[00:00:05]
SO I NORMALLY NO LONGER NEEDS READING, READ ANYTHING ABOUT COVID AND ALL THAT STUFF.
SO WE WILL NOW, UM, ALL THE MEETING, THE AUDIT INVOCATION BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, MICHAEL
SECOND, LIEUTENANT LILLIAN MA MILLIGAN LILLIAN MILLIGAN AT GLEN OAKS HIGH SCHOOL ACCOMPANIED BY SENIOR ARMY INSTRUCTOR, LIEUTENANT COLONEL RETIRED, RONALD T. MAY HOMES, AMAZING PROGRAM.
ALL RIGHT, WELL REMEMBER GOLDING, PLEASE RISE.
WE ASK YOUR BLESSINGS ON ALL OF OUR SENIORS.
AS THEY GRADUATE FROM OUR CARE.
MAY YOU PROTECT THEM AND KEEP THEM SAFE.
AS THEY VENTURE OUT INTO THE WORLD, MAY YOU GIVE THEM THE COURAGE AND WISDOM TO STRETCH THEIR WINGS AND SOAR TO THE AMAZING HEIGHTS.
WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF REACHING.
WE ALSO ASK YOUR BLESSINGS FOR ALL OF OUR FACULTY AND STAFF THAT THEY MAY ENJOY A SACRED SPITE.
THE SUMMER FROM THEIR HARD WORK AND RETURN NEXT YEAR, WITH THE SAME LEVEL OF ENTHUSIASM AND EFFORT, THEY HAVE ALWAYS DISPLAYED.
FINALLY HOLD ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN YOUR ARMS AND LET THEM RETURN TO US NEXT YEAR.
READY TO CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY.
ALL THIS WE ASK IN YOUR NAME I'M IN.
SO THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD BOARD MEMBERS, DR.
NARCIS FELLOW CITIZENS OF EAST BATON ROUGE, PARIS, IT IS MY HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE A GREAT AMERICAN.
SHE IS A FRESHMAN AT GLENOAKS MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL, AND WE ASSUME COMPLETE HER SECOND YEAR AS A JR ROTC CADET.
SHE IS THE
SHE HAS A GRADE POINT AVERAGE OR 2.8.
SHE HAS A MODEL'S CADET WHO HAS TAKEN ON THE CHALLENGE OF LIVING UP TO THE JR ROTC CADET, CREED, FOLLOWING GRADUATION.
SHE PLANS TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES ARMY AND CONTINUE HER EDUCATION TO MAJOR IN ENGINEERING.
SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF CARLOS, NICE MILIKIN LADIES AND GENTLEMEN HERE TO LEAD US AND OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
I PRESENT TO YOU WITH GREAT PRIDE CADET.
SECOND LIEUTENANT LYDIAN MILLIGAN.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
IT BRINGS ME GREAT PLEASURE BECAUSE YOU'RE YOUR SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISTRICT TWO, AND ALSO AS SOMEONE WHO ATTENDED GLENOAKS HIGH SCHOOL TO PRESENT YOU WITH THIS MEDAL OF HONOR ON BEHALF OF OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND OUR ENTIRE BOARD.
AND, AND DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO SAY? YOU DON'T HAVE TO, I'M JUST ASKING.
SO Y'ALL STAND TOGETHER FOR YOUR PHOTO APP.
SO YOU COULD SHARE WITH MOM, DAD AT HOME MAMA AND, AND, AND GIGI.
IF, IF YOU CALL A GD COM, WHEREAS I CAM A PERSON, ALL RIGHT, SO Y'ALL COME RIGHT HERE.
SO YOU CAN HAVE THIS IN YOUR BACKGROUND BOARD MEMBERS Y'ALL CAN ALSO LOG IN THE BOARD DOCS.
THANK YOU, MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL
[00:05:05]
DISTRICT.NINE PRESIDENTS, ADMIN DISTRICT FOUR VICE-PRESIDENT COLLINS PRESENT DISTRICT ONE.
MR. LANDIS HERE, DISTRICT THREE, MR. HOWARD, PRESIDENT DISTRICT FIVE.
MS. WARD JACKSON PRESENT DISTRICT SIX, MS. DIASON DISTRICT SEVEN, MR.
WE NOW MOVE FORWARD WITH ITEM B, ONE MEETING MINUTES APPROVAL OF THE SCHOOL BOY MINUTES OF THE APRIL 21ST 22 REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MAY 5TH, 2022 AND SPECIAL BOARD MEETING.
I REGULAR BOARD MEETING MAY 5TH, 2020 SPECIAL BOARD MEETING ON THE SAME DATE AND THE MAY 5TH, 2022 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING AS PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL DARK JOURNAL.
SO MOVED BY A BOARD MEMBER BERNARD AND THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBER HOWARD, MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE VOTE.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE MEETING MINUTES FROM THOSE MEETINGS, SEEING NONE BACK TO THE BOARD, SEEING NO BOARD COMMENT.
NOW, MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE VOTE.
UH, CAN WE, CAN WE DO A ROLL CALL AMOUNT OF VICE-PRESIDENT DISTRICT ONE? MR. BLUE? YES.
NOW, MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEMS, C1, ATHLETIC RECOGNITIONS VEST RECOGNITION OF THE SCANNER.
OH,
PRESIDENT TADEMAN, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT COLLINS, SUPERINTENDENT NAZIS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO RECOGNIZE THE SCOTLANDVILLE HIGH HORNETS FOR WINNING THE 2022, ALL STATE SUGAR BOWL.
LHSC BOYS, STATE BASKETBALL TITLE FOUR DIVISION ONE.
GET MY HAND, THE SCOTLAND, THE SCOTLANDVILLE MAGNET.
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF COACH CARLOS SAMPLE FINISHED THE 2020 1 22 SEASON WITH AN OVERALL RECORD OF 27 AND SEVEN.
THEY ARE ALSO, THEY ALSO COMPETED IN THEIR 13TH STRAIGHT FIVE, EIGHT DIVISION ONE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.
NO ONE ELSE IN LOUISIANA HAS, CAN SAY THAT WINNING THEY, THEIR EIGHTH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP ALL WHILE MAINTAINING A 3.0 OVERALL GPA, RAYVON SMITH WAS NAMED THE MVP FOR THE STATE FOR DIVISION ONE, AND THEN RAYVON SMITH AND DORIAN BOOKER WERE NAMED TO THE FIVE, A ALL-STATE BASKETBALL TEAM.
HE HAD COACHES HEAD COACH IS CARLOS SAMPLE ASSISTANT COACHES, JEREMY NOAH, JOSHUA WASHINGTON, D SEAN WASHINGTON, HENDRICK FOSTER, MELISSA WASHINGTON.
AND IN ATTENDANCE TONIGHT IS PRINCIPAL PAUL JACKSON.
AND ON BEHALF OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AT EAST BATON ROUGE, PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, CONGRATULATIONS, CODE SAMPLE, YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT CHILD MR. JACKSON, AND KEEP UP THE GREAT COACHES STAFF PLAYERS.
[00:10:01]
AND IT'S ALWAYS, UM, A LITTLE HARDER ATTACK TO WATCHING Y'ALL PLAY, BUT IT'S ALL GOOD.AND ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT GO HORNETS.
PLEASE GIVE THEM ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
NOW, MOVING FORWARD WITH MORE ATHLETIC RECOGNITIONS, THE TWO ATHLETIC RECOGNITION, UH, AND THE AREA OF JIM NESS, THE RECOGNITION OF THE BAND ROOS MAGNET, HIGH GIRLS GYMNASTIC TEAM FOR BEING NAMED THE 2022 L H S A A GIRLS GYMNASTICS STATE CHAMPIONS FOR DIVISION ONE, AS WELL AS THE BOYS GYMNASTIC TEAM FOR BEING NAMED THE 2022, LHS A BOYS GYMNASTICS STATE CHAMPIONS FOR DIVISION ONE.
IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO RECOGNIZE BATON ROUGE, MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL FOR WINNING THE 2022 STATE GYMNASTICS MEET.
IT HAS BEEN 19 YEARS SINCE THE GIRLS HAVE ACHIEVED THIS WONDERFUL ACCOMPLISHMENT, THEY HAVE AN OVERALL TEAM GPA OF 3.7, SIX SENIOR CAMILA S DEBT WAS THE STATE CHAMPION FOR THE LEVEL FOUR BEAM.
WE CONGRATULATE THE EFFORTS AND COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE THIS SEASON.
CONGRATULATIONS LADIES ON THE HALF OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND OUR ENTIRE BOARD GO FALL DOG.
I'M GOING TO GIVE THESE METALS TO THE, UH, TO THE, TO THE ADULTS HERE TO THE COACHES.
AND, UH, JUST, I'M JUST SO PROUD OF YOU.
THE GIRLS ARE COACHED BY COACH S STORAGE AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL.
LET ME DO THE BOYS WHILE THEY'RE AND WHILE THEY'RE GETTING A PHOTO OP, LET ME MENTION THE BOYS.
IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO RECOGNIZE BATON ROUGE, MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL FOR WINNING THE 2022 L H S A BOYS STATE GYMNASTICS MEET.
THIS IS THE EIGHT CONSECUTIVE YEAR WINNING DIVISION ONE AND THE 28TH TIME THAT BATON ROUGE MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL BOYS GYMNASTICS TEAM HAS WON THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.
WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT'S UNHEARD OF IN, IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, THEY HAVE AN OVERALL TEAM GPA OF SEVEN OF 3.74.
AGAIN, CONGRATULATE, CONGRATULATIONS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE.
NOW LET'S MOVE FORWARD WITH MORE AMAZING ATHLETIC RECOGNITIONS TRACK AND FIELD.
[00:15:01]
THE AMAZING ONCE AGAIN, SCOTLANDVILLE HIGH THIS TIME, THE GIRLS TRACK TEAM FOR BEING NAMED THE 2022 L H S A GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONS FOR CLASS FIVE EIGHT, CONGRATULATIONS, SCOTLANDVILLE HIGH LADY HORNETS FOR WINNING THE 2022 LHSC GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR CLASS FIVE, A A HARRIS WON FIRST PLACE IN THE A HUNDRED METER HURDLES AND THE 300 METER HURDLES.AND SHE BROKE A RECORD STATE RECORD WITH A TIME OF 42 93 IN THE 300 METERS.
CONGRATULATIONS, MACQUARIE A HARRIS.
ALSO WON THE MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE AWARD FOR DISTRICT FIVE, A MEET REGIONAL MEET, AND THE STATE MEET THE FOUR BY ONE AND FOUR BY TWO RELAY TEAMS, FATIMA BANKS, SUNDAY, GREY MADISON, KENT, AND WHITNEY HARRIS WON FIRST PLACE IN BOTH RELAYS.
THE FOUR BY FOUR RELAY CARLY'S DAVIDSON LADEN, JACK TIANA HARRIS AND MACQUARIE, A HARRIS ONE ALSO WON FIRST PLACE.
SADIE GRAY WON FIRST PLACE IN THE 200 METER AND SECOND PLACE IN THE HUNDRED METERS.
UM, THE SCOTLANDVILLE HIGH GIRLS HAVE AN OVERALL TEAM GPA OF 3.0, THE COACHES ARE URSULA HARRIS, VERNON PITCHER, THEODORE JORDAN, TERRY DORSEY, CALVIN WILLIAMS, AND ROBERT DILLINGHAM.
AGAIN, GIRLS, CONGRATULATIONS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, DON'T EVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT GREAT THINGS ARE NOT HAPPENING IN THAT SCOTTSVILLE MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL ON BEHALF OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE SCHOOL BOARD, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE COACHES, TO THE GIRLS AND MR. JACKSON GO HORNETS.
AND AS THEY SHAKE AMAZING HANDS OF AMAZING STUDENTS, WE WILL, UH, MS. WILLIAMSON GAVE BOARD MEMBER.
DIASEND AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET STUCK UP FROM BEING STUCK ON THE INTERSTATE.
AND IF YOU COULD, OH, WELL, THAT'S THE LAST IN THE ATHLETICS THOUGH? UM, WELL, WE'LL PUT THAT AT THE END OF ALL THE OTHER RECOGNITIONS TO GIVE BOARD MEMBERS, SHE, SHE REALLY WANTS TO BE ABLE TO SHAKE HER OWN STUDENTS' HANDS IF THAT'S OKAY.
WHICH ONE? I'M NOT LOOKING AT TRACK LAILA GUY.
MA'AM GO AHEAD AND DO YOUR PRESENTATION FOR MS. LAYLA.
I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE LAYLA GUY FROM BATON ROUGE, MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL OR WINNING FIRST IN THE SHOT PUT AND DISCUS NOW TO TWO EVENTS AT THE 2022, LHS A CLASS FIVE, A STATE TRACK MEET.
LAYLA HAS COMPETED IN THE UNITED STATES, UM, OF AMERICA TRACK AND FIELD NATIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPICS, WHERE SHE HAS PLACED IN THE TOP SEVEN, SINCE 2015 IN THE SHOT PUT HER LAST THREE YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL.
SHE HAS MAINTAINED AN OVERALL GPA OF SLIGHTLY OVER 4.0, LAYLA WILL CONTINUE HER TRACK AND FIELD ENDEAVORS IN COLLEGE AT ULA EL IN LAFAYETTE.
THE GIRL'S TRACK TEAM IS COACHED BY KATARA ROSSBY AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS LAYLA.
ON THE SUCCESSFUL FOUR YEARS, LAYLA, YOU ARE DEFINITELY BULLDOG TO THE BONE, HUH? CONGRATULATIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE ENTIRE BOARD.
AND WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE REST OF THE ATHLETIC OR THE RECOGNITIONS FOR OUR FINAL, UH, RECOGNITION TONIGHT.
I WANT TO CONGRATULATE CAROLINA ALVARADO FROM WOODLAWN HIGH FOR WINNING THE 2022
[00:20:01]
L H S A GIRLS' STATE POWER LIFTING TITLE FOR HER CLASS IN THE 97 POUND WEIGHT CLASS CAROLINA ALVARADO IS ONE OF WOODLAWN HIGH'S CLASS OF 2022 SALUTATORIANS WITH A GPA OF 4.6 AND WILL BE ATTENDING LSU THIS FALL.THIS IS CAROLINA'S FIRST YEAR COMPETING IN THE SPORT IN WHICH SHE WON.
SHE FINISHED THE SEASON AT THE LHSC STATE LIFTING MEET WITH SCHOOL RECORDS AND BEST LIST OF 210 POUNDS IN THE SQUAT.
90 POUNDS IN THE BENCH PRESS AND 275 POUNDS IN THE DEADLIFT AT A BODY WEIGHT OF JUST 94 POUNDS.
OUR FINAL DEADLIFT IN THE STATE COMPETITION WAS 275 POUNDS, AND SHE WON THE 97 POUND WEIGHT CLASS AND BECAME THE NEW FIVE EIGHT CHAMPION.
CAROLINA IS THE FIRST POWERLIFTING STATE CHAMPION, MALE OR FEMALE IN THE HISTORY OF WOODLAWN HIGH TO DO POWER LIFTING.
UM, THE POWER LIFTING TEAM IS COACHED BY COACH NEWT DOUGLAS.
AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS, LENA KAROLINA ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARD AND OUR SUPERINTENDENT, BIG APPLAUSE TO YOU.
AND I'M SO GLAD YOU CHOSE, UH, TO, UH, TO PARTICIPATE AND COMPETE THIS YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME.
LOOK AT ALL WHAT YOU'VE GOT GOING ON FOR YOU.
UM, UM, I'M JUST SO IMPRESSED BY THE WORK YOU'VE DONE, AND I KNOW IT TAKES A LOT OF PRACTICE AND DISCIPLINE TO BECOME SO ACHIEVED.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR ALL OF OUR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS AT WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL.
I JUST WANT TO RECOGNIZE MR. SCOTT STEVENS, PRINCIPAL OF WOODLAWN HIGH, EXCUSE ME, CAROLINA IS ALSO PART OF THE STUDENT ADVISORY TEAM, UH, FOR THE DISTRICT.
AND NOW MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM C FIVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT RECOGNITION OF MR. JAMES ROBINSON, JR.
OF THE TARA HIGH SCHOOL, AS THE FOUNDER OF BE HEARD A STUDENT LED ORGANIZATION FOR STUDENTS TO COME TOGETHER AND SPEAK ON THE ISSUES THAT ARE FACING THEM.
NARCIS, IT'S A PLEASURE THAT YOU GUYS ARE RECOGNIZING JAMES.
HE'S AN EXTRAORDINARY STUDENT.
HIS GROUP CALLED BE HEARD IS THE FIRST THAT I KNOW OF, OF ITS KIND.
IT'S A STUDENT LED SEL GROUP AND JAMES CREATED A SAFE SPACE FOR KIDS TO COME TOGETHER AND REALLY SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS IN A, IN A WAY THAT, UH, ONLY KIDS CAN UNDERSTAND.
SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF JAMES.
HE WAS ALSO THE PROM KING AND STUDENT, UH, SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT.
SO GIVE IT UP FOR JAMES, UH, BROTHER JAMES THIRD, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE A REAL QUICK SYNOPSIS OF WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED OVER HERE AT TOWER YOUR PRINCIPAL MENTIONED, UH, BUT JUST LET US KNOW WHAT INSPIRED YOU'RE REAL QUICK.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU AND YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT MEANS TO THE STUDENTS ON THE CAMPUS.
UH, FIRST, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR HAVING ME AND, UH, AND GIVE TO ME THIS AWARD.
UM, WHAT INSPIRED ME IS THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN STUDENTS AND THEIR TEACHERS AND THEIR PARENTS, AND UNDERSTANDING THAT STUDENTS GO THROUGH THINGS AT SCHOOL AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANYONE TO TALK TO THAT.
UM, THOSE OUTSIDE FORCES MAY AFFECT HOW THEY ARE LEARNING AND HOW THEY, UM, HAD A, AN INVOLVED OURSELVES AT SCHOOL WITH, THEY MAY NOT BE PARTICIPATING.
THEY MAY NOT, THEY MAY NOT WANT TO BE INVOLVED AND DEAD OR HINDERED HIM FROM ANYTHING THAT THEY'RE POSSIBLE OF DOING SO.
UM, I WANT TO LET THE STUDENTS BE ABLE TO GATHER TOGETHER AND, UH, WORK WITH EACH OTHER AND UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER SO THAT THEY CAN SHARE EXPERIENCES.
THEY COULD, UM, SHARE HOW THEY'RE FEELING AND THEY CAN UNDERSTAND.
AND MAYBE THEY'LL FIND FRIENDS, MAYBE THEY'LL GET INVOLVED, MAYBE THEY'LL TALK TO THEIR TEACHERS AND, UM, MOTIVATE EACH OTHER TO START LEARNING AND DO BETTER.
WHAT CLASS, WHAT CLASS? YOU 2022 OR YES MA'AM.
SO I HOPE THAT OVER THE SUMMER WE PUT PASSING THE BATON TO SOMEONE ELSE.
THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR IS STUDENT LED AND THAT'S VERY POWERFUL.
[00:25:39]
OH, OH, ALL RIGHT.AND SO THEN NEXT STRAIGHT OUT OF DISTRICT FOUR NATIONAL GREEN RIBBON SCHOOL VILLA DEL RAY, THE LITTLE TIGERS ARE IN THE HOUSE RECOGNITION OF THE VILLA DEL RAY FOR ERNIE, THE DISTINCTION OF THE 2022.
YOU AS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S GREEN RIBBON SCHOOL.
AND I LIKE TO SHOUT OUT DISTRICT FOUR, AGAIN, LET IT BE KNOWN TO THE PUBLIC THAT THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS RECOGNIZED.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT A SCHOOL IN DISTRICT FOUR WAS RECOGNIZED, UH, WITH THE GREEN RIBBON AWARD NATIONAL ON.
I KNOW Y'ALL GONNA LAY IT ALL OUT AND EVERYBODY GONNA HAVE TO WAIT FOR ME TO SHAKE HANDS AND TAKE A PICTURE WITH MY PEOPLE.
EXPLAIN TO THE PEOPLE HOW BEAUTIFUL DECEIT, GOOD AFTERNOON.
I'M CASEY WOMACK, THE ASSISTANT MAGNET DIRECTOR WITH
AND WE ARE HERE TO RECOGNIZE PHILADEL WRIGHT FOR AVAILABLE CREATIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENT OF EARNING THE GREEN RIBBON AWARD.
AND FOR THOSE THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE GREEN RIBBON REWARD IS.
IT IS AN AWARD GIVEN BY THE U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THAT RECOGNIZES SCHOOLS, UM, TO REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND COSTS, IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF SCHOOLS, STUDENTS, AND STAFF, AND PROVIDE EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION.
AND THIS GROUP OF EDUCATORS COULD NOT DO A BETTER JOB THAN WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
SO THESE ARE SOME PICTURES OF PHILADELPHIA STUDENTS AND ACTION.
SO WE'VE GOT OUR, OUR GROWTH CARD.
YOU WANT TO TALK TO HAVE ENOUGH TO, DO YOU WANNA EXPLAIN IT? YEAH.
SO HERE WE HAVE OUR SECOND GRADERS WHO ARE ACTIVELY MAINTAINING THEIR BUTTERFLY GARDEN.
WE HAVE OUR THIRD GRADERS HERE WHO ARE MAINTAINING THE GARDEN TOWERS AND THE BEAUTY OF OUR GREEN RIBBON SITE IS THAT OUR CHILDREN OR THE FORERUNNERS IN ALL OF THE WORK THAT IS DONE AT THE SCHOOL, YOU CAN COME OUT ON ANY GIVEN DAY AND SEE THEM WORKING THE AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN DEEMED, UM, PROJECTS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO TAKE ON AND STANDING TO MY LEFT AND HAVE MISS MELISSA GASPER REZ.
AND SHE IS OUR RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIALIST.
AND SO SHE WAS THE 4RUNNER IN HELPING US TO SECURE THE INFORMATION FOR SUBMITTING THE GRANT.
SO WE ARE TRULY GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON AT OUR SCHOOL.
WE, UM, ARE ALL THE BUZZ AND MORE THAN JUST BUZZWORDS.
AND SO HERE WE HAVE SECOND GRADERS, THEY CREATED THE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO ABOUT WATER CONSERVATION AND HOW WE CAN REDUCE THE USE OF WATER ON OUR CAMPUS.
AND YOU SEE FOURTH GRADERS CONDUCTING ENERGY, UM, EXPERIMENTS.
AND HERE WE HAVE OUR RENEWABLE ENERGY, POWER, SOLAR BICYCLES, UM, WHERE KIDS CAN READ RIGHT RIDE AND PRODUCE ELECTRICITY.
AND HERE WE HAVE OUR SECOND AND THIRD GRADERS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE TOWN STUDENT LITERACY SOCIETY, AND THEY DISCUSS THE LITERATURE.
AND MS. GASPER REZ IS THE ORGANIZER OF THAT CLUB.
AND EVERYTHING WE DO AT THE SCHOOL IS CONNECTED TO LITERACY.
AND SO STUDENTS DO THE ACTIVITIES THEY READ ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES AND THEY WRITE.
AND WE, UM, HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF BRINGING A LOT OF OUR LEARNING OUTDOORS.
AND SO IF YOU COME TO OUR CAMPUS, YOU WILL SEE THE OUTDOOR FURNITURE THAT WAS CREATED AND, UM, DEVELOPED BY STUDENTS WHO WANTED AN INTEREST OF MORE OUTDOORS.
AND SO THEY ACTUALLY WERE INSTRUMENTAL AND PUTTING THE FURNITURE TOGETHER AND HELPING POSITION WHERE THE FURNITURE WOULD GO.
SO IT'S TRULY AN AMAZING, UM, THING THAT WE HAVE GOING ON AT VILLA DEL REY, STUDENTS PLANTING.
AND THEN WE SEE THE FIFTH GRADERS, UM, DIVERTING RAINWATER.
[00:30:01]
HAVE A FLOODING ISSUE.THAT IS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I CHILDREN WANTED TO SOLVE.
AND SO THEY HAVE COME UP WITH WAYS THAT THEY CAN REDUCE THE FLOODING AND THE POOLING OF WATER IN OUR BREEZEWAYS.
SO PLEASE COME BY AND SEE THE GOOD THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON AT OUR SCHOOL.
SO ON BEHALF OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE ENTIRE BOARD, ESPECIALLY MYSELF, WE LOVE TO SEE IT, AMAZING THINGS GOING ON THAT WE HAVE AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD ON HERE AND EBR.
AND HERE ARE YOUR METALS, MAN.
WE GONNA COME TAKE OUR LITTLE PHOTO APP SO I CAN SHARE IT ON, ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, REST OF THE, UH, PEOPLE REPRESENTING VILLA DEL RAY CAN TAKE A STAND.
SHE ASKED ME TO MAKE SURE THAT Y'ALL WILL RECOGNIZE.
AND NOW MOVING FORWARD V AMAZING VIPS VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PARTNERS, AND EDUCATION RECOGNITION OF THE VIPS, APPLE AWARDS WINNERS.
THIS IS MY NAME IS KAIA SIMMONS, AND I'M WITH VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND WE ARE SO EXCITED TO BE BACK HERE TODAY, UH, GREETING, UH, THE BOARD AND DR.
UM, WE RECENTLY HAD OUR APPLE AWARD CEREMONY, WHICH IS OUR ANNUAL VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION CEREMONY THAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO IN PERSON FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.
AND SO WE WERE VERY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO RETURN, TO RECOGNIZE OUR VOLUNTEERS.
THIS IS A HUGE, UH, EVENT THAT WE DO AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WHERE WE HAVE ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS NOMINATE THEIR VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR FOUR CATEGORIES.
ONE IS THE ELEMENTARY VOLUNTEER CATEGORY, THE SECONDARY VOLUNTEER CATEGORY, THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS VOLUNTEER CATEGORY, AND THE CRYSTAL APPLE AWARDS, WHICH IS AN AWARD GRANTED TO VOLUNTEERS THAT HAVE SERVED A SCHOOL FOR OVER 10 YEARS.
AND TODAY WE JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, OUR WINNERS OF THE CATEGORIES.
I WON'T GO INTO GREAT DETAIL ABOUT THEIR SERVICE, BUT I WILL GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF OVERVIEW BECAUSE THEY WERE RECOGNIZED IN GREAT DETAIL DURING THE EVENT.
UM, SO WE, THE WINNER OF THE ELEMENTARY ACADEMY, SEE IF I CAN DO THIS WITH ELEVATOR.
YOUR CATEGORY WINNER IS MS. LINDA DAVIS, WHO IS HERE TODAY, AND SHE, UM, SERVES AT BUCHANAN ELEMENTARY.
YOU CAN GIVE HER A HAND CLAP, MS. DAVID, I'M SORRY, FAR AS HIGH ACADEMIC, UH, ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE, WHERE SHE ACTUALLY TEACH TAUGHT FOR 30 YEARS AND RETIRED AND FOR TWO YEARS, AND RETURNED WITHIN TWO YEARS OF RETIREMENT TO HELP THE SCHOOL DUE TO A TEACHER SHORTAGE.
SO I THINK THAT'S PHENOMENAL AND SHE'S VERY WORTHY OF THAT CATEGORY.
AND PRINCIPAL BRECKENRIDGE IS HERE TO ACCOMPANY HER AS US TO REPRESENT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP.
AND I MAY GET HER TO SAY A COUPLE OF WORDS.
UM, THE SECONDARY WINNER OF THE CATEGORY, UH, FOR SECONDARY VOLUNTEER IS MS. TIFFANY BURKE.
AND SHE SERVED AT SHERWOOD MIDDLE, AND TIFFANY IS PRESIDENT OF THE PTO THERE AND HAS DONE SOME PHENOMENAL WORK, SUPPORTING THE TEACHERS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED AS WELL AS THE STUDENTS.
AND SHE'S VERY DESERVING OF HER WINNING, UH, OF THE SECONDARY VOLUNTEER CATEGORY AS WELL.
WINNERS IS, UM, WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES MISS MS. LINDA GLISTEN OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
UM, THEY HAVE SERVED 38 YEARS, CORRECT ED BUCHANAN ELEMENTARY.
UM, THEY PROVIDED CHROMEBOOKS UNIFORMS. UM, T-SHIRTS ALL SORTS OF THINGS FOR THE STUDENTS.
THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF FAITH BASED INTEGRATION INTO OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AND SUPPORTING NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS.
SO PLEASE GET FIRST PRESBYTERIAN AND AFGHAN AND OUR LAST WINTER OF THE CATEGORY.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST IS MR. NICK TOTORO.
HE'S AN LSU PROFESSOR IN THE BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT.
AND NOT ONLY IS NICK A VIPS VOLUNTEER, A READING FRIEND, THE MF MAN, UM, FOR SEVERAL YEARS, SINCE 2008, HE HAS BEEN VOLUNTEERING IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, BUT HE ALSO HAS INVOLVED COLLEGIATE STUDENT BODY VOLUNTEERS AND IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH HIS 3D MATH PROGRAM, WHERE THEY COME IN AND ASSESS THE MATH KITS THAT VIPS CURRENTLY USES FOR THEIR MATH TUTORING PROGRAMS AND WORKS WITH THE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS TO DECIDE, UM, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DEVELOPED MORE AND WHAT CREATIVE THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO AS FAR AS MATH MANIPULATIVES AND THEN HIS STUDENTS, HIS COLLEGE STUDENTS INTERN RETURN TO LSU AND CREATE THE MATH MANIPULATIVES OUT OF 3D DESIGNS, 3D PRINTING.
[00:35:01]
HE ACTUALLY BROUGHT AN EXAMPLE, UM, OF ONE OF THE PRINTED OUT DESIGNS THAT THE STUDENTS HAVE MADE.SO WE JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN, AS THEY SCHOOL YEAR HAS CLOSED, UM, TO OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS, WE HAD A WONDERFUL EVENT AND THESE ARE THE WINNERS OF THE CATEGORY THAT WE JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT DURING THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING TODAY.
AND THANK ALL OF YOU FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK YOU DO FOR OUR STUDENTS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY WARMING TO SEE HOW THE COMMUNITY STEPS UP AND, AND WORKS WITH OUR STUDENTS.
UH, SO I WILL BE PRESENTING YOU WITH THE METAL FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE BOARD FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK, BUT I WILL ALSO MAKE AN UNABASHED PLUG AS WE GET INTO THIS RIGHT NOW FOR NEXT YEAR.
UH, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THE DISTRICT, WE'VE PLACED A TREMENDOUS EMPHASIS ON LITERACY AND THIS PAST YEAR, WELL WITH COVID AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
UH, OUR, UH, READING FRIENDS PROGRAM SORT OF GOT OFF TO A ROUGH START, UH, AND THINGS BECAUSE MANY OF OUR READING FRIENDS ARE ELDERLY AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO FOR ALL THE GOOD REASONS, BUT, UH, AND WE'RE ALSO PUTTING IN A BRAND NEW LITERACY PROGRAM.
SO THIS COMING YEAR IS GOING TO BE A BIG PUSH TO GET THE READING FRIENDS GOING AGAIN, UH, ACROSS ALL THE DISTRICTS.
SO ANY OF YOU IN THE AUDIENCE, ANY OF YOU OUT THERE LISTENING ON HERE, UH, PLEASE CONTACT VIPS AND OTHERS.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN BEING A READING FRIEND, BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE ONE OF OUR BIG EMPHASIS FOR THIS COMING SCHOOL YEAR.
SO THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, VERY, VERY MUCH FOR YARD WORK.
I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE UP HERE RIGHT NOW, BUT SHE KNOWS WHILE I'M HERE.
I SEE MY SECOND GRADE TEACHER, MS. LINDA DAVIS RECEIVING AN AWARD, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU, THAT I GET TO SERVE ON THIS BOARD TODAY, SUCH AS WANT TO COME AND GET YOU A BIG HUG.
AND BOARD MEMBER LAND IS, DID YOU WAIT? THAT WAS OKAY.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY HELLO AGAIN, AND I ENJOYED SPENDING THE TIME WITH YOU AT THE ACTUAL AWARD CEREMONY.
UM, AND I COMMEND ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND I WAS GLAD TO GET TO SHARE THAT TIME WITH Y'ALL APPRECIATE, THANK YOU.
MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM C EIGHT ARTS SCHOOLS NETWORK, EXEMPLARY SCHOOL DESIGNATION RECOGNITION OF THE ARTS SCHOOL NETWORK, EXEMPLARY SCHOOL DESIGNATION AWARD WINNERS AT MCKINLEY MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL, GOOD AFTERNOON, VICE PRESIDENT COLLINS, BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT RCS.
IT IS TRULY, TRULY, TRULY AN HONOR, TODAY THAT WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT MCKINLEY MIDDLE MAGNET HAS BEEN AWARDED THE ART SCHOOLS NETWORK, EXEMPLARY SCHOOL OF DESERT DESIGNATION.
THIS IS FROM THE ART SCHOOLS NETWORK, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT ASSOCIATION FOUNDED IN 1981.
THAT IS FOR ALL ART SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
THEY ALSO WORK WITH, UH, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TRULY NETWORKED AS A ORGANIZATION AS A ART SCHOOL.
SO THIS AWARD HERE IS TRULY AN HONOR.
THIS IS THE BLUE RIBBON, AS WE CALL IT WITH THE NETWORK FOR SCHOOLS THAT ARE ART SCHOOLS IN OUR COUNTRY, THERE ARE ONLY NINE SCHOOLS CHOSEN FOR THIS AWARD AND MCKINLEY MIDDLE MAGNET WAS ONE MCKINLEY.
MIDDLE IS THE SECOND SCHOOL IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA TO EVER RECEIVED THIS AWARD.
THE FIRST SCHOOL QUITE NATURALLY WAS NOCCA.
MCKINLEY WILL BE IDENTIFIED AT A NATIONAL AT OUR NATIONAL CONVENTION IN OCTOBER, AND WILL BE CONSIDERED A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SCHOOL OF ART OF EXCELLENCE IN THE YEARS OF 22, WHICH IS NOW TO 27.
THIS IS A TRULY BIG MAJOR HONOR FOR THIS SCHOOL, AS WELL AS OUR DISTRICT.
SO WE WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THEM ON A JOB WELL DONE TONIGHT.
ROWEN AND THE AMAZING ARTS TEACHERS WHO GO BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY TO MAKE SURE THAT ARTS IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS WONDERFUL SCHOOL.
[00:40:06]
JUST WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS.I JUST LOVE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING IN THE ARTS OVER AT MCKINLEY, MCKINLEY, MIDDLE, SO PROUD OF YOU.
SO VERY PROUD OF YOU ON BEHALF OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND OUR BOARD.
ALSO MR. STEWART, THE DRAMA TEACHER HAS ALSO WON FILM PRIZE JUNIOR, WHICH IS A HUGE WIN FOR MCKINLEY BEING THE, THEY HAD THE, THE OVERALL TOP FILM FOR FILM, AND THAT IS FOR FILM JUNIOR.
AND THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE A FILM PROGRAM.
THAT'S WHAT HE DOES ON THE SIDE.
SO THAT IS AMAZING FOR MCKINLEY TOO, AS WELL.
AND NOW MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM D ONE FOR INFORMATION ONLY MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT AND A PRESENTATION ASSOCIATED WITH ALL RIGHT.
PERSONNEL PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS, MONTHLY REPORT, MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM E ONE UPDATE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT.
THANK YOU, VICE PRESIDENT COLLINS.
UH, SO, UM, I WANTED TO JUST BRING UP A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE, UM, COMING UP.
UH, ONE IS WITH OUR ARTS CONSERVATORY ARCHITECT, UH, COLLABORATION BETWEEN FUSION ARCHITECTS AND PERKINS EASTMAN IS UNDERWAY TO SUPPORT THE DESIGN AND RENOVATION OF OUR BROADMORE MIDDLE SCHOOL SITE TO CREATE THE SIX, 12 GRADE ARTS CONSERVATORY.
WE'RE SUPER EXCITED AND HOPE TO GET THAT UNDERWAY SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO OPEN UP OUR ARTS CONSERVATORY SCHOOL, BOTH FIRMS SHARE THE DESIRE TO PROVIDE AN INNOVATION SCHOOL STRUCTURE, UH, THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF THE SOUTHERN CULTURE AND THE VIBRANT HISTORY OF THOSE WHO BRING ART TO LIFE, UH, WITH THEIR EXPERIENCING K-12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION ARTS PROJECTS.
WE'RE CONFIDENT IN THEIR ABILITY ABILITY TO DELIVER THE VISION OF THE ARTS CONSERVATORY IN A TIMELY MANNER, MANNER, AND PROFESSIONAL MANNER.
UH, I ALSO WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, MCKINLEY, MIDDLE ACADEMIC MAGNET, UH, SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS, PERFORMING ARTS, UH, THAT WAS SELECTED AGAIN FOR THE EXEMPLARY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS SCHOOL NETWORK.
YOU HEARD, UH, SEAN JEFF, AND LET'S GIVE THEM ANOTHER HAND.
YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME WE HAVE ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS DO WELL.
UM, OUR GOAL IS ALWAYS TO BE AT A HIGHLIGHT AND BE EXCITED ABOUT, UH, THE COLLECTIVE WORK THERE.
THE SCHOOL CELEBRATES THIS HONOR EARLIER TODAY AT THE SCHOOL, AND THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO BE RECOGNIZED AT THE, UH, ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER IN LAS VEGAS, UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM ON THEIR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AND TO THE HARD WORK OF THEIR LEADERS THERE.
THE DISTRICT HELD ITS FIRST EVER, UM, AWARDS BANQUET TO HONOR THE TOP SCHOLARS, UH, AT THE VALEDICTORIAN AND SALUTATORIAN BANQUET HOSTED BY THE GRADUATION EXCELLENCE DEPARTMENT.
UH, THE EX THE BANQUET WAS HELD AT BOUDREAUX ON THURSDAY, MAY 12TH.
AND, UH, IT WAS THE PERFECT KICKOFF TO GRADUATION SEASON.
I TELL FOLKS WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON, BUT KIDS ARE ACTUALLY GRADUATING.
UH, I'D LIKE TO TAKE THE TIME JUST TO HONOR SOME OF THE TOP SCHOLARS I'LL, I'LL MENTION THEIR NAMES AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THEIR FACES, UH, UH, POP UP ON THE SCREEN.
UM, UH, LET'S START OFF WITH, UH, JONATHAN DEAN FROM BATON ROUGE, MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL SHOULD SEE HIS PICTURE COME UP.
UH, REAGAN, UH, LASHAWN THOMPSON AVAIL ERA HIGH SCHOOL, UH, ERIC DEWY DOUGH FROM BROADMORE HIGH SCHOOL, UH, BRAYDEN, UH, BESS FROM EAST BATON ROUGE, UH, VIRTUAL ACADEMY, UH, NICHOLAS DAMON WILLIAMS FROM GLEN OAKS MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL, UH, UH, JANIAH FRANKLIN FROM HELIX MENTORSHIP, STEAM ACADEMY.
UM, BRAYLIN SHAUNTRELL I T'S FROM ISTROUMA MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL.
AND THEN WE WHEN FAN FROM LIBERTY MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL AND TRINITY ROBINSON FROM MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL, UH, C TWO
[00:45:01]
FROM MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL, UH, HIRING JAMES SIMMONS FROM NORTH LAWNDALE SUPERINTENDENT ACADEMY WAS JUST THERE BEFORE THE BOARD MEETING, UH, JONATHAN CLAUDE HUGHES FROM NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL, JOHNNY CROCHETING WILLIAMS FROM SCOTLAND, BILL MAGNET, HIGH SCHOOL CASSIDY HERO DARNELL FROM TARA HIGH SCHOOL, UH, STEAMER HAWAII FROM WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL AND KEVIN BARROW FROM WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL.LET'S GIVE SOME, OUR TOP SCHOLARS IN THEIR HAIR.
WELL, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH OUR GRADUATION.
UH, WE, I THINK WE HAVE SCOTLANDVILLE ON FRIDAY AND THERE'S MANY MORE TO COME.
IF YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE, WW DOT EBR SCHOOLS.ORG, YOU SHOULD SEE A LIST OF, UH, THE CONTINUING SCHOOLS WE'VE BEEN CELEBRATING MOST YET.
LSU ARE FOR SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS LIKE LIBERTY, BATON ROUGE, HIGH, UH, AND, UM, UH, TARA AS WELL.
UH, WE HAVE SOME UPCOMING ONES THAT WE'RE GOING TO SHIFT OVER TO SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND THE RIVER CENTER.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT AS A COMMUNITY.
WE CONTINUE TO MAKE CHILDREN FIRST AND CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT WORK AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND MET THEM.
VICE-PRESIDENT THAT IS MY REPORT.
AND I'M MOVING FORWARD TO ITEM E TWO PRESENTATION, COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL, WHICH IS A PRESENTATION WE'RE PUBLIC COMMENT WHO WHO'S, WHO KICKING OFF.
WELL YOU WANT TO SPEAK NOW OR YOU WANT TO WAIT FOR THE PRESENTATION? OKAY.
IF IT'S WITH THE BOARD'S PLEASURE.
UM, IT'S COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT IN THE PAST, WE HAVE NOT HISTORICALLY BEEN PUTTING THE PRESENTATIONS DONE IN THE SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT INTO BOARD DOCS.
AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO MAKE THAT BECAUSE OUR MINUTES AND EVERYTHING REFERRED TO THINGS.
AND SO I THINK THAT ANY PRESENTATIONS THAT ARE PRESENTED AT THE BOARD OUGHT TO BE PUT IN BOARD DOCS.
I REALIZE SUPERINTENDENTS REPORTS TEND TO BE TIMELY, SO WE CAN'T GET THEM AHEAD OF TIME NECESSARILY.
BUT AS SOON AS THE NEXT DAY AFTER THE MEETING, ALL OF THESE PRESENTATIONS SHOULD BE IN BOARD DOCS IF NO ONE HAS ANY OBJECTIONS.
UM, I WOULD LIKE ALSO TO SUPPORT THAT, UM, I'VE, I'VE, UH, I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD PART OF OUR, UH, ENTIRE TRANSPARENCY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH SAID THANK YOU.
AND BOY COLLEAGUE, WHERE JACKSON, IS IT POSSIBLE TO LOAD THE, UM, THE PRESENTATION ONTO BOARD DOCS THIS EVENING? AND I APOLOGIZE.
I MEANT TO EMAIL AND ASK THAT EARLIER SINCE, UH, SINCE THE AREAS.
UH, BOARD MEMBER, WHICH I THINK WE DO THAT AFTER THE BOARD MEETING, WE NEEDED TO DO THAT.
WE'LL SEND IT TO APRIL RIGHT AFTER YOU LOAD IT UP.
AND I, I THINK ANYTHING THAT THE BOARD RECEIVES THAT'S NOT POSTED AND BACKUP MATERIAL THAT WE MIGHT JUST SEE RECEIVE INCIDENTALLY AS AN EMAIL OR SOMETHING.
I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF IT'S NOT HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN SHARE.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE ALL OF THAT IN THERE.
THE MORE INFORMATION THE BETTER.
AND I WILL JUST MENTION THAT I DO CO-SIGN I THINK IS ALWAYS GOOD TO BE AS REASONABLY TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE.
SO MOVING FORWARD, WHO IS, UH, GOING TO GIVE US THE HONORS OF THE PRESENTATION? OKAY.
SO I'LL START OFF A VICE-PRESIDENT COLUMN.
THEN I'LL HAVE A CHRON SMITH, CHIEF OF STAFF AND OUR, UM, CHIEF OF HUMAN RESOURCE.
WE'LL COME UP WITH OTHER TEAM MEMBERS AS WE WALK YOU THROUGH THE MODEL.
BUT I WANTED TO SAY A FEW THINGS FIRST.
SO FIRST I WANTED TO SAY, THANKS FOR EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
UH, I THINK IT'S, UH, WE'RE IN A VERY EXCITING RIGHT NOW THAT WE HAVE GRADUATIONS GOING ON IN OUR CITY.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EDUCATION IN BATON ROUGE, WHICH, UH, WHEN I ARRIVED, UH, DEPENDING ON WHO I TALKED TO HAD DIFFERENT, UH, PERSPECTIVES ON IT.
BUT I THINK WE ARE IN A GREAT TIME IN OUR CITY.
AND ESPECIALLY AS WE CONTINUE TO ELEVATE AND TRANSFORM THE WORK FOR ALL KIDS IN THIS CITY.
AND SO JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS BEFORE, UH, MS. SMITH AND MS. HALL, UH, COMES UP.
SO AS I'VE GOTTEN FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL, UH, LOOKING INTO THE FACES OF CHILDREN,
[00:50:01]
I'VE BEEN SHAKING THEIR HANDS AT ALL THE GRADUATIONS SO FAR.UH, I'VE BEEN REALLY THINKING ABOUT, UM, UH, AS THEY COME UP, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT A YEAR IN FIVE OR SIX MONTHS, I THINK NOW, AND JUST BEEN ASKING THE QUESTION, UH, AS WE CONTINUE TO ELEVATE, HAVE WE DONE OUR JOB AND PREPARED YOU FOR WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANT TO DO IN LIFE? AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE QUESTION WE KEEP ASKING, HAVE WE PREPARED ALL THE CHILDREN OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH FOR WHAT THEY WANT TO DO IN LIFE.
AND I'LL CONTINUE TO TELL FOLKS, HAVE WE DONE ALL WE CAN TO PREPARE ALL THE CHILDREN IN THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR LIFE TO, BECAUSE ONE THING I'VE BEEN VERY CLEAR ABOUT SINCE, BEFORE I WAS NAMED AS SUPERINTENDENT, IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO WORK HARD EVERY DAY TO MAKE SURE ALL KIDS, ALL KIDS CAN GRADUATE AND WALK ACROSS THE STAGE, KNOWING THAT THEY GOT WHAT THEY NEED TO GO OUT INTO THE WORLD AND SUCCEED, HAVE A FAMILY AND ACHIEVE PROSPERITY.
AND WHILE THE TRUTH IS TOUGH TO HEAR, WE HAVE TO BE HONEST ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN DOING OUR JOB TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN IN THE PAST.
SEE, NOT BECAUSE EVERY KID DIDN'T DESERVE IT, BUT BECAUSE WE WERE MAKING A LOT OF CHOICES THAT CENTERED ON ADULTS, INSTEAD OF KIDS SEE MY GOAL AND MY JOB HAD BEEN YOU CENTERED THIS SYSTEM AROUND STUDENTS, KNOWING THAT THE SHIFT WOULDN'T COME WITHOUT A LOT OF NOISE, ABOUT A LOT OF OTHER THINGS ALONG THE WAY.
SEE, BUT WE ARE MAKING TREMENDOUS PROGRESS.
IT'S NOT ABOUT ONE GROUP OR ANOTHER ONE COLOR OR ANOTHER ONE NEIGHBORHOOD OR ANOTHER.
IT'S ABOUT AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
AND I WANT TO THANK THE TEACHERS, STAFF, PARENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WERE PUTTING IN THAT HARD WORK EVERY DAY, AS WE'RE TRYING TO COLLECTIVELY AS ONE CITY, NOT A DIVIDED CITY AS ONE CITY TO MOVE THIS PARISH BOARD.
SEE, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A SCHOOL SYSTEM PROBLEM.
THIS IS A COMMUNITY PROBLEM THAT REQUIRES A COMMUNITY SOLUTION.
SEE, I'M PROUD TO BE HERE TO BE WORKING AS A SUPERINTENDENT, BUT I'M ALSO CLEAR THAT THERE ARE MANY TRUTHS THAT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IN ORDER TO ELEVATE THIS SYSTEM, UH, AS A COLLECTIVE, WHILE MUCH CONFUSION, MISINFORMATION AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS HAVE RULED THE DAY IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS, I HOPE WE CAN PROVIDE A LEVEL OF DETAIL THIS EVENING THAT PROVIDES A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE STAFFING SHIFTS MADE THIS YEAR TO MOVE CLOSER TO ENSURING ALL STUDENTS, ALL STUDENTS, ALL STUDENTS HAVE HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. SEE I'M PROUD OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK WE DID AROUND THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STUDENTS CENTERED STRATEGIC PLAN.
THAT IS THAT THIS BOARD ADOPTED AS SUPERINTENDENT.
I'M HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR IMPLEMENTING THAT PLAN AND MOVING THIS SYSTEM TOWARDS THE INDICATORS IN THAT PLAN.
AND THOSE INDICATORS ARE AROUND MATH, READING, ALL THE COMPONENTS THAT HELPS TO ENTITLE ALL STUDENTS IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AGAIN, THE TRUTH IS HARD TO HEAR, BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN STAFFING SCHOOLS FAIRLY OR EQUITABLY THAT'S HAPPENED WAY BEFORE I ARRIVED.
AND IT SHOWS WHEN YOU LOOK AT PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, THE FACT IS THAT BEFORE THIS STAFFING SHIFT, THERE WERE SCHOOLS WHERE LONG-TERM SUBS AND PARAPROFESSIONALS WERE STAFFING CORE TESTS OF SUBJECTS.
WHILE OTHER SCHOOLS HAD TWO CERTIFIED TEACHERS IN EVERY CLASSROOM, THERE WERE SCHOOLS THAT HAD NEARLY 10 PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS WHILE OTHER SCHOOLS HAD JUST ONE, SEE THIS MISALIGNMENT OF STAFFING TO STUDENT NEED HAS FURTHER EXACERBATED THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP AND PREVENTED OUR SYSTEM FROM GIVING ALL KIDS THE EDUCATION THEY DESERVE.
I'VE SEEN THE INVESTMENT AND WORK OF OUR TEACHERS HAVE THEY HAVE BEEN CONFRONTED WITH UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES.
AND I UNDERSTAND HOW THESE CHALLENGES AMONG OTHERS THAT ALREADY EXISTED HAVE A BLOATED, A TEACHER SHORTAGE, NOT ONLY IN THIS DISTRICT, IN THE STATE AND IN THE COUNTRY.
AND I ALSO KNOW THAT MOST IMPORTANT THING OF OUR STUDENTS IS A HIGH QUALITY
[00:55:01]
TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM EVERY SINGLE DAY.I ALSO UNDERSTAND THE ANXIETY AND STRESS THAT IS CAUSED WHEN COMMUNICATION IS LESS THAN CLEAR ON A PROCESS AND IS ALSO LESS SEAMLESS AND RATHER THAN PLAY THE BLAME GAME AND TRY TO POINT FINGERS AROUND WHO DID WHAT, WHEN AND HOW I TELL FOLKS, I ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY AS A SCHOOL YEAR THAT WE HAVE TO COMMUNICATE BETTER.
AND WHILE WE MUST DO BETTER ON COMMUNICATION AND PROCESS, I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR THE STUDENTS CENTERED INTENT OF THE STAFFING MODEL THAT ALIGNS TO THE GOALS THAT THIS BOARD ADOPTED IN OUR STUDENTS.
THAT GETS US CLOSER TO ALL STUDENTS, ALL STUDENTS, HAVING A GREAT TEACHER IN EVERY CLASSROOM AND HAVING A GREATER CHANCE TO WALKING ACROSS THIS STAGE, NOT FILLED WITH HOPE BUT PREPARED FOR ANY BIG DREAM THEY HAVE FOR THEIR OWN LIFE.
I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD FOR THEIR HARD WORK THAT THEY PUT INTO THE STUDENTS CENTERED STRATEGIC PLAN, SHIFTING THIS SYSTEM TO BE BETTER FOR ALL.
STUDENTS WAS NEVER GOING TO BE AN EASY TASK, BUT I'M UNDETERRED.
I AM UNDETERRED AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE, TO BE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE TO WHICH YOU HAVEN'T TRUSTED IN ME.
THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN OUR KIDS BURSTS.
THIS SYSTEM MUST THINK OF CHILDREN FIRST AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
SECOND, EVERYONE IN THIS COMMUNITY, NO MATTER WHAT COMMUNITY YOU LIVE IN, NO MATTER WHERE IN THIS COMMUNITY LIVE IN DESERVES TO HAVE HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS IN FRONT OF THEM.
AND AS I TELL FOLKS AS A SUPERINTENDENT, WE WILL CONTINUE, CONTINUE TO ELEVATE THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM, BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN WE CAME HERE, I CAME HERE AS A SUPERINTENDENT.
THAT IS WHAT THIS BOARD HAS ENTRUSTED ME ON.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THAT WORK, MS. SMITH WHO'S OUR CHIEF OF STAFF WILL COME UP WITH MS. HALL AND WE WILL WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THIS STAFFING MODEL TALLER THAN MOST PEOPLE.
GOOD EVENING, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT, HOLLINS BOARD MEMBERS AND DOCTRINE NURSES.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE GOT HERE.
SO I'M GOING TO PROVIDE SOME HISTORICAL CONTEXT.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER, 2021.
WHEN I JOINED THE TEAM AND AUDIT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES WAS CONDUCTED BY THE COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS IN CONJUNCTION AND INTERNAL REVIEW WAS ALSO IN PROCESS.
AND IT RESULTED IN THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS RELATED TO STAFFING.
THERE WERE A NUMBER OF UNCERTIFIED EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING LAPSED CERTIFICATIONS, DATING BACK TO 2014, APPROXIMATELY EIGHT YEARS AGO, CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO SITES.
THERE WERE A NUMBER OF TEACHERS TEACHING OUT OF THEIR CERTIFICATION AREA.
SCHOOL SITE, STAFF AND ROSTERS WERE OUTDATED.
SCHOOL, CLASS SIZES WERE NOT BALANCED WITHIN THE SAME SITE.
BUILDINGS SCHOOLS WERE DISPROPORTIONATELY STAFFED.
WHAT ACTION STEPS HAVE HR TAKEN SINCE THAT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES WERE DEVELOPED.
HR SUPERVISORS WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS AND PRINCIPALS TO ENSURE CERTIFICATIONS WERE VALID.
STAFFING ROSTERS WERE REVIEWED.
AND HR SUPERVISORS WORKED WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS AND PRINCIPALS TO ENSURE ACCURACY AND ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES FOR QUARTERLY CHECKS, HR SUPERVISORS ENGAGED IN SCHOOL LEVEL, MASTER SCHEDULING ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION.
THE COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS CONCLUDED THE AUDIT IN MARCH, 2022.
THE FINDINGS WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTERNAL REVIEW.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE PATH FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL.
SO HERE'S A BREAKDOWN, NOVEMBER, 2021, AN AUDIT OF A HR HR PROCESS, INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL WAS COMPLETED.
PRINCIPALS WERE INFORMED OF UPCOMING STAFF AND IMPLEMENTATIONS DURING THE PRINCIPAL MEETING IN JANUARY, 2022 STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR HR WERE COMPLETED MARCH OF 2022 PRINCIPALS ATTENDED MASTER SCHEDULING ROUND TABLES IN WHICH THEY DISCUSSED COURSE OPTIONS,
[01:00:02]
ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING AND TEACHER UTILIZATION FOR SCHOOL YEAR 22, 23 COMPLETION OF CERTIFICATION VERIFICATION PROCESS WAS ALSO COMPLETED FINALIZATION OF THE AUDIT CONDUCTED BY THE COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOL IN APRIL OF 2022, A FINALIZATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL.SO I'M GOING TO PASS IT OVER TO CHIEF SMITH.
SO WHAT IS THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL? THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL DEFINES THE GUIDELINES FOR ALLOCATING STAFF TO SCHOOLS.
THE STAFFING SPECIFICATIONS OUTLINED IN THE CSM ARE BASED ON THE DISTRICT WIDE STRATEGIC PLAN.
THAT WAS CO-DEVELOPED BY DISTRICT LEADERS AND THE BOARD MEMBERS.
THESE STRATEGIC PLAN WAS ADOPTED BY THE BOARD IN JULY, 2021.
THE CSM ALIGNED WITH THE FOUR CORNERSTONES OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH ARE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, EXEMPLARY, CUSTOMER SERVICE, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT.
KEY FOCUS AREAS OF OUR STRATEGIC GOALS ARE REPRESENTED IN THE CSM THROUGH THE LORD THRESHOLD OF TEACHER, TO STUDENT RATIOS AND STANDARDIZED ALLOCATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT POSITIONS, WHICH ARE INTEGRATED INTO THE CSM FOR THE PURPOSE OF CEMENTING, OUR DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT TO THE CHILDREN OF OUR COMMUNITY.
THESE BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS HISTORICALLY ADOPTED A COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL.
THE SCHOOL YEAR 2223 CSM IS A MODIFIED AND ENHANCED VERSION OF THE DISTRICT STAFFING MODEL.
FROM PREVIOUS YEARS, A TABLE HAS BEEN DRAFTED THAT SHOWS A SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON OF THE CSMS FROM SCHOOL YEAR 20 SCHOOL YEAR IS 21, 22 AND 2223.
HOWEVER, FOR THIS EVENING'S PURPOSES, PLEASE INDULGE ME AS I WALKED THROUGH A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 21, 22 AND SCHOOL YEARS, 22, 23 CSMS, THE CURRENT AND PREVIOUS CSMS HAVE BOTH DEFINED ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF ALLOCATION RATIOS.
THE CURRENT MODEL STIPULATES ADHERENCE TO A ONE TO 300 RATIO FOR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ACROSS ALL SCHOOLS.
WHEREAS IN THE PREVIOUS MODEL, THERE IS AN ADHERENCE TO A ONE TO 451 RATIO FOR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND A ONE TO 300 RATIO FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
THE SCHOOL YEAR 23, 22, 23 CFM PRIORITIZED ALLOCATION OF SCHOOL DEANS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.
HOWEVER, IT IS NOTED THAT THE CSM IS INCLUSIVE OF OTHER STUDENTS, SUPPORT POSITIONS AT ALL SCHOOL LEVELS.
ADDITIONALLY, THE CURRENT AND PREVIOUS DSMS DEFINE TEACHER TO STUDENT RATIOS, OUR CURRENT MODEL STIPULATES THE FOLLOWING RATIOS FOR GRADES K THROUGH THREE.
THERE IS A RATIO OF ONE TO 22 FOR GRADES FOUR THROUGH FIVE.
AND FOR GRADES SIX THROUGH 12, THERE'S A RATIO OF ONE TO 28.
WHEN WE'VE LOOKED AT THE PREVIOUS CSM, WE WILL SEE THAT THERE IS A SLIGHTLY HIGHER RATIO THAT HAS BEEN STIPULATED IN PREVIOUS USMS FOR GRADES K THROUGH FIVE.
THERE IS A RATIO OF ONE TO 26 FOR GRADES SIX OR EIGHT.
THERE'S A RATIO ONE TO 30 AND ARE GRADES NINE THROUGH 12.
IT ALSO IS WORTH NOTING THAT THAT THAT'S HIS BULLETS IN 7 41.
THE RATIOS THAT ARE DEFINED OR ARE DEFINED AS SUCH FOR GRADES K THROUGH THREE, THERE'S A RATIO OF ONE TO 26.
AND FOR GRADES FOUR THROUGH 12, THE RATIO IS ONE TO 33.
SO OUR CURRENCY AS M IS BELOW THE RECOMMENDATION THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE STATE.
ADDITIONALLY, THE CURRENT AND PREVIOUS CSMS SPECIFIED THE ALLOCATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL AND SUPPORT POSITIONS.
NRCS REFERENCED IN HIS OPENING, HOW WE ARE FOCUSING ON OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND THEN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE HAVE AN INTENSE FOCUS ON OUR LITERACY AND OTHER ACADEMIC INITIATIVES, BUT ALSO OUR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, THE RIGHT MTSS PROGRAMMING.
SO YOU WILL SEE IN THE CURRENT CSM POSITIONS THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH THOSE PRIORITIES, SUCH AS SOCIAL
[01:05:01]
WORKERS, LITERACY AND MATH COACHES AT ALL SCHOOLS, PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT, FACILITATORS, ATTENDANCE, AND GUIDANCE CLERKS.AND OF COURSE THE PATHWAY COORDINATORS, THE PREVIOUS MODEL DID ALLOW FOR STUDENT SUPPORT POSITIONS.
HOWEVER, THOSE POSITIONS WERE LIMITED TO CERTAIN SCHOOL TYPES.
YOU WILL SEE THAT LITERACY COACHES WERE ALLOCATED TO ALL C D AND F SCHOOLS.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT PERSONNEL WERE ALLOCATED BASED ON FUNDING AVAILABILITY AND EQUITY POSITIONS WERE ONLY ALLOCATED AT OUR UAR AND CIR SCHOOLS, BOTH THE CURRENT AND PREVIOUS CSMS PROVIDE STABILIZATION POSITIONS.
THESE POSITIONS SUPPORT THE ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF OUR SCHOOLS.
THE CURRENT MODEL INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONAL STABILIZATION POSITIONS.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS RECEIVED THREE ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL POSITIONS TO SUPPORT THEIR SCHOOL NEEDS AND HIGH SCHOOLS.
IN THE CURRENT MODEL, THOSE ALLOCATIONS WERE BASED ON STUDENT POPULATION SCHOOLS THAT HAD SEVEN 50 OR LESS RECEIVED, THREE POSITIONS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL STABILIZATION.
HOWEVER, HIGH SCHOOLS HAD HAD A POPULATION ENROLLMENT OF SEVEN 50 OR MORE RECEIVE FIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STABILIZATION POSITIONS.
AND IN PREVIOUS MODELS, THERE WAS AN ALLOCATION FOR AND STABLE STABILIZATION, BUT IT WAS ONLY ONE FLEX POSITION FOR BOTH ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
AND LAST THING, THE CURRENCY IS M INCLUDES GUIDELINES FOR STAFFING SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS, SUCH AS E S S L AND GIFTED AND TALENTED.
THIS LEVEL OF DETAIL WAS NOT PRESENT IN PREVIOUS CSMS LEVELS OF FLEXIBILITY OR A COMPONENT OF THE CSM FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING PRINCIPALS WITH THE DISCRETION FOR MAKING STAFFING DECISIONS IN SPECIFIED STAFFING AREAS, BASED ON THE NEEDS OF SCHOOL PROGRAMS, THE FUNCTION OF THE CSM IS TO MANAGE THE ALLOCATION OF SCHOOL-BASED POSITIONS.
THE CSM DOES NOT ASSIGN INDIVIDUALS TO SPECIFIC POSITIONS.
HOWEVER, THE MODEL IDENTIFIES SCHOOL-BASED POSITIONS, THEY'RE ALIGNED WITH THE DISTRICT'S STRATEGIC GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS.
I'LL TURN THEM BACK OVER NOW, BACK TO MS. HALL.
IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS BEHIND THE CSM.
SO THE CSM PROCESS HAS BEEN EMPLOYED AS FOLLOWS AN INTER DEPARTMENTAL GROUP OF DISTRICT LEADERS WORKED IN COLLABORATION TO REVIEW AND ENHANCE THE PREVIOUS CSM.
A FINAL VERSION OF THE CSM WAS PRESENTED TO THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS.
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS MET WITH PRINCIPALS TO PRESENT THE CSM PRINCIPALS RECEIVED THEIR INITIAL SCHOOL-BASED STAFF AND ALLOCATIONS FROM HR PRINCIPALS WORK WITH THEIR EXECUTIVE LEADERS TO APPROPRIATELY STAFF THEIR SCHOOLS BASED ON THE INITIAL ALLOCATIONS DESIGNATED BY THE CSM GUIDANCE SCHOOL-BASED PERSONNEL DECISIONS WERE AUTHORIZED BY PRINCIPALS CENTRAL OFFICE TEAMS DID NOT DETERMINE WHICH PERSONNEL WOULD BE IMPACTED AT SCHOOLS.
THESE DECISIONS WERE MADE AT THE DISCRETION OF PRINCIPALS IN ALIGNMENT WITH DISTRICT STAFFING PROCEDURES, THE CSM ALLOW PRINCIPALS TO EXERCISE DISCRETION IN STAFFING DECISIONS BASED ON THE DEFINED LEVELS OF FLEXIBILITY FOR POSITIONS, PRINCIPALS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR NOTIFYING THE EMPLOYEES IN THEIR BUILDINGS THAT WERE AFFECTED BY ENGAGING IN ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATION AND PROVIDING THE WRITTEN NOTIFICATION OF ALL THE EMPLOYEE STATUS.
WE TALK ABOUT MANAGING EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMER SERVICE PRINCIPALS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS WERE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR SUBMITTING A VERIFIED LIST OF IMPACTED PERSONNEL TO THE OFFICE OF HR AND PREPARATION OR REASSIGNMENT OPPORTUNITIES IMPACTED POSITIONS DID NOT RESULT IN EMPLOYEES BEING TERMINATED.
I'M GOING TO REPEAT THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON SAME PAGE AND PACTED POSITIONS DID NOT RESULT IN EMPLOYEES BEING TERMINATED.
EMPLOYEES WHO OCCUPIED IMPACTED POSITIONS RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR REASSIGNMENTS WOULD ANOTHER SCHOOL SITE OR DISTRICT OFFICE.
THESE EMPLOYEES ARE INTENDED TO BE RETAINED AND WILL
[01:10:01]
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE MATCHED WITH A POSITION OR CURRENT VACANCY WITHIN THE DISTRICT.A DISTRICT JOB FAIR WAS FACILITATED TO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYEES WILL RECEIVE STATUS NOTIFICATIONS TO FIND POSITIONS AT OTHER SITES ON FEBRUARY, FROM SORRY, ON FRIDAY, MARCH 13TH, THE OFFICE OF HR PROVIDED ALL IMPACTED EMPLOYEES WITH A REASSIGNMENT NOTIFICATION.
AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO TRANSITION INTO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, AND I'M GOING TO PASS IT OFF TO MS. SMITH.
AND BOY COLLEAGUE LYNN IS, YOU WANT TO WAIT TILL THE END? WELL, BOY, COLLEEN DOES.
AND I WOULD LIKE BET THE ORDER AND JUST WAIT TIL THE END.
AND BECAUSE HE'S IN CUBA FOR YOU.
OKAY, WELL, HE DOESN'T WANT TO, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT, I'M SORRY, LET ME RESPECT THE CURRENT ORDER.
SOMETHING THAT WAS MENTIONED THAT I NEED TO LOOK, I'M TAKING NOTES AND WRITING TO ANNE.
I FEEL YOU, BUT LET'S GET THE LEAD, THE PRESENTATION THAT WAY THE PRESENTATION COULD BE DONE.
AND THEN WE CAN NOT DELAY THE WHOLE PRESENTATION.
SO AS WE ALL HAVE BEEN, UM, ASKED MANY QUESTIONS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE WANTED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS, TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS PUBLICLY.
SO THE FIRST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION THAT WE WILL ADDRESS THIS EVENING IS HOW WERE STUDENT ENROLLMENT NUMBERS THAT WERE APPLIED TO THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL? DETERMINE THE DATA USED TO DETERMINE STAFFING ALLOCATIONS WAS DERIVED FROM THE SCHOOL YEAR 22, 23 STUDENT ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS PROVIDED BY THE DIVISION OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND ASSESSMENT.
ANOTHER QUESTION IS WHAT WILL OCCUR IF A SCHOOL HAS AN INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT, ABOVE THEIR PROJECTION FOR SCHOOL YEAR 22, 23, AFTER THE JULY 1ST DISTRICT-WIDE ROLLOVER, THE OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES WILL ASSESS THE ENROLLMENT COUNTS FOR EACH SCHOOL AND APPROPRIATELY ALLOCATE AVAILABLE RESOURCES BASED ON THE GUIDELINES OF THE CSM.
WHAT ARE THE LEVELS OF FLEXIBILITY THAT ARE DEFINED IN THE CSM? ALL STAFFING ALLOCATIONS ARE ASSIGNED A LEVEL OF FLEXIBILITY THAT DEFINES THE DEGREE OF AUTONOMY.
A SCHOOL HAS IN DETERMINING UTILIZATION OF AN INITIAL POSITION ALLOCATION.
THE FIRST LEVEL OF FLEXIBILITY IS LEVEL ONE, WHICH IS A REQUIRED OR UNLOCKED POSITION.
THESE ALLOCATIONS ARE UNABLE TO BE CHANGED WITH RESPECT TO FUNDING, SOURCE REQUIREMENTS, UNDERSTANDING LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER CORE OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS, A LEVEL TWO FLEXIBILITY, OR AS WE REFER TO IT AS AUTHORIZATION DEPENDENT, FLEXIBILITY, RALLY ARE POSITIONS THAT ARE RARELY FLEXIBLE, BUT MAYBE CONSIDER FOR CHANGE.
PRINCIPALS MUST PROVIDE A WRITTEN RATIONALE FOR SUBSTITUTE AN INITIAL POSITION ALLOCATION FOR PREFERRED POSITION.
AND FINALLY, A LEVEL THREE, WHICH WE CALL THE FLEXIBLE POSITIONS.
THESE ALLOCATIONS ARE PROVIDED TO SCHOOLS WITH OPEN FLEXIBILITY FOR STAFFING AND PROGRAMMING.
ANOTHER QUESTION THAT HAS BEEN FREQUENTLY ASKED IS WHAT CONSIDERATION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE TEACHING OF ACCELERATED COURSES THAT PROVIDE HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT AND MIDDLE SCHOOL SUCH AS ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY, AND SCIENCE.
THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL PROVIDES ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SCHOOLS TO OFFER ACCELERATED COURSES BASED ON STUDENTS IS SCHEDULING NEEDS AND INTERESTS.
SCHOOLS RECEIVE ONE ADDITIONAL STAFF ALLOCATION ABOVE THE NUMBER, A REQUISITE PERSONNEL BASED ON THE TEACHER TO STUDENT RATIOS IN ELA AND MATH.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF A SCHOOL RECEIVED AN ALLOCATION OF FIVE TEACHERS FOR MATH, THEN OUR ALLOTMENT OF SIX WAS ASSIGNED TO THAT RESPECTIVE CONTENT AREA IN THE CAN.
THE CSM, THIS ADDITIONAL STAFFING WAS PROVIDED TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOLS TO OFFER ACCELERATED AND OUR INTERVENTION HORSES.
MOREOVER, THE CSM ALLOW FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO DETERMINE HOW TO BEST UTILIZE INSTRUCTIONAL STABILIZATION POSITIONS TO SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF THEIR SCHOOL PROGRAM.
DID THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 22, 23 CSM RESULT IN A REDUCTION IN FORCE COMING ON AS A REF.
THE ANSWER'S NO AS CUSTOMARY THE DISTRICT ENGAGED IN OUR ANNUALIZED STAFFING PROCESS THROUGH THE EMPLOYMENTS OF THIS PROCESS.
PRINCIPALS MADE STAFFING DECISIONS THAT ALIGN WITH THE PRIORITIES OF THE DISTRICT STRATEGIC GOALS AND THEIR SCHOOL PROGRAMS. AND THE OUTCOME
[01:15:01]
OF THIS PROCESS WAS NOT A REF, BUT THE REASSIGNMENT OF SOME PERSONNEL, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CSM RESULTED IN THE ASSIGNMENT OF, TO THE REASSIGNMENT, EXCUSE ME, OF 236 EMPLOYEES, WHICH REPRESENTS LESS THAN 1% OF THE DISTRICT STAFF WITH THE INTENT OF ENSURING THAT ALL SCHOOLS HAVE ADEQUATE STAFFING WITH CERTIFIED AND QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES.THE LAST REDUCTION IN FORCE THAT IMPACTED 214 EMPLOYEES OCCURRED IN 2019 DUE TO THE DISTRICT BEING OVER BUDGETED BY $29 MILLION.
THAT NARCISSIST HAS STATED THAT HE IS COMMITTED AND HAS DEMONSTRATED DEDICATION TO MAINTAIN A BALANCED BUDGET.
AND THE GUIDANCE OF THE CSM CONTRIBUTES TO THE FISCAL MANAGEMENT OF DISTRICT SPENDING.
HOW WAS ESS AND ELL PROGRAMMING ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE CSM DEPARTMENT HAS PROVIDED STAFFING GUIDANCE AND ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS BY SCHOOLS FOR ESS AND ELL SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS. THIS INFORMATION WAS INCORPORATED INTO THE CSM.
AND FINALLY, HOW ARE THE GRADE SCHOLARS IN SCHOLASTICA ACADEMY? STUDENTS COUNTED IN THE STAFFING FORMULA, HOW ARE THEY COUNTED IN THE CURRENT CSM SCHOLASTICA ACADEMY? STUDENTS WERE APPLIED IN A STAFFING FORMULA AS GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS.
THE TEACHER TO STUDENT RATIO FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS IS LOWER THAN THE TEACHER TO STUDENT RATIO.
FOR GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, GIFTED AND TALENTED CLASS RATIOS ARE DEFINED AS SUCH ONE TO 17 FOR PRE-K ONE TO 21 FOR GRADES K THROUGH FIVE AND ONE TO 23 FOR GRADES SIX THROUGH 12.
ALSO THE GRADE SCHOLARS PROGRAM IN GRADE SIX AND FOR GRADES SIX THROUGH 12, AND THE PACE PROGRAM FOR GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE, CONTINUE TO OFFER RIGOROUS ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION.
THERE ARE PARALLELS GIFTED CLASSES FOR NONE GIFTED HIGH POTENTIAL STUDENTS.
THESE STUDENTS ARE NOT IDENTIFIED AS GIFTED AND TALENTED.
THEREFORE THEY'RE NOT A MEMBER OF A SCHOLASTIC ACADEMY COHORT, AND WE'RE NOT HELD TO IN THE FORMULA AS GIFTED AND TALENTED IT'S HOME.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE WITH A FEW MORE QUESTIONS.
WE'RE THE DEDICATED MAGNET SCHOOLS DISRUPTED BY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 22, 23 CSM.
AS YOU CAN SEE THE DISTRICT DATA BELOW INDICATES THAT THE FALLEN IMPACTS AND REASSIGNMENT OCCURRED, WHAT OPPORTUNITY THEY DIDN'T PROVIDE ONE TO GO BACK AND READ THEM AT BELFAIR ONE.
BELFAIR, UH, ONE TEACHER, UH, BR FLAME.
WE HAD ONE TEACHER IN TO SUPPORT B R C V P A ZERO.
IMPACT B R M S A THAT'S BATON ROUGE MADDEN HIGH SCHOOL.
ONE TEACHER, UH, FAR AS HEIGHTS ACADEMY.
MY HIGH TWO TEACHERS, ONE ADMIN AND TWO SUPPORT LIBERTY, HIGH SCHOOL, ZERO MAYFAIR LAB, ZERO MCKINLEY, MIDDLE TWO TEACHERS, ONE ADMINISTRATOR SHERWOOD, MIDDLE THREE TEACHERS, TWO, THREE TEACHERS TO SUPPORT SCHEMA ONE TEACHER, ONE ADMINISTRATOR WHAM ONE.
THEY ACTUALLY GAINED ONE ADMINISTRATOR.
WHAT OPPORTUNITIES WERE PROVIDED FOR PRINCIPALS TO REQUEST PETITIONS THAT WERE NOT INITIALLY ALLOCATED TO THEIR SCHOOL PRINCIPALS WITH THE SUPPORT OF THEIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS WERE PROVIDED TWO OPTIONS.
THE FIRST ONE WAS PRINCIPAL HAD THE AUTONOMY TO SUBSTITUTE A LEVEL THREE POSITION FOR A DESIRED COMPARABLE POSITION.
OPTION TWO PRINCIPALS WERE ENCOURAGED TO ENGAGE IN THE PETITION PROCESS BY SUBMITTING A REQUEST VIA FRONTLINE, EXCUSE ME, FOR REVIEW AND AUTHORIZATION FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE.
HERE'S A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED WHAT WERE THE VACANCIES BEFORE AND AFTER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CSM, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DID DUE DILIGENCE AND TO PROVIDE A SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON.
SO ON YOUR LEFT OF VACANCIES, PRE CSM, MIDDLE VACANCY, POST IMPLEMENTATION OF CSM INTO YOUR RIGHT, THEY CAN SEE POSTS, PLACEMENT
[01:20:01]
OF IMPACTED EMPLOYEES.AS YOU CAN SEE, WE BROKE THIS OUT IN FOUR CATEGORIES, ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRE CSM THREE POST IMPLEMENTATION.
WE HAVE A MINUS 20 INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT PRE CSM, 1 45 POST IMPLEMENTATION, 1 43 POST-PLACEMENT MINUS 48.
SUPPORT STAFF, PRE CSM, 101 POST IMPLEMENTATION.
99 PULSE PLACEMENT MINUS 65 TEACHERS PRE CSM 3 72 POST IMPLEMENTATION 3 29 POST-PLACEMENT MINUS 1 47.
THE TOTAL THEY CAN SEE PREVIOUS CSM 6 21 TOTAL VACANCIES PULSE CITATION.
A CSM AS 5 91 AND PULSE PLACEMENT, THREE ELEVEN, THREE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE WE'RE TAKING NOTE OF THE FINE PRINT AT THE BOTTOM.
VACANCIES INCLUDE ADDITIONAL NEW INSTRUCTION, SUPPORT PHYSICIANS, INCLUDING, UH, SOCIAL WORKERS, MATH COACHES, LITERACY COACHES, PATHWAY TO BRIGHT FUTURE COORDINATOR.
YEAH, IT WAS A POPULAR QUESTION THAT CAME THROUGH.
WHAT WAS THE JOB? HOW WAS THE JOB FAIR FACILITATED PRINCIPALS ARRIVED AT LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL EARLY.
THANK YOU MR. LEVIN, TINA, IF YOU'RE LISTENING THE SETUP TABLES AND MARKET, THEIR SCHOOL TO EMPLOYEES IN ATTENDANCE, PRINCIPALS WERE PROVIDED LISTS OF ANTICIPATED ATTENDEES, CURRENT LOCATIONS AND CERTIFICATION AREAS.
EMPLOYEES WERE GREETED BY MY AWESOME MEMBERS OF HR.
THEY SIGN IN AND PROVIDE A LIST OF VACANCIES TO ASSIST THEM IN NAVIGATING THE EVENT.
EMPLOYEES WERE EMPLOYEES WHO WERE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE JOB FAIR WERE MATCHED WITH NEW ASSIGNMENT BASED ON THEIR CERTIFICATION AREA.
AND QUALIFICATIONS EMPLOYEES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR AVAILABLE POSITIONS.
AND CURRENTLY THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 300 AND LEVEL 11 VACANCIES.
ANOTHER POPULAR QUESTION, OUR POSITION OF BEING IMPACTED AT CENTRAL OFFICE.
THE ANSWER IS YES, POSITIONS AT THE DISTRICT.
OFFICES ARE BEING IMPACTED AS WELL.
HR IS CURRENTLY REVIEWING DEPARTMENTAL ASSIGNMENTS, CERTIFICATES FOR CERTIFICATED POSITIONS, QUALIFICATIONS, AND EXPERIENCE AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
PLEASE, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE IMPACT OF THE POSITIONS AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE ARE NOT BASED ON THE FORMULA AND THE CSM.
THEY ARE CONNECTED TO THE COMPENSATION STUDY THAT IS STILL ONGOING.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR NON-BUDGET OF REQUESTS OR PETITIONS? THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS WORKED WITH PRINCIPALS TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL TWO POSITIONS, UM, WHICH LEVEL TWO POSITIONS WOULD NEED TO BE SUBSTITUTED IN WHICH NON BUDGETED STAFF STAFFING REQUESTS WOULD BE MADE.
PRINCIPALS PROVIDED EDS WITH JUSTIFICATIONS OF SUBSTITUTION OR, BUT ARE BUDGETED REQUESTS.
80 SUBMIT REQUESTS WITH JUSTIFICATIONS INTO FRONTLINE.
THE REQUEST GOES THROUGH THE APPROVAL PROCESS AND IT'S EITHER APPROVED OR DENIED WHEN THERE WAS A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATE DETERMINATION RELEVANT TO THE SUBMISSION.
A REVIEWER MAY HAVE REQUESTED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, EDS RECEIVED, FEEDBACK AND DECISIONS WERE MADE.
HOW ARE WE ADDRESSING TEACHER SHORTAGE? I LOVE THIS SLIDE BECAUSE I GET TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE THUS FAR, GROW OUR OWN PROGRAM, TEACH BR, WHICH IS AN IN-HOUSE ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.
WE HAVE A PLETHORA OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS, BUT THE TWO THAT STOOD OUT THE MOST THAT ALIGNED WITH STAFFING.
THE SECOND ONE IS THE EDUCATOR PATHWAY PROGRAM, WHICH IS OUR BABY AND IDENTIFICATION OF DEGREE PAIRS THAT WE WANT TO WORK WITH TO BE CLASSROOM TEACHER READY FOR AUGUST 20, 22 OR AN ONGOING JOB FAIRS, STIPENDS, A BOARD APPROVED STIPENDS TO ALL CERTIFICATED AND SUPPORT PERSONNEL COMPENSATION STUDY.
ANY RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY SSA WILL BE APPLIED
[01:25:01]
TO THE 2324 BUDGET PENDING BOARD APPROVAL, CULTURAL SURVEYS AND FEEDBACK PRESENTATIONS, AND FINALLY STATE SALARY INCREASES PENDING IN THE SENATE.WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? STAFFING AND ROSTERS HAVE BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT THE REASSIGNMENTS OF ALL IMPACTED EMPLOYEE.
THANK YOU, HR SUPERVISORS FOR YOUR AWESOME WORK.
PRINCIPALS AND EDIS ARE NOTIFIED BY HR THAT THEIR ROSTERS ARE UPDATED AND ALL SCHOOL SITE VACANCIES WILL BE POSTED BY HR VIA VIA FRONTLINE DEPARTMENT HEADS MET TO DISCUSS HIRING AND STAFFING PROCESS RESPECTIVE TO THEIR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES.
HR WILL REVIEW END OF YEAR, ROLL OVER ENROLLMENT PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
STAFF AND RESOURCES WILL BE ALLOCATED TO SUPPORT ANY NEW ENROLLMENT DATA.
HR WILL REVIEW THE 10 DAY COUNT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 22, 23, STAFF AND RESOURCES WILL BE ALLOCATED TO SUPPORT THE ENROLLMENT DATA.
AND FINALLY, SUPER HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT QUARTERLY STAFF AND REVIEW WILL BE CONDUCTED BY HR SUPERVISORS, EDS AND PRINCIPALS.
WHAT WE HAVE JUST EXPERIENCED.
THIS WILL ENSURE AN ONGOING COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, TRANSPARENCY, FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY, AND APPROPRIATE STAFFING.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, THANK YOU.
I KNOW THIS WAS VERY EXHAUSTIVE, BUT WE APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT YOU GAVE US TO PRESENT THIS.
WE DO HAVE OUR TEAM ON STANDBY.
IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, BOARD COLLEAGUE GLEN IS VICE PRESIDENT.
WELL, LET'S START FROM THE TOP BECAUSE I WANT TO BE VERY CANDID TONIGHT.
AND I WANT TO SAY SOME THINGS THAT, UH, HAVE TO BE SAID TO SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER AS IT REGARDS POOR STUDENTS THAT CURRENTLY ATTEND SCHOOLS IN THESE BANNERS PARISH.
SO LET'S START FROM THE VERY TOP.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, THIS HAS TO BE OWNED BY CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF.
THAT THE COMMUNICATIONS THAT CAME OUT REGARDING THIS WERE BISMAL.
THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.
AND I DO NOT WANT TO WALK AWAY FROM THAT TONIGHT.
AND I SAY THAT TO SAY, THIS CAN'T CONTINUE.
I SAY THIS AS A BOARD MEMBER WHO SUPPORTS THIS DISTRICT WHO SUPPORTS OUR SUPERINTENDENT.
THIS CANNOT CONTINUE WITH ROLLING OUT INFORMATION AND JUST DRESSING IT UP ON OUR COMMUNITY AS THOUGH IT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE SIMPLY ACCEPTED.
BUT THE BIGGEST MESSAGE OF TONIGHT IS WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO HERE? WHAT I HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND AS OF TUESDAY, MAY 17TH, WE ARE ON THE 68TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN VS.
AS OF MARCH, WE ARE ON THE CUSP OF ALMOST 60 YEARS SINCE DAVIS V EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHILE EUGENE DAVIS SENIOR SUED THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD TO ALLOW HIS CHILD TO GET AN AFFORDABLE EDUCATION THROUGHOUT OUR SYSTEM.
AND 2019, 12,223 STUDENTS ATTENDED DNF SCHOOLS.
AND WE HAD 27 UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOLS THAT WERE DNF.
SINCE THAT TIME, THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN EXACERBATED ALSO DUE TO COVID.
AND NOW WE HAVE 44 DNF SCHOOLS AND OVER 20,000 STUDENTS TO BE EXACT 20,631 STUDENTS ATTEND THESE SCHOOLS.
YOU SEE TONIGHT, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS NOT MERELY A RACE ISSUE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A CLASS ISSUE BECAUSE IF YOU ARE A POOR STUDENT, YOU CANNOT GO TO SCHOOL IN OTHER PARTS OF TOWN.
AND THAT IS COMPLETELY UNFORTUNATE.
AND I WANT PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT THIS TONIGHT AS WE COME TO THE MIC, WHAT DO WE DO FOR THOSE 20,000 STUDENTS THAT HAVE TO WAKE UP EVERY SINGLE MORNING AT FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING TO GET BUSED ACROSS TOWN BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS HAVE TO CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT TO SEND THEIR CHILD TO A ACCEPTABLE SCHOOL OR TO SEND THEM TO A FAILING SCHOOL.
YOU SEE, THE STATE HAS ALREADY MADE THAT RECOMMENDATION ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE LEGISLATION.
NOW THAT SAYS YOU CANNOT TRACK A STUDENT INSIDE OF A DNF SCHOOL.
WE CAN NOT WAIT BECAUSE WHAT I HAVE COME TO LEARN IS THAT THIS DISTRICT WAS NOT CREATED FOR POOR STUDENTS, BECAUSE IF IT WAS, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH BOUND BROWN VERSUS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, MR. DAVIS WOULD HAVE NEVER HAD TO GO TO THE COURT IN ORDER TO GET HIS CHILD ON AFFORDABLE EDUCATION.
AND WE'RE STILL EXACERBATING THESE ISSUES TODAY.
WHO'S THINKING ABOUT THOSE CHILDREN.
WHO'S THINKING ABOUT KESHA AT ISTROUMA HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE 10TH GRADE, WHO HASN'T HAD A MATH TEACHER FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS.
WHO'S THINKING ABOUT THE CHILD AT GLENOAKS HIGH SCHOOL NAMED ERIC AND THE 11TH GRADE WHO HAS NOT HAD A SCIENCE TEACHER FOR OVER A YEAR.
[01:30:01]
YOU SEE, THESE ARE THE TYPES OF EMAILS THAT WE READ AND WE HAVE TO TAKE IT HOME WITH US EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.THAT'S WHAT I THINK ABOUT BECAUSE I WAS THAT CHILD INSIDE OF THAT CLASS, WE HAVE OVER 70% OF OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH.
THOSE ARE POOR STUDENTS AND OF THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE RECEIVING POOR, UH, SORRY, FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH.
52% OF THOSE STUDENTS ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALES THAT ARE NOT GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOLS.
AND THOSE SAME 52% OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALES ARE ATTENDING THE SAME POOR SCHOOLS THAT I JUST TOLD YOU ABOUT 48% OF ALL AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS AS A WHOLE ARE NOT GRADUATING WITH A BASIC CREDENTIAL ON THEIR DIPLOMA BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TEACHERS INSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM, INSIDE THE CORE CLASSES THAT ARE CREDENTIALED.
WHAT DO WE TELL THEM? LET THAT RESONATE WITH YOU TONIGHT.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE TO DO AS A DISTRICT, BECAUSE WHETHER OR NOT THE SUPERINTENDENT IS IN HIS ROLE, THIS PROBLEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED A LONG TIME AGO, BUT IT WASN'T THE CAN WAS KICKED DOWN THE ROAD.
AND NOW THOSE KIDS ARE SUFFERING BECAUSE OF IT.
LOOK AT THE CRIME THAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS OUR DISTRICT.
LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN POVERTY AROUND OUR DISTRICT.
AND YOU WILL SEE THAT IT IS A CLEAR, A CLEAR ALIGNMENT TO WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE SIDE OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO YOU SEE? THAT WAS A WISE PERSON THAT SAYS SOMETHING.
AND WHAT HE SAID WAS IT'S SCARY TO BRING CHANGE, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT'S EVEN MORE SCARY OR DOING NOTHING, EXPECTING SOMETHING TO CHANGE.
WE HAVE TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR STUDENTS, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT IS THE PRIORITY.
NOT SOME STUDENTS WHO CAN AFFORD IT, BUT ALL STUDENTS THINK ABOUT THOSE KIDS WHO ARE NOT BLACK.
THINK ABOUT THOSE KIDS WHO ARE SPANISH AND LATINO WHO HAVE BEEN SUFFERING SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN A PART OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE APPROPRIATE TEACHERS INSIDE OF THOSE CLASSROOMS THAT ARE EITHER CERTIFIED OR THEY CAN TEACH THOSE KIDS.
CAUSE I THINK ABOUT IT EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND WHAT I KNOW IS THAT YOU ALL ARE SACRIFICING EVERYDAY TEACHERS.
CAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU ALL TO THINK THAT I AM IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM POINTING A FINGER AT YOU.
CAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE ON THE FRONT LINE.
AND I POINT THE FINGER BACK AT OUR SCHOOL BOARD NOW BECAUSE WE HAVE KICKED THE CAN FAR TOO FAR DOWN THE LINE.
WHEN IT COMES TO COMPENSATION, WE CANNOT SIMPLY TELL PEOPLE THAT WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THEM ACROSS TOWN WITHOUT THE CONVERSATION STARTING AT PAYING THEM MORE MONEY BECAUSE THEY ARE MAKING MORE LIVES THAN THE CITY AVERAGE.
IF YOU LOOK AT LIVINGSTON PARISH, YOU LOOK AT ASCENSION PARISH.
IF YOU EVEN LOOK AT ZACHARY, I TEACHERS ARE MAKING FAR LESS THAN PEOPLE THAT LIVE RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM THEM.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE STATE AVERAGE, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE REGIONAL AVERAGE AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, OUR TEACHERS ARE EARNING FAR TOO LESS THAN THEY DESERVED NEED THEM, THE MONEY, THE PEOPLE, AND I'M TELLING YOU NOW I'M STANDING ON THIS TOPIC.
I'M NOT GOING TO GET OFF OF IT, PAY THEM WHAT THEY DESERVE.
DON'T TELL THEM YOU'RE GOING TO MOVE THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE THEM ANYTHING FOR IT.
THEY NEED TO FEEL APPRECIATED BECAUSE THEY HAVE TAKEN THE BRUNT OF THE WORK FOR FAR TOO LONG.
WE EXPECT THEM TO BE THERAPISTS.
WE EXPECT THEM TO BE PARENTS AND TEACHERS ALL ROLLED INTO ONE AND WE'RE NOT DOING ENOUGH FOR THEM.
I'M SICK AND TIRED OF TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT GET THE POLITICS.
I'M TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DESERVE MORE AND IT SHOULD NOT STOP AT OUR TEACHERS.
PAY SUPPORT STAFF, MORE PAY OUR BUS DRIVERS MORE BECAUSE THEY DESERVE IT.
STOP KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.
TEACHERS, ALL I'M ASKING YOU TO DO IS, IS TO HELP US FIX THIS PROBLEM.
THE STATE ISN'T GOING TO DO IT FOR US, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, ISN'T GOING TO DO IT FOR US.
WE GOT TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR KIDS TONIGHT.
THIS IS A VERY PASSIONATE TOPIC.
IT'S A VERY PASSIONATE TOPIC FOR PARENTS, FOR OUR TEACHERS, BUT MOST SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR STUDENTS THAT HAVE TO BE THE ONES TO ENDURE THIS EVERY YEAR.
WHAT DO WE DO FOR THEM WHO HAVE NOT HAD A CORE TEACHER INSIDE OF THE CLASSROOMS? BECAUSE A FULL-TIME SUB DOES NOT GET IT.
IF YOU'RE TIRED OF CRIME, IT'S OUT OF OUR AREA.
LET'S COME UP WITH A PLAN TOGETHER.
IF YOU'RE TIRED OF OUR STUDENTS, NOT GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL, LET'S DO IT TOGETHER.
IF YOU'RE TIRED OF BEING A C DISTRICT AND YOU'RE READY TO MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, LET'S DO IT TOGETHER.
THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING TONIGHT.
THANK YOU, BOY COLLEAGUE DICEY.
UM, I, I, TO BELIEVE THAT, UM, WE HAVE HAD A REAL, UM, PROBLEM WITH COMMUNICATION, PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION.
UM, AND ALSO NOT JUST THAT, BUT IN THE DESIGN OF THINGS, ACTUALLY TAKING INPUT IN FORMS OF LIKE WORKSHOPS WITH BOARD MEMBERS TO HELP US, UH, BE A PART OF THE DESIGN OF HOW TO BEST MAKE THESE KINDS OF DECISIONS FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE.
NOW SOME OF THE INTENTIONS HERE, UM, MAY BE YES, THAT, YOU KNOW, I CAN AGREE
[01:35:01]
WITH SOME OF THEM, BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY AN EXECUTION PROBLEM.IN MY OPINION, THAT HAS HAPPENED THROUGH COMMUNICATION, LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH THIS ISSUE, OTHERS BEFORE IT, THIS, UH, BASED FOR THIS CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR, THINGS COMING UP FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, THE PATHWAYS, ALL KINDS OF COMMUNICATION ISSUES AND NOT, AND HEARING, BUT NOT REALLY LISTENING.
I THINK SOME CHANGES HAVE EVEN BEEN MADE FOR THE PATHWAYS, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN, UH, TRANSPARENT IN LIKE, ARE ALL NINTH GRADERS NOW REQUIRED TO TAKE AN UPPER LEVEL, UH, COLLEGE LEVEL D E R A P COURSE, OR HAS THAT CHANGED? I NEED THAT ANSWERED, UM, WITH PARENTS, NOT, NOT, UM, SIGNING PERMISSION, WHAT ARE WE DOING? UM, SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHY THE BOARD RECEIVED NO COMMUNICATION ABOUT THE EXTENSIVE CHANGES OF THIS STAFFING.
REDESIGN UNDERSTAND WE'VE HAD MODELS BEFORE, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, THIS COULD HAVE REALLY BEEN IMPROVED.
IF THE BOARD HAD BEEN INVOLVED, WE REPRESENT THE PEOPLE, THE TEACHERS LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY, THE PRINCIPALS DO THE PARENTS AND THE CHILDREN.
WE REPRESENT THEM AND WE HAVE A LOT OF, UH, UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY FEEL AND BELIEVE, AND NEED AND WANT.
AND WE REPRESENT THEM AND I TAKE THAT JOB VERY SERIOUSLY.
AND I WOULD LIKE FOR THE BOARD GOING FORWARD, UH, WE NEED TO HAVE REAL INPUT.
WE NEED TO START HAVING WORKSHOPS AGAIN BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT HAD WORKSHOPS WHERE WE CAN TAKE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO IMPLEMENT SOME CHANGE ON AND REALLY WORKSHOP IT TOGETHER WHERE WE CAN BE THERE PROVIDING INPUT ON THE DESIGN ITSELF, UH, THAT COULD OF HAPPENED ABOUT THE EARLY START THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED ABOUT THE PATHWAYS.
THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED WITH THIS DIFFERENT COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL.
AND WE'VE JUST GOT TO BE BETTER AT THAT.
IT'S JUST NOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S CONTINUALLY NOT WORKING AND I'M, I'M, I'M OUT HERE NOW HAVING A REAL HARD TIME ACCEPTING THAT WE HAVEN'T LEARNED FROM THESE OTHER THINGS.
SO I'M CURIOUS TOO ABOUT WHY THE STAFFING MODEL WAS INTRODUCED SO LATE.
I UNDERSTOOD THAT PRINCIPALS WERE COMING AND HAVING THEIR STAFFING, UH, MEETINGS BACK IN MARCH AND EARLY APRIL.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WITH IT BLINDSIDED ME, IT BLINDSIDED THEM.
IT BLINDSIDED THE TEACHERS THIS LATE, BRINGING THIS FOR THIS VERY NEXT SCHOOL YEAR HAS CAUSED CHAOS IN OUR COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE.
UM, AND AMONGST OUR TEAM THAT WE NEED TO HAVE BUY-IN WITH US TO DO THIS HARD WORK.
WE NEED THE TEACHERS BUY-IN WE NEED THEM TO BE HEARD AND UNDERSTOOD, AND WE NEED TO KNOW WHY THIS EXCEPTION MIGHT BE NEEDED AT THIS SCHOOL OR THAT SCHOOL.
UM, I HAVE ASKED ABOUT EXCEPTIONS MULTIPLE TIMES.
I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE THEM, BUT I HAVE REQUESTED MULTIPLE TIMES ABOUT, UH, HOW MANY REQUESTS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR EXCEPTIONS.
MULTIPLE TIMES I'VE ASKED THAT NOW MANY WERE THEN APPROVED AND HOW MANY WERE DENIED AND HAVE ASKED FOR IT BY SCHOOL.
AND I HAVE YET I'D LIKE, UH, EVEN IF WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT TONIGHT, I LIKE IT SENT TO ME ON AN EMAIL REPLY TO MY REQUESTS AND GOING FORWARD.
I'M ASKING FOR US TO COME UP WITH A POLICY ON
[01:40:01]
WHEN A BOARD MEMBER MAKES A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION THAT IT BE PROVIDED IN THE SAME TIMING THAT ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC CAN MAKE A REQUEST, A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST.WELL, WE, AS BOARD MEMBERS SHOULD HAVE THAT SAME IF WE'RE ASKING FOR THINGS FOR INFORMATION.
SO WHEN OUR CONSTITUENTS AND OTHERS ACROSS THE WHOLE PARISH ARE ASKING US, WHAT'S GOING ON, WE NEED TO KNOW WE NEED TO BE INFORMED.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE AN ITEM PUT ON THE NEXT AGENDA, UH, GO THROUGH THE COMMITTEE ABOUT A TIMELY MANNER.
THE SAME AS PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS FOR BOARD MEMBERS, REQUESTS, UM, UH, FOR INFORMATION, UM, I FEEL LIKE WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY WITH SR FUNDING.
WE NEEDED A WORKSHOP ON THE APPROACH THAT WE WERE GOING TO EMBRACE GOING FORWARD SO THAT WE COULD HELP AND REPRESENT OUR CONSTITUENCIES AND HELP WITH A SMOOTH TRANSITION OF SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES, PARENT CHOICES FOR SCHOOLS THAT THEY COUNTED ON THIS OFFERING AT, THEY MADE THE DECISION, THEY HAVE PASSED THE PRIVATE SCHOOL, UH, REGISTRATION.
NOW THEY MADE IT DEPENDENT ON CERTAIN THINGS LIKE ENGLISH ELA.
THEY HAD, THEY HAVE HAD A MODEL WHERE, BECAUSE ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR, WHEN WE'RE PUSHING OUT THAT WE ARE GOING TO SUPPORT INITIATIVES FOR LITERACY, THAT IS A PRIORITY.
AND WE'VE HAD A MODEL AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL WHERE WE HAVE ALLOWED THE STAFFING MODEL FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS TO BE DONE WITH AN A B SCHEDULE BLOCK SCHEDULE WITH ENGLISH, ELA TEACHERS.
WELL E ENGLISH TEACHERS IN ONE OF THE BLOCKS SERVICING THE 28 STUDENT MODEL.
AND THEY CONCENTRATE ON GRAMMAR AND THAT, THAT PART, THOSE KINDS OF PARTS OF ENGLISH.
AND THEN ON THE OTHER BLOCK DAY, THEY WOULD CONCENTRATE, UH, ON, UM, LITERATURE, READING, WRITING.
AND THEN WE HEAR OF SITUATIONS WHERE FIVE ELA TEACHERS, THAT OTHER BLOCK, THEY GOT THE IMPACT LETTERS.
AND I'M CONFUSED IF WE'VE GOT THIS LITERACY FOCUS, HOW, AND I'VE HEARD IT AT MANY SCHOOLS THAT IF YOU'RE OFFERING IT TO EVERY CHILD EVERY DAY, YOU NEED MORE TEACHERS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
IF, IF THAT IS TAKING THE PLACE OF A, AN ELECTIVE, BECAUSE THAT SCHOOL HAS CHOSEN TO MAKE A LITERACY AND WRITING, READING, WRITING, GRAMMAR, LITERATURE, THEIR FOCUS FOR THEIR STUDENTS, EVEN THOSE THAT HAVE TO EARN A BASIC AND BRING A 2.5 WITH THEM.
I KNOW FOR A FACT FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT CHILDREN NEED AND OUR CHILDREN ACROSS WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR DISTRICT SCORES AND YOU LOOK AT THEM EVEN COMPARED TO OUR OWN STATE DATA, WHICH IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH, EITHER WE, IF WE'RE FOCUSING ON LITERACY, HOW ARE WE THEN TAKING HALF OF AN ENTIRE ELA STAFF OUT OF A SCHOOL? I JUST, THAT DOESN'T EQUATE WITH ME, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE USING THAT 28 TO ONE MODEL, YOU NEED THE ADDITIONAL TEACHERS.
[01:45:01]
EVERY SINGLE STUDENT IS GOING TO GET A FORM OF ENGLISH EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND WE'VE DESIGNED SCHOOLS THAT WAY, AND W WE'RE TAKING LITERACY AWAY, NOT ADDING TO THAT'S ONE OF THE SITUATIONS I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT.UM, I LOOK, I AM A BELIEVER IN CHANGE, GOOD, PRODUCTIVE, POSITIVE CHANGE.
I AM A STRONG PROPONENT PROPONENT OF POSITIVE CHANGE, BUT WHAT I'M FINDING IS WE'RE MAKING CHANGE.
THAT'S NOT POSITIVE AND IT'S NOT IN EVERY CASE.
AND SO I'VE ASKED ABOUT THESE EXCEPTIONS BASED ON STUDENT MODEL, BASED ON ACADEMIC FOCUS.
AND THE OTHER THING IS WE TALK ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
CUSTOMER SERVICE IS TO OUR BOARD MEMBERS, TO OUR TEACHERS, TO OUR ADMINISTRATORS, TO OUR PARENTS, TO OUR COMMUNITIES, THAT CUSTOMER SERVICE GOES ALL TO ALL.
AND I DON'T FEEL THAT WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB, AND THAT'S ONE OF OUR PILLARS, AND THIS IS AN, THIS, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DONE SO MUCH BETTER.
AND MAYBE THINGS DIDN'T ALL HAVE TO BE IN THIS FIRST YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, WE'RE ALSO DEALING WITH COVID LOSS, LEARNING LOSS, AND IT'S SERIOUS.
AND WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HAD, WE STARTED THIS SCHOOL YEAR WITH VACANCIES.
PEOPLE CAN THINK ALL THEY WANT ABOUT THE VACANCIES ONLY BEING IN ONE PART OF TOWN THAT IS IN CO-DIRECT BECAUSE I KNOW FIRSTHAND I WAS OUT THERE CALLING RETIREES, TRYING TO GET THEM TO COME TO SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT IN A CERTAIN PART OF TOWN.
I WAS, I WAS MAKING CALLS TO RETIRED, GIFTED ADMINISTRATORS SAYING, OH MY GOSH, WE NEED SOME OF THESE PEOPLE BACK WHERE WE'RE UNDERSTAFFED AT ALL THESE SCHOOLS.
AND IT'S JUST NOT ONE AREA IT'S ALL CROSS.
I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE VACANCIES.
AND THAT WE STILL TO THIS DAY HAVE THAT WE DID ALL YEAR LONG.
AND WE ASKED DEANS TO GO TAKE CLASSES.
AND WE ASKED ALL KINDS OF THINGS THIS YEAR.
AND SO WE'VE EXTENDED THIS WAND OF, TO A CHARTER SCHOOL AND SAID, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DISMANTLE YOU THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE STATE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE SCORES, BUT WE'RE TAKING THIS, THIS APPROACH TO DO IT TO OUR OWN SCHOOLS.
AND WE'RE DEALING WITH COVID LOSS.
WE'RE DEALING WITH LONG-TERM SUBS AT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS.
I'M TELLING YOU, I KNOW THE PERSON DOING IT AT CERTAIN SCHOOLS.
I KNOW THE PEOPLE, I KNOW THEM PERSONALLY BECAUSE I'VE BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME.
SO I KNOW FIRSTHAND THAT THIS IS HAPPENING AND NOT ONLY IN ONE SIDE OF TOWN, ONE AREA OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, I KNOW I'M TALKING A LONG TIME, BUT THIS HAS JUST BEEN A LOT.
UM, I ALSO AM ASKING PUBLICLY FOR THE RECORD I WANT FOR THE NEXT, UM, BOARD MEETING, THE SRO JOB DESCRIPTIONS NEED TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD, AND IT'S A JOB DESCRIPTION AND IT NEEDS BOARD APPROVAL.
UM, WE NEED TO RESPECT THE PLACES THAT ARE WORKING, WORKING REALLY, REALLY HARD.
IT'S NOT LIKE, UH, LIKE LAKE WOBEGON ANYWHERE.
I WAS A J A TEACHER FOR THE DAY AT SHENANDOAH ELEMENTARY THIS WEEK, I WENT AND TRIED TO DO IT MYSELF.
AND I NEEDED ALL THE HELP AND SUPPORT I COULD GET, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN ENGLISH EDUCATION,
[01:50:01]
IT WAS HARD TO TEACH SOME FIRST GRADERS.I WAS, I WAS PLACED INTO A, UH, I HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR THAT TEACHER IN THAT INCLUSION FIRST GRADE CLASS THAN YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE.
I AM IN AWE OF HER AND HER YEARS OF DEDICATION AND THE STRUGGLES.
IT'S HARD, UH, HARD WORK, UM, THAT NEEDS RESPECT.
UM, JUST GIVE ME A MOMENT HERE.
I WANT TO KNOW THE PROCESS AND THAT THAT'S REALLY REITERATING THAT ABOUT THE, HOW MANY APPROVED PER SCHOOL, HOW MANY DENIED PER SCHOOL? UM, I ALSO WANT TO ASK ABOUT THE APS.
I, I, I THOUGHT THAT, UM, AND OTHERS THOUGHT THAT THE AP POSITIONS THAT WERE IMPACTED WERE GOING TO BE IN A POOL AND I NEED CORRECTION IF I'M WRONG.
BUT I THOUGHT THAT PRINCIPALS, WE WERE GOING TO BE PROVIDING PRINCIPALS AUTONOMY OF THEIR SELECTIONS AND TRYING TO GET THEIR INPUT.
THEY GET TO DECIDE WHO, WHICH ONES THE AP WANTS THEM.
THEY WANT THE AP, THEY CONNECT AND THEY GET TO, UH, BUT I I'M UNDERSTANDING, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG THAT NO AUTONOMY WAS GIVEN ON THIS REGARD.
AND I'M ALSO A VERY STRONG BELIEVER IN EARNED AUTONOMY.
SO R A B N EVEN C SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE PROVIDING FOR HUGE STUDENT POPULATIONS NEED AUTONOMY.
THEY ARE, THEY ARE HANDLING A BIG JOB THERE AND THEY JUST LIKE THE SUPERINTENDENT GETS TO PICK HIS TEAM.
THE PRINCIPALS SHOULD BE GETTING TO PICK THEIR TEAM BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES THAT ARE GOING TO BE ACCOUNTABLE IF SUCH A THING WORKS OR NOT.
AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW, AND I WOULD LIKE AN ANSWER TO THIS WERE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS PUT INTO A POOL AND PRINCIPALS ALLOWED A JOB FAIR FOR THEM, OR WERE THEY INCLUDED IN THE JOB FAIR AT LIBERTY HIGH BEFORE, UH, MS. HALL, LET ME JUST GET A FEW OF THOSE ANSWERS.
AND SO I THANK YOU SO MUCH BOARD MEMBER DYSON FOR, UH, I'M SHARING ABOUT PRINCIPALS GET TO CHOOSE, UH, THEY GET TO CHOOSE THEIR STAFF, RIGHT? I THINK THAT WAS THE WORD YOU USED.
SO, UM, UM, REMEMBER JUST LIKE MYSELF AS A SUPERINTENDENT CHOICES HAPPEN BASED ON THE ALLOCATION OF THEIR BUDGET.
SO WHEN THEY RECEIVE THEIR ENROLLMENT NUMBERS AND THEY HAVE ALLOCATION OF DOLLARS, THEY THEN MUST LOOK AT THEIR DATA AND DECIDE WHAT STAFFING THAT THEY NEED TO DO TO DO WHATEVER THEY DO, BUT IT HAS TO BE ALIGNED TO WHATEVER THEIR FINANCIALLY CAN AFFORD AT THAT SCHOOL.
SO IN THAT PROCESS, UH, PRINCIPALS GOT TO CHOOSE WHO THE, IF THEY WANT IT TO IMPACT AN AP OR IF THEY WANTED TO IMPACT DIFFERENT POSITIONS OR WHAT THEY ACTUALLY WANTED.
AND SO, UM, THAT WAS KIND OF HOW THAT, BUT TH THAT WAS KIND OF HOW THEIR PROCESS WAS, BUT A PART OF THEIR PROCESS AS WELL IS ALSO THEIR LATITUDES, YOU PETITION OR POSITIONS AND NEEDS OF THINGS THAT THEY NEED.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, I APPRECIATE YOU ASKING THE QUESTION ABOUT PROCESS, BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'RE USING THESE, THESE WORDS OF AUTONOMY AND ALL THAT.
EVERYTHING HAS TO BE A PROCESS AND ALIGNED TO BUDGET BECAUSE THE SAME WAY THAT I'M REQUIRED TO BRING A BALANCED BUDGETS EVERY YEAR, THEY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR ALLOCATIONS AND STAFFINGS ACCORDINGLY.
AND I WOULD ALSO SHARE, I APPRECIATED YOUR COMMENTS AROUND SCHOOLS ACROSS THE ENTIRE PARISH NEEDS TEACHERS.
SO AN EXAMPLE IN YOUR AREA WHERE YOU HAD VACANCIES, UH, YEAH.
SO IF A TEACHER WAS, IF A SCHOOL NEEDED STAFFING THERE AND THEY WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THEY CAN BE ALLOCATED TO IN THE JOB FAIR TO GO, AND THEY CHOOSE TO GO TO SCHOOL IN YOUR AREA.
THEY CAN GO TO YOUR SCHOOL IN YOUR AREA.
SO WE TRIED OUR BEST TO KIND OF ALLOW TEACHERS TO MATCH THEMSELVES.
BUT THE KEY THING IS THE OVER, UM, THE DISPROPORTIONATE STAFFING IN THE SCHOOLS THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS IN SOME WAY, BECAUSE WE CANNOT CONTINUE THAT MODEL,
[01:55:01]
YOU KNOW, FOR THE YEARS TO COME AND, AND THEN NOT DO ANYTHING.AND THEN WHAT WE'VE ALSO DONE JUST TO ANSWER YOUR, NO, IT'S NOT THE LITERACY MODEL BOARD MEMBER DYSON.
THE OTHER THING I JUST WANT TO ADD TOO, IS WHAT WE ENDED UP DOING WAS USING OUR SR DOLLARS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THIS ON OUR WEBSITE BECAUSE WE HAVE RIGHT ON OUR WEBSITE, HOW WE'RE ALLOCATING SR DOLLARS IS TRYING TO PROVIDE ALL SCHOOLS THAT NEEDED SUPPORT WITH THEIR COACHING.
SO YOU HAVE IN THE OLD MODEL, THIS WAS PRE BEFORE WE ARRIVED.
UM, IN THE OLD MODEL, ONLY FAILING SCHOOLS WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR COACHES IN THE NEW MODEL.
ALL SCHOOLS CAN HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY BASED ON HOW THEY MAKE THEIR DECISIONS.
AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF SET OF DIFFERENT, MORE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY HAVE.
AND THEN ONE LAST THING I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT TO THE STATE DECIDES ON THE STATE RATIOS, WHICH WE SHOWED, OR THE STATE OF LOUISIANA ON HOW MANY, ONE TEACHER TO, HOW MANY STUDENTS WE'RE WELL UNDER THAT IN OUR DISTRICT, UH, IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THAT, UH, WHICH WE CAN EVEN PULL UP ON THE POWERPOINT TO SHOW THAT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I'M, I'M IN AGREEANCE WITH YOU, RIGHT? WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE IN SCHOOLS, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A TIE QUALITY TEACHER IN FRONT OF THEM.
BUT WHEN WE HAVE THE STAFFING IN THOSE DIFFERENT SCHOOL AREAS WHERE WE HAVE MORE TEACHERS THERE, WE HAVE TO BE AT A KIND OF ALLOCATE THOSE RESOURCES ACCORDINGLY.
SO WERE THE APS PUT INTO A POOL THAT THE PRINCIPALS COULD CHOOSE THEIR ADDITIONAL AP THAT IS BEING ALLOTTED BECAUSE THEY CAN'T NOW HAVE TWO DEANS OR ANY DEANS.
AND SO THEY'RE BEING ADDED AT AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL WHERE THEY, UH, ABLE TO CHOOSE WHICH ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL THEY WERE GOING TO SELECT TO BE A PART OF THEIR TEAM.
UM, SO THE ANSWER, OH, THANK YOU.
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR, UM, THE PRINCIPALS SELECT BASED ON THE CRITERIA IS H OR GAVE LIKE THE ADDITIONAL AP THE CRITERIA, THE CRITERIA IS I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M CLEAR.
SO THE CRITERIA IS THAT WORK PROVIDED BY HR FOR PRINCIPALS TO IDENTIFY OR IDENTIFY, UM, WHAT STAFF WILL BE IMPACTED.
THOSE APS WHO WERE IMPACTED, MR. BRICKHOUSE WAS A CHIEF OF SCHOOLS, WANTED TO BE A PART OF THAT SELECTION PROCESS WITHIN EDS.
THAT PROCESS WAS PASSED OFF TO MR. BRICKHOUSE AS A CHIEF OF STAFF, I'M SORRY, THE CHIEF OF SCHOOLS, BECAUSE HE HAS A DIFFERENT VISION OR HIS VISION, MAKE SURE THAT IT ALIGNS WITH US.
SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I AM CLEAR WHAT THE PROCESS IS.
SO THE, ALL OF THE DISPLACED APS WERE NOT, THEY WERE NOT PART OF THE JOB FAIR, AND THEY WERE NOT PUT INTO A POOL THAT PRINCIPALS HAD THE AUTONOMY TO SELECT THEIR UPPER LEVEL PEOPLE THAT AP ADDITIONAL AP THAT'S BEING THROWN AT THEM THAT SOME DON'T EVEN WANT, BECAUSE THEY'D RATHER TWO DEANS BECAUSE THEIR DISCIPLINE REQUIRES IT.
UM, AND SO, OKAY, WE GOT THAT CLEAR THAT THEY WERE ASSIGNED TO SCHOOLS.
UM, GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBER DIES.
AND, UM, YOU FEEL A LOT OF THINGS.
I THINK THAT I JUST WANT TO TAKE TIME.
AND THERE WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT YOU PROVIDED, AND I DO WANT TO TAKE SOME TIME TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
ONE, I WILL START WITH YOUR, UM, YOUR INQUIRY ABOUT THE PETITION PROCESS.
I AM AWARE THAT YOU ASKED FOR THE NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED IN FRONTLINE FOR WHERE SCHOOL LEADERS WERE ASKING FOR MODIFICATIONS TO THEIR INITIAL ALLOCATIONS.
WE RECEIVED APPROXIMATELY 190 OF THOSE SUBMISSIONS.
30 OF THOSE WERE AUTHORIZED AND APPROVED OUT OF WHAT 199.
BUT LET ME GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT.
SO THE REASON WHY WE ONLY HAD A HUNDRED, WE HAD 30 OUT OF 109, BECAUSE PART OF THAT SUBMISSION WAS A REQUEST FOR A RATIONALE.
MANY OF THOSE SUBMISSIONS CAME WITH NO RATIONALE.
MANY ALSO CAME WITH MULTIPLE REQUEST IN ONE PETITION.
SO WHAT WE DID IS WE PUSH IT BACK UP TO THE ED AND THE SCHOOL LEADER AND ASKED FOR EVERY SUBMISSION WE RECEIVED SOME, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE WEEK WE RECEIVE NO FOLLOW UP FROM THOSE.
SO THE REASON WHY THE NUMBER SEEMS MINIMAL FOR AUTHORIZATION, SOME OF THOSE REQUESTS IS BECAUSE OF RATIONALES THAT WE WERE ASKING FOR TO HELP US MAKE AN APPROPRIATE DETERMINATION, JUST SIMPLY WOULD NOT PROVIDE IT.
[02:00:01]
AGAIN, IS TO GET THE NUMBERS BY SCHOOL, HOW MANY WERE ASKED FOR BY THAT SCHOOL, HOW MANY WERE GRANTED TO THAT SCHOOL? AND THAT NEEDS TO BE TIMELY BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ASKING, YES, WE CAN HONOR THAT.THE SECOND, UM, INQUIRY THAT YOU MADE, AND I'M JUST GOING TO BE CANDID, LIKE, SINCE YOU'RE BEING CANDID WITH US AS WELL, YOU'RE AT, YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT THE LITERATURE PROGRAM AT SHARE WITH METAL.
SO AS OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AS WELL.
WELL, THE ONLY PLACE THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED INQUIRIES, I HAVE RECEIVED INCREASES FROM SHERWOOD METAL, BUT THIS WILL BE APPLICABLE.
MY EXPLANATION, I BELIEVE TO MOST SCHOOLS.
SO WITH SHERWIN MILL IN PARTICULAR, WE HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH PRINCIPAL NOEL.
ACTUALLY, I SPOKE TO HER THREE TIMES TODAY BECAUSE I RECEIVED SEVERAL INQUIRIES A DAY FROM VARIOUS COMMUNITY LEADERS, AS WELL AS PARENTS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE STAFFING AT SHERWOOD METAL, BUT THE PRINCIPAL, NOEL, WHO I ASKED TO JOIN US THIS EVENING SO THAT SHE, SO THAT WE COULD REPRESENT TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE ALL ON ONE PAGE AND WANT A CARD IN WHERE WE ARE IN THE SOUTH AND TO SHARE WITH METAL.
SHE, HER DAUGHTER IS GRADUATING TOMORROW.
THEY HAVE A FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, SO SHE WAS UNABLE TO BE HERE.
HOWEVER, I WANT US TO BE CONSISTENT IN WHAT PRINCIPAL NOEL'S UNDERSTANDING IS AND WHAT SHE HAS CONVEYED TO ME AND TO MS. HALL W IS HER SENTIMENTS TOWARDS HER COMMUNITY.
SO AT SHERWIN METAL, THERE WERE FIVE POSITIONS THAT WERE IMPACTED.
THOSE FIVE POSITIONS INCLUDE THREE TEACHERS, TWO SUPPORT PERSONNEL, ONE CLERK, AND ONE PARAPROFESSIONAL.
ONE OF TWO OF THE, TWO OF THOSE WERE ELA TEACHERS.
WHEN WE SAY THAT, SHARE WITH NO HAT, 10 TEACHERS IN ELA, THERE WAS A DISPROPORTIONATE STAFFING BASED ON HER ENROLLMENT NUMBERS AND BASED ON OUR STAFFING MODEL.
HOWEVER, SOME OF THOSE TEACHERS WHO TAUGHT ELA STILL ARE RESIDING AT SHARE WITH MEMBERS.
THEY'RE GOING TO TEACH OUT OF THERE.
I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO TEACH OUT OF THEIR AREA.
YEAH, YES, BUT ALSO BASED ON OUR MODEL, WE GAVE DISCRETION TO SOME SCHOOL LEADERS TO MAKE DETERMINATIONS OF HOW THEY WANT TO UTILIZE THEIR STAFF.
SO IN THIS EXAMPLE, IF THE LITERATURE PROGRAM IS A PRIORITY, THEN THERE WAS DISCRETION AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL TO UTILIZE THAT, THAT THOSE POSITIONS APPROPRIATELY, THE LITERATURE COURSE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS UTILIZED ALMOST LIKE THE ELECTIVE OFFERING AS SHARED WITH METAL.
AND SO WE KNOW THAT MANDATORY ELECTIVE, BECAUSE EVERY STUDENT GETS IT, EVERY STUDENT WAS SCHEDULED IN IT, IT WAS A PART OF THEIR PROGRAMMING.
YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? AND WHAT I AM CONVEYING TONIGHT AND WHAT PRINCIPAL NOEL AND I HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY DISCUSSING IS THAT WE RESPECT THAT.
AND WE HONOR THAT, BUT THERE WERE WINGS AND WAVES, AND THERE STILL ARE FOR HER TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES TO OUR STUDENTS.
THE OTHER THING TOO, I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO NOTE HERE IS THAT PART OF THE CSM MODEL IS THAT WE'RE NOT A ONE AND DONE IMPLEMENTATION.
SO WE KNOW THAT OUR MAGNET SCHOOLS IN PARTICULAR ARE RECEIVING APPLICATIONS ON AN ONGOING BASIS.
THEY'RE STILL MAKING DETERMINATIONS OF WHO THEY'RE GOING TO ACCEPT.
AND THOSE APPLICATION ACCEPTANCES WILL IMPACT ENROLLMENT, BUT WE WILL NOT KNOW THAT UNTIL OUR NEXT ROLL OVER, WHICH WILL HAPPEN ON JULY 1ST.
SO WHAT THE CSM STATES AND WHAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO IS IF THOSE NUMBERS ARE MODIFIED, IF THERE'S AN INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT, THEN WE WILL PROVIDE APPROPRIATE ACCOMMODATION TO THOSE SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MATCHING THE RESOURCE WITH THE NEEDS OF THAT STUDENT POPULATION.
AND SO PRINCIPAL NOEL UNDERSTANDS THAT I HAVE COMMITTED TO HELP HER WITH HER MASTER SCHEDULING, TO SEE HOW WE CAN INCORPORATE SOME OF THOSE, THESE THINGS THAT THEY MAY NOT BE PRESENT RIGHT NOW IN HER SCHEDULE.
MY STAFF IS GOING TO GO OVER TO HER NEXT WEEK AND WORK WITH HER AND SIT DOWN AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT IT, BUT SHE UNDERSTANDS WHERE WE ARE.
SHE, THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I KEEP HEARING ABOUT THE IMPACT FROM 10 TO FIVE, THOSE IMPACTS WERE NOT.
WE DIDN'T JUST COME IN AND SAY, X, X OUT, THE ELA DEPARTMENT, X OUT OF THE LITERATURE PROGRAM.
WE GAVE INSTRUCTIONAL STABILIZATION.
WE GAVE GUIDANCE AND WE WANT, WE ASK SCHOOL LEADERS TO WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEIR EDS TO MAKE THE MOST APPROPRIATE DETERMINATIONS, TO SUPPORT THEIR SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, BORDER COLLIE DANCING.
I APPRECIATE YOUR ECZEMA COLLEAGUES QUESTION.
MY CONCERN IS I WOULD LIKE TO SET THE TONE MOVING FORWARD THAT I APPRECIATE THAT.
THE SH WHAT'S HER NAME AGAIN? THE SHERWOOD MIDDLE.
I DON'T KNOW MS. NOEL NEVER SET FOOT ON OUR CAMPUS, BUT BY VIRTUE OF YOU SPEAKING ON HER BEHALF AND CONTINUOUSLY CALLING HER NAME OUT, YOU ARE SIGNALING TO ALL PRINCIPALS ACROSS THIS DISTRICT.
WHETHER IT'S A MAGNET PROGRAM OR A STRUGGLING SCHOOL THAT WE HEAR YOUR NAME
[02:05:01]
AND WE CALLING YOU OUT AND YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED, AND I'M NOT GOING TO SIT BY AND LET YOU INTIMIDATE ANY POSSIBLE.OUR TEACHING THAT ADDRESSED THE CONCERNS, BUT PLEASE DON'T APPROACH IT AS A MATTER OF INTIMIDATE SUBTLE ON THAT.
YOU, YOU DID A GREAT JOB ANSWERING THE QUESTION, BUT PLEASE DON'T CALL THESE PEOPLE OUT BY NAME BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T SAY THAT'S WHO SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
AND ALSO I DID MAKE CLEAR THAT I'M HEARING IT FROM OTHER ALC, ALL CON TRADITIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOLS ACROSS THE DISTRICT THAT AREN'T EVEN IN THE AREA I REPRESENT DIRECTLY REPRESENT.
I REPRESENT EVERYONE, BUT THIS IS REALLY CLEAR THESE DAYS, BECAUSE I'M HEARING FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT AREN'T ANYWHERE NEAR ME, BUT THEY'VE GOT THE SAME ENGLISH FOCUS, LITERACY WANTS, AND THEY'RE HAVING THEIR ELA CUT TO, I GUESS IT'S A SHARE THE WEALTH MENTALITY, BUT WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T DISMANTLE GOOD.
WE JUST CAN'T WE'RE, WE'RE ANOTHER ONE OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS IS TO REENGAGE AND WE'VE GOT OPPORTUNITIES.
ALTHOUGH THEY'RE SLAM, WE'VE GOT SOME OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE ARE ATTRACTING PEOPLE THAT CAN DO A LOT OF OTHER THINGS, MAKE A LOT OF OTHER CHOICES AND THEY CAN, AND WE'RE ATTRACTING THEM.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO BE ATTRACTING MORE.
AND THIS KIND OF CHAOS THAT HAPPENS, ISN'T CONDUCIVE TO US SAYING, COME TRUST US.
WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOUR CHILDREN.
AND WE WILL OFFER QUALITY PROGRAMS. AND YOU IT'S THIS DISTRUST, THE COMMUNITY CONFIDENCE PIECE THAT WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT PROACTIVELY AHEAD OF TIME, BEFORE IT ALL BLOWS UP.
WE, WE HAVE TO BECAUSE HOW ARE WE GOING TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE CHOOSE TO TRUST US WITH THEIR BABIES? IF WE, IF THEY JUST DON'T FEEL, THEY THINK EVERYTHING'S JUST BEEN THROWN AT THEM TO THEM INSTEAD OF WITH THEM.
AND SO, DO YOU HAVE OTHER THINGS THAT YOU WANTED TO, UH, UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE FOR ME TO ADDRESS, I WAS TRYING TO CAPTURE, UM, YOUR INQUIRIES AS YOU WERE SPEAKING TO US, BUT IF THERE'S ANYTHING ADDITIONALLY, SO, UM, SO I'M SORRY, MR. SMITH JUST, UH, LET'S ALLOW WHATEVER QUESTION BOARD MEMBER DIKES, AND JUST ANSWER THAT PARTICULAR QUESTION.
THE GENES IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS, OUR DISCIPLINE, UM, WE HAVE SOME SERIOUS DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS IN OUR DISTRICT.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE NEWS, IT'S ON THE NEWS, IT'S VIDEOED AND PUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
IT'S BEEN A LOT, IT'S BEEN A WHOLE LOT THIS YEAR.
UM, AND SOME OF THAT CAN BE IMPROVED BY WORK COUNSELING, HAVING OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS AND OUR, UH, SOCIAL WORKERS FULL-TIME AT EVERY SCHOOL, UM, HELP WITH THAT.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE SOCIAL WORKER CAN'T BE THE DISCIPLINARIAN BECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO GET TO THE TRUTH OF THINGS.
THEY, THERE'S A, UM, THERE'S A, UH, CONFIDENCE BETWEEN A COUNSELOR, A SOCIAL WORKER AND WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO IN A SCHOOL, A SOCIAL WORKER THAT'S HIRED BY SOMEBODY ELSE AND CONTRACTED TO US.
THEY CANNOT DO THE SAME JOB OF DISCIPLINE AND OF CALLING AND TRYING EVERY DAY, TRYING TO FIND OUT OUR BUSES, AREN'T GOING TO BE ON TIME.
WHERE'S THIS BUS, YOU KNOW, DEANS DO A DIFFERENT JOB THAN SOCIAL WORKERS AND COUNSELORS.
THEY DO A LOT OF DISCIPLINE AND THEY ALSO HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN THE E L AND THEY'RE INCORPORATING THAT TOO, BUT YOU CANNOT JUST DO SEL WITHOUT THE DISCIPLINE PIECE, TOO.
IT HAS TO BE TOGETHER BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY TO GET A GRIP ON IT IMMEDIATELY,
[02:10:03]
SEL TAKES A WHILE.COUNSELING CAN TAKE YEARS SOCIAL WORKERS WITH OUR STUDENTS THAT CAN TAKE YEARS OF AN, A CONSISTENT PERSON THAT THEY TRUST.
AND EVEN WITH TEACHERS DOING SEL, THEY TRUST THIS PERSON AT THEIR SCHOOL TO DO THIS.
AND THEN I HAVE, I HAVE, I NEED TO LET THE REST OF THE BOARD HAVE A TURN, BUT WHAT I DO WANT TO ASK IS ONE MORE QUESTION.
AND THAT IS, UM, ABOUT, UM, THE, UM, I'M HEARING ABOUT THESE ADAPTIVE PE TEACHERS AND I'M HEARING ABOUT, UM, E L N I EVEN HEARD IT CALLED E L S YEAH.
SO THESE POSITIONS BEING ELIMINATED, THOUGH, WHAT IS THE TRUTH TO THIS? YES.
SO THE ADAPTIVE PE UM, POSITIONS ARE NOT ELIMINATED.
THOSE ARE HOW THE PE TEACHER IS, UM, BASED ON THE IEP NEEDS OF A STUDENT AND THE SERVICES THAT THOSE STUDENTS REQUIRE.
SO WE CANNOT ELIMINATE THOSE POSITIONS.
HOWEVER, WHAT WE HAVE DONE AS WE MODIFY THE STRUCTURE OF HOW WE'RE UTILIZING THAT PERSONNEL.
SO INSTEAD OF PERSONNEL BEING PLACED ON ONE CAMPUS OR SERVICES, A FEW, FEW STUDENTS WHO REQUIRE THOSE SERVICES, WE HAVE INCORPORATED A DISTRICT MODEL, ORIGINAL MODEL THAT THE ESS PROGRAM HAS THE FINE, UH, HOW WE ARE GOING TO ASSIGN ADAPTIVE PE TEACHERS TO MORE THAN ONE SCHOOL.
SO THESE PEOPLE WILL BE AT A DISTRICT LEVEL, SUPPORTING MULTIPLE SCHOOLS, PROVIDING A SOURCE FOR STUDENTS BASED ON THEIR IEP NEEDS.
SO, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT AT ONE SCHOOL IN PARTICULAR, THAT YOU HAVE 135 STUDENTS AND THAT ARE, THAT ARE WITH THIS DESIGNATION.
THAT WOULD BE, IF THE ESS PERSONNEL IS HERE, THEY'LL BE BETTER DRESSED TOWARDS THEM.
BUT, UM, I WOULDN'T LIKE TO QUESTION THAT FOR SURE.
AND THEN I WANT TO TELL YOU, THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS.
AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF HARD WORK IN THIS, AND I KNOW CHANGE IS DIFFICULT.
I JUST WISH WE HAD WORKED TOGETHER.
AND I APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK.
I JU I JUST WANT TO SAY, UM, I'M SORRY, MADAM, UH, VICE PRESIDENT COLLINS.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE IN TERMS OF BEING, YOU KNOW, LEVEL OF PROFESSIONAL DECORUM AND ALL THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, AS BEING THE CHIEF OF HR IS A TOUGH CHART, RIGHT? AND I HEAR ALL THE CONCERNS THAT COMES IN, AND I WAS ALSO SHARED IN THE AUDIT, BUT HOW PRINCIPALS FEEL AND HOW OTHER EMPLOYEES FEEL.
AND, YOU KNOW, FOR A VERY LONG TIME, HR IS NOTORIOUSLY BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE.
SO I HAVE COMMITTED TO ENSURE THAT ANYONE COULD CALL ME OR TEXT ME, OR EMAIL ME AT ANY TIME AND THEY ALWAYS RESPOND.
SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE DO NOT FEEL INTIMIDATED AT ALL.
CAUSE I'VE ALWAYS BEEN, I'VE BEEN IN THAT SPACE BEFORE, AND I ALWAYS WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE FEELS WARM AND WELCOME.
ANY QUESTION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO UTILIZE MYSELF ONE OF MY EMAILS SO WE COULD WORK TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN BEST ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I ADDRESS THAT.
AND, AND I HAVE HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OPEN TO THIS POINT WITH THE CONFUSION.
UH, SO I DON'T WANT TO COME ACROSS AS IF I'M TRYING TO SAY, BUT I DID WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT MOVING FORWARD, ANY MS. UH, COMMUNICATION THAT MAY COME ACROSS AS SOME FORM OF INTIMIDATION DOES NOT HAPPEN.
THANK YOU, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT.
I MADE SOME NOTES AND I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION.
UH, UM, I'LL JUST GO THROUGH, YOU MENTIONED STABILIZATION POSITIONS AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT IS CLASSIFIED AND WHAT, WHAT YOU MEAN BY STABILIZATION POSITIONS.
SO I, INSTRUCTIONAL STABILIZATION POSITION IS A FREE POSITION THAT THE LACK OF A BETTER TERM THAT A PRINCIPAL COULD USE TO HELP SUPPORT THE INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS OF THEIR STUDENTS.
THE INSTRUCTIONAL POSITION CAN ONLY BE USED FOR ACADEMIC, UM, TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC NEEDS IN THE SCHOOL.
SO IT CAN BE A TEACHER FOR EITHER A CORE SUBJECT AREAS.
CTE ELECTIVE OFFERS OFFERINGS.
IT CAN GET AN ACADEMIC DEAN, ANY, ANY SUPPORT IN THE BUILDING THERE THAT, UM, IS ALIGNED WITH ACADEMIC NEEDS AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT.
[02:15:01]
STABILIZATION NEEDS COULD HAVE BEEN USED TO HELP SUPPORT THE OVERALL PROGRAM FOR THE SCHOOL.I KNOW IT'S IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT IN TERMS OF THE STABILIZATION POSITIONS AT WHAT CHANGED, UH, WITH THIS MODEL.
SO IN A PREVIOUS MODEL, THERE WAS ONLY ONE FLEX POSITION THAT WAS ACTUALLY ALLOCATED ACROSS ALL SCHOOLS.
WHAT WE DID IS WE OFFERED AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL.
THIS WAS NOT THE SAME FOR ELEMENTARY, BUT AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL, WE ALLOCATED THREE INSTRUCTIONAL STABILIZATION POSITIONS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND UP TO FIVE, FOUR HIGH SCHOOLS BASED ON THEIR SCHOOL ENROLLMENT.
AND, UM, AND AS FAR AS THE CHANGE I NOTED, UH, THERE WERE, UH, PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT, FACILITATORS AND LITERACY AND MATH COACHES INCLUDED FOR ALL SCHOOLS.
IS THAT, OR ARE THOSE OPTIONAL FOR THE PRINCIPALS? ARE THOSE MANDATORY FOR ALL SCHOOLS? SO THE PRINTER, THE PARENTAL EVOLVED FACILITATORS, A LEVEL THREE FLEXIBILITY.
SO PRINCIPALS HAD THE DISCRETION TO FLEX THAT.
HOWEVER, THEY, UM, FELT SUITABLE.
HOWEVER, THE LITERACY AND THE MATH COACH POSITIONS ARE LEVEL ONE.
THOSE ARE RECLINING POSITIONS.
SO, UM, WELL, SINCE WE'RE, SINCE THEY'RE REQUIRED, UM, UM, WHEN I HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING, WHAT, WHAT DO LITERACY AND MATH COACHES DO? ARE THEY, ARE THEY WORKING DIRECTLY WITH STUDENTS? ARE THEY WORKING WITH THE TEACHER? HOW DOES THAT? OKAY, SO I WILL LET SOMEONE FROM THE, UM, VISION OF ACADEMICS AND DIFFERENT DIVISION AND LITERACY COMES FROM, I CAN GIVE YOU A FULL EXPLANATION OF HOW WE UTILIZE OUR COACHES IN OUR SCHOOLS.
LASTLY, COULD YOU COME AND EXPLAIN THE LITERACY COACHES AND DOC ROBINSON AND MATH COACHES ARE, I DON'T KNOW IF MR. ROGERS SHOWS HERE AS WELL, JUST THEIR UTILIZATION AND THE SCHOOLS, AND I DON'T NEED, YOU KNOW, A REAL LONG, I JUST WANT TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY DO AND, AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE IN, IN EACH SCHOOL, AS OPPOSED TO PREVIOUSLY, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IT WAS ONLY C D AND F SCHOOLS, BUT NOW WE'RE PUTTING IN AN ALL SCHOOL SCHOOLS WE'RE DOING OKAY, GOOD EVENING, VICE PRESIDENT COLLINS, UM, IN HIS ABSENCE BOARD, PRESIDENT TAPPIN, DR.
NARCISSA AND ALL BOARD MEMBERS, UM, THE MATH COACHES DO WORK WITH STUDENTS, UM, AS WELL AS TEACHERS, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE NEEDS IN THAT PARTICULAR SCHOOL, BUT THEY DO WORK TO SUPPORT STUDENTS.
THEY DO WORK TO SUPPORT TEACHERS.
UM, THERE, WE TRIED TO NORMALIZE THEIR WORK, BUT WE ALSO ALLOW FOR INDIVIDUALITY AS THE NEEDS ARISE IN THAT PARTICULAR SCHOOL.
AND SO, UM, IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT IS NEEDED ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY.
THE MATH COACHES, UM, ARE NOT IN EVERY SCHOOL CURRENTLY.
THEY ARE SERVICING A VARIETY OF SCHOOLS.
THERE ARE ONLY 19 OF THEM IN THE DISTRICT RIGHT NOW FOR NEXT YEAR.
UM, THERE, EVERY SCHOOL WOULD HAVE ONE.
AND WHAT ABOUT LITERACY COACHES? I'LL LET DR.
SO LITERACY COACHES ARE PLACED THIS, AS YOU MENTIONED PRIOR TO THIS YEAR, LITERACY COACHES WERE PLACED BY THE STATE ALLOCATION IN ALL THE C, D AND F SCHOOLS.
AND OF COURSE WE KNOW THE REASON THAT THAT WAS NECESSARY IS BECAUSE WE WERE WORKING ON THAT LITERACY PIECE WITH THAT WITHOUT THE LITERACY BEING WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE, OF COURSE, IT, IT AFFECTS ALL OUR OTHER CONTENT AREAS MOVING FORWARD THIS YEAR, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT.
AND EVEN PRINCIPALS HAVE EXPRESSED THAT BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WE REALIZE THAT THERE ARE SCHOOLS NOT BEYOND THE CDNS SCHOOLS ARE AB SCHOOLS, THERE ARE SUBGROUPS WITHIN THOSE SCHOOLS.
OR THERE ARE SOME STUDENTS THAT MANY PRINCIPALS HAVE A VOICE THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE SOME EXPLICIT ASSISTANCE TO THOSE STUDENTS AS WELL.
SO THE WAY THAT THESE, UH, THE COACHES WILL WORK THIS YEAR, THIS IS THAT THEY WORK WITH TEACHERS.
THEY GO BACK TO THE SCHOOLS, WE BRING THEM OUT, WE TRAIN THEM, THEY GET THAT EMBEDDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PEER TO PEER SO THAT THEY CAN GO BACK.
THEY, WE ARM THEM WITH THEIR DECKS, THAT TRAINING.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO COME UP WITH THAT, BUT THEY GO BACK AND READ.
WE DELIVER THIS TRAINING TO THE TEACHERS, THEY MODEL LESSONS FOR THE TEACHERS.
THEY ALSO SHOULD BE GOING INTO CLASSROOMS DAILY.
THEY HAVE CONSULTATIONS WITH TEACHERS TO MOVE THEM FORWARD.
UH, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE, UH, JOB OF THE LITERACY COACH.
AND THEY FOLLOW A COACHING CYCLE.
THERE ARE SPECIFIC TEACHERS THAT THEY'VE EVEN CHOSEN AS DEMONSTRATION TEACHERS AND EVEN TO HONE THEIR OWN
[02:20:01]
CRAFT.AND SO THEY GO BACK INTO THE SCHOOLS AND THEY THEN MAKE SURE THAT THEY DIFFERENTIATE THEIR SUPPORT TO THE TEACHERS THAT NEED THEIR SUPPORT IN LITERACY.
AND THAT'S, BUT FROM MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND IT.
THAT'S MAN, THE LITERACY COACH IS MANDATORY FOR EVERY SCHOOL.
IT'S NOT AN OPTION FOR, FOR THE PRINCIPAL.
SO IT'S NOT A NON AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME IS EVERY SCHOOL WILL HAVE LITERACY COACHES MOVING FORWARD FOR THE, FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
IT SOUNDED BASED ON YOUR DESCRIPTION.
SOUNDS KINDA MORE LIKE A, UH, A CENTRAL OFFICE TYPE POSITION ALMOST.
THE SCHOOL-BASED, UH, LITERACY COACHES THAT WILL BE IN EACH SCHOOL.
SO LET ME JUST PROVIDE SOME CLARITY, MR. BELLO.
SO THEY ARE SCHOOL-BASED POSITIONS AND THEY WORK WITH TEACHERS IN PARTICULAR AT THAT SCHOOL.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S HOW THEY WORK.
AND AS YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR DATA SHOWS, UH, OUR CHALLENGE ACROSS FROM K TO 12 IS LITERACY.
YOU PICK A, UH, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT SCHOOL IS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU BREAK IT DOWN INTO SUBGROUPS AND THOSE THINGS.
AND SO THE THING THAT'S GOOD THAT THE BOARD DID IN THEIR STRATEGIC PLAN WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT EACH INDIVIDUAL CHILD'S GROWTH, REGARDLESS OF THE ALPHABET THAT THE CHILD IS, THE CHILD IS AT, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT THEIR GROUP EACH CHILD'S GROUP ON THREE TO 5% ON THEIR BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS.
SO WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE WELL OVER PREPARED AND, UH, WHETHER THEY'RE TAKING THE STATE ASSESSMENT OR ANY OTHER, UH ACTSH OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND THEN THE COACHES WHO DO THEY REPORT TO EXACTLY THOSE COACHES WILL WORK WITH THE PRINCIPALS.
THEY REPORT, THEY REPORT THE SCHOOL-BASED COACHES REPORT TO THE PRINCIPALS, BUT THIS COMING YEAR, THEY WILL HAVE MORE OF AN, UM, RESPONSIBILITY TO REPORT TO THE CENTRAL OFFICE.
SO IS THAT, SO DO THEY REPORT TO THE PRINCIPAL OR THE CENTRAL OFFICE THIS PAST YEAR, THEY REPORTED TO THE PRINCIPAL.
AND SO, SO THE, THE GOAL IS TO HAVE IT HALF AND HALF, NOT JUST ONLY PRINCIPLES.
AND SO THE REASON WE DO THAT, IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE TO ALSO WORK WITH THEM ON TRAINING.
THERE IS AN ASSUMPTION I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL CLEAR ON STAFFING, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE STAFFING SCHOOLS, THERE'S A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
AND SO WE HAVE TO SHARE THE TIME ON DEVELOPING THOSE FOLKS AS THEY GO BACK.
SO WHEN PRINCIPALS ARE LOOKING AT THEIR DATA WITH THEIR TEAM, WORKING WITH TEACHERS, THEY CAN MAKE APPROPRIATE DECISIONS ON INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES, HELP SUPPORT KIDS.
AND SO THE REASON WE WANTED TO DO THAT IS TO KIND OF DO SUPPORT HALF AND HALF IN THAT WAY.
AND THEN WE'VE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN WHEN OUR PROCESS OF CHOOSING TO ENGAGE WITH SCHOOL LEADERS IN THAT PROCESS.
UM, AND YOU'VE ALREADY TOUCHED ON IT, BUT, UH, AS FAR AS THE CHANGES AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL, BECAUSE I'VE HEARD SOME, UH, CONCERN ABOUT, UM, HAVING A DUNE DEAN OF STUDENTS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL, AND YOU EXPLAIN WHETHER THAT'S STILL AN OPTION AND IF IT IS, HOW, HOW A PRINCIPAL WOULD GO ABOUT PUTTING IN PLACE A DEAN OF STUDENTS.
SO IN THE INITIAL STAFFING ALLOCATION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, A DEAN WAS NOT AN INITIAL, I PRIORITIZE STAFFING ALLOCATION FROM MIDDLE GRADES.
HOWEVER, THE DEAN POSITION STILL EXISTS WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
UM, IT WAS A POSITION THAT WAS ALLOCATED TO HIGH SCHOOLS, BUT NOT TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
BUT, UM, I BELIEVE THAT, UM, IT WAS BOARD MEMBER AT COLLINS WHO I'M SORRY, BOARD MEMBER DYSON.
WE GAVE AN EXAMPLE EARLIER IF A SCHOOL HAD AN, A VACANCY IN AP AND THEY WANTED TO, TO SUBSTITUTE THAT FOR A DEAN POSITION THAT WAS ALLOWABLE, BUT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO PETITION FOR.
SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, NO, A COMPARABLE, A COMPARABLE POSITION.
SO FOR INSTANCE, OUR MOUNT BRENDAN, IT, CAN I CLARIFY SOMETHING TO MAKE SURE DOESN'T GET LOST IN OUR TALKING ABOUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPECIFIC POSITIONS, UH, AP DEANS AND THOSE THINGS THAT PRINCIPALS UTILIZE, UH, THESE POSITIONS IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE YOU HEAR A LOT THING, BOARD MEMBER DYSON SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE A DEAN HERE, YOU MAY USE IT FOR DISCIPLINE, BUT FOLKS USE DEANS FOR DISCIPLINE INSTRUCTION FOR A NUMBER OF THINGS.
AND SO THE REASON WHY I WANT TO BRING THIS UP IS BECAUSE, UM, THERE, THE ADMINISTRATIVE ADMINISTRATORS POSITIONS ARE NOT FINITE.
THIS IS ALL THEY'RE JUST DOING.
IT'S ALL, IT'S ALL BASED ON THE AUTONOMY OF HOW THE PRINCIPALS WORKING THROUGH THAT PROCESS TO DO THAT.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR ON THAT ANYWAY.
AND MY QUESTION WAS REALLY ABOUT THE DISCIPLINE OF DEAN OF STUDENTS, UH, FOR DISCIPLINE THAT.
SO IF A PRINCIPAL THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPORTANT AT, AT,
[02:25:01]
AT THE SCHOOL, UM, HOW WOULD THAT BE AT, AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL? HOW WOULD THAT BE, UH, UH, ACHIEVED IN TERMS OF THE FLEXIBILITY? YEAH.THERE ARE A LOT OF DEPENDENCIES AND NEED TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
UM, MR. BLUE, BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE PRIORITIZE IN THE STAFF AND THE LAW SCHOOLS WAS OUR SEL SUPPORT STUDENT SUPPORT.
SO I KNOW THAT, UM, UM, SOME OF YOUR COLLEAGUES ON THE BOARD HAVE REFERENCED LIKE THE SOCIAL WORKER, THE PARENTAL, UM, INVOLVEMENT, UM, FACILITATOR, BUT ALSO THERE'S A TLR MODERATOR POSITION THAT WAS ALSO ALLOCATED TO ALL SCHOOLS, ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH.
SO THAT IS ANOTHER SPACE, ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS TO HAVE THEIR BEHAVIORAL ISSUES ADDRESSED.
BUT WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE NOT JUST ADDRESSING THE ACTIONS THAT THE STUDENTS WERE DISPLAYING IN PRESENT DAY, BUT SOME OF THE ROOT CAUSES OF THAT.
SO THAT'S WHY WE PRIORITIZE THE COUNSELING AND THE SOCIAL WORKER POSITIONS TO REALLY BE ABLE TO INVEST IN PROVIDING SOME ADDITIONAL BEHAVIORAL SUPPORTS FOR, AND YOU MENTIONED T O R MODERATOR EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS.
MODERATOR IS, UM, A SPACE FOR WHERE STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM A CLASSROOM SETTING CAN GO AND GET RESTORED BACK TO THE SETTING AND GET REDIRECTED AND GET SOME BEHAVIORAL SUPPORTS AND REDIRECTED REDIRECTION THAT BEHAVIOR.
UM, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND CAUSE WE, I, I DON'T WANT TO, WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED SHERWOOD MIDDLE, BUT, AND I THINK I UNDERSTAND, WHEREAS BEFORE THERE WERE EACH STUDENT HAD TWO BLOCKS OF ENGLISH AND NOW THE DECISION IS IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE JUST ONE BLOCK OF ENGLISH.
IS THAT WHAT I, THAT'S NOT MY UNDERSTANDING BASED ON THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE HAD WITH THAT SCHOOL, UM, THERE'S STILL AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO HAVE, THEY CAN STRUCTURE THEIR SCHEDULE BASED ON THEIR STAFF UTILIZATION AND THEIR COURSE OFFERINGS, THE WAY THAT THEY DEEM APPROPRIATE.
UM, RIGHT NOW, OF COURSE, BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CHANGES IN HOW THEY'RE UTILIZING STAFFING.
UM, THE PRINCIPAL THERE IS MAKING SOME DETERMINATIONS HOW TO BEST MAKE, MEET THE GOAL OF OUR PROGRAM.
SO, SO IF, IF THE, UM, DECISION WAS MADE TO HAVE ONLY ONE BLOCK OF ENGLISH, INSTEAD OF TWO, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE OTHER, OTHER BLOCK WOULD BE REPLACED WITH ELECTIVE OR ANOTHER RELATED ARTS COURSE COULD BE IN A VIABLE OPTION? I DO KNOW THEY HAVE ARKESTRA OR DANCE AND BAND.
THOSE ARE THE, UM, ARTS AND MUSIC ELECTIVE THEY HAVE THERE.
AND I'M SURE THAT THERE ARE OTHER, UM, OFFERINGS THEY HAVE AT THAT PARTICULAR SCHOOL THAT I'M JUST NOT AWARE OF.
SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT THEY STILL HAVE THE OPTION OF KEEPING TWO ENGLISH BLOCKS OR MAINTAINING THAT I'M SAYING THAT THEY HAVE THE OPTION TO SCHEDULE, TO PROVIDE AN ACADEMIC SCHEDULE.
THAT IS, UM, THAT, THAT IS, THAT HAS THE REQUISITE RESOURCES AND IN PLACE FOR THEM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT SCHEDULE DESIGN.
UM, I NOTICED THAT THEY I'M TALKING ABOUT THE POSITIONS THAT WERE OPEN BEFORE AND AFTER THE MODEL, UH, THE CENTRAL OFFICE POSITIONS TO 20 POSITIONS.
WHAT, WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THAT? OKAY.
BUT I THINK THREE TO 20 AFTER THIS, THE DIFFERENT LEVELS.
SO THE VACANCIES THAT WAS BEFORE THE, UM, THE CSM WAS THREE ADMINISTRATORS, NOT CENTRAL OFFICE IS THAT SCHOOL BASE.
WE HAVE ENEMY PATRICIA CLARIFY THAT THESE ARE SCHOOL-BASED POSITIONS.
BECAUSE THAT'S AN ADMITTED, OH, IT SAID ADMINISTER.
UM, I GUESS I, I THINK THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAD FOR RIGHT NOW.
I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, AS I LOOK AT ALL THESE ISSUES, IT'S PRETTY COMPLEX.
UM, AND I AGREE, CERTAINLY WE WANT OUR STAFFING MODEL TO, TO ALIGN WITH OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND I THINK OUR BOARD WOULD BENEFIT FROM HAVING A KNOW A BOARD WORKSHOP TO GO OVER THIS STAFFING MODEL, GIVE INPUT, UH, MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE MADE IN THE AUDIT AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ANY BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS, BUT WE CAN'T DECIDE ON THAT TODAY.
BUT I WOULD ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO CONSIDER OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, WHETHER WE, AS A BOARD, WANT TO, UH TO ASK FOR
[02:30:01]
A WORKSHOP AND WHETHER WE WANT TO PUT IN THE TIME TO, TO UNDERSTAND THIS, UH, THE STAFFING MODEL AND, AND, UM, LOOK AT IT IN MORE DEPTH.SO, UM, THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR RIGHT NOW.
UH, BOY COLLEAGUE, UH, BERNARD, I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST TO BE CONCISE AND PROFESSIONAL.
I AGREE WITH THE COMMENTS OF MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES FROM THE VERY BEGINNING UNTIL NOW ON EVERYTHING THAT I'VE HEARD.
MR. LANA'S, MS. COLLINS, MS. DIASON, MR. BALLOU, UH, EVERYBODY'S COMMENTS.
UM, AND I APPRECIATE MS. HALL AND MS. SMITH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND FOR CLEARING UP A LOT OF INFORMATION FOR US AND FOR THE DISTRICT.
HOWEVER, I DO NOT THINK THAT ALL OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS LIES WITH YOU, I THINK THAT MUCH OF THE RESPONSIBILITY LASTS WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT.
AND SO MY COMMENTS, NOPE, DON'T DO IT PLEASE.
MY COMMENTS WILL BE ADDRESSED MOSTLY TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, BUT TO EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WE DO THIS TOGETHER, I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED.
UM, I DON'T THINK COMMUNICATION WAS POOR.
I THINK IT'S A DIFFICULT MESSAGE TO RECEIVE.
I THINK THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS HAS BEEN A CACOPHONY OF CHAOS.
WE HAVE TO START OPERATING IN A LEADERSHIP MODEL OF COLLABORATION AND STOP THE TOP DOWN DECISIONS.
THEIR CURRENT MODEL IS BREEDING MISTRUST MISTRUST FROM OUR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS, MISTRUST FROM OUR PARENTS, MISTRUST FROM THE COMMUNITY AND MISTRUST FROM THIS ELECTED BOARD.
THIS BOARD VALUES OUR EDUCATORS, THEIR EXPERTISE, THEIR PROFESSIONALISM.
WE DO NOT NEED TO DIRECT STAFF TO FILL VACANCIES OTHER THAN WHERE THEY ARE CURRENTLY ASSIGNED.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT AS A BOARD AND AS A COMMUNITY ABOUT PROVIDING INCENTIVES, INCENTIVIZING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS TO GO TO WHO MIGHT BE WILLING TO STAFF THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE MOST UNDERSERVED.
I THINK IT'S FAIR TO, TO DO THAT.
I WOULDN'T REASSIGN SOMEONE AGAINST THEIR WILL.
I JUST THINK IT BREEDS A POOR CLIMATE, UM, A POOR SCHOOL CULTURE, A POOR DISTRICT CULTURE, A POOR COMMUNITY CULTURE.
I WANT TO OFFER PEOPLE SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN USE TO SERVE THE STUDENTS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT IS DIRECTED TO THE POPULATION THEY SERVE AND THE INCENTIVES.
WHAT ARE, WHERE THE ASK THEM WHAT THEY WANT.
THIS IS ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY AND IT IS ABOUT DOING WHAT IS RIGHT FOR PEOPLE HERE.
WE NEED TO RESPECT THESE FOLKS AND WE NEED TO HEAR FROM THEM.
I WANT TO, I DO EVERY DAY AND I APPRECIATE IT.
WHEN I GET A TEXT MESSAGE OR A PHONE CALL OR AN EMAIL FROM A STUDENT, FROM A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY, FROM A PARENT, FROM A TEACHER, MY MOTHER WAS A TEACHER.
IT'S, I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT EDUCATION.
THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBER LANDIS.
MADAM VICE PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, INSIDE OF THIS ROOM TONIGHT, THERE'S A LOT OF POLITICS BEING PLAYED BECAUSE IT'S ELECTION SEASON.
YOU WANT TO GET INFORMATION RIGHT? TIME AND STOP ALL OF THIS BATTERING GOING BACK AND FORTH.
WELL, WE GOT TO GIVE INFORMATION AT THIS MEETING AND YOU ALL WHO COME HERE HAVE TO SIT FOR HOURS AND LISTEN TO IT, TELL THEM TO BRING BACK STANDING COMMITTEES.
IN FACT, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I'M GOING TO PUT THE ITEM UP FOR NEXT MONTH'S MEETING AND LET'S VOTE ON IT.
YOU WANT TO GET THE INFORMATION OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND LET THEM COME TO US RATHER THAN DOING A WORKSHOP.
WHAT HAPPENS ONCE EVERY FOUR MONTHS, LET'S DO STANDING COMMITTEES THAT HAPPENS EVERY MONTH AND YOU ALL GET THE INFORMATION FROM YOUR BOARD MEMBERS.
THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY COMMITMENT TO THE DISTRICT.
AND I ASKED IT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU THAT COMES TO THE MIC TONIGHT, DEMAND THE MAN THAT YOU'RE A BOARD MEMBER VOTES IN FAVOR OF BRINGING BACK STANDING COMMITTEES BECAUSE YOU SHOULD ALL SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL A BOARD MEETING TO GET THIS INFORMATION.
YOU SHOULD HAVE A FRONT HAND AND MEETINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE STEADFAST AND MAKING SURE YOU GET THAT INFORMATION.
AND I WILL ALSO TRY TO BE CONCISE.
UM, I HEARD THE WORD CHAOS USED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE PAST, AND I GUESS THE IMPLEMENT A IMPLICATION OF THAT IS THAT IT RESTS ON THE SHOULDERS
[02:35:01]
OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE STAFF.UH, I WOULD LIKE TO BE VERY CANDID IN MY ASSESSMENT AND BELIEVE THAT THAT THE WORD CHAOS AND THE CHAOS THAT HAS ENSUED REST UPON OUR SHOULDERS ON THIS BOARD, AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE, UH, THERE, WHEN I BECAME PRESIDENT IN 2019, WE HAD A $29 MILLION DEFICIT.
MOST OF WHICH WAS CAUSED BY DISPROPORTIONATE STAFFING AND OTHERS.
THAT PROCESS STARTED AT THE SAME TIME THIS PROCESS STARTED AND WE WENT THROUGH THAT AND SURVIVED IT.
AND I DIDN'T HEAR PEOPLE UP HERE TALKING ABOUT CHAOS AND OTHER THINGS.
WE HAVE HAD A TWO PAGER STAFFING MODEL.
THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS IT WAS SO LOOSEY GOOSEY THAT ANYBODY COULD DO ANYTHING THEY WANTED JUST ABOUT INSIDE THAT STAFFING MODEL.
AND WE AS A BOARD ALLOWED IT, THERE ARE MANY, MANY THINGS THAT GO ON HERE.
FOR INSTANCE, WE W I'M NOT GOING TO MENTION PRINCIPAL'S NAMES OR ANYTHING, BUT FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE A VERY GOOD PROGRAM AT MAYFAIR.
I FULLY SUPPORT THE PROGRAM AT MAYFAIR, NOT TALKING DOWN ABOUT IT AT ALL, BUT THE BOARD RESOLUTION THAT GOT THE PROGRAM PUT IN AT MAYFAIR WAS PASSED IN 2013 AND IT EXPIRED IN 2017.
THERE HAS BEEN NO WORK BY THE BOARD OR ANYTHING TO VALIDATE THAT MODEL AND SAY, THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE PUTTING RESOURCES IN THAT IS CHAOS BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES OUT, NO ONE KNOWS.
AND I DON'T WANT THE PARENTS TO BE ABLE TO DEPEND UPON US FOR THESE PROGRAMS. IF WE WANT THEM TO DEPEND ON US FOR THESE PROGRAMS, WE, AS A BOARD NEED TO EXPRESS OUR SUPPORT OF THOSE PROGRAMS AND PUT THE RESOURCES AROUND IT.
WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT SHERWOOD MIDDLE.
I DON'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE THAT ALL YOU GUYS HAVE ON SHERWOOD MIDDLE.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME LAST WEEK WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER HEARD ABOUT THE DOUBLE DOUBLE BLOCKING OF LITERACY PROGRAMS. I MEAN, A LITERATURE PROGRAMS AT SHERWOOD MIDDLE, HEY, IT'S A FANTASTIC PROGRAM.
THAT PROGRAM HAS NEVER COME UP BEFORE THIS BOARD FOR A VOTE.
IT WAS SOMETHING SET UP BY THE PRINCIPAL.
I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT IT BEING BAD OR ANYTHING AT ALL, BUT IT'S A PROGRAM THAT WAS UNDER THE RADAR THAT I, AND I WOULD BET SEVERAL OF MY COLLEAGUES UP HERE HAD NO IDEA EXISTED AND THE BUDGETING AND ALL THE FUNDING FOR THAT PROGRAM WENT UNDER THE RADAR BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WRITTEN POLICIES, NO WRITTEN THINGS.
IF WE WANT TO HAVE THAT TYPE OF PROGRAM AT SHERWOOD MIDDLE, I'M ALL FOR IT, BUT LET'S PUT UP A BOARD RESOLUTION AND LET'S PUT SOMETHING EXPLICIT IN THE BUDGET TO DO IT BECAUSE THAT IS THE KIND OF CHAOS THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS THAT WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS THAT WENT ON FOR SO MANY YEARS THAT ARE NOT WRITTEN DOWN, THAT ARE IN PEOPLE'S MEMORIES THAT ARE IN PEOPLE'S MINDS.
AND THE PUBLIC'S DEPENDING ON US, WE OWE THE PUBLIC BETTER THAN THAT.
WE HAVE TO FACE OURSELVES AND SAY, WE ARE THE CAUSE OF A LOT OF THIS CHAOS BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT DEMANDED CLEAR, CLEAR AND CONCISE PLANS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
WE FINALLY TOOK THE FIRST STEP OF DOING THAT WITH PASSING OUR STRATEGIC PLAN THAT LAID OUT SOME VERY CLEAR MILESTONES FOR THE FIRST TIME WHERE WE GOING TO TRY TO HIT CERTAIN THINGS WHERE WE MEASURED.
WE HAVE A, UH, DASHBOARD UP ON THE WEBSITE SO PEOPLE CAN SEE OUR PROGRESS AND DOING ALL THESE SORTS OF THINGS.
THIS PLAN COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN ROLLED OUT BETTER, BUT SOME OF THIS IS REAPING THE CHAOS THAT WE AS A BOARD HAVE SOWN OVER MANY YEARS AND WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF WORKING WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT AND DEFINING WHAT IS IT, THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO AND WHAT IS THE THINGS WE DON'T WANT TO DO? BECAUSE IT PAINS ME TO HEAR THAT WE GOT SO MANY TEACHERS AT SHERWOOD, WHICH IS GREAT, AGAIN, NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
BUT THEN I GOT PEOPLE WRITING IN SAYING THEY HAVEN'T HAD AN ELA TEACHER FOR A YEAR.
AND SO, NO, I DON'T WANT TO TEAR DOWN THE GOOD THINGS, BUT I CAN'T BE DEAF TO THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
AND WE, AS A BOARD, IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THOSE KINDS OF DECISIONS AND THE PUBLIC IS GOING TO RELY ON THOSE KINDS OF DECISIONS, WE HAVE TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND MAKE THOSE DECISIONS AND PUT OUR NAMES ON THEM AND STEP UP TO AND MAKE THEM.
AND IT'S NOT JUST PASSING THE BUDGET BECAUSE AGAIN, THERE ARE THINGS AND I'M SURE I'M ONLY PICKED OUT ONE OR TWO THINGS THAT I HAD NO IDEA OF, BUT THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE THINGS THAT I'M SURE IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN CUSTOM THAT HAS, THAT'S BEEN THE WAY WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT.
AND EBR THAT I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.
AND IT MAKES IT VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO SIT HERE AS A BOARD MEMBER AND WORK ON BUDGETS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO AS WE'RE PASSING THE BLAME AROUND, LET'S MAKE SURE THE PLATE DOESN'T GO BY US WITHOUT US TAKING OUR PORTION OF THAT.
BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL THE COMMUNITY, US AS TEACHERS, STAFF, SUPERINTENDENT, EVERYONE MEETS DO A BETTER JOB OF WORKING TOGETHER ON THESE THINGS AND BRINGING THIS ABOUT,
[02:40:01]
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, I MEAN, YOU LOOKED AT HR, THEY HAD PEOPLE CERTIFICATIONS LAST LAPSING IN 2014 HAD NEVER BEEN BROUGHT UP BEFORE.THAT'S NOT OUR SUPERINTENDENTS ISSUE.
THAT WAS THE SUPERINTENDENT BEFORE ISSUE AND THE BOARD BEFORE ISSUE AND ALL OF THESE THINGS.
SO A LOT OF THIS IS TRYING TO CLEAN UP STUFF THAT WASN'T THERE AND THEN TRYING TO CLEAN UP STUFF.
WE COULD HAVE DONE SOME THINGS BETTER, BUT LET'S, LET'S LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND THINK ABOUT WHAT ROLE WE PLAYED IN ALL OF THIS AND HOW WE CAN HELP MAKE IT BETTER.
CAUSE WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME BASHING A LOT OF THINGS HERE TONIGHT, BUT WE FORGET, WE PASS THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE HAVE LITERACY COACHES IN THERE TRYING TO IMPROVE OUR LITERACY.
WE'VE PUT A BIG EXPANSION OF PRE-K GOING THROUGH THERE.
WE HAVE NEW SCHOOLS COMING UP WITH THE FOCUS CHOICE.
WE FINALLY MADE A DECISION ON WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH A BROAD, BROAD, MORE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SOMETHING THAT IS LANGUAGE BEFORE THIS BOARD FOR FOUR YEARS BEFORE WE FINALLY DECIDED WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT.
WE SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THE LAND THREE YEARS AGO, BUT WE FINALLY BOUGHT THE LAND JUST NOW TO BE ABLE TO PUT SCHOOLS UP WHERE WE NEED TO PUT SCHOOLS.
SO WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT OUR PORTION OF THIS.
I WISH SOME THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER.
AND I DON'T WANT ANY TEACHER TO THINK WE DISRESPECT THEM.
I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A CALLING.
IT SHOULD BE WELL PAID FOR, WHICH IS WHY WE JUST HIRED SOMEONE TO DO A SALARY SURVEY.
SO FOR NEXT YEAR WE CAN TRY TO INCREASE THEIR SALARIES TO DO THAT, TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY NEED AND DESERVE.
I WANT TO DO ALL THESE THINGS, BUT WE JUST CAN'T SIT HERE THROWING ROCKS AT EVERYONE ELSE.
WHEN WE LIVE IN A GLASS HOUSE, SOME OF THIS COMES BACK TO US AND SOME OF THIS COMES BACK TO THE PUBLIC.
SOME OF THIS COMES BACK TO ALL OF THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE IN HOW THEY SUPPORT SCHOOLS AND WHAT WE DO IN SCHOOLS, WE HAVE LIKE MY COLLEAGUE, MR. LANA SAID, WE HAVE TOO MANY DNF SCHOOLS.
WE CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE DO WITH THOSE DNF SCHOOLS THAT KIDS SITTING IN THAT D SCHOOL DESERVES A CERTIFIED TEACHER.
JUST AS MUCH AS THE KID SITTING IN A MAGNET SCHOOL.
NOW GETTING TO THAT POINT IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY.
WE JUST GOT THE NEW BUDGET PUT OUT HERE.
AND I THINK THE, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO SOMETHING ELSE.
WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT HOW DO WE SPEND ESSER MONEY AND NOT CREATE LIABILITIES THAT GO FORWARD THAT WE CAN'T AFFORD? SO THAT'S RA PROCESS HAS ALREADY STARTED THAT THAT WORK IS COMING IN.
WE JUST SAW SOME OF THESE POSITIONS SWITCHED OFF OF ESSER INTO THE BUDGET WHERE I THINK THE LAST BUDGET PROPOSAL CAME OUT, HAD $2 MILLION SURPLUS AND A 2 MILLION NOW A SURPLUS ON 500 AND SOMETHING MILLION DOLLARS IS BREAKEVEN.
NO, ONE'S THAT ACCURATE? SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US AND WE HAVE A LOT OF HARD WORK.
AND I THINK IF WE ONLY FOCUS ON WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE MADE A MISSTEP, WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE MISSTEPS, BUT THEN LET'S GO FORWARD, PICK IT UP THINGS.
YOU KNOW, YOU EITHER, YOU EITHER YOU WIN OR YOU DON'T LOSE WHAT YOU DO IS GET A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
I HOPE WE HAVE A VERY GOOD LEARNING EXPERIENCE FROM THIS TO BE ABLE TO WORK BETTER, BUT WE CANNOT JUST SIT HERE AND STICK IN ONE PLACE.
WE HAVE TO MOVE INTO THE 21ST CENTURY.
WE HAVE A 1995 FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
WE FINALLY ARE STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE TO CHANGE THAT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE 10 YEARS AGO.
SO AGAIN, MAKE SURE WE AS A BOARD TAKE OUR PORTION OF THIS BECAUSE I FEEL PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF THIS I REALLY DO.
AND WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T PASS THE BLAME AND PASS IT TO EVERYONE ELSE.
UH, THROUGH ALL OF THIS, WE'RE, WE'RE PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, BUT QUITE HONESTLY, YES, THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN HERE I DON'T PARTICULARLY LIKE, BUT THERE ARE ALSO THINGS I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO CHANGE OR WHAT I WOULD DO BETTER.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO SOME OF THESE THINGS BETTER.
OBVIOUSLY COMMUNICATION COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER, BUT YOU KNOW, NOW WE HAVE PEOPLE SAYING THE PRINCIPALS HAVE AUTONOMY.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER TO THAT IS.
AS THE BOARD MEMBER, I'M NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE MEETINGS TO KNOW WHAT THEY DO.
I HOPE WE HAVE STAFF WHO I BELIEVE I TRUST CAUSE HE'S WEARING PURPLE AND GOLD.
UH, I HOPE WE HAVE A STAFF THAT WE CAN TRUST TO DO THESE THINGS.
I KNOW WE HAVE VERY DEDICATED STAFF IN THE SCHOOLS.
I THINK WE'VE GOT TO LET THESE THINGS WORK OUT.
WE NEED TO TAKE THIS AS AN, AS A REQUIREMENT THAT WE DO BETTER NEXT YEAR AND GO THROUGH THIS.
AND WE TAKE IT AS A REQUIREMENT.
WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT A BETTER WAY TO DO COLLABORATION WITH THE PUBLIC, WITH THE TEACHERS AND, UH, WITH, WITH THE REST OF THE STAFF ONLY GIVEN I ACCEPT THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT,
[02:45:01]
BUT LET'S NOT THROW OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATH WATER.WE'RE DOING A LOT OF GOOD THINGS IN THIS DISTRICT.
A LOT OF THINGS WE'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE WE HAVE, I WAS ON A THING THROUGH SOME OF THE SCHOOLS WHERE WE HAD SUPERINTENDENTS FROM, UH, NEW ORLEANS, UH, JEFFERSON PARISH CADDO, AND, UH, THE SUPERINTENDENT STATE EDUCATION, MR. BRUMLEY COMING IN, TOURING OUR SCHOOLS, WANTING TO SEE HOW WE WERE IMPLEMENTING THE LITERACY PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE DOING BECAUSE THEY WERE SO IMPRESSED WITH IT.
AND THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK AND COPY IT.
WHEN'S THE LAST TIME SOMEONE'S EVER COME TO EBR TO COPY STUFF.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, GLITZ, DON'T FORGET THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS GOING ON IN THIS DISTRICT.
THIS IS NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM.
THIS IS A TOUGH SPOT IN THE ROAD.
AND CAN WE HAVE MASTERED THE PROCESS OF CHANGE BETTER? ABSOLUTELY.
THIS ONE PROBABLY COULD HAVE BEEN DONE A LOT BETTER.
AND UNFORTUNATELY IT CAME ON THE HEELS OF A COUPLE THAT ALSO DIDN'T GO AS WELL AS A GOOD APP.
SO LETS US AS A BOARD, FOCUS ON MAKING SURE WE, THAT LET'S, UH, WORK WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT TO MAKE SURE WE CHANGED THAT.
BUT AGAIN, LET'S, DON'T THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER.
THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING.
WE'RE ON THE CUSP OF DOING SOME REALLY GOOD THINGS.
WE HAVE SOME EXCITING SCHOOLS GETTING READY TO OPEN.
LET'S LOOK FORWARD, LESS ACCEPTED.
LET'S HOPE THE TEACHERS THAT ARE IMPACTED ON THIS.
AND REMEMBER THIS IS LESS TEACHERS THAN WERE IMPACTED IN 2019.
THERE'S MORE PEOPLE I THINK, BUT LESS TEACHERS IN 2019.
MY COUNT WAS WE HAD 104 IMPACTED TEACHERS OUT OF THE NUMBERS AND WE HAVE WHAT, 3000 TEACHERS.
SO IT'S A COUPLE OF PERCENT OF THE TEACHER.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE I, AND I UNDERSTAND I'M NOT BEING CALLOUS AT ALL.
I UNDERSTAND IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE 104, IT'S PERSONAL TO YOU.
AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU.
I TRULY TRULY UNDERSTAND THAT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT, BUT I TRULY UNDERSTAND AND TRULY SYMPATHIZE, BUT WE HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD.
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO IF WE'RE EVER GOING TO GET THIS DISTRICT UP ON ITS FEET, BECAUSE RUNNING EVERYTHING LOOSEY GOOSEY WITH A TWO PAGER THAT THEY WERE EXCEPTIONS, ALL OF THE BOARD UNDOCUMENTED AND ALL THESE SORTS OF THINGS GOT US WHERE WE ARE.
AND IF WE WANT TO STAY WHERE WE WERE THAT I THINK WE'VE ALREADY MOVED PAST THAT WE WANT TO STAY WHERE WE WERE AT.
THE ART PART IS DOING IT RIGHT.
AND THE HARD PART IS TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD.
BOY COLLEAGUE, UH, POOR COLLEAGUE, EVELYN, WHERE JACKSON.
UM, I'VE GOT A FEW QUESTIONS AROUND THE, UH, A STAFFING MODEL.
WHY IS THIS HUMMING LIKE THAT? OKAY.
NARCY OR I'M TRYING TO, UH, IMPROVE THE DISTRICT IN, IN, UM, LOOKING AT EQUITY ACROSS THE BOARD AND TRYING TO PROVIDE SOME, SOME STRENGTH WHERE THERE HAS BEEN SOME WEAKNESSES.
UM, IT DOESN'T, I DON'T KNOW IF IT ALL WORKED OUT EXACTLY AS INTENDED, BUT I, I APPRECIATE THE INTENTION.
UM, EVERY YEAR THERE'S A WINDOW FOR REQUEST TO TRANSFER.
AND I'M WONDERING HOW, UH, WHAT'S THE LIST OF EMPLOYEES REQUESTING TRANSFERS, UH, APPLIED TO THE STAFFING MODEL? UH, THAT'S ONE QUESTION.
ANOTHER IS, UM, THIS, THIS IS GRADUATION SEASON, UH, FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND FOR UNIVERSITIES, UH, ON THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL.
SO, UH, HAVE WE RECRUITED ANY NEW TEACHERS FROM THE NEW GRADUATES OF OUR LOCAL UNIVERSITIES? AND IF SO, HOW HAS IT AFFECTED THE, UH, THE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT? AND, UM, THE COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS CONDUCTED AN AUDIT OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND RE WE RECEIVED SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ON THE, ON THE 5TH OF MAY.
AND, UM, SINCE THEN THE FULL DOCUMENT HAS BEEN LOADED TO BOARD DOCS ON, UH, AT THE COMMITTEE OF THE, OF THE WHOLE, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THAT DOCUMENT AND IT WAS RELEASED IN MARCH.
SO, UM, I'M WONDERING IF IT WAS, UM, IF ANY OF THE INFORMATION IN THAT AUDIT WAS APPLIED WHILE MAKING THE DECISIONS AROUND THIS PROCESS AND, UM, ANOTHER THING AROUND THE DEANS, UM,
[02:50:02]
I KNOW, I KNOW I'VE, WE'VE, ALL OF US HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DESIGN OF THE DEANS, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO BEHAVIOR PRO PROBLEMS. AND THAT'S NOT ALL THEY DO, BUT THAT'S A BIG PIECE THAT, UH, OUR PRINCIPALS REALLY DEPEND ON THEM FOR.AND, UM, A WHILE BACK, UH, WE DID SOME CHANGES OVER AT A PARTICULAR SCHOOL NEAR MY HOME, UM, GOOD OLD CAPITOL MIDDLE, AND THEY HAD AN INFLUX OF, OF, UM, TRANSFERS OR, OR A LOT OF KIDS MOVED AROUND.
AND AROUND THAT TIME I WAS ASKING, I MEAN, REALLY ASKING FOR SUPPORT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THAT THEY HAD THE SUPPORTS THAT THEY NEEDED FOR THAT.
AND I KNOW THAT IN THIS PROCESS, THEY'VE, UH, THEY'VE LOST THAT DEAN AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT CAN BE A REAL PROBLEM ACROSS THE DISTRICT, BUT I'M POINTING THAT SCHOOL OUT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WATCHING THAT SCHOOL EVER SINCE WE DID THOSE TRANSFERS AND WE MOVED ALL THOSE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS INTO THE SAME SCHOOL AND THERE WAS A LOT OF CONCERN THERE.
SO I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF THAT SCHOOL AND SOME OTHERS THAT NEEDED CERTAIN THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN REMOVED, UM, THAT'S REALLY VITAL TO THEIR PROGRAMMING.
SO, UM, THOSE ARE MY CONCERNS.
AND, UM, SO, UM, SO IF YOU COULD ANSWER ABOUT THE, THE, THE TRANSFER GROUP AND THE, UH, THE NEW GRADS FROM THE UNIVERSITIES AND THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM COUNCIL, GREEK CITY SCHOOLS, DR.
UH, SO LET ME ALLOW, UM, THE, UM, MS. HALL TALKED THROUGH ABOUT THE TRANSFER PIECE AND THEN ALL THAT ACTUALLY FITS IN HER WORLD.
UM, AND, AND ALSO EVEN THE HR AUDIT AS WELL.
CAUSE WE'VE STARTED ACTUALLY APPLYING BASED ON THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THAT REPORT.
UH, WE'VE ACTUALLY STARTED IMPLEMENTATION AS YOU KNOW, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND EVEN THE PUBLIC, WE PUT IT UP, PLEASE READ THROUGH THAT REPORT, EVERY REPORT THAT WE'VE DONE, WE'VE TRIED TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AUDITS, UH, TO ENSURE OUR CHANGE AND ALSO ENSURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE OUR OWN BIAS, UM, TOWARDS WHERE ARE THINGS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING THE WAY THEY SHOULD BE FUNCTIONING.
SO, UH, MS. HALL, CAN YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION FOR, UH, THE, UM, JUST MAKE SURE JUST, UH, MR. JACKSON, UM, ANSWERED THE THREE QUESTIONS I HEARD WAS THE, UH, UH, WHAT HAPPENS WITH EMPLOYEE TRANSFERS IN THE CSM MODEL? UH, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO RECRUIT NEW TEACHERS? UM, HAVE WE STARTED THAT PROCESS AS WELL, AND JUST FYI, AS YOU MAY KNOW, LSU AND SOUTHERN ACTUALLY SAT WITH THEIR DEANS AND, UM, UM, THEY THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THERE'S A LOT OF SHORTAGE AS WELL.
SO WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK THROUGH A PIPELINE WITH THEM ON THAT.
UH, AND THEN ALSO THE HR AUDIT APPLICATION, UH, REPORT.
UM, SO FOR THE TRANSFERS, BECAUSE WE KNOW IF THE IMPACT LIST THAT WAS COMING OUT, UH, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE IMPACTED EMPLOYEES WERE PRIORITY, RIGHT? SO WE DID WENT THROUGH A TRANSFER PERIOD.
UM, THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ON THAT TRANSFER LIST, WE LOOKED AT IT AS THEY ALREADY HAVE A JOB, THE FOLKS WHO WERE IMPACTED, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS A PRIORITY TO PLACE THEM.
AND THEN WE WENT THROUGH OUR SYSTEM, UM, AND THAT WAS COMPLETED ON, UH, TODAY'S WHAT THURSDAY, YESTERDAY, ACTUALLY.
SO WE ARE MOVING THE PROCESS ALONG AND WE'RE NOT LEAVING ANYONE, UM, UNNOTICED AT ALL.
WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE EVERYONE AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
SO THE IMPACTS CAME FIRST BEFORE WE LOOKED AT TRANSFERRING PEOPLE INTO POSITIONS THAT MIGHT'VE BEEN NEEDED IN OTHER PLACES.
WELL, SO THERE ARE OTHER PLETHORA OF REASONS WHY FOLKS WANT TO TRANSFER BECAUSE THEY'RE UNHAPPY WITH THEIR ADMINISTRATOR IS CLOSER TO HOME.
THEIR KIDS ARE IN THAT SCHOOL.
THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT RATIONALE BEHIND IT, BUT WE DID COLLECT THAT DATA AND WE HELD ONTO THAT DATA, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE BECAUSE THIS PROCESS WAS COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE, MEANING THE IMPACT.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT PRIORITY BECAUSE WE KNOW EVERYONE WAS ANXIOUS.
UM, AND WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT, UH, THE IMPACT OF EMPLOYEES WERE PLACED FIRST.
AND THEN WE STARTED WORKING WITH OUR TRANSFERS.
AND THE OTHER QUESTION WAS, YEAH, THE ONE IS, UH, UH, WORKING ON IN TERMS OF RECRUITMENT.
SO ALL THE RECRUITMENTS WE'VE BEEN DOING.
SO, UM, I GET EXCITED TALKING ABOUT THIS PIECE.
UM, BUT NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPEN ALONG THE WAY.
IF EVERYONE KNOWS DANA MORRISON, SHE'S A RECRUITMENT MANAGER.
AND DANA HAS BUILT A LOT OF RELATIONSHIPS LOCALLY AND IN NEIGHBORING STATES AND WE'VE RELIED HEAVILY ON THOSE TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS TO MAXIMIZE, UM, SOME OUTCOMES.
[02:55:01]
SO WE'VE BUILT, WE'VE MEETING MORE WITH, UM, WITH, UH, LOCAL UNIVERSITIES IN A MORE PERSONAL LEVEL VERSUS EMAILS.WE SET UP MEETINGS WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FIRST IN LINE TO BE THE RECEIVING END OF ANY NEW TEACHERS THAT ARE COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE.
WE ALSO LOOKED, WE'VE BEEN OUR OWN BACKYARD RESOURCES.
I ALWAYS, I FIRMLY BELIEVE BEFORE I GO OUT AND LOOK AND TAP INTO OTHER AREAS.
SO ABOUT THREE, FOUR MONTHS AGO, UH, BASED ON SOME RESEARCH WE FOUND OUT THAT WE HAVE ABOUT 250 DEGREED PARENTS, RIGHT? AND WE'RE LIKE, I GOT 250 DEGREE PAIRS.
I SHOULD BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THEM TO FILL PIPELINE, FILL EMPTY SPACES, RIGHT.
HARD TO FILL POSITIONS FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
SO WE WENT AHEAD AND WE START, WE CREATED A GROWER OWNED PROGRAM WHERE WORK WITH, WE CREATE A TEAM AND WE WORK WITH THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UM, THERE'S A FEW EXAMS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT FOR FOLKS TO PASS.
SO WE PUT SOME SUPPORT IN PLACE, BUILD OUT OUR RECRUITMENT.
UM, DEPARTMENT INCLUDE A RETENTION PIECE TO THAT.
SO WE'RE NOT ONLY TRYING TO RECRUIT BECAUSE RETENTION HAS BECOME THE NEW RECRUITMENT.
WE HAVE TO STOP THE LEAK AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
IN ADDITION TO, UH, THE RECRUITMENT EFFORTS.
WE ALSO DID A LOT OF CULTURE SURVEYS BECAUSE WE WANTED, I WANTED TO KNOW, NICOLE WANTED TO KNOW WHY AM I LOSING SO MANY STAFF LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON? SO WE WENT OUT AND WE DID CULTURAL SURVEYS AND WE STARTED ADDRESSING FOLKS CONCERNS.
AND THEN WE START, WE'RE PROACTIVE.
IF WE HEAR THAT FOLKS ARE WANTING TO LEAVE, AND THIS IS WHY I MAKE MYSELF READILY AVAILABLE.
ANYONE WHO WANTS, LIKE, THEY ARE UNHAPPY, THEY WANT TO LEAVE.
I INVITE THEM TO COME AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH ME SO I COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO RETAIN THEM, BECAUSE I DO KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND HOW THAT FEELS.
UH, SO WE'VE DONE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, NOT ONLY JUST, UH, ONGOING RECRUITMENT WITH AFFAIRS, ET CETERA, BUT ALSO LOOKING WITHIN OUR OWN BACKYARD TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE AND TO MAKE SURE.
AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT EMPLOYEES FEEL, UH, APPRECIATED, ESPECIALLY FROM A PARA STANDPOINT OR THEY HAVE A DEGREE.
AND TO FIND OUT THAT WE DO HAVE A PROGRAM IN-HOUSE, THAT COULD HELP THEM TO BECOME CERTIFIED TEACHERS.
SO WE'RE NOT ONLY RECRUITING AND RETAINING, BUT WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO REPAIR AND BUILD CULTURE AT THE SAME TIME.
UM, SO I HOPE THAT KIND OF ANSWER YOUR QUESTION IN A NUTSHELL.
AND THE OTHER QUESTION, THE LAST QUESTION I, UH, I WROTE DOWN WAS THE, UH, HR AUDIT, UH, UM, THE AUDIT REPORT.
WHAT HAVE WE APPLIED AND STARTED DOING ALREADY? YEAH.
SO WHEN THE AUDITS STARTED, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD, UM, I KNEW BASED ON SOME INTERNAL CHECKS AND BALANCES BY MEETING WITH MY STAFF ONE-ON-ONE, UM, AND WITH THE TEAM, I KNOW SOME DEFICIENCIES THAT WERE THERE, SO I DIDN'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL THE AUDIT TO ADDRESS THOSE CONCERNS.
SO I WENT AHEAD AND WE STARTED ADDRESSING THOSE, LIKE THE SLPS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY SLPS IN HOUSE PERIOD.
EVERY, UH, HR SUPERVISORS DID THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
TRY NOT TO USE THE ACRONYMS. THEY DON'T.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES, MY APOLOGIES STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT INTERNALLY.
SO EACH HR SPECIALIST OR SUPERVISORS DID THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND THEY EXPECT THE SAME OUTCOME, WHICH KIND OF CREATES SOME DYSFUNCTION ALONG THE WAY, AND SOME UNHAPPINESS ALONG THE WAY.
UH, SO I, WE READILY, I CREATED AN SLP TEAM AND WE ADDRESS THAT.
SO WE HAVE A NICE BIG MANUAL ON SLPS IN ADDITION TO THEIR ONGOING TRAININGS TO ENSURE THAT ALL MY TEAM IS NORMED TO THAT, THOSE SOP STANDARDS.
SO IT'S VERY UNIVERSAL ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT CAME UP WAS THE STAFFING, RIGHT? SO THAT WAS A PART OF THE AUDIT, THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL.
IT REQUESTED BASED ON THE RESULTS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE ONE, WE WERE ALREADY WORKING ON THAT BASED ON THE FACT THAT WE DID OUR OWN INTERNAL REVIEW AND FOUND OUT THERE WERE SOME DISCREPANCY ALONE.
SO, UM, WE'RE A MEMBER JACKSON.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, THE AUDIT WAS VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT, UH, EASTBOUND RESET CHALLENGE FOR A WHILE.
UH, I THINK A COUPLE OF BOARD MEMBERS BROUGHT IT UP IS WE HAVE A LOT OF PROCESSES AND THINGS WE DO THAT IS NOT DOCUMENTED.
SO THE PUBLIC WILL HEAR IT FROM HERE.
SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS ACTUALLY CREATE A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE.
SO ANYBODY WHO PROBABLY CAN GO SEE, OH, THIS IS WHAT THE PROCESS IS ON HOW WE DO X, Y, AND Z, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THOSE THINGS.
AND WE JUST HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS HERE AND WE'RE NOT MAKING THEM PUBLIC.
IT PUTS US IN THIS POSITION AROUND, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE WE DOING THIS, NOT DOING THAT.
AND SO ONE OF THE, UH, WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AROUND STANDARD OPERATING POSITION, UM, OUR DEPUTY POLICY PERSON, VICKI, SILAS, AND TEAM, WE'RE TRYING TO, ONCE THE BOARD MAKES A POLICY, THEN WE CAN WRITE THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS, UH, BOARD MEMBER COLLINS ON WHAT TO DO, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT YOU'VE BEEN REQUESTING ALL THE TIME.
RIGHT? SO, BUT FOLKS, I MEAN THE REALITY BOARD MEMBERS JACK SAYS, WE GOT A LOT OF STUFF.
SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO IS PRIORITIZE
[03:00:01]
BASED ON EACH OF OUR PROCEDURES LIKE THIS HR POST.SO WE CAN START POSTING THAT BECAUSE THAT ALONE TAKES A LOT.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF POLICIES THAT HAVE BEEN PASSED, BUT IMPLEMENTATION HAS BEEN A LITTLE WISHY-WASHY BECAUSE THERE'S NOT CLEAR OPERATING PROCEDURES THAT WE DO A, B AND C THAT HAS ALSO BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR PRINCIPALS.
UM, OUR PRINCIPALS ARE GREAT FOLKS, BUT THEY ACTUALLY WANT SOMETHING THAT'S PRETTY CLEAR ABOUT JUST STEP ONE, STEP TWO, STEP THREE, THAT HELPS THEM TO SHARE WITH THEIR PUBLIC OR THEIR COMMUNITY TO BE LIKE, OH, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH ALL THOSE, UH, VARIOUS LAYERS.
SO WE CAN KINDA, YOU KNOW, KINDA NORMALIZE A LOT OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE, BUT THE REALITY IS WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO PRIORITIZE EACH OF THOSE THINGS.
SO ONE OF THE WORK THAT MS. HALL IS DOING IS, YOU KNOW, GETTING A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE ON HOW WE HIRE PUTTING THAT PUBLIC, GETTING A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE ON HOW STAFFING APPROACH HAS HAPPENED, WHAT WE DO WITH THAT STANDARD OPERATION, LIKE JUST VERY DETAILED.
THE DISTRICT HAS JUST NOT DONE THAT WELL.
UH, AND I, AND SO I, I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES I SAW COMING ON TO THE TEAM, UH, TO EBR IT WASN'T ABOUT EVERY POLICY THAT PASS WAS BAD, BUT EVERY POLICY MUST BE CLEAR IMPLEMENTATION.
THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF STUFF THAT HAPPENED IN CAPACITY AT CENTRAL OFFICE TO DO THAT ALONE WAS A VERY CHALLENGED, WE WERE IN A MUCH DIFFERENT PLACE, SO WE CAN WORK THROUGH THAT, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO PRIORITIZE THAT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
AND THAT I THINK WILL HELP IN TERMS OF TRANSPARENCY FOR THE DISTRICT.
BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS YOU HEAR A LOT IS IT'S NOT VERY TRANSPARENT.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
WELL, THE PUBLIC, LIKE MANY OTHER DISTRICTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT ARE LARGE, LIKE US SHOULD BE TO CLICK ON HERE.
THIS IS HOW THIS PROCESS IS CLICK ON THERE.
AND, AND, AND THAT HELPS ALSO NOT TO BE A THING.
THE LANGUAGE WE HEAR WAS LOOSEY GOOSEY BECAUSE WE ARE A LITTLE LOOSEY GOOSEY ON ANYTHING THAT IS NOT VERY PROCESS ORIENTED.
ANOTHER QUESTION AROUND A QUICK QUESTION AROUND THE DEANS, LIKE SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS THAT HAVE MAGNET PROGRAMS MAY NOT HAVE ENOUGH STUDENTS TO, UH, WARRANT A, UM, A MAGNET LEAD IN THE, IN THE BUILDING.
UH, WHAT WILL THEY DO, UH, WILL THEY SHARE, UM, WITH ANOTHER SCHOOL OR WHAT? YEAH.
SO, UH, I KNOW THERESA FOR ARE YOU HEAR TREE SUPPORTER? SO A LOT OF THE STRATEGIES, THREE SOLID, UH, THERESA TALK ABOUT IT, SHE'S OVER OUR INNOVATION OFFICE, WHICH HAS, UH, MAGNETS GIVE THE IN TALENTED AND OUR FOCUS CHOICE SCHOOLS.
BUT, UH, UM, I'LL LET HER BE AT, I EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT THREESOME.
AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS, SEVERAL SCHOOLS WHO DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH ENOUGH STUDENTS, SO TO SPEAK FOR A MEGA SITE COORDINATOR.
NOW HERE TOO, FOR ALL SCHOOLS HAD ONE, WELL, DURING THE STAFF AND MODEL, IF A SCHOOL HAD A HUNDRED LESS THAN A HUNDRED STUDENTS, THEN THAT PRINCIPAL HAD THE AUTONOMY TO, UM, USE THE STAFFING MODEL TO MAKE THAT IMPACTED POSITION.
AND BASICALLY ALL SCHOOLS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MAYBE TWO OR THREE, THEY HAVE A BAG OF SITE COORDINATOR, ALTHOUGH THEY DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS PLACE.
SO THE THRESHOLD WAS A HUNDRED AND IT'S VERY FEW SCHOOLS THAT HAVE LESS THAN A HUNDRED.
NOW WHAT'S SO INTERESTING ABOUT THE MAGNET PROCESS IS THAT THE APPLICATION PERIOD CONTINUES INTO JULY.
AND SO FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS ONE SCHOOL IN PARTICULAR, THERE WERE 85 STUDENTS.
AND SO WITH 15 MORE STUDENTS WOULD MEET THE THRESHOLD OF 100.
WELL, THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN THAT MAGNET SITE WARD.
AND THEN IN FACT THAT POSITION IS POSTED.
YEAH, WELL, YOU KNOW, I'M THINKING, I'M THINKING IN PARTICULAR ABOUT, UH, CAPITAL MIDDLE THAT WE HAD BEEN, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, EXACTLY WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO LAND WITH MAGNET LAST YEAR, THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, AN ISSUE ABOUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A WEBSITE BUILDER AND, YOU KNOW, AND THAT WAS WHAT THEY WERE FOCUSING ON.
SO, YOU KNOW, WITH THEM TRYING TO BUILD A PROGRAM AND THEN WITH ALL OF THE INFLUX, FROM THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S JUST A LOT GOING ON THERE.
UM, I WONDER IF, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT A DEAN AND WITHOUT THE, UM, MAGNET LEAD OR, YOU KNOW, THAT PIECE MISSING, IF, IF THAT PRINCIPAL WILL EVER BE ABLE TO CHECK OUT THE CLASSROOMS OR, YOU KNOW, AND OTHER PEOPLE WILL BE SO STRETCHED.
SO, AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT, IT CAN'T BE A UNIQUE SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT.
I DON'T THINK CAPITOL MIDDLE IS THE ONLY ONE.
SO, BUT THAT'S THE ONE THAT I, THAT I'M MORE FAMILIAR WITH.
SO PRINCIPALS HAVE BECOME CREATIVE EVEN BEFORE
[03:05:01]
THE STAFFING MODEL, UM, WAS A PARENT TO USE STAFF ON THEIR CAMPUS TO, UM, CREATE WEBSITES AND TO RECRUIT BECAUSE RECRUITING IS A SCHOOL-WIDE EFFORT.SO TO THAT POINT, UM, CAPITOL TOOL, MIDDLE IS ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT I HAVE, AND MY TEAM WHO'S HERE THAT WE ARE TAKEN ON BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE NEED TO DO MORE TO ASSIST THEIR SCHOOL.
AND BECAUSE THEY HAVE A BUILT IN GROUP OF STUDENTS.
SO RECRUITMENT IS IMPORTANT EXTERNALLY, BUT ALSO WHAT ABOUT THOSE STUDENTS ARE IN THAT BILL ALREADY THERE? YEAH.
SO WE ARE WORKING WITH, WELL, I JUST SPOKE TO THE PRINCIPAL A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, AND WE ARE WORKING TO IDENTIFY WHO THOSE STUDENTS ARE AND PROMOTE THE PROGRAM, NOT JUST TO THE STUDENTS, BUT TO THE PARENTS ALSO.
BECAUSE I REMEMBER A MODEL I DON'T, I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS PARKED FOREST THAT HAS THIS MAGNET AND THE TEACHER ONE, ALL CON PRINCIPAL WON ALL KINDS OF AWARDS AND ACCOLADES.
AND I REMEMBER SHE SAID THAT SHE SHARED HER PROGRAM ACROSS THE CAMPUS.
IT WASN'T JUST YEAH, THAT'S WHAT IT WAS.
I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHO IT WAS, BUT I REMEMBER IT WAS SOMEWHERE, I THINK IT WAS IN, UH, MS. COLLINS, UH, DISTRICT, I BELIEVE.
AND I REMEMBER HOW EXCITED SHE WAS AND HOW SHE SPOKE ABOUT, SHE SHARED THE, THE WEALTH, SO TO SPEAK, YOU KNOW, SHE SHARED WHAT SHE WAS DOING SO THAT MORE KIDS WOULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM THE PROGRAM THAN THE ONES THAT WERE ACTUALLY IN THE PROGRAM.
AND TO YOUR POINT, NONE OF THE
SO ONCE AGAIN, THE PRINCIPAL IS CREATIVE AND USE THEIR STAFF IN ORDER TO RECRUIT STUDENTS AND TO, UM, MAKE SURE PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROGRAM OFFERS AND TO PULL STUDENTS TO THE SCHOOL.
IN FACT, UM, WE HAD A LONG CONVERSATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TODAY AND THEY LAUDED US ON HOW WE WERE, UM, THE MSF SCHOOLS AND HOW WE WERE PUTTING STUDENTS INTO THOSE PROGRAMS. AND THEY'RE BEING SUCCESSFUL AS YOU JUST SAW WITH VILLA DEL RAY A LITTLE WHILE AGO.
UM, YOU KNOW, I HEARD, I HEARD SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS MENTIONED A FEW WORDS THAT, YOU KNOW, LIKE, UH, TRANSPARENCY AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY THE, THE BOARD IS REALLY THE, THE WE'RE REALLY THE ONES THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING THAT TAKES PLACE, UH, IN SCHOOLS IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE HEAD SO TO SPEAK.
WHAT WE DO AS A BOARD AFFECTS THE WHOLE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
YOU KNOW, IT AFFECTS THE WHOLE CITY, YOU KNOW, IT AFFECTS THE WAY OUR KIDS ARE BEHAVING WHEN THEY'RE NOT IN SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AROUND TRANSPARENCY, WE SAY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT.
WE NEED TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS.
AND, UH, BUT I HAVE TO REMIND YOU THAT, UH, UM, A LOT OF WHAT HAPPENED JUST RECENTLY, YOU KNOW, IS, WAS REALLY DRIVING THE COMMUNITY TO, TO BE IN, IN SUCH A, UH, AN UPROAR.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE FEELING LIKE THEY'RE NOT, THEY'VE NOT BEING LISTENED TO, YOU KNOW, AND I KEEP HEARING THAT WORD OVER AND OVER AGAIN, YOU KNOW, NOT LISTENING NOW, LISTEN, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, US AS A BOARD AND I MEAN, WE SAT HERE FOR A YEAR AND A HALF AND SAID WE WERE GOING TO DO CERTAIN THINGS.
AND WE WERE GOING TO WORK TOWARD A CERTAIN GOAL.
AND WE HAD COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND, UM, ALL KINDS OF THINGS WHERE WE HAD PEOPLE ENGAGED WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE BOARD WAS ACTIVELY LISTENING AND WAS GOING TO, UM, CREATE THIS NEW PLAN FOR THE DISTRICT.
AND THEN THE BOARD RAN SILENT AND WE PASSED A PLAN THAT PEOPLE WERE CRYING OUT AGAINST, AND WE DID IT, WE DID IT ANYWAY, WE CLOSED UP OUR EARS.
AND, UM, AND WE TALK ABOUT TRANSPARENCY.
THERE WAS NO TRANSPARENCY THERE AS A BOARD.
AND SO WE DO HAVE TO LOOK AT OURSELVES.
THIS IS A BODY, YOU KNOW, UM, WE MAY NOT HAVE ALL PARTICIPATED IN THAT AND WE'RE REALLY STRIVING TO, TO BE HEARD AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE WERE HEARD AND LISTENED TO.
AND WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY WAS BEING APPLIED, BUT AS A WHOLE, THIS BOARD FAILED AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE REPERCUSSIONS FROM THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM ALL THROUGH THE DISTRICT, WE'RE GOING TO SEE IT THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND, UM, AND YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T KEEP, UM, WE, WE CAN'T KEEP RUNNING DOUBLE STANDARDS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE GOT TO BE, WE, WE SAY WE'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING, LET'S DO IT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND STOP BLAMING.
WE, WE CAN'T PUT THE BLAME HERE AND THERE, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S RIGHT HERE, IT'S RIGHT HERE WITH THIS BOARD.
[03:10:01]
AND, UH, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT AND, UH, OMIT YOU'RE WELCOME.UM, SO I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUICK THINGS AND SOME OF THEM ARE REQUESTS AND SOME OF THEM ARE, UM, QUESTIONS.
UM, JUST, I WOULD LIKE TO BE ON RECORD AS SAYING THAT I WOULD, UH, REQUEST THAT WE HAVE A POLL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS, UM, TO, UM, GIVE INPUT, UH, WHICH WAY THEY WOULD PREFER GOING.
I'VE BEEN ON A, I'VE BEEN ON THIS BOARD WHEN WE HAD COMMITTEE THE COMMITTEE STRUCTURE, UM, VERSUS A REGULAR WORKSHOPS THAT WE HELPED TO PLAN THE TOPIC OF, UM, ALONG WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENT.
AND SO, UM, I JUST WOULD PREFER THAT WE POLL ALL BOARD MEMBERS TO DECIDE WHICH WAY WE CAN HAVE BETTER PARTICIPATION, UM, SO WE CAN INVOLVE THE WHOLE BOARD.
UM, THE OTHER THING IS, UM, IN REGARD TO THE LITERACY AND MATH COACHES THAT ARE NOW BEING REQUIRED, UM, SO I'M WONDERING, FIRST OF ALL, WHERE WILL WE GET THEM FROM? THAT WAS THE QUESTION.
LAUREL, WE GET ALL THESE, ALL THESE CO MATH AND READING COACHES, LITERACY COACHES.
MAYBE WE GO THROUGH OUR PROCESS FOR HIRING THEM AND WORKING WITH PRINCIPALS AROUND THAT.
SO, I MEAN, IN OUR ORIGINAL MODEL, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH WITH SCHOOL LEADERS AND THERE WAS A HIRING PROCESS.
LASHLEY, WE WENT THROUGH, WE ACTUALLY ALSO PARTNER WITH THE STATE TOO.
SO WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A CHALLENGE, UH, IN GETTING LITERACY COACHES, UH, SOME SCHOOLS, UH, LOOKED AT, UH, PERSONNEL THAT THEY HAD THAT REALLY HELPED OTHER TEACHERS TO SEE IF THEY CAN ELEVATE THEM.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF THAT.
UM, JUST TO, UM, UM, JUST FOR CLARITY BOARD MEMBER DYSON, THE QUESTION THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT HAPPENS IS NOT ONLY WE HAVE TEACHERS IN FRONT OF STUDENTS, BUT ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE GET HELP TO DEVELOP THEM, TO HELP STUDENTS TO DO BETTER.
SO THERE HAS TO BE A, A DUAL APPROACH.
THAT'S WHY THE COACHING MODEL THAT WE DID, UH, WHEN THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT CAME WITH THE OTHER LARGE DISTRICTS IN LOUISIANA, I WANTED TO SEE THAT MODEL.
AND SO I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE WAYS TO HELP DEVELOP AS YOU KNOW, LITERACY AND MATH IS A HUGE CHALLENGE ACROSS THE STATE.
SO, UM, UH, MY QUESTION IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD SUCH A INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES, UM, EXPECIALLY DURING COVID AND, AND THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, SO MY QUESTION ON, ON THAT IS, SO IF WE START, UM, TAKING, UM, OUR OWN OUT OF THE CLASSROOMS AND INTO COACHING, ISN'T THAT JUST GOING TO EXASPERATE? SO, UM, I DON'T THINK SO, BECAUSE I THINK ONCE WE, UH, PAY TEACHERS MORE AND DO THAT, WE BECOME COMPETITIVE, UH, AS WE WOULD HAVE ACROSS THIS ENTIRE REGION.
I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS NOT THAT TEACHERS DON'T WANT TO COME TO EBR, BUT WHEN YOU, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT PAYING AS MUCH AS ZACHARY ASCENSION OR THE SURROUNDING AREAS, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T BE COMPETITIVE.
AND, AND SO WE HAVE TO BE TO DO THAT AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, HAVE OPPORTUNITIES SO THEY CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
THEY HAS TO BE ITS WHOLE CONSTRUCT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON AROUND CULTURE AND THOSE THINGS.
BUT WE BELIEVE THAT PAY AND INCENTIVIZING WILL, WILL HELP THAT A TREMENDOUS, SO, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF TEACHERS IN THE REGION.
SO, UH, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEFT US, WHICH MISSILE COULD TAKE THEM, HAS LEFT BECAUSE WE PAY LOWER.
UM, SO MY QUESTION IS, DOES A PRINCIPAL HAVE ANY AUTONOMY INTO, UH, THE DECISION OF MAKING A COACH? UM, A ALSO A TEACHER, LIKE IF THEY NEED A TEACHER FOR THIS MANY OF THE HOURS A DAY IN A CLASSROOM TEACHING STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, DOES THE PRINCIPAL HAVE AUTONOMY BECAUSE WE'RE USING A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE TO GO TEACH CLASSROOMS BECAUSE OF OUR SHORTAGES.
AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE WAY THAT THE MODEL HAS BEEN IS TO HELP DEVELOP THE ACTUAL TEACHERS THAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR, IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. SO, UH, WE'D HAVE TO WORK THROUGH WITH THE PRINCIPAL ON THAT MODEL, BUT THE QUESTION AGAIN, I WANT TO JUST SAY
[03:15:01]
THE QUESTION THAT WE'RE, UH, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ANSWER IS NOT ONLY A TEACHER WITH THE KIDS, BUT ALSO WE HAVE TO TRAIN OUR TEACHERS.OUR LITERACY SCORES ARE IN BISMAL, RIGHT.
SO WE JUST STARTED GETTING PROGRESS ON THAT NOW.
AND SO, AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT WE'VE, WE'VE PUT MORE MONEY IN HELPING WITH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, GIVING PRINCIPALS MORE TIME TO DO P AS A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT HAVE TO HAPPEN.
I THINK SO IT HAS TO BE A BALANCED, I THINK THERE IS A REAL, UM, CALLING FOR VERY RELEVANT PD SCHOOL SITE PD.
UM, AND, AND EVEN WITH THE START AND THE PD DAYS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, I'VE HEARD FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WANT THOSE OUT ONSITE WITH THEIR TEAMS, DOING THEIR PD THAT'S RELEVANT TO THEM SO THAT THEY GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER AT THE SCHOOL SITE.
THERE ARE OTHER TEAM MEMBERS AND NOT HAVING TO TRAVEL TO SOME SITE, UH, AN HOUR OR MORE AWAY TO GET THIS PD.
SO, UH, SO WE ACTUALLY, UM, UH, THIS WEEK WE JUST, UH, WE RELEASED THE, UM, WHAT TEACHER DEVELOPMENT WEEK WILL LOOK LIKE TO OUR TEACHER ADVISORY.
AND, UH, THEY ACTUALLY CAME BACK, GIVE FEEDBACK ON HOW TO MAKE IT BETTER.
AND SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IS WE CREATE WHAT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS AND TALK THROUGH IT WITH THEM.
THEY MADE A LOT OF SUGGESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ON THOSE MODIFICATIONS.
AND SO, UM, WE BELIEVE THAT THE PD IS GOING TO BE EVEN MORE RELEVANT BECAUSE THE TEACHERS, UH, TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT.
YOU WERE PRINCIPALS ON PRINCIPAL WEEK AS WELL.
SO THOSE ARE LESSONS LEARNED THAT WE'VE, HAVEN'T PUTTING IN TERMS OF.
UM, UM, UM, I'M ALSO QUESTIONING, UM, ON THE DEANS BACK TO THE DEANS.
SO THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE SAY OVER 700 STUDENTS, UM, ARE THEY ABLE TO, OR MAYBE IT'S EVEN EIGHT 50? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER IS, BUT IS THERE A WAY THAT Y'ALL CAN LOOK AND BE REASONABLE ABOUT C UH, ALLOWING FOR AN ADDITIONAL POSITION? IT CAN BE DISCIPLINE STABILIZATION IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL IT, DISCIPLINE STABILIZATION, A SECOND DEAN ON A, ON A MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS THAT EXCEEDS X AMOUNT OF STUDENTS.
SO, SO WHAT, WE'VE THE WAY WE LIKE TO APPROACH IT, EVEN AS WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH WITH OUR SCHOOL LEADERS, IS THAT THEY'RE IN THE STAFFING GUYS AS LEVEL ONE, TWO, THERE'S A WHOLE PROCESS.
AND ONCE THEY GET THROUGH THE PROCESS WE HAVE DISCUSSED, WE ALLOW THEM AND THEIR EDS AND TO THEM THEN PRINCIPALS TO MAKE THEIR ASSESSMENT BASED ON THEIR DATA, HOW THEY WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT.
SO I'D LIKE TO KEEP, THERE'S A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY THAT THEY CAN DO IN SOME OF THEIR STABILIZATION AND THOSE THINGS TO GET THOSE POSITIONS.
THE QUESTION, THE THING I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING IS GIVE PRINCIPALS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS BASED ON THEIR DATA AND ALSO FOR THEM TO DRIVE WHAT THEY NEED TO GET DONE.
I THINK ONE OF THE PARTS THAT, UM, I ALWAYS GET VERY CAUTIOUS OF.
I HEAR A LOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH THIS WHERE I'M GOING WITH THAT, BUT THE PRINCIPAL HAS TO HAVE THE AUTONOMY TO DRIVE BECAUSE I HOLD THE PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABLE, JUST LIKE THE BOARD HOLDS ME ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DATA IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
I HOLD THE PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABLE.
AND WHAT SOMETIMES HAPPEN IS WE, WE SAY, WE, THE PRINCIPAL NEEDS THIS, THIS AND THIS.
AND THEN WHEN WE HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THAT SCHOOL LEADER, THEY MAY SAY, NO, WE ACTUALLY WANT THIS, THIS AND THIS, BECAUSE WE THINK THIS IS GOING TO HELP US.
AND SO I JUST THINK THAT WE HAVE TO, I GET VERY, I GET VERY, UM, CAUTIOUS THAT WE AT THIS LEVEL ARE MAKING THAT DECISION WITHOUT THE SCHOOL, UH, HAVING THAT, WHEN WE GET ANYTHING THAT'S SAID, OR THAT'S HEARD, UH, SOMEWHERE, WE FIRST, THE PERSON WE GO CALL IT THE PRINCIPAL.
UH, AND BECAUSE THE PRINCIPAL IS THE ULTIMATE DRIVER, UH, IN THE SCHOOL ON HOW THEIR STAFFING IS JUST LIKE IN ANY, UH, OF THE ORGANIZATION.
AND WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
UM, IT'S NOT JUST ONLY AUTONOMY, BUT HELPING THEM TO SUPPORT ON THE GOALS THAT THEY HAVE TO DRIVE FOR THE LEARNING OF THE STUDENTS BASED ON THEIR DATA.
I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING.
SO I, I GUESS, UH, TO SAY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THEY HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CURRENT MODEL TO DO THAT.
SO YOU'RE NOT LIMITED TO, SO, UM, I'M JUST, I GUESS THIS BOARD MEMBER BASED ON A LOT OF FEEDBACK THAT I'VE GOTTEN, I GUESS I'M JUST GONNA ASK Y'ALL TO OPEN YOUR MINDS ABOUT A DISCIPLINE STABILIZATION, UH, POSITION THAT COULD BE ALLOTTED TO SCHOOLS OF, WITH, UH, HIGH NEED AND WHO ARE, UM, TRYING TO, UH, MANAGE SITUATIONS WHERE YOU NEED SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE HALLWAYS WHEN, WHEN THE STUDENTS ARE TOUCHING EACH OTHER, WHEN THEY'RE GOING FROM CLASS TO CLASS, BECAUSE THE HALLWAYS
[03:20:01]
ARE SO FULL AND CROWDED AT ANY TIME YOU GO FROM, UH, TRYING TO GO FROM THIS CLASS TO, UH, BETWEEN CLASSES, IT IS SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE TRYING TO MOVE THROUGH THIS AMOUNT OF SPACE THAT DIDN'T GROW WHEN YOU INCREASED IT BY ADDING T BUILDINGS AND STUFF, THE HALLWAYS DIDN'T GROW AND THEY, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY NEED STABILIZATION PEOPLE, DISCIPLINE STABILIZATION.SO I WOULD JUST VERY MUCH HOPE THAT Y'ALL CAN OPEN YOUR MINDS TO THAT OVER THE NEXT WEEK OR SO.
AND THEN MY NEXT, THE ONLY, MY LAST QUESTION IS HOW DO PEOPLE GET, HOW TO PRINCIPALS GET, UM, THEIR IMPACTED PEOPLE BACK WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN NOW THEY GET ALLOTTED OR, UH, UH, SOMETHING HAS CHANGED WITH THE NUMBERS OR WHATEVER.
HOW DID THEY GET THAT PERSON BACK REAL QUICK HERE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS? UM, AND I, I KNOW PERSONALLY HAVE STORIES WHERE I KNOW, I KNOW FOR A FACT, SOME ARE ALREADY GOING TO OTHER DISTRICTS, SO THAT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO GET THEM BACK BECAUSE THEY JUST GOT, THEY JUST COMMITTED TO SOMETHING ELSE.
UM, BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T GOING TO DO THE FORCED MOVE THAT WAS BEING FORCED UPON THEM.
AND I KNOW FOR A FACT OF THAT HAPPENING, BUT I'M HOPEFUL THAT, UH, IF SOMEONE WAS REASSIGNED TO A POSITION THAT THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT THAT TRANSFER.
AND THEN A POSITION OPENS IN THAT SCHOOL WHERE THEY WERE FOR THAT SAME THING OR SOMETHING THEY CAN DO, HOW DO THEY GET BACK? SO, YEAH.
SO WHAT, WHAT HAPPEN IS THAT WE'LL CREATE A VACANCY FOR THAT SCHOOL.
AND SO, LIKE WE DO WITH ALL OF OUR POSITIONS THAT WAS VACANT WHEN WE OPEN UP THAT PERSON COULD APPLY FOR THE PRINCIPAL, HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO VET THAT PERSON OR ANY OTHER CANDIDATE AND MAKE A DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO BRING THAT PERSON BACK.
SO ONCE THEY'VE BEEN REASSIGNED, THEY STILL HAVE THE ABILITY.
MA'AM WHEN THE, WHEN A POSITION OPENS THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO, TO ACCEPT THEY CAN, THEY DON'T, THEY'RE NOT STUCK WHERE THEY JUST GOT ASSIGNED.
ALL EMPLOYEES HAVE THE RIGHT TO, CAUSE I KNOW WE'RE PAST THE TRANSFER.
ANY EMPLOYEE CAN APPLY FOR ANY OPEN VACANCY IN THE DISTRICT, EVEN WHEN WE'RE PAST THE TRANSFER PERIOD.
CAUSE USUALLY THERE'S THIS TRANSFER PERIOD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH MORE COLLEAGUE GO TO THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW THAT THE, UM, THIS WHOLE PRESENTATION HAS NOW BEEN POSTING ON BOARD DOCS.
UH, I'D SAY APRIL OR THANK YOU FOR THE IT STAFF, BUT IT IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC ON BOARD DOCS FOR YOUR REVIEW.
AND THEN I JUST HAVE, UM, UH, REAL QUICK DEFINED FOR ME EQUITY.
EQUITY BOARD MEMBER, VICE PRESIDENT COLLINS IS THE ABILITY TO HAVE RESOURCES BASED ON THE NEEDS.
IT MEANS THAT WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT ACROSS THE BOARD, THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THE APPROPRIATE RESOURCES BASED ON THE NEEDS OF A COMMUNITY.
AND THEN KNOW THAT AS I'M MOVING FORWARD AND, AND HEARING YOUR PRESENTATION, THEN WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IS HOW THE CSM ENSURES EQUITY.
I AM STRUGGLING WITH SEEING THE DOTS CONNECTED.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, YOU POINTED OUT THAT PRIOR TO THIS ONLY C, D AND F SCHOOLS HAD MATH AND LITERACY COACHES.
IT'S A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT EXAMPLE TO ME OF ACTUAL EQUITY BECAUSE THEY DON'T ONES THAT ACTUALLY NEED THE MATH AND LITERACY COACHES AND THEY NEED TO TEACH US IN THE CLASSROOM TO ACT, TO BE ABLE TO COACH.
UM, AND SO THEN WHEN I HEAR A SAY EQUITY AND APPROPRIATELY DEFINE EQUITY, THEN I'M ALSO LOOKING FOR WHAT WE SAYING, DOING TO MATCH THAT.
UM, AND SO I'M GOING TO USE, YOU KNOW, I'M YIELDING MY TIME.
EVERYBODY HAS SPOKEN SO MUCH AND WE'D BE VERY RESPECTFUL COMMENTS AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALL'S ANSWERS.
AND SO THEN THERE IS NO OTHER REQUESTS TO SPEAK FROM THE BOARD.
[03:25:01]
OKAY, DONE RESTROOM.NO, NO, WE'RE NOT RESPONDING TO GOOD MORNING BOARD.
MY NAME IS TOWANDA, MICHELLE CHERRY.
I GRADUATED IN 1990 FROM A STROMAL HIGH COULDN'T READ OR WRITE.
SO I'M A PRODUCT OF WHAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
I JUST RELOCATED BACK AFTER 21 YEARS OF SERVICE IN THE ARMY, I HEARD SOMEONE SAID, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I SEE THE SCIENCES EVERY STUDENT EVERY DAY, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M HEARING.
I'M HEARING SOME STUDENTS IN PRIVILEGED AREAS EVERY DAY.
ON TOP OF THAT, I HEARD SOMEONE TALK ABOUT TEACHERS BEING RELOCATED WITHOUT A CHOICE.
I HAD TO MOVE 19 YEARS, 19 TIMES IN 21 YEARS, WITHOUT A CHOICE TO FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM.
WHEN WE VOLUNTEER A VOLUNTEERS FOR TEACHERS, THAT'S A VOLUNTARY JOB.
THEY CAN GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, BUT THEY'RE HERE TO TEACH CHILDREN, OUR BABIES FOR THE FUTURE, ALL KIDS.
THAT'S WHAT THE SIGN SAYS, BUT I WAS DISHEARTENED.
WELL, THEY NEED AN INCENTIVE TO MOVE.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE TEACHERS ALREADY TEACHING IN THOSE AREAS THAT HAVE TO FACE THAT EVERY DAY, BUT BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOVE FOR KIDS, THEY'RE STILL VEER IN DISTANCE.
WHAT IS THAT? REALLY? IF YOU HAVE A LOVE FOR EDUCATION, BECAUSE THOSE KIDS ARE TOMORROW'S FUTURE.
AND IF WE FAIL THEM IN KINDERGARTEN, WE CAN'T EXPECT THEM TO PASS THE TEST.
AND 12TH GRADE LITERACY, DON'T START IN 12TH.
I CAN'T READ HOW WE CAN GET THESE KIDS TO WHERE YOU, AND WE'VE GOT TEACHERS THAT DON'T WANT TO TEACH HOW YOU CAN SPEAK TO THE TEETH, TO SCHOOL.
UM, THE KIDS DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO WANT TO GO.
IF THESE TEACHERS DON'T WANT TO RELOCATE AND THEY DO GUESS WHAT THE KIDS ARE NOT GOING TO WAIT TO BE THERE BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO FEEL THOSE VIBES OF PEOPLE THAT NOT THAT DON'T WANT TO BE THERE.
AND THEN FOR THOSE THAT ARE IN THESE PRIVILEGED AREAS, TAKE A WALK AROUND THOSE HALLS AT A STROMA AND ALL THESE PRIVATE AREAS.
YOU'LL SEE, NOT JUST I'VE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING BECAUSE I WENT TO THIS SCHOOL HERE, OVER IN THIS AREA, GO TO THOSE SCHOOLS THAT WE HAVE A NEED WHERE KIDS ARE NOT BEING TAUGHT.
I WAS ONE OF THOSE STUDENTS AND HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR DESERT STORM AND LAUREN, THE ASVAB SCORE TO A 20.
SO BECAUSE OF THE WAR, THEY LET PEOPLE LIKE ME IN.
AND I TOOK THAT OPPORTUNITY, NOT AS A CRUTCH, BUT AS A CATAPULT, WHICH I GOT APPROVED FOR THREE DOCTORIAL PROGRAMS LAST YEAR, BECAUSE I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY.
WE DON'T GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITIES NOW.
YES, THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN JAIL EDUCATION.
LACK OF EDUCATION WORKS HAND IN HAND WITH PRISON.
IF WE DON'T EDUCATE THEM, WE'LL SEE THEM ON THE SIDE.
NOT ABOUT FEELING GOOD ABOUT AM I IN THIS SCHOOL OR AM I GOING TO GO TO THIS BAD SCHOOL? CAUSE I HEARD SOMEONE TALKING ABOUT DEANS.
WELL, THAT DEAN THING, IF THAT WAS A BIG THING, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YEARS AGO.
BUT NOW THESE TEACHERS THAT ARE PRIVILEGED GOING IN THESE OTHER DISCIPLINARY PROBLEM.
NOW WE HAVE A DEAN THAT YOU ARE.
WE WANT DEANS LET'S LOOK AT THE MOTIVATION.
IS IT A RACE THING? THANK YOU.
I WORK AT MCKINLEY, MIDDLE MAGNET.
YOU GUYS JUST RECOGNIZED US TONIGHT.
THIS IS THE SECOND ONE OF THESE I'VE GOTTEN.
I'VE ALSO BEEN TEACHER OF THE YEAR AND MY SCHOOL STOOD UP HERE AND GOT RECOGNIZED TONIGHT BECAUSE WE ARE, WHAT WAS OUR THING? WE WERE A NATIONAL ARTS SCHOOL, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
YOU'RE TAKING OUR DRAMA TEACHERS AND YOU'RE MOVING THEM AROUND.
WHAT'S THAT GONNA DO TO OUR PROGRAM? IT'S NOT OKAY.
AND YOU'RE SAYING THAT IT'S FOR EQUITY.
AND MR. LANA'S, I'M ONE OF THOSE 20,000 UNDERPRIVILEGED KIDS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
AND WE ARE A TITLE ONE SCHOOL WITH A PREDOMINANTLY BLACK POPULATION AND YEAH, WE'RE A MAGNET AND WE'RE ONE OF THOSE PRIVILEGED OVERSTAFFED SCHOOLS Y'ALL TALK ABOUT, BUT WE'RE A TITLE ONE SCHOOL.
Y'ALL ALL KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
AND YOU'RE PULLING APART OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR PROGRAM THAT JUST GOT UP HERE AND GOT YOU ACCOLADES.
TWO OF THOSE TEACHERS WHO WERE HERE TONIGHT, WON'T BE AT OUR SCHOOL PERMANENTLY ANYMORE BECAUSE OF THIS IMPACT MESS.
I DIDN'T JOIN THE MILITARY BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE PEOPLE TELLING ME WHERE I CAN AND CAN'T WORK.
[03:30:02]
I LIKE MAKING MY OWN DECISIONS SO THAT I CAN COME BACK TO MY COMMUNITY AND GIVE BACK BECAUSE I GREW UP IN 7 0 8 0 2 SCHOOLS NEED SCHOOLS THAT HAD THE BIGGEST NEED ALSO HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT LIST.SO I DON'T BELIEVE YOU, WHEN YOU SAY IT'S FOR EQUITY, HR REPORTED IN THEIR REPORT THAT THEY PUBLISHED AFTER THE FACT THAT Y'ALL, HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN PUTTING ANY MONEY INTO RECRUITMENT.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO STAFF US? IF YOU'RE NOT RECRUITING THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
GT, THOSE TEACHERS BEING ITINERANT, THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
GUESS WHAT HAPPENS? THOSE PROGRAMS DON'T WORK AND THEY DON'T GROW.
RGT ARE INTEGRAL TO OUR PROGRAM AND YOU'RE GOING TO KILL IT NEXT.
UM, I JUST HAVE, UM, JUST A REQUEST, PLEASE, WHATEVER YOU WANT IN A BLACK SHIRT, PLEASE STAND THOSE OF US THAT ARE HERE TO SUPPORT WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR ALL OF THESE THINGS.
AND THERE ARE A BUNCH OF US STANDING IN LINE AS WELL.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE SITTING OUTSIDE AS WELL.
WANT YOU TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO SHOWED UP AND SHOWED OUT TONIGHT AND THEY'RE HERE TO SPEAK AND SHARE.
UM, CAN YOU GUYS ALSO HOLD UP HOW MANY FINGERS, IF YOU CAN, UH, PEOPLE WHO WERE IMPACTED THAT, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBERS DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.
AND I THINK IT WAS YOU WHO, I CAN'T REMEMBER YOUR NAME.
YOU SAID SOMEBODY, SOMEBODY ASKED ABOUT WHO IT WAS AND THE, UM, IT WAS SUPPORT STAFF AND TEACHERS.
IF WE DON'T HAVE SUPPORT, PERIOD, IT JUST DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY.
THAT'S LIKE FAN, I'M GOING TO HAVE A BUILDING, BUT I DON'T HAVE CUSTODIAN.
EVERYBODY MATTERS IN THESE SCHOOLS.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON EDITS ALL NEEDS.
I'M A TEACHER AT TALENT AT I'M AT GLASGOW MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I TEACH TALENTED ART, ART, ANIMATION, AND TRADITIONAL ART.
UM, TODAY I'M HERE TO REPRESENT THE TALENTED TEACHERS ACROSS EBR AND UM, THIS NEW STAFFING MODEL DOES AFFECT THE TALENTED PROGRAM BY CAUSING ALL OF US TO BECOME ITINERANT OR TRAVELING TEACHERS.
AND I JUST WANTED TO READ OFF SOME BENEFITS OF TALENTED TEACHERS BEING IN THEIR SCHOOL.
FULL-TIME UM, VERSUS ITINERARY.
NUMBER ONE, ALL MATERIALS ARE LOCATED IN ONE PLACE WITH NO POSSIBILITY OF FORGETTING TO PACK SAID MATERIALS FOR OTHER SCHOOLS.
AND YOU MIGHT BE THINKING, WELL, WHY DOESN'T EACH SCHOOL HAVE THEIR OWN SET OF MATERIALS? AND THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
THAT WOULD BE IDEAL, EXCUSE ME.
BUT, UM, WHEN I STARTED TEACHING TALENTED EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS AGO, UM, OUR BUDGET HAS DECREASED FROM THEN TO NOW TO DOWN TO 57%.
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT I ALSO TEACH TRADITIONAL ARTS AS WELL.
SO THAT DECREASED AMOUNT ALSO HAS TO PAY FOR MY, UM, ART ANIMATION CLASSES AND MY TRADITIONAL ARTS CLASSES.
SO THAT MONEY REALLY IS BEING DIVIDED UP.
NUMBER TWO, STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO MAKE UP MISSED WORK, ASK ANY QUESTIONS, ET CETERA, ON ANY DAY AND NOT JUST ON THE DAYS THAT THEY SEE ME FOR CLASS.
NUMBER THREE, STUDENTS GET TO SEE MORE OF WHAT THEIR PEERS ARE WORKING ON AND LEARN FROM THEIR TECHNIQUES.
NUMBER FOUR TEACHERS ARE MORE INVOLVED WITH THEIR SCHOOL AND WITH OTHER FACULTY WHICH LEADS TO BETTER COLLABORATION.
NUMBER FIVE, PREGNANT TEACHERS FACE LESS RISK OF HARMING BABY BY DAILY TRANSPORTING OF HEAVY MATERIALS.
NUMBER SIX, MATERIALS AND CLASSROOM HAVE LESS CHANCE OF BEING IMPROPERLY USE DESTROYED VANDALIZED STOLEN DUE TO TEACHERS DAILY PRESENCE.
NUMBER SEVEN, BETTER RELATIONSHIPS WITH ADMIN.
NUMBER EIGHT, FULL PLANNING PERIODS NOT SPENT TRAVELING NUMBER NINE, EASIER TO SCHEDULE CONFERENCES OR IEP MEETINGS WHEN YOU'RE THERE DAILY.
NUMBER 10, FULLY DECORATED SET UP ORGANIZED CLASSROOMS THAT REQUIRES TIME TO SET UP EACH YEAR INSTEAD OF DIVIDING TIME BETWEEN MULTIPLE OCCASIONS TO SET UP HALF CLASSROOMS. MUCH OF OUR TIME AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IS DEVOTED TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LEAVING LITTLE TIME TO SET UP EVEN ONE CLASSROOM AND NUMBER 11, A SCAFFOLDED PROGRAM WHERE STUDENTS CAN GROW SKILLS FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
I HAVE A STUDENT WHO QUALIFY FOR TALENTED ART IN THE THIRD GRADE AND, UM, DIDN'T START THE PROGRAM.
[03:35:01]
UNTIL I SAW HER IN THE SIXTH GRADE.SO WHEN I GOT HER, I GOT HER AT A THIRD GRADE LEVEL AND SHE HAS GROWN SO TREMENDOUSLY THIS YEAR.
SHE'S MY GREATEST IMPROVED STUDENT.
AND I, I KNOW HER NOW, NOW THAT I'VE GOTTEN TO LEARN WHO SHE IS AND HER STYLE, I AM THE TEACHER WHO IS GOING TO BE THE BEST ONE SUITED FOR HER TO HELP HER GROW BECAUSE OF TAKING THE TIME TO LEARN WHO SHE IS AND A NEW TEACHER WOULD HAVE TO LEARN THAT PROCESS.
I'M A PARENT IN EBR PARISH AND I'M ALSO A TEACHER AT SHERWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I'M HERE BECAUSE I COULDN'T NOT, I MEAN, I'VE CRIED ABOUT THIS SINCE I'VE HEARD ABOUT MY COLLEAGUES GETTING IMPACT LETTERS AND HEARD ABOUT OUR STUDENTS, NOT BEING ABLE TO POTENTIALLY HAVE ELA EVERY DAY.
NEXT YEAR, WHEN OUR MODEL IS SUCCESSFUL IN OUR SCHOOL IS STRONG TEACHERS AREN'T INTERCHANGEABLE AND IT IS A LABOR MARKET.
I MEAN, WE ALL SHARE THE GOAL OF EQUITY.
THAT IS WHY WE ARE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS EVERY DAY.
BUT TO SAY THAT WE DON'T FORM A COMMUNITY INFORMED TIES WITH TEACHERS AND PARENTS AT OUR SCHOOL SITES OVER MULTIPLE YEARS, IT'S JUST FALSE.
AND IT'S WHAT MAKES OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM STRONG IS HAVING TEACHERS NOT HAVING TURN, NOT HAVING TURNOVER AND HAVING PEOPLE STAY IN PLACE YEAR AFTER YEAR SO THAT THEY CAN BUILD THAT COMMUNITY.
AND IT'S BETTER FOR STUDENTS TOO.
BEFORE I WAS TEACHING AT SHERWOOD, I TAUGHT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND WHENEVER I WOULD LOOP UP WITH CHILDREN, I'VE LOOPED FROM PRE-K TO, FROM K PRE-K TO K AND I'VE LOOPED FROM THIRD TO FOURTH TO FIFTH.
AND THOSE ARE ALL THESE, THE STUDENTS THAT DID THE BEST AND THAT HAD THE STRONGEST BOND WITH, AND THERE'S MORE NUANCE TO WHERE YOU CHOOSE TO TEACH AND TO WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A TEACHER AND TO WHAT SCHOOL YOU CHOOSE TO BE IN THAN JUST PAY, OR, I MEAN, PART OF IT'S LOCATION.
I HAVE TO PICK MY CHILD UP FROM DAYCARE BY A CERTAIN TIME AND GET THEM THERE EVERY DAY.
AND THERE'S ONLY A CERTAIN GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
AND THAT'S TRUE FOR A LOT OF PARENTS AND SAME WITH KIDS WITH OLDER KIDS IN SCHOOL AND ALSO QUALITY OF WORKING ENVIRONMENT OR EXAMPLE, IF YOU GUARANTEED A TEACHER'S A PROTECTED UNINTERRUPTED, NOT WITH MEETINGS, NOT WITH FILLING OUT REAMS OF DATA, BINDERS, PLANNING, PERIOD, EVERY DAY IN THAT WOULD INCENTIVIZE TEACHERS TO GO TO CERTAIN SCHOOLS.
IF I KNOW, OKAY, I CAN HAVE THIS PROTECTED TIME WHERE I CAN GET MY WORK DONE.
THAT WOULD BE A REALLY BIG NON-PAY RELATED FACTOR FOR ME CHOOSING TO GO SOMEWHERE.
SO THERE'S JUST A LOT MORE TO IT.
AND WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME GOAL IN THAT WE WANT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM STRONG.
AND I KNOW SO MANY TEACHERS WHO'VE RESIGNED OVER THIS, WHO WEREN'T EVEN IMPACTED JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE SCARED AND IT'S CHAOTIC AND THEY DON'T WANT TO DO IT ANYMORE.
THEY'RE JUST FED UP AND THEY'RE DONE.
AND SOME OF THEM HAVE LEFT EDUCATION ENTIRELY.
I WON'T TEACH MY CHILD OR YOUR CHILD OR ANY OTHER CHILD ANYWHERE IN BATON ROUGE AS A RESULT OF THIS.
GOOD EVENING TO YOU BOARD AND A.IN OUR, I WANT TO, I ACTUALLY, I WANT TO COMMEND YOU, UH, THE UNITED FAITH LEADERS.
WE SUPPORT YOUR DECISION, UH, AND, AND TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST, YOU KNOW, THIS SHOULDN'T EVEN BE A CONVERSATION.
THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT THIS IS EVEN A CONVERSATION IN 2022.
THERE IS NO WAY IT'S YOUR FAULT.
NO, WE JUST, WE JUST TALKED TO YOU.
YOU JUST GOTTA, THERE'S NO WAY THIS IS YOUR FAULT.
AND I UNDERSTAND WHERE THE YOUNG LADY WAS JUST TALKING AND SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE TEACHERS AND I GET THAT, YOU KNOW, BUT IF, IF THE TEACHER COULD JUST QUIT AND RESIGN AND LEAVE EDUCATION ALTOGETHER, THEN WERE THEY HERE FOR THE KIDS IN THE FIRST PLACE? THAT'S A, THAT'S A SERIOUS, THAT'S A SERIOUS QUESTION IS VALID.
SO, SO THEN HOW DO THEY JUST QUIT AND JUST LEAVE? YES.
MA'AM YOU KNOW, IT WAS ON, BUT IT'S UH, THANK YOU.
IT, MY, MY LITTLE LIGHT WAS GREEN.
IF YOU GO ASK A RHETORICAL QUESTION, ASK IT, MOVE ON.
UH, SO, UH, THE REDISTRICTING, I KNOW WE'RE NOT TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THAT TONIGHT, BUT THE REDISTRICTING, DOES THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE CENSUS? I'M SORRY, WE GOT ALONG MEETING.
DOESN'T KEEP IT GERMANE TO THE TOPIC, WHICH IS THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFF.
NOT IF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE IT GERMANE TO THAT PROCEED, BUT I'M LETTING YOU KNOW IF IT'S NOT GERMANE TO THAT.
I THINK IT, I THINK IT IS OKAY.
AND THE REASON IT'S SO, SO DOES IT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE CENSUS THAT WAS JUST REPORTED? IT DOES.
WHAT, WHAT'S THE, UH, WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS IT CALLED IF, UH, IF, IF, UH, IF WE DON'T REPORT
[03:40:01]
WITH, IF WE DON'T REAPPORTION AND REDISTRICT WITHIN A CERTAIN TIME OF REPORTING, WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT IS THAT? THAT'S A MALFEASANCE, RIGHT.AND WHAT HAPPENS? WHAT HAPPENS? WHAT HAPPENS, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE'S MOUTHPIECES OF BALDNESS? THAT MEANS MONEY DOESN'T GET PAID, RIGHT? SO, SO I'M GOING BACK TO THE MONEY, GOING BACK TO THE MONEY, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, THE, YOU GUYS, SOME OF YOU, SAME GUYS THAT I SAT HERE IN THE LAST MEETING AND I WATCHED YOUR FACE IS RED AND YOU WERE ANGRY AND YOU WERE STICKING IT TO CERTAIN PEOPLE.
NOW, NOW, NOW YOU WANT TO PLAY NICE.
AND I ACTUALLY THINK IT'S DISGUSTING.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE SEES IT, BUT I DO.
SO I JUST SAY FOLKS, UH, GO START LOOKING ON THE ETHICS WEBSITE AND START LOOKING AT THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE SUPPORTING SOME OF THESE BOATS.
CAN YOU KEEP IT JERMAINE, EVEN THOUGH I ACTUALLY AGREE 200% WITH YOUR POINT, KEEP IT GERMANE TO THE AGENDA ITEMS. THANK YOU.
I THINK THAT IF THE TEACHERS ARE REALLY THERE FOR KIDS TO BE ABLE TO, THEY'RE GOING TO BE WILLING TO DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO MAKE SURE THESE KIDS ARE PROVIDED FOR IT.
I'M PARENT OF THREE NEVR AND I'M A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER AS WELL.
I'M HERE TO SHARE A CONCERN SHARED DIRECTLY WITH ME BY TEACHERS WHO ARE NOT COMFORTABLE SPEAKING OUT TO THE DISTRICT FOR FEAR OF RETALIATION, MANY TEACHERS FEAR.
THERE MAY BE ANOTHER WAVE OF TEACHERS GETTING IMPACTED OR REARRANGED WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
IS THIS SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED WITH BETWEEN NOW AND THE START OF THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR? ALSO REGARDING THE CSM INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED REGARDING GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT TO STAFF RATIOS.
NARCY STATED THAT STAFFING CHANGES WOULD ENSURE THAT WE ARE FILLING.
THEY CAN SEE SO THAT EVERY CHILD IS ABLE TO BEGIN THE 2223 SCHOOL YEAR WITH A PERMANENT AND EFFECTIVE EDUCATOR IN THEIR CLASSROOM.
AND THAT IMPACTED EMPLOYEES ARE BEING ASKED TO SERVE WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED.
NARCY STATED THAT EMPLOYEES MAY HAVE BEEN IMPACTED FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, INCLUDING PROGRAM CHANGES A DECLINE IN STUDENT ENROLLMENT AT THEIR SCHOOL SITE OR DISTRICT REALIGNMENT BASED ON THE CSM STAKEHOLDERS.
ALSO WANT TO KNOW WHAT ELSE IS INCLUDED IN THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL.
ASIDE FROM STUDENT COUNTS, STAKEHOLDERS AND ADR STAFF HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT FACTORS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS MODEL.
AT THE VERY LEAST THE DISTRICT OWES IMPACTED EMPLOYEES AND OTHER STAFF AND EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT CRITERIA WERE CONSIDERED IN SELECTING, WHICH TEACHERS WOULD BE IMPACTED.
FOR EXAMPLE, EXTENSIVE RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SCHOOL, CULTURE, LEADERSHIP, AND DEMOGRAPHICS, EACH PLAY A STATISTICALLY AND PRACTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN AN EDUCATOR'S EFFECTIVENESS.
HOW WERE THESE ELEMENTS INCLUDED IN DECISIONS REGARDING TEACHER REASSIGNMENTS TO ENSURE THAT IMPACTED TEACHERS REMAIN HIGHLY INFECTED, REMAIN HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN THEIR NEW ENVIRONMENTS? HOW CAN EDUCATORS CONTEST THEIR REASSIGNMENT? AND HOW WILL YOU MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUR CSM? THAT'S SHARED BY THE TEACHERS.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY HAVE IDEAS AND VERY REAL INSIGHT AS TO HOW TO APPROACH THESE ISSUES THAT AFFECT THEM.
HOW ABOUT STOPPING FOR A MOMENT AND LISTENING TO THEM, SHOW THEM THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE AND HAVE EARNED BY GIVING THEM A CHOICE AND A CHANCE TO SPEAK INTO THEM, TO HELP COME UP WITH REAL INEFFECTIVE, TO HELP COME UP WITH A REAL INEFFECTIVE CSM LET'S START BY INCENTIVIZING OPEN POSITIONS, CREATE PROGRAMS THAT ATTRACT AMAZING TALENT TO OUR DISTRICT, NOT IMPLEMENTING TACTICS LIKE THESE, THAT REPEL TEACHERS OUTSIDE OF OUR DISTRICT.
I MENTIONED TO YOU IN AN EMAIL THAT I SENT EARLIER THIS WEEK, THAT I KNOW FOR TEACHERS PERSONALLY LEAVING OUR DISTRICT BY CHOICE, THAT COUNT HAS NOW RISEN TO FIVE.
AND JUST THE PAST WEEK, I'VE ALSO HEARD FROM TWO TEACHERS OUTSIDE OF OUR DISTRICT THAT ARE NO LONGER CONSIDERING ABR.
THIS PLAN IS GOING TO LEAD US EVEN FURTHER INTO A DEFICIT THAN OUR CURRENT TEACHER SHORTAGE.
THIS IS NOT A STAFFING MODEL OR RETENTION PLAN.
THIS IS A SAD TIME FOR EBR SCHOOLS.
I'M A PROUD, GRADUATED, OH, GRADUATE OF A STROBE, A HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING AS AN AID TO US, SENATOR JOHN BRO.
SO MY THOUGHTS COME FROM THE POLITICAL REALM.
AND I WOULD JUST SAY, FIRST OF ALL, I JUST THINK TEACHERS, THESE DAYS NEED ALL THE SUPPORT PAY ON.
ONE-ON-ONE TALKING TO EACH OTHER TO ADMINISTRATORS.
THEY DO SUCH AN IMPORTANT JOB TO RAISE UP OUR KIDS TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS, YOU KNOW,
[03:45:01]
TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT.I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE MOVED AROUND WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF IT COMING OR BEING ASKED IF I WANTED TO MOVE.
UM, THEY USED TO SAY IN POLITICS, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S NOT BROKE, DON'T TRY TO FIX IT.
SO IT SOUNDS TO ME FROM BEING HERE AND LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION, SOME OF THESE SCHOOLS, A, B, C SOUNDS LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS. SO I WOULD RG THE FOCUS, FIXING THINGS THAT NEED TO BE FIXED AND LET THE TEACHERS BE THE ONES WHO HAVE THE MOST SAY SO WITH THEIR KIDS.
MY DAUGHTER HAS A MASTER'S IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND IS AN EDUCATOR TEACHERS THESE DAYS.
WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO GO INTO TEACHING LOW PAY? YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CHILDREN WHO, UM, HAVE SOME MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR POVERTY COME TO SCHOOL, HUNGRY.
THEY'RE DEDICATED, JUST BE RESPECTFUL.
NARCY AND HIS STAFF, I HEARD THE WORD COMMUNITY MENTIONED MANY TIMES.
I WOULD ASK YOU GUYS AFTER HIM IN THE PARKING LOT WITH MR. FINNEY, WHO HAS A HARD ALSO FOR EDUCATORS, MANY OF THOSE OUT OF STATE, PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HARD, DO NOT EVEN HAVE A LOUISIANA LICENSE TAG ON THEIR CAR.
SO I SAY TO THEM, WHERE IS YOUR SENSE OF COMMUNITY? I MEAN, YOU HAVE IT BEGS THE QUESTION.
I MOVED BACK HERE FROM TEXAS SIX YEARS AGO.
AND WITHIN X AMOUNT OF TIME, I HAD MY LOUISIANA PLATE ON THE CAR, EVERYTHING GERMANE TO THE GAAP.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE, I THINK THERE'S SOME LAWS ACTUALLY THAT DEAL WITH THAT, BUT I'M JUST SAYING, I THINK DR.
Y'ALL UM, I MEAN REALLY, I MEAN, I JUST THINK YOU GET MORE FLIES WITH HONEY THAN YOU DO WITH VINEGAR.
AND I SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS 100%.
I'M A PRODUCT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.
UM, MY CHILDREN ARE A PRODUCT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION, SO THAT'S, I JUST THINK THEY DESERVE RESPECT.
I'LL INTRODUCE MYSELF AS A MAMA, TO EVERYBODY.
I'M A MAMA TO ALL STUDENTS ALL DAYS THROUGH ALL ADMINISTRATIONS.
SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I'M SAYING EVERYTHING I'M SAYING IS COMING GENUINELY FROM THE HEART.
I'M NOT HERE TO ATTACK ANYBODY.
IN FACT, I APPRECIATED YOU SAYING YOU WANTED PARENTS TO SPEAK.
I'M GLAD TO SPIRIT PUT ME ON THOSE COUNCILS.
LET ME TALK BECAUSE I USE MY VOICE.
IF NOTHING ELSE, I THINK WE ALL AGREE THAT OUR BIGGEST ASSET, OUR HUMAN RESOURCES, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.
THESE TEACHERS ARE PROFESSIONALS.
THEY WENT TO SCHOOL, THEY LEARN PEDAGOGY.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD TREAT THEM.
WE SHOULDN'T TREAT THEM LIKE THINGS WE OWN.
YOU KNOW, WHERE WE TREATED THEM LIKE CHATTEL.
AND WE MOVED PEOPLE AND TOOK THEM FROM THEIR FAMILIES.
SO NOW I ASK THAT YOU LET THEM BE PROFESSIONALS.
LET'S NOT JUST MOVE THEM AROUND.
THEY DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THE MILITARY.
THEY SIGNED UP FOR A PROFESSION AND THEY HAVE BECOME FAMILIES WITH THESE PEOPLE.
I KNOW ALL THE TEACHERS THERE.
I KNEW WHERE THEY WERE, WHO THE SECOND GRADE TEACHER WAS, WHO THE THIRD GRADE TEACHER WAS.
AND THEY ASKED ME ABOUT MY BOYS.
ONE OF THEM, WHICH IS AT DUKE UNIVERSITY RIGHT NOW, PRODUCT OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
SO LET'S FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND STOP TRYING TO THROW DARTS IN THE DARK.
WE HAVE A LOT OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ISSUES.
MAKE THE BATHROOMS WORK, MAKE IT WELCOMING FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN.
LET'S GIVE THESE TEACHERS A BREAK SO THEY CAN USE THE BATHROOM.
WE CAN'T PICK BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS FROM A SCHOOL AND PUT IT ON A DYING PLANT AND HOPE THEY GROW.
WE HAVE TO FIX THAT PLANT FIRST.
SO ONCE YOU GET THE ROOT AND THE STEM AND ALL OF THAT WORKING, THEN WE CAN HAVE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO COME THERE THAT WANTS TO TEACH THERE.
SO EQUITY, MS. COLLINS, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THAT MEME OF THOSE KIDS TRYING TO SEE OVER THE FENCE AND SOME OF THEM ARE TALL AND SOME OF THEM SHORT, WHAT DO WE DO FOR THE SHORT SHEET? WE GAVE THEM A LADDER, RIGHT? WE DIDN'T LOWER THE FENCE.
[03:50:01]
SO I HAVE TWO CHILDREN IN EBR PAIR OF SCHOOLS, ONE AT MCKINLEY, MIDDLE, AND ONE AT GLASGOW.AND, UM, MY MAIN REASON IN CHOOSING EBR SCHOOLS IS BECAUSE I WANTED THEM TO BE IN A DIVERSE ENVIRONMENT.
UM, BASED ON MY ECONOMIC STATUS.
I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUT MY CHILDREN ARE IN SCHOOLS WHERE THEY'RE THE MINORITY BY, BY A GOOD BIT.
AND I'M VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
LIKE MOST SITUATION WHERE SITUATIONS, WHERE THERE'S CONFLICT, THE CONFLICTING PARTIES, USUALLY YOUR AGREE ON MUCH MORE THAN THEY DISAGREE ON.
AND THE DISAGREEMENTS TEND TO BE IN THE PROCESS, NOT IN THE OUTCOME.
IN THIS CASE, WE AGREE ON THE OUTCOME OF EQUITABLY STAFFED AND RESOURCED SCHOOLS.
THAT IS THE STATED INTENTION OF THIS COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL.
WE ALL WANT EQUITABLY STAFFED AND RESOURCED SCHOOLS.
IT ISN'T VERY OFTEN THAT WE GET TO SEE A WELL-INTENTIONED PLAN IMPLEMENTED AND SEE THE EFFECTS OF IT.
AND THEN IMMEDIATELY GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BACK AND REASSESS.
AND WE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT.
THIS PLAN WAS SUCH POOR COMMUNICATION WITHOUT LOOKING INTO THE INDIVIDUAL SITUATIONS AND INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS.
WE GOT TO SEE HOW THAT PLAYED OUT.
WE GOT TO SEE TEACHERS FEELING UNDERVALUED.
WE GOT TO SEE ADMINISTRATORS, LOSE TEAM MEMBERS, WHO THEY WORKED VERY HARD TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN ON THEIR TEAM THAT THEY BUILT OVER YEARS.
WE GOT TO SEE TEACHERS LEAVE OUR SYSTEM TO GO TO OTHER DISTRICTS, TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS OR JUST QUIT.
IF OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE EQUITABLY UNDERSTAFFED SCHOOLS AND UNDER-RESOURCED SCHOOLS WITH UNHAPPY TEACHERS, PLEASE CONTINUE.
BUT WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US? IT LEAVES US WITH INADEQUATELY STAFFED AND INADEQUATELY RESOURCED SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM.
IF ON THE OTHER HAND, WE'RE SERIOUS ABOUT GETTING OUR SCHOOLS EQUITABLY, STAFFED, AND RESOURCED.
THERE NEEDS TO BE A MUCH MORE NUANCED APPROACH.
VERY, UNFORTUNATELY, SOME HAVE CHOSEN TO TURN THIS INTO AN US VERSUS THEM CONFLICT SAYING THEY DON'T WANT US TO HAVE STAFF IN OUR SCHOOLS.
TEACHERS CHOOSE TO WORK AT SCHOOLS FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF REASONS.
I INVITE YOU TO LOOK AT SOME OF OUR HISTORICALLY UNDERSTAFFED SCHOOLS THAT HAVE WONDERFUL ENVIRONMENTS WITH TEACHERS WANTING TO WORK THERE AND WANTING TO STAY THERE.
I ALSO INVITE YOU TO LOOK AT SCHOOLS WHERE THERE IS HIGH TURNOVER AND ESPECIALLY LOOK CLOSELY WHERE THEY'RE THE HIGH TURNOVER.
HIGH TURNOVER IS IN HISTORICALLY EASY TO STAFF SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT.
SO TONIGHT I BEG YOU TO PAUSE AND DO THE REAL WORK, THE HARD WORK OF DELVING INTO THE DETAILS TO SEE WHERE TEACHERS DO WANT TO WORK AND WHY AND WHERE THEY DON'T WANT TO WORK AND WHY FIX THOSE SYSTEMS WITHOUT DRIVING WEDGES INTO OUR COMMUNITY.
WE CAN DO SO MUCH MORE TOGETHER.
UM, I MOVED TO BATON ROUGE IN 1985.
MY HUSBAND WAS IN BATON ROUGE, NATIVE LSU GRADUATE WANTED TO COME HOME.
SO WE MOVED HERE, UH, WITH OUR CHILDREN.
WE ENROLLED OUR SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN IN THE PUBLIC SYSTEM.
AND THREE OF OUR FOUR CHILDREN ARE, UM, GRADUATES OF EAST BATON ROUGE, PARISH, HIGH SCHOOLS.
I'M ALSO A FORMER EAST BATON ROUGE TEACHER.
UH, I HAVE AN UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN MATHEMATICS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AND IN THE MID 1990S, I AT THE AGE OF 45 ENROLLED IN LSU TO GET CERTIFIED.
APPARENTLY KNOWING MATH IS NOT ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO TEACH MATH.
SO I SPENT TWO YEARS DOING COURSEWORK AND WHEN I COMPLETED THAT AND TOOK THE PRACTICE, I APPLY NOT TO A CATHOLIC SCHOOL, NOT TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL, BUT TO THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND I WAS, UH, VERY SOON HIRED BY A STREAM HIGH SCHOOL TO TEACH GEOMETRY.
BUT I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT NOTHING IN MY OWN 12 YEARS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MY 24 YEARS AS A MOTHER OF STUDENTS IN THIS SYSTEM, NOR MY TWO YEARS AT LSU PREPARED ME FOR WHAT I WAS CONFRONTED WITH AT A STREAMER.
FIRST TWO WEEKS, THERE WERE A HUNDRED TO 200 STUDENTS ROAMING THE HALLS BECAUSE THEY,
[03:55:01]
UM, EITHER SHOULD'VE BEEN REGISTERED, BUT WEREN'T, OR SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE AT ALL, SPENT TWO, TWO MONTHS, UM, TRYING TO TEACH GEOMETRY.BUT I HAD STUDENTS WHO THIS WAS A TERM UNKNOWN TO ME WHO HAD BEEN SOCIALLY PROMOTED AND HAD FIFTH GRADE MATH SKILLS.
SO THEY WERE IN NO POSITION TO LEARN GEOMETRY.
UM, AT ABOUT THREE MONTHS I RESIGNED BECAUSE MY HUSBAND WAS VERY UNHAPPY WHEN I CAME HOME AND TOLD HIM THAT A STUDENT HAD THREATENED THAT TEACHER, UM, WHO WANTED TO TAKE UP HIS CELL PHONE.
UH, I STOPPED TEACHING AND I THOUGHT, WHO WAS I TO THINK I COULD TEACH? AND, UM, I WAS SO, UM, DISCOURAGED AND, UH, FELT LIKE SUCH A FAILURE.
THANK GOD, BUT WHO I HAD FAILED, WHERE MY STUDENTS, THANK YOU.
I AM A FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCE PROSTART TEACHER AT THE STROMA HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, AS TEACHERS WE'VE BECOME TEACHERS TO EDUCATE OUR KIDS AND THE ULTIMATE GOAL, MR. DARCY, I FEEL IS THAT THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE IMPACT.
BUT BEFORE WE CAN TEACH OUR STUDENTS, WE HAVE TO TEACH OUR STUDENTS TO LEARN.
THEY HAVE, WE HAVE TO GAIN TRUST WITH THEM.
AND IT IT'S HARD WORK TO EARN A STUDENT'S TRUST TO LET THEM KNOW THAT, HEY, IT'S OKAY FOR YOU TO LEARN.
NO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIDE A BOOK BECAUSE YOUR PEERS FEEL THAT THAT IS NOT THE THING TO DO.
UM, MARCUS WASHINGTON, JEREMY, NOAH, EBONY, NOAH, CRYSTAL, RAUL.
THOSE WERE STUDENTS THAT ARE PRODUCTS OF A STREW, MY HIGH SCHOOL, WHO ARE EDUCATORS IN, IN OUR SYSTEM THAT WERE IMPACTED.
I THOUGHT I WAS IMPACTED FOR A MOMENT BECAUSE I GOT A LETTER, BUT THEN THEY KOREAN TECHNICAL ED WASN'T IMPACTED, BUT THEY'RE IN LIFE.
I'VE BEEN TEACHING 25 YEARS, BUT A FEAR COMES IN ME NOW IS TO DO I STAY? DO I GO, WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? BECAUSE NOT ONLY THAT I'LL ALMOST GET IMPACTED.
YOU CREATED I PATHWAY THAT DID NOT EVEN INCLUDE HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM, EVEN THOUGH IT'S EMBEDDED, YOU SAID IT DOESN'T INCLUDE ME.
IT DOESN'T INCLUDE SOME OF THOSE OTHER TEACHERS, BUT IT'S WHAT WE DO EVERY DAY.
IN ORDER TO TEACH THE KIDS, YOU HAVE TO USE FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCE.
I THINK THAT THERE WAS A MISCOMMUNICATION IN EVERYTHING ACROSS THE BOARD, FROM TEACHERS, FROM THE BOARD, FROM MR. NARCY Y'ALL HAD PANELS.
I HEARD ABOUT THE PANELS, BUT WHEN THE PAPERWORK WENT OUT INTO THE SCHOOLS, ONLY CERTAIN TEACHERS WERE ALLOWED TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY OR, AND PUT IN IT, WHICH MEANT THAT THE MAJORITY OF US DID NOT GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WHAT IT WAS THAT WE HAD TO SAY.
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS IMPACT IS GOING TO IMPACT EVERYONE, BUT I CAME TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE STUDENTS.
CAUSE THEY'RE RUNNING TO MEET MS. COOK, ARE YOU LEAVING? IF YOU'RE LEAVING, THEN WHERE WOULD I GO? WHAT WOULD I DO? BECAUSE NOT EVERY TEACHER WANTS TO TEACH IN THE SCHOOL.
I TAUGHT AT WOODLAWN TOWER, A STRONG WITH TWO TIMES I CAME BACK TO A STREAM AND I LOVE ALL OF THE KIDS IN EVERY AREA THAT I HAVE TAUGHT, BUT TEACHERS HAVE TO WANT TO BE THERE FOR THE STUDENTS.
AND THE STUDENTS HAVE TO KNOW THAT THE TEACHERS ARE THERE FOR THEM.
AND AS THE NEXT PERSON COMES UP, WELL, UH, WE HAVE SOME FOLKS.
THEY MAY NOT BE USED TO COME ON, UH, WITH THE LIGHTS AND THE TIME.
AND HE IS, EVERYBODY HAS THREE MINUTES.
YOU SEE THE GREEN LIGHT COMES ON THREE MINUTES.
YOU HAVE A MINUTE LEFT WHEN A YELLOW LIGHT COMES ON AND THEN RED, I HAVE TO SAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MA'AM I WANTED TO SPEAK TO GOD.
UM, WE GO OPERATE WITH SOME LOVE TONIGHT, DESPITE APHA.
UM, I DON'T NEED TO SAY TITLES WENT TO WOODLAWN THOUGH.
AND ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH TO BOARD MEMBER AND FOR EVERYTHING YOU SAID TONIGHT, AND THAT ALWAYS REPPED YOU.
I WAS LIKE, I'M IN DIARRHEA SINCE
[04:00:01]
I'M NOT I'M IN TAPPIN'S, BUT AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, MY SISTER FINALLY TOLD ME, UM, THE DISCUSSION TODAY HAS BEEN REALLY GOOD AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO ALL Y'ALL FOR Y'ALL'S QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.AND I DID EMAIL Y'ALL BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO GET TO MY COUSIN'S GRADUATION.
SO I WAS LIKE, I MIGHT AS WELL JUST STAY.
SO, UM, I ASK THAT YOU NOT LET SUPERINTENDENT SUPERINTENDENT NARCIS GET AWAY WITH THIS PROPOSAL, BUT INSTEAD CREATE AN ITEM TO RESEND THESE REASSIGNMENT LETTERS TO TEACHERS AND STAFF, OR I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO REFUSE TO APPROVE THE BUDGET FOR 2023, UNTIL SUPERINTENDENT TAKES THIS ACTION BACK.
I ADVOCATED WITH VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE CARES ACT, ARPA FUNDS AND OTHER STIMULUS PACKAGES THROUGHOUT THE COVID PANDEMIC.
AND HONESTLY, I WAS SUPER GRATEFUL THAT THE BILL THAT BETTER DIDN'T PASS BECAUSE I KNEW THAT WOULD MEAN A LOT MORE MONEY THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO TRACK AND FOLLOW AS CITIZENS AND MAKE SURE IT WAS USED PROPERLY.
AND THAT I FELT WAS INEVITABLY GOING TO GO TO WASTE AS THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS DONE WITH OR PROPOSED FOR FUNDS THUS FAR, IF WE NEEDED TO FIRE SLASH REASSIGNED SLASH RIFTS SLASH NOT RIFF SO MANY FOLKS, THEN WE CLEARLY DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR CONSERVATORIES FOR MORE CHARTERS, FOR MANDATED DUAL ENROLLMENT, NOR FOR BUILDING REMODELING, NOR ALL OF THE HIGH LEVEL OF SIX FIGURE STAFF THAT CAME WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT IN THE FIRST PLACE FOR MONTHS, WE ASKED FOR A BUDGET.
AND FOR THIS VERY REASON IS WHY WE ASKED BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT THE SCHOOL YEAR WOULD COME AND WOULD COME AND WE'D BE LEFT WITH FIRING TEACHERS AND STAFF.
WE SAID THAT MONTHS AGO, AND PERHAPS THE POINT IS TO DISTRACT US WITH THIS REASSIGNMENT TO HIDE HOW MUCH MONEY HAS TRULY BEEN THROWN OUT OF THE WINDOW THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC.
THE LAST THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT IS THAT EQUITY FOR ALL IS NOT A THING.
INSTEAD, THE SUPERINTENDENT REARRANGED FOLKS IN STANDARDIZED RATIOS OF TEACHERS, TO STUDENTS CHANGING THOSE METRICS, TO SHIELD THE FACT THAT HE LITERALLY FIRED PEOPLE THE LAST WEEK OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL IT, WE STILL DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TEACHERS AT ANY SCHOOLS.
NOW LAST WEEK, JUST I GOOGLED YOUR QUESTION, UM, BAD AND VICE-PRESIDENT AND EQUITY RECOGNIZES THAT EACH PERSON HAS DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND ALLOCATES THE EXACT RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES NEEDED TO REACH AN EQUAL OUTCOME.
THERE'S NOTHING FROM THOSE NUMBERS THAT SHOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO YIELD AN EQUAL OUTCOME.
WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE EQUAL CRAP FOR EVERYBODY.
HELLO, I'M CALLING AND YOU, YOU LIKE TO STICK IT TO US.
WE'LL TRY TO STICK IT TO US WITH LOVE.
MA'AM UM, I CAN'T SPEAK TO WHETHER THIS PLAN WILL WORK OR WHETHER I LIKE IT OR NOT, BECAUSE IT CAME OUT TODAY DURING THIS MEETING, THE POWERPOINT IS ONLINE NOW WITH THE LINKS, BUT IT WASN'T WHEN I WAS PREPARING FOR THIS MEETING.
UM, AND NOT ALL 230 STAFF ARE HERE OR FREE TO WATCH THIS LIVE.
SO THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS EITHER.
INSTEAD, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE TIMELINE OF LEADERSHIP FAILURE THAT HAS LED US TO THIS POINT, BECAUSE WE WERE ALL HERE TWO WEEKS AGO AT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING, TALKING ABOUT MAPS.
AND AS PART OF THAT, THE SUPERINTENDENT GAVE HIS SUPERINTENDENT INTRODUCTION AND HE TALKED ABOUT, WE APPRECIATE OUR EL TEACHERS AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING.
THAT WAS THE TIME TO GIVE THIS POWERPOINT BECAUSE THE NEXT DAY ON FRIDAY, TEACHERS GOT LETTERS AND THEY DIDN'T ALL GET ONE-ON-ONE.
AND THEN OVER THE WEEKEND, WE FIND OUT THAT THERE'S 230 LETTERS OUT THERE THAT ARE REASSIGNING THEM.
AND THEN THERE'S THE REQUIRED JOB FAIR.
AND AT THAT THEY'RE LIKE, WHY ARE THEY COMPLAINING? WE HAVE A 22 PAGE PLAN THAT I STILL HAVE NOT SEEN.
AND THEN AFTER THE JOB FAIR, THERE'S A PUSH TO MEDIA THAT THOSE WHO ARE COMPLAINING ARE AGAINST EQUITY, WHICH WE'RE NOT WE'RE IN A TEACHING CRISIS.
AND THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO GET TEACHERS TO LEAVE.
GO TO IF I CAN USE YOU AS AN EXAMPLE, IF YOU'LL FORGIVE ME.
THIS IS LIKE YOU COMING IN ON THURSDAY AND SAYING, WE'RE DOING A GREAT JOB ON OUR PROCESSES COMPANY.
AND THEN ON FRIDAY, YOU FIRE A BUNCH OF YOUR ENGINEERS AND YOU SAY, WELL, YOU'RE NOT DOING A BAD JOB, BUT WE HAVE OTHER JOBS IN MAGNOLIA.
IF YOU WANT TO APPLY FOR THOSE, RIGHT? NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO GO TO MAGNOLIA, ARKANSAS.
I KNOW TWO TEACHERS ALREADY WHO TOOK THIS AS A SIGN THAT THEY NEEDED TO LEAVE.
NOT BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO THESE SCHOOLS OR THEY DON'T WANT TO TEACH THESE KIDS, BUT BECAUSE THEY DON'T TRUST YOU TO STAY HERE, I WOULD LIKE A BOARD MEMBER TO PLEASE PICK UP MY QUESTION.
WHEN WE COME BACK TO YOU, DID YOU ASK WHERE TEACHERS LIVE AND HOW THE TRANSPORTATION COSTS WILL IMPACT THEIR FAMILIES?
[04:05:01]
ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE TO MAKE IT TO THE SCHOOLS? AND THEN ANOTHER QUESTION, HOW MANY TEACHERS MISSED THE JOB FAIR? BECAUSE I WAS THERE AND I DID NOT SEE 230 PEOPLE.AND HAVE YOU HAD ONE-ON-ONES WITH THE TEACHERS WHO MISSED THE JOB FAIR TO ASK? ARE YOU COMING BACK OR DID YOU NOT SHOW UP? BECAUSE YOU'RE DONE WITH US.
THE TEACHERS NOW HAVE AN ENTIRE SUMMER TO LOOK FOR A NEW JOB IN EDUCATION.
AND IF THIS IS HOW THEY'RE GOING TO BE TREATED BY THIS DISTRICT, MAYBE THEY SHOULD GOOD EVENING.
I'M SPEAKING AS A PARENT TONIGHT.
UM, I STARTED COMING TO THESE MEETINGS MUCH MORE REGULARLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR WHEN MY SON WAS ENROLLED IN THE VIRTUAL ACADEMY AND SPENT NINE, THE FIRST NINE WEEKS OF SCHOOL WITH NO MATH INSTRUCTION.
UM, ACTUALLY I THINK HE ONLY HAD ONE TEACHER THE WHOLE TIME.
UM, AND SO I STARTED COMING AND SAYING, WHAT ARE WE DOING? WE HAVE A CRISIS HERE.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO RECRUIT AND INCENTIVIZE AND BRING MORE TEACHERS INTO THIS DISTRICT.
AND, UM, I'VE HEARD ABOUT MAYBE A JOB FAIR HERE OR THERE, BUT LIKE WE'RE IN A TEACHING CRISIS.
OUR TEACHERS HAVE BEEN TEACHING THROUGH COVID AND ALL OF THE DISRUPTION OF COVID AND ALL OF THE HEARTBREAK OF COVID AND THEIR STUDENTS HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH ALL OF THIS AS WELL.
AND WHAT ARE WE DOING? LIKE THERE'S SO MANY, I'M JUST LIKE, I'VE MY THOUGHTS ARE EVERYWHERE TONIGHT BECAUSE I'M JUST, THIS FEELS LIKE A SHOW.
WHEN WE COME HERE, IT FEELS LIKE POLITICS Y'ALL ARE ALL TRYING TO GET REELECTED AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, MAYBE, UM, THIS HR REPORT THAT CAME OUT AT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Y'ALL, DIDN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THE 52 PAGES OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND LIKE SERIOUS PROBLEMS. LIKE THE FACT THAT THE HR STAFF APPEARED TO LACK THE KNOWLEDGE TO FULLY LEVERAGE AS HER FUNDS, TITLE TWO FUNDS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OR TITLE FOUR FUNDS FOR RECRUITMENT OF HARD TO FEEL POSITIONS.
THERE'S A WHOLE THING IN HERE ABOUT HOW WE'RE NOT RECRUITING.
THERE'S A WHOLE THING IN HERE ABOUT HOW THERE WAS A REQUEST FOR A SPECIFIC HR POSITION FOR RECRUITING THAT WAS DENIED BY LEADERSHIP.
WHY, WHY? WE DON'T KNOW WHY THERE IS A LACK OF TRUST BECAUSE YOU COME HERE WITH PLATITUDES AND REALLY GREAT SPEECHES ABOUT EQUITY, BUT IT IS SHORT ON THE DETAILS.
YOU CAN REARRANGE THE DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC AND IT'S STILL GOING TO SINK.
OKAY? WE ARE IN A CRISIS HERE AND IT'S SHORT ON DETAILS AND YOU HAVE A RESOURCE LOOK AT THIS ROOM.
YOU HAVE EDUCATORS, YOU HAVE PARENTS, YOU HAVE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.
YOU HAVE SO MANY STAKEHOLDERS THAT WANT TO SEE THIS DISTRICT SUCCEED.
YOU NEED TO GET TO KNOW US, OKAY? YOU NEED TO WORK WITH US.
YOU NEED TO DO THE WORK TO GET THE BUY-IN BECAUSE WE DO ALL WANT OUR, ALL OF OUR CHILDREN TO SUCCEED.
WE BOUGHT, WE CHOSE THIS SYSTEM.
WE CONTINUALLY SHOW UP BECAUSE WE CARE.
WE CARE ABOUT ALL THESE CHILDREN.
OKAY? AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE A 52 PAGE REPORT THAT HAS VERY SPECIFIC, DETAILED PAGE AND A HALF OF THIS IS HOW WE NEED TO BE RECRUITING TEACHERS TO COME TO THIS DISTRICT.
WHY AREN'T WE DOING THIS? WHERE IS THE DETAIL? WHERE IS THE DETAIL? AND THAT IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE TONIGHT.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS YET AGAIN, AND THERE'S NO PLAN.
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DO THE PLAN? GOOD EVENING.
UH, I STAND HERE AS A PARENT AND THE HUSBAND OF AN EBR TEACHER.
I KNOW FIRSTHAND HOW MUCH WORK TEACHERS PUT IN TO DOING THEIR JOBS.
I KNOW HOW MUCH TIME, HOW MUCH PERSONAL MONEY AND HOW MUCH DEDICATION SHE, AND ALL OTHERS PUT INTO TEACHING.
SO PLEASE, PLEASE NEVER QUESTIONED THEIR DEDICATION TO THEIR CHOSEN PROFESSION OR THE STUDENTS THAT THEY SERVE TO SPEAK TO THE ISSUE AT HAND.
HOWEVER, I'M NOT AN EDUCATOR, NOR AM I AN ADMINISTRATOR.
SO PERHAPS I SIMPLY DON'T UNDERSTAND, BUT FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD TONIGHT, I'VE COME TO SUMMARIZE IT AS THIS.
YOU SEEM TO HAVE FIVE CAKES THAT YOU NEED TO BAKE THAT REQUIRE A TOTAL OF FOUR EGGS PER CAKE, BUT YOU ONLY HAVE TWO EGG, 10 EGGS.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO PUT TWO EGGS IN EACH CAKE, AND THAT'S SIMPLY NOT GOING TO WORK.
THEY WEREN'T, THEY WON'T RISE.
IT WON'T BE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
SO MAYBE I SET IT UP, MAYBE I'M WRONG, BUT PLEASE, IF THAT IS THE CASE, CORRECT ME WHEN I'M WRONG.
[04:10:03]
GOOD EVENING.THIS IS MY FIRST TIME EVER COMING TO A BOARD MEETING.
BUT WITH THIS ISSUE, I FELT LIKE I W I HAD TO COME FIRST.
NRCS FOR STARTING THE CONVERSATION SAYING THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON CHILDREN BECAUSE THE FOCUS HAS BEEN SO MUCH ON ADULT AND HOW THEY FEEL.
AND THAT IS MY ISSUE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON.
I'VE HEARD PEOPLE TALK ABOUT TRAVELING TO WORK, BUT THEY'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE STUDENTS THAT HAVE TO GET UP AT FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING TO GET ON THE BUS, TO GO ACROSS TOWN, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A PROGRAM AT THEIR SCHOOL, OR BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS WANT THEM TO HAVE CERTIFIED TEACHERS, QUALIFIED TEACHERS.
AND THEY DON'T HAVE THAT BECAUSE SOME SCHOOL HAVE HAD TWO PEOPLE IN A ROOM.
THE FOCUS CANNOT BE ON ADULTS.
MS. DYSON, YOU MADE THE COMMENT EARLIER AT TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING LETTERS.
DRE, MR. DRAKE'S LAST YEAR, 20 18, 20 19.
WELL, THE YEAR BEFORE TEACHERS GOT IMPACT LETTERS IN MAY, MY SCHOOL LOST 11 TEACHERS.
AT THAT TIME, NOBODY SAID A WORD.
PEOPLE GOT FAR ADVANCED NOTICE THAN THOSE TEACHERS DID.
I HAVE NEVER HEARD THIS MUCH REQUESTED INFORMATION IN MY LIFE.
UM, AND SINCE I'VE BEEN IN EDR, YOU ADDRESSED, YOU BROUGHT UP THE ISSUE OF TEACHER PAY.
SOME PEOPLE ALREADY GET IT OUT OF THE MUD THERE, SHARON HILLS, WHEN I WENT THROUGH SHARON HILLS ONE DAY, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY CERTIFIED TEACHERS ON ONE HALL.
THEY HAD OTHER PEOPLE PLANNING STUFF FOR THE SUBSTITUTES.
THERE THAT'S A PROBLEM, BUT PEOPLE THINK IT'S OKAY TO TALK ABOUT THERE.
THE KIDS IN THEIR CIRCLE, YOU HAVE TEACHERS AT SCHOOLS THAT BRING SOAP AND WATER TO SCHOOL.
THEY BRING ADDITIONAL UNIFORMS TO SCHOOL.
THEY BRING TOOTHPASTE, TOOTHBRUSHES TO SCHOOL BECAUSE KIDS NEED HYGIENE PRODUCTS.
THEY KEEP FOOD IN THEIR DESK BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO FEED THEIR STUDENTS.
SO THOSE TEACHERS, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT NEED TO BE INCENTIVIZED.
THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT NEED TO BE PRAISED, PRAY, PRAISE ALL OF THEM.
BUT THOSE ARE GOING THE EXTRA MILE.
WE DISCUSSED GIVING INCENTIVES TO PEOPLE.
WE NEED TO GIVE INCENTIVES TO PEOPLE IN THE HARDEST AREAS AND PEOPLE CAN'T NECESSARILY CHOOSE WHERE THEY WANT TO GO.
WHEN THEY ARE A PUBLIC SERVANT, THIS IS A CENTRALIZED SCHOOL DISTRICT.
MORE THAN 80% OF THE CHILDREN IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
AND THEIR PARENTS SOMETIMES CAN'T COME TO THESE MEETINGS BECAUSE OF SYSTEMIC ISSUES BEYOND THEIR CONTROL.
THOSE PARENTS CAN NOT BE PUT TO THE SIDE, JUST BECAUSE SOME PARENTS HAVE THE ABILITY TO COME AND SIT IN A FIVE-HOUR MEETING.
THEIR VOICES SHOULD NOT BE SILENCED.
AND OUR FOCUS SHOULD BE CHILDREN WITH THE GREATEST NEED.
IF WE SIT AND WE FIGHT FOR TWO HOURS OVER IT'S KIDS HAVING TEACHERS IN A CLASSROOM, WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO THOSE CHILDREN? WHAT DOES THAT, HOW DID THAT MAKE THOSE CHILDREN FEEL? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I THINK ABOUT.
I'M A STRAIGHT A STUDENT AT A, MY HIGH SCHOOL.
I SUPPORT THE IMPACT LETTER, AND I THINK THIS WOULD'VE LOVED THE PLAYING FIELD FOR ALL SCHOOLS.
TEACHERS SAY ABOUT THE NORTH BATON ROUGE SCHOOLS, BUT THEY ARE FAILING TO REALIZE NORTH BEND, WHICH STUDENTS MAKE A LARGE AMOUNT OF STUDENTS AT THE HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS.
GIVE US THE SAME CHANCE YOU ARE GIVING THE OTHER KIDS.
I WORKED FOR STANFORD CHILDREN, AND I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THIS FOR 10 YEARS, YOU KNOW? AND WHEN I WANT TO COME IN THIS BOARD, I BELIEVE ME.
I MEAN, EVERYTHING'S, Y'ALL DOING I'M HAPPY DIAGNOSIS.
AND I HEAR THE PARENTS TALK ABOUT SHIT.
WOULDN'T HAVE COME TO NORTH BATON ROUGE, COME TO NORTH BATON ROUGE.
I MEAN, THAT'S ALL I GOT TO SAY, COMING TO NORTH BATON ROUGE.
I MEAN, PICK A SCHOOL, PICK ANY ONE, PICK ANY ONE CAP, MITRE PARK ELEMENTARY CAPITOL, MIDDLE KEVIN HIGH.
THAT'S NOT EVEN A DISTRICT YET.
I MEAN, TAKE YOUR PICK A STROMA HIGH.
WE WERE IN ELEMENTARY CLAYBORNE AND MYSTERY SLASH HOULE, PAUL LITTLE TINY SCHOOL, EVA SCOTLANDVILLE.
I MEAN, MAN, THESE KIDS, THESE SCHOOLS HAVE SO MANY ON CERTIFIED TEACHERS JUST DON'T MAKE NO SENSE.
YOU KNOW? AND I'M NOT THROWING ROCKS AT NOBODY CABINET.
I FEEL LIKE YOU, OH, YO DOC, UH, DIAGNOSES, UH, APOLOGY, BECAUSE THIS WAS GOING ON WAY
[04:15:01]
BEFORE HIM.WHEN YOU SAY IT AND I'M LIKE, WHAT MEAN BELIEVING THAT I GOT, I GOT CAUGHT UP IN THIS BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO DO THE BEST FOR THE KID KIDS IN MY COMMUNITY.
SO I HAD TO FIGURE IT OUT EVE.
CAUSE I USED TO COME IN AND ASK QUESTIONS.
NOBODY WOULDN'T TELL ME NOTHING.
AND THEN WHEN HE TOLD ME STUFF THAT HE WAS LYING TO ME OR LEAVE ME SOMEWHERE SO I CAN GO OUT THAT DOOR AND DON'T COME BACK AGAIN.
OH, THEY WILL TELL ME EVERYTHING.
IT'S LIKE, WE HAVE TWO GIANTS FIGHTING AGAINST EACH OTHER.
EVR SCHOOLS DOESN'T FEEL LIKE THEY'RE JUST BIGGER THAN THE STATE.
THIS IS THE STATE CAPITOL WE DON'T HAVE TO DO WITH THE STATE.
WHY WOULD THEY SAY, DUDE? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? COME ON, MAN.
IF YOU GO TO BURGER KING, DO YOU TAKE PEOPLE WANT, I MEAN, I'M NOT TRYING TO BE FUNNY.
BURGER KING MCDONALD'S I HOP, YOU CAN NAME A LOT OF PLACES THAT PEOPLE WORK AT THAT THEY HAVE TO COMPROMISE.
AND I MEAN, DON'T GET ME WRONG.
IT'S NOT TEACHING, BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.
WHEN, WHEN ERIC HALON LEFT, WHATEVER DOCTOR FEELS LIKE, I'M NOT GONNA MISS A FEW MINUTES IN BATON ROUGE.
I'M NOT GONNA TAKE CARE OF THEM.
WELL, THAT'S HOW I FEEL WHEN THE TEACHERS SAY THEY DON'T WANT TO COME AND KNOCK BATON ROUGE AND DON'T I HEAR IT.
I GO TO THESE SCHOOLS, I HEAR IT.
SO COME ON, COME ON, DO YOUR JOB.
I DON'T HAVE CHILDREN IN THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM.
UH, I WAS NOT RAISED IN ANY OF THESE SCHOOLS.
UM, FEW WEEKS AGO, I WOULDN'T HAVE CONSIDERED MYSELF A STAKEHOLDER IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.
I, UH, LIVE, UH, FAIRLY CLOSE TO THE DILAPIDATED BROADMORE SCHOOL.
UH, OF COURSE MY COMMUNITY IS MY CONCERN.
UM, AND WANT TO SEE SUCCESS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
HOW DID THIS BECOME MY BUSINESS? WELL, IN MY HOUSEHOLD, THERE WAS A BRAND NEW SHINY VELOCITY OF MUSIC, EDUCATION, DOCTORAL DEGREE FROM LSU.
MY SPOUSE HAS BEEN A VISITING INSTRUCTOR AT LSU FOR THE PAST YEAR.
WE TALK ABOUT THE PROSPECT AND WHAT WE'RE DOING TO RECRUIT IN, IN THIS, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND THIS IS HOW IT BECAME, I BECAME A STAKEHOLDER OTHER THAN JUST WANTING TO SEE MY COMMUNITY SUCCEED RECRUITING.
LET'S TALK ABOUT RECRUITING AN ABR.
I GOT A PARTNER RIGHT NOW, A WIFE, A SPOUSE.
WHO'S IN THE JOB MARKET WITH A BRAND NEW PHD.
HOW ATTRACTIVE IS EAST? BATON IS VERY HARD SALE.
NOW TO SUGGEST THAT TEACHERS DON'T SPEND NIGHTS, EVENINGS, WEEKENDS, THAT THEY'RE NOT PASSIONATE, THAT THEY'RE IN THERE FOR THE MORNING.
WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO ATTRACT SOMEBODY WITH A BRAND NEW PHD WHO IS PASSIONATE ABOUT TEACHING TO COME TO EAST BATON ROUGE.
WHEN YOU COME UP WITH THINKING, ANSWER, YOU TELL ME NEXT.
UM, IF YOU BREAK YOUR WRIST, IT NEEDS TO BE HEALED.
WE HAVE A LOT OF BROKEN SCHOOLS, BUT YOU DON'T HEAL THAT RISK BY BREAKING EVERY SINGLE BONE IN YOUR BODY.
THAT'S JUST GOING TO KILL THE BODY.
THE TRANSFER PERIOD OPENED IN 514, NINE PEOPLE SIGNED UP THAT ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE AN EFFECTIVE WRITING, TO SIGN UP.
THEY WANTED TO MOVE AND WE COULD HAVE GONE TO THOSE PEOPLE AND SAID, HEY, WE REALLY NEED HELP AT THESE SCHOOLS.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO TO ONE OF THESE TWO SCHOOLS, GIVING THEM AN ACTION OF TWO? I NEVER TELL Y'ALL TO GET MONEY THAT WE DON'T HAVE IT.
I'M ALWAYS TELLING YOU DON'T GIVE NO MONEY, BUT THESE HARD TO STAFF SCHOOLS, THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN THERE JUST LIKE WHEN WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH MATH OR SCIENCE TEACHERS.
AND WE CREATED AN INCENTIVE TO GET PEOPLE TO MAJOR IN MATH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION.
AND WE GAVE THEM MONEY BECAUSE WE HAD TOO MANY SOCIAL STUDIES IN ELA TEACHER, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH MATH AND SCIENCE.
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HAVE BEEN PUTTING IN THE
[04:20:01]
WORK AT THOSE SCHOOLS GIVE THEM A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN THERE.THEY'VE BEEN PUTTING IN THE WORK AT THOSE SCHOOLS THAT NOT EVERY TEACHER IS GOING TO AGREE WITH IT.
BUT GUESS WHAT? I'M GONNA BE ALL RIGHT, IN EFFECT ON IT, THEN YOU A PRAYER.
YOU MAKE A COMMITMENT FOR THREE YEARS BECAUSE STATISTICALLY, IT'S GOING TO TAKE AT LEAST THREE YEARS TO SHOW SOME GROWTH.
YOU MOVE TO THOSE HARD TO STAFF SCHOOLS.
NOW SOME OF THESE SCHOOLS ARE HARD TO STAFF BECAUSE THE PRINCIPAL IS THE PREP.
THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR FACILITY AND YOU GOT A TURNOVER, RIGHT? WITH 15 PEOPLE LEAVING A YEAR.
SHOULDN'T BE THAT MANY PEOPLE LEAVING FROM ONE SCHOOL.
THE PROBLEM IS THE PRINCIPAL ALSO POSITIONS WERE LOST.
ANOTHER SCHOOL PARK FORCE LOST 15.
WELL PARK, FOREST DON'T NEED TARA LOST 17.
YOU TOOK A PIECE FROM A SCHOOL.
AND YOU PUT IT AT AN A MAGNET.
THAT'S YOU JUST MOVING PEOPLE AROUND.
ALSO PEOPLE TEACH CERTAIN LEVELS.
IF YOU ARE A HIGH SCHOOL, AP, WHY DON'T YOU MOVE THAT PERSON TOO ELEMENTARY, LOWER ELEMENTARY.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM BABIES AND LIKE MY OWN BIOLOGICAL CHILDREN.
I TELL HIM, OH, I'M GOING BACK TO MY MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I LOVE MIDDLES TO SAY, GIVE ME SEVENTH GRADE ALL DAY.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO HIGH SCHOOL.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO ELEMENTARY.
PEOPLE HAVE LEVELS THAT THEY TEACH.
UH, ORIGINALLY I HAD NOT PLANNED ON SPEAKING, BUT AFTER HEARING SOME OF THE, UM, INCOHERENT, UH, THINGS ABOUT THIS TRANSFER, UH, I FELT LIKE I NEEDED TO SAY SOMETHING.
FIRSTLY, OF COURSE, ON BEHALF OF THE PARENTS OF THE, OF APPEARING UNION AND THEN ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY THAT I CONTINUALLY RESIDE IN AND EVEN OCADO ISN'T MUCH BETTER.
I CHOOSE TO STAY HERE WITH THAT BEING SAID, I HAVE A LITTLE BROTHER.
I'M NOT A TEACHER, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING TO HAPPEN, YOU DON'T FORCE IT.
I BELIEVE MS. MATTHEW SAID IT WAS FIVE HUNDRED, FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY NINE.
SO INSTEAD OF THE SUPERINTENDENT GOING AROUND BUILDING TRUST, BUILDING TRUST, HE WENT AND SAID, I'M MOVE YOU HERE.
YOU HEAR MY MOVIE, YOU HEAR MY MOVIE.
YOU HEAR WE HAD A 550 PERSON LIST TO MOVE AROUND.
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK THE EASIEST THING TO GET PEOPLE, TO DO SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT THEM TO DO.
YOU DON'T TELL THEM, YOU ASK THEM ANDY LITTLE SHOOK ON IT.
WE TALKED ABOUT EQUITY TONIGHT.
REAL EQUITY IS ABOUT RESOURCES.
AND AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, MAGICALLY WE'VE RUN OUT OF MONEY.
IF WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO TALK ABOUT EQUITY AND PUT SOME PUNCH BEHIND OUR WORDS, WE DON'T DRAIN OUR SCHOOL FUNDS.
WE'LL USE THAT MONEY TO ACTUALLY ENFORCE EQUITY AND GET ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED SO THAT WE CAN ATTRACT TEACHERS AND ATTRACT THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND I, AND OF THEM BACK HOME, WHERE THEY BELONG.
I WOULD ASK YOU ALL A SIMPLE QUESTION.
HOW FAR, HOW FAR ARE YOU ALL WILLING TO GO BEFORE WE PUT AN END TO THIS ADMINISTRATION DISMANTLING EVERY FIBER OF THIS SYSTEM? HOW FAR WILL WE GO AND ALLOW THIS ADMINISTRATION TO HURT OUR CHILDREN? I'VE HEARD PEOPLE COME BEFORE THIS PODIUM AND STAND IN THE OTHER ARENAS AND STAND IN SUPPORT OF SUCH A HORRENDOUS AGENDA.
AND WHAT SICKENS ME THE MOST IS WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE STANDING IN SUPPORT OF SOMETHING THAT THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.
HOW DO I KNOW THAT? BECAUSE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT
[04:25:01]
IT.AT WHAT COST, WHAT'S THE GOING RATE FOR SELLING OURSELVES TO THE DEVIL THESE DAYS.
AT WHAT POINT ARE WE GOING TO TAKE BACK OURSELVES? YOU TALK ABOUT NORTH BATON ROUGE, YOU TALK ABOUT EQUITY.
AND THIS IS GOING TO HELP SCHOOLS IN NORTH BATON ROUGE.
WE'RE GOING TO PUT TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS BACK IN NORTH VETERANS.
BUT I HAVE SCHOOLS IN NORTH BATON ROUGE THAT I'M IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH CONSTANTLY HELPING AND SUPPORTING THEM.
AND THOSE SCHOOLS ARE LOSING ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS.
THEY'RE LOSING THEIR DEANS OF STUDENTS.
HOW ARE WE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO SUPPORT THOSE PRINCIPALS? HOW ARE THEY EXPECTED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN THEIR CAPACITIES? AND THEY'RE NOT ADEQUATELY SUPPORTED BY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MEANT TO SUPPORT THEM AT THIS CENTRAL OFFICE.
HOW IT'S, IT'S A SAD DAY IN THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE.
WHEN WE START TO DISCOUNT THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY HAIL IN THE FUTURE OF THIS SOCIETY.
PEOPLE COME UP HERE WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION TALKING ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
I NEVER SEEN YOU IN THE COMMUNITY BEFORE.
YOU DON'T WALK THROUGH THE PARK.
YOU DON'T WALK THROUGH EITHER TOWN.
YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL I'M TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW.
THE REALITY IS IT'S ABOUT THESE CHILDREN.
IT'S ABOUT CHILDREN THAT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ADDICTED TO DRUGS.
IT'S ABOUT CHILDREN WHO ARE RAISED IN SINGLE PARENT HOUSEHOLDS WHO DON'T KNOW THEIR FATHER, WHOSE MOTHER IS WORKING AT MCDONALD'S MAKING MINIMUM WAGE, BARELY MAKING ENDS MEET.
AND THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO COME TO A SAFE HAVEN AT SCHOOL AND LEAVE INSPIRED AND ENCOURAGED AND EMPOWERED AND LOOK FORWARD TO COMING BACK THE NEXT DAY.
BUT THE REALITY IS WE ARE CREATING ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN TO BE POTENTIALLY UNSAFE AND UNDERSERVED AND UNDER EDUCATED BY THIS PLAN MEMBERS.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO SAY NO TO THIS.
AND IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO TELL THIS ADMINISTRATION WHO WORKS FOR YOU, THAT WE'RE NOT GONE WITH THIS.
I AM THE PARENT OF THREE MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES.
AND YOU CAN MAKE WHATEVER, ANY ASSUMPTIONS YOU WANT BASED ON MY PIGMENTATION, BUT I DO LIVE IN NORTH BATON ROUGE.
UM, MR. ALISON DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT NOT GETTING RECORDS FROM THIS ADMINISTRATION.
THEY ROUTINELY VIOLATE PUBLIC RECORDS LAW.
SO I HAVE TO POINT OUT THAT WHEN THERE'S A SLIDE THAT SAYS THERE WERE 236 POSITIONS AND THAT'S LESS THAN 1% OF THE TEACHERS.
IF THE PEOPLE MAKING THIS, UM, RE WRITING THE POWER POINT MUCH LESS PRESENTED OR IMPOSING, THIS PLAN ARE THAT INCOMPETENT.
THEY SHOULDN'T BE IN CHARGE OF PEOPLE'S FUTURES.
I NOTICED ON THE SLIDE, THERE WERE, UH, ALLEGEDLY ZERO IMPACTS AT MAYFAIR.
THAT WAS A QUICK ADJUSTMENT FROM THE REAL NUMBER OF THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY GOT IMPACT NOTICES.
I MEAN, I HATE THE MAYFAIR MODEL TOO, BUT IT IS THE MODEL AND PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR THAT AND YOU DON'T JERK THEM AROUND AFTER THEY CAN'T GET INTO WHATEVER OTHER SCHOOLS THEY WANT TO.
IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WAY SCHOOLS ARE STAFFED, YOU'RE A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT, THE SUPERINTENDENT IS SETTING POLICY.
THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO WORK.
YOU GUYS HAVE THIS ALL COMPLETELY FREAKING BACKWARDS.
EITHER YOU CONTROL WHAT HE DOES OR IF HE WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL HIM TO DO, YOU FIRE HIM.
AND HE SENT HIM BACK TO MARYLAND WHERE IT STILL HAS A DRIVER'S LICENSE, EVEN THOUGH HE ALSO HAS A LOUISIANA DRIVER'S LICENSE, YOU SEND THEM BACK TO HIS HALF MILLION DOLLAR HOUSE IN BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND, WHERE HE HAS A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
EVEN THOUGH HE ALSO HAS ONE IN BATHROOM TO THE AGENDA.
YOU CAN'T BACON, A BUNCH OF CAKES WITH HALF AS MANY EGGS AS YOU NEED IN EACH ONE.
YOU DON'T WANT TO BREAK EVERY BONE.
SO YOU NOTICE THE ONE THAT'S BROKEN.
[04:30:01]
THERE IS NOTHING IN WHAT WAS PRESENTED TONIGHT.THAT IN ANY WAY IMPROVES THE SITUATION OF KIDS IN NORTH BATON ROUGE IN IMPOVERISHED SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TEACHERS THAT'S ADDRESSED BY THIS PLAN.
LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, AND THEN FIX THE PROBLEM.
LET'S NOT LET SOMEBODY FROM OUT-OF-STATE COME IN AND SMASH, EVERYTHING, BREAK, EVERYTHING HE POSSIBLY CAN BEFORE HE RUNS OFF AND TAKES ANOTHER JOB.
HE'S ALREADY BEEN HERE ALMOST AS LONG AS HE WAS IN DC.
I THINK YOU SHOULD DO YOUR JOB AS A BOARD AND SEND HIM ONTO HIS NEXT ASSIGNMENT.
YOU'VE BEEN AT MY SCHOOL SEVERAL TIMES.
MY NAME IS TAMARA ESPINOSA AND I WORK AT MARY DALE ELEMENTARY, UM, THIS YEAR, THE DEAN OF STUDENTS, BUT I DON'T SERVICE THAT WAY, BUT I WON'T HAVE A JOB THERE NEXT YEAR BECAUSE I WAS IMPACTED AS A DEAN OF STUDENTS AT MARY DALE ELEMENTARY.
I SERVE AS THE 5 0 4 AND ESS AS WELL AS ESL CHILDREN.
I ALSO SUPPORT IN THE CLASSROOM CAUSE I KNOW PEOPLE ARE SAYING AND I'VE HEARD BY THE WAY, I HAVE WORKED TWO JOBS.
I LEFT MY JOB AT ALBERTSONS TONIGHT, CLOSE SEAFOOD EARLY TO GET HERE AFTER WORKING ALL DAY DOING, I WON A GRADUATION YESTERDAY AND TODAY AND DR.
NAZIS, I WROTE YOU A LETTER AND YOU SENT MY LETTER.
CAUSE I SAID, PLEASE RECONSIDER.
NOT BECAUSE I'M THINKING I DON'T WANT TO WORK AT DUKE FROG.
I'M ALREADY IN NORTH BATON ROUGE OR MY LIVE THERE.
I WAS HERE WHEN THE FLOOD HAPPENED.
I WAS, I STOOD HERE BEFORE, WHEN THE IMPACT CAME UP BEFORE, WHEN IT WAS MR. DRAKE SITTING THERE AND I SAID, I GOT THREE KIDS WITH BRACES.
WHAT ARE YOU ON? DO MAKE UP YOUR MIND.
CAUSE I NEED TO KNOW IF I HAVE MY JOB.
IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER ME, YOU REMEMBER ME NOW, DON'T YOU CONNIE.
NRCS, YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO MARY DALE.
YOU HAVEN'T SET FOOT ON OUR CAMPUS.
YOU'VE COME TO READ BOOKS AND A DR.
WHEN ELSE HAVE YOU COME TO REALLY SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING? YOU TALK ABOUT EQUITY.
HOW WAS THAT EQUITY? WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO LEAVE THE PRINCIPAL WITH 255 STUDENTS, NO SOCIAL WORKER, NO DEAN, NO AP A HALF PART-TIME GUIDANCE COUNSELOR, A PART-TIME CLERK TO RUN A BUILDING.
SO COUNSELORS DON'T DO SBLC THAT'S MY JOB STATE TOOK THAT AWAY.
THE COUNSELORS DON'T DO 5 0 4 ESS A PER-PUPIL APPRAISAL ESL SUPPORT.
SO WHO ELSE, WHO ELSE IS GOING TO DO IT? YOU TALK ABOUT YOU IMPACTED 230 PEOPLE, BUT WHY WAS MY JOB? AND ALL THE OTHER ELEMENTARY DEANS THAT ARE DOING WHAT I DO EVERY DAY IMPACTED AS WELL.
I JUST WANT TO ANSWER TO THAT.
SO NO ONE YOU TALKED ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
YOU TALKED ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL, BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL ELEMENTARY BABIES? I'M THERE WITH THEM EVERY DAY.
I REACH MORE STUDENTS EVERY DAY AS A DEAN THAN I EVER WILL IN A CLASSROOM.
I HAVE NOT ONE BUT FIVE CERTIFICATIONS.
I AM CERTIFIED FOR ONE THROUGH EIGHT.
I AM CERTIFIED IN FOUR THROUGH EIGHT ELA.
I AM CERTIFIED TO TEACH ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE.
I AM CERTIFIED AS THE LOUISIANA CONTENT LEADER.
CAUSE I WENT THROUGH THE TRAINING.
I AM ALSO CERTIFIED TO BE A PRINCIPAL IN THIS, ANY DISTRICT I CHOOSE.
AND THAT IS NOT JUST IN LOUISIANA.
HI TONYA AND AM IN TWO KIDS AND HIS SPANISH PARISH SCHOOLS.
UM, I JUST, UM, I KNOW THAT I CAN'T REALLY SAY A GREAT DEAL COHERENTLY IN THREE MINUTES OR LESS THAN I DON'T HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF EXPLAINING AT LENGTH.
I WANT TO DRAW EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION TO THE WAY IN WHICH WE ARE PREVENTED FROM CREATING AN EQUITABLE SYSTEM IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE ARE PREVENTED FROM DOING THAT IS BECAUSE OF OUR FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM, WHICH IS DEPENDENT UPON RACIALLY AND CULTURALLY DISCRIMINATORY, STANDARDIZED TESTS TO UNFAIRLY RANKED TEACHERS.
ALL RIGHT, WE GOT ALL WE GOT UP.
WE GOT IT IS JERMAINE, RIGHT? OKAY.
I WAS SAYING SO YOU CAN CARRY ON, YOU GOT TO LEVEL DOWN.
SO I JUST, WE NEED TO FOCUS OUR ENERGIES.
AND I'M SPEAKING TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS AND CONCERNED COMMUNITY
[04:35:01]
MEMBERS.WE GOT TO IDENTIFY THOSE POLICIES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT INTO PLACE AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO SET UP THE SYSTEM TO FAIL SO THEY CAN PRIORITIZE IT, WHICH IS ANOTHER WAY TO UNDERMINE THE VOTING RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND IT IS NO ACCIDENT THAT THOSE SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO TARGET HIGH POVERTY DISTRICTS, WHICH ARE BECAUSE OF LOUISIANA'S RACIST HISTORY, PREDOMINANTLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
WE ARE REINSTATING JIM CROW, ERA STYLE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES IN THIS PARISH AND IN THIS STATE AND ACROSS THIS NATION, BY THESE DETAILED MY NEW HSA POLICIES THAT NOBODY WANTS TO PAY ATTENTION TO, BUT THIS IS HOW THEY HAVE THAT EFFECT.
AND IT IS ALL WE HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE PEOPLE WHO PROFIT FROM THOSE AND THOSE PEOPLE THAT PROFIT FROM IT, THE WAY IN WHICH THEY POUR MONEY, OUR SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS TO HELP PEOPLE GET ELECTED, WHO WHETHER WITH GOOD INTENTIONS, BUT JUST CLUELESS OR WHETHER THEY JUST WANT TO GET THEIR HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR TOO, THAT WE HAVE GOT TO DO SOMETHING TO RESTORE INTEGRITY TO THE DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS AND TO RESTORE THAT TO THE SYSTEM SO THAT WE CAN INDEED HAVE THE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL CHILDREN IN THIS SYSTEM THAT THEY DESERVE.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT, ALL SAT MOST READY TO SAY GOODNIGHT.
AND INSTEAD OF THAT EVENING, MY NAME IS PATTY MERRICK.
AND I'M GOING TO SPEAK AS A RETIREE AND THERE 33 YEARS IN THE SYSTEM.
AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON BECAUSE IT'S ALMOST LIKE PEOPLE WHO SIT HERE AS A BOARD AND NOT THIS BOARD IS OUT TO THIS STORY BR I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU BACK WITH HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF WHAT HAS BEEN DONE WITH EBR BOARD.
NOW I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO WHEN THERE WAS A RIFF IN 1976 FOR EBR TOOK TEACHERS WHO HAD MASTER DEGREES OUT OF SCHOOLS THAT WERE PREDOMINANTLY BLACK AND PLACED US IN SCHOOLS THAT WERE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE THEM BY THE BOARD, WE WERE MOVED AND DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.
THEN YOU STILL ARE OPERATE UNDER SOMETHING THAT WHEN JK HAYNES WAS ALIVE, YOU'RE OPERATING UNDER 60 40 FOR YOUR PRINCIPAL SHIFTS ANY BR AND YOU'RE STILL DOING IT.
THIS SYSTEM IS PREDOMINANTLY BLACK, BUT YOUR PRINCIPALS ARE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE AND YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED ANYTHING.
YOU STILL OPERATE IN THE SAME WAY.
AND YOU'RE STILL DOING THE SAME THING WITHIN THE SYSTEM.
AND YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING THAT'S HELPING.
AND YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE KIDS THAT ARE HERE IN THE SYSTEM THAT ARE PREDOMINANTLY BLACK.
NOW YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
WE MAKE TELEPHONE CALLS TO YOU.
AND I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE YOU, YOU CAN'T SEE YOU.
WE CAN'T MEET WITH YOU NO MATTER WHAT THE ISSUE IS, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T SOLVE ANYTHING NOW WHAT I WANT AND WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.
WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE THESE TEACHERS OUT OF WHAT YOU HAVEN'T TOUCHED, BATON ROUGE, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE? IF YOU WANT TO CORRECT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, AND YOU SAY WHAT YOU CAN DO, TAKE TEACHERS FROM THERE AND PUT THEM IN THESE LOW PERFORMANCE TO TAKE THE PRINCIPLES THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DOING SO MUCH IN THESE HIGH PERFORMANCE AREA AND CHANGE THEM AND PUT THEM WHERE THERE'S LOW PERFORMANCE.
THEN IF THEY'RE SO GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO PUT IN THERE AND SEE KATE, THEY DO THE WORK THERE BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOOD, YOU GOTTA BE GOOD AT EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
WHAT I TALKED BECAUSE OF WHAT MY DEGREES WERE AND THEY PLACED ME THERE.
WE HAD TO PERFORM NOW, LET'S SEE YOU WANT EQUITY, MOVE THEM THE CORRECT WAY, MOVE THESE PRINCIPALS AROUND AND MAKE THEM DO THEIR JOB.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? HEY, JOSHUA POWER COALITION FOR EQUITY AND JUSTICE, UM, SERVE AS ONE
[04:40:01]
OF THEIR ORGANIZERS THAT WORKS CLOSELY WITH EDUCATORS, TEACHERS, AND EDUCATION ADVOCATE.UM, JUST TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR, WE ALL KNOW THAT EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WANTS EQUITY FOR ALL SCHOOLS, ALL STUDENTS ALL THE TIME.
UM, AND IT'S NOT HOW YOU, IT'S NOT WHAT YOU DO.
AND THE WAY THAT THIS WAS LAID OUT, CAUSED SO MUCH CHAOS AND CONFUSION THAT I UNDERSTAND WHY TEACHERS ARE BLOWING UP.
TEACHERS ARE HERE TONIGHT, FRUSTRATED BY THE PROCESS, AND THERE'S A HOST OF WAYS TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION.
UM, AND SO A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED ALL WEEK THAT I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, INFORM YOU OF TONIGHT ARE WHAT WAS DONE TO INCENTIVIZE TEACHERS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR TO STAY IN THE DISTRICT.
WHAT DID WE DO TO STAFF UP BY MAKING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM COMPETITIVE TO A LIVINGSTON, TO AN ASCENSION IN TERMS OF PAY EQUITY AND RAISING WAGES.
AS ON DAYDREAM, SALINAS WAS SAYING ELOQUENTLY EARLIER AND INCENTIVES FOR THE HARD TO STAFF SCHOOLS.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT A LOT TONIGHT.
UM, ALSO ANOTHER QUESTION WE HAVE IS IN THAT WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE ELL COUNSELOR POSITION IN THE CSM? WHY WAS THAT CUT? AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE TALKED ABOUT MATH COACHES BEING PLACED, BUT PRINCIPALS DIDN'T HAVE OPTIONS.
AND SO WE WANTED SOME CLARITY ON THAT AS WELL, AND JUST WANTED TO REITERATE, UM, WE ALL WANT EQUITY FOR ALL STUDENTS.
THE DISTRICT IS PREDOMINANTLY BLACK.
I WENT THROUGH THIS SYSTEM, MY SISTER WHO TALKED EARLIER, WENT THROUGH THIS SYSTEM.
WE DON'T BREAK EVERYTHING TO GIVE IT AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD.
WE RECTIFY IT BY ALLOWING EQUITY TO TAKE PLACE AT ALL SCHOOLS, BY GIVING EVERY SCHOOL TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
AND THAT SHE WAS JUST NOT THE WAY TO DO IT.
SEEING NO OTHER PUBLIC, UM, KNOWN YOU SHOULD'VE KNOWN LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST.
HOW ARE YOU DOING TONIGHT? BOARD MEMBERS, DR.
SAID OUR LIVES BEGIN TO END THE DAY.
WE BECOME SALUD ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTER.
WHAT MATTERS RIGHT NOW IS THE CHILDREN.
AND IF YOU HAD NOTICED MY CHILD TRYING TO COME IN HERE BECAUSE THE STUDENTS AND THE ESS DEPARTMENT IS ABOUT TO BE IMPACTED AND AFFECTED IN A MUCH, MUCH NEGATIVE WAY.
AND WHEN I SAY THAT, I SAY THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF STAFF MEMBERS IN ESS THAT ARE NOW HAVING TO REAPPLY FOR THEIR JOBS THAT WASN'T MENTIONED BY MS. SMITH OR THE OTHER LADY WITH HER.
IN ADDITION TO THEM, THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE HAVING TO REAPPLY FOR THEIR POSITIONS.
AGAIN, THAT WASN'T MENTIONED WHY DR.
ALSO SAID, YOU CAN KILL THE DREAMER, BUT YOU CAN'T KILL THE DREAM, BUT WE KILL THE DREAM.
AND THE DREAM WAS, THOSE CHILDREN WITH ESS WILL NOT HAVE A FUTURE, NOR WILL THEY HAVE RELATED SERVICES BECAUSE OH, EVERY SINGLE RELATED SERVICE IS BEING IMPACTED IS BEING IMPACTED BY THIS.
WE'RE GOING TO BUY LATE LAWS, STATE LAWS, AND FEDERAL, BECAUSE WHAT'S NOT BEING STATED ABOUT THIS STAFFING MODEL IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO CHANGE THE RATIO OF TEACHER TO ESL STUDENTS.
LOUISIANA LAWS SAY THAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE TO SEVEN.
ACCORDING TO THIS PLAN, IT'S GOING TO BE ONE OF 15.
ALSO SAY, BE THE PEACE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THIS WORLD.
TRUE PEACE ISN'T THAT, THAT IT'S NOT MERELY THE ABSENCE OF TENSION.
IT IS THE PRESENCE OF JUSTICE.
WHERE'S THE JUSTICE FOR THE STAFF.
AND WHERE IS THE JUSTICE FOR THE STUDENTS? BECAUSE EVERY STUDENT EVERY DAY IS GOING TO BE AFFECTED IN A NEGATIVE WAY, WHICH MEANS THAT EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE OF US, SOME OF Y'ALL ARE GETTING MUCH OLDER THAN ME IS GOING TO HAVE TO NEED THESE STUDENTS TO BE YOUR CAREGIVERS, YOUR BANKERS, YOUR LAWYERS, ET CETERA, BUT THEY NOT GOING TO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE.
KNOWLEDGE IS SOMETHING WE ABOUT TO LOSE BECAUSE THEY HAVE OTHER SYSTEMS IN THE STATE THAT'S WILLING TO PAY A HIGHLY QUALIFIED STAFF.
WE HAVE CERTIFIED INDIVIDUALS HERE, CHARTER SCHOOLS DON'T.
AND IF WE LOSE THEM TO THEM, THAT MEAN WE'RE GOING TO LOSE MORE BODIES, WHICH MEANS YOU AS A BOARD, WON'T HAVE A JOB.
SO LIKE BAKER, WHICH IS LOSING FUNDING DUE TO CHARTER TAKEOVER AND SAY, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY WANT? BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE CHILDREN NEED, UH, CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING AND OUR CHILDREN ARE GONNA HURT EVEN MORE.
WE LOOK AT, WE LOOK AT THE TREE THAT SUFFER, BUT WE NEVER LOOK AT THE SOIL THEY PLANTED IN YOU ALL THE SOUL IS A DEAD.
SEE, NO FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENT BACK TO THE BOARD.
[04:45:01]
UM, I WANT TO GO AHEAD AND, UH, GET A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON THE RECORD.UM, HELP ME JESUS WITH A STORE.
UM, I JUST WANT TO MENTION THAT, UM, I HAVE CONCERN AND I KNOW MANY PEOPLE ARE SPEAKING FROM VERY SINCERE PLACES.
SO WHEN I SAY THIS, I'M NOT, UH, I'M NOT TRYING TO SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT ANY PARTICULAR PERSON THAT SAID ANYTHING.
UH, BUT I DO HAVE CONCERN AROUND PEOPLE EXPLOITING LEGITIMATE CONCERNS OF EQUITY EQUITY TO COVER SLOPPY WORK THAT WILL AMPLIFY OUR ALREADY DISGUSTING CIRCUMSTANCES.
THEY IS IN EQUITY, BUT I HAVE NOT HEARD ANY DATA PRESENTED AND I'M REQUESTING DATA.
AND I'M GOING TO CLARIFY AGAIN FOR DOUG, BECAUSE ANY TIME THE DATA THAT I WANT AND HOW I WANT IT.
SO THAT PERHAPS WHEN I ASKED FOR THIS DATA, MAYBE THE LACK OF PROOF TO RESOLVE, TO SHOW THAT SOME RESOLVE OF AN EQUITY IS TAKING PLACE MIGHT APPEAR.
UM, I HAVE ASKED FOR THAT SO MANY NOTES.
LET'S MAKE SURE I GET IT FOR YOU.
I HAVE ASKED FOR, AND THIS CAN BE PUT, UH, THE EASIEST WAY PROBABLY TO PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION TO ME.
STAFF IS TO LOOK AT THE BUDGET, UH, START WITH, BASED ON WHAT I'M ASKING.
START WITH THIS, UH, 2020 1 22 BUDGET, GO TO THE EACH SCHOOL'S PAGE WHERE WE HAVE ITEMIZED THE NUMBER OF STAFF PER STAFF TYPE, AND THEN IN WHAT ELSE, SPREADSHEET OR WHATEVER DOCUMENT I RECOMMEND A SPREADSHEET.
THEN YOU JUST MERELY ADD COLUMNS WHERE YOU CAN PLUG IN ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION, NUMBER ONE AT THE TOP, BY THE SCHOOL FOR ANYBODY THAT'S ABOUT THE NATURE OF BED SCHOOL SITE OR THE PROGRAMMING INDICATIONS OF ANY NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOOL MODEL.
SO THE LAB SCHOOL IS IT A MONTESSORI SCHOOL IS IN AN ALTERNATIVE ED SCHOOL FOR ACADEMICALLY STRUGGLING STUDENTS THAT NEED TO INTERVENE AND DOUBLE DOWN MORE THAN A TRADITIONAL SCHOOL WITH STRUGGLING STUDENTS, WHICH ALSO REQUIRE MORE, UH, A MUCH LOWER TEACHER TO STUDENT RATIO.
LET'S NOT FORGET THEM DEDICATED MAGNET FOCUS, SCOOP, OR WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS WITH PROGRAMS IN IT.
I, IE MAGNET PROGRAMS ON A TRADITIONAL SITE THAT REQUIRE UNIQUE STAFFING MODELS, ADJUDICATED YOUTH, MY, MY COLLEAGUES SAID ADD NOT THERE.
UM, BUT AT THE TOP, AT THE TOP, BY THE SCHOOL NAME, AND THIS SCHOOL IS A DEDICATED ACADEMIC MEDIC MAGNET.
THIS SCHOOL IS AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL THAT FOCUSES ON SPECIAL NEEDS, WHATEVER IT IS BEYOND TRADITIONAL, THEN I NEED THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED TO DAY, ACCORDING TO J CAMPUS, ADJACENT TO THAT, THE NUMBER OF PROJECTED STUDENTS, THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING, UH, EARLIER I SAW EMAIL OR SAW SOME DOCUMENTATION AND SAID, THIS IS HOW WE DETERMINED WHAT THE PROJECTED STUDENTS IS.
BUT LET ME KNOW HOW MANY I GOT TODAY.
CAUSE SOME PEOPLE BEING TOLD THEY PROJECTED AT FIVE, SOME FIVE, UH, FIVE 20, BUT THEN THEY REALLY ADD 5 97 CLOSE TO 600, WHICH IS THE DIFFERENCE OF WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE AN AP ON THE CAMPUS.
THEN THAT ACCORDING TO THE STAFF IN MY ALSO NEED AN ITEMIZED LIST OF THE NUMBER OF STAFF BY STAFF TYPE PRIOR TO BEING IMPACTED
[04:50:03]
AS WELL.LET'S SEE, MAKE SURE I READ IT AS PRIOR TO BEING IMPACTED AS WELL AS STUDENT IT'S.
OH, I SEE WHY I MESSED UP, BUT GAVE ME SCREENSHOTS OF MY OWN NOTES.
AN ITEMIZED LIST OF THE NUMBER OF STAFF BY STAFF TYPE PRIOR TO BEING IMPACTED AS WELL AS TEACHERS BY GRADE LEVEL AND SUBJECT AREA WHERE APPLICABLE, I NEED TO KNOW IF A SCHOOL HAS NO THIRD GRADE TEACHER OR THEY HAVE NO EIGHTH GRADE ENGLISH TEACHER ADJACENT TO EACH ITEMIZED STAFF, THE NUMBER OF STAFF AND PAY THAT INCLUDE FINAL TOTALS OF EACH.
SO IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME THAT YOU GIVE ME IN LUMP SUM SOME OF THESE INFORMATION I NEED TO SEE BY SCHOOL BECAUSE THEN I COULD SEE, OH, YOU PULLED FROM THE BATON ROUGE HIGH AND YOU GAVE TO PARK FOREST MIDDLE, OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
BUT I CAN'T SEE THAT IN WHAT YOU GAVE ME AND ITEMIZED LIST AND TOTAL NUMBER OF NEW POSITIONS AT EACH SITE, BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO ALREADY EXISTING VACANCIES, NOW WE HAVE NEW POSITIONS TO THAT POINT.
UM, AND TO THAT POINT WE PRESENT IN 311 TOTAL VACANCIES.
SOME OF THESE POSITIONS LIKE BRIGHT FUTURES, SOMETHING, SOMETHING COORDINATOR, WHATEVER IT IS, IS THAT AN ALREADY EXISTING POSITION OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD NEEDS TO VOTE ON? AND CAN WE START VOTING AS A BOARD ON THINGS BEFORE PEOPLE STARTED HIRING FOR POSITIONS? UM, 311 TOTAL VACANCIES WE ALREADY HAD ON JANUARY 5TH, 2020 TO 180 VACANCIES IS, AND WE WERE PASSING OUT ABOUT THAT WHEN WE WERE DEALING WITH THE VIRTUAL SCHOOL FIASCO.
AND NOT ONLY HAVE WE NOT RESOLVED OR I DON'T SEE ANY EVIDENCE OF RESOLVING ALREADY EXISTING VACANCIES, I SEE US ADDING TO OUR PROBLEM.
UM, LET'S MAKE SURE, LET'S SEE.
LET ME MAKE SURE I HAVE TOTAL NUMBER OF LITERACY COACHES CURRENTLY HIRED AND PROPOSED TOTAL NUMBER OF MATH COACHES CURRENTLY HIRED AND PROPOSED.
ADDITIONALLY, HOW WILL ORDINARY DAY-TO-DAY DISCIPLINARY ISSUES BE ADDRESSED AT SCHOOL SITES WITH NO APR DEAN? UH, LET ME GO TO MY NEXT SET OF QUESTIONS AND ALSO ADD TO THE COLUMN, ADD TO, YOU KNOW, ADD A COLUMN, USE THE BUDGET AS A GUIDANCE.
SO YOU WON'T BE CONFUSED ON WHAT I'M ASKING FOR AND A SIMPLE WAY FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO JUST GLANCE AND SEE THE INFORMATION I'M TRYING TO GET.
HOW MANY CERTIFIED FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES I FOR EACH SITE, BUT FOR NOW, UM, WE'LL NEED TWO COLUMNS.
ONE FOR FISCAL YEAR 21, 22 AND ONE FOR FISCAL YEAR 22, 23.
SIDE-BY-SIDE MAKES IT JUST SUPER SIMPLE.
NOW WHAT I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE, WHICH PROBABLY CAN NOT FIT ALL THESE SPREADSHEET, WHAT DATA WAS USED TO, UH, WHAT WAS REVIEWED IN TERMS OF ACADEMICS.
YOU HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL.
I WANT TO BELIEVE SINCE WE TALKING ABOUT EQUITY, THEN THAT MEANS WE ARE NOT TAKING A RIGID APPROACH AT APPLYING THE STAFFING FORMULA IS MORE OR LESS AS A GUIDANCE.
SO THEN DID YOU REVIEW EACH SCHOOL TYPE BASED ON DATA SUCH AS ACADEMIC NEEDS, SUCH AS DISCIPLINE RECORDS, SUCH AS PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT? OKAY.
IF SO, PLEASE PROVIDE THE DATA POINTS THAT YOU USE TO CONSIDER THESE THINGS.
UM, UH, WAS THE MODEL CREATED, DO WE USE EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH BASED STRATEGY AND DATA? OKAY.
UH, PLEASE PROVIDE SOME RATIONALE FOR HOW YOU CAME UP WITH THE MODEL.
AGAIN, I POINT TO MY LITTLE EXAMPLE OF, YOU KNOW,
[04:55:01]
NOT ALL SCHOOLS HAD READING COACHES AND THAT'S BECAUSE THERE WAS A FOCUS ON STRUGGLING SCHOOLS TO HAVE THOSE.NOW I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO APPROACH IT, BUT JUST HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAME TO YOUR DECISION.
UM, I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT, UM, YEAH, PRINCIPALS MAY HAVE HAD SOME INPUT ON WHAT THEY CHOSE, BUT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY HAVE ANY ROOM FOR TRYING TO POINT FINGERS ON WHY THEY CHOSE, WHO THEY CHOSE.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, SCHOOL SITE BUDGET HAS BEEN STRAINED FOR A LONG TIME.
WELL, BEFORE THIS SUPERINTENDENT GOT HERE, UH, FOR DECADES, EVEN, UH, WHETHER YOU TALK ABOUT MFP FUNDING IX OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
SO WHEN YOU SAY YOU GIVEN A, UH, PRINCIPAL OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE WHO THEY GOING TO PLUCK OFF THE STAFFING CHART THEY'VE BEEN PLUCKING.
AND SO THEN WHEN THEY HAVE TO MAKE A HARD DECISION, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY NEEDS TO BE PLAYING THE BLAME GAME.
I THINK WE JUST, YOU KNOW, THEY PUT, PUT IN THAT POSITION, BUT TO SAY IT AS F UH, WE GONNA PIT TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS AGAINST EACH OTHER.
AND I HOPE THAT'S NOT THE TONE THAT WE TAKE IN.
UM, OH, ONE OF THE SLIDES, ALL POSITIONS BEING IMPACTED AND CENTRAL OFFICE, YES.
PRESENT POSITIONS AT THE DISTRICT OFFICES ARE BEING IMPACTED AS WELL.
HUMAN RESOURCES IS CURRENTLY REVIEWING, IS CURRENTLY REVIEWING, IS CURRENTLY REVIEWING, IS CURRENTLY REVIEWING ME.
WE HIT FIRST, THE PEOPLE ON THE FRONT LINES, IN THE CLASSROOMS WITH OUR STUDENTS.
WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T RUN THROUGH THAT BEFORE, BEFORE WHAT DID WE DO? WE, WE DID THAT BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GOT, UH, THE COMPENSATION STUDY.
THAT'S STILL ONGOING, SO WE CAN WAIT FOR DISTRICT OFFICE TO SEE HOW WE GO CUT THEM, BUT WE'RE GOING TO JUST HIT THE, THE PEOPLE THAT'S TOUCHING THE STUDENTS DIRECTLY FIRST, WITHOUT ANY, ANY DATA.
NOW THERE MAY BE DATA, WHICH IS WHY I'M ASKING FOR IT.
I THINK, UH, THE MOST DISAPPOINTING, OKAY.
POINT OUT ONE MORE THING BEFORE I CLOSE.
UM, I NEED TO SEE WHAT DATA SHOWS THE ACTIONS TAKEN TO ADDRESS EQUITY PROBLEMS. SO, AND, AND SO I KIND OF MADE THAT POINT ALREADY, BUT I WANT TO ADD TO THAT THE POINT THAT WE HAD OUR OPPORTUNITIES TO REWARD TEACHERS AND STAFF, UH, WHEN WE HAD, BEFORE WE SPENT ALL OUR COVID DOLLARS WHERE WE REFUSE TO DO THAT, LIKE WE NEED TO RAISE THAT UP AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO NOT CUT STAFF OR IMPACT STAFF, WHATEVER WE WANT TO CALL IT, COME UP WITH INCENTIVES, WHETHER IT'S PUTTING TWO TEACHERS IN A CLASSROOM AT A STRUGGLING SCHOOL, JUST THE WAY, JUST LIKE BELFAIR WITH A SPECIAL MONTESSORI PROGRAM.
IT DO PROM WITH A SPECIAL MONTESSORI PROGRAM.
IT MAY FAN WITH A SPECIAL LAB PROGRAM.
WE HAD MONEY THAT WE COULD HAVE PUT EXTRA TEACHERS IN OUR STRUGGLING CLASSROOMS WITH COVID DOLLARS.
AGAIN, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TEMPORARY, BUT WE WERE ALSO SAYING SIMULTANEOUSLY THAT WE WERE TRYING TO ADDRESS LEARNING TIME LOSS.
SO TEMPORARY MONEY FOR A TEMPORARY ADDITION TO ADDITIONAL STAFF AS STRUGGLING SCHOOLS WAS ABSOLUTELY APPROPRIATE.
AND I WOULD ALSO HAVE LOVED TO SEE US FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAINTAIN EXTRA STAFF ON STRUGGLING SCHOOLS.
CAUSE IT'S JUST MAKES THE MOST SENSE.
AND I SAY THAT WITH FULL TRANSPARENCY, THAT MY GRANDSON IS ABOUT TO BE IN THE FIRST GRADE AT BELFAIR MONTESSORI.
I COULD STILL POINT IT OUT OKAY.
SCHOOLS NEED THE SAME KIND OF ATTENTION DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE THROW AWAY THE MODEL.
I WISH WE COULD HAVE MORE MONTESSORI SCHOOLS BECAUSE IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MODEL.
UM, AND, AND THE LAST THING I HAVE TO MENTION IS WHAT'S DISAPPOINTING FOR ME IS THAT WE WANT IT TO SOME PRINCIPALS IS ACTUALLY EXCITED ABOUT MOVING FORWARD BEFORE THEY GOT IMPACT LIPS.
CAUSE THEY WERE CORRALLED IN WITH ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND THEY WERE ASKED, WELL, WHAT'S GOING ON ON YOUR CAMPUS? WHAT IS IT THAT
[05:00:01]
YOU NEED? WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW, PRINCIPAL? SO-AND-SO YOU HAVE SUCH A, SUCH AN SM ACCESS STAFF, PERHAPS IF YOU WOULD MOVE AROUND THIS ONE AND THAT ONE OR THIS POSITION OR THAT POSITION.AND SOME OF THE PRINCIPALS SAID, GOSH, DARN IT.
THAT MAKES A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE.
EVERY PRINCIPAL WAS NOT UPSET TO MOVE STAFF AROUND.
WHAT THEY WAS SAD ABOUT WAS THEY GOT IMPACT LEVELS THAT LOOKED LIKE THEY EITHER HAD A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CONVERSATION, WAS COMPLETELY CONFUSED ABOUT THE CONVERSATION.
A LOT OF PRINCIPALS HAD, THERE WAS NO TRANSPARENCY WITH WHAT WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
AND WE GO ON ALL LIVES IN THE MIDDLE OF A NATIONAL TEACHER SHORTAGE.
I ATTEND BILLBOARD NEXT TO LSU.
YOU KNOW WHAT THE BILLBOARD SEE? I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S STILL UP THERE.
SOMEBODY TOLD ME WEST BATON ROUGE PARENTS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.
I SAW FORT WORTH, TEXAS FORT WORTH, TEXAS.
WE KIND OF IT TO MAKE DECISIONS THE WAY THAT WE MAKE A DECISIONS.
AND THAT LADY WHO SPOKE SO PASSIONATELY ABOUT BEING MOVED FROM A STRUGGLING SCHOOL, WITH ALL HER AMAZING CREDENTIALS TO A HIGHER PERFORMANCE SCHOOL, SHE IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.
SO THERE WERE COMMENTS EARLIER THAT PRINCIPALS AND EDS HAD A DECISION TO MAKE IN THIS PROCESS.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST IS WHO OF THOSE PRINCIPALS AND EDS, BECAUSE I WANT TO ACTUALLY TALK TO THEM PERSONALLY AND GET SOME FEEDBACK ABOUT HOW THOSE DECISIONS CAME UP FOR SAKE OF TRANSPARENCY, UH, AND ALSO FOR THE SAKE OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO CAUTION THE BOARD TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT CROSSING OVER IN THE PERSONNEL ISSUES AND DECISIONS.
AND THAT WOULD BE A PERSONNEL ISSUE, A DECISION.
SO WE WOULD NEED TO TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT I'M, I'M A CAUTION YOU ABOUT MOVING AHEAD WITH MEETING WITH PRINCIPALS ABOUT THOSE DECISIONS, UH, MR. LANDIS, AND WE CAN TALK MORE.
THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBER, GO DAY.
UH, JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK POINTS.
UH, I KNOW MANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS PROBABLY HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT, BUT THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR HAS BEEN, UH, PUBLISHED TO ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS.
AND IN THAT, UH, VICE-PRESIDENT COLLINS, I THINK YOU WILL FIND A GREAT DEAL OF THE INFORMATION YOU JUST ASKED ABOUT.
I READ IT PROVIDED TO ME IN A FORMAT THAT I REQUESTED BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT I NEED TO BE ABLE TO PERUSE IT WITH.
EASE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR CONSTITUENTS.
I'M FULLY AWARE OF EVERY RECEIPT.
I'M THE CHAIR OF THE MEETING AND I CAN INTERRUPT AS I SHOW PLEASE, BUT I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T NEED, DIDN'T NEED TO BE EXPLAINED WHAT I ALREADY SAID.
I WAS LETTING THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT THE PUBLIC, THAT THE, THE INFORMATION HAS BEEN PUBLISHED AND IS OUT THERE IN ADDITION TO WHAT VICE-PRESIDENT COLLINS HAS ASKED FOR.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE, BECAUSE JUST IMPACTED IS NOT NECESSARILY THE CORRECT OR NOT NECESSARILY THE FULL STORY, BECAUSE THERE ARE ALSO PEOPLE WHO ARE IMPACTED BECAUSE OF A LACK OF CREDENTIALS ARE TEACHING OUTSIDE OF THEIR CREDENTIAL AREA.
SO IF YOU HAVE SIX PE TEACHERS AT A SCHOOL AND FIVE OF THOSE GUIDE IMPACTED, IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE FIVE TEACHERS GOING AWAY FROM SCHOOL.
BUT I THINK WE NEED CONTEXT ON WHO WAS IMPACTED AND WHY, BECAUSE THERE, THERE COULD BE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE IT'S AN EDUCATIONAL ISSUE THAT THEY WERE IMPACTED AND NOT A STAFFING ISSUE FOR, FOR WHAT WAS ON THERE.
UM, LASTLY, UM, I WANT TO READ ONE OF THE EMAILS THAT I GOT FROM ONE OF MY PRINCIPALS.
AND I'M GOING TO BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO MENTION THE NAME OR ANYTHING OF THAT PRINCIPAL OR THE SCHOOL, BUT THIS IS JUST ONE.
AND I CA I'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ALL OF MY PRINCIPALS AND JUST ASKING HOW THINGS ARE GOING ON, MS. SHAMBLIN.
I WAS NOT ASKING ANYTHING SPECIFIC ABOUT ANYBODY, BUT THIS IS ONE EMAIL FROM ONE PRINCIPAL.
I FEEL THE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING MODEL IS FAIR, NECESSARY, AND EQUITABLE BECAUSE IT IS BASED ON STUDENT ENROLLMENT.
I AM VERY PLEASED THAT I WILL NOW BE ABLE TO HAVE A LITERACY COACH AND A MATH COACH, AS WELL AS AN ELL TEACHER.
THE NEED IS GREAT AT BLANK BLANK.
AND FOR YEARS, I WAS ALWAYS DENIED THESE POSITIONS BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE A D OR F SCHOOL.
HOWEVER, DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THE NEED IS GREATER THAN EVER.
THESE ADDITIONS WILL PROVIDE US WITH THE HUMAN
[05:05:01]
RESOURCES THAT WILL BE ESSENTIAL IN PRODUCING THE DESIRED ACADEMIC RESULTS.ALSO EVERY YEAR, THERE ARE TEACHERS WHO ARE IMPACTED AT BLANK BLANK DUE TO STUDENT ENROLLMENT CHANGES AND TEACHER RATIO AT EACH GRADE LEVEL.
AGAIN, I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE QUALITY AND STAFFING.
IF YOU NEED ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT ME.
SO THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE IS THIS IS NOT JUST ACROSS THE BOARD.
A LOT OF WORK WENT INTO THIS AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH.
HAVE WE DONE IT PERFECTLY? I SAID SAID ALL ALONG.
NO WE HAVEN'T, BUT AGAIN, WE GOTTA BE CAREFUL ABOUT THROWING OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATH WATER.
I THINK WE'RE MAKING SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AND I THINK WE'VE GOT A WHOLE TRUE THAT COURSE AND I JUST, WHERE WE MADE MISTAKES.
I'M NOT SAYING THIS PLAN IS PERFECT WHERE WE'VE MADE ISSUES OR WE HAVE MISTAKES WE NEED TO ADJUST, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE AS A BOARD NEED TO END UP GETTING BEHIND AND SUPPORTING AND MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
ARE WE GOING TO JUST STAY WHERE WE ARE? THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH BOARD MEMBER WHERE JACKSON, THANK YOU.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE THERE'VE BEEN SOME, SOME, A FEW GOOD THINGS, UH, THAT'S COME OUT OF THIS AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF, OF THE DOWN SIDES, UM, UH, HOW, HOWEVER, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SCHOOLS THAT ARE IMPACTED, UM, I'VE MADE SOME CALLS AROUND CAUSE WE GOT LIKE A LIST OF, UH, SCHOOLS AND IN WHICH POSITIONS WERE IMPACTED.
AND I WAS HEARING DIFFERENT NUMBERS FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, I CALLED AROUND AND IT WAS CHECKING ON A FEW THINGS.
UM, A LOT OF THE NUMBERS MATCHED AND, UH, SOME OF THEM DIDN'T, UH, SO, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT'S, IT SEEMED LIKE THE, THE, THE DEFINITION OF IMPACTED WAS KIND OF VERY, YOU KNOW, FROM CONVERSATION TO CONVERSATION.
UM, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE LIKE 17 PEOPLE IMPACTED IN A SCHOOL THAT'S ALREADY STRUGGLING.
UM, AND THEN THE NUMBER IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM, FROM WHAT WE RECEIVED IN OUR REPORTS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO DECIPHER, UM, WHERE THE REAL, REAL NUMBERS ARE.
AND, UM, AND WHEN I, WHEN I WAS ASKING, WHEN I ASKED FOR THIS PRESENTATION TO BE, UM, A SEPARATE ITEM, UH, I WAS ASKING FOR THAT BECAUSE THERE WAS SUCH AN OUTCRY FROM THE COMMUNITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, FROM PARENTS, ESPECIALLY ASKING FOR SOME KIND OF, UM, PRESENTATION ON THIS CAUSE THEY WERE GETTING ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT INFORMATION AND THE BOARD HADN'T RECEIVED ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEEDED TO, TO FULLY UNDERSTAND AND TO, TO TRY TO ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE WERE GETTING FROM, UM, FROM PEOPLE THAT, UM, THAT, THAT WE WORKING WITH ALL THE TIME AS WELL.
UM, THERE WAS SOME QUESTIONS AROUND WHAT OUR ROLES WERE IN, IN THE, IN THE PROCESS AND, UM, WHAT OUR POLICIES SAY ABOUT, UM, ABOUT THE, THE WHOLE, UM, THE WHOLE SITUATION, REALLY.
SO WHEN I ASKED FOR THIS TO BE PRESENTED, I WAS, I ALSO ASKED TO HAVE, UH, MR. SHAMBLIN JUST DO A LITTLE OVERVIEW OF ACT ONE AROUND OUR ROLES AS THEY CHANGED SO MUCH, A FEW YEARS AGO WHERE BOARD MEMBERS, UH, DON'T HAVE CERTAIN POWERS THAT WE USED TO HAVE.
AND THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS WHERE WE HAVE TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, TIPTOE CAREFULLY AND, AND ALL.
AND, UH, BUT THERE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE BOARD, UM, THE BOARD DOES HAVE, UH, SOME SAY AND BECAUSE ACT ONE WAS, WAS, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS SO MUCH STUFF AROUND IT THAT, UH, WE SORT OF STEPPED AWAY FROM A LOT OF THINGS.
SO MR. SHANNON, IF, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE, WOULD YOU JUST GIVE US A QUICK REVIEW OF, UH, OF SOME OF WHAT'S IN ACT ONE AND WHAT ARE, HOW OUR ROLES HAVE CHANGED AND WHAT THINGS WE, WE S WE ACTUALLY STILL DO HAVE OVERSIGHT OVER.
YES, MA'AM, I'LL BE BRIEF CONSIDERING TIME.
UM, AT ONE WAS, UH, ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE, REGULAR SESSION, 2012.
WE DID A LOT OF THINGS, BUT I THINK THE FOCUS NIGHT REALLY.
UM, AND I THINK THE QUESTION FROM THE COMMUNITY AND FROM THE BOARD HAS BEEN WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE, AND THE BOARD AND HOW DO THOSE ROLES DIFFER AND COMPLIMENT ONE ANOTHER WHEN IT
[05:10:01]
COMES TO STAFFING.SO THAT'S WHAT I'LL FOCUS ON BRIEFLY.
UM, UH, ACT ONE WAS CODIFIED IN, UH, REVISING, UH, REVISING REVISED STATUTE.
AND, UM, I'M HAVING IT PULLED UP HERE 1781.
AND THAT'S THE, THE STATUTE THAT TALKS ABOUT THE DUTIES OF THE BOARD.
UM, ESSENTIALLY, AND I'LL JUST SUM IT UP FOR YOUR NUTSHELL.
THE BOARD HAS THE AUTHORITY AND THE POWER TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS HIRED IN THE DISTRICT.
THAT INCLUDES A NUMBER OF TEACHERS AT A GIVEN SCHOOL SITE, THE TYPES OF POSITIONS, ET CETERA, SUPERINTENDENT IS GIVEN THE AUTHORITY BY THE BOARD BY LAW AND DELEGATED BY THE BOARD TO THEN FILL THOSE POSITIONS.
HE ALSO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ASSIGN TEACHERS ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
NOW THERE'S SOME CAVEATS THAT COME WITH THAT ASSIGNMENT AUTHORITY HE HAS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, UM, QUALIFICATIONS FOR PARTICULAR POSITIONS.
UM, EFFECTIVENESS IS SEVERAL THINGS MENTIONED.
SUPERINTENDENT MUST, MUST KEEP IN MIND WHEN HE CONSIDERS REASSIGNMENTS.
THERE'S ALSO SOME NOTICE REQUIREMENTS THAT NEED TO BE GIVEN TO TEACHERS.
UM, AND SO ESSENTIALLY TO SUM IT UP, THE BOARD HAS THE ABILITY TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF POSITIONS, THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS, THE TYPES OF TEACHERS BY SCHOOL, UM, UH, THE NATURE OF THOSE POSITIONS, THE SUPERINTENDENT DETERMINES HE FILLS THOSE POSITIONS.
HE DETERMINES WHO GETS THE JOB.
HE MAKES THE PERSONNEL DECISION DECISIONS.
HE HIRES, HE FIRES, EVALUATES.
UM, HE FURTHER DELEGATES THAT TO THE PRINCIPAL WHO CAN MAKE THAT DECISION WITHIN THE SCHOOL AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
SO IN A NUTSHELL, THAT IS WHAT THAT ONE DID.
IT, IT ACTUALLY PAIRED SOME AUTHORITY AWAY FROM THE BOARD AND GAVE THE SUPERINTENDENT, THE PERSONNEL DECISIONS, UM, OR THE AUTHORITY TO HA TO HANDLE THE PERSONNEL DECISIONS.
UM, THERE'S BEEN SOME TALK ABOUT, I THINK THERE WAS SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STAFFING MODEL, JUST TO CLARIFY, UH, THE STAFFING MODEL HAS BEEN USED BY THIS DISTRICT.
A STAFFING MODEL IS USED BY THIS DISTRICT OVER THE YEARS.
UM, I DID SOME RESEARCH, LOOKED THROUGH THE BOARD DOCS, WENT BACK ABOUT EIGHT, NINE YEARS.
UH, THE BOY TO MY KNOWLEDGE HAS NEVER APPROVED THE STAFFING MODEL.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE BOY CAN'T DO THAT AT THE REQUEST OF A BOARD MEMBER, BUT IT'S NEVER BEEN SOMETHING THE BOARD DOES.
STAFFING MODEL DOES NOT ASSIGN A TEACHER TO A SITE.
AND SO HISTORICALLY THE WAY IT'S BEEN USED IS THE STAFF WOULD DEVELOP A MODEL THAT THEY WILL USE TO GIVE, GIVE PRINCIPALS, SCHOOL LEADERS, ET CETERA, HEADS UP AS TO WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO IN THE COMING YEAR.
GENERALLY THOSE MODELS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AROUND, UH, EARLY SPRING WHEN WE'RE GOING INTO EARLY SPRING, UM, TO KIND OF GIVE STAFF A HEADS UP AND ADVANCE NOTICE OF WHAT WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT STAFFING MODEL PROPOSES THE BASIS FOR THE SUPERINTENDENTS, UM, PROPOSAL TO THE BOARD AS TO WHAT HE WOULD LIKE TO DO IN SCHOOL SPECIFICALLY.
AND THAT IS GENERALLY ILLUSTRATED IN THE BUDGET.
AND SO THE BOARD BASICALLY OPERATES, UM, ITS AUTHORITY THROUGH APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET.
MY UNDERSTANDING AT THE TALKING TO SOME OF THE STAFF IS THAT THE BUDGET ACTUALLY HAS A SECTION THAT DETAILS SPECIFIC STAFF ALLOCATIONS, POSITION ALLOCATIONS BY SCHOOL.
UM, AND I BELIEVE THIS YEAR, I BELIEVE THIS YEAR, MRS. UH, MS. LOPEZ WILL ACTUALLY DESIGN THAT SO THAT YOU COULD SEE DIFFERENCES TRACKED FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR TO THE CURRENT YEAR WHERE THE BOY'S AUTHORITY COMES IN AS IN THE APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET, WHICH APPROVES THOSE ALLOCATION SPECIFICALLY.
AND SO I SAY AT THE SAY, I WANTED THERE TO BE SOME, I THINK THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION, MAYBE NOT AROUND THE STAFFING MODEL VERSUS ACTUAL ALLOCATIONS.
THE MODEL IS USED TO PROPOSE THE ALLOCATIONS.
THE ALLOCATIONS ARE APPROVED BY THE BOARD THROUGH THE BUDGET.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO THAT SIMPLIFIES IT FOR YOU, BUT THAT IS ESSENTIALLY THE PROCESS.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S A VERY SMALL PART OF THE ACT WHEN IT DOES A BUNCH OF OTHER THINGS THAT AFFECT THE TEACHER TENURE, THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF EFFECTS THAT CAME OUT OF ACT ONE THAT AREN'T RELEVANT TO THIS CONVERSATION, BUT AS TO THE STAFFING PIECE, THAT IS THE, THE RELEVANT PIECE FOR THE NIGHT.
UH, I OVERLOOKED ONE MORE BIT OF INFORMATION, UH, WHAT ACTUALLY IS GOING TO BE INCLUDED.
UH, IT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT PE TEACHERS, AND I JUST WANTED TO SPECIFICALLY ASK ABOUT PE TEACHERS, BUT I THINK THE WAY I ASKED FOR THE INFORMATION, THAT'S GOING TO SHOW, THANK YOU.
I JUST WANTED TO REMIND IF YOU'RE NOT ACUTELY AWARE ALREADY THAT, UM, WE STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA THAT REQUIRE ACTION.
I REMEMBER, BUT, UH, MAYBE 30 MINUTES AGO THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL.
SO WE MOVE IN ON, UM, THAT WAS THE LAST OF THAT ITEM.
MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM E THREE PRESENTATION ON XCEL, UH, BY MR. RICO.
[05:15:07]
SURE.UM, I'M ALWAYS VERY IMPRESSED WITH ALL OF YOU ALSO, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UM, I AM HERE, UM, TO INTRODUCE A COUPLE OF VERY INTELLIGENT AND AWESOME INDIVIDUALS, MR.
SO I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND TURN IT OVER TO THEM SO THEY CAN GO AHEAD AND JUST GIVE YOU A BRIEF PRESENTATION.
THIS IS JUST AN INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATION TO SHOW YOU GUYS SOME OF THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING STATEWIDE.
SO I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS ONCE AGAIN, AND I'LL TURN OVER THE MIC TO THE LADIES.
UM, IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE HERE, UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION.
UM, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG NIGHT, UH, BUT THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR OUR SCHOLARS WHO ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN OUR STATE.
UM, I AM THE DIRECTOR OF, UH, ONE OF THE STATE'S FIRST NEWCOMER PROGRAMS, UM, CALLED LAST YEAR'S ACADEMY.
UM, MY NAME IS EMMA MARROW AND WE SERVE SCHOLARS WHO ARE BRAND NEW TO THE COUNTRY WITHIN THE PAST YEAR.
UM, AND THAT'S WHERE MY EXPERTISE IS COMING IN WITH THIS TOPIC.
I PRACTICE AS AN EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSTICIAN.
UM, I'VE ALSO TAUGHT ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AND SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO I HAVE A, UH, EXPERTISE IN THE INTERSECTION OF THE TWO AS WELL.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO FIRST START OFF WITH SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
UM, WHAT WE KNOW IS SS STATE PLAN FOR LOUISIANA IS THAT 90% OF OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS GRADUATE BY 2025.
WELL, WE ALSO KNOW IS WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR THAT, RIGHT? UM, SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE GRAPHIC, OUR OVERALL GRADUATE LOUISIANA IS 80%.
UM, BUT FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS, IT'S ONLY 41%.
UM, AND WHERE THAT PLAYS OUT IN THE NUMBERS BY PARISH, UM, IS ACTUALLY A BIT SMALL ORLEANS PARISH, 35% OF ENGLISH LEARNERS GRADUATE ON TIME.
UH, JEFFERSON PARISH, 30% ON EAST BATON ROUGE, 22% GRADUATE, UM, WITHIN FOUR YEARS.
UM, WHAT WE MUST NEED TO KNOW IS THE GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS, RIGHT? SO SCHOLARS MUST PASS ALL THEIR LEAP, LEAP CREDIT CLASSES.
THEY MUST, OH, I'M GONNA GO BACK.
UH, THEY MUST, UH, BE ABLE TO PASS, UM, AND MEET SEAT TIME REQUIREMENTS.
AND THEY ALSO MUST BE ABLE TO PASS THREE LEAP EXAMS. SO, UH, THEY MUST PASS, LEAVE, EXAMINE ENGLISH ONE OR ENGLISH TWO, UM, ALGEBRA OR GEOMETRY AND US HISTORY OR BIOLOGY.
AND WE, WE WANTED TO SEE IF THIS BIG DIFFERENTIAL, RIGHT, THIS 44 POINT DIFFERENTIAL WAS TRUE OF OTHER SUBGROUPS AS WELL.
UM, SO WE LOOKED AT A 10 YEAR TREND ACROSS OTHER DIS-AGGREGATED GROUPS, AND WE FOUND THAT ENGLISH LEARNERS ARE THE ONLY SUBGROUP THAT HAS AVERAGED A DECLINE IN GRADUATION RATES ACROSS THE STATE OVER 10 YEARS.
RIGHT? EVERY OTHER SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE HAS INCREASED ENGLISH LEARNERS ARE THE NOTABLE EXCEPTION.
UM, SO THEN WE WANTED TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER AND, AND FIND WAS THAT UNIQUE TO US IN LOUISIANA.
UM, WHAT'S GOING ON IN OTHER STATES WITH THEIR ENGLISH LEARNERS.
AND AGAIN, LIKE OUR, OUR DIFFERENTIAL IS, IS ALMOST 40 POINTS, BUT OUR NEIGHBORS IN TEXAS THAT HAVE CONSIDERABLY MORE ENGLISH LEARNERS, THERE ARE DIFFERENTIAL IS CLOSER TO 17.
UM, ARKANSAS SURPRISINGLY HAS A LOT OF ENGLISH LEARNERS AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAL IS ONLY WITHIN SIX POINTS BETWEEN THEIR ENGLISH LEARNERS AND THEIR TOTAL GRADUATION RATE.
UM, WE FIND THIS TREND PRETTY SIMILAR, UM, IN THE NORTH AND THEN CALIFORNIA AS WELL, WHO HAS THE MOST ENGLISH LEARNER POPULATION.
SO WE SEE THAT LOUISIANA IS A NOTABLE EXCEPTION, UM, IN THE DIFFERENTIAL AND GRADUATION RATES FOR OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS.
UM, SO THEN WE WANTED TO LEARN WHAT ARE THESE STATES DOING DIFFERENTLY TO PROVIDE OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE IT TO THAT FINISH LINE, TO MAKE IT TO GRADUATION.
UM, AND WE FOUND THAT THESE STATES HAVE LANGUAGE SPECIFIC TO NOT JUST ENGLISH LEARNERS, BUT THE NEW, THE NEWCOMER STUDENTS, STUDENTS
[05:20:01]
WHO HAVE RECENTLY ARRIVED IN THE COUNTRY AND TEXAS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS.TEXAS DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERFORMANCE METRIC ON THEIR STATE ASSESSMENT TO GRADUATE LIKE WE DO, BUT THEY STILL HAVE LANGUAGE SPECIFIC TO ENGLISH NEWCOMER STUDENTS.
UM, THERE IS A SPECIFICALLY FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE COUNTRY FIVE YEARS OR LESS, AND THEY HAVE CARVE OUT EXEMPTIONS FOR THE ENGLISH ONE EXAM, FLORIDA IS A STATE SIMILAR TO OURS WHERE THEY ALSO REQUIRE A PERFORMANCE ON THEIR STATE ASSESSMENT FOR THEIR STUDENTS TO GRADUATE.
BUT THEY HAVE ALSO RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS TO HAVE AN EXPANDED PATHWAY TO GRADUATION.
AND, UM, THEY HAVE LANGUAGE THAT ALLOWS THEIR NEWCOMER STUDENTS TO DEMONSTRATE CONTENT MASTERY THROUGH OTHER OTHER MEANS AS WELL.
UM, SO JUST WANT TO STAMP THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM, PRETTY UNIQUE TO LOUISIANA, UM, WHERE 41 OTHER STATES HAVE EXPANDED PATHWAYS TO GRADUATION FOR ALL OF THEIR STUDENTS.
UM, AND SO WE OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABLES THAT GO INTO WHY THE DIFFERENTIAL IS THE WAY IT IS.
UM, BUT I THINK OUR CONTEXT HAS SHOWN US THAT THE LEAP 2025 EXAM IS THE BARRIER THAT IS DISPROPORTIONATE TO OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS.
AND THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT LOUISIANA ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE LEAP EXAM IS A BARRIER DISPROPORTIONATE TO OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS.
UM, I'VE PULLED THIS STRAIGHT FROM OUR BULLETIN.
UM, THE DEFINITION OF AN ENGLISH LEARNER IS THAT THE FUNCTION OF BEING AN ENGLISH LEARNER DENIES THEM THE ABILITY TO MEET STATE PROFICIENT LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT ON STATE ASSESSMENTS.
SO AS A STATE, WE'VE ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS DISPARITY EXISTS.
UM, AND WE JUST LIKE, YOU RELY ON DATA, RIGHT? SO WE WANTED TO LOOK AT THE DATA AND SEE HOW, WHERE IT LIES WITH THE LEAP 20, 25 BEING A BARRIER TO SUCCESS SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS POPULATION.
UM, SO IF YOU SEE THE, THE BAR ABOVE THAT'S OUR OVERALL POPULATION FROM EAST BARRETT, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, UM, 2018, A TYPICAL YEAR, 71% OF SCHOLARS GRADUATED FROM THE GENERAL POPULATION, 31% OF ENGLISH LEARNERS BELOW GRADUATED.
UM, AND THEN IN A TYPICALLY YEAR 2019, AND THEN IN A, UH, COVID WAIVER 2020, UM, WITH THE OVERALL POPULATION, WE SAW SIX POINT JUMP.
UM, BUT WITH OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS, WE SAW 14 POINT JUMP IN GRADUATION.
UM, AND WE ALL KNOW THIS WAS DURING A TIME WHERE KIDS WERE LEARNING VIRTUALLY, THEY WERE STRUGGLING, RIGHT? TEACHERS' EYES, A TEACHER WAS STRUGGLING, BUT TO SEE LIKE THIS DISCREPANCY, UM, THAT THE LEAGUE 2025 WAS THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IN GRADUATION THIS YEAR.
AND THERE'S A 14 POINT JUMP IN THIS POPULATION IS ASTOUNDING.
AND IT ALSO PLAYS OUT WITH LOUISIANA AS A WHOLE.
SO OVERALL POPULATION, A TWO POINT JUMP IN GRADUATION, UM, IN 2020 AND ENGLISH LEARNERS AND A 12 POINT JUMP IN GRADUATION IN 2020, UH, DURING THE COVID WAIVER YEAR WHERE THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THE ELITE 2020 WITH THE WAIVER FOR THE LEAP 2025 EXAM.
UM, I WANT TO STAMP THAT THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THE LEAP 2025 EXAM, RIGHT? OUR KIDS WERE STILL MAKING SEA TIME REQUIREMENTS.
THEY WERE STILL PASSING THEIR CLASSES.
THEY WERE STILL EARNING ALL OF THEIR UNITS.
THAT WAS THE ONE ISOLATED VARIABLE THAT YEAR THAT MADE THAT IMPACT THAT WE SEE.
UM, SO WE WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE LEAP 2025 IS A BARRIER DISPROPORTIONATE TO OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS, BUT ALSO STILL HOLD THEM TO A HIGH LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY, UM, AND TO AN OBJECTIVE STANDARD, UM, THAT THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS, RIGHT? UM, ENGLISH LEARNERS ARE ACTUALLY THE ONLY SUBGROUP OF STUDENTS THAT ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR TO STATE ASSESSMENTS.
UM, SO THEY TAKE THE LEAP LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, BUT THEY ALSO TAKE THE AWELPT, WHICH IS A STATE ADMINISTERED ASSESSMENT EVERY, EVERY LIKE FEBRUARY, MARCH, RIGHT.
UM, AND IT MEASURES THEIR ENGLISH PROFICIENCY.
UM, THEIR FIRST YEAR IN THE COUNTRY, THEY HAVE A BASELINE AND THEN IT TRACKS THEIR GROWTH YEAR TO YEAR.
AND WE'VE ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGED AS A STATE.
THIS IS THE TRAJECTORY THAT WE EXPECT OUR CHILDREN TO BE ON.
THIS IS HOW WE OBJECTIVELY DEFINE GROWTH.
AND AS A STATE, WE HAVE AGREED THAT STUDENTS WHO COME INTO THE COUNTRY FROM SIXTH TO 12TH GRADE, IT TAKES SEVEN YEARS TO BECOME PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH.
YOU CAN SEE IN THE CHART, IF A STUDENT COMES TO US EMERGING, RIGHT BY THEIR SEVENTH YEAR, THEY SHOULD BE PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH.
AND THAT TRAJECTORY IS, UM, YOU KNOW, DEPENDENT ON WHAT THEIR BASELINE YEAR IS.
SCHOOLS ARE ALSO ALREADY HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO AWELPT GROWTH RESULTS.
[05:25:01]
IT'S ALREADY FACTORED INTO SPS SCORES FOR BOTH K EIGHT AND NINE 12.UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT AT THIS TIME, UM, WHILE SCHOOLS ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO AWELPT GROWTH METRICS YEAR TO YEAR, INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS ARE NOT.
AND I THINK A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE'VE SPOKEN TO AREN'T NECESSARILY AWARE OF THIS OTHER STANDARDIZED TESTS THAT SCHOLARS FROM ENGLISH LEARNERS, LANGUAGE LEARNERS ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO, UM, AND ASKED ME, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, SO EVERY MARCH, EVERY FEBRUARY KIDS ARE TESTED ON THEIR GROWTH.
UM, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A READING, A QUESTION THAT IS CROSS CONTENT, RIGHT? SO YOU SEE A GRAPH, UM, THAT'S, UH, YOU SEE MATHEMATICAL TERMS, YOU SEE SCIENTIFIC TERMS. UM, AND THEN TO THE SIDE, YOU HAVE TO READ THE DATA AND YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE WHICH OF THESE SENTENCES INCORRECT, UH, BASED ON THE DATA TO THE LEFT, UM, VERY RIGOROUS FOR A SCHOLAR WHO'S NEW TO THE COUNTRY AND IS 16 YEARS OLD AND REALLY, REALLY WANTS TO GRADUATE AND AS CREDITS FROM THEIR HOME COUNTRY, BUT CAN'T YET READ THIS WITHIN TWO YEARS TO GRADUATE.
UM, THIS IS ALSO COMPARABLE TO THE ENGLISH LEAP.
UM, AND THIS IS AN ELP SAMPLE ITEM, UH, THAT IS READING COMPREHENSION BASED.
UM, BUT WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT WE DO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE TO MAKING SURE KIDS ARE GROWING AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, INSTEAD OF NECESSARILY HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE TO, UH, GETTING A BASIC OR APPROACHING BASIC OR ABOVE ON A BIOLOGY LEAP EXAM AND OUR SECOND LANGUAGE.
UM, AND HERE HERE'S THE PATHWAY.
UM, SO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT STUDENTS MUST STILL SIT FOR THE LEAP 20, 25.
WE STILL WANT THAT DATA, RIGHT.
WE WANT TO KNOW HOW SCHOOLS ARE DOING, HOW THEY'RE SERVING KIDS WHO ARE NEWCOMERS.
UM, WE WANT KIDS TO PASS ALL COURSES REQUIRED FOR THEIR DIPLOMA, UM, MEET ALL SEAT TIME REQUIREMENTS, UM, AS ALL OF MY STUDENTS HAVE IN THE PAST, BUT WE ALSO WANT THEM TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR GRADUATION BY ALLOWING THEM TO CREATE A STANDARDS ALIGNED PORTFOLIO FOR LATE 20, 25 COURSES.
UM, SO MY STUDENTS, UH, HISTORICALLY STRUGGLED THE MOST WITH US HISTORY AND BIOLOGY, UM, AND THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE.
AND FOR IT TO BE ABLE TO, UH, CREATE A PORTFOLIO PROJECT THAT'S ALIGNED TO THOSE STANDARDS, UM, WOULD GIVE THEM A MUCH BETTER CHANCE AT GRADUATING.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH THESE 41 OTHER STATES.
UM, AND WE WANT THEM TO MEET OUT, UH, PROFICIENCY TRAJECTORY STANDARDS.
SO, UH, JUST LIKE TROUVA SHOWED YOU THE CHART OF, UH, A STUDENT'S TRAJECTORY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY THAT LOUISIANA HAS DEFINED.
UM, IT TAKES SEVEN YEARS TO BE PROFICIENT IN A LANGUAGE, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EACH YEAR COUNTS AND HOLD SCHOOLS AND KIDS ACCOUNTABLE TO GROWING EACH YEAR.
SO NOT ALL ENGLISH LEARNERS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS PATHWAY.
THIS IS SPECIFIC TO OUR NEWCOMER STUDENTS WHO COME INTO THE COUNTRY SEVENTH GRADE OR LATER.
UM, AND THINKING BACK TO THAT CHART, RIGHT, KIDS WHO COME TO THE, INTO THE COUNTRY K TO SIX, THEY HAVE SEVEN YEARS WITH US, RIGHT.
THEY HAVE SEVEN YEARS IN K-12 TO MEET THAT PROFICIENCY METRIC, BUT OUR KIDS WHO COME IN SEVENTH, EIGHTH, NINTH, 10TH, AND LATER, THEY DON'T HAVE SEVEN YEARS.
SO THAT'S WHY THIS PATHWAY WOULD ONLY BE, UM, ELIGIBLE FOR, OR ALLOWABLE FOR THEM.
UM, AND THEN ALSO AT THIS TIME, SCHOOLS ARE NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT UNTIL THEIR THIRD YEAR IN THE COUNTRY.
UM, BUT STILL WITHIN THE FIRST THREE YEARS IN THE COUNTRY, STUDENTS ARE BEING DENIED DIPLOMAS AND WE FEEL THAT THE STANDARD SHOULD BE FAIR BOTH WAYS.
UM, AND THEN AGAIN, LIKE BASING ALL OF OUR, UM, DECISIONS ON SERVING STUDENTS WITH EXCELLENCE.
WE DON'T WANT SCHOOLS TO HAVE ANY EXCUSE TO NOT SERVE THESE KIDS WITH EXCELLENCE.
UM, AND THERE CURRENTLY THERE'S A LOOPHOLE THAT EXISTS.
UM, I MENTIONED THE ACHIEVEMENT METRIC NOT BEING FACTORED IN UNTIL THE STUDENTS THIRD YEAR IN THE COUNTRY.
SO THINKING ABOUT OUR SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH GRADERS, WHAT'S THE INCENTIVE FOR SERVING THEM WITH EXCELLENCE.
IF THEIR SCORES WILL NEVER COUNT TOWARDS THE SCHOOL.
UM, SO ENSURING THAT WE'RE GROUNDING, YOU KNOW, OUR DECISIONS AND OUR ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE AWELPT WILL ALLOW US TO MAKE SURE OUR STUDENTS ARE BEING SERVED WITH EXCELLENCE THE MINUTE THEY WALK INTO OUR DOORS.
UM, AND THEN AGAIN, RIGHT, ALL THIS TIME, THEY HAVE NOT, STUDENTS HAVE NOT BEEN INDIVIDUALLY HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR AWELPT RESULTS, BUT SCHOOLS HAVE, AND WE WANT TO HOLD STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE AWELPT GROWTH YEAR TO YEAR.
AND OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO ACHIEVE OUR AS A STATE GOAL, RIGHT, 2020 BY 2025 AND 90% OF ENGLISH LEARNERS WILL GRADUATE.
UM, I THINK TO RUBIN, I'VE SPOKEN TO MANY STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE STATE, UM, SPECIFICALLY, UH, THIS LAST BULLET POINT COMES FROM MANY, UH, STAKEHOLDERS IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY AND THE IN LOUISIANA, UM, THEY'VE REQUESTED
[05:30:01]
WE NEED A WAY TO HOLD KIDS ACCOUNTABLE TO GROWING IN ENGLISH AND THE LPT IS THAT OKAY? SO, UH, THAT WILL INCREASE WORKFORCE AND ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION, UM, BY FOCUSING ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE, PROJECTORY TRAJECTORY, INSTEAD OF NECESSARILY, UM, PASSING A STATE EXAM ON US HISTORY OR BIOLOGY, UM, AND BEING ABLE TO DO A PORTFOLIO PROJECT, BUT FOCUSING ON THAT ENGLISH GROWTH TO BE, UM, SUCCESSFUL CITIZENS IN THE WORKFORCE, WE HAVE SPOKEN WITH A WIDE ARRAY, LIKE I SAID, OF STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.UM, THIS COALITION HAS COME OUT OF, UH, CONVERSATIONS WITH BESSIE BOARD MEMBERS, CONVERSATIONS WITH SUPERINTENDENT BRUMLEY.
UH, WHEN WE MASS LAST MET WITH HIM, HE SAID, YOU KNOW, BROADEN, BROADEN YOUR COALITION.
I WANT PEOPLE IN THE, IN THE WORKFORCE.
I WANT PEOPLE IN THE ED COMMUNITY.
I WANT ALL THESE, UH, OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO BE INVOLVED.
UM, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'VE DONE.
UM, YOU SEE SOMEONE ON THE BOARD? UM, I THINK WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING IS THAT, UM, IN OCTOBER ORLEANS PUBLIC SCHOOLS PASSED THE RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THE XCEL PATHWAY, UM, AND CALCASIEU PARISH ALSO FORMALLY SUPPORTS, UH, THE XL PATHWAY, UM, AND WITH 4,000 PLUS ENGLISH LEARNERS AND HE SPENT IN ROUGE, UM, DOUBLING EVERY TWO YEARS THEIR POPULATION.
UM, WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO LEAD THE WAY AS, UH, YOUR NATION'S CAPITAL, UM, AND NOT NATION FOR STATE STATE'S CAPITOL, BUT FORMALLY SUPPORT THE COALITION AS WELL.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
UM, AND WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
WELL, UH, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS PRESENTATION.
UM, AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I WANTED THESE GUYS TO SHARE THIS PRESENTATION WAS SIMPLY FOR, UM, A BIT OF INFORMATION.
UM, WE HAVE A GROWING ELL POPULATION IN THIS DISTRICT, AND I THINK THAT WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT IN SERVING THOSE STUDENTS, THE GRADUATION PATHWAYS THAT THEY'VE MENTIONED HERE TODAY, OR SOMETHING THAT THE STATE HAS TO DECIDE ON WHAT THOSE NEW GRADUATION PATHWAYS LOOK LIKE.
BUT IN ADDITION, HAVING THIS INFORMATION, WE AS A DISTRICT CAN BE MORE INTENTIONAL WITH ALLOCATIONS AND WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING SO THAT WE ARE PROPERLY SERVING AS GROUPS OF STUDENTS.
THE WORD EQUITY HAS BEEN THROWN AROUND A LOT, UH, TONIGHT, UM, AND EQUITY AS AN ACTIONABLE WORD.
AND AS BOARD MEMBERS, WE CAN'T DO THINGS WITHOUT THE STATES OF THE MANDATES RIGHT NOW TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THESE STUDENTS ARE GETTING THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BEING SUCCESSFUL THROUGHOUT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, SO I THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR, UH, STAYING THROUGH FIVE HOURS OF CONVERSATION ABOUT THINGS IN THE DISTRICT, BUT I THINK AT THESE BOARD MEETINGS, MORE THINGS AND MORE CONVERSATIONS SHOULD BE ABOUT WHAT WERE WE DOING FOR STUDENTS IN AN INTENTIONAL WAY, AND NOT ABOUT ALL OF THE ISSUES THAT CREATE CHAOS THROUGH POLITICAL AND OTHER AND OTHERWISE.
SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR SHOWING THIS INFORMATION.
I THINK AS A BOARD, AS A COLLECTIVE, WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT HOW WE TAKE STRATEGY TO ADDRESS NEEDS OF OUR EL POPULATION.
UH, SO OUR HOLDUP ONE MEMBER DASSIN.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION.
UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION THOUGH, SOMETHING THAT KIND OF ALARMS ME THAT I WANT US TO KIND OF BE MINDFUL ABOUT IS THAT WHEN WE COMPARE, WE DON'T HAVE IT LIKE SIDE BY SIDE, BUT IT'S ON TOP.
UM, THE, UH, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH RATES VERSUS THE STATE'S GRADUATION RATES, UM, WITH E L E L I S UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL A GOOD BIT LOWER THAN STATEWIDE.
SO I'M WONDERING WHAT WE THINK IS CAUSING THIS GREAT, GREAT QUESTION.
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS, OF COURSE, THROUGHOUT HISTORY AND SUCH.
HOWEVER, THE PROBABLY NUMBER ONE, UH, COMPONENT THAT, UH, I MENTIONED WHEN WE'RE SAYING COUNCIL, UM, CAUSE, UH, UH, JAIL IS THAT THE LEAP EXAM, WHICH IS THE EOC, THE END OF COURSE EXAM AT THE, AT THE END OF THE, THESE ENGLISH LEARNERS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE THE ACADEMIC LANGUAGE FOR THEM IS EXTREME.
IT'S IT'S, YOU CAN'T GRASP IT, YOU KNOW? AND SO, BECAUSE IT TAKES A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME AND SUCH TO ACTUALLY GET THAT ACADEMIC LANGUAGE IN ENGLISH.
SO THEY'RE GOING TO THE CLASSES THAT CAN GET SUPPORTS.
THEY CAN SHOW YOU THEIR WORK IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, RIGHT.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUALLY TAKING THAT STATE TEST, IT'S NOT MADE FOR SOMEONE WHO'S A MULTI-LINGUAL LEARNER IT'S MADE FOR SOMEONE WHO'S HAD ENGLISH THEIR ENTIRE LIFE, RIGHT? SO AS A RESULT, YOU HAVE TWO THINGS, UNFORTUNATELY HAPPEN ONE, THEY FAILED THE TEST OR TWO THAT DROPOUT RATE HAPPENS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CHOICE OR THEY FEEL AT LEAST THAT THEY
[05:35:01]
HAVE NO CHOICE.AND SO THAT'S, UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S AN UNFORTUNATE DISPARITY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH OF COURSE, BUT PART OF THAT, WHICH IS A VERY BIG REASON IS THAT THERE AREN'T ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS BY THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
UM, WHEREAS I CAN TELL YOU DALLAS RIGHT NOW, OR BOSTON ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, CALIFORNIA, THERE'S ALL THESE OTHER PLACES THAT IT'S A COMMON, UH, COMPONENTS IN THEIR GRADUATION PROCESS.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S MY CONCERN IS EBR VERSUS THE STATE.
SO THE STATE IS HAVING ALL THOSE SAME ISSUES THAT WE'RE HAVING, OUR STUDENTS ARE HAVING, THEY'RE HAVING THEM STATEWIDE.
SO WHY CAN'T WE GET THAT DATA ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE? SO IN REGARDS TO SUPPORTING OUR KIDS AND EVERYTHING, WE'VE TAKEN SOME AWESOME MEASURES TO WHERE WE ARE HAVING MORE ACTUAL INSTRUCTION FOR OUR ELL STUDENTS, BY HAVING ESL TEACHERS AND HAVING MORE COACHES TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOLS WITH HIGHER NUMBERS OF ELL STUDENTS, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.
AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT AND EVERYTHING WE'VE LITERALLY CREATED, UM, LITERACY BASED CURRICULUMS TO WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND THEY'RE LITERALLY MODIFIED TO SUPPORT JUST OUR ELL STUDENTS.
AND WE'RE ALSO ADOPTING A NEWCOMER BEGINNER, UH, CURRICULUM TO ALSO SUPPORT OUR KIDS.
AND THAT'S JUST A SURFACE AREA IN REGARDS TO THAT, THAT'S THE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE COMPONENT, THE OPERATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS IN REGARDS TO SOME MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ACTUAL ESL AMBASSADORS THAT CAN SUPPORT ALL OUR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT IF WE BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITIES AND THE PARENTS, THAT'S GOING TO BE A STEP FORWARD AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE AND NOT JUST TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOLS, BUT THEN ALSO MOVE TOWARDS THAT GRADUATION PROCESS.
RIGHT? SO WE'VE DONE A LOT SO FAR MOVING FORWARD AND CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD FOR NEXT YEAR.
THERE'S STILL GOING TO BE THIS NEED THOUGH, EVENTUALLY IN THE WHOLE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE JUST A STARTING IN THE SURFACE, RIGHT? AND WE HAD A LOT OF SUPPORT IN REGARDS TO THE COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS AND HELPING US AND GUIDING US IN SOME OF THESE MEASURES, UM, MS. DYSON, BUT IN GENERAL, AND OVERALL, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE AWARE THAT WE WILL MOVE THE DATA.
WE JUST RECEIVED THAT THE LPT DATA, WHICH IS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST THAT THEY JUST TALKED ABOUT.
WE JUST GOT THAT DATA IN LIKE TWO DAYS AGO.
WE ARE, OR EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THAT COVID LOSS, WE ARE ALREADY PRE COVID NUMBERS AS WE'VE CAUGHT UP.
AND WE'VE ACTUALLY, WE INCREASED AS A DISTRICT.
WE INCREASED 2% IN PROFICIENCY, WHICH IS EXCELLENT, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERING COVID AND EVERYTHING.
HOWEVER, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WORK TOWARDS EVENTUALLY AS A STATE IS TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S AN EQUITABLE, EQUITABLE PATHWAY FOR OUR KIDS, OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS, OR MULTI-LINGUAL STUDENTS TO EVENTUALLY GRADUATE WHEN THEY FIRST COME INTO THIS COUNTRY WITHIN THOSE THREE YEARS.
SO I HOPE THAT KIND OF ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS, BUT I GET REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU WANT TO GET A POWERPOINT TO POWERPOINTS, WHICH YOU WON'T, YOU KNOW, BUT, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
I APPRECIATE YOU WORK ON THIS ALL OF YOU.
AND I'D ASKED TO LIKE TO FOLLOW UP THAT ANSWER AS WELL.
SO, UM, WE ADD THE EARLY ON IN THE POWERPOINT, WE SHOWED THAT, UM, THREE PARISHES THAT EBR JEFFERSON PARISH AND ORLEANS PARISH ACTUALLY HAVE THE LOWEST GRADUATION RATES IN THE STATE.
AND THAT CORRELATES WITH HAVING THE HIGHEST ENGLISH LEARNER POPULATION, UM, IN THOSE PARISHES.
UH, SO IT'S SUPER HARD, RIGHT? WHEN YOU HAVE 4,005,000 KIDS, UH, TO SERVE AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE PASSING AND THEY'RE PASSING ALL OF THESE, UM, STANDARDIZED EXAMS, STANDARDIZED TESTS, UM, BUT IT EVENS OUT IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE WHERE YOU MIGHT HAVE TWO OR THREE NEWCOMERS, UM, AND JUST BE ABLE TO SPEND THE RESOURCES TO SERVE THEM MORE ADEQUATELY.
UH, PRETTY MUCH, I GUESS WE CAN COVER IT, UH, MORE IN DETAIL LATER ON, BUT I APPRECIATE IT.
AND MY QUESTION WAS REAL SELF.
I WAS SO BUSY LOOKING AT THE DATA.
I MISSED SOMETHING OBVIOUS, WHICH IS OKAY, I GOT WHAT YOU'RE DOING, WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW, BUT WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO DO DIFFERENT? AND I APOLOGIZE.
UM, SO STUDENTS CURRENTLY HAVE TO PASS THOSE THREE, THREE EXAMS TO, TO GRADUATE, RIGHT? ONE OF EACH OF THE PAIRS, UM, ON, ON TOP OF EARNING ALL OF THE CARNEGIE UNITS, UM, AND SEA TIME REQUIREMENTS.
SO WE STILL WANT OUR KIDS TO MEET
UM, BUT THEY WOULD ALSO CREATE A PORTFOLIO THAT STANDARD ALIGNED WITH THOSE LEAP 20, 25 COURSES.
AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO SHOW GROWTH ON THAT AWELPT ASSESSMENT, UM, WHICH WE FEEL IS MORE APPROPRIATE FOR NEWCOMERS THAN THE LEAP 20, 25.
SO THE ONLY STANDARDIZED TESTS THAT WOULD BE
[05:40:01]
HIGH STAKES FOR LACK OF A BETTER WOULD BE.SO THEN PROGRESS VERSUS HIGH STAKES APPROACH.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? Y'ALL ASKING FOR.
SO, I MEAN, I THINK WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, THAT'S WHAT OUR, LIKE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY WANTS WHEN KIDS GRADUATE FROM SCHOOL, UM, IS THAT THEY'RE PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH.
THEY'RE ABLE TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE, THEY'RE ABLE TO BE PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS.
UM, AND SO THAT'S ACTUALLY WHERE THIS IDEA CAME FROM IS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE A STATE TEST THAT SCORES PROFICIENCY AND GROWTH IN A LANGUAGE.
UM, I SPEAK SPANISH, BUT I ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY I'M BILINGUAL, BUT I CAN ALWAYS BE MORE AND MORE PROFICIENT.
UM, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE KIDS ARE PROGRESSING EACH YEAR IN THE LANGUAGE.
UM, INSTEAD OF NECESSARILY PASSING A STANDARDIZED US HISTORY EXAM OR BIOLOGY EXAM, WHEN WE KNOW KIDS WHO ARE 16, 17 NEAR THE COUNTRY HAVE NEVER TAKEN A STANDARDIZED TEST IN THEIR LIFE.
AND YET THIS IS THIS HIGH STAKES TEST THAT YOU MUST PASS WITHIN TWO YEARS IN THE COUNTRY IN ORDER TO GRADUATE.
THAT'S WHY KIDS ARE DROPPING OUT OR SEEING THIS NOT AS A VIABLE OPTION.
UM, AND OUR MODEL IS BASED ON OTHER STATES THAT CURRENTLY DOING IT AND WE WANT TO DO IT BETTER THAN THEM.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS CLEAR ON THE NOW VERSUS YEAH.
ANY REPORTS FROM BOARD APPOINTEES FROM LIKE VIPS OR ANYTHING OR BREAK OR WHAT? OKAY.
ITEM G UH, CONSENT AGENDA BOARD MEMBER LANDIS.
YOU WANT TO READ THAT FOR US? I GUESS I HAVE TO TONIGHT IT'S AT LEAST THREE PAGES LONG.
THE FOLLOWING ITEMS OUGHT TO BE APPROVED AS A PART OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE AND WILL BE ENACTED IN ONE MOTION.
THAT WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION OF ITEMS UNLESS A BOARD MEMBERS SO REQUEST AND WHICH EVENT THAT ITEM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND CONSIDERED AS AN ITEM ON THE REGULAR AGENDA FOR A SEPARATE VOTE PROCEEDING.
THE LAST ITEM ON THE REGULAR AGENDA.
NUMBER TWO GRANTS, PRE-K CONSIDERATE CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING 2022, 2023 PRE-K PRE-K PRE-K GRANTS, CECIL J P CARD EARLY, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN THE AMOUNT OF 500, 5 MILLION, $404,400 NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS, EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $668,680 BIRTH TO THREE YEAR, THREE YEAR OLD SEATS, B3 SEATS IN THE AMOUNT OF 2 MILLION, $5,960.
BELIEVE IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,350,750, THREE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT CONTRACTS.
RE-IMAGINED CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACTS BETWEEN THE EAST BAY ORANGE PAIR OF SCHOOLS, SCHOOL BOARD, AND THE FOLLOWING EMPOWER SCHOOLS AND THE AMOUNT OF $8,750 TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR INNOVATIVE PLANS, EMPOWER SCHOOLS IN THE AMOUNT OF EIGHT, $18,750 TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR INNOVATIVE PLANS, EMPOWER SCHOOLS IN THE AMOUNT OF $8,750 TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR INNOVATIVE PLANS, EMPOWER SCHOOLS IN THE AMOUNT OF 8,000, $18,750 TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR INNOVATIVE PLANS, COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT CONSIDERATION FOR A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EASTBOUND RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND CAPITAL AREA, HUMAN SERVICES, DISTRICT, BATON ROUGE, MEDICAL I'M SORRY, MENTAL HEALTH CENTER, CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR SERVICE, HEALTH SERVICES, FIVE ENTERPRISE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS IN HUMAN RESOURCES, MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE CONSIDERATION FOR REQUESTS FOR THE SELECTION AND APPROVAL OF ENTERPRISE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SOLUTION AND HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE, SIX HEALTHCARE AND ANCILLARY BENEFITS PLANS CONSIDERATION FOR OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL AND AUTHORIZATION OF THE FOLLOWING.
A, A PROPOSAL THOUSAND AND 23 HEALTHCARE RATES FOR ACTIVE EMPLOYEES, NONE MEDICARE AND NON-MEDICARE ELIGIBLE RETIREES PARTICIPATING IN THE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD, LOUISIANA ADMINISTRATIVE ADMINISTRATIVE MEDICAL PLANS FOR CORE BUY UP AND COMMUNITY BLUE PROPOSED PHARMACY CONTRACT WITH EXPRESS SCRIPTS FOR PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR 2023 TO 2025.
THAT INCLUDES THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOLUTIONS FOR SPECIALTY MEDICATIONS PROPOSED
[05:45:01]
CONTRACT WITH UNITED HEALTHCARE TO REPLACE EXISTING HUMANA HEALTHCARE ADVANTAGE PROGRAM FOR 2023 THROUGH 2025.THIS INCLUDES ELIMINATING THE HMO PLAN OPTION AND REPLACING IT WITH A SINGLE PPO PLAN OFFERING PROPOSED CONTRACT WITH METLIFE TO REPLACE EXISTING, ALWAYS CARE UNUM, DENTAL, AND VISION PRODUCTS FOR 2023 PROPOSED CONTRACT WITH AFLAC AND ZURICH TO REPLACE EXISTING LINCOLN LIFE AND DISABILITY PRODUCTS FOR 2023 PROPOSED CONTRACT WITH AFLAC TO REPLACE EXISTING METLIFE CRITICAL ILLNESS ACCIDENT AND HOSPITAL HOSPITAL AMENITY IN A DEMO TEAMS, OUR PRODUCTS FOR 2023, THEY AUTHORIZED THE SUPERINTENDENT TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE 2023 CONTRACT FOR STOP LOSS INSURANCE COVERAGE PROPOSED CONTRACT WITH OSCHNER FOR 2020 2023 WELLNESS INITIATIVES PROPOSED CONTRACT RENEWAL FOR US AND SELL RECS TO CONTINUE H R I S SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION FOR ALL BENEFITS FOR ACTIVE NON-MEDICARE AND MEDICARE ELIGIBLE RETIREES FOR 2023 REVISED 2020, SORRY.
NUMBER SEVEN, REVISED 2021, 2022 GENERAL FUND BUDGET CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE REPORT FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE REVISED 2021, 2022 GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR THE EAST BEVERAGE PAIR OF SCHOOL SYSTEM EIGHT BOARD MEETING CALENDAR FOR 2022, 2023 CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE EAST BEVERAGE PAIR OF SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SCHEDULED FOR THE 2022, 2023 SCHOOL YEAR, NUMBER NINE, CONTRACT RENEWAL FOR BATON ROUGE, SPEECH AND HEARING FOUNDATION.
THE EMERGE CENTER INCORPORATED CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A RENEWAL OF A RENEW TO RENEW A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BEVERAGE PAIR OF SCHOOL BOARD AND THE BATON ROUGE PEACH AND HEARING FOUNDATION.
THE EMERGE CENTER INCORPORATED IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $250,000 TO PROVIDE SPEECH LANGUAGE AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, 10 CONTRACT RENEWAL, GENERAL, GENERAL COUNCIL DISCUSSION SLASH CONSIDERATION OF THE REQUEST FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL'S EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT.
NUMBER 11 CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A RECOMMENDATION FROM GWEN SHAMBLIN, GENERAL COUNSEL EASTBOUND ONE PAIR OF SCHOOL BOARD, AND THE MATTER OF LAQUITA THOMAS VERSUS THE EAST BEVERAGE PAIR OF SCHOOL BOARD DOCKET NUMBER 6 9 0 5 2 5, SECTION 26, 19 JUDICIAL COURT BATTLE PARISH EAST BATON ROUGE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, AND TO PROVIDE THE RELATED MATTERS B CHRISTIAN KELLY VERSUS MARGARET FAULT, FORT DOCKET, NUMBER 6 9 1 4 9 2 SECTION 24 19 THROUGH DISTRICT COURT PARISH, EAST BATON ROUGE, STATE OF LOUISIANA TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS AND 12 CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST.
I'M SORRY, 12 POLICY E F A CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A DISTRICT POLICY E F A EMPLOYEE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND THEN, UH, FORD, UH, BOY KINDLY DIASEND OH, WAIT, HOLD UP.
AND THEN BOY COLLEAGUE, UH, GUYS, THANK YOU.
UM, I NEED TO PULL, UM, OR I'D LIKE TO PUT BOAR, UM, AND ONLY BECAUSE I'M GOING TO MY THROAT AND THEN, UM, SIX, IF I CAN JUST PULL SIX E NO.
UM, SO THEN I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, BUT, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST, EXCUSE ME.
I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, THEN JUST BIFURCATE.
SO, SO YOU HAVE TO PULL THE ITEM SIX AND, UM, 12, 4, 6 AND 12.
SO WE CAN GET UPDATED INFORMATION.
[05:50:02]
UM, AND THEN, UM, I NEED TO PULL THREE, SEVEN AND NINE.I JUST NEED TO VOTE THE WAY I'M NOT TRYING TO HAVE A WHOLE CONVERSATION.
I JUST NEED TO NOT TRYING TO BE HERE TILL MIDNIGHT.
I JUST NEED THEM PS THREE, SEVEN AND NINE.
LET ME MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12.
I JUST WANT TO PUT IT ON RECORD THAT I'M NOT HAVING IN THE ITEM.
UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND PULL A NUMBER 10.
I'VE GOT TO FIND OUT IF THE GENERAL ACCOUNT AND I'LL KEEP NO BULLETS.
UH, OTHER REQUESTS IS SPEECH AND IT PUBLIC COMMENT ON ONE, TWO ON, IN GLOBAL 1, 2 11, GOOD EVENING.
ITEM NUMBER 10, THE CONTRACT RENEWAL FOR THE GENERAL COUNSEL.
THERE IS NO BACKUP ON THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, UM, BRENDA OR A PUBLISHED AGENDA, AND THERE WAS NO DISCUSSION.
SO, UM, MS. ARMANDO WAS KIND ENOUGH TO PUT HIS EXISTING CONTRACT IN BACKUP TODAY, BUT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA.
AND I'M GLAD MR. TAPPIN, ISN'T HERE TO PLAY WITH HIS TOY HAMMER.
CAUSE I'M GOING TO ASK YOU A RHETORICAL QUESTION.
WHAT EXACTLY, IF YOU PASS THIS CONSENT AGENDA, ARE YOU APPROVING WITH RESPECT TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL'S CONTRACT? IT APPEARS YOU HAVE ALREADY BY LACK OF ACTION BEFORE DECEMBER 31ST EXTENDED HIS CONTRACT UNTIL JUNE 30TH, 2023.
IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I'D BE HAPPY TO DEFER SOME OF MY TWO MINUTES OF GENERAL COUNSEL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I READ INCORRECTLY, BUT THERE I'LL SAY IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, THERE IS A VAGUE AGENDA ITEM, AND THEN SOMEBODY SAYS, SO MOVE IN SPITE OF THE LACK OF BACKUP, AND THEN NONE OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'RE VOTING ON.
NONE OF US KNOW WHAT YOU'RE VOTING ON AND YOU DON'T WANT TO ANSWER QUESTIONS BECAUSE THIS IS FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS.
WELL, I WOULD LOVE TO BE INFORMED AS TO EXACTLY HOW MUCH YOU'RE GOING TO ENCUMBER YOUR REPLACEMENTS ON THE BOARD.
IF YOU INTEND TO EXTEND HIS CONTRACT BEYOND WHAT I WOULD EXPECT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED BY DEFAULT, WHICH IS JUNE 30TH, 2023.
SO I'LL JUST HOPE TO BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY SOME ELUCIDATION BEFORE YOU ALL JUST VOTE TO GET HOME EARLIER.
IT IS A BIT, UM, ALL TO ASK THE GENERAL COUNCIL TO COMMENT OR CLARIFY A COMMENT RELATED TO THIS COMMENT, BUT YOU THE GENERAL COUNSEL.
AND SO, YEAH, I MEAN, I'M, I'M A LITTLE AWKWARD SPEAKING ON MY OWN CONTRACT.
UM, I GUESS MAYBE I COULD HAVE HAD EXTERNAL COUNSEL HERE TO, TO, TO HANDLE THIS.
THE SUPERINTENDENT IS MAKING THE RECOMMENDATION AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS MY CONTRACT ENDS JUNE 30TH OF THIS YEAR.
IT WAS EXTENDED BY ONE YEAR WHEN THE BOARD, UM, DIDN'T GIVE ME NOTICE A YEAR AGO.
UM, THE BOARD HAS, UH, BY LAW, THE AUTHORITY TO EXTEND MY CONTRACT TWO YEARS BEYOND ITS LIFE.
SO, UM, FROM JANUARY ONE TO TWO YEARS OUT, MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOU CAN EXTEND IT IF YOU SO CHOOSE, BUT THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE BOARD PRESIDENT NORMALLY WOULD, UH, NEGOTIATE THAT CONTRACT.
UM, AND THEN LET THE BOARD KNOW THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT.
SO I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK TOO MUCH ON MY OWN ITEM.
UM, BUT IT'S A LITTLE, IT'S A LITTLE AWKWARD, BUT THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.
UM, MAYBE I MISREAD MY OWN CONTRACT, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF GOT THE FINNEY RED, SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
UM, BUT THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.
[05:55:01]
TO PUT IN STONE TO PUT HERE, TO OFFICIALLY RESOLVE THE CONCERN YOU SAY YOU HAD TO PUT A CONTRACT IN PLACE.ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? WHY DO WE HAVE A COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING? IF WE'RE JUST GOING TO PULL EVERY ITEM? I WANT TO LEAVE HERE BEFORE 1:00 AM.
CONNIE HAS ALREADY STORMED OUT SAYING THAT SHE'S MAD THAT SHE DIDN'T GET TO MAKE A BOAT BEFORE 10, 8, 10 PM.
SO, BECAUSE I HAVE TO RECUSE MYSELF ON ONE AND OTHERS THEY'RE PAST THAT.
I DON'T WANT TO SAY, YEAH, I'M VOTING FOR ALL 12.
I WANT IT TO BE CLEAR THAT I'M VOTING.
I KNOW I TRIED, BUT, AND I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT NUMBER 12.
AND I APOLOGIZE FOR CUTTING Y'ALL ALL RIGHT.
UM, I WOULD LOVE FOR Y'ALL TO PULL A NUMBER 11 LITIGATION BECAUSE Y'ALL DID NOT PULL IT.
I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS IRONIC THAT Y'ALL PULLED EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM EXCEPT FOR LITIGATION.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK AT THE LITIGATION CONSIDERING THAT THE FOOLISHNESS THAT WE JUST HAD.
AND THEN WE SAT IN HERE FOR ALMOST FIVE HOURS ADDRESS AND MAY PUT US IN ANOTHER SITUATION FOR MORE LITIGATION.
THINK ABOUT ALL THESE DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEES THAT CAN FILE A SUIT.
I KNOW THEM UNIONS MIGHT BE ITCHING TO GO AHEAD AND FILE.
AND I WOULDN'T, I WOULDN'T HESITATE ON HELPING THEM, BUT I'M JUST STATING THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ACTUALLY MIGHT NEED TO ADDRESS.
THIS LITIGATION ACTUALLY IS TALKING ABOUT CASES THAT WE PROBABLY MIGHT NEED TO LOOK AT AND TRY TO LEARN FROM.
AND WE ACTUALLY MIGHT NEED TO TALK TO A LOT OF THESE DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEES BECAUSE I MEAN, THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IS GOING TO BE WHAT, AUGUST 9TH.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HIRE A LOT OF THEM BACK.
SO THINK ABOUT THE LITIGATION THAT WE WILL FACE FROM THEM, AS WELL AS THE LITIGATION THAT WE WILL FACE FROM ALL THESE PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES, LIKE MYSELF, WHO CHILD WILL NOT RECEIVE THOSE RELATED SERVICES.
THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME MORE LITIGATION.
GENERAL COUNSEL COULD TELL Y'ALL, ESPECIALLY COUNSEL WAYNE, T STEWART AND MRS. ATKINS GUYS, JONAH AND PERKINS.
HE WILL BE THE FIRST ONE TO TELL YOU, HE DO NOT WANT TO SEE ME AGAIN IN COURT.
SO I THINK LITIGATION Y'ALL DEFINITELY SHOULD PULL THIS ONE UP SO THAT WE CAN DISCUSS LITIGATION.
TALK ABOUT HOW WE COULD PREVENT LITIGATION, TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN RESOLVE THIS LITIGATION AND THEN TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GIVE OUR STAFF SOME RAISES BECAUSE WE HAVE DEPLETED AS A FUNDING.
AND THAT SHOULD BE SOMETHING ELSE THAT SHOULD BE IN LITIGATION.
IT'S LATE AND I DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU ALL RIGHTY.
UM, MY NAME IS VALENCIA JOHNSON AND I AM THE PRESIDENT OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS.
SO BE SEPARATED, SO, OH, OKAY.
SEEING NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT BACK TO THE BOARD SAYING NO OTHER REQUESTS TO SPEAK.
ADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE VOTE.
ARE WE GOING TO STAY THE MOTION CARRIES? WAIT, HOLD ON, HOLD ON, HOLD ON.
UH, LET ME JUST ADD HER IN SOMETHING.
OH, CAUSE YOU WEREN'T HERE AT ROLL CALL.
[06:00:15]
OKAY.WE DO A ROLL CALL TO ALL FIX IT.
VICE PRESIDENT COLLINS, DISTRICT FIVE.
MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM THREE C I NO REQUEST TO SPEAK FROM THE BOARD.
ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
AND SO SEEING NO REQUEST TO SPEAK ANY PUBLIC COMMENT, SEEING NO PUBLIC COMMENT AND TO THE BOARD SEEING NO REQUEST TO SPEAK.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE VOTE.
MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM FOUR G4 AND LET THE RECORD SHOW THAT I AM REFUSING MYSELF AND A BOARD NUMBER OF AND IS AS WELL.
AND UH, CAN I GET A MOTION? ALRIGHT.
AND HOWARD MANTIS, FIRST HOWARD SECOND SCENE, OR REQUEST TO SPEAK ANY PUBLIC COMMENT.
THIS IS THE ONE THAT I AM ACTUALLY IN AGREEMENT WITH.
WE ALWAYS NEED TO HAVE A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT OR CONSENT AGREEMENT WITH CAPITAL AREA HUMAN SERVICE DISTRICT BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY PROVIDE SERVICES NOT ONLY TO THE MENTAL HEALTH FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH, BUT THEY ALSO PROVIDE SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.
IF ANY PARENT IN THIS WHOLE ENTIRE SCHOOL SYSTEM HAVE NEVER CHECKED HIM OUT, THEY DEFINITELY NEED TO CHECK THEM OUT IN A NEW LOCATION AND THE OLD AND THE OLD WALMART SHAME ALSO KNOWN AS BONE CAREY.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH.
I THINK ABOUT MY MENTAL HEALTH AS I DEAL WITH THIS SCHOOL BOARD EVERY SINGLE DAY, I THINK ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH OR THE STAFF MEMBERS AS THEY DEAL WITH THIS FOOLISHNESS, DEALING WITH THIS COMPREHENSIVE MODELING.
I DEAL WITH, I THINK ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF MY CHILD WHEN HE MIGHT NOT HAVE NO RELATED SERVICES, SUCH AS SPEECH THERAPY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, AP E UM, RELATED MEDICAL.
CAUSE YOU KNOW, THE HEALTH CLINIC, THAT'S A RELATED SERVICE AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE IMPACTED TOO WITH ALL THIS HERE STUFF.
IT'S HIS CHILD SPECIFIC PARENT.
I'M EVEN WONDERING ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT'S SUPPOSED TO WORK.
BUT ESY, YOU KNOW, THAT STARTS JUNE 6TH, FOURTH, SIX NIGHT.
MY MENTAL HEALTH IS MESSED UP RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT JUST MADE ME.
SO I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER THE DATE.
AND JULY 14TH THOUGH, SO THIS MENTAL HEALTH STUFF IS SERIOUS AND THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, JUST NOT EVEN HELPING I'M REPRESENTING
[06:05:01]
RESTORATIVE PRACTICES TODAY.AND I'M TELLING YOU, IT JUST WENT ALL THE WAY TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET BECAUSE THE MENTAL HEALTH HAS JUST SHOT.
BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER SEEK ME FOR ALL.
MENTAL HEALTH IS MANY OTHER INDIVIDUALS THAT TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, BUT WE NEED TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF INDIVIDUALS AS WE DID WITH COLBY, COLBY.
IT IS NOT GONE, BUT THE MENTAL HEALTH DAMN SHIRT.
SO WE NEED TO REALLY, REALLY EVERYBODY.
I THINK EVERYBODY IN HERE WOULD SAY, AH, IF THEY COULD AND VOTE FOR THIS AGREEMENT, YOU DON'T ACTUALLY EVER HEAR ME REALLY SAY, LET EVERYBODY IN THE HOUSE SAY AMEN, BUT EVERYBODY IN HERE COULD SAY, HEY MAN, FOR THIS ONE, WE WON'T MENTAL HEALTH EXTREME AND I'M UP AND I'M HOME.
I 40 SECONDS FOR THE NEXT ONE.
CAUSE I'M GOING TO BE BACK UP HERE.
THANK YOU SISTER CORLEY, SEEING NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT BACK TO THE BOARD, SEEING OUR REQUEST TO SPEAK FROM THE BOARD.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE VOTE.
THE MOTION CARRIES MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM PIG'S HEALTH CARE AND ANCILLARY BENEFITS.
CAN I GET A MOTION GO DAY IN BALLOON? WE'RE SEEING NO REQUESTS.
I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, I HAVE, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO RECUSE MYSELF ON THE FULL ITEM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, BUY FOR K UH, SIX E UM, AND UM, HAVE A SEPARATE DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.
OR CAN I JUST DISCUSS, DISCUSS IT OR I GUESS I NEED TO BACK UP THE RECUSE YOURSELF ON THE PORT AND RECUSE MYSELF ON THE REST OF IT.
SO LET ME ASK THE QUESTION IS SIX, EITHER ITEM YOU WANT TO SEPARATE OUT, YOU SURE IS THAT A, I, I THOUGHT THAT DISCUSSION WAS RETIREE INSURANCE AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS THE CORRECT ITEM.
UH, I'M TRYING TO, UM, TAKE OUT THE, UH, LIFE INSURANCE FOR RETIREES OR RETIREES AND I DON'T SEE LIFE LISTED ON ANY OF THESE OTHER ITEMS. OKAY.
SO PLEASE TELL ME IF I'M MISTAKEN, I'M GOING TO ASK FOR SOME GUIDANCE FROM, UH, MS. LOPEZ, IF SHE'S AVAILABLE, FOR WHICH OF THE LETTERS SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSES RETIREE INSURANCE, LIFE INSURANCE, NOT HEALTH, BUT LIFE IS SIX E LIFE INSURANCE FOR RETIREES.
Y BOY COLLEAGUE DYSON, A CLARITY FOR MYSELF, FIXIE IS THE ONE THAT YOU NEED TO RECUSE FROM.
I'M GOING TO REPEAT MYSELF FROM ALL OF SIX, EXCEPT I'D LIKE TO BIFURCATE.
SO THEN TECHNICALLY WE BIFURCATE FIRST.
SO, SO YOU MAKING A SUBSTITUTE MOTION, IS THAT CORRECT? YES.
FOR THE REQUEST TO SPEAK FROM THE BOARD ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO BIFURCATE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT TO BIFURCATE,
[06:10:03]
IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF EVEN JUST FOR A MOMENT, THE TELEVISION SCREENS COULD SHOW US WHAT FOUR ITEMS ARE STILL ON THERE AND WHAT ONE ISN'T, SINCE WE DON'T NECESSARILY ALL HAVE LAPTOPS IN FRONT OF US.SO ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? ONLY ON BIFURCATION.
I HATE TO LET THE MENTAL HEALTH GO OUT THE WINDOW FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE, BUT HE GETS BACK.
I THINK THAT WITH THIS ITEM THAT IT SHOULD BE A NICE PRIVATE MEETING WITH THE UNIONS, UH, AND WITH THE UNIONS AND THE, UH, RETIREES, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BE IMPACTED AND AFFECTED THAT.
I THINK THAT INSTEAD OF WAIT, WAIT, OH, HOLD MY TIME.
THE MOTION IS SIMPLY TO BIFURCATE AND WE NOT ONLY BE NOT ACTUALLY DEALING WITH ANY SUBJECT CONTENT, EXCUSE ME.
WELL THEN MY MENTAL HEALTH HEAD,
IT'S NOT GOING TO TAKE TOO MUCH LONGER FOR US TO GET TO THE ACTUAL I'M GONNA WAIT UNTIL YOU GET TO THE, UH, ITEM IS MS. APRIL ALL MY TIME BACK WHEN I COME BACK.
SEEING NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT BACK TO THE BOARD ON THE BIFURCATION.
AND SO SEEING NO BOY COMMENT AND THE MADAM SECRETARY SHELF AT SOME POINT CALL THE VOTE.
SHE GETTING IT ALL IN THE COMPUTER.
OH, VOTING ON JUST THE BIFURCATION.
SO SUBSTITUTE MOTION FAILS, WHICH MEANS WE GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL MOTION ON THE FORUM.
THE ORIGINAL EMOTION HAS ALL ITEMS, ALL SUB YEAH.
CAN YOU ALSO WALK BACK TO THE SCREEN, CHRIS, CAN YOU NOW SWITCH BACK TO THE BOARD DOC SCREEN? YOU CAN ALSO SEE IT ON THE BOARD DOCS.
[06:15:01]
OH, THAT'S THE ORIGINAL MOTION.AND SO THEN, UH, BULL COLLEAGUE, YOU WANT TO PROCEED? YOU JUST NEED TO RECUSE FROM EVERYTHING.
YOU KNOW YOU, AND SO SEEING NO BORE COMMENT, UH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, RETIREE MERRICK.
PATTY AMERICA STILL SAID THE SAME THING THAT IT SAID TO LAST TIME AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR RETIREES AND MYSELF BECAUSE OF MY OWN AGE.
AND I DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR TO AT WORK THIS LONG IN THE SYSTEM AND KNOWING THAT WITHIN TWO YEARS FOR THEIR INSURANCE GOING TO DROP TOO, BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN.
IF YOU GET TO BE 70 YEARS OLD, YOU JUST ABOUT HAVE NO INSURANCE AND IT'S NOT FAIR.
AND A LOT OF THE RETIREES ARE, THEY'RE NOT AWARE OF IT.
AND I JUST GOT A CALL THE OTHER DAY.
AND WHAT I SUGGESTED THAT WHEN YOU'RE 70, EVEN IF YOU TRY TO GO WITH STATE FORMS OR ANYTHING ELSE TO GET INSURANCE, YOU JUST ABOUT, CAN'T GET THIS EXTRA HIGH WHEN YOU'RE 70.
SO THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO IT 70, WHICH WOULD BE THE WISEST THING TO DO IS JUST TO DO YOUR INSURANCE.
AND THAT'S RIDICULOUS TO SAY THAT YOU'VE WORKED ALL THESE YEARS AND THEN YOU NEED TO GO TO A FUNERAL HOME AND THEN DO YOUR PLAN.
BUT THAT'S THE WISEST THING THAT YOU CAN DO WHEN YOU KNOW INSURANCE, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH WHEN YOU HAVE RETIRED FROM A SYSTEM WITH 30 OR 40 YEARS, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT FROM YOUR JOB.
AND I THINK THAT IT'S JUST ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS FOR IT TO CONTINUE TO DROP AND YOU JUST TAKING IT.
SO THE OTHER QUESTION IS WHERE'S THE MONEY GOING? WHO GETS OUR MONEY? BECAUSE IT HAS TO GO SOMEPLACE.
IF IT'S CONSTANTLY DROPPING, SOMEBODY IS GETTING THE RETIREE MONEY.
IN OTHER WORDS, SOMEBODY IS GETTING OUT DELTA MONEY.
SO, TWO WEEKS AGO YOU SPENT SEVERAL CONTENTIOUS HOURS TALKING ABOUT REDISTRICTING AND THEN FINALLY GOT TO THE, UH, COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ITEMS. AND MY SENSE OF A LITTLE BIT I LOOKED AT WAS THAT THAT WENT BY FAST AND THIS IS KIND OF AN IMPORTANT ITEM.
AND HERE WE ARE AT 11 O'CLOCK EVERYBODY'S WHIPPED FROM ALL THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT A, I'LL TRY TO BE KIND FOR A CHANGE, A POORLY COMMUNICATED STAFFING MODEL.
AND SO NOW YOU'RE GOING TO AFFECT HEALTH INSURANCE FOR EVERYBODY.
AND I CERTAINLY HAVEN'T HAD ANY CHANCE TO PAY ANY ATTENTION TO IT.
I DOUBT IF ALL OF YOU HAVE STUDIED THIS AS CAREFULLY AS YOU MIGHT.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN DEFER IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU JUST HAVE TO TRUST THAT THE, A GENTLEMEN FROM MARYLAND HAS THE COMMUNITY'S BEST INTERESTS IN HEART AND HIS RECOMMENDATIONS ARE SOUND, BUT THAT SEEMS DANGEROUS.
THANK YOU
I TELL YOU, I KEEP ASKING GOD FOR A ROOM FOR THE KEY, BUT Y'ALL, WON'T DO IT.
I REALLY TRULY BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD ACTUALLY ALLOW THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED AND AFFECTED BY
[06:20:01]
THIS TO ACTUALLY BE THE ONES TO DO THE NEGOTIATION.UM, JUST AS YOU HEARD MS. MERRICK STATE, THEY HAVE WORKED AND GIVEN THEIR LIVES TO EVERY STUDENT EVERY DAY IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND IT'S A SHAME THAT WE'RE NOT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THAT WHEN PEOPLE RETIRE, THAT THEY'RE ON A FIXED INCOME.
SO ANY CHANGES THAT YOU DO WILL IMPACT THEM AND AFFECT THEM AND THEIR FAMILY IN A MAJOR WAY.
IT CAN AFFECT, AFFECT THEM AND IMPACT THEM WHERE IT CAN CAUSE THEM TO NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD MEDICATIONS.
IT CAN AFFECT THEM AND IMPACT THEM TO WHERE IT CAN KEEP THEM FROM BEING ABLE TO PAY UTILITIES, PAY MORTGAGES, PAY CAR NOTES, CAR INSURANCE, HOUSE INSURANCE, ET CETERA.
GOD FORBID, WE HAVE NATURAL DISASTERS LIKE HURRICANES, TORNADOES.
THEY HAD CAUSED DAMAGE AND THEY ENDED UP WITH A LOT OF MORE DAMAGE THAN THEIR INSURANCE IS WILLING TO.
CARLOS, WOULD YOU GIVE THEM AN EXTRA EXPENSE? WE HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DON'T WANT IS PEOPLE WORKING FOR OUR SYSTEM, GIVEN THEIR TIME AND THEIR BLOOD AND THEIR TEARS EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND THEN WE SAY, HEY, YOU REALLY DIDN'T MATTER TO US.
WE'RE GOING TO CHANGE YOUR PLANS.
THAT'S AN OUTRIGHT AND THAT'S NOT FAIR.
UM, PART OF BEING A DEMOCRACY IS HAVING THE LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE THAT IS IMPACTED BY THIS OR THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY COME HERE EVERY SINGLE DAY TO EDUCATE OUR KIDS.
THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY NEED TO BE DOING AND DOING THESE NEGOTIATIONS, YOU KNOW, NO OFFENSE TO A SUPERINTENDENT, BUT WITH CONSIDERING HOW LONG WE ACTUALLY HAD TO TALK ABOUT THIS COMPREHENSIVE MODELING STAFFING OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, IT, IT, IT LEAVES, UH, DISDAIN.
AND, UH, IT ACTUALLY BRINGS A HIGH LEVEL OF DISTRUST TO WHERE INDIVIDUALS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TRUST THAT ANYBODY CAN HAVE REAL TRUE DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY.
SO ALLOW THE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE IMPACTED AND AFFECTED TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE THAT.
AND YOU COULD DO THAT SIMPLY BY BRINGING, UH, SEVERAL HAVE, UH, GIVEN A SURVEY, WE, WE BEEN DISHING OUT MONEY EVERY SINGLE DAY.
LIKE IT'S CHRISTMAS, YOU CAN GET A CONTRACT, YOU CAN GET THIS MONEY FUNDING.
LET'S DO WHAT, USE THE FUNDING TO ACTUALLY GET THE AMP PUT OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE BEING IMPACTED AND AFFECTED THE MOST.
IT SHOULDN'T NOT BE THAT THEY GIVE THIS, UM, AND THAT WE ACTUALLY MAKE CHANGES WITHOUT THEIR INPUT.
AND SO I JUST ASKED THAT YOU THINK ABOUT THAT.
SEEING NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT BACK TO THE BOARD, A BOARD MEMBER WHERE JACKSON, THANK YOU.
MADAM VICE PRESIDENT OF, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND WITH THE HEALTH AREAS IN THIS, UH, IN THIS BENEFITS PLAN, UH, EVERYTHING, MOSTLY EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME OR IT'S IMPROVED HOW EVER WITH THE, IN THE AREA OF THE LIFE INSURANCE.
WE KNOW THAT LIFE INSURANCE BURIALS COSTS GO UP EVERY YEAR AND, UM, THE COVERAGE IS, IS PRETTY LOW.
IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN HAVE, UM, THIS COMPANY I'LL LOOK AT PERHAPS THE RENEGOTIATING THAT PIECE SO THAT, UM, WE COULD HAVE AN INCREASE IN BENEFITS FOR, UM, FOR LIFE INSURANCE, FOR BURIALS SO THAT, UM, OUR RETIREES COULD BENEFIT FROM THIS? YES, MA'AM.
I ACTUALLY SPOKE WITH, UH, MR. CROCHET, MS. LOPEZ EARLIER.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY DO IS HAVE MS. LOPEZ, UM, DO AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE ON THE BUDGET.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT SHE TALKED ABOUT DOING TO LET THE BOARD KNOW WHAT THE COST WOULD BE FOR ANY INCREASE IN COVERAGE.
I'M SURE GALA WHO CAN WORK WITH HER, UM, TO LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND THEN BRING SOME INFORMATION BACK TO YOU.
UH, AND SO, UH, MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK WITH AN AMENDMENT TO THIS LATER, UH, IF NEEDED, UH, AND, AND DO SOME CHANGES IF THE BOARD'S INTERESTED, UH, WE HAVE SOME TIME LEFT BEFORE WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO MAKE FINAL DECISIONS.
SO WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, SOME FLEXIBILITY.
SO IF WE PASS THIS TONIGHT, THEN WE STILL HAVE TIME TO JUST TAKE, TO LOOK AT THIS MORE CLOSELY AND SEE IF WE CAN GET A BETTER, BETTER SMILE.
THANK YOU, MS. MAYER, YOU GOING TO HAVE TO CALL ME, UH, MONDAY AND, UH, RIGHT.
YOU AIN'T CALL ME BEFORE TODAY, THE COMMON MONDAY, AND I'M GONNA WORK ON, I'M GONNA MAKE AMMO, KEEP A CLOSE EYE, BUT THAT WAS THE ONLY, UH, THAT WAS THE ONLY CONCERN
[06:25:01]
I HAD SEEN ANOTHER EMAIL, BUT THAT WAS RESOLVED BY ANOTHER RETIREE.UH, THE DIFFERENCE WAS WE, SO WE DROP IN, IT WAS WHAT? 75? WHAT IS IT? NO CHANGE.
UM, BUT I'LL, I'LL DO MY PART TO WORK, TO, UH, SEE HOW WE CAN COME UP WITH SOME BOY, UH, COLLEAGUE GO DAY.
AND THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING, UH, BRINGING THE CONCERN TO OUR ATTENTION.
YES, MA'AM UH, MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE VOTE.
WHAT IS THIS? SEVEN G SEVEN REVISED 2122 GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
CAN I GET A MOTION? LAN IS FIRST AND THEN, UH, GO TO, UH, OKAY.
MS. MS. DOT MS. COLLINS, READ THE ITEM INTO THE RECORD IF YOU DON'T MIND.
WELL, ALL THAT HARD WORK LANDIS DID ALREADY.
IT'S TRYING TO RIDE ON THE WORK OF BROTHER LANDS.
I DON'T G SEVEN CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE REVISED 2020 1 22 GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND I HAVE A BOARD COLLEAGUE LANA'S AND BOARD, UH, BOARD COLLEAGUE DAY WITH THE SECOND BOY.
SO SEEING NO REQUEST TO SPEAK FROM THE BOARD AND SEEING ALL RIGHT.
PUBLIC COMMENT, I'LL EXPLAIN IN A FEW MINUTES WHILE I WASN'T HERE FOR THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE TO TALK ABOUT ALL THESE ITEMS BACK THEN.
UM, BUT YOU'RE ABOUT TO PASS BY ACCLAMATION AN AFFIRMATION OF THE FACT THAT YOU PASS THE BUDGET, THE SUPERINTENDENT IGNORED IT, AND YOU'RE GOING TO SAY THAT'S OKAY, JUST TO SPEND THE MONEY, HOWEVER YOU WANT.
THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO BECAUSE YOU PASS THE BUDGET, HE IGNORED IT.
YOU NEVER AUTHORIZED, THEY MOVED MONEY FROM HERE TO THERE AND EVERYWHERE.
UM, YOU KEPT ASKING THEM TO, UM, PROVIDE FISCAL NOTES AND BUDGET STATUS ON THE SR MONEY.
SOUNDS LIKE IT'S ALL GONE WITH NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT.
SO HERE'S YOUR CHANCE DEFER THIS TO JUNE.
AND THEY HAVE A FULL DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW HE MODIFIED THE BUDGET.
YOU IMPROVED ALMOST A YEAR AGO, OR JUST DO WHAT'S YOUR USUAL CUSTOM AND SAY, YEAH, WHATEVER, WE'LL, WE'LL LISTEN TO THE PUBLIC COMPLAINT.
AND THEN WE'LL LET THE GENTLEMAN FROM MARYLAND DO WHATEVER IT IS HE WANTS TO DO TO DESTROY PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THIS COMMUNITY.
THE ELECTION WILL BE SOON ENOUGH.
YEAH, I'M GETTING GOOD AT THAT THING.
YOU KNOW, I GREATLY APPRECIATE DR.
UM, WE DID A MODEL THAT ACTUALLY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, DECREASE IN COST, BUT NOBODY COULD ANY JOBS IN THE SENIOR CABINET AND THAT'S MAJOR BECAUSE WE'RE PAYING EACH INDIVIDUAL AND THE SENIOR CABINET, 130,000.
IF WE WOULD'VE STARTED TRIMMING FROM THE TOP, WE WOULD HAVE HAD MONEY TO GIVE TO THOSE AT THE BOTTOM.
THOSE THAT ARE DIRECTLY IN THE TRENCHES.
IF WE LOOK AT WHAT THE NEW REVISED BUDGET SAYS, IT SAYS THAT WE'RE GETTING RID OF MS. ELIZABETH TAYLOR CHAPMAN, AND WE'VE PUT IN TWO PEOPLE TO DO WHAT ONE PERSON WAS DOING.
[06:30:01]
I'M TRYING TO MAKE IT MAKE SENSE TO ME.AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING READY TO ELIMINATE THERAPISTS, BUT WE'RE REVISING A BUDGET THAT DOESN'T ADD UP AND MAKE SENSE.
I DID A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST FOR FISCAL NOTES, BUT ITEMIZED DETAILED EXPENDITURE REPORT DEALING WITH THE BUDGET, INCLUDING S THE FUNDINGS AS SELF-FUNDING I, ALL THE IDA FUNDING TITLE TWO, TITLE 180 8, I EXED FOR AT ALL.
AND I STILL HAVE YET TO GET IT THAT'S BECAUSE SOMEBODY IS TRYING NOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW WHERE THE MONEY REALLY WENT.
IT'S A PROBLEM WHEN WE HAVE ON HERE, THAT WE GOING TO GIVE STUFF IN S A FUNDING WHEN WE KNOW THE MONEY DON'T EXIST ANYMORE, HOW CAN YOU MAKE IT MAKE SENSE? LET'S THROW I COULDN'T FROM THE TOP.
WE CAN ALWAYS RENEGOTIATE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S CONTRACT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T 200 SOME THOUSAND, AND HE'S SUPPOSED TO GET A $10,000 BONUS.
LET'S NOT GIVE IT, AND LET'S GIVE IT TO THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE TRENCHES.
THAT'S DOING THE WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY.
WE CAN'T KEEP SITTING HERE SAYING THAT WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEIR BUDGET WAS, WHAT THE MONEY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR, WHAT THE IMPACT WAS GOING TO BE.
WE KNEW I SPOKE ON HERE THEN, CAUSE I READ THE SPECIAL BUDGET AND THE GENERAL BUDGET.
AND I'M ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE THAT KNOW THAT BUDGET BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS.
WE ARE NOT IN A REDUCTION IN FORCE, SO IT SHOULD NOT.
WE SHOULD NOT BE HAVING NO IMPACT.
LET US, WE SHOULD NOT BE REVISING THIS BUDGET.
AND IT SHOULD BE A PENALTY AND A REFLECTION ON THE SUPERINTENDENT.
AND, AND, AND IT SHOULD BE A DISDAIN AND A BIG THING ON OUR SCHOOL SITS ON OUR SCHOOL BOARD FOR FAILING TO MAKE SURE THEY SUPERVISE THE BO THE SUPERINTENDENT, BECAUSE THAT IS THE JOB TO HIRE AND FIRE THE SUPERINTENDENT.
I REMEMBER BOARD MEMBERS RUNNING ON THAT, AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO, HOW YOU FIRE YOU SUPERVISE.
SEE, NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT BACK TO THE BOARD BOARD, KYLIE GOLDIE.
I'M GOING TO JUST BE VERY BRIEF.
MOST OF WHAT MS. CORALEE IS TALKING ABOUT IS, IS SPECIAL FUNDS.
AND THAT IS NOT WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON OR VOTING ON THE GENERAL FUND REVISED GENERAL FUND.
THE SPECIAL FUNDS IS NOT PART OF THIS.
UH, THIS IS THE MONEY THAT THE BUDGET WE PASS FOR THIS YEAR AND REVISING IT FOR THIS YEAR.
THERE ARE TWO MAJOR REVISION BECAUSE I HAVE READ IT AND I HAVE GONE THROUGH IT IN DETAIL.
THE ONLY TWO MAJOR REVISIONS ON THIS IS AN INCREASE IN SALES TAX COLLECTION, WHICH IS GOOD AND AN INCREASE IN SPENDING AND REG REGULAR EDUCATION PROGRAMS BY ABOUT $10 MILLION, WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IS EDUCATING CHILDREN.
IT ALSO INCREASES OUR SURPLUS BY $8 MILLION, WHICH IS ALSO A GOOD THING.
SO I HAVE READ THIS, WE HAVE GONE THROUGH IT AND I, FOR ONE KNOW WHAT'S IN HERE.
SECONDLY, ON THE ASUR FUNDS, EVEN THOUGH ASTRID FUNDS IS NOT PART OF THIS, THERE IS NOW A DETAILED WEBSITE, A DETAILED DASHBOARD UP ON OUR WEBSITE THAT YOU CAN FIND OUT A GREAT DEAL ABOUT OUR SPENDING OF ESSA MONEY.
BUT AGAIN, SR MONEY IS NOT IN THIS.
THIS IS JUST A GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
SO I, I REQUEST THAT WE APPROVE THIS AND LET'S GET FINISHED WITH THIS MEETING.
SEEING NO OTHER REQUESTS TO SPEAK.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE VOTE.
I'M COMING BACK IN THE MOTION CARRIES MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM G EIGHT BOARD MEETING CALENDAR 2022 THROUGH 23 CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST
[06:35:01]
FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SCHEDULED FOR THE 20 22 23 SCHOOL YEAR.YEAH, YOUR SECRETARY
BASED ON RESPONSES SEPTEMBER 1ST.
FIVE, NO, SEPTEMBER 8TH, FOUR, YES.
UH, I LIKE TO MOVE THE CALENDAR AS WRITTEN WITH THE, UH, AMENDMENT OR WITH THE CHANGE OF MAKING THE COMMITTEE, THE WHOLE MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 8TH AND MAINTAINING THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 15TH.
I HOPE I GOT THOSE STATE TRACK.
SO THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ON THE EIGHTH AND THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING ON A NORMAL DAY OF THE 15TH, CAN I GET A SECOND? OKAY.
SECONDARY BY BOARD MEMBER BALLOON, SEEING ALL THE REQUEST TO SPEAK FROM THE BOARD, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT I DO HAVE ONE.
UM, UH, IT'S A SINGLE PAGE DOCUMENT.
IT DOES NOT HAVE THE STARTING TIMES ON IT.
I WONDER IF THAT IS BY DESIGN, IF IT'S GOING TO BE THE SAME AS NEXT YEAR, UM, OR AS SAME AS THIS YEAR.
UM, AND THEN IF THERE'S ANY WAY WE CAN CHANGE A POLICY TO ECHO HOW THE METRO COUNCIL DOES IT, WHERE ON THE METRO COUNCIL, THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD ARE TIMED AS WELL AS THE AUDIENCE.
THEY HAVE A LONGER TIME AND THEY WERE RESTRICTED TO TWO COMMENT SESSIONS.
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER THAT, UM, YEAH, IT'S OFF TOPIC, BUT PLEASE MOVING FORWARD TO CONSIDER THAT.
YEAH, THAT WAS A GREAT RECOMMENDATION.
I'M TELLING YOU Y'ALL NEED TO START SERVING FOOD AND DRINKS AND HERE AND CHILD CANTON.
I AM ON BOARD WITH MR. GOLD DAY FOR HAVING THE MEETING IN SEPTEMBER, BUT CAN WE PLEASE PUT THAT THE DATE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE CONSIDERING WEATHER BECAUSE THAT IS HURRICANE SEASON.
AND CAN WE ALSO PUT, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE ACTUALLY PUT A CANCELLATION NOTICE IN A TIMELY FASHION BECAUSE WE HAVE CANCELED SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS TO LIKE MAYBE 15 MINUTES TO AN HOUR BEFORE THE MEETINGS, MAYBE TWO HOURS BEFORE, BUT WE DON'T CANCEL THEM THAT THEY'RE MUCH BEFORE.
AND THAT'S A PROBLEM BECAUSE YOU MAY HAVE PEOPLE LIKE ME, THAT'S DRIVING A DISTANCE.
THAT'S ACTUALLY CONSIDERING COMING OUT INTO THEIR WEATHER, UH, TO ACTUALLY BE HERE AT THE MEETING.
SO I JUST THINK THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CONSIDERATION, BUT I AM ALL FOR OUR, UM, MEETINGS, UH, THE CALENDAR.
BUT I WOULD ALSO LIKE FOR Y'ALL TO CONSIDER CONSIDERING THE TIME OF HOW LATE WE ARE DOING THIS MEETING, IF WE CAN DO THEM ON SATURDAYS FIRST, THE THIRD SATURDAY, JUST THE RECOMMENDATION TO, YOU KNOW, I HEARD ALL THE BULLS AND STUFF, BUT I'M JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, JUST A SATURDAY JUST TO THINK OF ANYBODY AND CHILDCARE AND THE FOOD SERVICES IN HERE, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE A NICE RECOMMENDATION.
COLLEAGUES AND NO OTHER, UH, PUBLIC COMPANY BOARD GO TO ONE QUICK COMMENT.
IF WE'RE GOING TO START MIRRORING A METRO COUNCIL, I THINK WE OUGHT TO MIRROR THEIR THING, THAT THE MEETING'S OVER AT EIGHT O'CLOCK NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, HEY MAN.
AND WE MIGHT GET, WE MIGHT ACTUALLY GET THERE IF WE LIMIT OUR OWN THAT I'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULDN'T HATE NO ONE TO COMMENT.
SEEING NO OTHER BOY COMMENT, UH, MADAM SECRETARY OF COLOR VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
UM, THE MOTION CARRIES MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM G NINE, CONTRACT RENEWAL, BAD NEWS SPEECH IN HERE FOUNDATION, DOING BUSINESS AS THE EMERGE CENTER
[06:40:01]
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL TO RENEW IT.PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CREDIT RATE BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, AND THE BAMBOO SPEECH AND HEARING FOUNDATION DOING BUSINESS AS THE EMERGE CENTER INCORPORATED IN A AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $250,000, SUPERVISE SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, A MOTION BOARD MEMBER, BLUTH AND BOARD MEMBER GO DATE CNO REQUEST TO SPEAK FROM THE BOARD AND THEN PUBLIC COMMENT SEEING NO PUBLIC COMMENT BACK TO THE BOARD, SEEING NO SEEING A REQUEST TO SPEAK FROM THE BOARD, MADAME SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE VOTE.
PLEASE VOTE THE MOTION CARRIES MOVING FORWARD.
NOW THE ITEM G 12 POLICY E F A A CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF DISTRICT POLICY E F A N EMPLOYEE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, AND I GET EMOTION.
I'D LIKE TO MOVE THAT WE DEFER ACTION ON THIS ITEM AND WE BRING IT UP AGAIN FOR DISCUSSION AT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ON, UM, WHENEVER IN JULY OR JUNE AND JULY, IT WILL BRING IT UP THE COMMITTEE THE WHOLE IN JULY.
CAUSE I DON'T SEE, I THINK THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF COMMENTS AND THINGS ABOUT THIS POLICY AND I DON'T SEE IT AS BEING NECESSARILY TIME SENSITIVE.
SO I'D LIKE TO DEFER IT TO THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE IN JULY.
SEEING NO OTHER REQUESTS TO SPEAK FROM THE BOARD, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT, I THINK IT SHOULD BE THE JULY RIGHT AFTER ABOUT, UM, 30 CENTURIES FROM NOW, IT'S AN INCREDIBLY CREEPY POLICY THAT YOU SHOULDN'T CONSIDER.
AND I PROMISED THAT I WOULD, UH, EXPLAIN MY ABSENCE FOR THE LAST TWO MEETINGS.
I DON'T HAVE KIDS IN THE SCHOOL.
I DON'T WORK FOR THIS ADMINISTRATION.
AND TWO MEMBERS OF THE NARCISSIST ADMINISTRATION, SENIOR CABINET FILED FRIVOLOUS LOSS.
I WILL BE BRIEF IF YOU'LL ALLOW ME A LITTLE BIT OF LATITUDE.
JULY IS TOO SOON, AND HERE'S WHY IT'S GOING TO HAVE THE LOOMING THREAT OF STIFLING FREE SPEECH.
AND I FEEL THAT VERY STRONGLY HAVING BEEN SUED BY TWO MEMBERS OF DR.
NARCISSUS CABINET ON FRIVOLOUS GROUNDS IN AN ATTEMPT TO STIFLE MY OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.
AND THIS IS PROPOSING TO DO THAT TO PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS, IT'S OFFENSIVE AND JULY IS TOO SOON.
BUT I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TRY TO MAKE A SNAP DECISION TONIGHT.
SO BETTER JULY THAN TONIGHT, BETTER, NEVER THAN JULY.
I VALENCIA JOHNSON PRISON AND V SPANNERS PARISH ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS.
FINNEY, UM, THAT THIS IS, UM, GOING TO BE A VIOLATION OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
UM, WE HAVE A LEGAL OPINION AND I WILL BE FORWARDING THAT LEGAL OPINION TO ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS.
SO DEFERRING IT FOREVER WOULD PROBABLY BE, UH, THE THING OR CHANGING SEVERAL LINES IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE POLICY.
NEVER GOT TO TELL YOU GUYS THAT IN ADDITION TO ALL THE OTHER THINGS I STATED EARLIER, I'M ALSO ALL UP IN LAE.
[06:45:01]
UM, AGREE WITH DR.IT'S, UH, I'VE TALKED TO SEVERAL LAWYERS.
I TALKED TO A LAWYER IN MISSISSIPPI WHO ROLLED ON A CASE WITH A POLICY ALMOST, ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE THIS ONE.
THEY'VE ALREADY LOST THAT CASE.
THEY LOST IT LIKE SIX DAYS AGO.
Y'ALL SO AS, NOT AS, NOT AS SMART.
AND I WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND TALK ABOUT IT TODAY BECAUSE IN JULY I WILL NOT BE HERE.
SO I WAITED HERE ALL NIGHT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HEARD FROM ME.
NOW I'M GOING TO GO HOME BECAUSE I HAVE TO GET UP AT 5:00 AM TO GO TO 7 0 8 0 2 TO TEACH.
IT TURNS OUT THAT CHEMO AND THEN TWO DAYS OF INFUSION IS A BIT MUCH FOR ME AT THIS POINT WITH THE LONG MEETINGS.
UM, THERE'S A PART OF ME THAT WANTS TO BE LIKE, OKAY, AT LEAST WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT PASSING TONIGHT, BUT IT'D BE EVEN BETTER IF YOU ALL JUST SHUT IT DOWN COMPLETELY.
BECAUSE LAST TIME I WILL, OR LAST TIME I CHECKED, I DIDN'T WAKE UP IN A COMMUNIST COUNTRY THAT RESTRICTS THE INTERNET AND RESTRICTS FREE VOICE.
WE CANNOT THREATEN THE PRESIDENT, BUT IF YOU DON'T THINK HE'S DOING A GOOD JOB, YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND YOU CAN SPEAK ON IT.
I THINK YOU SHOULD GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON IT TONIGHT.
I WOULD SAY GOOD EVENING, BUT GOODNIGHT BOARD MEMBERS, UH, THE, UH, FIRST AMENDMENT, MY NAME IS CHARLES JUSTICE.
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE MY NAME IN THIS STATE A LOT THIS YEAR FROM JEFFERSON PARISH TO MANY STORES FROM MASS MANDATES TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
AND I PROMISE YOU THE LAWSUIT SEVERAL ONE, SIX DAYS AGO, THERE'S TWO IN SUPREME COURT RIGHT NOW.
NOT ONLY ARE YOU INFRINGING ON THE TEACHERS AND THE EMPLOYEES OF THE SCHOOL, I HAVE CHILDREN.
WHAT IF THEY WANT TO POST A PICTURE OF THEIR MOTHER AT DINNER? WHAT IF THEY WOULD DO THAT? AND THEY ATTACH HER NAME.
UNFORTUNATELY, NONE OF YOU UNDERSTAND THE ALGORITHMS OF HOW IT WORKS.
IT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE THAT PERSON POSTED AS WELL.
THEREFORE YOU'RE BASING ANYTHING THAT THEY DO AND YOU MAKE IT AS A PRIVATE CONTRACTOR, A PRIVATE CONTRACT OR ELSE IT IS STILL IN VIOLATION OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT GOT 16 TIMES THAT THAT'S HAPPENED THIS YEAR IN SUPREME COURT ALONE, GOT A GOOD LAWYER, LET HIM DO HIS RESEARCH.
I ASKED THEM, UH, COMMENTS THAT SOMEONE SENT ME ON THIS, UM, PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING TEACHERS HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO ENGAGE IN FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTED SPEECH, WITHOUT FEAR OF RETALIATION BY THEIR EMPLOYERS, PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETAIN FUNDAMENTAL FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO SPEAK OUT IN THEIR PERSONAL NON-OFFICIAL CAPACITY ON MATTERS OF PUBLIC CONCERN, INCLUDING EDUCATION ISSUES.
THE RULES IN THIS CASE ARE OVERLY BROAD AND CONTAIN NUMEROUS VAGUE AND UNDEFINED TERMS. AS A RESULT, THE RULES COULD RESULT IN DISCIPLINE FOR PROTECTED SPEECH.
AND IN ANY EVENT WOULD LIKELY CREATE A CHILLING EFFECT ON EMPLOYEE.
SPEECH TEACHERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK, AND MAYBE WE DO NEED EVENTUALLY A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY, RIGHT? THERE'S TIK TOK.
AND THERE'S ALL THOSE OTHER APPS THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND BECAUSE I'M OLD NOW, BUT THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO DO IT.
JULY IS NOT THE TIME TO DO A HIT.
WE NEED TO HAVE THE DISCUSSION FIRST BEFORE IT IS AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA AND IT NEEDS TO NOT HAPPEN WITH THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION THAT WE HAVE, BECAUSE IF WE CAN'T TRUST THEM, TELL US WHEN THEY ARE MOVING TEACHERS AROUND.
WE CAN'T TRUST THEM TO APPLY THIS IN A FAIR WAY, BECAUSE THE ONLY NEWS WE GOT ABOUT MOVING TEACHERS AROUND WAS FROM THE TEACHERS WHO ARE AFFECTED ON FACEBOOK SAYING I GOT IMPACTED.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? AND IF THEY SAID ANYTHING SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE ABOUT THEM BEING MOVED UNDER THIS POLICY, THEY COULD BE FIRED FOR THAT.
AND THAT'S JUST THEM TELLING PEOPLE WHAT'S GOING ON.
IF THEY SAID END EVEN A SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE THING ABOUT THEM BEING MOVED FROM ONE SCHOOL TO ANOTHER, THEY COULD BE FIRED WITHOUT YOUR INPUT NECESSARILY.
AND SO WE NEED TO PAUSE THIS AND
[06:50:01]
MAKE A NEW DRAFT OF THIS ITEM THAT IS REALISTIC TO WHAT REALLY HAPPENS ON THE GROUND LEVEL AND THEN NOT PASS A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY.WELL NURSE, HE SAYS THE SUPERINTENDENT.
SO THANKS I TO SAY GOOD MORNING, CAUSE WE STILL GOT NINE MINUTES.
UM, LAUREN JUSTICE, GREAT EBR TEACHER HERE IN OUR PARISH, GOT UP MY BED OFF MY COUCH TO BE UP HERE.
THIS IS HOW I SEE IT, READ IT AND ANALYZED IT, SPOKEN TO OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT IT.
THE POLICY THAT IS CURRENTLY WRITTEN IS SO STRICT THAN IT IS ALMOST MADE TO BE VIOLATED, TO CAUSE US TO BE IN VIOLATION OF A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY.
NOW, DO WE NEED ONE TO NEED MUIR? ABSOLUTELY.
WE'VE GOT KIDS DOING STUFF ON THERE.
WE HAVE PEOPLE IN PROPRIETY, PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE TO PROTECT.
I'M A MOM, MOM, TWO BOYS AND DVR.
I GOT TO PROTECT THEM TO PROTECT MY STUDENTS.
MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOT DOING IT, BUT I DON'T WANT MY BOYS EVER BE AFRAID THAT THEIR MOM IS GOING TO LOSE THEIR JOB BECAUSE THEY TOOK A PICTURE ON MOTHER'S DAY.
I'M SAYING I'M GOING TO BE BELLIGERENT, BUT THAT MAMA AND THAT TEACHER DESERVES THAT ONE HOUR.
THAT HAPPY HOUR, WHATEVER, JUST LIKE WHAT'S DONE IN DARK CAN COME TO LIGHT NO MATTER WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA ANYMORE TODAY, IT'S GOING TO BE ON THE NEWS.
AND THEN UNFORTUNATELY IN THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF TO TWO YEARS, I THINK MOST OF US BOARD MEMBERS IN THIS ROOM AND US CONSTITUENTS CAN AGREE.
THINGS HAPPENED OUT IN OUR COMMUNITY, ONE BOARD MEMBER AND IT WAS BROADCASTED FASTER THAN A WILDFIRE THROUGH THE NEWS.
AND IT DIDN'T HAVE TO JUST HAPPEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO I THINK WE SHOULD EITHER VOTE, GET RID OF IT OR WE SHOULD REDRAFT IT.
COME UP A LITTLE MORE CONSENSUS WILL FOLLOW DOUBLE ACTION.
THAT IS MORE VIGILANT TO WHAT COULD ACTUALLY GO ON IN THERE.
I WOULD LIKE TO AGREE THAT THIS MOTION SHOULD BE DEFERRED BECAUSE IT AFFECTS A LOT OF TEACHERS AND IT CREATES EVEN MORE MISTRUST AND LACK OF COMMUNICATION BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW IF WE COULD GET FIRED FOR, YOU KNOW, BEING OUT HERE TONIGHT AND SPEAKING OUR VOICES AND TRYING TO DO WHAT WE THINK IS BEST.
AND WE NEED MORE TIME FOR, I MEAN, I THINK THE POLICY NEEDS SERIOUS RECONSIDERATION TOO, BUT DEFINITELY MORE TEACHERS NEED INPUT AND NOT A VOTE.
GO ON HOME AFTER THIS WOOF MIDNIGHT.
ALL RIGHT HERE BY THE BOAT, LET'S BE WOKE.
WE ALREADY HAVE A POLICY IN OUR HANDBOOK THAT TALKS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA.
WE HAVE ONE IN THERE THAT TALKS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA AND BULLYING AND HARASSMENT AND ALL THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY IS ACTUALLY READ OUR STUDENT HANDBOOK, UM, OUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES HANDBOOK, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY IN THERE BECAUSE PARENTS HAVE TO SIGN OFF ON IT EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
I DON'T SIGN THE HANDBOOK BECAUSE I DON'T AGREE WITH A LOT OF THESE POLICIES BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS, UNFORTUNATELY DON'T KNOW THE POLICIES EXIST AND THAT CREATES A PROBLEM BECAUSE OUR BOARD MEMBERS ARE ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONES.