HOW LONG THE COUNTY OF CAROLINE IS, SOMETIMES IT'S A LOT SOMETHING.

NOT JUST EAST WEST, BUT SOMETHING LOOKS A LOT DIFFERENT IN THE NORTH END THAN THE SOUTH END. CORRECT? OH YES.

THANK YOU ALL. WE'VE BEEN ON A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS OF A MAN, WE'RE SO EXCITED.

WE HAVE TWO STUDENTS, BOTH HIGH SCHOOLS REPRESENTED TODAY.

YOU KNOW, [INAUDIBLE] WANT TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AFTER THIS BAD WEATHER AND APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE, LET'S START WITH COLONEL RICHARDSON SEEING HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN A WHILE, SO HOW ARE YOU? GO AHEAD WITH YOUR REPORT. GOOD EVENING, DR.

SIMMONS, [INAUDIBLE] DR.

NEWCOMB AND TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

STARTING WITH FES LAST MONTH, THE FALCONS [INAUDIBLE] PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MANY OF THEIR STAFF PARTICIPATED IN THE JANUARY SELF-CARE AND GRATITUDE CHALLENGE AND FOR THEIR UPCOMING EVENTS.

ON FEBRUARY 2ND, THE FALCONS ARE WEARING TUTUS, TIES AND TENNIS SHOES.

SO MOVING ON TO PRESTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ON FEBRUARY 4TH, THE QUARTER THREE REPORTS ARE BEING SENT HOME IN FEBRUARY 14TH ITS THE CLASS PICTURES AND 16 THEY HAVE ANNUAL VIRTUAL CURRICULUM NIGHT AND FROM FEB.

22ND THROUGH 25TH.

THEY HAVE A SPIRIT WEEK, AND THE PANTHERS WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MS. EMILY SHERMAN FOR BEING SUCH A GREAT COUNSELOR AND POSITIVE FORCE IN THEIR STUDENTS LIVES AS SHE IS THE VERY BEST.

NOW MOVING ON TO COLONEL RICHARDSON MIDDLE SCHOOL ON FEBRUARY 7TH THROUGH 11TH, THE PBIS [INAUDIBLE] SALE AND ON THE 14TH THE CANDY GRAM IS BEING DISTRIBUTED AND ON FEB.

17 THEY HAVE A FINE ARTS NIGHT AT 6 P.M..

FINALLY, COLONEL RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL ON FEB.

4TH THEY HAVE ALL SHORE BANDS AND ON FEBRUARY 23RD THEY HAVE A NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTION AT 6X P.M.

IN [INAUDIBLE] AUDITORIUM.

GREAT. THANK YOU.

[00:40:01]

GOOD TO SEE YOU. [INAUDIBLE] YES, GO AHEAD.

GOOD EVENING, DR. SIMMONS, PRESIDENT NEWCOMB AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD TO BEGIN MY REPORT AT DENTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LAST MONTH, THE DOLPHINS HELD THEIR ANNUAL SOUP SHOWDOWN, RAISING FUNDS FOR THE CCPS BACKPACK PROGRAM.

THE WINNERS WERE FIRST PLACED MS. MAGNUM IN SECOND PLACE MS. BAILEY AND IN THIRD PLACE MS. GILLER. CONGRATS TO ALL.

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR DENTON ELEMENTARY INCLUDE FEBRUARY 8TH THROUGH MARCH 3RD.

THE SPRING BOOK FAIR COMES TO DES, AS WELL AS CONTINUING THE BIWEEKLY MEET FOR THEIR STUDY GROUP.

HEADING OVER TO RIDGELY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THE TERRIERS ARE EXCITED FOR HAVING SPIRIT DAY EVERY SINGLE DAY OF FEBRUARY.

SOME OF THE DAYS INCLUDE MONOCHROMATIC MONDAY TWINS FOR A DAY, TIE DYE, THURSDAY CRAZY HAIR DAY AND TEAM JERSEY SPIRIT DAY, JUST TO NAME A FEW.

ALL ARE EXCITED FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.

ALSO ON FEBRUARY 15TH, IT IS GROUP PICTURE DAY AND ON THE 17TH IS VIRTUAL FAMILY ENGAGEMENT NIGHT AT GREENSBORO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF ARE EXCITED FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE BOOK FAIR, AS WELL AS THE KIDS HEART CHALLENGE. THE HORNETS ARE ALSO HOSTING A SPIRIT WEEK, WHICH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DAY'S CRAZY HAIR DAY, TWIN DAY SCHOOL, SPIRIT DAY, NEON DAY AND PJ DAY, FUN MONTH A GES.

MOVING TO LOCKERMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE WILDCATS WANT TO RECOGNIZE A FEW OF THEIR STUDENTS AND STAFF. CONGRATULATIONS TO DR.

MORGANELI AND MS. PAIGE STUDENTS WHO ARE RECIPIENTS OF THE YOUNG WRITERS CREATIVITY AWARD. EACH OF THE STUDENTS WILL HAVE THEIR WORK PUBLISHED IN A YOUNG WRITERS ANTHOLOGY.

THE WILDCATS ALSO WANT TO THANK MS. WANDA [INAUDIBLE] AND JANET [INAUDIBLE] FOR THEIR WORK AND ORGANIZATION OF THE ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

UNITY MARCH. IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.

THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL.

AT NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL LAST MONTH, THE BULLDOGS HELD THEIR TRANSITION DAY AND THE START OF THE SECOND SEMESTER.

UPCOMING FOR THE BULLDOGS INCLUDE ON FEBRUARY 1ST, FIRST DAY OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH ON FEBRUARY 3RD QUARTER TWO REPORT CARDS WILL BE ISSUED AND ON THE 4TH OF FEBRUARY HALF DAY FOUR STUDENTS ON FEB.

8TH STAFF ARE EXCITED TO WELCOME DR.

SIMMONS [INAUDIBLE] FOR THE DAY AND ON FEBRUARY 16 SPRING SPORTS ORIENTATION FOR STUDENTS LOOKING TO PLAY A SPRING SPORT.

LASTLY, ON FEBRUARY 21ST IT IS PRESIDENTS DAY, WHICH MEANS NO SCHOOL BUSY MONTH AT NCHS.

LASTLY, AT CCTC MISS CARA CALLOWAY WAS RECENTLY NOMINATED AS CCTC AS STAFF READY.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MS. CALLOWAY. LAST MONTH, CCTC STUDENTS MET THEIR TECHNICAL STILL ATTAINMENT AND OBTAINED RECOGNIZED POST-SECONDARY.

SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL STUDENTS WHO COMPLETED THESE TWO REQUIRED OBSTACLES.

ALSO, STAFF FINISHED OFF THE SEMESTER NOMINATED A STUDENT FOR THE READY STUDENT SPOTLIGHT. UPCOMING FOR CCTC INCLUDES THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY BEING EXCUSE ME, CTE MONTH.

ALL THE SCHOOLS IN WHICH REPORT FOR HAVING A VERY BUSY MONTH OF FEBRUARY, THE START OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

GOOD JOB. THANK YOU FOR COMING.

ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON TO FINANCE REPORT, WE HAVE MS. THORNTON WITH US. GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT NEWCOMB AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

YOU'RE HAPPY FOR YOU, THE FINANCE REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING JANUARY 31ST.

WE ARE SEVEN MONTHS INTO THE FISCAL YEAR AND WE SPENT APPROXIMATELY EIGHTY TWO PERCENT OF OUR BUDGET. SO WE'RE RIGHT ON TRACK WITH WHERE WE SHOULD BE WITH SPENDING FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. AS I'VE EXPLAINED BEFORE [INAUDIBLE] AND A FEW OF THE LINE ITEMS THAT REPRESENT THINGS THAT NEED TO BE REALIGNED AND CLEANED UP DURING THAT [INAUDIBLE] BUDGET PROCESS.

THIS MONTH, I WANTED TO BRING ONE THING TO YOUR ATTENTION AND THAT'S THE FACT THAT WE'VE HAD TO PAY FOR SNOW REMOVAL TWICE AT ALL OF OUR LOCATIONS.

AND SNOW REMOVAL IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE BUDGET FOR BECAUSE IT FLUCTUATES FROM YEAR TO YEAR AND SOME YEARS.

WE DON'T NEED ANY MONEY, SO THERE'S NO SENSE IN BUDGETING FOR SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT NOT NEED. WHEN IT CAN BE, THE MONEY CAN BE ALLOCATED TOWARDS CONSTRUCTION, THE NEEDS OF THE SYSTEM. SO I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT BECAUSE IN FUTURE MONTHS, I ASKED ME THAT THE LINE ITEM THAT WE HAVE PAID FOR SNOW REMOVAL OUT OF WILL BE EXTENDED, BUT WE HAVE BALANCES IN OTHER AREAS TO COVER THAT.

AND WHERE DO WE TAKE THAT? WHERE DO YOU TAKE THAT OUT OF THAT? IS OUT OF OPERATIONAL PLAN? IT'S ON THE SECOND PAGE UNDER CONTRACT SERVICES FOR OPERATIONAL PLANT.

AND THERE'S A PRETTY HEFTY BALANCE RIGHT THERE.

FIVE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THOUSAND.

BUT THAT IS ALSO THE SAME LINE ITEM THAT WE PAY FOR THE ROADS OUT OF THE SCHOOL, RESOURCE OFFICERS AND THE SCHOOL RESOURCE.

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS WERE BILLED FOR THOSE ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, AND SO FAR WE'VE ONLY PAID FOR THE FIRST QUARTER, SO THAT LINE ITEM IS GOING TO START DEPLETING [INAUDIBLE]. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? HAD IT EASY FOR YOU. THANK YOU.

[00:45:02]

[3. Consent Agenda]

SURE. GOOD EVENING, PRESENT NEWCOMB, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, DR.

SIMMONS. I'M HERE BEFORE THIS EVENING TO PRESENT THE PERSONNEL AGENDA FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND CONSENT.

THIS EVENING, WE JUST HAVE THE TWO SICK LEAVE WAIVERS.

SO IF WE DON'T WAVE THEM, THEY DON'T GET SICK.

WELL, THAT IS VERY LITERAL INTERPRETATION.

SO AS PART OF THE THE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT, WHEN WHEN FOLKS REQUEST USE OF PERSONAL ILLNESS FOR FAMILY ILLNESS, WE COME TO YOU FOR A WAIVER TO USE THAT.

UNDERSTOOD. BOARD MEMBERS ANY QUESTIONS.

HEARING NONE WERE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THE MINUTES FROM THE JANUARY 11TH REGULAR MEETING THAT HAD BEEN PUSHED THROUGH THE SNOW OR THE WEEK BEFORE OR THE JANUARY 18TH WORK SESSION ON THE BUDGET WITH THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS? HEARING NONE, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE CONSENT AGENDA? SO MOVED, MOTION BY MS. WAYMAN, JONES. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, AYE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU [INAUDIBLE].

RECOGNITIONS, THERE'S NOTHING ON THE AGENDA NOW, BUT I KNOW THERE WAS SOME IN THE PIPELINE

[4. Recognitions]

CONGRATULATIONS. [INAUDIBLE] IS HELPING ME NOW, BUT I PARTICIPATED IN PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE IN THE FBLA A FEW YEARS AGO, AND IT'S HELPING ME A LITTLE BIT.

CITIZEN PUBLIC COMMENT MS.

[5. Citizens/Public Comments]

SOMEBODY IS HERE TONIGHT AND I'LL READ THE STATEMENT FIRST.

THE MEMBERS OF THE CAROLINE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION DESIRE TO HEAR THE VIEWS AND HAVE THE ADVICE OF INTERESTED CITIZENS.

THE PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION IS HELD AT EACH BOARD MEETING FOR THAT PURPOSE.

THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES ARE TO BE FOLLOWED DURING THIS TIME.

THERE IS A FIVE MINUTE TIME LIMIT FOR EACH PUBLIC COMMENT RECEIVED BY EMAIL OR FOR EACH SPEAKER. SPECIFIC AND PERSONAL REFERENCES TO STUDENTS, EMPLOYEES OR OTHERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.

SHOULD SOMEONE WISH TO BRING SOMETHING TO THE ATTENTION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OR THE BOARD ABOUT A SPECIFIC PERSON OR STUDENT, THEY MAY DO SO IN WRITING TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OR THE BOARD.

RUDE, SLANDEROUS OR THREATENING REMARKS ARE NOT PERMITTED.

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION DOES NOT ENGAGE IN A DISCUSSION OF THE MATTER BEING BROUGHT TO IT DURING PUBLIC COMMENT.

IF APPROPRIATE, THE BOARD MAY DIRECT THE SUPERINTENDENT TO PROVIDE A RESPONSE FOLLOWING THE MEETING AND OUR ONE SPEAKER SIGNED UP IS MR. JOSHUA CONWAY.

THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MR. CONWAY. GOOD EVENING.

WELCOME. THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JOSH CONAWAY, AND I HAVE BEEN A SCIENCE TEACHER AT NORTH CAROLINE HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS.

I'M HERE TONIGHT TO ADVOCATE FOR THE REVERSAL OF THE UPDATED [INAUDIBLE] COVID 19 POLICY AS OF JANUARY 2022.

IT DOES NOT REQUIRE IDENTIFICATION AND OR QUARANTINING OF CLOSE CONTACTS AND THEN CAN, EXCEPT IN A CASE OF SIBLINGS AND SPORTS TEAMS. I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT THIS POLICY UPDATE ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 21ST, WHEN I HAD A STUDENT COUGHING PRETTY BADLY IN MY CLASSROOM, AS IT WAS DURING SECOND PERIOD, WHICH IS RIGHT BEFORE LUNCH. I SAID I WANTED TO MAKE SURE HE WAS SEEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT HIM TO SEND HIS WHOLE LUNCH TABLE HOME IN QUARANTINE IF HE TESTED POSITIVE.

THE RESPONSE RECEIVED WAS WE AREN'T QUARANTINING STUDENTS AT LUNCH ANYMORE.

I WAS SHOCKED AND CONCERNED, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THIS WAS THE WEEK THAT WE SAW THE HIGHEST COVID NUMBER [INAUDIBLE] HAS EVER HAD.

WE HAD FORTY SEVEN POSITIVE CASES AT NCHS THAT WEEK ALONE, AND I WAS CONFUSED BECAUSE WE RECEIVED NO NOTIFICATION OF SUCH A DRASTIC CHANGE IN THE POLICY.

THE SECOND CLUE THAT A MAJOR CHANGE WOULD OCCUR WITHOUT ANY ANNOUNCEMENT CAME ONE DAY LATER WHEN WE RECEIVED AN EMAIL TELLING US THAT PEOPLE IN OUR BUILDING TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID 19. WHILE IT WASN'T SURPRISING TO RECEIVE THIS EMAIL AS WE RECEIVED THEM MULTIPLE TIMES EACH WEEK, WHAT WAS CURIOUS WAS THE FACT THAT THE BOTTOM PARAGRAPH HAD CHANGED. THE USUAL EMAIL SAYS HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS HAVE TESTED POSITIVE THAT DAY, FOLLOWED BY THE STATEMENT.

IF A STUDENT OR STAFF MEMBER HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE INDIVIDUAL, THE PARENTS OR STAFF MEMBERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONTACTED WITH FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED, THERE'S NOTHING FURTHER YOU NEED TO DO AT THIS TIME. THIS MOST RECENT EMAIL, HOWEVER, HAD A NEW STATEMENT SAYING CCPS CONTINUES TO FOLLOW HEALTH AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AS OUTLINED IN OUR REOPENING PLAN AND IN CONSULTATION WITH THE CAROLINE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND MADE NO MENTION OF IDENTIFYING CLOSE CONTACTS.

THE THIRD CLUE THAT A MAJOR CHANGE OCCURRED WITHOUT ANY ANNOUNCEMENT CAME WHEN I WENT TO THE CCPS WEBSITES COVID 19 SECTION TO SEE IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY ANY CHANGES MADE AT THE

[00:50:05]

AFTER THESE THREE EVENTS, I SENT AN EMAIL TO ADMINISTRATION OF MY BUILDING ASKING FIRST IF I WAS CORRECTLY READING THROUGH THE LINES THAT THERE HAD BEEN A HUGE POLICY CHANGE IN THE QUARANTINE POLICY.

AND SECOND, IF THIS WAS TRUE WHEN THERE WAS GOING TO BE A NEWS OR EXCUSE ME WHEN THERE WAS GOING TO BE A PRESS RELEASE, AN EMAIL TO STAFF FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? LATER THAT SAME WEEKEND, ALL STAFF IN OUR BUILDING RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM OUR BUILDING ADMINISTRATION WITH THE CONTENT OF THIS NEW POLICY, AND THE POLICY WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS.

HOWEVER, NO EXPLANATION WAS GIVEN FOR THE CHANGE, AND NO PRESS RELEASE WAS MADE ABOUT THE CHANGE. I SPENT THE NEXT FEW DAYS ASKING QUESTIONS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY CCPS HAD MADE SUCH A CHANGE WHEN IT GOES AGAINST CDC RECOMMENDATIONS, AS WELL AS GUIDANCE FROM [INAUDIBLE] AND THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

FROM THOSE AT THE BOTTOM TO THOSE AT THE TOP, ANSWERS I RECEIVED WERE VERY SIMILAR.

I WAS TOLD THAT IT'S EVERYWHERE AND THERE ARE SO MANY STUDENTS WHO HAVE IT THAT IDENTIFYING CLOSE CONTACTS HAS BEEN TOO MUCH WORK AND THEY COULDN'T KEEP UP WITH IT.

IT HAS BECOME TOO DIFFICULT TO TRACE BECAUSE OMICRON IS EVERYWHERE.

WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO CONTACT TRACE ANYMORE.

I'M EXTREMELY CONFUSED, NOT ONLY AT THE DECISION TO NOT QUARANTINE STUDENTS ANYMORE, EXCEPT FOR ATHLETICS AND SIBLINGS.

BUT MOST ESPECIALLY AT THE REASONING, AS IT SEEMS THAT IT IS NOT BEING DONE ANYMORE BECAUSE CODE IN OUR SCHOOLS HAS GOTTEN SO BAD.

THE FACT THAT IT IS SO WIDESPREAD AND SO BAD IN OUR SCHOOL SEEMS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THE PROPER REASONING TO STOP NORMAL CONTACT TRACING AND QUARANTINING.

IT GREATLY CONCERNS ME THAT I MOST LIKELY WILL HAVE POSITIVE STUDENTS EACH DAY IN MY CLASSES WHO COULD BE SPREADING COVID NOT ONLY TO OTHER STUDENTS, BUT TO ME AS WELL.

MY PERSONAL CONCERN STEMS FROM THE FACT I HAVE TWO YOUNG CHILDREN WHO BOTH HAVE RESPIRATORY DISORDERS, EVEN WHEN BEING AS CAREFUL AS MY FAMILY HAS BEEN WE STILL HAVE HAD TO TAKE THREE TRIPS TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR FOR BREATHING DIFFICULTIES. THE MOST RECENT TRIP RESULTED IN MY TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER BEING TRANSFERRED TO THE PEDIATRIC ICU AT JOHNS HOPKINS BECAUSE THE [INAUDIBLE] MEDICAL CENTER COULDN'T DO ANYTHING MORE TO HELP HER BREATHE.

DUE TO COMPLICATIONS FROM A RESPIRATORY VIRUS AND A YEAR THAT HAS BEEN STRESSFUL ENOUGH AS A TEACHER AND PARENT, I NOW HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BRINGING THE VIRUS HOME TO MY CHILDREN BECAUSE OF THIS NEW POLICY.

AND I HOPE THAT IT DOESN'T RESULT.

AND I HOPE THAT IT DOESN'T RESULT IN ANOTHER TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OR ANOTHER FOUR DAY STAY IN BALTIMORE, DURING WHICH I HAD TO WATCH MY TWO YEAR OLD'S EACH BREATH.

TAKE YOUR TIME. THE SECONDARY CONCERN I HAVE IS THE WAY THE POLICY WAS NOT AND STILL HAS NOT BEEN COMMUNICATED TO EVERYONE, AND THE REASONING EXPLAINED AND SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE.

AS I SAID, I FIRST FOUND OUT BY ACCIDENT IN COINCIDENCE WITH AS BIG AS A DEAL, AS I BELIEVE THIS IS AND CONFUSED WHY THERE WASN'T A PRESS RELEASE BY CCPS AND SENT OUT VIA SCHOOL MESSENGER TO MAKE CERTAIN ALL PARENTS AND STUDENTS WERE AWARE OF BOTH THE CHANGE IN THE POLICY, AS WELL AS THE REASONS BEHIND THE CHANGE.

WHEN I SHARED THIS POLICY WITH MY STUDENTS MONDAY AFTER IT WAS SENT OUT IN THE NEW WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, EXCUSE ME, MANY WERE SHOCKED AND HAD NO IDEA ABOUT IT BECAUSE I FEEL THAT MANY STILL MAY NOT KNOW.

SO AGAIN, I ASK YOU TO REVERSE THE POLICY AND GO BACK TO CONTACT TRACING AND QUARANTINING OF CLOSE CONTACTS.

THIS IS THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CDC, MSD AND THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

WHILE THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO CONCERN ABOUT CONTRACTING THIS DISEASE, THERE ARE OTHERS IN THIS COUNTY LIKE ME AND MY FAMILY WHO HAVE DEEPLY PERSONAL REASONS BEHIND WANTING TO DO EVERYTHING. TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO REMAIN SAFE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT.

SURE. DID DID YOU EVER RECEIVE A REPLY OTHER THAN WHEN IT WAS IN A BROAD EMAIL FROM THE SCHOOL? NO, THEY NEVER REALLY GOT AN ANSWER.

NO, I DID WHENEVER I ADVOCATED THROUGH WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE PROPER CHAIN OF COMMAND AND THE PROPER CHANNELS. BUT THE ANSWER, AS I SAID, WAS SAYING THAT IT'S BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN.

THERE ARE SO MANY STUDENTS AND STAFF INHABIT IT.

SO I HEARD A LOT. SO I HEARD A LOT OF ANSWERS.

SO YOU GOT A LOT OF THE SAME ANSWERS, WHAT YOU GOT, BUT NOTHING FROM THE ORIGINAL QUESTION. IT WAS NEVER ADDRESSED.

THE ORIGINAL [INAUDIBLE].

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. IT WAS NEVER.

IT WAS LIKE HE ASKED YOU A QUESTION AND YOU JUST SENT A BLANKET THING OUT TO EVERYBODY, RATHER THAN ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT HE ASKED YOU A QUESTION.

AND I THINK, WELL, AGAIN, IT'S PUBLIC COMMENT WE'RE NOT REALLY SUPPOSED TO GET IN DIALOG.

[00:55:04]

APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR COMING.

AND I HOPE YOUR FAMILY STAYS HEALTHY.

SO WE DIDN'T SEND OUT A PUBLIC.

I GOT ONE. YOU'RE NOT THE PUBLIC, JUST SAYING.

I'M SAYING WAS THERE A PRESS RELEASE? WE DID A PRESS RELEASE AND SENT A MESSAGE TO ALL PARENTS THROUGH THE [INAUDIBLE].

TO ME, THAT'S A PRESS RELEASE [INAUDIBLE].

I MEAN, I GOT THE PART ABOUT THE TRACE CONTRACT CONTACTING BECAUSE IN ALL HONESTY, AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE. I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY WHEN THEY SAID THEY NEVER GOT IT AT SCHOOL BECAUSE THE REALITY IS WE DON'T KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE GETTING IT.

OK? BUT WHY AREN'T WE QUARANTINING? SO IN ORDER TO EFFECTIVELY QUARANTINE, YOU HAVE TO EFFECTIVELY CONTACT TRACE AND WORKING WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AT THE COMMUNITY OF TRANSMISSION FROM THE WAY IT HAS BEEN.

THERE IS NO WAY TO EFFECTIVELY CONTACT TRACE AT SCHOOL UNDER RELEASE.

THERE WAS NOT UNDER THE CURRENT RATES OF TRANSMISSION AND THE LEVELS THAT WERE TAKING PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY FACTORED WITH THE FACT THE ONLY PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS TO WEAR A MASK IS IN THE SCHOOL SETTING.

AND IT CAME TO A BASICALLY A TRIAGE STANDPOINT WITH THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE HEALTH ROOMS FOR STUDENTS, AS WELL AS WITH THE LEVEL OF TRANSMISSION.

THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION WAS AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WITH THE LEVEL WHERE IT IS TO SUPPORT THE SCALING BACK OF CONTACT TRACING AT SCHOOLS SO WE CAN PROVIDE HEALTH SERVICES TO KIDS THAT NEED IT.

AND AGAIN, WE WERE THE ONLY PLACE IN THE WE STILL ARE THE ONLY PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS TO WEAR MASKS AND DO THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.

SO THAT IS WHY IT WENT THAT DIRECTION.

[INAUDIBLE] WHAT DID YOU SAY, COULDN'T UNDERSTAND YOU? I SAID COMING FROM A PARENT WHO'S HAD CHILDREN SENT HOME MULTIPLE TIMES, YOU KNOW, IN QUARANTINE FOR CONTACT, CLOSE CONTACT.

I APPLAUD THE DECISION THAT WAS MADE.

OBVIOUSLY WE'RE ALL WEARING MASKS AT SCHOOL, SO I MEAN, AND IT WAS IN CONSULTATION WITH THE HEALTH, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION IN THIS LAST YEAR AND A HALF. THERE MAY TO MR. CONWAY'S POINT, I'M SURE THERE'S ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AND EVERY FAMILY'S DIFFERENT.

I DID RECEIVE AN EMAIL NOT BECAUSE I'M A BOARD MEMBER, BUT BECAUSE I'M A PARENT, AND I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A, YOU KNOW, A MISCOMMUNICATION UNTIL MAYBE THIS EVENING. BUT IS IT CORRECT THAT YOU WERE YOU AND THE OTHER CCPS STAFF OR MAKE IT MADE THAT DECISION IN CONSULTATION WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

AND MR. NEWCOMB, I WANT TO SAY I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN EVERY BIT OF OUR RESPONSE TO COVID 19 SINCE MARCH 13 CLOSURE NOT ONLY AT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM LEVEL BUT AT THE COUNTY LEVEL AS WELL IN THE COUNTY'S RESPONSE DURING OUR CLOSURE AND TO TO THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS SYSTEM THAT CONTINUED TO BE AND TAKING IT SERIOUS.

WE CONTINUE TO TAKE IT SERIOUS AND MANAGING THE RESOURCES WE HAVE AND LOOK AT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY MS. [INAUDIBLE] AND I TALK ALMOST DAILY, SOMETIMES MULTIPLE TIMES DAILY THAT OUR HEALTH OFFICER TO LOOK AT WHAT'S THE BEST OPTIONS THAT WE CAN TO KEEP THE SCHOOL SYSTEM OPEN SAFELY. UM.

A DECISION THAT WE REACHED IS NOT GOING TO BE MADE HASTILY OR QUICK OR WITHOUT CONSULTING MULTIPLE FOLKS TO LOOK AT ALL THE AVENUES, BOTH FROM A HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDPOINT FOR WHERE TO GO, WHAT WE FEEL IS THE BEST DECISION.

NOTHING HAS BEEN EASY ABOUT THE COVID CLOSURE AND WORK AND THE IMPACTS OF IT STILL ON OUR SYSTEM. IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH AND WE WILL, BUT WE DO TAKE THE SAFETY SERIOUSLY FOR ALL AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO AS WE LOOK TO DO THINGS TO KEEP OUR DOORS OPEN, TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY DOUBTS THAT YOU TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.

I MEAN, TO ME, THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT WE ALL TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.

BUT I DO FIND IT KIND OF IRONIC THAT.

WHEN THE NUMBERS ARE GOING THROUGH THE ROOF, THAT'S WHEN WE'RE GOING TO DO THE LEAST AMOUNT. AND IT JUST KIND OF, TO ME, IS KIND OF MAKING IT WORSE LIKE.

TO JUST SAY THAT THERE'S TOO MANY, WE CAN'T DO IT, SO I.

[01:00:03]

IT JUST DOESN'T COMPUTE IN MY HEAD.

YOU JUST KIND OF THROW UP YOUR HANDS.

WE DIDN'T THROW UP OUR HANDS.

BUT IF YOU SAY YOU'RE DOING EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU KEEP THE SCHOOL SYSTEM RIGHT, I GET THAT. BUT IF YOU'RE SAYING THAT THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE, WE CAN'T EVEN KEEP TRACK OF IT.

SO. WELL, NO, WE'RE WE'RE WE'RE WE'RE [INAUDIBLE].

LET ME JUST SAY AND I THINK I THINK WE'RE ALL WE'RE DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND WE MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS. BUT I MEAN, I KNOW I WAS SITTING HERE WITH THESE BOARDS AND I THINK THIS BOARD WAS TRYING.

WHAT I RECALL IS ENCOURAGING US TO, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T TAKE A VOTE ON IT, BUT I THOUGHT THERE WAS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO TRY TO MINIMIZE STAFF TIME AND MINIMIZE THE IMPACT.

WE HEARD THERE WAS EVEN SOME SCHOOL SYSTEMS THAT WEREN'T ACTIVELY DOING CONTACT TRACING.

NOW THE NUMBERS GOT SO BAD.

WHAT I'M HEARING IS WE CONTINUE TO DO IT.

PROFESSIONALS MADE A DECISION THAT NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY WORK, THE SPREAD WAS CONTINUING TO RISE OUTSIDE OUR BUILDINGS, OUTSIDE IN OUR COMMUNITY, NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID AND LUCKILY KNOCK ON WOOD.

I HOPE IT STAYS THIS WAY.

IT WAS A STRAIN OF THE VIRUS THAT WASN'T AS DEADLY AS AS SOME COULD HAVE BEEN.

AND I'M SURE IF IF THERE WERE PEOPLE LORD FORBID WERE DROPPING LIKE FLIES, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT DISCUSSION.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT DISCOUNTING MR. CONWAY'S CONCERNS OR ANYONE'S CONCERNS AT ALL.

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF TOUGH DECISIONS MADE.

I MEAN, I THINK I'VE SAID IT ON A RECORD BEFORE I WOULD HAVE SENT MY DAUGHTER BACK TO SCHOOL MARCH, APRIL, APRIL 1ST OF 2020.

THAT'S MY DECISION, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THAT ABILITY.

I KNOW WHAT SHE LOST AND ALL THESE OTHER KIDS, SO I HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT.

AND NOW WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO PROTECT OURSELVES, WEAR OUR MASKS, WASH OUR HANDS.

YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNICATION I DON'T KNOW WHEN TEACHERS FOUND OUT VERSUS PARENTS VERSUS EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT IT'S JUST ANOTHER THANK YOU.

WELL, I GOT A COMMENT A LITTLE.

IT SOUNDS LIKE SOME COMMUNICATION BROKE DOWN FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW.

AND I MEAN, THERE'S NOTHING EASY ABOUT ANY OF THIS, NEEDLESS TO SAY.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE DYNAMIC HERE IS THAT.

PRIOR TO THIS YEAR, THE CHILDREN WEREN'T GETTING IT AND THEN THE CHILDREN STARTED GETTING IT SO AS A TEACHER OR A STAFF PERSON IN A SCHOOL, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE STRESS AND PRESSURE ON THEM THAT NOT ONLY TRYING TO CATCH UP WITH LEARNING AND KEEPING LEARNING GOING AND HOW HARD IT IS TO BE AN EDUCATOR TO BEGIN WITH OR TO MANAGE A SCHOOL OR MANAGE A SCHOOL SYSTEM. NOW YOU HAVE TO WORRY THAT BECAUSE THE KIDS ARE TRANSMITTING THIS TO EACH OTHER, APPARENTLY YOU HAVE TO WORRY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT HOME TO YOUR FAMILY AND.

THE PROBLEM, I BELIEVE ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE QUARANTINING CONTACT TRACING IS THAT IT THE TRACING ENDED UP BEING OK, SO IT'S EVERYONE BECAUSE THEY WERE IN CONTACT, EVERYBODY ON THE BUS, BUT THEN THEY GO HOME AND WHO ARE THEY WITH THEN? ARE THEY REALLY STAYING PUT WHEN THEY GET HOME? I DOUBT IT. I DON'T THINK THEY ARE.

SO IT'S INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING.

AND HOW CAN YOU SAY THIS YEAR IS TOUGHER THAN LAST YEAR? WELL THIS YEAR THE KIDS ARE GETTING SICK, THEY'RE GETTING IT OR BEING EXPOSED TO IT, AND THEY'RE NOT GETTING IT. HOW DO YOU HOW DO YOU SORT ALL THAT OUT? SO I MEAN, YOU KNOW, MR. CONWAY'S POINTS ARE WELL MADE, AND HE'S WORRIED AND RIGHTFULLY SO.

AND I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT ANSWER IS OVERALL.

AND YOU CAN GO RIGHT BACK TO LAST AUGUST, AND THE FORTY PERCENT VACCINATION RATE WAS COUNTY ALLOWED THIS THING TO STICK AROUND.

AM I SAYING GO GET VACCINATED? NO. BUT I'M SAYING THE FORTY PERCENT VACCINATION RATE ENABLED THIS THING TO STICK AROUND IN THIS COUNTY AND SO THE OTHER SIXTY PERCENT HAVE A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING IT.

AND SOME OF THE FORTY PERCENT ARE GETTING IT MAYBE NOT AS SEVERE, BUT OTHER PLACES WITH HIGHER VACCINATION RATES.

THEY'RE GETTING IT TO THAT SOMEHOW GETTING THROUGH THAT VACCINE PROTECTION STATE OF MARYLAND AS A WHOLE. GO FIGURE THIS OUT.

WHAT'S NEXT? IF YOU CAN GUESS WHAT'S NEXT, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOTTERY TICKET.

YOU CAN SEE THE FUTURE.

THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. YOU BROUGHT A GOOD POINT UP WITH THE FACT THAT THIS TIME CHILDREN ARE GETTING IT WHERE THEY WEREN'T.

AND THANK GOD THAT THIS STRAIN SEEMS TO BE MILDER, BUT AGAIN, THEY'RE SEEING MORE CHILDREN IN THE HOSPITALS.

AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WHICH TO ME IS WORRISOME BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE BUSINESS OF STUDENTS.

[01:05:01]

UM, THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO MOVE ON TO INDIVIDUAL ACTION ITEMS.

[6. Individual Action Items]

DR. SIMMONS, I THINK YOU HAVE THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT BUDGET WITH SOME POTENTIAL INCOME NUMBERS FOR US TO LOOK AT.

CERTAINLY. AND I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO BE PASSING THIS TO MRS. THORNTON VERY QUICKLY.

BUT WHAT IS PRESENTED TO THE BOARD TONIGHT IS THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET.

IT IS AN ACTION ITEM BEFORE THE BUDGET TO IN ESSENCE, YOU'RE ACCEPTING MY ATTACHED PRELIMINARY BUDGET TO MOVE INTO THE NEXT PHASE, BUT THEN IT BECOMES THE BOARD BUDGET TO WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS.

WE DO HAVE A REQUIREMENT THAT WE HAVE TO PRESENT OUR PRELIMINARY BUDGET TO THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BY FEBRUARY 7TH AND HISTORICALLY HERE IN CAROLINE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT PRESENTS THE BUDGET IN FEBRUARY FOUR FOR APPROVAL.

SORRY FOR ACCEPTANCE OF THE BUDGET THEN GO ACROSS THE STREET TO THE COMMISSIONERS.

WE DO HAVE SOME FORECASTED REVENUE NUMBERS, WHICH I'LL HAVE MRS. THORNTON KIND OF EXPLAIN TO YOU HOW WE HAVE DERIVED THOSE AND THEN WORKING THROUGH THE BUDGET LINE ITEM OR THE BUDGET COMPONENT.

YOU'LL SEE PIECES IN THERE OF WHERE WITH OUR REVENUE NUMBERS, WHERE WE THINK WE CAN GET IN TERMS OF THE REQUEST THE BOARD HAS SEEN IN PREVIOUS MONTHS AND AS OF TODAY, THE ORDER OF THOSE REQUESTS.

SO MY FINAL [INAUDIBLE] THE ORDER OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AS REQUESTS COMING IN.

AND OF COURSE, AGAIN, THE BOARD HAS THAT LEEWAY AND OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE AND ADD TO AND SUBTRACT FROM AS THE BOARD SEES AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS UNTIL THE JUNE APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET GOING INTO THE NEXT OPERATING YEAR, SO WITH THAT ERIN, IF YOU WANT TO KIND OF WALK THROUGH THE REVENUE PICTURE AND HOW IT ALL LOOKS, GOOD EVENING PRESIDENT NEWCOMB AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AS DR.

SIMMONS MENTIONED, WHAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT IS THE FY 23 PRELIMINARY BUDGET REQUEST. THERE IS STILL A LOT OF UNKNOWNS AT THIS TIME, BUT WE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT DEADLINE AND GET IT ACROSS THE STREET BY THE DEADLINE OF FEBRUARY 7TH.

THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN SHARED WITH OUR VARIOUS STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, SUCH AS ANS, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL AND THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND WE'VE ALSO LISTENED TO THEIR INPUT AS WELL.

NOW I'M GOING TO BRIEFLY WALK YOU THROUGH THIS DOCUMENT.

THE ITEMS HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW ARE THE CHANGES EITHER THE AMOUNTS OR LINE ITEMS THAT HAVE CHANGED SINCE LAST MONTH.

SO THE FIRST TWO LINE ITEMS THAT YOU SEE ARE REVENUE NUMBERS.

THIS IS A TRANSITION YEAR WHERE WE ARE MOVING FROM THE OLD FORMULAS TO THE NEW BLUEPRINT FUNDING FORMULAS, WHICH ARE VERY COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND.

I'VE READ AND REREAD AND NUMEROUS TIMES.

BUT ANYWAY, THE LINE ITEM NUMBER ONE, PRIOR TO THIS YEAR, THE LOCAL COUNTY APPROPRIATION WAS A PRETTY CUT AND DRY FORMULA.

IT WAS A MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT FORMULA.

THERE WAS A PER PUPIL MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT CALCULATION THAT WE HAD A TEMPLATE AND YOU WOULD JUST DUMP IN THE THE ENROLLMENT AND A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS, AND IT WOULD SPIT OUT A NUMBER. WELL, THIS YEAR.

IT'S NOT SO SIMPLE.

UNDER THE NEW LEGISLATION, WHILE THE MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT REQUIREMENT IS STILL THERE, THERE'S ALSO WHAT'S CALLED A LOCAL SHARE OF SEVERAL MAJOR AID FORMULAS.

AND OUR LOCAL COUNTY APPROPRIATION IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE HIGHER OF THE MAINTENANCE OF THE CALCULATION OR THE LOCAL SHARE CALCULATION.

SO I'VE DETERMINED THAT OUR COUNTY IS ONE OF THE FEW WHERE THE LOCAL SHARE IS GOING TO BE HIGHER THAN THE MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.

WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE THIS EVEN MORE COMPLICATED IS NORMALLY WHEN WE HAVE FUNDING COMING IN FROM LOCAL, IT'S ALL UNRESTRICTED FUNDING THAT WE CAN DECIDE WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH AND WHERE IT GOES.

IN FY 23, SOME OF THE LOCAL MONEY THAT'S COMING IN IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE IN BUCKETS.

IT'S RESTRICTED AND IT MUST BE SPENT IN CERTAIN PROGRAMS AND WE'RE GOING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND WE MUST REPORT ON WHAT HAS BEEN SPENT IN THESE CERTAIN PROGRAMS. SO WITH ALL THAT SAID, THIS FIGURE IS IT'S MY BEST ESTIMATE AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

JUDGING ON HOW THE FORMULA IS GOING TO PLAY OUT, AS WELL AS WHAT WE HAVE TO CARVE OUT IN BUCKETS, THIS IS WHAT I'M PREDICTING WILL BE THE UNRESTRICTED REVENUE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ALLOCATE TOWARDS OUR OPERATING BUDGET LINE.

ITEM NUMBER TWO IS THE STATE AID.

THIS IS PRELIMINARY AND REFLECTS UNOFFICIAL DATA.

MOST OF THE STATE AID THAT COMES IN IS BASED ON ENROLLMENT, THE COUNTY'S WEALTH, WHICH IS

[01:10:01]

THE GOVERNOR DID PUT IN HIS BUDGET OF HOLD HARMLESS FOR THE COMP ED CALCULATION.

SO WE DID SEE A LITTLE BIT OF AN INCREASE FROM THAT.

THANK GOODNESS HE DID INCLUDE THAT IN HIS BUDGET AND HOPEFULLY IT STAYS THERE.

FINGERS CROSSED. SO I ESTIMATE THAT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE'RE LOOKING AT APPROXIMATELY THREE POINT EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS IN NEW REVENUE.

NOW, MOVING ON DOWN THE LIST, THE REST OF THE ITEMS YOU SEE.

OH, SURE. SO NUMBER ONE THERE THE LOCAL COUNTY APPROPRIATION.

WHAT DOES THAT TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT? THAT'S THE INCREASE.

WHAT ARE THEY? WE GET TOTAL FROM.

IT'S APPROXIMATELY 16 MILLION, THANK YOU.

YES. YEAH.

EXACT NUMBER I CAN, SO WHY AND WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THAT? I'M JUST TO CLARIFY FROM, I BELIEVE, WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY.

SO THIS NEW FUNDING FORMULA AND THAT PROPOSED INCREASE, YOU'RE SAYING IS HIGHER THAN IF WE JUST STUCK WITH THE OLD.

YES, THAT'S CORRECT.

AND I'M I'M SORRY. DID YOU SAY, HOW ABOUT BY HOW MUCH OR ROUGHLY OR NOT OR DO YOU HAVE A ? IT'S A LITTLE OVER A MILLION DOLLAR DIFFERENCE, REALLY? MM HMM. IT'S OUR COUNTY IS ONE OF THE FEW WHERE THIS NEW THE COUNTY IS GOING TO HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS.

AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE CONCERNS.

YES, ONE OF THE FEW COUNTIES THEY IDENTIFIED IN SOME OF THE STATE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT [INAUDIBLE], FOR WHATEVER REASON, HOW THAT'S LAID OUT.

THAT'S WHY THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH TALK AND CONTROVERSY OVER ALL OF THIS.

SO MOVING ON DOWN THE LINE WE HAVE THROUGH THE VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL POSITIONS THAT WE CAN ADD TO THE SAVINGS IN LINE NUMBER ONE. AND SO THAT NUMBER IS NOW AT A SAVINGS OF FOUR HUNDRED TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS, WHEREAS LAST LAST MONTH IT WAS A LITTLE LOWER THAN THAT.

LINE ITEM NUMBER TWELVE IS STILL A BIGGIE.

THE HEALTH INSURANCE RATE INCREASE, IT'S STILL PROJECTED AT TEN PERCENT.

WE WILL NOT HAVE A FINAL NUMBER UNTIL AROUND APRIL.

HOPEFULLY, IT WILL GO DOWN, BUT RIGHT NOW OUR CONSULTANT IS SAYING IT'S NOT LOOKING GOOD.

SO THERE'S POTENTIAL THAT THAT MIGHT THAT LINE ITEM MIGHT REMAIN AT NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND, WHAT IF IT DOESN'T? THEY DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO GO UP.

OH, NO, NO, NO, NO.

THIS IS WORST CASE SCENARIO WHERE I WAS HOPING IT WOULD GO DOWN TO NINE.

WELL, I WOULD LOVE THAT TOO.

BUT A FEW MONTHS AGO, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD STILL KEEP TRENDING AND RECENTLY WE WERE TOLD DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT YET.

BUT AT LEAST AT LEAST IT WENT DOWN FROM WHEN.

YEAH. RIGHT.

YES, YES.

RIGHT? WHEN YOU FIRST SAW THIS SPIKE IN DECEMBER.

SO THIS IS HELPFUL.

YES. GOT IT.

THANK YOU. THE NEXT CHANGE SINCE LAST MONTH IS A SALARY ENHANCEMENT FOR ALL EMPLOYEES.

WE ARE STILL WAITING ON CLARIFICATION AS TO HOW WE ARE GOING TO BE REQUIRED TO CALCULATE THE TEN PERCENT INCREASE THAT WE HAVE TO GET TO BY JUNE 30TH, 2024 WE HAVE TO SHOW AN INCREASE SINCE JULY ONE OF 2019 OF TEN PERCENT.

AND IF THEY'RE LOOKING AT COLAS ONLY WE ARE REALLY GOING TO HAVE TO FUNNEL MORE MONEY INTO SALARY ENHANCEMENTS.

SO THIS LINE ITEM HAS BEEN INCREASED SINCE LAST MONTH, BUT IT'S ALSO STILL A PLACEHOLDER.

IT'S STILL SUBJECT TO NEGOTIATIONS.

I MEAN, THIS IS DEPENDENT ON HOW NEGOTIATIONS PLAY OUT, SO IT'S MERELY A PLACEHOLDER TO GET TO WHAT YOU SEE IN GREEN THERE IS WITH A TOTAL BUDGET TO ACTUAL ADJUSTMENTS, COST OF DOING BUSINESS AND ADDITIONS, AND INCREASE OF THREE POINT EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS, WHICH BALANCES WITH THE INCREASE IN NEW REVENUE OF THREE POINT EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS.

ALSO, I DIDN'T HIGHLIGHT, I PROBABLY SHOULD HIGHLIGHT IN PART FOUR THIS IS NEW THIS MONTH AS WELL, IS THAT THESE ITEMS FELL BELOW THE LINE.

SO AT THIS POINT IN TIME, LINE ITEMS TWENTY THREE THROUGH TWENTY EIGHT.

WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FUNDING THERE FOR THOSE LINE ITEMS. REALLY, IT'S TWENTY NINE THAT I'VE GOT LEFT OUT.

SO THAT DROPPED OFF JUST JUST BECAUSE OF THE SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT IT COSTS

[01:15:01]

I GUESS I DON'T I DON'T UNDERSTAND, AND I THINK THIS IS MORE OF A SIMMONS QUESTION THAN YOUR QUESTION. I DON'T, YOU KNOW, IN MY OPINION, I THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT ON, OK.

IT WAS ONE POINT TWO MILLION DOLLARS TO INCREASE THE SIX POINT SEVEN FIVE HOUR EMPLOYEES TO SEVEN. YOU'RE SAYING YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY, I GET THAT.

WHAT I DON'T REALLY QUITE UNDERSTAND IS WHY IT STILL WASN'T PUT ON HERE.

LIKE EVERY OTHER THING YOU DROPPED, YOU SAID YOU DROPPED.

I'M NOT SURE WHY THAT ONE.

THE REASON AND THE REASON I DROPPED THAT ONE MRS. DIGIACOMO AS AN ITEM.

HISTORICALLY, WE IF WE HAVE A FLUCTUATION IN DOLLAR AMOUNTS FROM WHAT WE GET, IT CAN GO UP THERE RARELY.

BUT IF IT DOES, WE MAY SEE AN INCREASE OF ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND OR A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND. KIND OF INCREASING.

SO I WAS TAKING THE APPROACH WITH THE BUDGET PRESENT TO YOU GUYS TONIGHT FOR YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF WHAT IS POSSIBLY POSSIBLE IF WE RECEIVE SOME NEW MONEY.

AND I TRIED NOT TO PUT THINGS ON HERE THAT I KNOW WE WILL NOT GET NEW MONEY FOR.

AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND I COMPLETELY DO.

BUT THE REASON I PULLED IT OFF THE BUDGET, IT GOES TO YOU AND IT WILL THEN GO TO THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AT THIS POINT IN TIME IS I DON'T SEE A WAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THAT POINT. I DON'T WANT TO PROJECT TO ANYBODY THAT I'M THINKING WE'LL GET THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY THIS YEAR BECAUSE I KNOW WE WON'T.

SO I DID NOT WANT TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY OR A FEELING OF FALSE HOPE THAT WE'LL GET THERE.

IT'S NOT THAT WE WON'T CONTINUE TO LOOK AT IT.

AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

I COMPLETELY DO.

BUT THAT'S WHY I DROPPED IT OFF BECAUSE I'M LOOKING AT IT FROM A SHEER REVENUE PICTURE.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET AN INCREASE IN REVENUE OF THAT MUCH, WE'RE NOT ASKING THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND SAY BEYOND ME IN THIS EFFORT BECAUSE WHAT THEY HAVE TO REALIZE IS BEYOND THIS EFFORT. WHAT I'M ASKING THEM TO GO BEYOND WHAT IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO FUND TO AT THAT LEVEL. AND GIVEN THE REVENUE PICTURE WE HAVE, THAT'S WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO BE ABLE TO LIFT THAT PART. SO THAT IS WHY I DID NOT INCLUDE IT.

I UNDERSTAND YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

THE BOARD CAN ADD IT BACK ON WHEN IT COMES TO BOARD BUDGET.

YOU COMPLETELY HAVE THAT AUTONOMY TO ADD THAT AS AN ITEM BACK IN, AND I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT THE BOARD WOULD DECIDE TO DO THAT BECAUSE I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

BUT PART FOUR CLEARLY SAYS REQUESTED ADDITIONS THAT WILL NOT BE IMPLEMENTED DUE TO LACK OF NEW FUNDING.

SO I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THAT WOULD GIVE PEOPLE HOPE IF YOU INCLUDED IT THERE. YOU STILL SAYING, OK, WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY AND IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE TO ME, IT NOT BEING, THERE'S ALMOST A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY LIKE YOU JUST KIND OF.

MS. DIGIACOMO [INAUDIBLE] LACK OF TRANSPARENCY.

I'VE BEEN TRANSPARENT EVERY MONTH WHEN WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT AT BOARD MEETINGS.

IT'S BEEN ON THERE, RIGHT AND I'M NOT SAYING YOU WERE MEANING TO DO THAT.

I'M SAYING IT COULD BE.

THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT PROBABLY FOLKS DO TO CAN BE CONSTRUED BY SOMEBODY ELSE AND APPROPRIATELY. AND I'M TRYING TO CLARIFY THAT IT'S NOT MEANT TO BE IN A FILING OF NON TRANSPARENCY. I WOULD HAVE HINDSIGHT 2020.

I WOULD HAVE DROPPED IT AFTER BARRY FIRST CAME THROUGH, BUT WE HAD BOARD NUMBER QUESTIONS AND SEE A BREAKDOWN OF HOW WE ARRIVED AT THE $1.2 MILLION.

THERE WAS A REQUEST BY MR. BARTON. HOW MUCH OF THAT A SALARY, HOW MUCH OF THAT IS INSURANCE? WE WOULD HAVE DROPPED IT AT THAT POINT OFF OF THE BUDGET.

MOVING FORWARD, WE LEFT AND ONE SO WE COULD MAKE SURE THAT WE HIGHLIGHTED TO THE BOARD WHERE THE SPLIT WAS. WE HAD PROBABLY WHAT COULD ACCOUNT FOR AT LEAST A WHOLE OTHER PAGE OF REQUESTS FROM BUILDING LEVELS AND SUPERVISORS OF ITEMS THAT WE KNEW WE COULDN'T FUND AND COULDN'T AFFORD. THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE LIST EITHER.

SO IT'S NOT OUT OF A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY.

AGAIN, I'M TRYING TO PRESENT SOMETHING THAT PROBABLY SHOWS WHAT I THINK.

REALISTICALLY, WE CAN GET TO NUMBERS WISE WITH THE DOLLARS WE HAVE COMING IN.

AND AGAIN, I RESPECT YOUR PERSPECTIVE, I HEAR YOUR VIEW AND I COMPLETELY DO.

JUST LOOKING. WE'RE JUST WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SAME THING JUST THROUGH TWO DIFFERENT LENSES. I THINK IT'S BETTER THAN [INAUDIBLE].

AND I WAS JUST GOING TO ADD AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GOOD, BAD OR INDIFFERENT, BUT YOU KNOW, WE HEARD FROM THE IAS AND ASKING FOR SOME MORE HOURS TO ROUND OUT THEIR TIME AND REALLY THE HOURS AND THE PAY.

DOES IT ADD A SIGNIFICANT, YOU KNOW, BUDGETARY LINE ITEM TWENTY TWO THOUSAND.

WHAT THAT DOES IS, THOUGH, IS THE BENEFITS AS OUTLINED PREVIOUSLY.

YOU KNOW, ESTIMATE OF A MILLION PLUS DOLLARS IN BENEFITS IF DEPENDING ON HOW MANY WERE TO TAKE IT. AND YOU KNOW, WE HEARD THE ASK.

WE HEARD THE DISCUSSION. IT WAS PRESENTED.

YOU KNOW, MY QUESTION WOULD BE TWO OK, SO THAT WAS ON AIR BECAUSE WE WANTED TO KNOW WE

[01:20:01]

BUT WHAT IF WE GOT ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND MORE DOLLARS OR TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND MORE DOLLARS SOMEWHERE SHOWED UP IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS THAT I'M STILL NOT GOING TO BE ON THERE.

BUT WHAT IS WHAT IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT OTHER THREE OR FOUR ITEMS THAT COULD BE FUNDED WITH THAT TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS? I MEAN, THERE'S THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF OF WHAT THEY WERE ASKING ISN'T UNREASONABLE BY ANY MEANS.

AND AND I WISH WE COULD PAY THEM WELL, EVEN IF WE PAID THEM $15 AN HOUR.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL NOT COMPETING WITH STARBUCKS, AND THEY'RE NOT DUNKIN DONUTS.

BUT WHAT WE CAN OFFER IS THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE ACCESS TO THESE BENEFITS, CORRECT? AND THEY ALSO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY THAT'S A BENEFIT, THE FLEXIBILITY OF BEING HOME WITH YOUR KIDS FOR TWO MONTHS IN THE SUMMERTIME, YOU KNOW, THE FLEXIBILITY OF BEING HOME WITH YOUR KIDS, YOUR KIDS.

AND IF YOU HAVE KIDS OR GRANDKIDS IN THE WINTERTIME, I MEAN, THAT'S A BENEFIT AS TOO, WHEREAS IF YOU'RE MAKING SEVENTEEN DOLLARS A DUNKIN DONUT, EVEN WITH BENEFITS, YOU DON'T HAVE THAT OPTION.

SO YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL PART OF THE EQUATION WE NEVER REALLY HAD.

BUT, YOU KNOW, KEEPING A MILLION DOLLAR BUDGETARY LINE ITEM ON A PROPOSED BUDGET THAT WE KNOW WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET TO.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE RIGHT PROPOSED BUDGET TO TO SUBMIT OR VOTE ON EITHER.

SO, YOU KNOW, I'D RATHER SEE THE NET FIVE MORE ITEMS ON HERE THAT ADD UP TO LESSEN, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT WISH ON THE ON THE TO DO LIST THAT ARE MORE REASONABLY TO BE FUNDED THAN A MILLION DOLLAR ASK, I KNOW, IS NOT ANYWHERE GOING TO BE DONE IN THE.

IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT I KIND OF SEE BOTH POINTS OR ALL THE POINTS HERE BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL WELL SPOKEN AND UNDERSTANDABLE COMPLETELY AND THE I UNDERSTAND FULLY NOW BETTER WHY IT'S NOT ON THERE, BECAUSE WHERE IS THAT ONE POINT TWO MILLION DOLLARS GOING TO COME FROM? YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE THAT KIND OF INCREASE.

AND BECAUSE IT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT HERE, THAT'S TRULY OPEN AND TRANSPARENT.

IT HAS BEEN PRESENTED IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS.

SO THERE'S NO THERE'S NOTHING HIDDEN HERE.

AND DONNA HAS DONE A GOOD JOB OF MAKING SURE THAT THIS IS BEING TALKED ABOUT AND UNDERSTOOD BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING THAT MORE THAN ONE OF US SITTING UP HERE CARE ABOUT THAT ITEM. AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT ALL OF YOU OUT THERE, I DON'T CARE.

I CAN TELL YOU THAT FOR ME PERSONALLY, IT WAS PRESENTED TO ME AS AN ITEM THAT IT'S JUST A MATTER, NOT FROM YOU, BUT FROM EMPLOYEES, THAT IT'S JUST A MATTER OF INCREASING MY HOUR JUST BY THIS LITTLE TINY AMOUNT.

IF THEY INCREASED MY HOURS THAN I HAVE THE FULL TIME? GOTCHA. YEAH.

IF IT WAS THAT SIMPLE TO BE AT THAT TWENTY TWO THOUSAND.

I DON'T THINK WE'D BE EVEN TALKING ABOUT IT.

[INAUDIBLE] IT'S THE HEALTH BENEFITS AND OTHER BENEFITS THAT ARE SO EXPENSIVE.

AND ARE THEY WORTH IT? YES. WHERE DO YOU CARVE THAT MONEY OUT OF YOUR BUDGET? THAT'S THE DISCUSSION.

WE'LL, I GUESS, HAVE TO HAVE WHEN THIS BECOMES THE BOARD'S BUDGET.

SO AND THEN WE WOULD ALSO EASILY SOLVED.

WE WOULD ALSO HAVE TO SUSTAIN THAT ONCE IT GETS ADDED IN IN FUTURE YEARS.

WE HAVE A RIGHT TO SUSTAIN.

RIGHT. SO THAT NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS MEANT FOR HEALTH INSURANCE RIGHT NEXT YEAR, THAT'S GOING TO BE THAT MUCH MORE BECAUSE THERE'S MORE EMPLOYEES.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST REALLY A SHAME THAT THEY'RE CAUGHT IN THAT KIND OF NO MAN'S LAND OR NO PERSON'S LAND.

AND THAT AND THAT TROUBLES US.

AND I KNOW IT TROUBLES YOU, TOO.

IT'S JUST NO POT OF MONEY TO PUT.

SO WE'LL HAVE TO WE'LL HAVE TO DISCUSS THAT AS BOARD.

I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DON'T HAVE IT ON THERE.

AND I ALSO UNDERSTAND DONNA'S POINT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SURPRISING TO SEE IT GONE.

BUT I GET IT. I THINK WE ALL DO UNDERSTAND WHY AND TO KIND OF SUPPORT MRS. DIGIACOMO'S COMMENT. BUT AND FOR SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING TONIGHT OR IN THE ROOM TONIGHT, THAT WASN'T LISTENING, THE OTHER AT THE WORK SESSION WITH THE BOARD, THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. YOU KNOW, WE POINTED OUT SOME OF THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF [INAUDIBLE] THAT WAS PASSED AT THE STATE LEVEL TO HELP EDUCATION, AND A LOT OF IT WILL.

BUT A LOT OF IT CREATES MORE CHALLENGES AND THAT WHEN THEY'RE PUSHING US TO RAISE TEACHER SALARIES BY TEN PERCENT IN THE NEXT, HOW MANY YEARS DO WE HAVE LEFT MS. THORNTON? WE HAVE UNTIL JUNE 30TH OF 2024.

SO FISCAL 24.

SO NEXT YEAR, SO WE'VE GOT THIS FY 23 ONTO US AND WE'RE WORKING ON IT TO INCREASE TEACHER SALARIES BY TEN PERCENT.

AND THAT'S NOT OUR DISCUSSION.

TO ME, THAT SHOULD BE ALL SCHOOL STAFF BECAUSE IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO GET THE KIDS TO SCHOOL FOR THIS BUS DRIVERS TO GET THEM FED, FOR THE CAFETERIA WORKERS TO GET THE HELP IN ON THE RECESS MONITORS AND THEN THE CLASS AND THE IE'S AND EVERYBODY.

[01:25:02]

AND THAT'S THEIR DEFINITION OF A TEACHER, RIGHT? THAT'S THE STATE'S DEFINITION.

IT DOESN'T INCLUDE SPEECH THERAPISTS.

IT DOESN'T INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH THERAPISTS.

IT DOESN'T INCLUDE GUIDANCE COUNSELORS.

SO YEAH, SO THOSE THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING TO HELP US ARE ALSO CREATING OTHER CHALLENGES AND GAPS THAT WE HAVE TO HELP WORK TO NAVIGATE.

SO IT'S NOT THAT I WOULDN'T WANT TO PAY EVERYBODY SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR.

THE SAD PART IS, YOU KNOW, NOT THE PEOPLE SAY, WHY IS HE TALKING ABOUT OPPORTUNITY OR, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT FORMS OF BENEFIT? YOU'VE GOT TO FIND OUT. WE ALL HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT, WHAT BENEFITS IN OUR JOB WE GET SATISFACTION OUT OF.

AND IF IT'S NOT THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN'T OFFER SOME OF THESE OTHER PERKS, LITTLE PERKS AT SCHOOL SYSTEM EMPLOYEES HAVE, YOU KNOW, I HATE TO SAY I HATE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT LOSE SOME PEOPLE. THAT'S NOT A GOOD WAY TO END IT, BOARD ANY OTHER DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS ON THE BUDGET SUMMARY? MS. THORNTON DID YOU HAVE.

DID WE INTERRUPT SOME COMMENTS YOU WERE MAKING? OH, I WAS JUST GOING TO BRIEFLY GO OVER THE NEXT STEPS FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE NEW TO THIS PROCESS.

LIKE WE SAID BEFORE, THIS DOCUMENT REPRESENTS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDED BUDGET.

AND ONCE YOU HAVE ACCEPTED THIS BUDGET REQUEST, THE FULL BUDGET DOCUMENT WILL BE UPDATED TO REFLECT THE CHANGES AND SHARE WITH YOU.

SO YOU HAVE TIME TO LOOK AT IT AND YOU CAN REVIEW IT.

AND IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AT THE BUDGET TRAINING THAT WE HAVE LATER THIS MONTH.

YES, YES.

SO YOU'LL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO THAT WILL HELP ME ANYWAY.

GET INTO THE NITTY GRITTY AND TOTALLY UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE I DO.

I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, BUT I GUESS I COULD WAIT TILL THE BUDGET MEETING.

SURE. AND I APPRECIATE THIS ONE REALLY GOOD, BECAUSE WHEN YOU WHEN YOU TALK, I GET IT.

THANK YOU. AND THIS NOW BECOMES YOUR BUDGET AND IT WILL BE A REGULAR MONTHLY AGENDA ITEM.

SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO ASK IT'S YOUR BUDGET.

SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES PRIOR TO JUNE, WHEN THE FINAL BUDGET HAS TO BE APPROVED AND SENT TO THE COUNTY.

SO IF WE APPROVE THIS NOW, AS YOU'RE NOT APPROVING A BUDGET, YOU'RE ACCEPTING A BUDGET PRESENTING YOU FROM.

BOARD MEMBERS, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR DR.

SIMMONS OR MS. THORNTON.

COMMENTS, CONCERNS.

JUST AND THIS IS MORE OF A CURIOSITY THING, HOW DID YOU DECIDE WHICH ITEMS TO PUT IN PART FOUR? WE, OUR BUDGET TEAM, LOOKED AT ALL THE REQUESTS THAT CAME IN IN TERMS OF STAFFING THINGS. WE LOOKED AT WHAT'S REQUIRED.

WE LOOKED AT UNFUNDED MANDATES AND WE LOOKED AT WHERE IS THE GREATEST PUSH POINTS THAT'S THERE. AND SOME OF THE ITEMS WE ALSO FELL WHEN WE HAD A LITTLE BIT LEFT OVER.

ONCE YOU FUND THESE, YOU'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT LEFT, AND IF YOU HAVE A SMALLER ASK, THEN YOU CAN FIT IN TO GET TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE OF THE THREE POINT EIGHT NEW MONEY TRYING TO BALANCE IT AS BEST YOU CAN AND PICK UP AS MANY OF THE HIGH NEEDS.

WE'D LOVE TO HIT MORE OF THE OTHER STAFFING REQUESTS THAT ARE DOWN THERE, AND IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE WON'T.

IF THIS WERE THE FINAL BUDGET DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE WON'T IF WE WERE TO INCREASE REVENUE ITEMS OR IF WE DON'T LOOK AT THE WAY WE CURRENTLY STAFF, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT IN SOME OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR POSITIONS IN TERMS OF CLASS SIZES AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, WHICH IS WHAT A SCHOOL SYSTEM SHOULD BE LOOKING AT EVERY YEAR ANYWAY AND MAKE THOSE SHIFTS THAT NEED BE BASED ON ENROLLMENTS AND WHERE THESE THINGS ARE GOING BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS THAT WE HAVE TO.

THANKS. ALL RIGHT.

BOARD MEMBERS, WE'VE BEEN PRESENTED WITH A PRELIMINARY BUDGET TO ACCEPT.

SO WE CAN PROVIDE THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WITH AT LEAST AN INITIAL DRAFT OR PRELIMINARY BUDGET. THAT'S A GOOD DISCUSSION.

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT? I MOVE THAT WE ACCEPT THE BUDGET SUPERINTENDENT.

SO MOVE BY MR. BARTON. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND BY MS. WAYMAN.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THESE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSED. I'M ABSTAINING.

ALL RIGHT. FOR CLARIFICATION WE HAVE FOUR IN FAVOR ONE ABSTENTION.

[01:30:07]

THANK YOU, MS. THORNTON. THANK YOU.

MOVING ON. OH, GREAT SCHOOL CALENDAR.

DO WE NEED ONE OF THOSE? I CAN'T SAY I'M QUITE AS GIDDY AS I WAS.

[LAUGHTER] JUST DISCIPLINE.

THIS HAS BEEN QUITE A PROCESS.

WE NEED SOME OF THAT SPECIAL DISCIPLINE.

BREATHING TECHNIQUES. ARE WE IN SURVIVAL STATE, EMOTIONAL STATE OR EXECUTIVE STATE.

EXECUTIVE STATE. MS. ANTHONY, MR. MCCORMACK ARE YOU GOING TO LEAD US ON THIS? YES. YES.

GOOD EVENING. PRESIDENT NEWCOMB, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

WE COME TO YOU TONIGHT SEEKING BOARD APPROVAL OF THE FY 23 SCHOOL CALENDAR.

WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO TONIGHT IS WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT WE'VE TAKEN IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH A RECOMMENDATION OF A SCHOOL CALENDAR.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 2022 23 SCHOOL CALENDAR WAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL SSIC AND OUR CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL CAC.

LINDSEY AND MYSELF MET WITH SSIC AND CAC ON NOVEMBER 17TH.

AT THIS MEETING, WE GATHER INPUT CONCERNING THE CALENDAR FOR THE FY 23 SCHOOL YEAR FROM BOTH GROUPS.

WE SHARED A GOOGLE FORM WHERE PARTICIPANTS WERE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. WOULD YOU LIKE THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL TO BE A THREE DAY A WEEK, FOUR DAY A WEEK OR FIVE DAY A WEEK? WOULD YOU LIKE THE SCHOOL YEAR TO BEGIN PRIOR TO LABOR DAY? YES OR NO? WHAT DAYS OF THE WEEK ARE BEST FOR EARLY DISMISSAL? AND YOU COULD SELECT ALL THAT APPLY MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

WOULD YOU LIKE CHRISTMAS BREAK TO BEGIN WITH A HALF DAY ON DECEMBER TWENTY SECOND OR DECEMBER TWENTY THIRD? WOULD YOU PREFER TO RETURN FROM CHRISTMAS BREAK ON JANUARY 2ND OR JANUARY 3RD? HOW MANY DAYS WOULD YOU PREFER FOR SPRING BREAK TWO, THREE OR FOUR? AND THEN, OF COURSE, ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS THAT WOULD HELP US DEVELOP THIS CALENDAR.

SO NEXT, WE DEVELOPED TWO CALENDARS BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE MET AGAIN WITH SSIC AND CAC ON DECEMBER 15 AND SHARED THE CALENDARS.

[INAUDIBLE] THE FIRST.

SCHOOL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL.

INCLUDE THE UNION? THAT WAS THAT WOULD BE TEACHERS, STAFF MEMBERS.

THEN, AFTER A BRIEF DISCUSSION, WE SHARED ANOTHER GOOGLE FORM FOR THEM TO PROVIDE US WITH MORE ADDITIONAL INPUT.

THE GOOGLE FORM HAD ONE QUESTION AND THAT WAS AFTER REVIEWING THE TWO POSSIBLE CALENDARS THAT HAD BEEN DEVELOPED FOR FY 23.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK? SO BASED ON THE ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK, WE MADE SURE THAT WE WERE CLOSED THE WEDNESDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING.

FOR SOME REASON, LINDSEY AND I DID FORGET THAT BOTH OF US, WE LIKE TO BE HERE, I GUESS ON THAT THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING.

BUT WE DID. WE ADDED THAT IN AND THEN WE MADE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR SNOW DAYS WERE IN.

SO ON JANUARY 14TH, WE EMAILED ALL STAFF IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR THEIR INPUT.

WE SENT AN EMAIL WITH SPECIFIC INFORMATION THAT WAS INCLUDED IN EACH CALENDAR AND GOOGLE FORM. AND WHAT THAT INFORMATION WAS WAS THE START DATE PRIOR TO LABOR DAY AND THE START DATE AFTER LABOR DAY FOR THE TWO DIFFERENT CALENDARS.

THEN ALL TEACHERS REPORT ON AUGUST TWENTY FOURTH.

STUDENTS REPORT AUGUST THIRTY FIRST, SPRING BREAK APRIL SIX THROUGH THE 11TH LAST DAY FOR STUDENTS JUNE 15TH AND THEN LAST DAY FOR TEACHERS JUNE 16TH.

THEN THE OTHER CALENDAR, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE START AFTER LABOR DAY.

ALL TEACHERS WOULD REPORT ON AUGUST TWENTY NINTH, STUDENTS REPORT ON SEPTEMBER SIXTH.

SPRING BREAK BREAK WOULD BE APRIL SIXTH THROUGH THE 10TH, LAST DAY FOR STUDENTS WOULD BE JUNE 20TH AND THEN LAST DAY FOR TEACHERS JUNE 21ST.

SO THEN THE QUESTION THAT WAS ON THAT WAS PLEASE SELECT THE CALENDAR THAT YOU MOST PREFER FOR THE FY 23 SCHOOL YEAR A OR B.

SEVENTY NINE PERCENT OF THE RESPONDENTS CHOSE CALENDAR A AS YOUR PREFERENCE.

WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO NOTE THAT EIGHTY TWO POINT FOUR PERCENT OF SSIC AND CAC WERE IN FAVOR OF CALENDAR A, AS WELL.

CALENDAR A IS STARTING BEFORE LABOR DAY.

MM HMM. YES.

IN SHORT.

WHEN THE NUMBER OF DAYS USED TO BE ONE EIGHTY FIVE, HAS THAT DECREASED NOW TO ONE EIGHTY FOUR? NO IT'S 180.

IT'S JUST ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY [INAUDIBLE] THE SNOW DAYS ADDED IN.

AND SO SOME YEARS THERE'S THREE SNOW DAYS BUILT IN, SOME FOUR SOME FIVE.

[01:35:04]

WE HAVE THAT TEACHERS OR STAFF WORK THE ADDITIONAL 10 DAYS.

SO THE HUNDRED AND NINETY DAYS, WHICH IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS IN THERE.

AND THEN WE TOOK INTO OF INTO ACCOUNT THE [INAUDIBLE] DAYS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO BE OFF AND THEN TRULY THE PROCESS OF COUNTING FORTY FIVE DAYS FOR EACH QUARTER AND FINDING WHICH DAY DOES THE QUARTER END ON AND YOU DON'T WANT IT TO END ON ON A MONDAY AND THEN HAVE TUESDAY OFF HALF DAY ON MONDAY AND A TRANSITION DAY ON TUESDAY.

NOBODY'S GOING TO COME TO SCHOOL ON HALF DAY ON MONDAY, SO THERE'S STRATEGIC PLANNING IN THERE AS WELL WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING BOTH OF THOSE OPTIONS.

AND WE ALSO NEED AND I HOPE YOU [INAUDIBLE] THE MSCA.

OH, I DID NOT SAY THAT, RIGHT? WE DID INCLUDE THAT IN THE CALENDAR AGAIN, BUT SOMETHING THAT WE DO WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS. THAT'S NOT A NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT THAT THE MSCA CONFERENCE DAY.

YEP, IT'S IN OUR AGREEMENT, BUT MANY COUNTIES AROUND US DO NOT HAVE THAT ANYMORE, INCLUDING IN THEIR CALENDAR.

WELL, ACTUALLY, AND I DON'T RECALL VERBATIM, BUT IT WASN'T IN THE MORE RECENT PAST JUST FOR THIS BOARD AWARENESS.

AND IF ANYBODY HERE JUST, WE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THAT ONE TIME TO TRY TO SQUEEZE IN WHEN IT WAS AFTER LABOR DAY AND YOU STILL THE MIDDLE OF JUNE, STILL LATE.

I MEAN, TO ME, YOU KNOW, JUNE 15, WE TALKED ABOUT MSDE CONVENTION.

OF COURSE, WE WANT REPRESENTATION THERE.

AND IF YOU KNOW SOME ONE OR TWO FROM EACH SCHOOL GO, THAT'S NOT A BIG DEAL.

BUT YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A CONVERSATION.

THERE WAS SOMETHING IN ONE OF THE YEAR NEGOTIATIONS.

I THINK IT WAS A TRADE OFF.

GAVE THEM BOARD. EXCEPT THAT AND THEN THE UNION ACCEPTED SOMETHING ELSE.

NOW IT'S IN OUR CONTRACT, WHICH IT NEVER USED TO BE.

IT WASN'T. IT WAS.

AND THEN IT WAS.

YEAH, IT WAS. AND THEN IT WAS.

WAS IT A PD DAY? IT WAS YES, IT WAS A YEAR [INAUDIBLE].

WAS A PD DAY AND YOU COULD OPT TO GO.

IF YOU WENT TO THE CONFERENCE, YOU HAVE TO BRING BACK SOMETHING TO PROVE YOU WERE THERE.

CORRECT. YEAH. AND THEN IT SWAPPED BACK TO BEING A DAY OFF A YEAR OR TWO LATER, IT WAS A YEAR OR TWO.

ANTHONY AND I HAVE HAD, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS AS TO OTHER COUNTIES HAVE A WEEK AT SPRING BREAK. HOW COME WE DON'T? AND TRULY, WHEN WE HAVE LOOKED AT THEIR CALENDAR OTHER, WE HAVE DONE THE RESEARCH TO LOOK AT THEIR CALENDARS AND THEY DO NOT HAVE THAT THAT CONFERENCE DAY AS WELL AS THEY DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS THAT WE DO WITHIN OUR NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT.

AND THAT'S WHERE THERE'S STILL ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DAYS AND ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY DAYS FOR TEACHERS THAT HAVE TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE.

AND IF YOU TAKE THE WEDNESDAY FROM THANKSGIVING AND THE MSDE CONVENTION AND ONE OTHER THING, YOU'VE GOT A WEEK.

BUT THE FLIP SIDE IS, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S GOT DIFFERENT OPINIONS.

I DON'T RECALL HAVING SPRING BREAK, BUT IT IS INTERESTING IN OUR CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS OVER THE YEARS WHY THE STATE OF MARYLAND [INAUDIBLE] SAYS YOU HAVE TO TAKE MONDAY AFTER EASTER OFF. MM HMM. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT'S IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND LAW, BUT THAT'S IN THERE AND NOW.

SO WE HAVE TO DO THAT.

I THINK [INAUDIBLE].

WELL, SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.

I GET THAT, BUT I'M SAYING I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE RATIONALE COMES IN.

BUT YOU KNOW, I'D RATHER BE OUT EARLIER IN JUNE.

BUT THAT'S ME. BUT WE GOT TO FOLLOW [INAUDIBLE] AND WE'VE GOT 70 SOME PERCENT SUPPORT OF CALENDAR, RIGHT? 79 PERCENT AND THAT WAS [INAUDIBLE].

PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE IN THE ROOM HERE WITH ALL THE I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS EDUCATORS FOR THE EDUCATORS IN THIS ROOM ARE.

AND I WON'T ASK BECAUSE THEN YOU HAVE TO ADMIT HOW OLD YOU ARE.

AUGUST THIRTY FIRST, ONE DAY THAT WEEK THEY GO AND THEY DON'T GO AGAIN.

UNTIL THEN, THEY GO SEPTEMBER 1ST AND 2ND.

SO THESE STUDENTS THREE DAYS.

I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT THAT. AND SO IT HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN ONE THAT WHEN YOU'RE BRINGING KIDS BACK IN AFTER HAVING OFF FOR THE SUMMER, THREE DAYS TO GET ACCLIMATED IS A LITTLE BIT EASIER THAN FIVE.

THAT WAS MY QUESTION. HOW WELL WILL THEY DO ON THOSE THREE DAYS THAT GET YOU UP AND RUNNING FOR THE THE STAFF, I MEAN, AT LEAST IN MY YEARS ON THE CALENDAR AS WELL, STAFF APPRECIATE IT, USUALLY NOT HAVING A FULL FIVE.

RIGHT. RIGHT. THAT GETS YOU UP AND RUNNING WITHOUT THE DEMANDS.

THAT WAS MY QUESTION AND THAT'S WHY THE INITIAL QUESTION BEFORE WE EVEN CREATED THE CALENDARS OF WOULD YOU LIKE

[01:40:01]

ANYBODY SAY FIVE? DID ANYBODY? HONESTLY, I'M NOT SURE.

I DON'T REMEMBER IF ANYBODY SAID FIVE, BUT THE OVERALL MAJORITY DID NOT SAY A FIVE DAY WEEK. JUST BECAUSE IT'S INSANE.

I MEAN, EVERYBODY THERE ON FRIDAY.

I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THEIR CLASS, RIGHT? YEAH. WELL, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT.

YOU WOULD BE IN SURVIVAL.

THAT'S SOMETHING I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT UNTIL I GOT ON THE BOARD.

BUT YOU THINK ABOUT WHETHER IT'S NOT JUST THE KIDS STAMINA, THOUGH, BUT IT'S A TEACHER STAMINA, TOO FROM FROM A GOOD BREAK.

IF I GOT THE IF I DIDN'T GO TO WORK FOR MORE THREE TO FOUR WEEKS AND I HAD TO GO BACK AND JUMP IN, I WOULD BE UNDERWATER, LET ALONE, YOU KNOW, SIX WEEKS OR SO.

AND SO THREE DAYS, FOUR DAYS AND THEN A FIVE DAY WEEK, THAT'S THAT'S PRETTY NICE.

RAMP UP. OH, TOUGHEN UP ALL YOU.

WE'RE NOT POLAR PLUNGE. YEAH, EXACTLY.

JUMP IN COLD WATER. I THINK IT'S A GOOD PLAN.

BEST WE CAN DO. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU COULD DO A LOT BETTER.

SO IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, WE ASK IF YOU PLEASE APPROVE CALENDAR OPTION A. AS THE SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR THE 22 23 SCHOOL YEAR.

I MOVE THAT WE ACCEPT CALENDAR A FOR THE 22 23 SCHOOL YEAR.

WE HAVE A MOTION BY MS. WAYMAN.

WE HAVE A SECOND.

I'LL SECOND. SECOND BY MR. BARTON ANY OTHER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.

YEAH, I JUST GOT ONE QUICK ONE.

I ALWAYS WONDERED THIS AS A TEACHER.

IN SEPTEMBER, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT HALF A DAY PD AND THEN YOU HAVE THE NO SCHOOL PD.

IT'S LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO GET THE STUDENTS BACK INTO THE GROOVE, AND I DON'T THINK THEY, IT'S THE LAST WEEK IN SEPTEMBER BEFORE THEY HAVE A FULL WEEK.

JUST CURIOUS WHY IT'S BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO GET IN THE GROOVE.

I DO HEAR YOU, WHY IN THERE? I DIDN'T HEAR THE WHOLE QUESTION.

WHY DO WE HAVE A HALF DAY PD IN SEPTEMBER? LIKE IN SEPTEMBER, YOU'RE BACK AT SCHOOL A FULL MONTH BEFORE YOU HAVE A FULL WEEK.

THAT LAST WEEK IN SEPTEMBER IS YOUR FIRST FULL WEEK.

AND I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED WHY, BECAUSE YOU KNOW TRYING TO GET YOU TRYING TO GET THEM IN THE GROOVE AND YOU KEEP HAVING IT, YOU KNOW, A DAY HERE, HALF DAY HERE, A DAY THERE.

AND I'M NOT SAYING CHANGE IT NOW.

UNDERSTOOD, UNDERSTOOD.

I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY, MS. DIGIACOMO THE PD DAY IN SEPTEMBER HAS USUALLY BEEN UTILIZED FOR TWO REASONS.

ONE IS A TOUCHPOINT ON THINGS YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU WERE LAUNCHING NEW STUFF [INAUDIBLE] FIRST FOUR DAYS BACK.

AND IT ALSO COINCIDES TYPICALLY WITH NSDE WOULD ALWAYS DO THEIR CONTENT LEVEL MEETINGS WITH THEIR CENTRAL SUPERVISORS IN THOSE THINGS.

SEPTEMBER WAS USUALLY THEIR FIRST WHEN IT USUALLY HAPPENED BEFORE THAT PD DAY, AND THAT'S USUALLY WHEN THE STATE IS BEING THE STATE, BUT STATES GIVING YOU KIND OF WHAT THEY'RE WORKING TOWARDS FOR A YEAR.

SO IT GIVES YOU THAT OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH STAFF TO GO OVER ANYTHING THAT'S COMING OUT AT THAT POINT AS WELL.

SO THAT'S USUALLY WHY WE'RE LOOKING AT IT OR WHY WE HISTORICALLY HAVE HELD THAT SEPTEMBER DATE FOR THOSE TWO KIND OF THINGS COINCIDING.

AND YOU CAN'T DO ON THE SAME DAY BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT A HALF OF A PD AND A FULL PD.

I MEAN, IF EVEN IF YOU APPLY THAT TO THIS SCHOOL YEAR, WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BECAUSE ON THE COMPARABLE DAY, WHICH I CAN'T REMEMBER, I THINK IT WAS SEPTEMBER 30TH.

WE HAD CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE AND THAT WAS ALL DAY AND YOU WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FILL IN ALL OF THE CURRICULUM, THE INFORMATION COMING OUT ON THE CURRICULUM FROM NSDE, BECAUSE SOME OF THAT ALSO HAS TO DO WITH SCHOOL BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT VERSUS CENTRAL OFFICE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

AND SO THE CENTRAL OFFICE TYPICALLY WOULD HAVE WOULD USE THE FULL DAY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. WHEREAS SCHOOL BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS GEARED TOWARDS THOSE HALF DAYS SO THAT THERE'S NO TRAVEL FOR TEACHERS AND THE BUILDING LEVEL PRINCIPAL WOULD BE ABLE TO DO PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR THE NEEDS OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL BUILDING.

ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION, WE HAVE A SECOND.

HAD SOME DISCUSSION, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A CALENDAR.

MOVING ONTO PORTS AND PRESENTATIONS LOOKS DOWN, [INAUDIBLE], SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE GETTING

[7. Reports and Presentations]

VERY EXCITING, IN FACT, TO GET BACK OUT OUT OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD OF RECRUITING, WHICH WAS INTERESTING TO SAY THE LEAST LAST YEAR.

IT WAS A CHALLENGE. IT WAS A CHALLENGE ON BOTH SIDES FOR BOTH THE STUDENTS AND THE APPLICANTS, AS WELL AS FOR OUR TEAM HERE.

[01:45:02]

IT'S WHAT WE REALLY ARE RIGHT NOW, BOOKING ALL THESE EVENTS, PAYING OUR FEES, THINGS LIKE THAT AND AND GETTING READY TO SEND OUT OUR RECRUITING TEAMS TO GO OUT.

OBVIOUSLY, YOU CAN SEE SOME ARE STILL VIRTUAL.

WE TRY TO STAY WITHIN LIKE A TWO HUNDRED MILE RADIUS, BASICALLY OF HERE.

IT'S KIND OF OUR OUR CATCH.

WE WOULD LOVE TO TRAVEL FURTHER.

WE'D LOVE TO TRAVEL FARTHER.

BUT AT THIS POINT, THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY A GOOD RECRUITING SCHEDULE FOR US AND AND GETS US AROUND AND GETS FOLKS TO SOME OF THEIR ALMA MATERS THEY'VE BEEN TO REALLY TALK TO STUDENTS THAT ARE THERE AND BRING THEM HERE TO CAROLINE COUNTY.

UM, I HAVE A QUESTION.

YEAH, I HEARD THAT WE HIRED A RECRUITER.

THAT WAS MY NEXT THING ON THE LIST HERE ON MY LIST, MY NOTES TO TALK ABOUT.

OK. YEAH.

SO WE HAVE HIRED THROUGH SOME GRANT FUNDING THAT WAS FOUND IN EMPLOYMENT AND STAFFING SPECIALIST. HER NAME IS MRS. KIMBERLY PURNELL.

AND SHE COMES TO US FROM REALLY PRIVATE INDUSTRY, BUT HAS HER DEGREE IN HR AND IS REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE AND KIND OF HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.

OK, SO THIS IS GRANT MONEY, SO IT'S NOT A PERMANENT POSITION.

IT'S A RECURRING GRANT.

SO IT COULD BE AS PERMANENT AS A GRANT CAN BE IT THE GRANT.

WE ALWAYS GET A [INAUDIBLE] FUNDING THE REASON A FEDERAL GRANT TO COVER THE COST IN ORDER TO DO IT, SO IT COULD BE SEMI-PERMANENT.

I GUESS AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE TO USE THE GRANT FUNDING AND APPLY IT.

[INAUDIBLE] IS THIS ONE OF THOSE GRANTS, YOU HAVE TO USE IT FOR THAT? NO, WE HAVE FLEXIBILITY WITHIN THE GRANT.

LINDSEY'S OUR TITLE TO COORDINATOR, SO SHE COULD EXPLAIN THE GRANT FOR WHAT THE PURPOSES ARE. BUT IT FITS THE SCOPE OF WHAT THE TITLE TO GRANT IS FOR.

ONE OF WHICH IS RECRUITING AND RETAINING STAFF.

IS THAT ONE OF THE MAIN BUCKETS RECRUITING AND RETAINING, AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR STAFF? SO THAT GRANT IS ALSO WHERE WE HAVE OUR MENTORING PROGRAM BECAUSE THAT IS THE THIS IS THE RECRUITING PORTION.

MENTORING IS THE RETAINING PORTION.

SO WHO USED TO DO IT? WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO IT.

IT WOULD BE DIVIDED UP BETWEEN [INAUDIBLE] DIVIDE IT UP.

[INAUDIBLE] ORGANIZE STRUCTURE, AND THEN WE WOULD PARSE OUT A LOT OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES BEGGING AND BORROWING RETIREES.

SOME OF THOSE WE WOULD ASK TO OR WE WOULD DOUBLE UP AND HIT UP MYSELF, [INAUDIBLE], LINDSEY. SOME OF US WOULD AND OTHERS WE WOULD GRAB THE HANDLE THIS RESPONSIBILITY.

WE HAD NO ONE TO ORGANIZE THAT STRUCTURE PEACE.

AND GIVEN THE STAFFING PIECE, THE STAFFING CHALLENGES, THE LACK OF TEACHER CANDIDATES AVAILABLE, WE NEED SOMEBODY WHO'S GOT MORE OF A DEDICATED TIME FOR QUICK TURNAROUND ON THOSE, AS WELL AS THE KIND OF THE TURNOVER WE'VE SEEN WITH TRYING TO GET SUBS IN SUPPORT STAFF POSITIONS, RETEST MONITORS, THOSE POSITIONS HAVING SOMEBODY DEDICATED FOR RECRUITING, RETAINING, AND WORKING ON THAT PROCESS IS EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL FOR US.

SO JUST LOOKING AT OUR DATA OF OUR RECRUITMENT AND LIKE MS. [INAUDIBLE] SHARES WITH US, THE NUMBER OF STAFF THAT WE HIRE FROM WITHIN CAROLINE COUNTY VERSUS WITHOUT OF CAROLINE COUNTY AND THEN LOOKING AT OUR DEMOGRAPHICS AND OUR SUBGROUPS.

WE JUST REALLY BELIEVE THAT HAVING A DEDICATED PERSON WOULD HELP US BE ABLE TO ATTEND THOSE HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES THAT MS. WAYMAN YOU'VE SPOKEN OF, AS WELL AS LOOK TO BRING ADDITIONAL MINORITIES.

I MEAN, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER MINORITIES, TOO.

OH, ABSOLUTELY.

OK, SO IS THIS A FULL TIME POSITION? YES, IT IS. AND WHEN DOES IT START? ALREADY STARTED.

AND IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT THE RESULTS AT THE END OF THE YEAR TO SEE IF IT'S REALLY WORTH IT? YEAH, SHE HAS. LINDSEY HAS TO DO HER GRANT.

THE GRANT REQUIREMENTS REQUIRE PROGRAM REVIEWS.

THEY GET SUBMITTED, SO IT WOULD BE LOOKED AT AND CONTINUE TO BE LOOKED AT.

IT HAS TO BE AS PART OF THE GRANT PROCESS.

AND I JUST I THINK IT'S WORTH MENTIONING, TOO, JUST IN TERMS OF A BIG BELIEVER, AND I'M NOT GOING TO STAND UP HERE ON BEHALF OF SUCCESSION PLANNING AND CROSS TRAINING AND AND THERE'S JUST SOME ASPECTS.

I MEAN, I'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THE JOB DESCRIPTION WITH YOU.

IT'S NOT JUST THIS, IT'S EVERYTHING.

IT'S PAPERWORK, IT'S FINGERPRINTING.

IT'S YES, THERE ARE RECRUITING ASPECTS, BUT THERE'S THE WHOLE EMPLOYMENT PROCESS THAT THIS PERSON IS GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR AS WELL.

AND SO THERE'S JUST SOME ASPECTS THAT WE JUST CAN'T WE CAN'T EVER LET FALL.

AND THERE'S JUST SOME REAL IMPORTANT PARTS OF THAT.

LIKE I SAY, THE JOB SEARCH IS QUITE DETAILED IN TERMS OF WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR AND ASKING THIS PERSON AS POSITION TO DO.

THE EXPECTATION IS THAT THIS ENHANCES YOUR ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN.

[01:50:05]

AND THAT'S A DEDICATED PERSON WHO, AS I'M TRAINING HER, I'M LIKE, OH, AND THERE'S THIS AND THERE'S AND THERE'S THIS AND THERE'S THIS, AND CAN I GO ALL OVER? BUT THEN THE TELL HER TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON THIS.

BUT AGAIN, THE THE NUMBERS THAT WE'VE SEEN JUST IN TERMS OF INCREASING THE SUBS AND BUS DRIVERS, AS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER AND GOING OUT AND POTENTIALLY GOING TO SPEAKING TO REAL GROUPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO DO SOME MORE HOMEGROWN HOMETOWN RECRUITING AS WELL, THERE'S JUST OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO.

I'M JUST BEING.

THIS IS THEIR FOCUS.

YOU'RE GOING TO HOPE THAT THEY COME BACK OVER TIME AND SAY, HERE'S AN AREA WHERE WE COULD DO THIS BETTER. AND HERE'S ANOTHER IDEA I LEARNED FROM MY COUNTERPART ELSEWHERE.

I MEAN, IF SOMEBODY PUT THIS, THESE ARE IMPORTANT AREAS GRANT MONEY TO FOCUS ON THIS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT MR. BARTON. WE ARE AN EMPLOYER OF OVER A THOUSAND INDIVIDUALS AND WE HAVE AN HR DEPARTMENT OF THREE.

AND I WOULD SAY. FOURTH PERSON SET OF HANDS WITHOUT TOUCHING LOCAL MONIES WHATSOEVER AT ALL GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY IT OUT AND HOPEFULLY CONTINUE TO USE THE FUNDING AT THAT LEVEL OF IT'S SUCCESSFUL, BUT YOU HAVE AN HR DEPARTMENT OF A THOUSAND OR FOR A THOUSAND PEOPLE OF THREE INDIVIDUALS, TWO OF WHICH REALLY ARE THE ONES THAT HANDLE THE H.R. THINGS, AND ONE IS SOMEONE WHO SUPPORTS THEM.

SO IT'S TWO PEOPLE TO WORK THROUGH THE HR PROCESSES AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED DONE. IT GIVES US THAT OPPORTUNITY WITHOUT HAVING TO BURDEN THE LOCAL BUDGET WITH TRYING TO FIND IT. SO AS YOU SEE BUDGETS TIGHT.

AND MS. BURTON, I'M NOT TOO PROUD TO THE WHOLE BOARD.

I'M NOT TOO PROUD TO SAY THERE'S EFFICIENCIES THAT CAN BE FOUND.

THERE'S THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE BETTER.

AND I AM. I'M, YOU KNOW, DESPERATE TO FIND THOSE.

AND THIS IS A HUGE PART OF THIS.

AND AGAIN, TO BRING SOMEONE IN WHO IS EXCITED ABOUT HR NOT SAYING EVERYBODY ELSE IS, BUT SHE'S REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE AND TO BE A PART OF AN HR TEAM, AND SHE'S REALLY DIGGING IN AND DOING GREAT. AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED.

SHE'S FROM AROUND HERE? SO SHE [INAUDIBLE].

SO MORE OR LESS. AND NOW, RECRUITMENT.

BUT RICK BROUGHT UP RETENTION.

IS THAT GOING TO BE PART OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION? RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, YOU SAID? IS THAT CORRECT? HER HER JOB IS NOT SO MUCH.

THE RETENTION PORTION THAT REALLY IS WITH THE SOME OF THE FUNDING OF THE GRANT IS OUR MENTORING PROGRAM.

BUT I CAN SAY, JUST SPEAKING ON THE RECRUITING PART, NOT THAT I'VE HANDLED IT THROUGH HR, BUT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH GOING PLACES FOR A LONG TIME.

YOU KNOW, BEFORE I RETIRED IN A COUPLE OF TIMES SINCE IT IS A LOT OF WORK AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY OF WHAT'S DONE IN HR, BUT BEING THERE ALL DAY AND TALKING TO THE PEOPLE AND GETTING PAPERWORK, I FEEL THAT FOR THIS ONE AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED STACKED UP SO THAT THE NEXT ONE, YOU CAN STACK UP AND THEN BRING ALL THAT BACK TO HR.

I MEAN, FROM EACH PLACE, WE MIGHT BRING BACK 20 OR 30 APPLICATIONS.

AND YOU HOPE YOUR HR HAS THE STAFFING LEVEL AND THE ABILITY TO THEN THE NEXT STEP.

ONE, I GET IT AND I'VE MET YOU FACE TO FACE THE FACT THAT HAVE SOMEBODY RESPOND AND REACH OUT. HEY, MRS. WAYMAN SAID SHE MET YOU AT THE JOB FAIR AT UMBS, SO I SHOULD REACH OUT TO YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE PULLING IT FROM ALL THE PAPERWORK THAT I WOULD SAY KIDS THE COLLEGE STUDENTS GIVE YOU. THOSE TOUCHES OR HOW YOU CREATE THAT PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP TO DRAW THEM IN.

AND I'VE ENJOYED, YOU KNOW, WHEN I DID GO RECRUITING AND, YOU KNOW, TAKE PRIDE IN THE FEW PEOPLE THAT WE'VE BROUGHT BACK, YOU KNOW, [INAUDIBLE] CONWAY FROM, SHE'S AT LOCKERMAN, YOU KNOW, AND WE STAY IN TOUCH STILL TODAY, BUT IT'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO RECRUITING.

WELL, THEY'RE GOING TO STILL LATCH ON TO SOME OF THE REST OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE WITH RETIREES FROM SOME OF THOSE SCHOOLS.

THEY CAN'T DO IT ALL BY THEMSELVES.

SO. THEY LEAD IT.

YEAH, I THINK IT'S GREAT.

AND THIS SHOULD THEORETICALLY HELP THE TURNAROUND.

LIKE WHEN WE DECIDE THAT PERSON WE WANT THAT THEY'LL GET BACK TO THEM QUICKER.

POTENTIALLY. I MEAN, YES, YES, THEORY.

I'VE HEARD THAT'S BEEN AN ISSUE SOMETIMES THAT.

WE DIDN'T GET BACK TO SOMEBODY QUICK ENOUGH.

SOMEBODY ELSE GOT BACK.

TO STOP. I MEAN, IF SOMEONE WAS GOING TO SAY YES AND WE WANT THEM, WE SHOULD LET THEM KNOW AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

AND IT'S A BUYER'S MARKET, TOO.

SO SOMETIMES WHEN THEY'RE APPLYING TO US, THEY MIGHT HAVE APPLIED TO A FEW OTHER PLACES AND JOCKEYING FOR.

OH, RIGHT, NO, IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, TEACHERS HAVE THE ADVANTAGE RIGHT NOW, THE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR A JOB. AND JUST TO TOUCH ON DR.

SIMMONS, YOU KNOW, THERE IS AN ASPECT OF SORT OF THAT SORT OF CARE AND FEEDING OR CULTIVATION OF RELATIONSHIPS.

SO WHEN WE MEET FOLKS AND THEN WE SEND THE EMAIL AND THEN WE GO BACK AND THEN IF YOU MAKE A JOB OFFER, THERE'S MANY TIMES THE BACK AND FORTH THAT HAPPENS AND JUST MAKING SURE SOMEONE FEELS COMFORTABLE IN THEIR DECISIONS, BIG DECISIONS.

[01:55:02]

EXACTLY. YOU NEED TO SEND HER TO THE RETIRED CAROLINE COUNTY RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION. I TALKED TO THE PRESIDENT, AND SHE WAS VERY OPEN TO HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT SEEING IF RETIRED TEACHERS WANTED TO SUBSTITUTE OR COME BACK AS IA'S.

SO I MEAN, YOU GUYS GOT TO REACH OUT AT THIS POINT, BUT THEY'RE OPEN.

AND EVEN, I MEAN, EVEN FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER, JUDY CENTER, I MEAN, WE HAVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY TO ASSIST.

AND SO AGAIN, WHEN YOU WHEN YOU REALLY STOP AND TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE BITS THAT IT'S THIS PERSON WILL BE VERY BUSY.

SHE WILL SHE WILL BE A FULL DAY OF ACTIVITIES AND.

GOOD. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU GOT A BUSY SCHEDULE.

BOARD MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE SCHEDULE? YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP US POSTED ON HOW IT'S GOING.

SURE, APPRECIATE.

LIKE JUST LOOKING AGAINST THE [INAUDIBLE] WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS WE NEED NEXT YEAR? AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME? AND I GET THAT IT CAN CHANGE IN TWO MINUTES, BUT I MEAN A GUESSTIMATE.

FIFTEEN AT THIS MOMENT.

THE VOLUNTARY RETIREMENTS AND [INAUDIBLE] AND A LOT LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED.

NOT THAT I WASN'T IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE IT'S BEEN A HARD YEAR.

IT'S BEEN A HARD YEAR.

AND YOU EXPECTED MORE.

WE HAD A HANDFUL.

A HANDFUL. UM, I ANTICIPATED MORE.

AND AGAIN, I'M [INAUDIBLE] THRILLED THAT THEY'RE STILL LIKE READY TO BE IN THE GAME, LIKE, THAT'S AWESOME.

BUT IT WAS WAY LOWER THAN WE'VE BEEN IN THAT ARENA, WHICH IS A GOOD I DON'T WANT TO SAY PROBLEM, BUT IT'S A GOOD THING TO WORK AROUND.

RIGHT? I MEAN, IT IS, AND WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

WE NOW IN THE END OF THE YEAR AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, AND WE KNOW THAT, BUT THAT WAS ONE INDICATOR THAT ONE OF DOES NOT MAKE A TREND.

ONE WAS ALMOST LIKE I WAS EXPECTING IT CLOSED ON JANUARY 15 WHEN WE CAME BACK FOR A MEETING. WE PUT IT IN THE CALENDAR BECAUSE WE WERE LIKE, WE GOT TO MEET AND TALK ABOUT THE [INAUDIBLE] RETIREMENT PLAN FOR WHAT THAT MEANS.

AND LITERALLY, IT WAS WHAT WE DON'T HOPEFULLY NEED TO HAVE AN EXTRA MEETING.

SPIKE INFLATION MIGHT HAVE SCARED SOME PEOPLE TOO, AND ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. AND YEAH, YOU MAKE YOUR RETIREMENT PLANS AND THEN YOU WATCH YOUR PLAN GO THIS WAY AND WATCH THE PRICES GO THAT WAY AND GIVES EVERYBODY PAUSE.

YEAH. AND WE'VE I MEAN, WE'VE ACTUALLY STARTED DOING SOME INTERVIEWS ALREADY.

I HOPE FOR NEXT YEAR, NEXT SCHOOL YEAR AND HAPPY TO HOPEFULLY HAVE SOME HIRES HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS AND, POSSIBLE OPEN CONTRACTS FOR SOME JOBS SO FOLKS, THERE'S MORE APPLICANT FLOW HAPPENING NOW.

SO FOLKS THAT ARE LOOKING FOR POSSIBLE CHANGES AND LOOKING TO COME TO CAROLINE COUNTY, SO GOOD. WELL, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR UPDATE ON THAT AND MR. [INAUDIBLE] FOR BRINGING THAT RECRUITMENT OUT AND DISCUSSING IT.

SOUNDS LIKE YOU GOT AN OPPORTUNITY THERE.

MOVING ON TO REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS ARP REOPENING PLAN UPDATE.

STILL TRYING TO REOPEN.

YEAH, WE REMAINED OPEN.

AND THIS WILL SORT OF BE A TEAM EFFORT AMONG US GOING THROUGH THE REOPENING PLAN AND NOT [INAUDIBLE] WITH EVERY SINGLE LINE ITEM AT ALL.

SO AS A REQUIREMENT FOR SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN RECEIVING THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ESSER FUNDS, WE'RE REQUIRED TO REVIEW OUR REOPENING PLAN ONCE EVERY A MINIMUM, ONCE EVERY SIX MONTHS.

THAT REVIEW WAS DUE [INAUDIBLE] FEBRUARY ONE.

WE DID [INAUDIBLE] TIME, BUT WE'RE REQUIRED TO REVIEW THE PLAN.

GO OVER PLAN WITH OUR STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, WHICH WE DID WITH SSI AND CAC.

IF THERE'S ANY FEEDBACK IN THERE THAT RESULTS IN A CHANGE IN THE PLAN.

YOU DO MAKE THAT CHANGE IN THE PLAN.

WE HAVE SINCE LEARNED WHEN THIS UPDATE INFORMATION CAME OUT, MSD WAS ASKING FOR WHAT THEY DID IN THE FALL WHEN WE TURNED OUR PLAN AND THEY GAVE US A RUBRIC BY WHICH THEY SCORE YOUR REPORT AND GIVE YOU FEEDBACK.

IT'S THE SAME EXACT PROCESS, SO WE'LL GO THROUGH THE SAME THING WE DID LAST NIGHT.

THEY'LL WALK THROUGH, THERE'S 12 COMPONENTS, IT'S THE SAME 12 COMPONENTS.

IT'S THE SAME RUBRIC OF WHAT WE WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO IS TO UPDATE THE PLAN EVERY TIME THERE'S A CHANGE WITHIN THE DISTRICT AND WITHIN ANYTHING WE'RE DOING WITHIN THE REOPENING PLAN AND THAT'LL BE UPDATING.

YOU'LL BE UPDATING OUR WEBSITE.

WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU IS THE STATIC DOCUMENT, THE PDF DOCUMENT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO MSDE.

[02:00:04]

THAT WAS THE FULL DOCUMENT THERE WITH ALL THE EXTRAS.

ALL THE LINKS WERE LIVE THERE.

THIS IS JUST THE PRESENTATION FORM OF IT.

SORRY. THANK YOU, LINDSEY. SO WE WANT TO WALK YOU THROUGH TWO PIECES, ONE WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR FUNDING, WHERE WE'RE OPERATING CURRENTLY WITH WHAT WE'VE KIND OF USED FUNDS FOR AND WHERE WE'RE STILL PLANNING TO GO WITH IT.

AND THEN WE ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT REALLY WHAT THE UPDATES WERE ON THE 12 COMPONENTS IN THE REOPENING PLAN. JUST SO BOARD IS AWARE OF WHAT THOSE UPDATES ARE, AT LEAST WHAT WAS UPDATED WILL BE REQUIRED TO DO IT AGAIN IN SIX MONTHS.

SO WE'LL COME BACK BEFORE YOU IN JULY, AUGUST AT THE LATEST.

YES. [INAUDIBLE] ALWAYS TO COME BACK TO YOU IN JULY TO REVIEW IT AGAIN, AND HOPEFULLY AT THAT POINT WE'RE NO LONGER TALKING REOPENING AND MOST OF THE STUFF IS NO LONGER WITH US.

BUT WITH THAT SAID, WE'RE GOING TO DIVE IN.

LINDSEY GOING TO START FIRST AND GOING THROUGH THE [INAUDIBLE] COMPONENTS AND THEN WE'LL ALL JUST SORT OF LAYER IN AND OUR COMPONENT PULL UP.

SO JUST AS A REVIEW, THE ARP FUNDS AND THE ESSER FUNDS WERE TO BE USED FROM MARCH OF 2020 AND WE HAVE THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH OF 2023, THERE WERE THREE MAIN BUCKETS OF FUNDING.

SO CDC SAFE RETURN MEASURE AND TO ADDRESS LOST INSTRUCTIONAL TIME AND THEN TO ADDRESS ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS.

SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE PURCHASED CURRENTLY ALREADY IN CDC SAFE RETURN.

AND AGAIN, I'M JUST HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THESE POWER SCHOOL DIGITAL DOCUMENTS, SOMETHING THAT I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT, SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A LONG TIME COMING IN THE DIGITAL WORLD. WE WEREN'T QUITE THERE NOW THAT EVERYBODY, EVERY STUDENT HAS A DEVICE AND WE HAVE MORE EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR OUR FAMILIES.

WE HAVE PURCHASED DIGITAL DOCUMENTS THROUGH POWER SCHOOL, WHICH IS OUR STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM.

WE WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THINGS SUCH AS DIGITALLY DELIVER REPORT CARDS, WHICH MEANS NO LONGER HAVING TO HAND A PIECE OF PAPER TO A STUDENT AND HOPE THAT IT GETS TO THE HANDS OF THE PARENT OR GUARDIAN.

WE ARE HOPING TO PILOT THIS IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO WITH QUARTER TWO REPORT CARDS ON A SMALL BASIS TO SEE HOW IT GOES.

AND THEN HOPE BY QUARTER THREE OR EVEN MIDTERMS THAT THAT'S FULLY ROLLED OUT.

SOME OTHER STATE RETURN ITEMS PURCHASE PPE EQUIPMENT FOR SCHOOL WIDE, ADDITIONAL HAND SANITIZER AND MASKS, AS WELL AS INSTRUMENT MASKS FOR FINE ARTS.

AND I DON'T HAVE IT UP HERE, BUT ALSO THE SINGER MASKS FOR CHORUS.

WE'VE ALSO PURCHASED AIR SCRUBBERS AND DEHUMIDIFIER.

WHAT ARE COVID PREVENTION KITS? THE ATHLETIC COVID PREVENTION KITS.

ROB WILLOUGHBY OVER ATHLETICS PURCHASED KITS SO THAT EACH ATHLETIC TEAM WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE THE PPE OF MASKS SANITIZER TO GO WITH THEM TO DIFFERENT PRACTICES AND [INAUDIBLE].

AND SINGING MASKS.

I THOUGHT THERE WAS A WAIVER PUT IN FOR FINE ART.

THERE IS NOW IT WASN'T AT THE TIME.

IT WAS NOT AT THE TIME.

AND IT'S ONLY FOR PERFORMANCE NOW.

SO DURING THE DAY.

OR DRESS REHEARSAL.

YOU'RE RIGHT.

THERE ARE A BIG, BOXY MASK.

ARE YOU TALKING, OKAY, THERE'S A COUPLE OF SINGER MASKS OR YOU STILL TALKING ATHLETICS? NO, THE FINE INSTRUMENT MASK VERSUS SINGING MASK.

SO INSTRUMENT MASKS, ACTUALLY, THE INSTRUMENTS THEMSELVES HAVE MASKS ON THE END OF, SAY, THE TUBE OR THE [INAUDIBLE] SO THAT NO AIR CAN GO THROUGH.

THERE ARE ALSO MASKS FOR THE PERFORMERS, FOR THE FLUTE THE INSTRUMENT ACTUALLY GOES THROUGH THE MASK.

SO IT WAS SOUND. THEY'RE MADE BY INSTRUMENT COMPANIES, AND SO IT HAS NOT BEEN [INAUDIBLE] ANY SOUND. THAT'S HOW THEY'VE BEEN PLAYING.

OH, I MEAN, THE CONCERTS I NOTICED THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS A DECORATION.

YEAH.

[LAUGHTER] I THOUGHT WHO DIED BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL [INAUDIBLE].

BUT YEAH, BUT YEAH, I MEAN, THE BAND I SAW ON SATURDAY HAD THE SAME THING.

[02:05:04]

SO MOVING ON TO MEASURING AND ADDRESSING LOST INSTRUCTIONAL TIME.

SO OBVIOUSLY, ONE OF OUR BIGGEST THINGS IS THE HAVING AFTER SCHOOL AND SUMMER SCHOOL IN A LARGER CAPACITY THAN WE HAVE IN THE FUTURE.

SO IN THE ESSER GRANT, WE HAVE A SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL SUMMER SCHOOL COORDINATOR POSITION.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE INTERVIEWS FOR THAT POSITION THIS COMING FRIDAY.

SO STAY TUNED. HOPEFULLY, WE FIND A QUALIFIED CANDIDATE.

WE HAVE BEEN USING FUNDING FOR STIPENDS FOR AFTER SCHOOL QUARANTINE TUTORING.

WE HAVE HAD TEACHERS IN ALL BUILDINGS OFFERING ZOOM TUTORING FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE HOME ON QUARANTINE. SO WE'VE BEEN PAYING FOR THEIR STIPENDS.

WE'VE ADDED ADDITIONAL READING INTERVENTION TEACHERS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL.

WE WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE THE K-5 DIBELS PLATFORM THAT I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD [INAUDIBLE] TALK ABOUT, AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE USE OF IT, ADDITIONAL MATH INTERVENTION PROGRAMS, ESPECIALLY AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL AND IREADY LEARNING.

AS IT RELATES TO THE THIRD BUCKET OF ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, WE HAVE EXPENDED SEVERAL IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT CATEGORIES EVERYTHING FROM OUR THAT YOU HEARD [INAUDIBLE] TALK ABOUT AS WELL OUR GREAT MINDS TO CODE ABLE TECH SETS, AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS IN [INAUDIBLE].

WE HAVE PURCHASED HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE EQUIPMENT HAVING TO DO WITH USING ONE TO ONE DEVICES AND HAVING OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPERIMENTS USING DEVICES.

WE HAVE HAD STIPENDS FOR AFTER SCHOOL COLLABORATION AND PLANNING SO THAT TEACHERS HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO PLAN USING EITHER THEIR NEW RESOURCES OR OTHER THINGS THAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR CLASSROOM.

WE'VE ADDED TIER TWO ELA EVIDENCE BASED READING PROGRAMS, AND ONE OF OUR LARGE IS AFTER SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION.

I KNOW WE'VE MENTIONED THAT HERE BEFORE THAT WE HAVE OPENED UP OUR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION TO NOT JUST OUR EVENING SCHOOL, BUT TO ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS USING HAVING EXTRACURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES.

AND WE WILL EXPAND THAT ONCE AFTER SCHOOL IS EXPANDED AS WELL.

IN ADDITION, WE HAVE ADDED ADDITIONAL KAJEET SERVICE, SO TO REMIND YOU, KAJEET ARE OUR PERSONAL HOTSPOTS THAT IF WE WERE TO NEED TO CLOSE AN INDIVIDUAL CLASSROOM OR ANY PORTION OF A BUILDING, WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE STUDENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET.

SO WE WERE ABLE TO UP OUR KAJEET SERVICE WITH ONE TO ONE DEVICES BEING SENT HOME WITH FIFTY THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED STUDENTS, YOU CAN IMAGINE.

WE NEEDED SOME ADDITIONAL TECH SUPPORT FOR DEVICE REPAIRS.

WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADD ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR SCHOOL COUNSELORS AS WELL AS THROUGH THIS FUNDING HAVE TWO THERAPEUTIC CLASSROOMS. WE ACTUALLY HAVE A THIRD.

IT'S JUST FROM A DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCE.

SO WE'VE ADDED SOME THERAPEUTIC CLASSROOMS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL AND WE WERE ABLE TO ADD A HOMELESS LIAISON.

[INAUDIBLE]. GO AHEAD.

WHAT MIGHT A THERAPEUTIC CLASSROOM LOOK LIKE? I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO RESPOND.

THEY'RE CALLED THERAPEUTIC SUPPORT CLASSROOMS, AND WE CONTRACT WITH A VENDOR THAT'S CALLED [INAUDIBLE] SCHOOLS.

AND WITHIN [INAUDIBLE] SCHOOLS, THEY OWN THE PROGRAM OF HIGH ROAD.

WE HAVE HIGH ROAD CLASSROOMS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, FOR BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT, AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL. IT MIRRORS THE SAME THING WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A TEACHER, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE ACCESS TO A SOCIAL WORKER AND TWO INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS.

THE WAY THE THERAPEUTIC SUPPORT CLASSROOM WORKS IS, IT FOLLOWS A MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT APPROACH, SO YOU COULD BE AT A TIER TWO LEVEL OF NEEDING SUPPORT WITH BEHAVIOR, AND THEY WOULD COME TO YOU INSIDE THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM AND HELP TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND INPUT TO THE TEACHER TO HELP THEM WITH WORKING WITH THE CHILD.

[02:10:02]

BECAUSE YOU WANT THEM WITH THEIR PEERS.

SO FAR, SO GOOD AT [INAUDIBLE], WE HAVE A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF CHILDREN THAT ARE ACTUALLY UTILIZING THE TIER THREE SUPPORT, WHICH IS VERY GOOD TO HEAR.

WE HAVE JUST WE'RE RIGHT ON THE BRINK OF OPENING THE ONE AT FEDERALSBURG ELEMENTARY.

SO MORE TO COME WITH THAT ONE.

AND AS LINDSEY SAID, WE HAD ANOTHER FUNDING SOURCE WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO BRING FUNDS WITH THAT AND OUR MONEY IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THAT THIRD CLASSROOM.

AND MY QUESTION WOULD BE ABOUT THE MONEY PORTION.

IT'S GRANT, CORRECT? SO WHEN THE GRANT GONE BECAUSE THIS IS JUST FOR REOPENING, RIGHT? CORRECT. SO THOSE POSITIONS WOULD GO AWAY UNLESS WE MIRACULOUSLY FIND A LOTTERY.

AND TRULY, WE WERE VERY STRATEGIC IN THE POSITIONS THAT WE PUT INTO THIS BECAUSE WE UNDERSTOOD THE SUSTAINABILITY FACTOR IN THAT WE WOULD HOPE WITH ALL OF THE SUPPORTS THAT WE ARE PUTTING IN PLACE FOR, SAY, FOR INSTANCE, THE AFTER SCHOOL SUMMER SCHOOL COORDINATOR THAT IS HERE.

WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS IN CONJUNCTION WITH RECREATION AND PARKS, AND WE'VE ALWAYS HAD SUMMER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEM.

RIGHT NOW DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND DUE TO THE LEARNING LOSS, WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO HELP THOSE. WE ARE HOPING THAT OVER THE COURSE OF THIS GRANT AND THAT OPPORTUNITY, THAT WE WOULD THEN BE ABLE TO MINIMIZE THOSE INSTRUCTIONAL LOSS AND LOWER THOSE GAPS SO THAT WE NO LONGER NEED THAT HIGH LEVEL OF AFTER SCHOOL OR SUMMER SCHOOL.

THEREFORE, NO NEED FOR AN AFTER-SCHOOL SUMMER SCHOOL COORDINATOR.

AND THESE PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT'S NOT THE POSITION I CAN SPEAK TO THE AFTER SCHOOL COORDINATOR. THAT POSITION VERY CLEARLY IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION WAS IT WAS A GRANT FUNDED POSITION. SO YES, ALL OF OUR POSITIONS, ALL ARE TIED TO THIS GRANT WHEN THEY'RE POSTED AND REMINDED WHEN GOING TO THE HIRING PROCESS THAT THEY ARE GRANT FUNDED POSITIONS WITH THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT WHEN THE MONEY GOES THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO ABSORB IT.

AND OF COURSE, WE'RE STILL FIGURING OUT THE BLUEPRINT LANDSCAPE YEARS DOWN, A COUPLE OF YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. BUT WE'RE VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT THAT.

SO THE REOPENING PLAN IS CONSISTS OF 12 AREAS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER WHEN YOU FIRST SAW THE REOPENING PLAN BACK IN AUGUST, JULY, SORRY AND THEN AUGUST AGAIN, THEY WERE ONLY 11 COMPONENTS [INAUDIBLE] THROUGH THE 12 COMPONENTS ON US.

AFTER [INAUDIBLE] ALL THE SYSTEMS HAD SUBMITTED THEIR PLANS, THEN ASKED US TO GO BACK AND ADD IT 12.

I THINK THEY CALLED IT THE BONUS ITEM.

SO WE ALL, EXCUSE ME, WE ALL DID.

SO AS WE GO THROUGH THE REOPENING PLAN, WHAT WE'RE REALLY GOING TO TRY TO FOCUS ON IS THE UPDATED COMPONENTS IN PART OF THAT IS IN THE INTEREST OF TIME AND PLUS JUST A LOT OF IT YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN AND HAVE HAD ACCESS TO.

SO RACHEL, IF YOU WANT TO JUMP TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THE FIRST THREE, I'M GOING TO TAKE REOPENING PLAN REQUIREMENT NUMBER ONE IS THAT IT'S ON THE WEBSITE AND POSTED.

STILL IS. THAT HASN'T CHANGED.

WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK TO KEEP IT UP TO DATE AND CURRENT, OBVIOUSLY, AS CHANGES GET MADE, REQUIREMENT TO IS REQUIREMENT PLAN MUST REFLECT OUR EQUITY PLAN AND WE CONTINUE TO APPLY THE EQUITY LENS AND WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE PLAN AND LOOKING AT ITEMS AS WE'RE PUTTING IN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALSO USING OUR DATA AS WE GET DATA SETS FOR OUR KIDS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE WHO HAVE REALLY BEEN IMPACTED MORE SEVERELY OR DISPROPORTIONATELY BY THE PANDEMIC AND THEN TRYING TO APPLY SUPPORTS TO THOSE STUDENTS AS WELL TO MINIMIZE AND CLOSE GAPS.

BUT AGAIN, NO CHANGE IN THAT AREA SINCE WE SENT THE REOPENING PLAN IN.

APARTMENT THREE WITH STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT AND WHERE WE UPDATED IN THIS COMPONENT THAT WENT IN WAS WE UPDATED ABOUT OUR MEETING WITH OUR SSIC AND CAC COMMITTEES WHEN WE ORIGINALLY WROTE THE PLAN BACK IN JULY AND AUGUST, THE SSIC AND CAC HAD NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR THIS YEAR.

THEY WERE ESTABLISHED TO THE OCTOBER BOARD MEETING, SO WE WORKED ALL THIS THROUGH THE EQUITY COMMITTEE, CHAIRED BY MRS. NICOLE FISCHER AT THAT POINT IN TIME, JULY AUGUST AS OUR STAKEHOLDER GROUP TO GET FEEDBACK. THIS ENTIRE PRESENTATION WAS PRESENTED TO THE SSIC AND CAC BY MRS.

[02:15:05]

AND WE WORKED THROUGH THAT TO GET OUR FEEDBACK THAT WAY.

QUESTION OR REQUEST, I GUESS I SHOULD SAY.

REFERRING TO THE SECOND REQUIREMENT EQUITY, BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY STUDENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY ACCESS AT HOME OR WHATEVER.

CAN YOU SHARE WITH US SOME DATA TO SHOW WHAT WE'VE DONE AND HOW THEY'VE IMPROVED SO FORTH SINCE WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE EQUITY PLAN HERE? WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK AT THAT BULLET GIVE TO YOU.

I MEAN, IT CAN BE FOR A WORK SESSION.

THANK YOU. SO REQUIREMENT FOUR LINDSAY.

YES, SO STUDENT ASSESSMENT.

MS. DIGIACOMO, EXACTLY WHAT YOU DON'T LIKE IS ALL THE ASSESSING THAT WE HAVE TO DO.

YOU CAN'T SAY, I DON'T LIKE IT, I DON'T LIKE THE AMOUNT WE DO.

RIGHT. AND I THINK AND I, YOU KNOW, I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT WE DO WAY TOO MUCH ASSESSMENTS AND NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE MY MIND ABOUT THAT.

YOU DO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A LOT OF IT IS STATE REQUIREMENTS, AND I GET THAT.

I DON'T LIKE IT, BUT I GET IT.

MY PROBLEM COMES IN THE ASSESSMENTS WE DO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO BECAUSE WE THERE ARE SO MUCH WE HAVE TO DO.

RIGHT. WHY ARE WE ADDING ON TO IT? SO WHAT WE UPDATED THE PLAN WITH WAS THAT WE DID HAVE TO DO OUR EARLY FALL MCAT AND WE DID HAVE TO DO OUR DIBBLES AND WE HAVE USED AND WILL CONTINUE TO USE IREADY AS OUR BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END OF THE YEAR BENCHMARK DATA.

WE HAVE UPDATED THE PLAN WITH SOME OF THE DATA.

THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR DATA, AS WE WOULD EXPECT, WAS NOT VERY GOOD.

WE KNEW THAT OUR STUDENTS HAD SOME INSTRUCTIONAL LOSS.

HOWEVER, WE ARE STARTING TO HAVE OUR MIDDLE OF THE YEAR DATA AND WE DID NOT INCLUDE IT IN THIS PLAN BECAUSE IT IS NOT COMPLETE.

BUT I DO WANT TO SAY, AND WE SEE GETTING MS. ANTHONY, AND THEN WE HAVE OUR MIDDLE OF THE YEAR DATA IS REALLY SHOWING GREAT GAINS FROM OUR STUDENTS, WHICH TRULY MEANS IN-PERSON LEARNING IS WHERE OUR STUDENTS REALLY NEED TO BE. AND THAT WOULD BE A GREAT PIECE TO CONNECT TO MRS. WAYMAN. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT.

ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE IT IS, IT'S HAIR RAISING THINKING ABOUT THE GAME SEEING IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, TO BE HONEST.

WHAT I'M ASKING FOR AND THAT DATA IS TRULY BEING USED TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS BY SCHOOL BASED TEAMS AND AGAIN, PLAN UPDATED TO SHOW THAT THOSE STUDENTS THAT STILL SHOW INSTRUCTIONAL LOSS WHERE WE ARE CREATING THOSE INDIVIDUAL PLANS TO HELP THEM.

AS IT RELATES TO REQUIREMENT FIVE, WHICH IS CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION, SURELY WHAT THEY WANTED TO ENSURE IS THAT WE USE THE MARYLAND COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STANDARDS IN ALL CONTENT AREAS.

WELL, THAT HAS NOT CHANGED.

THE ONLY THING THAT TRULY HAS CHANGED IN THIS ASPECT IS ALL STUDENTS DO HAVE THEIR DEVICE, WHETHER IT BE AN IPAD OR A LAPTOP.

AS WELL AS THAT WE DID.

WE DO HAVE THIRTY THREE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE BLENDED VIRTUAL LEARNING PROGRAM.

THAT DOES FLUCTUATE A LITTLE BIT, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW WITH SEMESTER TWO STARTING AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, WE HAVE HAD A FEW RETURN TO IN-PERSON LEARNING, A FEW STUDENTS NOT AS SUCCESSFUL AS WE WOULD HAVE LIKED IN BLENDED VIRTUAL.

BUT WE DO HAVE TWO NEW STUDENTS STARTING BLENDED, VIRTUAL OR STARTED YESTERDAY.

SPECIAL EDUCATION, AS YOU KNOW, WE WERE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW IDEA SECTION FIVE ZERO FOUR AND ADA, WE WERE GIVEN NO WAIVERS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

SO IN TURN WE HAD TO CONTINUE AS WE WOULD, EXCEPT IT WAS VIRTUAL.

AND THEN WHEN WE CAME BACK, WE HAD TO CONTINUE WHERE WE HAD LEFT OFF AND WE HAD TO IDENTIFY WHERE THE GAPS WERE.

SO IN TURN, I KNOW I'M SAYING THAT AWFUL WORD AGAIN.

THERE WAS ASSESSMENTS THAT HAD TO BE USED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHERE THESE CHILDREN WERE AND WHAT THOSE GAPS WERE.

SO IN TURN, WE HAD TO HAVE IEP MEETINGS TO DETERMINE WHO NEEDED COMPENSATORY SERVICES.

[02:20:01]

I THINK I THINK WE HAD MAYBE 80 STUDENTS THAT ENDED UP QUALIFYING OUT OF AT THE TIME, FIVE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY STUDENTS THAT NEEDED COMPENSATORY.

THE ONE THING THAT WE DID HAVE TO DO, THOUGH, AS WE WENT THROUGH THE QUARANTINING OF KIDS, IF STUDENTS WERE QUARANTINED FOR SEVERAL DAYS, WE CALLED AN [INAUDIBLE] MEETING AND WE LOOKED AT IT AGAIN TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THAT CHILD NEEDED [INAUDIBLE], WE WERE PROVIDING IT FOR THEM.

SO THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, ALONG WITH THE LEADERSHIP TEAM, DID A FANTASTIC JOB MAKING SURE THAT HAPPENED.

AND OF COURSE, WE CONTINUED WITH GIFTED AND TALENTED.

WHAT WE DID WAS WE MADE SURE THAT WHAT WE HAD ALREADY PUT IN PLACE WAS IN PLACE AND CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.

UNDER REQUIREMENT SEVEN, I'LL TOUCH BASE ON THE TWO UPDATES THAT WENT IN.

SINCE OUR LAST PLAN, THE FIRST ITEM IN THE PLAN WAS ORIGINALLY SUBMITTED IN JULY, OF AUGUST OF LAST YEAR. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THERE WAS A LOCAL DECISION AT THAT POINT RELATED TO MASKS THAT WENT IN NOT LONG AFTER WE BECOME A STATE MANDATE.

WE UPDATED TO REFLECT THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING THE STATE REQUIREMENT THAT'S IN THERE IN THE EMERGENCY REGULATION FOR MASKING.

SO THAT'S BEEN UPDATED SINCE AND WHAT HAS BEEN UPDATED MULTIPLE TIMES AND I'M SURE WILL BE CONTINUE TO BE UPDATED.

IS THE PROCESS FOR COVID EXPOSURES AND QUARANTINE EXPOSURES THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE UPDATED AS NEW REQUIREMENTS, NEW COMPONENTS COME IN AS IT WORKED WITH LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT MDH AND THE LIKE SO THAT'S THE CHANGE THERE, UNDER HEALTH AND SAFETY.

ALL RIGHT, NUMBER EIGHT, UNDER TRANSPORTATION, THERE ARE NO CHANGES SINCE WE DID THIS IN AUGUST. BUT JUST TO REFRESH AND REVIEW, WE ARE STILL ROUTINELY CLEANING AND DISINFECTING.

PER CDC REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES, STUDENTS, ALL STUDENTS AND ALL STAFF ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS WHILE THEY'RE STILL ON THE BUS, AND WE ARE STILL TRYING TO DO BEST PRACTICES BY PUTTING STUDENTS IN ASSIGNED SEATING.

WE SEAT STUDENTS AND FAMILY TRYING TO PUT THEM IN THE SAME SEAT AS WELL, AND WE DO OUR BEST TO DO THE DISTANCING AS FAR AS POSSIBLE.

WE TRY TO DO TWO PEOPLE PER SEAT AND NO MORE.

IF WE CAN DO ONE PERSON PER SEAT, WE DO THAT TOO.

BUT SOMETIMES THE [INAUDIBLE]S ALLOW FOR THAT.

WHEN YOU SAY ROUTINE CLEANING, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT DAILY TWICE A WEEK OR AFTER? EVERY AFTER EACH DAY, AFTER EVERY ROUTE.

EACH DAY? YES. YES.

THANK YOU. THE REQUIREMENT NINE ATTENDANCE DEVELOP A SYSTEM FOR TRACKING ATTENDANCE WHEN STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN DISTANCE LEARNING, AND WE UPDATED OUR PLAN FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE QUARANTINED AND HOW THEY ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES, AND THEY WILL MARK QUARANTINE PRESENT.

AND THEN YOU CAN SEE BELOW THAT WE HAD SPECIFIC CODES THAT WE USE WITHIN OUR STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR WHEN STUDENTS WERE QUARANTINED, AND THAT WAS THE CHANGE THAT CAME OUT OF MSDE TO START QUARTER TWO.

WITH A DAY [INAUDIBLE] REQUIREMENT 10 COMMUNICATION, WE HAD NO UPDATES TO THAT MSDE BASICALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PLAN WAS CLEAR AND STRAIGHTFORWARD AND ACCESSIBLE TO ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS AS IT NEEDED TO BE ON THE WEBSITE AND ON OUR WEBSITE.

NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE THE PLAN IN THE PDF FORM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE IT IN TEXT ON THE WEBSITE, WHICH IS ADA ACCESSIBLE AND CAN BE TRANSLATED.

AND TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR FORMATS HAVE THOSE SAME COMPONENTS, THOSE SAME FEATURES TO THEM, THAT WE'RE NOT LEAVING ANYBODY OUT.

CERTAINLY FROM THE WEBSITE OR FROM THE NEWSLETTER FORMATS THAT ARE BEING USED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT AND BY ALL THE PRINCIPALS NOW AND PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL AND HOME COMMUNICATION IS MAKING SURE THAT THE PRINCIPALS IN PARTICULAR HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH STAFF AND FAMILIES.

SO WE CAN NOW EACH . HAITIAN CREOLE. MM HMM.

YES. THE PLATFORM THAT WE USE FOR THE NEWSLETTERS IS CALLED SMORE AND THAT IS TRANSLATABLE AND ALSO ADA ACCESSIBLE, AND THEY'VE ALL DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF THEIR COMMUNICATION IS GOING HOME IN THAT WAY OR VIA EMAIL, WHICH IS ALSO.

[INAUDIBLE].

[02:25:02]

AS IT RELATES TO REQUIREMENT 11 WITH ATHLETICS, THE CHANGE CAME WITH WINTER SPORTS STARTING AND FOR CAROLINE COUNTY AND ALL OF BAYSIDE.

IT IS EACH TEAM WOULD RECEIVE FOUR HOME ADMISSION PASSES AND TWO AWAY, ADMISSION PASSES.

SO THAT HAS BEEN UPDATED.

AND AS IT RELATES TO QUARANTINE STUDENTS, WE DID NOT REALLY HAVE ANY UPDATED INFORMATION.

OUR QUARANTINE STUDENTS ARE STILL ABLE TO ACCESS THEIR WORK THROUGH GOOGLE CLASSROOM.

THEY HAVE THE ZOOM TUTORS THROUGH ZOOM THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND TEACHERS PUT THEIR ATTENDANCE IN IF THEY PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES.

THAT IS THE CONDENSED READER'S DIGEST VERSION OF THE UPDATES THAT WE'RE INTO THE REOPENING PLAN. WHAT WILL CONTINUE IS EACH TIME THAT ANYTHING DOES GET MODIFIED, WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE ON THE WEBSITE.

THERE ARE DETAILED COMPONENTS THAT WE WILL BE UPDATING REGULARLY IN MS. MCCORMICK SHOP. WE HAVE TO UPDATE ASSESSMENT RESULTS THAT KEEP THOSE CURRENT.

SO AS WE GET DONE THE IREADIES, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS HAVE TO STAY CURRENT WITH WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN SOME OF OUR GENERAL POPULATION, PLUS TARGET GROUPS.

IF THERE'S A CHANGE AND I WOULD ANTICIPATE THERE LIKELY TO BE A CHANGE FOR ATHLETICS WITH SPRING EVENTS THAT WILL GET REFLECTED THERE, WE WON'T WAIT UNTIL THE REPORT'S DUE IN JULY. TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES.

WE'LL KEEP THE WEBSITE CURRENT WITH THOSE CHANGES AS THEY COME IN ANY OF THESE ARENAS AS IT RELATES TO THESE THE REOPENING PLAN B'S AND SO AND IT'S BEEN SUBMITTED TO MSDE.

MY GUESS IS WE'LL GET FEEDBACK.

THEY SAID TWO WEEKS? YEAH, PROBABLY MID-MONTH.

AND THEN ALL DISTRICTS ARE ANTICIPATING A FEW CLARIFYING QUESTIONS BECAUSE THAT'S TYPICAL OF THE PROCESS FROM MSDE.

WHENEVER THEY REVIEW ANYTHING, THEY ALWAYS HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS BACK.

WE'LL RESPOND TO THOSE QUESTIONS.

AND IF ANYTHING ELSE COMES UP MORE THAN JUST GENERAL CLARIFYING QUESTIONS, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO KEEP THE BOARD IN THE LOOP IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S AS OBVIOUSLY GLARING MISSING OR THERE'S A CONCERN WITHIN THE PLAN THAT MSDE GENERATES.

GOOD STUFF EVER EVOLVING.

APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT EVERYONE'S DOING.

TRY TO GUIDE OUR SYSTEMS THROUGH THIS EVER CHANGING ATMOSPHERE.

ALL RIGHT, BOARD MEMBERS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THAT? HERE ARE NONE.

WE'RE MOVING INTO DISCUSSION [INAUDIBLE] FUTURE BOARD ACTION.

[9. Discussion of Items for Future Board Action]

NOW WE'RE TRYING TO REALIGN IT.

WE HAD ASKED THE DR.

SIMMONS AND MS. BARRY TO SEND OUT SOME OF OUR THOUGHTS SO WE COULD REPLY TO REPLY TO BARRY AND TABULATE THEM SO WE COULD SEE HOW EVERYBODY WAS FEELING.

THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED TO YOU AS PART OF THIS AGENDA ITEM.

SO LET'S JUST GO THROUGH THEM AND SO WE CAN GIVE, I GUESS.

DR. SIMMONS TO PASS ON TO MR. WILLOUGHBY, THE POLICY COMMITTEE, SOME GUIDANCE AND HOW WE MIGHT WANT OUR PUBLIC POLICY PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY TO BE TWEAKED, AMENDED.

SO THE [INAUDIBLE] THOUGHT PROCESS WAS LET'S PUT SOME BULLETS AT IDEAS THAT WERE COMING OUT ON PAPER. FIRST ONE AND SEE HOW WE WERE GOING.

FIRST ONE, IF WRITTEN COMMENTS ARE ACCEPTED WHEN NUMEROUS WRITTEN COMMENTS ARE ON THE SAME TOPIC, THE CONTENT COULD BE SUMMARIZED IN LIEU OF READING EACH.

THE MAJORITY OF BOARD SEEM TO BE IN FAVOR OF THAT.

BY LOOKING AT THE.

CAN I SAY SOMETHING? OF COURSE, I'M GOING TO LET EVERYBODY SAY ANYTHING.

ALL RIGHT. MINE WASN'T.

IT WAS MORE IN THE MIDDLE.

LIKE, I WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE NUMEROUS WRITTEN COMMENTS, BUT I THINK THERE

[02:30:01]

LIKE WE'RE SUMMARIZING, YOU KNOW, FIVE LETTERS WRITTEN BY BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH, BLAH IT.

TO ME, IT CAN'T BE DONE WILLY NILLY OR AT THE LAST MINUTE.

SO. I WASN'T AGAINST IT, BUT WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE A SYSTEM IN PLACE.

OK. AND IN MY NOTE WAS I FELT I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT FEEDBACK WITH DOWN THE LINE NUMBER SEVEN AS FAR AS ACCEPTING COMMENTS IS IF ACCEPTING WRITTEN COMMENTS AND NOTED THAT PRIOR TO COVID WRITTEN COMMENTS HAD NEVER BEEN PART OF PUBLIC COMMENT.

IS THIS A CHANGE DUE TO COVID THAT WE'RE GOING TO CARRY ON? OR, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SAYING, OR ARE WE ARE WE JUST SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO CLARIFY WITH TIED INTO NUMBER SEVEN, I GUESS IF.

BUT IT SAYS IF THE BEGINNING IS, IF SO, I JUST FELT LIKE THAT NEEDS TO BE CLARIFIED.

ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS WANT TO COMMENT ON THAT ONE? I THINK WE WOULD. I WOULD LIKE TO EVENTUALLY GO BACK TO IN PERSON.

I MEAN, I DON'T. HOW DO YOU GUYS FEEL? DO YOU ALWAYS WANT TO KEEP WRITTEN COMMENTS AS A POSSIBILITY? MY FEELING ON IT WAS THE WRITTEN COMMENTS COULD BE SUBMITTED, BUT THAT THEY WOULD BE ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA SO ANYONE COULD SEE THEM, BUT WE WEREN'T GOING TO ACTUALLY HAVE SOMEONE DEDICATED TO READ THEM OUT LOUD.

THAT WAS SO EVEN DURING THE COVID? JUST GOING FORWARD WITH THIS NEW POLICY THAT WAS JUST THAT WAS MY THOUGHT ON IT ANYWAY, THAT WE WOULD STILL ACCEPT THE WRITTEN COMMENTS, IT'S JUST WE WEREN'T GOING TO READ THEM, WE WEREN'T GOING TO READ THEM OUT LOUD. SO SOMEBODY WANTS IT TO BE HEARD.

THEY HAVE TO BECOME A PERSON THEY WOULD NEED TO COME IN.

IN THAT CASE, YES.

AFTER COVID? NO, HE'S SAYING WHATEVER.

JUST GOING GOING FORWARD THIS WITH THIS POLICY.

YEAH, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE WHAT WE HAVE WRITTEN TO PEOPLE ENCOURAGE IS ACTUALLY ENCOURAGES THEM NOT TO WRITE.

I MEAN, NOT TO COME IN PERSON.

SO THIS JUST HAPPENED SINCE COVID, AM I CORRECT? RIGHT, RIGHT. YEAH.

AND THE BOARD COULD HAVE CHANGED THAT.

RIGHT. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT PART OF THE POLICY.

IT'S COMPLETELY DEVOID OF POLICY.

AND THAT WAS JUST GOING TO SAY TO THAT IS TO SOMEWHERE.

AND AS WE GO DOWN HERE, THE BOARD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO AMEND OR CHANGE DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES. IT'S MORE VAGUE, BUT I PERSONALLY WOULD NOT LIKE BE IN FAVOR OF A POLICY WITH COVID AS THE BACKGROUND.

I WOULD RATHER HAVE A PUBLIC POLICY COMMENT POLICY.

THAT'S OUR PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY.

BUT GIVE US THE POWER CAVEAT SOMEWHERE IN THE STATEMENT.

THIS IS HEY, WE HAVE THE POWER IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.

IF WE HAVE PEOPLE, 50 PEOPLE SHOW UP, WE CAN HAVE A SPECIAL PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD OR, YOU KNOW, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO AMEND IT.

IF THERE'S A HEALTH SCARE OR A STORM, PLEASE DON'T COME IN.

SEND US COMMENTS IF YOU'D LIKE.

I PERSONALLY WOULDN'T BE IN FAVOR OF AGAIN, I SAID IT, HAVING A POLICY TO SOMETHING THAT'S HOPEFULLY TEMPORARILY.

THAT'S THE LENS I'M LOOKING AT THESE FROM.

I AGREE WITH THAT. THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME.

I THINK THAT WE SHOULD OFFER PEOPLE TWO WAYS.

THEY CAN COMMENT IN PERSON VERBALLY OR IN WRITING OR BOTH IF THEY WANT TO, AND WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MANAGE THIS AGENDA AND THE NUMBER, THE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT ON IT, THE NUMBER OF COMMENTS THAT WE CAN TAKE IN AT ANY ONE TIME.

AND THAT ENABLES US TO PREVENT A SITUATION WHERE A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SHOW UP TO BASICALLY HIJACK OUR MEETINGS.

THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO DO THAT.

THAT'S IT. THAT'S A CONCERN THAT I HAVE.

SURE, THEY ARE GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO DO THAT.

THEY SHOW UP AND THEY WANT TO COMMENT COVID OR NO COVID.

THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IF THEY WANT TO SUBMIT THINGS IN WRITING.

I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY LIMIT ON THAT.

A BUNCH OF PEOPLE [INAUDIBLE] RIGHT FEEL FREE.

THE READING OF WRITTEN THINGS INTO THE RECORD I'M KIND OF ON THE FENCE ABOUT THAT.

BUT AGAIN, WE CAN'T HAVE OUR ENTIRE AGENDA TAKEN UP BY HAVING WRITTEN COMMENTS, READ INTO THE RECORD. AND I THINK WE ALL AGREE.

NOT GOING TO WORK. KIND OF HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT.

I AGREE WITH YOU.

THIS MIGHT BE A CONSIDERATION AS YOU'RE WORKING THROUGH.

BOARD MEMBERS CAN ALWAYS BE EMAILED TO ME AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER AS YOU GUYS ARE DISCUSSING.

THERE'S THE PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY, WHICH IS HOW YOU WANT TO HANDLE THE TIME WHERE THE

[02:35:02]

AND THEN THERE'S A COMMUNICATION PROCEDURE THAT IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SPEAK WITH A BOARD MEMBER OR WANTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE BOARD MEMBER THROUGH EMAIL, WHATEVER ELSE.

THAT'S IF AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION OF SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.

IF THE CONCERN IS ABOUT COMMUNICATING WITH BOARD MEMBERS AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE HEARD AND PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU TO SHARE CONCERNS OR POSITIVES, PERHAPS THERE'S AN AVENUE THAT WE CAN LOOK AT AT ENHANCING THE WEBSITE TO PUSH THAT THROUGH A PROCEDURE PIECE TO JUST THE COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL PIECE OF HERE'S YOUR BOARD JUST HOW TO REACH OUT TO BOARD MEMBERS AND LOOK AT THAT AS AN AVENUE.

AND IS THIS POLICY WHAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING FOR HOW TO HANDLE THE TIME DURING THE MEETING, THAT TIME BOXED IN, WHETHER IT'S 30 MINUTES OR 50 MINUTES.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR FEEDBACK AT THAT MOMENT? AND I DON'T KNOW JUST AS A SUGGESTION TO THINK ABOUT, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALMOST TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. IF YOU LOOK AT IT THROUGH THE LENS OF YOUR MEETING TIME.

RIGHT. I DON'T REALLY HEAR [INAUDIBLE].

YEAH, I DON'T SEE HOW WE CAN PUT A BOX TIME ON.

I MEAN, IF HOPEFULLY NOT.

BUT IF 15 PEOPLE COME AND WE SAY WE'RE ALLOTTING 30 MINUTES FOR PUBLIC SESSION THAT ISN'T GOING TO WORK BECAUSE 15 PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO FIT IN AT THAT TIME BLOCK.

BUT I LIKE WHAT YOU SUGGESTED AS FAR AS SETTING UP A PROGRAM THAT THE PUBLIC HAS ACCESS TO. I ALSO HAVE A QUESTION NOW IS THAT GOING TO ALSO INCLUDE THE OPPORTUNITY THAT FOLKS HAVE TO SEND COMMENTS TO MS. BARRY AS THEY HAVE BEEN DOING DURING THE COVID TIME, BECAUSE I THINK THAT HAS PROVEN TO BE WORTHWHILE, AND I THINK IT COULD.

I DEFINITELY THINK IT COULD.

THE ONE THING THAT I'VE SEEN OTHER SYSTEMS DO AND AGAIN, THIS IS YOUR POLICY AND I WANT YOU GUYS TO BE HAPPY WITH THE FINAL PRODUCT AND WHERE IT IS AND UNDERSELLING SUGGESTIONS TO HELP US GET THE GUIDANCE TO MAKE SURE WE GET IT RIGHT OR CLOSE TO RIGHT THE FIRST TIME WE DRAFT IT TO YOU. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN, WHAT SOME OTHER BOARDS HAVE DONE IS THEY LIMIT AND LIMIT, NOT A POPULAR WORD.

THEY ARE LIMITED BY THE NUMBER OF TIMES FOR THE FIRST NUMBER OF SPEAKERS WHO SIGN UP.

RIGHT NOW, THE STATE BOARD DOES IT THAT WAY, AND ACTUALLY THE STATE BOARD DOES IT THAT WAY ANYWAY. THEY LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF TIME SET ASIDE IN THE MEETING FOR THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS TO THE FIRST X NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO SIGN UP ARE THE ONES WHO GET TO SPEAK.

SOME DO IT THROUGH AN [INAUDIBLE].

NOW IN THE COVID WORLD THROUGH ELECTRONIC PROCESS AND THEY OPEN THEIR WINDOW X NUMBER OF DAYS PRIOR TO, AND YOU HAVE THIS MUCH TIME TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR SLOT IF YOU WANT.

NOT SAYING YOU HAVE TO.

I'M JUST GIVING THAT AS A SUGGESTION.

WE'VE RARELY HAD TIMES WHERE WE'VE BEEN OVERRUN IN THIS ROOM WITH PEOPLE TO SPEAK.

IT HAS BEEN RARE.

AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT, TOO MS. WAYMAN AND AS FAR AS THE TIMETABLE, IT'S BEEN RARE IT HAS HAPPENED.

BUT AS WE CAN ALL TELL AND LOOK TO A TIME, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE DISCUSSION.

WE LIKE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND IF WE REGULARLY HAD MORE AND YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY ELSE THREW OUT THE TIMETABLE.

I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.

BUT TONIGHT, WELL, WE HAD ONE.

SO IT WAS FIVE MINUTES.

SO NO PROBLEM.

30 MINUTES, I THINK, IS VERY ADEQUATE.

NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, I MEAN, FIVE MINUTES IS MORE THAN ADEQUATE.

I BELIEVE THAT'S MORE THAN MOST BOARDS DO THREE.

SO AGAIN, IF WE DRAFT THIS IN A POLICY IN A WAY WHERE WE CONTROL OUR, OUR REALM AND ITS STATED, HEY, LISTEN, WE WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE FIVE MINUTES MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE IN THE AREA. BUT IF WE HAVE 10 PEOPLE SHOW UP, YOU KNOW, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ASK YOU TO KEEP IT TO THREE, YOU KNOW, AND THEN WE CAN FIT THROUGH 10 PEOPLE.

WE VERY RARELY HAVE MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE SPEAK, BUT WE'VE SET THAT 30 MINUTES ASIDE INTO OUR THREE HOUR MEETING.

WE KNOW. AND SO THEN WHEN THAT CAME OUT, I WAS KIND OF OPEN TO SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS. THE READING COMMENTS, IF SOMEONE DOESN'T THINK I HONESTLY READ THE STUFF AND I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, I SORT OF TAKE INSULT TO THAT.

BUT IF THEY DON'T, THEY CAN TELL BY OUR FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS IT'S GOING TO GET BROUGHT UP, NOT JUST OUR EMAIL, MY PERSONAL, MY TEXT, MY FACEBOOK, MY OUT ON THE STREET.

I MEAN, WE HEAR FROM PEOPLE EVERY DAY.

I DON'T WANT TO OVERCOMPLICATE OR MINIMIZE THIS, BUT YOU KNOW, I ALSO THINK SOME OF THESE OTHER QUESTIONS CAME UP.

AND JUST LIKE WE, LISTEN THE TEACHERS AND WE CREATED THIS NEW COMMITTEE, AND I WANT TO

[02:40:01]

AND THIS WE KIND OF GOT SIDETRACKED A LITTLE BIT, I THINK, AND THAT'S WHY SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS STARTED.

SO ALL THAT TO SAY, I'M OPEN, TO WORKING THROUGH THIS.

CAN WE CAN WE MOVE? I MEAN, SO WE'RE ON WRITTEN COMMENTS OR ACCEPTED, AND NUMEROUS ARE FORWARD IN FAVOR.

IF [INAUDIBLE] AND WRITTEN COMMENTS ARE ACCEPTED WHEN NUMEROUS WRITTEN COMMENTS, LET'S SUMMARIZE THEM IN LIEU OF SO THERE WAS A MAJORITY THERE ON THAT COMMENT.

CAN WE MOVE ON IF EVERYBODY IS IN AGREEMENT AND JUST WORK DOWN THESE AND CONTINUE TO HAVE SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS, SEE IF WE CAN OUTLINE A DIRECTION? SO ARE WE GOING TO ACCEPT WRITTEN COMMENTS OR NOT? I'VE HEARD, I'M KIND OF THERE ON MY SEVEN IS SO IF WRITTEN [INAUDIBLE] COMMENTS AND WE HAVE FIVE PEOPLE SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS AND WE'RE GOING TO READ THEM, BUT WE HAVE THREE PEOPLE SHOW UP, IT JUST COMPLICATES IT. SO NOW IF THE WRITTEN COMMENTS CAME IN.

I DIDN'T SAY NOT ACCEPT THEM.

I DON'T BELIEVE. WELL, NOT READ THEM.

I DON'T KNOW. I JUST ACCEPT THEM BUT.

SO BUT IF WE PUT A TIMETABLE ON THEM AND WE HAVE NO WRITTEN COMMENTS THAT TAKE UP TWENTY FIVE MINUTES, BUT WE HAVE THREE PEOPLE SITTING HERE AND WE SAY, OH NO, I MEAN, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL OUR MEETING.

AS I THINK ABOUT IT NOW.

IF IT'S A WRITTEN COMMENT, IT'S EITHER FORWARDED TO US BY EMAIL OR PUT IN OUR POCKET, BUT DOESN'T NEED TO BE READ.

[INAUDIBLE] AND SO WE KNOW IT PUT IT.

I MEAN, TO PUT IT ON THE.

I CAN READ THOSE COMMENTS. IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO PUT SIGNS UP, WANTS TO COME IN AND SPEAK TO US. GREAT.

WONDERFUL. IF THEY WANT TO PUT IT IN WRITING, GIVE IT TO US.

YOU DON'T NEED TO READ IT AT THE MEETING.

IT'LL BE ON THE AGENDA, VALUABLE AT ALL.

BUT MOST PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE BEEN WRITING IT NOW HAVE BEEN DOING IT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING THEM TO DO IT.

I DON'T THINK IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO LAZY TO COME IN.

THEY'RE JUST DOING WHAT WE'VE ASKED THEM TO DO.

LOOK, WHATEVER PEOPLE HAVE DONE, I'M NOT CRITICIZING THEY'RE FOLLOWING THE POLICY AS.

IT'S UP TO US TO CLARIFY THIS AND HAVE A BETTER POLICY.

TO ME, IT'S IT'S NOT A GOOD USE OF TIME FOR ANYBODY, STAFF MRS. BARRY TO STAND THERE AND READ SOMETHING THAT WE CAN READ THAT JUST DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE TO ME. GIVE IT TO US.

GIVE US A COPY OF IT.

SEND IT TO US BY EMAIL.

ASSURE THE PERSON THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED IT.

AND BUT WHAT'S READ OR WHAT'S STATED AT THAT PODIUM SHOULD BE SOMEBODY WHO'S A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WANTS TO SPEAK TO US.

THAT'S WHAT THEY SHOULD. YOU KNOW, COVID ASIDE, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO MANAGE. IF IT'S IN WRITING, JUST GIVE IT TO US.

WHY TAKE THAT TIME TO READ A DOCUMENT TO US? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THAT'S WHAT WE'VE ASKED THEM TO DO.

RIGHT, SO.

GOING FORWARD? RIGHT. ALL RIGHT SO.

IT'S LIKE I SAID, I JUST ASSUME THEY COME IN IN PERSON, AND I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO COME IN PERSON.

AND IF YOU WERE GOING TO DO A HYBRID TO ME, THE PEOPLE THAT CAME HERE GET THE PRIORITY.

THEY GET TO SPEAK ANYTHING IN WRITING, WE GET.

SO IS EVERYBODY.

SO YOU'RE SAYING. NOT ONLY DO WE GET IT, BUT ANYONE CAN GO TO OUR AGENDA AND BRING THAT, BRING UP THEIR LETTERS AND READ IT THEMSELVES ALSO.

SURE, THEY CAN BRING IN THEIR WRITTEN STATEMENT AND READ IT TO US.

THAT'S WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS THE WRITTEN STATEMENTS THAT ARE SUBMITTED WILL BE PUT ON OUR AGENDA. THEY WON'T BE READ, BUT THERE'LL BE A LINK ON THAT SITE.

THERE'LL BE A LINK TO ALL THOSE.

IF WE HAD 20 LETTERS, THERE'LL BE A LINK TO THOSE 20 LETTERS RIGHT THERE IN OUR MINUTES.

WELL, NOT IN OUR MINUTES, BUT IN OUR AGENDA.

AND THEY CAN THEY CAN SEE EXACTLY WHAT WAS IN OUR FOLDER.

AND THEY SHOULD IT'S JUST NOT BEING READ BY ONE OF OUR EMPLOYEES TO US.

SO IF SOMEBODY WANTS IT AND I REALLY ACTUALLY AGREE WITH THAT, OK, IF WE'RE GOING TO KIND OF IF WE'RE GOING TO QUIT TELLING PEOPLE WE'D PREFER YOU RUN.

WE'RE NOT. WE'RE NOT REALLY TELLING THEM.

WE'RE NOT REALLY TELLING THEM NOT TO WRITE TO US.

YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE READ TO US.

IT'S STILL COMMUNICATE WITH US, THAT'S THAT'S FINE.

THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE. BUT IF THEY FEEL COMPELLED TO ACTUALLY COME IN AND SPEAK TO US, THEN THEN COME IN AND SPEAK, YOU KNOW, COME AND SPEAK.

SO I'M SAYING MOVING FORWARD. RIGHT.

WE WILL ALWAYS ACCEPT WRITTEN COMMENTS, BUT THEY WON'T BE READ.

RIGHT. RIGHT. SO THAT A MOTION.

WELL, I'M GOING TO GO. I'M GOING TO.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED A MOTION, SO.

I WOULD. I WOULD SAY WE GET IT ALL, GET IT ALL IRONED OUT.

AND THEN RATHER THAN MAKING 12 MOTIONS.

[02:45:01]

RIGHT NO [INAUDIBLE].

WOULD YOU WANT TO KEEP THAT IN THERE? I WOULD SUGGEST KEEPING IT.

BUT IF YOU.

OK, SO WHAT WE'RE SAYING HAPPENED BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, WHETHER YOU COME IN PERSON OR WRITE WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO LET, WHAT DO YOU CALL PIO? YEAH. IT'S ACTUALLY A PUBLIC COMMENT THAT EITHER ONE.

OK. BUT THEY HAVE TO WILL COME UP WITH THE THINGS, BUT THEY WOULD STILL, IF IT'S A WRITTEN COMMENT, THEY HAVE TO GET THE WRITTEN COMMENT INTO WHOMEVER BY NOON THE DAY BEFORE. THE SAME AS NOW.

YEAH [INAUDIBLE]. RIGHT.

BUT WE'D HAVE TO PUT THAT IN THE POLICY SO THEY CAN'T DO IT 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE MEETING AND SAY, WHY DON'T I GET PUT IN THERE? CORRECT [INAUDIBLE]. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WE PUT IT IN.

YEAH, YEAH. KEEP THAT.

RIGHT. BUT JUST I JUST WANT UNTIL WE CHANGE THIS, WE'RE GOING TO GO WITH WHAT IT IS NOW, RIGHT? YEAH, OK.

I JUST. WRITTEN COMMENTS SUBMITTED AROUND THE MONTHLY MEETINGS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TIMETABLES WILL BE GIVEN TO THE BOARD MEMBERS AND BECOME PART OF THE ARCHIVE MEETING MINUTES. BUT WE HAVE NOT ADDRESSED WHAT IT SAYS.

NOW. WELL. THAT THE CONTENT WOULD BE SUMMARIZED.

WELL.

IN LIEU OF READING EACH IF WRITTEN COMMENTS ARE ACCEPTED, WHICH THEY ARE BEING ACCEPTED, BUT THEY'RE NOT BEING READ SO THEY DON'T NEED TO BE SUMMARIZED.

RIGHT? YEAH, WE CAN READ THEM ALL WE CAN.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO, OK, THIS IS REFERRING TO.

OK, I GOTCHA. BUT THIS IS, LIKE I SAID, GOING TO TAKE PLACE WHEN THE NEW POLICY RIGHT NOW IT IS WHAT IT IS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GOING FORWARD, THE NEW POLICY.

RIGHT. I DON'T WANT PEOPLE LISTENING TO BE GETTING CONFUSED.

SO WE'RE NOT READING INTO THE RECORD.

WE'RE CHANGING THE POLICY.

RIGHT. TALK ABOUT HOW TO CHANGE IT.

RIGHT. BUT UNTIL IT'S PUT IN PLACE, IT'S THE SAME POLICY THAT'S BEEN TONIGHT AND EVERY NIGHT BEFORE THIS.

RIGHT. SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO, MAKING IT BETTER.

SO WHEN THE NUMBER ONE, SINCE WE'RE NOT READING THE MINUTE, THE LETTERS INTO THE.

SO THESE ARE NOT BEING READ ALOUD.

THESE ARE NOT BEING READ ALOUD. THEY'RE SUBMITTED TO THE BOARD MEMBERS.

THEY'RE PUBLISHED ONLINE.

NOW THOSE ARE JUST THE NORMAL COMMENTS SUBMITTED IN WRITING ON THE EMAIL THAT MEET THE MEETING MONTHLY MEETING TIMETABLES.

THEY CAN ALWAYS SUBMIT COMMENTS TO BOARD MEMBERS OR SUPERINTENDENT OR TEACHERS ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR YEAR THEY WANT.

OK, NUMBER TWO. AND YOU'RE IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT OR NOT? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WRITTEN COMMENTS NOW.

WRITTEN COMMENTS. ANYBODY CAN SUBMIT A WRITTEN COMMENT TO US WHENEVER, WHICH IS ALWAYS THE WAY IT'S BEEN. THEY'RE NOT BEING READ ALOUD.

I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT, BUT IT WOULD BE LIKE YOU SAID ADDED TO LIKE YOU CAN AT SOME POINT WHEN YOU'RE DOING PUBLIC COMMENT, JUST MAYBE MAKE A THING SAYING FIVE, THERE ARE FIVE LETTERS ATTACHED.

LET PEOPLE KNOW IF THEY WANT TO KNOW.

READ IT. THAT'S ALL. RIGHT. YEAH.

OK.

GOOD. NUMBER TWO, THE MAJORITY WERE IN FAVOR OF PUBLIC COMMENT BEING RESERVED FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. AND I ALLUDED TO THE FACT STAFF CONCERNS.

WE WANT TO TRY TO DIRECT THEM TO THEIR PAC, BUILDING ADMINISTRATOR AND APPROPRIATE DIRECTOR. AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT LAST MONTH.

IF FOR SOME REASON THAT COMMUNICATION LINE IS NOT WORKING THE WAY IT SHOULD, WE NEED TO WORK ON THAT. WELL, RIGHT.

AND I MEAN, HONESTLY, WELL TO ME UNTIL WE HAVE SOMETHING IN PLACE, THAT'S VERY CLEAR.

LIKE I SAID LAST TIME, THERE IS NO CLEAR CHAIN OF COMMAND UP.

YEAH THERE IS. WE DISCUSS THAT.

BUT NO, IT'S NO THERE'S NOT.

WE JUST HAD A PERSON HERE THAT SAID THEY HAD AN ISSUE AND NEVER GOT A DIRECT COMMENT.

IN ALL FAIRNESS, WE HAD A PERSON COMMENT IN PUBLIC COMMENT THAT NOBODY IN THIS ROOM HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO ANYONE IN THEIR BUILDING OR TO HAVE ANY OTHER CONSIDERATION. NOTHING ABOUT THE COMMENT HAD COME TO ME, AND I DON'T WANT US MAKING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHETHER RESPONSES WERE OR WERE NOT PROVIDED WITH ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE STORY BEING PRESENTED DURING PUBLIC COMMENT.

I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT FACTUAL.

OK, BUT I MEAN, I CAN.

I CAN TELL YOU THAT FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, I SEE IT HAPPEN.

I SAW IT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME AND IT IS STILL HAPPENING.

AND ALL I'M SAYING IS, IF YOU'RE GOING TO SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE AN EMPLOYEE IN THIS.

[02:50:05]

AND I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT, DON'T JUST I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT.

OK. THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING VERY CLEARLY IN WRITING THAT, YES, I DO THINK YOU SHOULD START HERE AND GO HERE AND GO THERE, BUT AT SOME POINT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME HERE. IF THEY DO NOT BELIEVE OR FEEL THAT THEY WERE TREATED FAIRLY, THEY WERE TREATED HONESTLY OR AND DON'T GIVE ME THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T LIKE THE ANSWER THING, OK, BECAUSE THEY STILL THINK THEY'RE NOT BEING HEARD OR WHATEVER, THEY SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO COME HERE. SO IF YOU WANT TO SAY THEY CAN'T JUST START OUT HERE, WHICH I AGREE THEY SHOULDN'T, BUT YOU NEED SOMETHING CLEAR WHEN IT IS OK FOR THEM TO COME HERE.

AND WELL, DEREK AND I'LL COMMENT ON.

I'LL TOUCH IF I COULD, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC POLICY.

IF THAT IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS SCENARIO YOU'RE DISCUSSING, MS. DIGIACOMO IS HAPPENING.

IT BOTHERS ME BECAUSE THE CHAIN AND THE PATH IS BROKEN.

THIS IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR AND WHATEVER IS GOING ON, I STILL WOULDN'T WANT THAT COME INTO PUBLIC COMMENT. I WOULD WANT AN INDIVIDUAL EMAIL TO ME OR YOU OR THE BOARD AS A WHOLE TO SAY, LISTEN, HERE'S WHAT I DID AND AND I DON'T WANT THAT TO THE PUBLIC BECAUSE THAT'S AN INTERNAL MORE OF A PERSONNEL.

AND IT MIGHT BE THAT I HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, WELL, WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS THEN GO TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND SAY, LISTEN, THIS IS AN ISSUE.

WE WANT AN UPDATE NEXT WEEK, NEXT MEETING ON WHAT WHAT THE MORE DETAILS ON THIS BECAUSE THIS IS INAPPROPRIATE, BUT THAT SHOULDN'T COME OUT IN PUBLIC COMMENT.

AND I'LL SAY THAT'S A STAFF FOR ANY STAFF TO HEAR IS THIS ISN'T SAYING IF SOMETHING'S BROKEN IN OUR SYSTEM, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT.

I JUST WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT EITHER AS A THROUGH AN EMAIL CHANNEL, BECAUSE IT'S POTENTIALLY PERSONNEL OR OR SOME OTHER WAY.

WE'RE JUST NOT GOING TO AGREE, I MEAN, I THINK AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE SAT WE BUILT UP ALL THIS GOODWILL OVER THE PAST YEAR THAT WE WANT TO HEAR YOU AND TALK TO US AND BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. AND YOU KNOW, YEAH, WE'VE PRETTY MUCH WIPED THAT GOODWILL DID RAISE A CONCERN. THAT WAS THAT.

AND WE DID HEAR IT'S A LEGITIMATE CONCERN, TOO, THAT IF WE HEAR IT AND THERE'S SOME SORT OF AN APPEAL THAT WE ARE NOW OUT OF THE PICTURE TO DO TO BUT IN MY REPLY TO RACHEL, I SAID AS LONG AS AN EMPLOYEE ISN'T DISCUSSING SOMETHING THAT MAY COME TO THE BOARD IN FORM AN APPEAL IN THE FORM OF AN APPEAL, THEN THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK. AND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS VERY VALID.

MY QUESTION WOULD BE WHEN HAS A PERSON COME HERE AND DONE THAT? SPOKEN WHEN IT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN APPEAL.

GRIEVANCES ARE NOT JUST ABOUT APPEALING A DISCIPLINARY ACTION.

YOU CAN GRIEVE A WORKING CONDITION.

YOU CAN FILE A GRIEVANCE THAT IT'S UNFAIR WORKING CONDITIONS.

UNFAIR WORKING HOURS.

YOU'RE NOT JUST APPEALING.

RIGHT? BUT AGAIN. [INAUDIBLE] SO IT'S A SLIPPERY SLOPE TO BE WALKING DOWN, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE ALLOWING TO CIRCUMVENT THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.

VALID POINT THAT IS A CHAIN OF COMMAND WORKING.

THAT'S A DEMAND WE NEED TO PUT ON OUR SUPERINTENDENT, AS MR. NEWCOMB SAID. AND THE PEOPLE STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO CIRCUMVENT THE CHAIN OF COMMAND AND SEND IT TO EMAIL. AND THAT'S PROBABLY NOT RIGHT, EITHER.

BUT IT'S NOT BEING IN A PUBLIC FORUM.

BEING PRESENTED ON THAT PODIUM SHOULD BE THE PUBLIC THERE.

THEY HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE OTHER THAN WRITING THIS EMAIL OR THAT METHOD.

THEY DON'T HAVE A CHAIN OF COMMAND TO GO THROUGH.

AND IF IT'S FIXED, I WOULD SAY YES, BUT UNTIL IT'S FIXED.

I'D HAVE TO SAY NO.

OK, SO BUT WE HAVE FOUR IN FAVOR RELATED TO EMPLOYMENT.

SO WE'VE HAD GOOD CONVERSATION WITH THAT UNLESS THERE'S OTHER ANY OTHER CHANGE IN THE VOTE. I MEAN, THE MAJORITY SAYS THIS IS A PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY.

AND THAT DOES IT JUST IT SAYS A LOT TO THE PUBLIC THAT YOU ARE MAKING IT SO DIFFICULT OR ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.

WE'RE NOT.

AND SAID THEY'RE UPSET. HAVE THEY GONE THROUGH THE STEPS? AND SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL AFRAID TO GO THROUGH THE STEPS.

[02:55:01]

CCPS WILL WORK TO FIND SUITABLE LOCATIONS FOR SPEAKERS IN THE BUILDING.

YOU KNOW. TWO WERE IN FAVOR OF OF OPENING UP THE BUILDING WHEN IN EXTREME WEATHER AND UNIQUE SITUATIONS.

IT SAYS THREE WEREN'T.

SO I DON'T I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT.

SO THREE THAT WEREN'T DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

SO YOU'RE SAYING IF IT'S 10 DEGREES OUT THERE OR IF IT'S A HUNDRED AND TEN DEGREES OUT THERE? NO, DONNA, I'LL SAY I'M ONE OF THEM, AND I'LL SAY THAT WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S BEST FOR STAFF, WHAT'S BEST FOR STAFF.

ALL OF OUR PEOPLE ARE STAFF.

AND IF IF 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T RUN EVERYBODY IN THE BUILDING, BUT A 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE MEETING, 10 PEOPLE SHOW UP AND SIGN IN TO DO PUBLIC COMMENT.

ABRACADABRA. I CAN'T HAVE THE SUPERINTENDENT CALL 10 PEOPLE WHILE FIVE PEOPLE BECAUSE WE CAN ONLY PUT TWO PEOPLE IN EACH ROOM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE TO SPACE THEM OUT FOR COVID POLICIES AND TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOT GOING THROUGH PEOPLE'S DESK DRAWERS SPEAKERS] PEOPLE CAN'T JUST SHOW UP.

THIS ISN'T A THIS ISN'T A COVID POLICY, THIS IS A PUBLIC POLICY.

AND IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND EVEN BEFORE COVID, I'VE SEEN HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE EVERY MORNING BEFORE THE SUN COMES UP, LINED UP AT A FOOD PANTRY IN GEORGETOWN, SITTING IN THE CAR, WAITING FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE IT OPENS UP.

I SEE HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ON TV SITTING IN LINE IN THEIR CARS, WAITING TO GET COVID SHOTS OR COVID TESTED.

IT'S NOT AN HARDSHIP, IN MY OPINION.

WELL, LET ME LET ME THROW THIS OUT TOO, AND I WAS ONE OF THE TWO THAT SAID TO DO IT.

SO I ALSO FELT THAT WE SHOULD AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO [INAUDIBLE], WHEN AT ALL POSSIBLE.

WE KNOW WE'VE GOT PUBLIC COMMENT TO MOVE IT UP ON THE AGENDA.

SO IF WE HAVE FOUR PEOPLE AND IT'S 10 DEGREES OUT AND WE AREN'T GOING TO KNOW THAT IN TIME, TO BE ABLE CHANGE LET ME FINISH. LET ME FINISH SO WELL.

LET ME FINISH WHAT I'M SAYING. SO WE HAVE THE AGENDA AND WE VOTE TO APPROVE THE AGENDA.

BUT MRS. BARRY LET US KNOW.

THERE'S FIVE PEOPLE HERE WAITING IN THEIR CARS.

YOU KNOW, IT SHOULDN'T BE A COVID POLICY.

BUT DURING SO HOW WE ADAPT TO THE COVID PIECE, THE PEOPLE ARE WAITING IN THEIR CARS.

WELL, LET'S MOVE IT UP ON THE AGENDA.

GET THEM IN HERE. GET THEM DONE.

SO THEY'RE NOT IN THEIR CARS FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF, SO THEY MIGHT BE IN THEIR CARS FOR 15 MINUTES OR 20 MINUTES OR HALF AN HOUR.

THAT'S A COMPROMISE.

TRYING TO PUT THEM IN THE BUILDING? I GET IT. IF YOU HAVE 10 PEOPLE SHOW UP, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PUT THEM IN THIS BUILDING? MY CONCERN WITH THAT, RICK, IS AND IT'S NOT A BAD THING.

AND THE LATER HERE DENTON DOWN HERE, LATER, THE NEXT ONE OR THE OTHER ITEMS MOVE THE AGENDA ITEM UP. WE SHOULD BE IN CONTROL OF OUR AGENDA.

YEAH, BUT THE FLIP SIDE IS MOVING IT UP.

WHAT ABOUT THE PARENTS THAT WORK TILL FIVE O'CLOCK? THE TYPICAL JOB IS FIVE O'CLOCK.

YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT A FORTY TO FORTY FIVE MINUTE COMMUTE WITHOUT TRAFFIC.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE. THEY CAN'T GET HERE.

CAN'T GET HERE YOU KNOW.

THAT'S THAT'S. WE KNOW PUBLIC COMMENT EVERY EVERY MONTH SINCE WE'VE CHANGED IT.

IT'S BEEN BETWEEN 6:30 AND 7:00.

AND I THINK MS. BARRY, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN TELLING PEOPLE UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES? AND YOU KNOW, MY JUST THE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND THAT WAS MY COMMENT DOWN FURTHER DOWN THAT OUR MEETINGS AND YOU ALL THIS BOARD NOW SEES HOW MUCH TIME STUFF TAKES.

WE USED TO HISTORICALLY START CLOSED SESSION AT FIVE TO ALLOW FOR OUR WORK SCHEDULES, AND THE REGULAR MEETINGS STARTED AT SEVEN AND PUBLIC COMMENT WOULD END UP BEING.

IT WAS A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE TOP OF THE AGENDA, BUT IT ENDED UP BEING, YOU KNOW, BEFORE EIGHT WAS A GOAL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, I THINK WAS A GOAL, MS. BARRY WAS ON THE BOARD AT THE TIME.

AND THEN WE SHIFTED TO THE SIX O'CLOCK MEETING START TIME AND THIS CONVERSATION WAS HAD NOT TO HAVE IT TOO EARLY, BUT NOT TO HAVE IT TOO LATE EITHER.

AND THE 6:30 AND 7 RANGE SEEM TO BE, AT THAT TIME, A GOOD TIMETABLE.

CAN WE MOVE IT UP? YOU KNOW, WE YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT ABILITY PERSONALLY, BUT I WOULDN'T WANT TO MOVE IT UP BECAUSE IT'S 10 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND THEN SOMEBODY SHOW UP AT 6:30 AND YOU NEVER EVEN LET ME FINISH WHAT I WAS SAYING BEFORE.

OK. YOU'RE SAYING YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A MEETING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE'S 10 PEOPLE THERE, OK? RIGHT NOW, THEY STILL HAVE TO SIGN UP BY NOON ON MONDAY, EVEN IF THEY WANT TO COME IN PERSON. CORRECT? THAT'S THE PROCESS.

RIGHT NOW. SO IF YOU KEPT THAT PROCESS, WE WOULD KNOW ALMOST A DAY AND A HALF BEFOREHAND

[03:00:05]

YES, BECAUSE WHEN WE GET BACK TO NORMAL.

BUT WE'RE NOT BACK TO NORMAL.

AND SO WHEN WE MAKE THIS POLICY, YOU'RE SAYING WE'RE GOING TO BASE THIS ON, WE'RE TOTALLY BACK TO NORMAL? WELL.

YOU KNOW, BECAUSE. BOARD MEMBERS, WE HAVE ONLY TWO PEOPLE WANTING TO OPEN THE BUILDING UP FOR EXTREME PEOPLE OUT OF FIVE.

DO WE HAVE THREE? SO WE'RE GOING BACK TO DOING THIS ONE BY ONE.

WE'RE ASKING, SO OK, SO.

I'M NOT GOING TO SIT HERE FOR 15 MINUTES TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING WANTING TO GO THAT DIRECT.

EMPLOYEES CAN'T TALK, YOU CAN STAY OUT THERE AND FREEZE YOUR BUTT.

ODDBALL IN THE ODD EXTREME WEATHER OR UNIQUE SITUATIONS.

THAT DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING TO THE PUBLIC, EITHER.

OK.

ALL RIGHT. WELL, AT LEAST WE HAVE ALL FIVE IN FAVOR OF THE NEXT ONE.

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE.

AND NOW THAT WE'RE NOT READING COMMENTS, WRITTEN COMMENTS, WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE FIRST ONE SHOWING UP BEING, YOU KNOW, IF WE DECIDE TO PUT A TIMETABLE ON IT.

THERE WAS A SUGGESTION RANGE OF THIRTY, THIRTY FIVE OR FIFTY MINUTE TIMETABLE.

ALL FIVE WERE IN SUPPORT OF THIS THOUGHT PROCESS IN SOME FORM OR FASHION DO.

SINCE IT'S IN FAVOR, DO WE WANT TO LOCK IN ON A TIME? YEAH, I MEAN, WHAT'S I MEAN, IF EVERYBODY'S INSTANTANEOUSLY SAYS, ALL RIGHT ON ONE COUNT OF THREE, EVERYBODY SAY NUMBER. ONE.

TWO. THREE. 30 MINUTES.

30 MINUTES.

I SAID MICHELE NOT HERE. I KNOW.

BUT DID YOU SAY? LOOK, I'M REALLY JUST THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

OK. YOU ALL SAY 30.

SO BOOM, THERE'S YOUR THREE.

SO WHY [INAUDIBLE]. I MEAN, WHAT'S YOUR WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER? DO YOU HAVE? I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE SAID MAYBE FORTY, FORTY FIVE, BECAUSE IT'S NOT REALLY GOING TO BE AN ISSUE. IT'S LIKE ONE TIME, ONE TIME WE HAD A WHOLE BUNCH OF LETTERS.

AND AS USUAL, LET'S BE, YOU KNOW, REACTIVE AS OPPOSED TO PROACTIVE.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT IT'S REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN? SO IF THERE REALLY ARE THAT MANY PEOPLE LIKE OK NINE, THAT WOULD BE NINE, FORTY FIVE MINUTES THAT'S LIKE NINE.

IF THERE REALLY WERE GOING TO BE NINE PEOPLE THAT FELT THAT STRONGLY.

YOU'RE THE ONE THAT [INAUDIBLE].

YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO DETAIL.

SO THIS IS A DETAIL.

SO I'M ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION.

OVER EACH ONE, ESPECIALLY ONE AT FIVE OF US AGREE ON THAT.

WE GET TO THE POINT IF WE CONTROL OUR BUDGET, IF WE HAVE 10 PEOPLE SIGN UP, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SAY, LISTEN, WOULD YOU MIND, CAN WE CAN WE DO THAT, GET DEEPER DIVE AND DO A PUBLIC FORUM ON THIS? I MEAN, THAT'S WORTH FURTHER DOWN THE LIST.

MICHELE WE'RE ALL IN FAVOR OF NUMBER FOUR WE WERE JUST TRYING TO COME UP WITH A TIME THAT EVERYONE AGREE WITH. DO YOU HAVE A TIME IN MIND THE TIME? LET ME READ IT HERE.

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE, BUT SET A MINUTE.

YOU KNOW, CERTAIN.

30 MINUTES, I WOULD SAY, OK, THANK YOU.

THAT'S THAT'S THE FEELING.

LET'S MOVE FORWARD WITH 30 MINUTES ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS.

NEXT, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ADJUST THE TIME OF THE AGENDA AT ANY TIME.

ONE THING. YES.

THREE TO FIVE MINUTES DO WE NEED TO SET THE KEEP THE TIME LIMIT AS FIVE MINUTES AS IT IS OR? THANK YOU FOR NOTING THAT.

YOU HAVE THREE TO FIVE. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE ALL FINE WITH THE FIVE, BUT UPON CONTROLLING OUR AGENDA, IS EVERYBODY IN FAVOR OF REDUCING IT TO THREE.

IF WE DO HAVE A LARGER.

I SAY THREE. JUST REDUCE IT TO THREE PERIOD? IT'S GOING TO GO OVER IT FINE.

JUST US. WELL, IF WE ALLOWED IT, I MEAN.

THEY USED TO HAVE A CLOCK UP THERE THAT WOULD LET THE PERSON KNOW HOW MUCH TIME.

I THINK I THINK MS. BARRY OR MS. MARY IS [INAUDIBLE].

WE GET FIVE. NO, BUT IT USED TO BE UP THERE SO THE PERSON COULD PARTICIPANTS.

AT OUR DISCRETION.

RIGHT? THREE. THREE TO FIVE MINUTES.

IF IT'S WORDED, THE BOARD ALLOWS THREE TO FIVE MINUTES AT THEIR DISCRETION, ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS.

IF SOMEBODY GIVES A PERSON THE OPPORTUNITY OF HAVING FIVE, BUT IF WE HAVE 10 PEOPLE, WE COULD GIVE THEM THREE.

OKAY. YEAH, JUST SO WE HAVE THAT IN MIND.

YOU GOT THAT, RACHEL. THANK YOU.

WE'LL ALSO GO BACK IN WATCH MINUTES.

MAKE SURE WE. OK.

YEAH, WE'RE BEING RECORDED.

AND I THINK YOU SHOULD PUT IT BACK UP THERE SO PEOPLE CAN SAY THEY CAN TIME THE TIMER.

AND ONE THING WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO IS ALSO ONE THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE HAD A REALLY

[03:05:05]

YEAH, THAT.

WHY NOT? TRY NOT TO [INAUDIBLE].

IT DOES HELP THEM. YEAH, IT DOES HELP YOU GUYS.

IF YOU'RE IN THAT SPOT AND YOU DON'T DO THIS ALL THE TIME.

YOU CAN SEE IT. YOU'RE GOING TO BE NERVOUS.

YEAH, YOU DON'T WANT TO BE LOOKING AT YOUR WATCH.

AND IF IT'S UP THERE, IT REALLY DOES HELP.

IT'S LIKE A TELEPROMPTER FOR TIME.

SO THANK YOU.

YEAH. ALL RIGHT.

MOVING ON RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ADJUST THE TIME THAT ANY TIME ON THE AGENDA.

BOARD MEMBERS, YOUR THOUGHTS? YES. I THINK OVERALL, WE JUST NEED TO BE ABLE TO RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ADJUST OUR AGENDA.

WE ALREADY HAVE THAT.

I JUST, YOU KNOW, NOT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT SAYING MOVE IT TO THE FRONT BECAUSE OF THE PARENT GETTING HOME.

HADN'T THOUGHT OF THAT.

MY CONSISTENCY IS JUST THE AGENDA TRYING TO SAY IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE BETWEEN 6:30 AND SEVEN. IF FOR SOME REASON OUR OUR SUPERINTENDENT REPORTS OR OUR REPORTS GET LONG AND START PUSHING IT PAST SEVEN, MAYBE WE NEED TO TAKE ACKNOWLEDGE OF THAT.

OR WHAT IF A PERSON WHAT IF FOR SOME REASON IT WENT MORE QUICKLY? PERSON DIDN'T PLAN TO GET HERE TILL 6:30 AND WE STARTED ON THAT 6:20.

ARE WE GOING TO SAY TOUGH LUCK? YOU MISSED IT? I HOPE NOT.

I WOULD HOPE. AND PERHAPS WE PUT IT IN THE POLICY.

IF SOMEBODY COMES AT THE TIME THAT MRS. BERRY HAD SUGGESTED THEY COME AND WE'VE MOVED ALONG RAPIDLY AND MOVE PAST THAT, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ADJUST OUR AGENDA AT ANY TIME.

LET THEM COME IN.

WE DON'T WANT TO BE SO RESTRICTIVE THAT WE CAN'T ADAPT.

WE CAN ALWAYS KICK IN PARLIAMENTARY [INAUDIBLE] POINT OF ORDER.

YEAH. ADD TO AGENDA.

YEAH, WE CAN DO THAT.

THANK YOU. WE HAD ANOTHER FIVE IN FAVOR OF RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SCHEDULE A SEPARATE MEETING TO HEAR PUBLIC COMMENTS.

IF A LARGE NUMBER OF COMMENTS OR CONCERNS WERE VOICED THAT IT SHOULD BE ADDED.

IN FAVOR, IN-PERSON COMMENTS ONLY IN ONLY TWO OUT OF FIVE SAYING IN PERSON COMMENTS ONLY UNLESS HEALTH OR HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS.

I THINK WE DISCUSSED THAT WE'RE GOING TO ALLOW IN-PERSON AND WRITTEN COMMENTS.

WRITTEN COMMENTS WILL NOT BE READ.

THEY WILL BE PUT IN HANDED OVER TO THE BOARD MEMBERS AND ADDED TO THE RECORD IF SUBMITTED IN LIEU, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MONTHLY MEETING.

INFORMATION. IS IT CLEAR FOR YOUR MINUTES? YEAH. OK.

THREE WERE IN FAVOR OF IN-PERSON AND WRITTEN COMMENTS TO BE READ.

OK, WE'VE DISCUSSED THAT. WE CLARIFIED THAT.

MOVE PUBLIC COMMENTS AT THE BEGINNING, I THINK.

HAVE WE ADDRESSED THAT OR IS EVERYBODY OK ON THAT? SO WE'RE MOVING. WHAT WHAT? WHAT WAS THE [INAUDIBLE]? NUMBER NINE, THREE IN FAVOR OF MOVING IT.

THE MAJORITY WERE IN FAVOR OF IT ON THIS COMMENT.

BUT THEN WE DISCUSSED WHAT ABOUT PARENTS WHO WORK UP UNTIL FIVE O'CLOCK AND TIMETABLE? WELL, IF YOU OPENED IT TO PUBLIC COMMENT, WE COULD GET THE ANSWER FROM THE PEOPLE INVOLVED. BUT ONLY TWO PEOPLE SAID OPEN TO PUBLIC COMMENT, AND THAT WOULD BE ONE WAY TO ADDRESS IT. YOU MISS ME.

SHE'S JUMPING [INAUDIBLE]. WELL, BECAUSE IT'S RELEVANT.

WE JUMPED AHEAD, WE WENT FROM ONE TO SEVEN.

YOU DIDN'T SAY WE JUMPED AHEAD THEN.

SO WHAT WAS YOUR COMMENT DONNA? I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, DONNA.

THE AGENDA. OK.

MR. NEWCOMB IS SAYING NO BECAUSE OF THE PERSON THAT WORKS UNTIL SIX OR WHATEVER.

AND I SAID, WELL, IF YOU GO TO NUMBER 10 AND YOU OPENED IT UP TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT, THEN WE COULD FIND OUT HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT WOULD AFFECT AND IF THEY ARE MORE FOR IT OR AGAINST IT. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE JUST LIKE, YOU'RE KIND OF THROWING THIS LITTLE ROADBLOCK THAT WE DON'T EVEN KNOW.

MAYBE IT IS THERE. MAYBE IT'S NOT THERE.

WELL, ONE THING I THINK IF I'M COMING FOR PUBLIC COMMENT TO A TUESDAY MEETING AND I HAVE TO SIGN UP BY NOON ON MONDAY, AND WHEN I GO TO SIGN UP ONLINE, THE TIME SLOT IS THERE, THEN I KNOW I HAVE TO BE THERE BY THAT PARTICULAR TIME.

WITHIN THE HOURS OF 6:30 TO 7, I HAVE TO BE PRESENT IF I INTEND TO SPEAK.

SO THAT MAY MEAN FOR WHATEVER REASON, I'M COMING RIGHT STRAIGHT FROM WORK THAT DAY.

I'M NOT GOING TO STOP TO PICK UP WHATEVER I'M COMING RIGHT STRAIGHT.

I THINK THE PERSON KNOWS AHEAD OF TIME, AT LEAST A DAY AHEAD OF TIME WHEN THEY HAVE TO BE

[03:10:02]

AND I THINK WE CAN DECIDE WHAT TIME WE WANT THAT HALF HOUR TO BE IF WE START AT SIX, DO WE WANT THAT HALF HOUR TO BE SIX TO SEVEN OR 6:30 TO 7 OR WHATEVER, SO THAT THE PUBLIC PERSON WHO WANTS TO SPEAK AT THE PODIUM KNOWS WHEN THEY MUST BE PRESENT? I THINK I WAS ASKING TO MOVE IT UP FURTHER ON THE AGENDA, BUT UNDERSTANDING BETTER NOW.

WHAT MRS. BARRY WAS SHARING THAT IT'S BETWEEN 6:30 AND SEVEN NOW.

AND SO WITH IT WAS GOING TO BE AROUND 6:45, 7:15 OR 6:40 TO 7:10.

THAT'S THAT'S FINE.

THAT'S MORE THAN REASONABLE.

THAT'S A GOOD THING.

I THINK WHATEVER TIME.

THAT WORKS. THEY SIGN UP AHEAD OF TIME THEY KNOW.

IF IT WAS RIGHT AT 6:05, THERE COULD BE A HARDSHIP FOR PEOPLE.

I THINK PEOPLE WOULD STILL DO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

THEY WOULD TRY TO GET HERE.

SO ASIDE FROM THE HARDSHIP AND SO FORTH, THAT PART OF OUR AGENDA IS THE PRIME TIME IN OUR AGENDA. IT'S NOT REAL LATE, IT'S NOT TOO EARLY.

YOU KNOW, THEY COULD GO HOME, HAVE DINNER AND STILL GET HERE.

SO, YOU KNOW, IN SOME CASES, NOT EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY WHO'S DRIVING FROM THE WESTERN SHORE THAT HAS A LONG COMMUTE, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT FOR THAT.

AND IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WHERE IF YOU HAD THAT, HOW OFTEN IS THAT GOING TO HAPPEN? YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE AND THEY REACH OUT AND THEY TELL MS. BARRY, THAT SHE MAY REACH OUT AND SAY, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ONE THAT'S GOING TO BE QUITE A BIT LATER. YOU OK TO HEAR THEM LATER? I MEAN, WHY WOULDN'T WE? WHY WOULDN'T WE HERE [INAUDIBLE]? WE'D WANT TO.

SO I THINK IT WORKS.

I DON'T HAVE TO MOVE IT UP ON THE AGENDA ANY FURTHER, BUT WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ADJUST OUR AGENDA. I JUST ASK FOR CLARIFICATION FROM SOMETHING YOU SAID MICHELE AND FROM THE BOARD, BECAUSE AGAIN, THE CURRENT PUBLIC COMMENT UNDER COVID IS WE'RE ASKING THEM TO REACH OUT ONLINE FOR EMAIL COMMENTS OR PERSONAL COMMENTS SO WE CAN SPACE PEOPLE OUT AND BE AWARE OF WHO'S GOING TO COME OR WHO TO CALL AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE READY FOR YOU.

THAT'S NOT REALLY PART OF THIS POLICY, SO WE WON'T KNOW.

I MEAN, IF THIS IS JUST A NORMAL DRAFT PUBLIC POLICY, WE'RE NOT CALLING, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT REGISTERING AT NOON ON MONDAY, THEY'RE SHOWING UP TUESDAY.

WHY CAN'T THEY? WELL, WE CAN.

I MEAN, I GUESS, BUT THAT'S GOING TO BE AN ADDITIONAL COMMENT.

I THINK THEY DO NEED TO SIGN UP AHEAD OF TIME.

OK, THAT'S NEW.

I MEAN, FOR YOU KNOW.

ISN'T THAT WHAT WE DISCUSSED? WE TALK ABOUT THAT AS AN OPTION THAT SOME BOARDS ARE USING.

THIS WILL BE UP TO YOU ALL TO DECIDE, OK, IF YOU'RE CALLING FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE, THAT'S ONE WAY TO THINK ABOUT.

NOT HAVING SOMEONE SHOW UP WHO DOESN'T MAKE IT ON THE FIRST, HOWEVER MANY, YOU'RE GOING TO BE [INAUDIBLE].

IT'S JUST A SUGGESTION [INAUDIBLE] THE TIME BOX.

MS. WAYMAN WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT ANY MS. DIGIACOMO. I HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THAT, SO I THINK HAVING THE OPTION TO SIGN UP IN ADVANCE, IT'S VERY GOOD.

I THINK WE ALSO SHOULD MAINTAIN AND IT'S FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED WITHIN THAT TIME FRAME THAT WE HAVE ALLOTTED.

I DO THINK WE SHOULD LEAVE IT OPEN THAT IF SOMEBODY JUST SHOWS UP BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHEN THE MEETING IS AND THEY JUST SHOW UP AND THEY ARE HERE DURING THAT TIME FRAME AND THERE'S TIME TO HEAR THEM, OUR 30 MINUTES IS A BIT, WHY WOULD WE TURN THEM AWAY? HOW ABOUT IF IF YOU SIGN UP, THOUGH, YOU'RE GUARANTEED.

RIGHT. YOUR SLOT? YES. AND THEN.

UP TO THE AMOUNT, WE'RE ALLOT WE CAN.

YEAH, RIGHT. AND THEN IF THERE'S STILL OPENING, CAN YOU SHOW UP? YEAH, SO YOU'RE ROLLING THE DICE BE TOLD, WELL, THERE'S ALREADY ENOUGH PEOPLE THAT THEY'VE FILLED THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT IT.

BUT YOU AND YOU CAN CERTAINLY COME NEXT TIME.

AND IF THEY DON'T TAKE THE FULL 30 MINUTES.

HANG IN THERE, YOU MIGHT GET A CHANCE.

RIGHT? RIGHT. SO AND I THINK SOMETHING LIKE THAT MIGHT HAPPEN FOR THE FIRST TWO OR THREE MEETINGS AFTER IT GOES INTO EFFECT, BUT THE WORD'S GOING TO GET AROUND.

YOU KNOW THAT NOW, NOW YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO SIGN UP.

AND SO ONCE THAT WORD GETS AROUND, THAT'S WHAT FOLKS WILL DO.

YEAH. YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE EXPECTATION.

MAKE SURE THEY'LL GET IN.

RIGHT AND KEEP IT THE SAME FOR WRITTEN WHATEVER WE SAY.

WRITTEN COMMENTS WE WERE SAYING NOON THE DAY BEFORE.

I WOULD KEEP THE SAME TIME FOR [INAUDIBLE] PURPOSES AND IT MAKES.

TO GET THEM ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA.

ALL COMMENTS, AT NOON THE DAY BEFORE.

SO WHETHER IT'S WRITTEN OR.

SO, MY QUESTION IS THAT LIKE, ARE YOU GOING TO BE ABLE TO JUST WALK UP AND COMMENT? OR IS THERE A TIME THAT YOU HAVE TO? THAT PERIOD STARTS OR LIKE UP UNTIL SIX, EIGHT, SIX P.M.

WHEN THE MEETING STARTS. HISTORICALLY, WE'VE NOT STARTED THE MEETING, CORRECT? I THINK YOU HAD TO BE HERE BY THE START OF THE MEETING TO SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.

[03:15:03]

YOU SAID IT'S NOT FAIR? SIGN UP AND THEY'RE SIGNING UP.

SO MY QUESTION IS AND JUST SO MS. WAYMAN, WHAT WE HAVE ON THE TABLE TO ADD TO THIS IS IS, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE ADD SIGN UP PERIOD FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENT IN THE IN THE WRITTEN COMMENTS THAT THIS NOON THE DAY BEFORE.

IF WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT COVID, MS. BARRY, SANDI, DOES IT NEED TO BE? AND I'M JUST I'M ASKING, I'M FROM A STAFF PERSPECTIVE, DOES IT NEED TO BE NOON THE DAY BEFORE? IS NOON? NOT COVID RELATED PER SAY, IS NOON THE DAY OF THE MEETING TOO LATE? I WOULD SAY. WHY NOT HAVE ONE THING [INAUDIBLE] USED TO.

OK. BE THE ONE. MONDAY DOES THAT WORK FOR YOU? JUST THE ONE CUT OFF.

AND SO WE WEREN'T WORRIED ABOUT THE COMMENT COMING IN AT 5:50.

OKAY. SO IT REALLY WASN'T CONVENIENT BECAUSE OF COVID, BUT.

YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST IT WAS JUST SHOW UP TO THE MEETING AND SIGN UP.

SO I GUESS IF WE KEEP.

THERE IS A WAY TO WORD IT AS TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.

SO WE'RE WORDING IN A WAY WE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT TO SIGN UP NOON THE DAY BEFORE.

TO GUARANTEE A SPOT.

TO GUARANTEE A SPOT TO SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WILL BE SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE AGENDA AS THE RECORD AND COPIES GIVEN TO THE BOARD MEMBERS AND PUBLIC SPEAKING, IN PERSON IS RECOMMENDED TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT.

COMMA CAVEAT. YOU CAN ALWAYS SHOW UP, SIGN UP AND SIGN UP AT THE MEETING AT THE START OF THE MEETING. HOWEVER, A SPOT IS NOT GUARANTEED.

SO REGISTRATION IS ENCOURAGED AND REGISTRANTS ARE GIVEN PREFERENCE IN THE IS THAT SOUND LIKE WHAT EVERYONE WAS SAYING? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, BOARD, I THINK WE'VE WORKED THROUGH THAT IF.

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE. OH OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED.

THE BOARD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO LIMIT ORAL PUBLIC COMMENT AND HAS NO OBLIGATION TO ALLOW EVERYONE TO SPEAK.

THEY FOLLOWED THE RULES.

WELL, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY, IF, AS WE'VE OUTLINED IT, WE ARE CONTROLLING THE LENGTH THREE TO FIVE MINUTES PLUS FOUR TO 30 MINUTES, WE'RE CONTROLLING THE LENGTH.

WE'VE SET AN ESTABLISHED [INAUDIBLE] AND THEREFORE EVERYONE MIGHT NOT GET THE CHANCE TO SPEAK. BUT THIS BOARD OR ANY BOARD WOULD BE SILLY IF WE HAVE 50 PEOPLE WANT TO SPEAK, NOT TO SET UP A SEPARATE MEETING AND HAVE A DEEPER DIVE IN RIGHT IN A DISCUSSION.

AND THEY HAVE THE OPTION TO SUBMIT THEY HAVE THE OPTION IF THEY DON'T GET TO SPEAK BECAUSE WE'RE FULL, THEY HAVE THE OPTION TO SUBMIT SOMETHING IN WRITING.

THEY MAY NOT WANT TO WAIT ON THE NEXT MEETING FOR SOMETHING THEY HAVE, AND WE FEEL IT'S TIME SENSITIVE, SO SEND AN EMAIL, SEND SOMETHING IN WRITING.

I MEAN, THAT IS AN OPTION IF THEY SHOW UP AT 6:30 AND THEY MISS THE SIGN UP PERIOD AND PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS FULL.

THERE'S A BUNCH OF PEOPLE.

AND THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT IFS, BUT USUALLY DON'T HAPPEN.

BUT IT COULD. AND IF IT'S NOT TIME SENSITIVE, THEN THEY CAN [INAUDIBLE].

THEY CAN ALSO SAY, OK, I WANT TO BE THE FIRST ONE AT THE NEXT MEETING.

YEAH. LIKE, IT JUST AUTOMATICALLY POPS IN THEIR BACK THEIR OPTION.

WELL, THEY STILL HAVE TO SIGN UP.

WE JUST CAN'T AUTOMATICALLY.

YEAH, RIGHT. I DON'T THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE AS BIG OF AN ISSUE.

I DON'T EITHER. CAN I JUST CLARIFY ONE THING? WHERE IT'S STAYING IN THE AGENDA, IT'S STAYING WHERE IT IS CURRENTLY BOARD MEMBERS MAY COMMENT ABOUT THE PRESENTATION OF THE SPEAKER.

OR EVEN TAKE OUT THAT ONE THING THAT SAYS IF YOU JUST TAKE THAT OUT, THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE GOOD ENOUGH TOO, BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING THAT SAYS, BASICALLY WE WON'T SPEAK.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT I'M TALKING? I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT, AND I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, AND I THINK I HAVE BROKEN THAT RECOMMENDATION BEFORE, I KNOW I'M SURE EVERYONE HERE WILL AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER.

SO JUST TAKE IT OUT.

THAT WAY WE'RE NOT SAYING.

BUT I THINK IT SETS THE EXPECTATION.

AND LEGALLY, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW.

BUT I'LL LEAVE IT TO OTHERS TO [INAUDIBLE].

WELL, IF YOU WRITE IT LIKE THIS, BOARD MEMBERS MAY COMMENT.

I DON'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.

ONE THING IF WE START COMMENTING THEN WE'RE GETTING INTO THE TIME OF IT'S A 30 MINUTE TIME PERIOD. THAT'S TRUE.

IF WE IF WE HAVE A TWO MINUTE.

WE'RE CUTTING THEIR TIME OFF.

AND WE'RE AT, I DON'T THINK IT'S IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO BE ENGAGING AT THAT POINT IN TIME

[03:20:02]

WE'RE TO BE LISTENING AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THINK ABOUT WHAT SAID.

IF WE WANT TO RESPOND TO IT, I THINK WE SHOULD STILL TAKE THE TIME TO TO NOT THINK ABOUT IT, TO NOT RESPOND IMMEDIATELY.

I THINK THAT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET THAT.

THEY'RE GOING TO GET A BETTER RESPONSE FROM US.

IF WE BUT ARE WE TO QUESTION THEIR COMMENTS? WE'RE JUST TO LISTEN TO THEIR COMMENTS.

RIGHT? THIS IS PUBLIC COMMENT.

I THINK WE'LL BE JUDGED IF IF THEY HAVE, WE HAVE QUESTIONS, EITHER WE'RE DIRECTING THE SUPERINTENDENT TO FOLLOW UP WITH OUR QUESTIONS AND GET SOMETHING DONE.

IF SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE VERSUS, YOU KNOW, HAVING A DIALOG.

WHERE WE CAN LOOK VERY UNRESPONSIVENESS THE PRESENTER ASK QUESTIONS AND THEY AREN'T EVEN NECESSARILY LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER.

IT'S MORE RHETORICAL.

BUT IF THEY PRESENT AN ISSUE, A PROBLEM, SOMETHING THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT AND I CAN COME UP WITH HYPOTHETICALS, I DON'T NEED TO.

YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT THEY MIGHT BE AND THEY SAY, BOARD, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS? DO YOU HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING? I'M WORRIED. I'M SCARED.

I'M WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE.

BOARD ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING? AND OUR ANSWER SHOULD BE, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK INTO IT.

YES, WE NEED TO GET MORE INFORMATION, BUT WE CAN'T GET INTO AN EXCHANGE WITH THEM OR WE COULD IT COULD REALLY GET OUT OF CONTROL.

THAT HAS HAPPENED IN OTHER PLACES AND YOU START GETTING IN TOO MUCH OF AN EXCHANGE, THEN YOU LOSE CONTROL AND YOU DO ANYBODY ELSE WHO'S NEXT.

BUT WHAT IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE PERSON? YOU GOT 30 MINUTES, YOU CAN HAVE A 30 MINUTE EXCHANGE WITH THEM.

SO WE CAN'T CREATE THE EXPECTATION THAT SOMEBODY'S GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO COME IN AND DEBATE WITH US BECAUSE THAT HAS HAPPENED IN OTHER PLACES.

SO DONNA'S POINT, I THINK, IS LEGITIMATE THAT WHAT IF THEY SAY SOMETHING WE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND AND WE WANT TO CLARIFY, WE HAVE A CLARIFYING QUESTION.

I THINK WE NEED TO GRAPPLE WITH THAT A LITTLE BIT.

IF THEY'RE ASKING US QUESTIONS, I DON'T THINK WE FOR THE MOST PART, SHOULD ANSWER OTHER THAN TO SAY WE'LL GET [INAUDIBLE], BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE THIS GENTLEMAN LOOKING INTO IT OR A MEMBER OF HIS STAFF.

BUT FOR US TO TRY TO ANSWER SOMETHING, WE MAY NOT EVEN BE QUALIFIED TO ANSWER.

IT'S BETTER TO TAKE THEIR TO LISTEN, AS YOU'RE SAYING, MICHELE AND ONLY RESPOND IF THEY'RE TRULY ASKING A QUESTION THAT WE THINK WE CAN ANSWER.

OTHERWISE, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF MONUMENTS UP HERE JUST STARING INTO SPACE.

SO THAT'S JUST MY TWO CENTS ON THAT.

IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT.

SHOULD BE LIKE IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND ANSWERED IN AN OPEN SESSION BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE FEEL LIKE, OK, THEY GET IT THAT WE CAN'T ANSWER IT, BUT BECAUSE IT NEVER GETS ADDRESSED IN OPEN SESSION AGAIN.

YEAH, WE COULD ASK THAT THAT HAPPEN.

WE COULD ASK THAT THIS BE ADDRESSED AT THE NEXT MEETING.

IT JUST DEPENDS WHAT IT IS.

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF POTENTIAL.

ALL RIGHT. SO LET'S SAY I SAY I'D LIKE THIS TO BE ADDRESSED.

DO I HAVE TO MAKE A FORMAL BECAUSE I'VE ASKED SOMETIMES AND IN MY BAD, I DIDN'T MAKE A FORMAL MOTION. DO I HAVE TO MAKE A FORMAL MOTION THAT WE LOOK INTO IT? I THINK. I MEAN, JUST MY OWN REACTION TO THAT IS IT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON WHAT IT IS, BUT THAT MAY BE NECESSARY SO THAT IF THEY ASKED OR PRESENT SOMETHING, THAT'S A CONCERN TO ANY OF US AND WE REALLY WANT IT TO BE ON THE NEXT AGENDA.

THAT'S ONE WAY TO GO ABOUT IT OR JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, PLEASE, CAN WE HAVE THIS ON THE NEXT AGENDA? BUT YEAH, I THINK IT'S A VALID QUESTION.

I WOULDN'T SAY, CAN WE PLEASE? I'D HAVE TO SAY, I MAKE A MOTION.

I THINK YOU HAVE OPTIONS. YOU'RE A BOARD MEMBER.

TECH ED SITUATION.

WE DID THAT IN DECEMBER DONNA.

THAT'S FINE. THIS IS NOW FEBRUARY.

OK. AND I ASKED THAT AND PEOPLE NODDED THEIR HEAD AND SAID, OK, AND WE'RE NOT DOING IT.

BUT WE DID THAT IN DECEMBER, DONNA.

WE DID NOT GO FULLY IN DEPTH INTO THE TECH ED ISSUES LIKE WHY IT WAS GOTTEN RID OF THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST TWO YEARS.

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE OFF PUBLIC COMMENT.

I'M GOING TO MOVE FORWARD.

SO AGAIN, I WAS TRYING TO CLARIFY SOMETHING.

AND I JUST GET BRUSHED OFF.

NO, YOU DON'T.THIS BOARD.

A FORMAL MOTION? BOARD HAS DISCUSSED IT IN DEPTH ON DECEMBER.

I'M SORRY YOU WEREN'T THERE.

IT'S ON VIDEO IF YOU'D LIKE TO WATCH IT.

NO BOARD MEMBER. SO NO, I WASN'T HERE.

WHAT? I MISSED ONE MEETING.

DID YOU? DID YOU WATCH THE VIDEO SIMMONS AND ASK HIM FOR A MEETING TO DISCUSS THE CCTC AND WHATNOT? NOBODY ELSE AT THAT MEETING AS DR.

SIMMONS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, THEY WERE HAPPY WITH THE INFORMATION OR THEY MAYBE THEY WEREN'T EVEN HAPPY I SHOULDN'T SPEAK FOR THEM.

SO PUBLIC DOESN'T GET TO KNOW.

[03:25:02]

THE TEACHERS CAME IN HERE.

THE IA'S CAME IN HERE AND ASKED ABOUT INCREASES.

IT GOT PUT ON THE AGENDA.

IT GOT RESEARCHED. IT GOT DISCUSSED.

A BUDGET ITEM GOT PUT IN.

IT GOT BROKEN OUT INTO BENEFITS AND SALARIES.

OK. I THINK EVERY TIME.

TALKING TECH ED HERE, SO.

NO WE'RE TALKING PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND WE WERE THE LAST THING WE WERE ON WAS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION DOES NOT ENGAGE IN A DISCUSSION OF THE MATTER BEING BROUGHT TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT.

RIGHT. AND.

YOU WANT TO HEAR MY QUESTION AGAIN BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL? ALL I WAS TRYING TO SAY IS CAN I JUST ASK YOU, OR DO I HAVE TO MAKE A MOTION? THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION.

THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY WE'RE DISCUSSING.

AND I'LL JUST SAY I'M GOING TO KEEP IT TO THE TOPIC OF PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY.

OK, SO THANK YOU FOR NOT ANSWERING.

APPRECIATE IT. SO THE WORDING WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION DOES NOT ENGAGE IN A DISCUSSION OF THE MATTER BEING BROUGHT TO IT DURING PUBLIC COMMENTS.

AND WE'VE BEEN BALANCING BETWEEN BEING STONE COLD, UNEMPATHETIC AND NOT EVEN COMMENTING AT ALL VERSUS GETTING INTO A DIALOG.

IT'S A SLIPPERY SLOPE.

BOARD MEMBERS, SHOULD WE TRY TO GET RID OF THAT STATEMENT? TWEAK IT? OR WHAT'S YOUR PLEASURE? THERE'S A SLIPPERY SLOPE.

NO COMMENT. YEAH.

CONWAY [INAUDIBLE], I'M NOT SURE SPOKE ABOUT HIS CONCERN AND I THINK WE MADE COMMENTS.

WE HOPE YOUR FAMILY IS BETTER AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE INFORMATION.

I THINK THOSE ARE ALL.

I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED HIM ANY QUESTIONS.

HE WAS SHARING A COMMENT.

AND I THINK WE RESPONDED TO HIM IN A RESPECTABLE WAY.

I THINK WE NEED TO BE HUMAN AND AGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT I DON'T I THINK WE NEED TO SET THE EXPECTATION THAT YOU KNOW IT ISN'T A DIALOG AND SAY THANK YOU.

I MEAN, AND IF WE'RE REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT IT, LET THEM KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO ASK SOMEONE TO LOOK INTO IT.

THEY SHOULDN'T BE WALKING OUT TO A SILENCE.

RIGHT. RIGHT. YEAH, THERE'S A THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SILENCE AND DIALOG, SOMETHING IN BETWEEN, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO WORD THAT.

EXACTLY. BUT WE SHOULD TRY TO TWEAK IT, DONNA SUGGESTED TO HAVE THE WORD MAY AND WE MAY COMMENT. IT'S GOING TO IT'S GOING TO COME DOWN TO HOW WE HANDLE IT.

WE DON'T WANT TO GET INTO A LONG, DRAWN OUT DISCUSSION ABOUT IT, BUT.

MAYBE WE SHOULD THE BOARD OF EDUCATION DOES NOT ENGAGE IN A DISCUSSION OF THE MATTER, BUT MAY ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION BEFORE MOVING FORWARD.

AND MAKE COMMENT BECAUSE WE MIGHT WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR BRINGING UP THOSE VALID POINTS. WE'RE GOING TO ASK FOR SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.

THAT'S BETTER THAN JUST LIKE.

OK, NEXT ONE.

YEAH, THAT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IS MY TWO CENTS.

OTHERS MIGHT NOT AGREE. ARE WE GOOD FOR CONSIDERING, YOU KNOW, AND THERE WILL BE DRAFT FORM, IT'LL COME BACK TO US MAY AND ADDING RACHEL MAY ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION OR OR COMMENT TO THE STATEMENTS.

WE JUST GOT TO BE CAREFUL.

LET ME A HYPOTHETICAL AND NOT TO DRAG THIS OUT.

THEY MAY GIVE US AN IMPASSIONED PLEA ABOUT ONE OF THE SCHOOLS AND NEVER TELL US WHAT SCHOOL. SO CAN YOU TELL US WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? WE MIGHT WANT TO ASK THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING A PARENT COMES IN AND SAYS, THIS IS HAPPENING AT THE SCHOOL AND THIS AND THIS, AND THAT'S OK BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO FIGURE OUT WHAT SCHOOL THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.

THEY DIDN'T GIVE US ENOUGH TO KNOW, AND THEY MAY NOT WANT TO TELL, BUT ONE OF US MIGHT SAY, WHAT SCHOOL? I DON'T THINK WHERE WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IS THAT THEY'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT A PERSON.

WE DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE PERSON'S NAME IN PUBLIC IN A PUBLIC MEETING BECAUSE IT'S A PERSONNEL ACTION. RIGHT? SO WE HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT AND KNOW WHERE TO DRAW THAT LINE. ALL RIGHT, BOARD MEMBERS.

ANYTHING ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY AS WE'RE ON IT AND THANK YOU, RACHEL, I SEE YOU OVER THERE TAKING NOTES, AND I'M SURE YOU'LL BE LISTENING TO THE TAPE TO CLARIFY AND YOU'LL GET US A DRAFT OUT OF THE SUMMARY.

ALL RIGHT. BOARD MEMBERS ANYTHING ELSE FOR PUBLIC POLICY COMMENT, PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY? EXCUSE ME. WELL, WE'RE NOT OPENING THE [INAUDIBLE].

[03:30:06]

WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEND UP PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY TO THE PUBLIC.

[INAUDIBLE] THE LAST ONE NUMBER TEN.

AND JUST AS A REMINDER, CAME UP LAST MONTH IN CONVERSATION POINT BECAUSE IT'S POLICY REVISION, BOARD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVISE YOUR POLICY IN THE FIRST READ BECAUSE YOU'RE REVISING EXISTING POLICY.

YOUR POLICY GIVES YOU THAT AUTHORITY TO DO SO.

THE [INAUDIBLE] ARE CURRENTLY IN SESSION.

THEY'RE CURRENTLY MEETING AS AN ENTITY.

SO IF A DRAFT IS READY PRIOR TO YOUR NEXT MEETING, IT COULD GO TO THEM PRIOR TO THEY MEET LATER THIS MONTH. SO THAT THAT IS AN ENTITY THAT REVIEWS POLICY DRAFTS THAT COME BEFORE YOU.

TO CLARIFY, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO MORE READS THAN ONE, ANY BRAND NEW POLICY.

YOU WOULD DO A TWO READER WHEN YOU DO A READER ON THE DRAFT.

IT WOULD THEN GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN COME BACK BEYOND JUST AS [INAUDIBLE] IS DOING. SO I THINK I'M CLARIFYING [INAUDIBLE] WHAT MESSAGE YOU'RE ASKING, RIGHT? DO YOU WANT TO DO THE TWO READ APPROACH TO GET FULL PUBLIC COMMENT, NOT JUST [INAUDIBLE]? I'M JUST ASKING FOR CLARIFIER.

RIGHT? ARE WE GOING TO OPEN THIS UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT? IF WE DO THE TWO READS WE WILL.

YES, I THINK I THINK THAT'S THE QUESTION AND THE BOARD GOT TO.

WELL, WHETHER WE IF WE HAVE A DRAFT POLICY THAT WE PUT TOGETHER WITH MR. BERRY IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS AND WE REVIEW IT AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING AND READ IT AND THEN DON'T VOTE ON IT TO THE FOLLOWING BOARD MEETING.

SO THAT'D BE MARCH, APRIL.

YOU KNOW THAT THAT LEAVES THAT DRAFT POLICY OUT THERE IN THE TWO MONTHS TO REVIEW.

THE QUESTION WOULD BE DO YOU WANT FOR THE BOARD TO FIGURE OUT WOULD BE IF A DRAFT COMES TO YOU NEXT MONTH, THAT'S SUITABLE TO BOARD, YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ACT ON IT.

RIGHT? THE BOARD COULD CHOOSE NOT TO.

WELL, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT LAST MONTH.

WE TALKED ABOUT IT THIS MONTH.

WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT NEXT MONTH.

THE QUESTION IS WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT FOR A FOURTH MONTH? NO.

WE'LL STILL BE ABLE TO GET COMMENTS.

I DON'T THINK. WOULD YOU REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE TWO READS? YES. SO THE FIRST TIME THAT THE DRAFT IS PRESENTED PUBLICLY TO THE BOARD IS AT THE MEETING IS WILL BE AT YOUR MARCH MEETING.

AT THE MARCH MEETING WOULD BE PRESENTED.

IT'S A REVISION OF A POLICY.

SO BETWEEN NOW AND MARCH, IF A REVISION, IF WE MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT SUMMARIZED CORRECTLY, [INAUDIBLE] WORK ON IT.

THEY CAN POSSIBLY GET IN FRONT OF THE [INAUDIBLE] COMMITTEES THAT MEET IN TWO WEEKS, RIGHT? OK.

THEY MEET LATER THIS MONTH, SO THEY WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THEM, PROVIDE FEEDBACK AT THAT POINT PRIOR TO YOUR MARCH MEETING, SO YOU WOULD KNOW WHAT THOSE TWO COMMITTEES FELT SAID WHAT THEIR COMMENTS WERE PRIOR TO THE BOARD MAKING THE DECISION.

IF YOU WERE GOING TO MAKE AN ACTION ITEM THAT LONG.

IF THE BOARD DOES NOT MAKE IT AS AN ACTION WITHIN THAT MONTH, THAT THAT'LL BE THE FIRST TIME IT'S FORMALLY PRESENTED TO THE BOARD.

THE BOARD CAN EXTEND IT FOR A SECOND MONTH AND PUT IT OUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR AN ADDITIONAL MONTH. AND THEN VOTE.

MORE SO THAN JUST THE [INAUDIBLE].

AND THEN VOTE ON [INAUDIBLE].

YES, THAT'S, NEW POLICIES ARE ALWAYS TWO READS BECAUSE IT IS A NEW CONCEPT OR NEW APPROACH. REVISIONS ARE ONE, BUT THAT'S THAT'S THE BOARD'S [INAUDIBLE].

I THINK TO GO TO THE PUBLIC. IT'S A PUBLIC POLICY.

I MEAN, IT'S ABOUT THE PUBLIC COMMENT.

SO I MEAN, IT'S LIKE YOU SHOULD ASK THE PUBLIC, BUT HOW DO THEY DO THAT? IS THERE A FORM THEY FILL OUT? DO THEY. PROBABLY LIKE THEY DID THE SUPERINTENDENT RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC.

IT'LL GET PUBLISHED.

I BELIEVE THE PROCESS MS. [INAUDIBLE] HAS LAID OUT WITH THE NEW POLICY COMMITTEE.

IT GETS SENT OUT. I THINK THE NEWS, BLAST NEWSFEED, WHATEVER THAT WE'RE SOLICITING PUBLIC COMMENT, WHICH WE'VE NEVER DONE THAT PROCESS BEFORE, THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST ONE THAT WE WOULD BE DOING THAT. OKAY.

HISTORICALLY, WE JUST READ THEM AT THE BOARD MEETINGS AND WE'RE READING WHERE THESE ARE THE CHANGES WE'RE MAKING AND THAT'S WHERE I'M COMING FROM.

WE'RE DISCUSSING THE CHANGES WE'RE MAKING.

SO IF ANYONE HAS COMMENTS ON THEM, THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO EMAIL US OR COMMIT THEM.

THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS WE READ THE DRAFT POLICY NEXT MONTH AND THEN WE SAY, HEY, THIS IS THE FINAL DRAFT POLICY.

DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON IT? COMMENTS. BUT NOW YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A NEWS PROCESS WHERE THEY SEND OUT A NEWS BLAST OR SOMETHING? YEAH, OK.

WE PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET FOR THE PUBLIC TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AS WELL ON POLICY.

YEAH, SIMILAR TO TEXTBOOK ADOPTION, THOSE [INAUDIBLE].

BOARD MEMBERS, ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT?

[03:35:02]

OKAY. SOUNDS LIKE WE'LL BE LOOKING TO HAVE A DRAFT POLICY.

MARCH AND FOR POSSIBLE APPROVAL IN APRIL.

YES. OK. AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN RACHEL CAN HELP YOU PUT THAT TOGETHER AND CIRCULATE IT TO THE BOARD FOR REVIEW AND MAYBE GET IT TO THE FRONT OF THE PACK IN THE SACK.

IS THAT RIGHT? CLOSE.

[INAUDIBLE] IT'S A IT'S 9:40 CLOSE.

FURTHER COMMENTS.

YEAH. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS BOARD MEMBERS, WE HAVE A WORK SESSION ON THE 15TH

[10. Upcoming Meetings and Events]

RACHEL, PLEASE NOTE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CLOSED SESSION MEETING WITH THE BOARD AND [INAUDIBLE] ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH AND NOT EXCUSE ME, FEBRUARY 9TH, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH AT 6.

WEEK FROM TOMORROW HERE, SIX P.M.

AND THEN THE 15TH WILL BE SAME THING CLOSED MEETING STARTING AT THREE TENTATIVELY AS NEEDED. BEFORE THE WORK SESSION, SO THREE TO JUST SAY SIX, IF DR.

SIMMONS, IF YOU WANT TO SCHEDULE WORK SESSIONS, ARE THEY? ARE WE STARTING AT SIX? YES. OK, SO ALL RIGHT, STILL BE IN PLACE IF WE CAN ADD THAT.

WE HAVE SOME OTHER ITEMS ON THERE.

BOARD MEMBERS NEXT BOARD MEETING, WHERE I WOULD JUST DISCUSS THAT A NORMAL BOARD MEETING WOULD BE WELL IF THIS SHOWS THE WORK SESSION ON THE 15TH.

RIGHT, I HAVE THREE QUESTIONS BEFORE WE.

OKAY? ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE GOOD OF THE CAUSE? YES, YEARLY SURVEYS.

ARE WE GOING TO BE DOING THAT THIS YEAR? WHEN? EARLY MARCH. SO WE MOVED IT BECAUSE IT USED TO BE LIKE JANUARY, FEBRUARY.

IT WAS FEBRUARY IS WHAT WE'VE DONE.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET EVERYTHING GEARED UP TO DO IT AND BEGINNING OF MARCH.

OKAY, THAT'S THE THAT'S THE LOCAL LOCAL SURVEY.

SAME QUESTIONS AS THE PREVIOUS TWO.

YEAH, OK, OK.

AND THEN MR. MANGAL, HOW'S THAT MOLD IN THE PORTABLE? GOOD.

THANKS. OK, THEN.

SINCE THE DECEMBER AND JANUARY MEETING, MR. WEBSTER, THE TECH ED TEACHER AT NORTH CAROLINE PROVIDED US WITH MORE INFORMATION REGARDING TECH ED AT THE LAST MEETING I REQUESTED WE LOOK INTO IT BEFORE WE ELIMINATE IT AGAIN, I NEED TO MAKE THE FORMAL THING.

SO BASED ON THIS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND THE FACT THAT THIS ORIGINAL DECISION WAS MADE BEFORE THIS BOARD AND THE ADMINISTRATION, I MAKE A MOTION THAT THIS BOARD LOOKS SPECIFICALLY INTO THE TECH ED SITUATION MORE THOROUGHLY BEFORE WE TAKE IT OUT OF OUR CURRICULUM. ALL RIGHT.

MS. DIGIACOMO HAS MADE A MOTION THAT WAS BOARD REVISIT THE TECH ED CLASS IN SUMMARY.

IS THERE A SECOND? HEARING NO SECOND, THE MOTION FAILED.

YES, MS. WAYMAN? IS STILL IN OUR CURRICULUM? YES. OR HAS IT BEEN REPLACED WITH THE.

IT'S STILL THERE AS AN ELECTIVE OR WILL BE THERE AS AN ELECTIVE.

WE HAVE A FEW STUDENTS WHO BASED ON THEIR PROGRAM CHOICE.

WHEN YOU COME INTO HIGH SCHOOL, YOU EITHER YOU CAN TAKE COMPUTER SCIENCE OR ENGINEERING, YOU TAKE ONE OF THOSE TWO.

YOU CAN'T DOUBLE DIP YOUR FIRST COURSE ACCOUNT FOR YOUR ENGINEERING OR YOUR COMPUTER SCI AND STILL COUNT FOR YOUR TECH ED CREDIT.

SO WE ENVISION THERE WILL BE SOME STUDENTS WHO WILL STILL GRAB TECH ED THROUGH THERE, AND WE'VE BEEN PLANNING TO KEEP IT AS AN ELECTIVE OFFERING FOR STUDENTS WHO SO CHOOSE.

BUT PREFERRED PATHWAY COMING IN WILL BE ENGINEERING OR COMPUTER SCIENCE.

BUT TECH ED WILL STILL BE OFFERED.

YES, IT'LL JUST BE ON A MUCH SMALLER SCALE, MUCH SMALLER, AND IT'S NOT OFFERED AT COLONEL HIGH AT THIS TIME DUE TO STAFFING.

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR COLONEL STUDENTS, THE TECHNOLOGY TO BE ABLE TO TAKE IT WITH NORTH HIGH IF THEY'RE INTERESTED? WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE LOGISTICS OF THAT.

[03:40:10]

WE'VE HAD SOME STUDENTS SOMETIMES NEED SOME A.P OFFERINGS THAT COLONEL COULDN'T OFFER BECAUSE OF SMALL ENROLLMENT.

SO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT SORT OF AN OPTION.

I HAVE A QUESTION THAT'S NOT RELATED TO.

SO AFTER THE DISCUSSION.

WELL, AND I APPRECIATE THE MOTION AND AGAIN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, REGRETTABLY, MR. WEBSTER DID BRING IN SOME DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE TO THE DISCUSSION.

WE DID HAVE A GOOD DIVE INTO IT IN DECEMBER.

AND I THINK AT SOME POINT I DID GO, I GUESS LATER IN THE MEETING AFTER MR. WEBSTER, I WENT ON THE RECORD TO FEEL LIKE THERE ARE A LOT OF POSITIVE SKILL SETS IN THAT CLASS THAT CAN BE UTILIZED TO ALL OUR STUDENTS.

THERE'S A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS THAT DON'T HAVE FULL SCHEDULES AT THE END OF THEIR HIGH SCHOOL CAREER, AND THESE KIND OF SKILL SETS WOULD DEFINITELY BENEFIT THEM.

AND IN MY REPLY FROM THE BOARD TO MR. WEBSTER. YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CLASSES THAT THIS IS CLASS THAT WE'VE HAD, AND IT'S JUST TRANSITIONING A LITTLE BIT.

BUT THERE'S A LOT OF CLASSES THAT HAVE BEEN BUILT FROM SCRATCH AND GROWN INTO HUGE PROGRAMS OUR AP ART PROGRAMS AND OUR AP MUSIC PROGRAMS. AND THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT CAN BE BUILT FROM NOTHING.

SO THIS ISN'T EVEN NOTHING.

THIS IS SOMETHING. AND AND I SAID IT, I THINK THE LAST MEETING, I'D MUCH RATHER HAVE MY KIDS IN THIS THAN STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING THREE TIMES.

SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY THERE.

BOARD MEMBERS. ANYTHING ELSE TO THAT TOPIC? JUST COMMENTING ON AFTER MR. WEBSTER'S COMMENTARY TO US.

I WANTED TO LOOK AT THAT DECEMBER PRESENTATION AGAIN, AND DR.

SIMMONS SENT IT TO ME. AND WHEN I LOOKED THROUGH THAT IT, IT ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS.

FOR ME, IT ISN'T EXACTLY TO THE POINT HE WAS RAISING, BUT IT SHOWED ME THAT IT'S STILL AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE. IT'S JUST NOT REQUIRED.

SO IT'S JUST GOING A BIT A BIT DIFFERENT DIRECTION.

SO I DON'T BEGIN TO PRETEND TO SAY THAT I UNDERSTAND ALL OF IT, THE DYNAMICS OF THAT.

I HAVE TO YIELD TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO KNOW THAT BETTER.

BUT IT DID FOR ME ANSWER THE QUESTION I HAD, I KNOW THAT AND FOR ME ANSWERED IN MY MIND, THE QUESTION HE WAS RAISED.

VALID IT'S A VALID QUESTION.

AND I [INAUDIBLE], AND I WANT TO KEEP MY CONVERSATION WITH MR. WEBSTER PRIVATE AS IT WAS.

BUT WHEN HE SENT AN EMAIL AND REACHED OUT, I AGREED TO MEET WITH HIM.

WE SAT DOWN, WE MET, WE HAD A GREAT CONVERSATION AND MYSELF AND SOME [INAUDIBLE] TALKED NOT JUST ABOUT THAT, BUT OTHER THINGS IN THE COUNTY AS WELL, AND HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION AS WELL. GOOD.

GOOD. THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.

THE QUESTION OR COMMENT, I GUESS, IN YOU FOLKS CAN DISCUSS IT, GET BACK TO US OR WHATEVER. JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, I KNOW THAT SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTIES, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON MONDAY HAD A VIRTUAL DAY INSTEAD OF A SNOW DAY.

JUST WONDERING WHAT THE POSSIBILITIES MIGHT BE FOR US, BECAUSE THAT WOULD SAVE OUR STUDENTS FROM HAVING TO MAKE UP THE DAY.

SO AND I CAN GLADLY SPEAK TO THAT NOW, ACTUALLY.

WHAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR IN THE DATA LOOKING AT IT, OUR KIDS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY BENEFITED FROM IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION, ABSOLUTELY BENEFITED FROM IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION, WORKING WITH THEIR TEACHERS.

18 MONTHS PRIOR TO US RETURNING TO IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION THIS SCHOOL YEAR.

I THINK A LOT OF US AND I'LL PUT MYSELF IN THE SAME BOAT THOUGHT WE WERE DOING A BETTER JOB THAN WE WERE WITH VIRTUALLY.

WE THOUGHT MORE KIDS WERE BEING SUCCESSFUL THAN THERE WERE.

SOME KIDS WHO WERE SURVIVING, WE HAD A LOT OF KIDS WHO WERE NOT.

AND IT WAS READILY APPARENT THAN THE FIRST FEW DAYS BACK TO SCHOOL AND REALLY APPARENT AS DATA STARTED COMING IN. WE KNOW THAT OUR KIDS LEARN BEST IN PERSON AND THAT WE CAN DO BEST IN PERSON AND WHEN WE LOOKED AT WHAT THE PARAMETERS WERE WE RECEIVED FROM MSCE FOR THE OPTION FOR A VIRTUAL SNOW DAY VIRTUAL INCLEMENT WEATHER DAY.

ONE OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS IS FOUR HOURS REQUIRED SYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTION FOR ALL STUDENTS. K-TO-12 MINIMUM OF FOUR HOURS REQUIRED SYNCHRONOUS, OUR ATTENDANCE WAS NOT REAL GOOD IN THE SYNCHRONOUS WORLD LAST YEAR.

THERE ARE PIECES THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT WE WOULD IMPROVE IF WE WERE GOING BACK TO SYNCHRONOUS. ONE OF WHICH IS YOUR CAMERA MUST BE ON.

YOU GOT TO SEE WHO'S THERE.

I THINK THAT'S ACCOUNTABILITY.

I'LL OWN IT MYSELF IF I'M ON A MEETING AND I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE MY CAMERA ON.

[03:45:02]

SO IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE ATTENDANCE, ANY KID WHO'S NOT ABLE TO LOG IN WHILE ON SYNCHRONOUS MUST BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE UP THEIR WORK.

WAITING TO SEE HOW SOME FOLKS ATTENDANCE RATES WENT FOR THEIR VIRTUAL DAY THAT THEY PUT IN PLACE YESTERDAY.

AND LOOKING AT THE HEAVY LIFT, WE WOULD HAVE TO GET ENOUGH GADGETS TO GET OUT TO OUR FAMILIES AND OUR STAFF.

AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE'VE LOOKED AT IT.

WE'VE HAD A LOT OF HARD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IT, A LOT OF REALLY HARD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IT.

AND ULTIMATELY WHERE WE FALL IN, WHERE I FALL IN IS MS. WAYMAN. I HEAR THE POINT ABOUT IT WOULD SAVE THEM FROM HAVING TO MAKE UP A DAY, AND I DON'T WANT THIS TO COME OFF THE WRONG WAY.

SO IT'S NOT. I'LL PREFACE IT WITH THAT.

OUR KIDS HAVE SOME BIG GAPS TO MAKE UP FROM.

WHAT THEY'VE EXPERIENCED IN THE LAST 18 MONTHS WASN'T THEIR FAULT, WASN'T ANY ANY OF OUR FAULTS. BUT THEY DO. IF WE KNOW WHAT HELPS THEM THE BEST IS BEING IN FRONT OF THEIR CLASSROOM TEACHERS.

IF IT'S AN EXTRA DAY, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A MUCH BETTER CHANCE THAN GETTING SOMETHING, THAT'S WHERE WE SHOULD BE PUTTING OUR EGGS IN THAT BASKET VERSUS A VIRTUAL, WHICH HELPS US SAVE A DAY.

BUT IF WE GO BASED OFF OF OUR ATTENDANCE NUMBERS LAST YEAR, I'M NOT SAYING THIS, WE GO FOR OURS LAST YEAR WITH NO CAMERAS ON.

WE PROBABLY WOULD FALL SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 30 TO 50 PERCENT ATTENDANCE RATE ON OUR VIRTUAL AND I WOULD ASSUME 50 WOULD PROBABLY BE IN SOME CLASSES, BUT PROBABLY CLOSER TO 30.

IF I'M THE CLASSROOM TEACHER WHO'S HAVING TO BEAR A LESSON TO DELIVER VIRTUALLY TO KIDS AND I'VE GOT 70 PERCENT OF MY KIDS NOT THERE, THAT'S A WASTE.

I'M DOING IT AGAIN WHEN THEY COME BACK IN BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE WE'RE GETTING IT.

AND THEN WE'VE LOOKED AT SOME OF THE DYNAMICS HIGH SCHOOL'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

HIGH SCHOOL LENDS ITSELF TO THE POSSIBILITY OF HIGH SCHOOL KIDS ARE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS.

THE LENS OF THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING ABLE TO PULL TOGETHER A LESSON AND GET THAT INSTRUCTION ACROSS.

AND WE WOULD HOPE THE HIGH SCHOOL AGE KID HAS THE GUMPTION, THE WHEREWITHAL TO LOG IN [INAUDIBLE]. I'M THE ELEMENTARY AGE KID WHO ON A SNOW DELAY GETS SENT TO A DAYCARE THAT HAS THEIR ESTABLISHED ROUTINES IN PLACE, WHICH ARE WORKING REALLY WELL FOR THEM.

AND NOW THE EIGHT KIDS THEY HAVE THERE ALL HAVE TO JUMP ON ZOOM FOR EIGHT HOURS A DAY OR FOUR HOURS A DAY. IT JUST STARTS CREATING A LOT OF DYNAMICS, AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT THOSE IMPACTS WILL NOT JUST ALL OF OUR KIDS, BUT OUR DIFFERENT SEGMENTS.

THROW IN THE MIX OF GETTING ALL THE GADGETS AND HOT SPOTS OUT AND THOSE CHALLENGES AND THE ADDITIONAL COST.

JUST WHEN YOU FILL IT ALL IN THE BLENDER.

NOT EVERY SYSTEM HAS THE SAME AMOUNT OF RESOURCES, AND I GET THAT NOT EVERY SYSTEM HAS THE SAME LEVEL OF CONNECTIVITY, BUT I DO FEEL KIND OF STRONGLY ON THIS ONE THAT IF WE KNOW WE'RE MAKING AN IMPACT IN PERSON.

LET'S REALLY HOLD TO THAT UNLESS WE KNOW WE'VE GOT A REALLY SOLID VIRTUAL OPTION THAT WE KNOW WOULD TRULY HIT THE MARK, AND WE KNOW OUR FAMILIES COULD FULLY ACCESS AND GRASP, AND THERE WOULDN'T BE A QUESTION OF OK, HOW MANY ARE GOING TO GET ON? AND I KNOW AT SOME POINT YOU'VE GOT TO TRY.

BUT RIGHT NOW, AT LEAST WE'RE I'M LOOKING FROM.

WE TRIED A LOT OF THINGS WITH OUR KIDS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS.

WE FOUND SOME STABILITY THAT WORKS.

LET'S STICK WITH THE STABILITY THAT WE KNOW THAT SEEING A POSITIVE IMPACT AGAIN, EVEN IF IT MEANS WE RIGHT NOW WE'RE PLUS 2, SO WE COULD BE TACKING TO THE END OF THE YEAR FOR SOMEONE ON THOSE LINES.

OK, LET'S TRY TO PRESERVE THAT IN-PERSON PIECE WHERE WE KNOW WE'RE SEEING IMPACT INSTEAD OF TAKING A SHOT OF SOMETHING.

WELL, WE MIGHT JUST RIGHT NOW.

I'VE GOT A QUESTION PIGGYBACK OFF THAT.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT GETTING MORE HOT SPOTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

I THOUGHT WE ALL HAD THAT PRETTY MUCH UNDER CONTROL BY THE END OF LAST YEAR SPEAKERS] THEY HAVE TO BE ACTIVATED.

WE HAVE A BUNCH OF BUNCH OF BOXES, SO.

BUT THEY'RE NOT TURNED ON. SO YOU'VE GOT A.

RIGHT SO THAT WE SORT OF HAVE IT, BUT WE'VE LIKE DISABLED.

YOU TURN THEM ALL OFF. SO WE'RE NOT HAVING DATA.

OK? SO MR. JONES BROUGHT UP A POINT THAT WE SPENT ALL THIS MONEY AND ALL THIS TIME OVER THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF GETTING THIS ALL IN PLACE.

AND AT THIS POINT, IF WE DON'T EVER USE IT, WE LOSE IT.

AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS IF WE HAVE TO GO BACK? THERE'S LIKE, NO, HOW DID YOU PHRASE THAT? WHAT I SAID WAS WE'D SPENT ALL LAST YEAR.

YEAH. KIND OF PERFECTING VIRTUAL LEARNING.

[03:50:05]

I HAD SPOKEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT SOME STUFF, AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, I WONDER WONDER IF IN THE FUTURE CAN WE TAKE WHAT WE LEARN FROM THAT AND TAKE WHAT WE'VE ACQUIRED? AND ENABLE OURSELVES TO STAY READY FOR THAT BY INCLUDING SOME.

AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A LOT, BUT ENOUGH.

SCHEDULE DAYS GO VIRTUAL TO JUST TO JUST STAY READY.

SO KIDS ARE READY SO THEY KNOW WHAT.

SO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY NEED. SO IN THE EVENT, MY CONCERN WOULDN'T BE THE ONE OR TWO RANDOM SNOW DAYS, BUT IN THE EVENT THAT WE USE OUR DAYS AND WE GET A WEEK LIKE NOW, WHEN WE GET A WEEK WHERE WE CAN'T GO TO SCHOOL, I MEAN, HOW LIKELY IS THAT TO HAPPEN? IT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST. WE DON'T KNOW.

JUST JUST SO WE STAY READY.

AND I TOLD THEM, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF LIKE, WE'RE KIND OF LIKE, HAD THIS WHEEL MOVING AND WE JUST STOPPED IT.

AND IT'S REALLY HARD TO START IT BACK UP.

NOW THERE'S ALSO COSTS INVOLVED BECAUSE, LIKE YOU SAY, ALL THESE LITTLE BOXES ARE NOT, WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW THEY'RE SHUT OFF.

YEAH, WE'VE GOT TO PAY TO TURN THEM BACK ON.

SO IS IT WORTH PAYING TO HAVE THOSE THINGS ON FOR A WHOLE YEAR WHEN WE'RE ONLY USING THEM FOR FOUR OR SIX SCHEDULED DAYS AND MAYBE A SNOW DAY HERE OR SNOW DAY THERE? I DON'T. THAT'S NOT THAT'S NOT OUR DECISION, BUT IT WAS JUST THINKING FOR THE FUTURE, NOT THINKING REALLY FOR THIS YEAR BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, SO WE'VE GOT A MONTH.

IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WE'RE NOT.

WE'RE NOT ABLE TO. BUT WE ALSO HAVE PUT OURSELVES IN A SPOT TO NOT BE ABLE TO BY LETTING IT GO. SO I WOULD SAY IT'S A IT'S AN INTERESTING CONCEPT RIGHT NOW.

MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS NOT ALLOWING US TO DO VIRTUAL DAYS OTHER THAN A WRITTEN THIS WEATHER PLAN, WHICH WOULD ONLY BE ABLE TO BE WRITTEN AND APPROVED FOR THIS CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR. SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NO OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HAVE ONE THAT WOULDN'T BE A WEATHER DAY.

ABSOLUTELY, BUT HOW, YOU KNOW, 18 MONTHS AGO, STUDENTS DID NOT HAVE ONE OF THESE.

WE DON'T WANT TO GO BACKWARDS.

THEY DO HAVE THEM NOW, AND THERE'S A LOT OF CAPABILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES WITH THAT.

SO EVEN EVEN THE EVEN THE WELL SYNCHRONOUS SCHOOL DAYS COUNTED AS A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY ONE OF THE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SCHOOL DAYS IS ONLY APPROVED IN MARYLAND RIGHT NOW FOR WEATHER. FOR WEATHER.

THIS YEAR. OR COVID.

WEATHER OR COVID THIS YEAR.

AND THE WEATHER PIECE WAS ONLY ADDED WITHIN THE LAST THREE WEEKS, I BELIEVE.

SO I DIDN'T EVEN I WASN'T EVEN AWARE OF THAT ASPECT OF IT.

I JUST REMEMBER FROM LAST YEAR AND IT WAS A MEMO NOTICE WE RECEIVED FROM THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE THAT HE WOULD ALLOW INCLEMENT WEATHER.

I THINK IT WAS THREE WEEKS AGO INCLEMENT WEATHER PLANS TO BE DEVELOPED THAT HAD TO BE APPROVED BY HIM.

MORE WORK. WHEN YOU GOT SO MUCH OTHER STUFF, YOU'RE ALSO SITTING AROUND TWIDDLING THEIR THUMBS. WELL, IT'S ONE OF THOSE, AND WE LOOKED AT THE OPTION YOU KIND OF LOSE YOUR LOSE YOUR STAMINA TOWARDS A CERTAIN MODEL.

AND AGAIN, AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT A LOT AND ABSOLUTELY TALKED ABOUT IT A LOT WITH THE SHORT TURNAROUND AND THE SHORT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE OF A SCRAMBLE.

I DON'T THINK WE'D GET THE BANG FOR BUCK WITH KIDS RIGHT NOW.

WOULD IT POSSIBLY SAVE A DAY? YES. WOULD IT BENEFIT THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS? I DON'T BELIEVE SO. I DON'T.

WOULD IT BE A REAL CHALLENGE FOR STAFF AS WELL? POSSIBLY.

EVEN. AND I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT.

I LIKE, YOU KNOW, MR. JONES'S SUGGESTION IS GOOD.

GOOD THOUGHT PROCESS. HEY, YOU KNOW, A DAY, YOU KNOW, A FEW DAYS A YEAR OR SOMETHING JUST TO KEEP EVERYBODY'S TUNED IN FOR THE, YOU KNOW, TO THE EMERGENCY.

BUT THE FLIP SIDE IS, EVEN IF EVEN IF YOU GOT SEVENTY FIVE PERCENT OF THE STUDENTS SHOWING UP AGAIN TALKING ABOUT TEACHERS WORKLOAD, THEN THEY'VE GOT TO STILL RETEACH TWENTY FIVE PERCENT OR REVISIT.

AND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE BEST.

I CAN SAY. IT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT FOR THE FUTURE.

WHEN YOU DO THAT, WHEN YOU DO THE SCHOOL CALENDAR, THAT IF YOU DON'T, IF YOU DON'T INCLUDE MORE THAN FOUR SNOW DAYS, WHAT IF YOU HAVE 10? AND SO, YOU KNOW, LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE, IS IT POSSIBLE TO TAKE THERE TO TAKE THIS IDEA, BUT TO DO WHAT THEY ALLOW YOU TO DO AND HAVE VIRTUAL DAYS ON SOME OF THE SNOW DAYS? AND IT'S IT'S ONLY FEBRUARY 1ST AND WE'VE GOT POTENTIALLY SIX MORE WEEKS OF GETTING

[03:55:21]

YEAH, YEAH. YEAH, YEAH. WELL, I KNOW YOU'RE ALL WAY AHEAD OF THAT.

BUT [INAUDIBLE] OF THOSE WINTER SO FAR.

YEAH, HOW ABOUT AND THIS IS JUST LIKE POPPED MY HEAD, THE HALF [INAUDIBLE] DAYS IN THE SCHEDULE? KIDS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE OFF ANYWAY.

CAN YOU USE THOSE HALF DAY PDS FOR THE TEACHER TO GET THE PRACTICE OF DOING IT AND STUDENTS? I THINK IT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION IF IF THIS IS EXTENDED INTO THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR AND ABLE TO USE [INAUDIBLE], I THINK IT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION TO FIND A WAY TO REESTABLISH THAT STAMINA, NOT JUST FOR KIDS, BUT FOR ADULTS.

RIGHT. AND IT'S ALL BACK IN.

SO WHEN IT'S NOT IN A PANIC MODE OF, OH GOD, THERE'S A RIGHT SNOWMAGEDDON COMING IN TWO DAYS AND GET READY.

RIGHT? NO, I THINK IT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION THE HALF DAYS WOULD MAKE A GOOD BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL THERE. A GOOD FIT FOR IT.

RIGHT? YOU'RE STILL GETTING YOUR DAY.

TEACHERS ARE LEARNING, THE KIDS ARE GETTING USED TO IT.

AND BECAUSE IT'S LIKE THEY LOSE IT OR USE IT, YEAH NO USE IT OR LOSE IT.

IT'S JUST JUST FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

AND THEN ONE MORE IF WE DON'T HAVE EVEN MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, I HAVE JUST ONE MORE QUESTION. BUT DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT? GOOGLE VERSUS.

THANK YOU. THAT'S AN ODD NAME.

I ALWAYS WANT TO SAY SCHOOLOGY.

I DON'T KNOW WHY SCHOOLOGY, BUT SO WHERE WHERE DO WE GET THE MONEY TO DO THIS? ACTUALLY, IT HAS.

WE HAVE HAD SCHOOLOGY NOW SINCE JUST BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BUT IT'S PART OF OUR POWER SCHOOL PACKAGE THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SCHOOLS, OUR STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM.

I MADE THE PURPOSEFUL DECISION NOT TO ROLL SOMETHING OUT NEW LAST SCHOOL YEAR TO TEACHERS BECAUSE I DID NOT THINK THAT THAT WAS APPROPRIATE.

THEY HAD BEEN USING GOOGLE CLASSROOM FOR THOSE MARCH THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AND PURPOSELY CHOSE TO NOT ROLL SCHOOLOGY OUT LAST SCHOOL YEAR.

UNFORTUNATELY, POWER SCHOOL WE CURRENTLY HAVE AND GOOGLE CLASSROOM THROUGH GOOGLE SUITES FOR OUR LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, POWER SCHOOL IS NO LONGER GOING TO BE SUPPORTING UNIFIED CLASSROOM LIKE WE CURRENTLY USE IT.

SO WE HAVE TWO OPTIONS.

ONE IS TO GO BACKWARDS TO WHERE WE WERE IN A GRADE BOOK SEVERAL YEARS AGO OR MOVE FORWARD WITH SCHOOLOGY, WHICH WE HAVE ALREADY ENCOMPASSED THROUGH POWER SCHOOL AND MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT AS OUR LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND GRADE BOOK OPTIONS.

SO IT'S NOT COSTING US ANY MONEY? NO, I MEAN, NO, NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAN WHAT IT HAS.

RIGHT? GOT YOU. CORRECT.

AND AND WE HAVE WE DO HAVE A REALLY GOOD ROLLOUT PLAN.

I MEAN, I'VE READ ABOUT SOME OF IT.

SO WE KIND OF HAVE TO SWITCH.

CORRECT. OK. SO WE HAVE TO SWITCH ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

SO YOU SAID YOU TALKED ABOUT THE ROLLOUT PLAN.

YES. YOU KNOW, GOING TO ADD STRESS, MORE STRESS.

OK. ARE WE GOING TO TRY TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE IT AS SEAMLESS AS POSSIBLE? ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S WHY THE INFORMATION HAS GONE OUT ALREADY.

IT'S ALREADY GOING OUT WITH LINKS TO RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS WHO WANT TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE. RIGHT.

WE HAVE A CAROLINE ASPIRING LEADERS PROGRAM THAT BEGAN LAST THURSDAY NIGHT.

WE'RE USING, NOT USING.

THEY ARE USING SCHOOLOGY.

SO I HAVE OUR CAROLINE ASPIRING LEADERS PROGRAM ON SCHOOLOGY.

AND SO THOSE TWENTY SIX FOLKS ARE USING IT AND THEY ARE SPREAD OUT BETWEEN ALL 10 OF OUR BUILDINGS. SO WE'LL ALREADY HAVE KIND OF SCHOOLOGY EXPERTS.

I'VE AS WELL AS WE'RE WORKING ON A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS SPRING AND INTO SUMMER.

BECAUSE IT GOES INTO EFFECT, NOT NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, BUT THE YEAR AFTER THAT? NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.

SO IT GOES INTO EFFECT IN AUGUST.

YES. ALL RIGHT.

YOU SAID THAT FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO LEARN, OKAY, YOU CAN GO ONLINE.

[04:00:05]

THAT'S JUST THE TIDBITS.

NOW, FOR THOSE THAT ARE INTERESTED.

OK, OK, OK.

BUT LIKE, OK, SOMEBODY LIKE ME, WHICH IS REALLY IRONIC BECAUSE I DID THE NAVY WAS WORKED WITH COMPUTERS. I NEED HANDS ON AND I WON'T DO SOMETHING.

TECHNOLOGY WISE, UNTIL YOU TELL ME MY JOB DEPENDS ON IT.

AND THAT WILL COME.

THAT WILL COME. SO KIND OF WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS HELP THE PEOPLE THAT ARE LIKE ME AND MAKE THEM LEARN IT BEFORE THEIR JOB DEPENDS ON IT.

AND SO THEY DON'T ALL OF A SUDDEN GO, WOW.

AND BELIEVE ME, WE WILL BE PUSHING OUT MORE INFORMATION ON ON A MONTHLY BASIS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN.

IN THE SUMMER TOO MAYBE.

ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE WE'LL BE OFFERING TRAININGS AND.

BECAUSE ONE OF MY BIGGEST THINGS IS WHEN YOU WOULD GIVE SOMEBODY, YOU WOULD GIVE ME THE TRAINING IN SEPTEMBER.

BUT DON'T WORRY, YOU DON'T NEED IT UNTIL MARCH, AND IT COULD COME MARCH.

I WAS LIKE, WHOA. AND SO I'M GOING TO RELATE IT TO NO TEACHER.

NO, I SHOULDN'T SAY NO.

MAJORITY OF OUR TEACHERS DID NOT USE ANY LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS DIDN'T HAVE DEVICES.

SO GOOGLE CLASSROOM 18 MONTHS AGO WAS BRAND NEW TO THEM AND THEY MASTERED IT.

SCHOOLOGY IS GOOGLE CLASSROOM AMPED UP.

ON STEROIDS.

AND SO THEY ONCE IN IT.

I'VE ALREADY RECEIVED EMAILS FROM NEWER TEACHERS WHO ARE DISTRICT WHO HAVE SAID I USE SCHOOLOGY IN MY LAST DISTRICT.

I LOVED IT. I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THIS, DO THAT.

AND I'VE ACTUALLY SEEN ON FACEBOOK SOME OF OUR OUR TEACHERS PUT OUT OUR DISTRICT, JUST ANNOUNCED WE'RE GOING TO SCHOOLOGY ANYBODY ELSE OUT THERE, GIVE ME ANY TIDBITS OF INFORMATION. AND I MEAN, I FOLLOWED THAT COMMENT THREAD THAT WAS EXTREMELY POSITIVE.

AND YEAH, I'LL SEND YOU THESE RESOURCES.

SO WE ABSOLUTELY WILL HAVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION.

IT'S GOING TO BE ALL ABOUT THE ROLLOUT, ISN'T IT? HOW IT'S DONE? I LOOKED AT IT.

YEAH, I WENT ON AND LOOKED AT IT AT SCHOOLOGY.

HOW HARD IS IT? WELL, I DIDN'T GO IN DETAIL, BUT I MEAN, I WAS ABLE TO GO THROUGH A LITTLE BIT JUST TO GET A GLIMPSE OF IT.

SO I CAN'T ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW? I KNOW. BUT I MEAN, AND HONESTLY, I'LL TELL YOU ONCE, LIKE I STARTED USING GRADE BOOK AND ALL THAT, I WAS LIKE, I CALLED MYSELF A DUMB YOU KNOW WHAT? BECAUSE I'M LIKE, MAN, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN MY LIFE.

A WHOLE LOT EASIER. SO ONCE I GET IT, I'M USUALLY HAPPY IT JUST GET ME THERE.

AND I KNOW THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE LIKE THAT, BUT.

WE HAVE A TEAM WORKING ON THE ROLLOUT.

BE GENTLE WITH PEOPLE.

AND I THINK THE FACT THAT YOU STARTED THAT, THAT IS THE MAIN REASON WHY I SAID I WOULD LIKE TO SEND THIS INFORMATION OUT WELL IN ADVANCE, RIGHT? THERE IS NO.

AND THEN ANOTHER TIP I WOULD SAY IS A LOT OF THE TIME PEOPLE TEACHING TECHNOLOGY, THEY'RE BRILLIANT AND THEY GO, OH, IT'S SIMPLE [INAUDIBLE], AND YOU'RE LIKE, WHAT? AND THEN THEY WANT WHEN YOU ASK, THEY WANT TO DO IT FOR YOU.

SO I HAD ZERO TRAINING IN SCHOOLOGY BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T HAD OUR FIRST PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND I HAVE ALREADY BEEN ABLE TO CREATE AN ASPIRING LEADERS JUST OUT OF IT BEING INTUITIVE.

SO. JUST MORE HANDS ON FOR THE BETTER.

THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE ON THAT.

BOARD MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR THE DIALOG STAFF.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND EFFORT.

ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE GOOD OF THE CAUSE? [INAUDIBLE] I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN.

I SO MOVE. MOTION BY MR. JONES, SECOND BY MS. WAYMAN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.

AYE. THANK YOU.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.