[A. Meeting Opening ]
[00:00:05]
WELCOME TO OUR REGULAR MEETING, UH, TONIGHT, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH, 5:00 PM WE'LL BEGIN WITH OUR INVOCATION.
THE INVOCATION WILL BE LED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MARK BELU AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, LED BY CADET STAFF SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON OF LIBERTY MAGNA HIGH SCHOOL, ACCOMPANIED BY SENIOR ARMY INSTRUCTOR, COLONEL RETIRED JONAH M HUGHES.
HEAVENLY FATHER, WE COME TO YOU WITH GRATITUDE FOR THE BEAUTY IN OUR LIVES.
HELP US ALSO TO SHOW GRATITUDE TO OTHERS TO WHOM WE OWE A DEBT, THOSE WHO HAVE MADE SACRIFICES FOR US AND INFLUENCED OUR LIVES IN A POSITIVE WAY AS WE MAKE DECISIONS TODAY THAT AFFECT OUR STUDENTS, OUR STAFF, AND OUR COMMUNITY, WE ASK FOR YOUR GUIDANCE SO THAT WE MAY ENGAGE IN THOUGHTFUL REASON, DISCUSSION, AND MAINTAIN RESPECT FOR THE DIGNITY WITH WHICH YOU HAVE ENDOWED EACH OF US.
GOOD EVENINGS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, DR.
NO CEASE AND THE STEAM MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD.
IT IS MY DISTINCT HONOR TO INTRODUCE YOU TO ONE OF MY MOST OUTSTANDING J R T CADETS OF THE PATRIOT BATTALION CADET SERGEANT FIRST CLASS CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON IS A SOPHOMORE AND HE IS IN HIS SECOND YEAR IN OUR J R T C PROGRAM.
HE CURRENTLY SERVES ON OUR BATTALION STAFF WHILE COMPETING AS A MEMBER OF THE RAIDERS CHALLENGE TEAM, COLOR GUARD RIFLE TEAM BLACKJACKS, AND OUR JUNIOR LEADERSHIP ACADEMIC BOARD.
CADET JOHNSON HAS ALSO BEEN HERE BEFORE AS TO LEAD THE PLEDGE IN HIS FRESHMAN YEAR WHEN HE WON THE LET BOARD WON.
HE, HE IS HERE AGAIN AS THE DIS DISTRICTS LET TWO CADET OF THE YEAR AFTER PLACE IN FIRST PLACE IN LET FOUR, TWO THIS YEAR.
CADET JOHNSON HAS A GRADE POINT AVERAGE OF 3.0, 3.8, AND HE IS STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE UPON GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
CADET JOHNSON'S ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO COMPLETE HIS UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND THEN HIS MASTER'S DEGREE ALSO IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE, WITH THE INTENT TO BECOME A SPECIAL AGENT WITH THE FEDERAL BUREAU INVESTIGATION, FBI AGENCY CONJECT JOHNSON DISPLAYS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A J R T C CADET.
WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE WATCH HIM GROW AND MATURE.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HERE TO LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE LEADING I PRESENT TO YOU CADETS SERGEANT FIRST CLASS CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON OF LIBERTY MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL.
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.
ON BEHALF OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE SCHOOL BOARD AND, AND RECOGNITION OF THE GREAT WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, I'D LIKE TO PRESENT YOU WITH THIS MEDAL.
ARE YOU FAMILY HERE, SIR? ANY OF YOUR FAMILY HERE? OH, NO, SIR.
YOU GOT THE IN THE, OH, PHOTOED.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, CADET STAFF SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON, AND BEST WISHES TO YOU IN YOUR STUDIES.
WE'RE NOW CALLING THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
[00:05:04]
DISTRICT TWO, PRESIDENT LANIS.[B. Minutes ]
MOVING TO ITEM B.MINUTES NUMBER ONE, MEETING MINUTES, APPROVAL OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MINUTES AS OF THE JANUARY 19TH, 2023, REGULAR BOARD MEETING.
JANUARY 25TH, 2023, SPECIAL BOARD MEETING AND THE JANUARY 12TH, 2023 AND FEBRUARY 2ND, 2023.
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETINGS AS PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL.
IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MARTIN AND SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER GODDE.
UM, AND ARE THERE COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC IN REGARDS TO OUR MINUTES.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD IN REGARDS TO OUR MINUTES.
ALL RIGHT, MADAME SECRETARY, LET'S CALL FOR A VOTE.
CAN WE DO A ROLL CALL, PLEASE? OKAY.
WE WILL ENTER INTO A ROLL CALL VOTE AT THIS TIME.
DISTRICT FOUR AND STEWART? YES.
DISTRICT NINE, MR. MARTIN? YES.
[C. Information Only ]
WE WILL MOVE INTO ALPHABET C INFORMATION ONLY.UM, FIRST ITEM, MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT.
DID WE READ ANYTHING IN REGARDS TO, ALL RIGHT.
I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, ONE, UH, ITEM AS WE WERE GOING FORWARD.
UH, WE CONTINUE TO DO VERY WELL ON OUR BUDGET, PARTICULARLY ON THE REVENUE SIDE.
UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, NONE OF YOU WERE HERE WHEN WE PASSED LAST YEAR, THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, BUT, UH, WE ACTUALLY PROJECTED TO HAVE A, A DECREASE OF, UH, 19 MILLION IN THE BUDGET FROM THE ACTUAL OF THE YEAR BEFORE OF WHAT CAME IN ACTUALLY LAST YEAR.
WE PROJECTED A DECREASE OF 19 MILLION, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY RUNNING AHEAD OF LAST YEAR.
SO WE'RE DOING VERY, VERY WELL ON THE BUDGET AND OUR REVENUE COLLECTION.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BODE WELL FOR AS WE COME THROUGH FOR THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, UH, TO DO THIS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WE, WE ARE BEING VERY GOOD, UH, STEWARDS OF THE FINANCES AND THAT WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE RUNNING INTO NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.
AND ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? RIGHT.
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD IN REGARDS TO PERSONNEL CHANGES? OKAY.
PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST, MONTHLY REPORT.
ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD IN REGARDS TO PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST? MONTHLY REPORT.
THEN MOVING TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UNDER INFORMATION ONLY POINT OF INFORMATION ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY
[00:10:01]
COMPLETED ANNUAL TRAINING FOR 2022, MANDATED BY LOUISIANA REVISED STATUTES.TITLE 17, SECTION 53, AND THE TOTAL CREDIT HOURS RECEIVED.
DARIUS LANE, ZERO HOURS TREME HOWARD ONE HOUR.
EVELYN WARE, JACKSON, SEVEN HOURS.
CONNIE BAN BERNARD, 12.75 HOURS.
THE FOLLOWING BOARD MEMBERS ARE RECOGNIZED AS DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE 20 19 20 22 TERM JILL DIOCESE, MIKE GODDE, AND CONNIE BERNARD.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS IN REGARDS TO, UM, THIS PARTICULAR ITEM? OKAY, SEEING NONE, WE WILL CONTINUE
[D.1. Update from Superintendent ]
MOVING TO ALPHABET D.NUMBER ONE WOULD BE AN UPDATE FROM OUR SUPERINTENDENT, DR.
UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, VICE PRESIDENT, UH, POWELL.
SUPER EXCITED, UH, ABOUT WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE WE'RE GOING IN TERMS OF ACADEMIC FOR KIDS.
UM, WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A COUPLE OF THINGS, BUT I WANTED TO FIRST, UH, JUST DO A LITTLE BIT OF RECOGNITIONS.
WE'RE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE, UH, AS WE GET CLOSER TO, UH, GRADUATION AND SENIOR YEAR AND KIDS ARE GETTING READY TO GO TO THEIR NEXT LEVEL.
UH, THERE ARE GONNA BE A SENSE OF A LOT OF SCHOLARSHIPS THAT ARE COMING TO A THEATER NEAR THEM.
SO, UH, WE WANTED TO RECOGNIZE TONIGHT ONE OF THE PARTNERS IN THAT, IN THAT PROCESS, WE'RE HAPPY TO TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARIS SCHOOL SYSTEM PARTNERED WITH ORION LABORATORIES AND ITS CEO DAVID SLAUGHTER TOWARD, UH, TOWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO TWO E B R HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS THAT WILL ATTEND ANY FOUR YEAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY IN LOUISIANA.
THE RECIPIENTS HAD TO MEET CRITERIA SELECTED BY A COMMITTEE AND COMPLETE AN APPLICATION PROCESS.
THE SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED ARE IN THE AMOUNT OF $40,000 FOR EACH STUDENT.
LET'S GIVE THEM A HAND FOR THAT
SO PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING UP UP OUR TWO SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS.
ELIJAH, NOW SEE PRINCIPAL JOHN HAMAN.
THE OTHER, UH, RECIPIENT WILL BE ALEX ROGERS FROM LIBERTY, UH, LIBERTY MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL.
UH, WE'D LIKE TO THANK DAVID SLAUGHTER, ORION LABORATORIES AND THE TEAM FOR THEIR GENEROSITY, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO OUR CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION.
UH, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD IF DAVID, IF YOU WERE HERE OR I SEE, UH, CHRISTINE SLAUGHTER, IF YOU CAN COME ON UP.
CAUSE WE CANNOT DO THAT WITH OUR PARTNERS, LIKE THEIR GEN GENEROSITY.
UM, DAVID, IT'D BE NICE IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY, AND THEN WE CAN HOLD THE BEAUTIFUL CHECKS FOR OUR $40,000 FOR EACH STUDENT.
THEY SHOULD HAVE THE BIGGEST SMILE
AND, UH, AND ALSO THEIR PARENTS.
ARE THEIR PARENTS HERE? ARE YOU GUYS, ARE YOUR PARENTS HERE AT ALL? YES.
SO, MOM AND DAD, WOULD YOU MIND COMING UP? CAUSE I ALWAYS SAY, YOU KNOW, THE KIDS DIDN'T JUST GET HERE.
PARENTS HAD TO RAISE CHILDREN TO SUPPORT THEM IN THEIR SUPPORT.
SO IF YOU COME ON UP WHILE WE, UH, TAKE SOME PICTURES, UH, AT THE TOP, AND I'LL ASK THE BOARD ALSO, IF THAT'S OKAY, ALL BOARD MEMBERS, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, AND WE ALWAYS CELEBRATE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE.
WE'LL TAKE SOME PICTURES WITH THEM EZ, ON THIS SIDE.
[00:15:32]
TO SEE HERE.WE APPRECIATE SO MUCH THAT, YOU KNOW, AS ALL THE BOARD SAYS WITH US ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW, WE CANNOT DO THIS WORK WITHOUT THE GENEROSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR PARTNERS.
AND ALSO, I ALWAYS SAY TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEAUTIFUL SMILING FACES AND ALSO THE ECONOMIC RELIEF SCHOLARSHIPS BRING TO FAMILIES.
SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THOSE OF THOSE, OUR STUDENTS.
ONE MORE TIME OF HAND AND O RYAN TODAY.
ALL RIGHT, SO, UH, I HAVE TWO MORE UPDATES.
UM, I WANTED TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THE REIMAGINED GRANT UPDATE.
SANDRA BETHY AND CARRIE LAWRENCE FOR EMPOWER SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE REIMAGINE GRANT.
AS MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW, THE REIMAGINE GRANT WAS A GRANT PROVIDED BY THE STATE FOR SCHOOLS THAT WERE SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS AROUND EXPANSION, UH, OF THOSE SCHOOLS IN TERMS OF ADDITIONAL SEATS.
AND SO, UH, AS WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH WITH THIS STATE, WE WANTED DR.
BETHY TO, UM, GIVE, UH, THE BOARD AN UPDATE, DR.
OKAY, GOOD EVENING, UH, BOARD MEMBERS.
SO I'M GOING TO JUST GIVE YOU A LITTLE BACKGROUND, UM, ON THE REIMAGINED GRANT.
UM, PRESENTING TO YOU IS, UH, PART OF ONE OF OUR DELIVERABLES THAT WE HAVE TO, UH, COMPLETE IN THE PLANNING STAGE.
SO IN 2021, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM APPLIED, UH, FOR THE REIMAGINED GRANT ON THE RECIPIENTS OF THE REIMAGINED GRANT ARE BATON ROUGE CENTER FOR VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, THE BATON ROUGE FOREIGN LANGUAGE, UH, ACADEMIC IMMERSION MAGNET PROGRAM, CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND HELIX COMMUNITY SCHOOLS.
NOW, HE CHARTER SCHOOL APPLIED FOR THE GRANT, UM, THEMSELVES, BUT THE, UH, FUNDING FLOWS THROUGH OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
SO THE, OUR MISSION IS TO INSPIRE, UH, HUMANITY THROUGH TRANSFORMATIONAL LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM AND IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND WITH, UM, THIS GRANT, THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO CONTINUE OUR MISSION, UH, WITH OUR TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT WE ARE SERVING.
SO, FOR BATON ROUGE CENTER VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, THE PREVIOUS PLAN WAS TO TRANSITION EXISTING PRE-K CLASSES TO THE VISUAL, VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS MODEL, AND TO ADD MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES ONE YEAR AT A TIME.
BUT LISTENING TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY, UH, L D L E RE, UM, APPROVED FOR US TO REVISE THE PLAN.
SO, WITH THE REVISIONS, WE ARE GOING TO ADD THE PRE-K H THREE CLASS, UH, TO BATON ROUGE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE WITH THE TRANSITION OF THE EXISTING PRE-K H FOUR CLASSES, UH, WITH THE MODEL.
AND ALSO WE'RE GOING TO ADD ADDITIONAL SEATS TO THE EXISTING GRADES TO SERVE MORE STUDENTS FOR BATON ROUGE FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACADEMIC IMMERSION MAGNET PROGRAM.
IT WAS, UH, THE PREVIOUS PLAN WAS SIMILAR, UM, WITH ADDING MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES AND ALSO DOING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IMMERSION MODEL.
BUT L D O E, UM, APPROVED FOR US TO REVISE THE PLAN, AND WE WILL ADD A PRE-K, H THREE, UH, CLASS, UH, TO FLAME.
WE WILL ALSO TRANSITION THE EXISTING PRE-K H FOUR CLASSES TO LANGUAGE, UH, IMMERSION MODEL AND ADD ADDITIONAL SEATS TO THE EXISTING GRADES.
SO WITH THIS BUDGET, WITH THE GRANT, WE HAD TO SELECT A VENDOR TO PARTNERSHIP WITH, AND IT HAD TO BE A VENDOR THAT WAS APPROVED BY L D O E.
SO, UM, THROUGH THE PROCESS, WE PARTNERSHIP WITH EMPOWER SCHOOLS, AND THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH THE REQUEST FOR APPLICATION PROCESS, AND THAT'S HOW THEY WERE APPROVED.
SO EMPOWER PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO OUR DISTRICT THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE GRANT.
IT, IT'S MANAGES THE OVERALL PLANNING AND THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE.
IT ALSO ENSURES THAT OUR DISTRICT IS ON TRACK TO MEET THE GRANT MILESTONES, AND IT FACILITATES THE REGULAR MEETINGS AND ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETINGS.
SO, AS YOU LOOK AT THIS SLIDE, IT CAPTURES OUR TIMELINE FOR OUR DELIVERABLES.
LIKE I SAID BEFORE, WE HAVE TO MEET SO MANY DELIVERABLES IN OUR PLANNING STAGE BEFORE WE GO TO
[00:20:01]
THE IMPLEMENTATION STAGE.SO OUR DELIVERABLES INCLUDED, UM, AN ADVISORY, SELECTING AN ADVISORY COUNCIL, UM, DOING A WORK PLAN, CREATING A MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS, DATA RATIONALE, OUR GOALS, UH, CREATING AN ENGAGEMENT PLAN, UH, WRITING AN ACTION NARRATIVE, AND A SPECIFIC PROGRAM DESIGN.
SO NOW WE ARE KIND OF ALMOST FINISHED WITH THE DELIVERABLES.
SO WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF PLANNING OUR LONG RANGE GOALS AND ALSO, UH, PLANNING OUR BUDGET FOR OUR IMPLEMENTATION STAGE.
SO WHAT WE HAVE, THIS SLIDE CAPTURES WHAT WE HAVE COMPLETED.
UH, WE HAVE HAD OUR MEETINGS WITH OUR TWO SCHOOLS.
WE PRESENTED TO THE SCHOOL BOARD IN SEPTEMBER.
UM, WE'VE HELD COMMUNITY MEETINGS WITH BOTH SCHOOLS, AND WE HAVE, UH, OUR SECOND FORMS THAT WILL BE, UM, COMING UP IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE.
SO, OUR EXPANSION UPDATE INCLUDES, LIKE, WE JUST FINISHED OUR ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING, UH, THIS WEEK.
SO IN MARCH, WE ARE, UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL, WE WILL BE COMPLETED WITH OUR DELIVERABLES.
AND IF ALL GOES WELL, PRAYERFULLY L D O E WILL ACCEPT, UH, OUR DELIVERABLES AND WE WILL MOVE TO OUR IMPLEMENTATION STAGE.
IN OUR PLANNING STAGE, WE RECEIVE EACH SCHOOL RECEIVE $300,000 FOR THE GRANT.
AND IN THE IMPLEMENTATION STAGE, WE'RE GOING TO RECEIVE $1 MILLION, UH, FOR EACH SCHOOL.
THE FUNDING WILL END SEPTEMBER, 2024.
SO THIS SLIDE CAPTURES, UM, THE EXPANSION TIMELINE FOR BATON ROUGE, UH, VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE 2324 SCHOOL YEAR, I'VE BASICALLY GONE OVER WHAT WE'RE GOING TO EXPAND, BUT WE'RE GONNA ADD SECTIONS TO KINDERGARTEN, FIRST, AND SECOND GRADE.
AND THIS IS GOING TO ALLOW FOR US TO HAVE AT LEAST 130 NEW, UH, VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS SEATS.
AND OUR LOCATION, UH, AFTER BOARD APPROVAL, OF COURSE, UM, WE ARE HOPING TO BE AT KENNELWORTH MIDDLE FOR THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR.
WE'RE GONNA, UH, ADD THIRD GRADE, 25, 26.
WE WILL EXPAND TO FOURTH GRADE.
AND BY 26 27, WE WILL HAVE EXPANDED, UH, FULLY TO FIFTH GRADE FOR FLAME.
FOR THE 2324 SCHOOL YEAR, WE HOPE TO ADD A HUNDRED, UH, NEW FOREIGN LANGUAGE SEATS.
AND WE'RE GOING TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL SPANISH, SPANISH SECTION TO THE FIRST GRADE.
FOR THE 24 20 FIFTH SCHOOL YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO INCLUDE SECOND GRADE 25 AND 26.
WE'RE GONNA, UH, INCLUDE A THIRD GRADE, AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE TIMELINE, SO WE SHOULD BE IN FULL EXPANDED, UM, WITH OUR PROGRAM, UM, BY THAT TIME.
AND THEN ALL OF THESE EXPANSIONS WILL OCCUR AT FLAME.
SO THIS IS PART OF OUR, UH, DELIVERABLES.
SO WE HAVE PRESENTED TO YOU, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME, AND YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE REIMAGINED PARTICIPANT GUIDE.
UM, UH, I AM JUST WANTED TO SAY PUBLICLY ON HOW WE, UH, APPRECIATE, UH, BOTH THE BR C V P A COMMUNITY AND THE BR FLAME COMMUNITY, UH, FOR GIVING US FEEDBACK.
UH, AS WE WERE WOR WORKING THROUGH THE REIMAGINED GRANT, UH, WHEN WE RECEIVED THE GRANT, UM, THEY WERE, ARE, UH, THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE VERY INVOLVED AS WE WANT THEM TO BE, UH, AS A PART OF THE WORK, BUT EXPANDING MORE SEATS, UH, WE BELIEVE WE'LL PROVIDE A, A WHOLE LOT MORE, UH, TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AS THOSE SCHOOLS, WE HAVE ACTUALLY WAITING LISTS FOR THEM.
AND SO, UH, UH, I DON'T KNOW, IS THE, BOTH PRINCIPALS, ARE THEY HERE? I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE IF THEY'RE HERE.
THEY'RE PROBABLY, UH, PARENT MEETINGS OR SOMETHING, BUT LET'S GIVE THEM ALSO HERE FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP IN THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING.
SO WE'RE JUST EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YES, DR.
BETHY, BEFORE YOU RUN AWAY, HE THOUGHT YOU WERE GETTING AWAY EASY.
I UNDERSTAND BRC, VP, UH, BRC, VPA, UH, THAT'S ON THE TAX PLAN FOR REBUILD AND STUFF, BUT ARE WE, WE GONNA BE ADDING 200 SEATS AT FLAME? IS THERE GONNA BE ANY, UH, CAPITAL EXPENSE ASSOCIATED AT FLAME FOR EXPANDING THE HUNDRED SEATS OR 200 SEATS? NO, SIR.
THEY, THEY WILL REMAIN AT THE CURRENT
[00:25:01]
LOCATION.THEY REMAIN AT CURRENT LOCATION.
BUT WILL WE BE, WE WON'T BE ADDING ANY CLASSROOMS OR ANYTHING AT THAT SITE.
SO, UM, UH, OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, UH, MS. SCOTT SPALDING TO ANSWER THAT GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS, YES, SIR.
WE WILL BE RENOVATING ONE PORTION OF THE SECOND FLOOR TO MOVE THE UPPER LEVEL STUDENTS.
BUT THE PRICE POINT IS 1.2 MILLION, BUT IT'S A RENOVATION.
AND I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK TO THE SUCCESS OF, UH, AT LEAST VR FLAME.
UM, I'VE HAD SOME OF MY CLOSE RELATIVES, MY, MY NIECE AND MY NEPHEW, UH, WHO WENT THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.
MY NIECE IS NOW IN, IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
BUT WHAT I'VE ENJOYED THROUGH HER PARTICIPATION IN BR FLAME IS JUST THE IDEA THAT SHE IS VERY MUCH SO FLUENT IN, IN SPANISH TO THE POINT WHERE SHE'LL BE TRAVELING TO COSTA RICA, UH, IN A FEW MONTHS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT IT'S BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS OF BR FLAME.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, FOR SHARING THIS INFORMATION WITH US.
SO THE LAST PORTION, UM, OF MY, UH, REPORT IS, UM, AS THE, THE, UM, COMMUNITY KNOWS, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR THE LAST, UH, TWO YEARS ON CREATING WHAT WE CALL OUR CRADLE TO CAREER PIPELINE WORK.
UH, WE'VE HAD OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, THAT CRADLE TO CAREER PIPELINE, WHERE WE'VE HAD WHAT THEY CALL SIX KEYS THAT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO EXPAND ACROSS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
ONE WAS IN EARLY, EXPANDING EARLY CHILDHOOD SEATS, UH, FROM THE AGES OF ZERO TO FOUR IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
NUMBER TWO WAS, IF YOU GET KIDS INTO, UM, SCHOOL, EARLY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD FROM AGES THREE AND FOUR, YOU ACTUALLY GET THEM READY FOR KINDERGARTEN.
SO KINDERGARTEN READINESS WAS NUMBER TWO.
UH, NUMBER THREE WAS GETTING KIDS TO READ AT THIRD GRADE LEVEL, UH, AND NUMBER FOUR WAS TO EXPOSE, UH, KIDS TO WHAT THEY CALL MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITION WITH EXPOSURE TO CAREERS.
AND THEN THE NUMBER OF KEYS, NUMBER FIVE AND SIX IS WHAT WE CALL OUR PATHWAYS TO BRIGHT FUTURES WORK, WHERE WE WOULD GET KIDS NOT ONLY INTO MAKING SURE THEY'RE PREPARED FOR THE WORK, BUT THEY ALSO WERE, UH, TAKING ADVANCED COURSES, UH, ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES, UH, DUAL ENROLLMENT AND INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATION WORK.
UH, SO A PART OF THAT, WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IN TODAY'S REPORT WAS TO TALK SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE NINTH GRADERS, BECAUSE IF A NINTH GRADER IS NOT ON TRACK, THEN THEIR CHANCES OF SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL IS VERY LIMITED.
SO, WHERE I'M GONNA CALL UP DR.
ERIC NELSON, WHO'S FROM THE CENTER FOR HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS.
UH, THE CENTER OF HIGH SCHOOL'S SUCCESS IS A, A GROUP, AS YOU'LL FIND OUT, THAT HAS WORKED WITH MANY CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UH, TO WORK WITH SCHOOLS ACROSS, AROUND WHAT THEY CALL NINTH GRADE ACADEMIES.
UH, AND ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING KIDS ON TRACK AS THEY GET MORE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE COURSES INTO THESE CAREER PATHWAYS.
HELLO, BOARD HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
UM, Y'ALL REMEMBER BEING IN NINTH GRADE, WHAT THAT WAS LIKE FOR ME, IT WAS VERY SCARY TO GET THAT LOCKER COMBINATION DONE IN THE THREE MINUTES I HAD TO GET FROM ALGEBRA TO, UH, OTHER CLASSES.
AND SO WE KNOW IT'S MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
AND IN FACT, THE DATA SHOWS THAT IT'S A SUPER IMPORTANT YEAR.
SO IF WE COULD MOVE FORWARD ON THE, CAN I DO, UM, CAN I DO THAT? THERE WE GO.
UM, SO I'VE GOT SOME, ERIC, IF YOU CAN MOVE UP YOUR MIC A LITTLE BIT.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF NATIONAL DATA TO EXHIBIT WHY NINTH GRADE IS SUPER IMPORTANT, AND, UM, WE'LL GO THROUGH THAT HERE.
SO IN THAT SCARY TIME OF A NINTH GRADER, IT TURNS OUT IT'S REALLY IN DIFFICULT ACADEMICALLY TOO.
SO, NINTH GRADERS NATIONALLY ARE THREE TO FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO FAIL A COURSE THAN ANY OTHER GRADE IN YOUR ACADEMIC CAREER.
SO YOU GOT THAT GOING AGAINST YOU.
GPAS FALL IN NINTH, FROM EIGHTH GRADE TO NINTH GRADE, UH, PRECIPITOUSLY.
AND YOU THINK ABOUT THAT TRANSITION FOR YOU FROM A MIDDLE SCHOOL WHERE YOU'RE KIND OF KNOWN TO, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE AT THIS BIG HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, SO IT AFFECTS YOU IN ALL OF YOUR CORE CLASSES AND YOUR ELECTIVES.
AND THEN IF YOU DO GET AN F YOU GET BEHIND, YOU DON'T KEEP UP ON YOUR WORK.
ALL THESE DIFFERENT RISKS, UM, FAMILY ISSUES FOR EVERY F YOU GET AS A NINTH GRADER, YOU HAVE 30% LESS LIKELY CHANCE OF GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
JUST ONE F IS 30%, YET ANOTHER, ANOTHER 30%.
SO IT'S AN ABSOLUTELY VITAL GRADE FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.
AND AS I MENTIONED, THERE'S A BIG CHANGE FROM EIGHTH TO NINTH GRADE IN, IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
YOU GO FROM KIND OF A, MAYBE A SMALLER SCHOOL TO A BIGGER SCHOOL, LESS TRANSITIONS TO MORE TRANSITIONS.
AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS WE SEE AS WE WORK ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS AS TEACHERS, SOMETIMES WE THINK FAILURE IS A MOTIVATOR.
WELL, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU AN F AND THAT'LL MAKE YOU DO YOUR HOMEWORK MORE.
TURNS OUT THAT'S NOT TRUE, BECAUSE THOSE SAME KIDS WERE JUST THREE MONTHS AGO, EIGHTH GRADERS, AND NOW THEY'RE AT 14.
YOU'RE TRYING TO TREAT THEM LIKE ADULTS.
SO WE REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT'S THE MINDSET THAT WE USE FOR THAT.
SO WHAT WE MEASURE, AND EBR R IS DOING A FANTASTIC JOB, IS WHAT I'M
[00:30:01]
HERE TO TELL YOU TONIGHT, IS AN ON TRACK METRIC.NARCIS MENTIONED, ON TRACK IS THE MEASURE THAT WE LOOK FOR FOR SUCCESS TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
AND IT REALLY MEANS TWO THINGS.
ONE, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH CREDITS TO GRADUATE, UH, AT THE END OF YOUR NINTH GRADE YEAR, A FOURTH OF THOSE CREDITS TO GRADUATE? AND NUMBER TWO, DO YOU HAVE NO MORE THAN ONE F? AND, UH, FOR THE PROJECT, FOR BRIGHT, BRIGHT FUTURES HERE AT EBR R YOU GET A BONUS BECAUSE IF YOU'RE ON TRACK, YOU'RE ALREADY GAINING COLLEGE CREDIT AT THAT TIME AS WELL.
SO IT'S A, IT'S A DOUBLE WONDERFUL WHAMMY.
UM, SO, WELL, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? AS DR.
NARCIS MENTIONED IN THE, IN THE GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATES, IF YOU CAN, UH, END THE YEAR WITH ONE AFTER LESSON, YOU'RE ON TRACK, YOU HAVE A FOUR TIMES HIGHER LIKELY RATE, UH, OR CHANCE, EXCUSE ME, OF GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
AND THAT IS A BIGGER STATISTIC, A STATISTIC ADVANTAGE VERSUS RACE CLASS, YOUR, UH, YOUR MOBILITY RATE, YOUR PRIOR GRADES AND EIGHTH GRADES.
IF YOU, ALL THOSE THINGS THAT ARE KIND OF INDICATORS OF ALL KIDS ARE GONNA DO THAT.
WE USE A LOT OF SCHOOLS, COMBINE ALL OF THOSE ON TRACK RATE IS ACTUALLY HIGHER PREDICTOR OF, OF THE ABILITY TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
SO IT'S A SUPER IMPORTANT METRIC THAT WE TRY TO FOLLOW.
AND WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING HERE IN EBR R FOR, FOR TWO YEARS.
SO OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, THERE'S BEEN A STEEP, STEEP INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NINTH GRADERS ON TRACK.
AND IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL COLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO AMAZING DEPARTMENTS THAT YOU ALL SUPPORT HERE AND HAVE BEEN, UH, BROUGHT ON IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS HERE IN EBR R.
UM, FIRST IS WELL CENTER FOR HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS.
SECONDLY, THE GRADUATION EXCELLENCE DEPARTMENT, LED BY LARRY JAMES, JANE SMITH, JANE SYLVIE, REALLY DO A GREAT JOB OF HOW TO BEST START THE PATHWAY IN NINTH GRADE WITH NINTH GRADE ACADEMIES AND MOVE UP TO A SUCCESSFUL HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.
THEN THE PATHWAYS TO BRIGHT FUTURES WITH, UH, MS. SMITH, MISS TINO, MISS MAYWEATHER, DO AN AMAZING JOB WITH THAT DUAL ENROLLMENT AND KEEPING YOU ON TRACK TO BE READY TO HAVE THOSE COLLEGE CREDITS AS WELL.
SO OUR THREE, UH, ORGANIZATIONS WORK TOGETHER FREQUENTLY.
WE'RE TEXTING FREQUENTLY TO SEE HOW WE CAN SUPPORT SCHOOLS, AND THEN WE PARTNER WITH EACH OF THE SCHOOLS.
UM, SO HERE'S THE BIG HEADLINE.
IF YOU REMEMBER ONE THING THAT I SAID TODAY ALONG WITH THAT SILLY JOKE ABOUT DOING MY COMBINATION, IT'S THAT YOU'RE SEEING RESULTS AND RESULTS FAST AND HOW YOUR NINTH GRADERS ARE DOING.
SO, TWO YEARS AGO, RIGHT AT THIS TIME, AT THE END OF SEMESTER ONE, YOU HAD 68% OF THE KIDS AT EBR R OF ALL THE HIGH SCHOOLS.
YOU'VE GOT ABOUT 2,800 KIDS THAT ARE NINTH GRADERS THAT WERE AT, UH, ON TRACK, ONE AFTER LESS LAST YEAR, THAT JUMPED TO 82%.
AND THIS YEAR WE'RE AT 87%, WHICH IS AN ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE GAME, WHICH PUTS YOU WE'RE, UH, UH, CENTER FOR HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS.
WE'RE IN MEMPHIS, PHOENIX, PORTLAND, INDIANAPOLIS, A LOT OF OTHER MAJOR URBAN AREAS.
THIS PUTS YOU ALREADY TOWARDS THE TOP OF THAT GROUP BECAUSE OF THIS FAST RISE IN THE GREAT COLLABORATIVE WORK THAT YOU SEE IN LEADERS THAT ARE LEADING THIS WORK.
SO THERE'S FOUR REASONS FOR SUCCESS.
I'M HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE STRATEGY THAT'S HAPPENING, SO YOU KNOW WHY THIS IS HAPPENING.
NUMBER ONE, THERE'S A VERY CLOSE TRACKING OF DATA.
UH, THE GE GROUP, THE PBF GROUPS, THEY'RE LEADERS, UH, HAVE DATA IN FRONT OF THEM THAT WASN'T THE CASE PRIOR.
SO NOW THEY KNOW WHAT EVERY NINTH GRADER, WHAT GRADES THEY'RE GETTING, IF THEY'RE GETTING AN F IN MATH, WHY THAT MIGHT BE, AND THEY HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF THEM AND THEIR TEACHERS AS WELL.
AND THEY CLOSELY MONITOR THAT ON THE RIGHT IN THAT PICTURE, YOU CAN SEE THAT'S A STR MAHA MS. TALBERT, WHO'S THEIR TEAM LEAD.
THEY HAVE THAT GROUP GETS TOGETHER, UH, ONCE A WEEK OR EVERY OTHER WEEK TO REVIEW THE DATA OF ALL THE NINTH GRADERS, PARTICULARLY THE KIDS THERE MIGHT BE STRUGGLING AND HAVE ONE OR TWO LAUGHS.
NUMBER TWO, YOU'VE ALL SEEN, WE'VE SEEN A TON MORE INTERVENTIONS HAPPENING FOR KIDS.
SO LET'S SAY I'M STRUGGLING IN MATH.
WHAT DO I DO? WELL, I SHOULD PROBABLY GET A MENTOR.
SO YOU HAVE KID, UH, SCHOOLS GIVING MENTORSHIP, UH, UH, TUTORING OPPORTUNITIES, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, THE GROUP ON, ON THE RIGHT THERE AND THE UPPER LEFT AS TARA HIGH SCHOOL.
AND THEY ACTUALLY HAD A GROUP OF REALLY SUCCESSFUL SENIORS THAT WERE MENTORING FRESHMEN.
AND DO YOU THINK IF, IF YOU'RE A NINTH GRADER, ARE YOU MORE LIKELY TO LISTEN TO A TEACHER OR YOUR PEER THAT'S GONNA HELP YOU GET ON TRACK THOSE PEERS? AND SO WE HAVE SEVERAL SCHOOLS THAT ARE DOING, DOING THAT NOW AS WELL.
HERE'S THE, I THINK THE BIGGEST SLIDE THAT YOU'LL SEE IS WE SEE A LOT MORE CELEBRATIONS IN BRINGING TOGETHER RELATIONSHIPS OF NINTH GRADERS.
AND THOSE STRONG RELATIONSHIPS REALLY CREATE A CHANGE IN CULTURE AT THE SCHOOLS, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE NINTH GRADE ACADEMIES AND A MINDSET SHIFT.
SO IT GOES FROM WHEN WE HAVE A STRONG RELATIONSHIP.
REMEMBER, CAN YOU THINK OF A TEACHER THAT YOU REALLY LOVED AND THAT LOVED YOU BACK? MOST PEOPLE CAN SAY THEM BY NAME AND REMEMBER THEM BY NAME.
WHEN YOU HAVE THAT, THAT IS THE BIGGEST CHANGE IN YOUR ACADEMIC SUCCESS, WHICH GETS YOU TO ATTEND MORE SCHOOL.
THAT PERSON ACTUALLY SHOWS THAT YOU WILL COME TO SCHOOL MORE BECAUSE OF THAT PERSON, AND THAT LEADS TO A HIGHER STAFF AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT INVESTMENT IN EACH OTHER.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE A KID IN A CLASS AND YOU'RE IN RURAL THREE C TWO, YOU'RE JUST THAT
[00:35:01]
NAME.BUT NOW IT'S YOU WERE INVESTED IN ONE IN EACH OTHER.
AND WE SEE THAT REALLY CHANGES MINDSETS ABOUT WHAT KIDS CAN DO FOR BOTH THE ADULT AND THE, AND THE CHILD.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE'VE GOT A TON OF STRONG LEADER LEADERS STARTING WITH, UH, IN THE LOWER LEFT, WE GET ALL THOSE LEADERS, THOSE NINTH GRADE, UH, APS TOGETHER ONCE A MONTH, ALONG WITH THE APCS WHO LEAD THE DATA FOR THE NINTH GRADE PBF.
THERE'S LARRY JAMES TALKING TO THE GROUP, UH, A MONTH AGO.
THERE'S MS. MAYWEATHER TALKING TO THE GROUP AS WELL OVER AT GLEN OAKS.
AND WE HAVE A TON OF LEADERS THAT ARE JUST SHOWING THAT THIS IS IS IMPORTANT FOR NINTH GRADERS.
YOU GOT MR. WELLS AT BROADMORE IS DOING A GREAT JOB.
MR. STEVENS, UH, AT WOODLAWN IS DOING A GREAT JOB.
BUT I'M GONNA BRING UP NOW KIND OF THE MVPS, UH, OF, UH, TWO SCHOOLS THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY CRUSHING IT AND GIVING THEM A LITTLE BIT OF AIRTIME HERE TO TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING AT THEIR SCHOOLS TO LEAD TO NINTH GRADE SUCCESS.
UH, THE FIRST GROUP THEY'LL WE'LL HAVE COME UP IS THAT TARA HIGH SCHOOL, MR. HAMMOND, MR. RAW, MR. ROBINSON, ARE GONNA COME UP, LOOK AT THESE RESULTS.
SO TWO YEARS AGO, 40, ONLY 44% OF THEIR KIDS WERE ON TRACK.
NOW, AT THE SEMESTER, ONE, ONLY TWO YEARS LATER, 91% THAT BEATS A TON OF SUBURBAN SCHOOLS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THEM SPEAK.
AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE BELAIRE WHO JUMPED FROM 75% TO 94%, WHICH BEATS MANY, UH, SUBURBAN AND URBAN SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS WELL.
SO I'M GONNA TURN THE MI YEAH, BELAIRE.
MR. HAMAN AND GROUP, COME ON UP.
SO THANKS FOR THAT INTRODUCTION.
I DO WANT TO INTRODUCE OUR TEAM.
WE HAVE MR. ROBINSON, WHO'S OUR APC, AND MR. ROSS, WHO IS OUR ADMINISTRATOR OVER OUR, UH, FRESHMAN ACADEMY.
WE ALSO HAVE MARIAH GOZ HERE WHO HAS WRITTEN A BOOK THAT SHE'S GONNA SHOW YOU IN A SECOND.
BUT THE SLIDE THAT WAS UP A SECOND AGO, YOU SEE THAT 91% OF OUR STUDENTS WERE ON TRACK.
BUT WHAT YOU DON'T SEE IS THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THOSE STUDENTS TOOK AN ADVANCED COURSE.
IT WAS THEIR FIRST TIME TAKING EITHER DUAL ENROLLMENT OR AP.
MANY OF OUR STUDENTS ARE EARNING FOUR DUAL ENROLLMENT CREDITS.
ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE TAKING AN ADVANCED COURSE AND THEIR 91% ON TRACK.
BUT I DO WANT TO MENTION ONE THING THAT WE DID THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT WITH OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR FRESHMAN SEMINAR CLASS WAS WE TAUGHT KIDS COLLEGE SKILLS THROUGH AD STRATEGIES AND USED THE AVID CURRICULUM, BUT WE ALSO MADE IT A PROJECT-BASED COURSE.
AND SO JUST YESTERDAY, UH, WE HAD 80 STUDENTS IN THAT COURSE, 18 GROUPS THAT PRODUCED 18 BOOKS, 18 CHILDREN'S BOOKS.
AND SO THEY RESEARCHED COLLEGE AND CAREER, THEY RESEARCHED COLLEGE AND CAREER.
THEY WENT, THEY TOOK FIELD TRIPS TO THE LIBRARY.
THEY WROTE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL PAPERS ON WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO, BUT THEN THEY CREATED BOOKS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS.
AND SO THEY TOOK THAT CONCEPT AND THEY HAD TO COME, COME UP WITH A STORY TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY, COME UP WITH A STORY FOR, UH, FOR YOUNGER KIDS.
AND NOW THEY GET TO READ THEM TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS.
AND BY THE WAY, ON THE 23RD, WE'RE HAVING A PROJECT NIGHT.
WE HAVE ALL YOU CAN EAT SEAFOOD COURTESY OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
SO YOU, WE EXPECT TO SEE EVERYONE THERE FIVE O'CLOCK, SIX, SIX O'CLOCK, FIVE O'CLOCK.
FIVE O'CLOCK AT TARA HIGH SCHOOL.
BUT I WANT TO INTRODUCE ONE OF OUR FRESHMAN STUDENTS SO THAT SHE CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT.
HEY, UM, I'M MARIAH GOS AND I'M MISS FRESHMAN AT TARA HIGH SCHOOL.
AND WE'VE BEEN WRITING THIS BOOK FOR SECOND AND THIRD GRADERS, AND WE HAD A DRIVING QUESTION WAS, HOW CAN YOUNG CHILDREN OVERCOME CHALLENGES? AND ME AND MY GROUP, LIKE, WE JUST GOT TO THINKING ABOUT LIKE WHEN WE WAS THAT AGE AND LIKE, WHAT DID WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES? AND WE MADE THIS BOOK CALLED THE FOREIGN TWINS, AND IT WAS BASICALLY COMING FROM FRANCE TO AMERICA, AND IT WAS VERY HARD FOR THEM TO ADJUST BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T REALLY SPEAK THAT MUCH ENGLISH AS MUCH AS THE OTHER KIDS.
SO THEY THOUGHT ABOUT JOINING SPORTS, AND THEN THAT'S WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY JOINED SPORTS, THEY GOT TO STARTING TO FIT IN, AND THEY MADE MORE FRIENDS AND THEY JUST LIKE GOT MORE COMFORTABLE.
AND IF YOU WANT TO HEAR HOW IT ENDS NEXT, UH, THURSDAY, FIVE O'CLOCK,
BUT, UM, WHEN MR. NELSON BROUGHT THIS TO US, I TOLD HIM THE FIRST THING THAT WE NEED TO HONOR IS THOSE TEACHERS AND THE KIDS THAT WE HAVE AT TERRA HIGH.
IT'S THE KIDS AND THE TEACHERS THAT WE HAVE.
WE'RE STARTING TO COIN THE SCHOOL.
THE BIG T T-SHIRTS ARE COMING SOON.
[00:40:01]
IN NINTH GRADE.WERE YOU WRITING BOOKS? WERE YOU DOING THOSE TYPE OF THINGS? TALK ABOUT THAT ENGAGEMENT, THAT CULTURE.
NEXT UP, LET'S GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE LEADERS AT BEL AIR HIGH SCHOOL.
I'M VERDE BATTIS, PRINCIPAL OF BELLAIRE MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, AND WE WERE VERY INTENTIONAL GOING INTO THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH NINTH GRADE ACADEMY.
WE HAD WORKED WITH, UM, MR. NELSON, UM, AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE BUILT A DYNAMIC NINTH GRADE ACADEMY.
OUR NINTH GRADERS ARE SEPARATED.
UM, WE HAVE A TEAM OF TEACHERS, AND IT IS JUST WHAT, UM, TARA WAS TALKING ABOUT, IS THE TEACHERS THAT MAKE, MAKE NINTH GRADE ACADEMY WHAT IT IS.
AND INTENTIONALLY PICKING THOSE TEACHERS FOR NINTH GRADE.
I ALWAYS SAY MY NINTH GRADE TEACHERS ARE TRANSITION FROM EIGHTH, LIKE THEY'RE EIGHTH GRADE TEACHERS, BUT THEY'RE JUST IN HIGH SCHOOL.
JUST SOME POINTS FOR BELAIRE HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, ABOUT 65% OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE EARNED FIVE OR MORE HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS AT THIS POINT.
WE HAVE OVER NINE P B F DUAL ENROLLMENT IN AP COURSES.
UM, WE ARE A, UH, STEAM MAGNET.
SO WE OFFER, UH, ELECTIVE COURSES AND 52, 50 2% OF OUR STUDENTS ARE IN THAT.
AND WE ALSO HAVE IMPLEMENTED AVID THIS YEAR, WHICH HAS BEEN GREAT THROUGH OUR QUEST FOR SUCCESS CLASS.
SO JUST BEING VERY CREATIVE IN WHERE THAT AVID COURSE WILL COME IN.
UM, WE ARE SEEING 5% PLUS GROWTH ON ELA AND MATH A NET.
UM, AND THAT IS JUST AGAIN, THE TESTAMENT TO, UM, JUST BEING VERY INTENTIONAL, UM, ABOUT OUR NINTH GRADE ACADEMY.
AND THEN I'LL HAVE COACH WADE COME UP.
HE IS THE LEADER OF OUR NINTH GRADE ACADEMY.
UM, AND IT IS A TEAM OF PEOPLE, I THINK.
UM, SOMETIMES WE DON'T RECOGNIZE THAT, BUT IT REALLY IS A TEAM.
AND THEN ALSO MY, UM, PATHWAY TO BRIGHT FUTURES COORDINATOR, WHO IS AWESOME.
UM, THAT HAS BEEN A HUGE HELP AT BELAIRE HIGH SCHOOL, JUST GETTING OUR DATA TOGETHER.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT PATHWAYS AND ENSURING EVERY STUDENT IS IN THEIR RIGHT PATHWAY.
UM, AND SO SHE'S DOING A LOT OF WORK WITH THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO, COACH, WAIT, GOOD EVENING.
UH, WHEN I SAT DOWN WITH THE TEAM, UM, THE FIRST THING I SAID WAS, KIDS DON'T CARE WHAT YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW THAT YOU CARE.
SO I WANTED TO PLACE EMPHASIS SCHOOL-WIDE FOR US ALL TO SHOW AND DISPLAY THAT WE CARED ABOUT THE KIDS.
UM, WITH OUR STRATEGIES, WE SAT BACK AND WE LOOKED AT WHAT WERE THE ISSUES MAYBE PREVENTING THESE KIDS FROM SUCCEEDING.
THAT IS HOW WE CHOSE THE MENTORS FOR THESE PARTICULAR KIDS.
IF IT WAS ABSENTEEISM, WE USED OUR PARENT LIAISON.
AND IF IT WAS A RANGE OF 40 TO 75 KIDS ON THE TIER TWO STATUS, WE BASICALLY PLACED THOSE KIDS IN AREAS WITH PEOPLE THAT WOULD BETS BEST SUIT THEM.
UH, OUR INTERVENTION STRATEGY WAS VERY EFFECTIVE.
UM, I'VE ALWAYS TOLD MR. NELSON, UM, I APPRECIATE HIM ALLOWING US TO DO WHAT WORKED BEST FOR US BECAUSE WHAT WORKED FOR US AT BALLET OR MAY NOT WORK AT ANOTHER SCHOOL, UH, OUR INTERVENTIONS WERE THE BIGGEST.
THAT WAS THE BIGGEST IMPACT, UM, ON OUR SUCCESS AND ENHANCEMENT.
UH, I'M VERY PROUD, BUT WE HAVE MUCH MORE WORK TO DO.
AND I'M GONNA LET MS. HOLMES CLOSE US OUT.
THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ACKNOWLEDGING BELAIRE HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, AND I DO WANNA SAY THAT AS A FIRST YEAR, UM, EMPLOYEE AT BELAIRE HIGH SCHOOL, AND OF COURSE WORKING WITH PATHWAYS TO BRIGHT FUTURES, UM, WE'RE DATA FOCUSED, BUT WE'RE STUDENT FOCUSED.
AND I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, THE TEACHERS WHO CAME OUT FROM BELAIRE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE CROWD AND BOTH WHO ARE ON CAMPUS WORKING WITH US TO INDIVIDUALLY TRACK EACH STUDENT AS A WHOLE CHILD.
WE'RE MEETING WITH THE STUDENTS ONE-ON-ONE TO TALK ABOUT THEIR INTERESTS, UM, THEIR LIKES, THEIR DISLIKES, AND AN EFFORT TO STRATEGICALLY PLACE THEM IN THEIR PATHWAYS.
DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THE TEACHERS? DOES ANY OF THE TEACHERS FROM BOTH OF THOSE SCHOOLS HERE, IF YOU'RE A TEACHER FROM THOSE SCHOOLS, YOU STAND, WE JUST WANNA PUBLICLY RECOGNIZE YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK.
AND I WANNA PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK THOSE TEACHERS AND STAFF AT BALLET AND THE PRINCIPAL AS BALLET IS MY SCHOOL, MY ONLY HIGH SCHOOL IN MY DISTRICT.
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? SO WE CAN'T REST.
AS COACH SAID THAT 87%, YOU CAN ONLY GET ONE F FOR THE WHOLE YEAR.
SO WE'LL BE WORKING HARD WITH THE TEAM LEADS, ALL OF THOSE NINTH GRADE ADMINISTRATORS TO MATCH UP MENTORS.
WE WERE LEARNING ABOUT THE INTERVENTIONS.
WE WERE ALL AT BEL AIR ON TUESDAY,
[00:45:01]
AND COACH WALKED, WADE WALKED US THROUGH ALL OF THEIR INTERVENTIONS.SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN DOWN THE ROAD? WOW.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT NATIONAL DATA THAT ONE YEAR FRESHMAN ON TRACK, GREAT GOES UP.
WHAT HAPPENS IS THE GRADUATION RATE, IT MATCHES IT.
IT'LL GO UP JUST ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME.
SO HERE YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT THE LAST COUPLE YEARS OF GRADUATION RATES ARE, BUT YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA SEE A BIG JUMP WHEN THIS FRESHMAN CLASS AS SENIORS RIGHT NOW.
AND YOU WILL SEE A, A REALLY NICE PRECIPITOUS RISE IN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.
AND THEN LET'S TALK ABOUT IMPACT.
SO LA THE LAST TWO YEARS, THERE'S BEEN A 19% ON TRACK, UH, INCREASE WITH STUDENTS LIKE MARIAH, TARA.
THAT'S 10,000 MORE FUTURE SUCCESSFUL RESIDENTS THAT YOU HAVE RIGHT HERE IN THE COMMUNITY, RIGHT HERE IN BATON ROUGE.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN THOUGH, FOR THEM? WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DAY OF THE LIFETIME EARNINGS, A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE IS GONNA MAKE, IF THEY WORK FOR 35, 40 YEARS, THEY'RE GONNA MAKE $160,000 MORE.
SO JUST THAT ALONE IS GONNA MAKE A COMMUNITY IMPACT.
AND THAT'S A ADDS UP TO $166 MILLION.
JUST THINK OF THAT MONEY BACK IN THE COMMUNITY OF ALL OF, AND, AND BACK INTO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE MAKE UP YOUR COMMUNITY.
BUT THEN YOU'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON COLLEGE READINESS AND GETTING KIDS TO COLLEGE.
LOOK AT WHAT THAT MEANS FOR EVERY STUDENT THAT DOES IT, INSTEAD OF NOT GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL, BUT THEY GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE.
THAT MEANS THEY GO FROM $26,000 A YEAR TO $56,000 A YEAR.
YOU ADD ALL THAT UP, THAT'S 1.2 MILLION PERSON FOR EVERY MARIAH OUT THERE THAT IS A YOUNG AUTHOR NOW.
AND THAT GOING BACK TO YOUR COMMUNITY IS OVER A BILLION DOLLARS THAT YOU'RE INVESTING IN.
SO YOU'RE MAKING THE RIGHT INVESTMENTS, UH, SICKEN IT, THICK IT WITH NINTH GRADERS.
SO LET ME JUST, UM, UH, I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS.
CAUSE I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, THAT I SHARE THIS.
YOU KNOW, I AM NOT SURPRISED ABOUT THE PROGRESS.
UH, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS BY DESIGN, RIGHT? PROVIDING MORE OPPORTUNITY, MORE ACCESS.
WHEN I REMEMBER STARTING THIS JOB, I WALKED AROUND PARTICULAR SCHOOLS ASKING QUESTIONS.
WE SPOKE TO KIDS, SPOKE TO TEACHERS, SPOKE TO DIFFERENT FOLKS.
AND THE REALITY OF IT IS, EVEN THE TRANSITION REPORT WAS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR KIDS TO DO MORE WAS NOT ALWAYS THERE, WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR PARTICULAR KIDS.
PARTICULAR KIDS IS THE WORD I WOULD USE.
BECAUSE THE, THE REALITY IS PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE ONLY CERTAIN KIDS CAN DO WELL AND OTHERS CANNOT.
AND, BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER, ALL WE'VE DONE IS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS FOR ALL KIDS BECAUSE WE ARE THE BROTHERS AND SISTER KEEPERS OF ALL THE CHILDREN OF BATON ROUGE.
DOESN'T MATTER WHAT TYPE OF SCHOOL YOU GO TO, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT COLOR YOU ARE, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT PART OF THE PARISH YOU LIVE IN, DOESN'T MATTER.
IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL TO SEE THE CONFIDENCE CHILDREN HAVE WHEN THEY BEGIN TO SUCCEED, WALK IN THESE SCHOOLS AND GO TALK TO KIDS.
THOSE NINTH GRADERS FEEL SO PROUD.
AND SO WHAT I, THE REASON I'M BRINGING THIS UP IS BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US AS A COMMUNITY THAT WE CONTINUE TO HELP KIDS IDENTIFY THE GOODNESS THAT'S HAPPENING.
AND NOT ALL THE TIME THAT THE WORLD IS FALLING APART, OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT FALLING APART.
THE REALITY IS WE'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN THAT DID NOT HAVE OPPORTUNITY.
AND SO I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD AS WE CONTINUE TO PUSH OUR WORK, THE BETTER OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM GETS, THE BETTER OUR COMMUNITY BECOMES.
YES, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, BUT THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY THINGS TO COME.
WE'RE EXCITED ALSO ABOUT THE NUMBER OF KIDS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD.
WE'RE ALSO EXCITED THAT WE'RE GONNA BRING A REPORT ABOUT THE PATHWAYS WORK.
WE HAVE 10,000 HIGH SCHOOL KIDS.
UH, WE ONLY HAD ABOUT APPROXIMATELY 2000 PLUS KIDS TAKING ADVANCED COURSES.
WE'LL BRING YOU SOME OF THAT DATA.
I MEAN, ALL OF THESE PIECES INDICATE SUCCESS OVER TIME.
AND THESE PIECES ARE NOT DONE IN ISOLATION.
THERE'S PARTNERSHIP WITH POST-SECONDARY UNIVERSITIES, BOTH LSU, SOUTHERN AND B R C C, WHICH I'M THANKFUL FOR.
WE ALSO HAVE SOUTHWEST, SOME OF THESE OTHER SCHOOLS.
WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THE PARTNERS.
THERE'S A LOT OF INVESTMENT IN THE SUCCESS OF KIDS.
AND SO WHAT I'M HOPEFUL FOR AS WE CONTINUE TO BUILD THIS OVER TIME, THIS BECOMES NORMAL TO ALWAYS BE HAPPY ABOUT CHILDREN AND THEIR SUCCESS.
AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY AGAIN, WE THANK NOT ONLY ALL THE WORK THE SCHOOL LEADERS ARE DOING, BUT ALL OF THE STAFF.
WE HAVE 6,000 EMPLOYEE WITH THOUSANDS OF OTHER PARTNERS IN THIS CITY THAT WANT US TO GET THIS RIGHT.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS NOT WRONG IN OUR CITY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT.
AND THE THE BEST IS YET TO COME.
UH, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE PROGRESS.
AND SO, UH, THAT IS MY REPORT, MADAM
[00:50:01]
VICE PRESIDENT.SO WE HAVE A SERIES OF COMMENTS HERE AND, UM, IF I CAN SHARE FIRST, FIRST, I JUST WANTED TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TWO HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WERE RECOGNIZED.
ONE BEING, UH, ONE OF THE FORMER SCHOOLS THAT I'VE WORKED AT.
I ACTUALLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK AT BILLARD HIGH SCHOOL.
I SAY BACK IN THE DAY BECAUSE MS. BATIS WAS, UH, LEADING CITY YEAR AT THE TIME.
AND SO OF COURSE I KNOW THAT SHE IS NOW THE ESTEEMED PRINCIPAL THERE.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ASK THIS, DR.
NELSON, IF YOU COULD SHARE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF THE DATA.
I KNOW THAT, UM, ALL OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS DID NOT MEET THE, THE METRICS AND NOT MEET THE, THE, UH, THE, THE QUOTA OR THE, THE, THE STATISTICS THAT WERE MENTIONED.
COULD YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE SCHOOLS THAT STILL NEED TO MEET THOSE LEVELS? I KNOW SCOTLANDVILLE WAS ONE, AND I THINK THERE WAS ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO WHAT YOU'VE BEEN TASKED WITH DEALING WITH IS TURNOVER.
WHAT WE SEE, WE'VE HAD CONSISTENTLY COACH WADE FOR TWO YEARS.
WE'VE HAD MR. RAWS FOR TWO YEARS WORKING HARD, BUILDING THEIR SKILLS AND BUILD WHERE WE SEE, LIKE AT SCOTLANDVILLE AND OTHER PLACES, IT'S AT SCOTLANDVILLE FOR INSTANCE.
WE'VE HAD THREE DIFFERENT, UH, NINTH GRADE LEADS THIS YEAR ALONE.
SO THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE CUZ THINK IF YOU'RE A TEACHER, IT'S, IT'S VERY TOUGH TO FOLLOW.
SO THAT, I THINK THAT THAT'S THE BIGGEST ISSUE IS, UH, THE SCHOOLS THAT, UH, ARE HAVING A HARD TIME WITH THAT CONSISTENCY IN STAFFING.
SO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT.
NARCIS AND, UH, EVERYONE ELSE WHO IS A PART OF THIS PROCESS, THAT WE'LL WORK TOGETHER TO SUPPORT THOSE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE NOT MET THE GOAL.
UM, EVEN IF THAT MEANS THAT THERE'S A SHADOWING THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE BETWEEN, UH, SCHOOLS SO THAT, UH, THOSE SCHOOLS THAT ARE OF, UH, SIMILAR BACKGROUND OR SIMILAR DYNAMIC OR DEMOGRAPHIC WOULD BE ABLE TO GROW AS WELL.
ALSO, THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I HAD WAS, UH, IN REGARDS TO WHETHER OR NOT L D E IS TRACKING NINTH GRADE DATA AND THEN ALSO, UH, OR WE TRACKING DATA FOR THOSE WHO MAY HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE PROGRAM, LEFT, THE PROGRAM CAME BACK, THAT KIND OF THING.
EL WE HAVE MET WITH L D E AND THERE ARE OTHER STATES THAT ARE TRACKING NINTH GRADE ON TRACK KNOWING WHAT AN IMPORTANT METRIC IS AS WE SHOWED FOUR TIMES.
SO, NO, NOT YET, BUT THAT WOULD BE THE GOAL THAT WE WOULD, WE WOULD GET TO THAT PLACE.
AND IN REFERENCE TO YOUR PRIOR QUESTION, COACH WADE WAS ATMA TRAINING THE NEW SCOTLANDVILLE, UH, PERSON, UH, ON TUESDAY OR MONDAY, UH, NO, FRIDAY, SORRY, UH, SIX DAYS AGO, HELPING COACH WHITAKER WHO'S GONNA COME IN AND WORK.
SO WE'RE TIME TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
OKAY, MR. BELU, THANK YOU MADAM VICE PRESIDENT.
AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FROM BEL AIR AND TARA THAT ARE HERE.
I ALSO WANTED TO RECOGNIZE BROAD MOORE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE NINTH GRADERS THERE, I, I KNOW HAVE, HAVE, UM, MADE PRETTY SIGNIFICANT JUMP IN THEIR ON TRACK PERCENTAGE.
NELSON, DO YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE THOSE PERCENTAGES? I I KNOW IT WAS, IT WAS A BIG JUMP.
THEY, THEY WERE IN THE, IN THE LOW TO MID FORTIES, AND THEY'RE UP INTO THE UPPER SEVENTIES RIGHT NOW AS WELL.
SO THEY HAD A, UH, A MONSTROUS JUMP CLOSE TO TARA'S SIZE JUMP.
NELSON, THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED TONIGHT, TEACHERS, GREAT JOB.
CONTINUE DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
AND IT WAS SO REFRESHING TO SEE THE, UM, STATISTIC ON TRACK STATUS IS A HIGHER PREDICTOR OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE GRADUATION, UM, THAN ALL THE OTHER FACTORS COMBINED.
IF YOU CAN PUT THAT SLIDE BACK UP.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, BUT I GET SO TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT RACE AND POVERTY AND GENDER AND MOBILITY.
THAT'S, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'VE GOT CHILDREN WHO ARE IN A GOOD SCHOOL WITH PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THEM AND WANT TO SEE THEM SUCCEED, IT CAN HAPPEN.
ALL THE OTHER STUFF IS JUST NOISE.
AND WHEN YOU CAN BRING US THIS KIND OF DATA, THEN KUDOS TO YOU.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS BE THE LEAD STORY ON THE TOP FOLD OF OUR DAILY NEWSPAPER, OUR DAILY NEWSCAST INSTEAD OF WHAT WE NORMALLY GET.
AND I'M GONNA AGREE TO DISAGREE WITH YOU.
RACE MOBILITY, THOSE THINGS ACTUALLY DO
[00:55:01]
MATTER WHEN SOMEONE AT SCHOOL KNOWS IT MATTERS TO YOU AND IT'S AFFECTING YOUR PERFORMANCE.AND SO WHAT COACH WADE SAID, OUR SCHOOLS ARE MENTORING THEN TEACHERS TAKING THEIR OWN TIME.
TEACHERS ARE SO BUSY, BUT THEY'RE TAKING GROUPS OF FIVE AND SIX STUDENTS TO MENTOR TO FIND OUT WHAT, WHAT IS MOBILITY AFFECTING YOU? WHAT IS IT DOING? HOW CAN I HELP YOU? CAN I GET YOU EXTRA RESOURCES? SO THEY'RE TAKING THOSE FACTORS AND MAKING THEM A NON-FACTOR BECAUSE THEY SEE I SEE YOU.
THAT'S WHAT, WHAT I'M, WHAT WE'RE SAYING TO THESE STUDENTS AND THOSE TEACHERS.
UH, YOU MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED TALKING ABOUT HOW, WHEN YOU FIRST GET INTO NINTH GRADE, HOW, HOW DIFFICULT IT IS, HOW EASY IT IS TO FAIL.
UM, AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S LOTS OF ELEMENTS TO, UH, THESE TWO THINGS, PATHWAYS AND WHATNOT, BUT DUAL ENROLLMENT SEEMS TO BE DRIVING THE DATA, UH, CHANGE MM-HMM.
SO HOW DOES IT MAKE SENSE THAT IF SOMEONE IS FAILING REGULAR NINTH GRADE CLASSES, OFFERING THEM COLLEGE CREDIT CLASSES MAKES IT SO THEY'RE ACHIEVING MORE? LIKE IF YOU'RE, IF YOU CAN'T PASS A NINTH GRADE ELA CLASS, HOW WOULD YOU PASS A COLLEGE LEVEL E ELA CLASS? RIGHT.
AND ALSO SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION, LIKE HOW, HOW IS DUAL ENROLLMENT, HOW, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THE DATA? BECAUSE THESE ARE HUGE, THESE ARE HUGE LEAPS.
LIKE, SO, LIKE, IS, ARE WE PLAYING WITH NUMBERS? ARE ARE
UH, WHEN YOU CAN SLEEP AT TWO IN THE MORNING, UH, GOOGLE THIS OPPORTUNITY MYTH BY T N T P.
IT'S AN, IT'S A EDUCATIONAL GROUP, AND THEY DID A BIG STUDY OF WHY SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO WELL AND WHY THEY FAIL.
AND THIS WAS SUBURBAN, URBAN, 5,000, UH, PLUS TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, THEY ACTUALLY COLLECTED LESSON PLANS FOR A YEAR.
THEY WATCHED CLASSES FOR A YEAR.
THEY CHECKED ASSIGNMENTS FOR A YEAR.
THEY FOUND THE TWO BIGGEST PROBLEMS WHY SCHOOLS FAILED.
AND THIS GETS BACK TO COACH'S COMMENTS IS, NUMBER ONE, THE THE INSTRUCTION WASN'T ENGAGING.
NUMBER TWO, THERE WASN'T A HIGH ENOUGH EXPECTATION.
THOSE WERE THE TWO BIGGEST PROBLEMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND THEY SAID IT'S MALPRACTICE THAT WE'RE NOT DOING THAT.
SO WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE IS BY OFFERING THAT, THAT COLLEGE CREDIT, THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT YOU'RE DOING WHAT T NTP WOULD AGREE WITH IS THAT YOU'RE RAISING THE BAR THAT ALL KIDS CAN MAKE, BUT WE'RE JUST SAYING THAT YOU'RE INSTITUTIONALIZING IT.
AND THEN WHAT THE, THE PBF GROUP AND IMPORTANT BACK HERE THAT THEY DO SO WELL IS THEN THEY GIVE IT A NAME AND THEY GIVE YOU A IN, EVERY KID KNOWS WHERE THEY'RE AT.
THEY KNOW THEIR GRADE, THEY KNOW WHAT COLLEGE CREDIT IS.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE MOVING TOWARDS, WHICH IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PLACES, OTHER PLACES.
WHAT I NOTICE HERE IS KIDS ARE A PARTNER IN THEIR EDUCATION, JUST LIKE YOU SAW THIS YOUNG AUTHOR HERE TONIGHT.
SO IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A REALLY GREAT HAND IN HAND THAT I, I I WORK ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT I DON'T GET TO SEE IN A LOT OF OTHER PLACES.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD OR QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
[D.2. Council of the Great City Schools: English Language Learners Audit Report ]
UH, WE ARE NOW MOVING TO, WE'RE STILL IN ALPHABET D, RECEIVE AS INFORMATION NUMBER TWO, COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AUDIT REPORT.THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AUDIT REPORT.
NARCIS, UH, THANK YOU VICE PRESIDENT POWELL.
UM, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN, UH, WE ARE PART OF THE COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS, WHERE IT IS ABOUT 79 CITIES THAT COLLABORATE TOGETHER ACROSS TEACHING AND LEARNING.
UM, UH, MR. RAY HART, WHO'S THEIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DOES HERE, WILL TALK ABOUT THE ANG ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER REPORT.
UH, THE BOARD COMMISSIONED US TO HAVE THREE REPORTS DONE.
IT WAS HR, UH, SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND ELL.
UH, THE BOARD HAS HEARD THE TWO REPORTS, WHICH WERE THE HR REPORT, WHICH WE'VE MADE CHANGES, UH, WAS AN AUDIT THAT WAS DONE.
WE MADE SHIFTS BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COUNCIL.
WE DID AN AUDIT MAY SHIFT BASED ON THAT.
AND THEN NOW THE LAST REPORT IS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER REPORT.
AS YOU KNOW, THIS POPULATION IS ONE OF OUR FASTEST GROWING POPULATION IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND ALSO, QUITE FRANKLY, IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
AND SO, UH, WE NEED TO ADJUST, UH, IN BEING A PART OF THE COUNCIL WHERE YOU HAVE MANY CITIES THAT HAVE THIS, UH, CONTEXT, UH, THE COUNCILS BEING BEGIN TO HELP US WITH THE AUDIT.
UH, MR. HART, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UH, SUPERINTENDENT NARCIS, UM, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH YOU.
UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA SAY, UH, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE, UM, PRESENTATION THAT WE JUST HEARD, UH, AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE STUDENTS, PARTICULARLY IN NINTH GRADE.
UH, I JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW, AND I TALKED TO THE GENTLEMAN WHO WAS HERE, UH, THAT WE'LL BE SHARING THAT, UH, WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IN THE WHITE HOUSE WHEN I RETURNED TO WASHINGTON, DC NEXT WEEK.
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TO THEM.UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA SAY, UM, UH, THANK YOU.
UM, BEFORE I GO INTO THE REPORT, THIS IS THE THIRD, UH, OF OUR REPORTS THAT WE'VE SHARED.
UH, AS, UH, THE SUPERINTENDENT JUST SHARED, I WANT TO THANK THE STAFF.
UH, IN PARTICULAR, WE MET WITH STAFF, WE'VE MET WITH PARENTS, UH, WE'VE MET WITH, UH, A NUMBER OF TEACHERS.
UH, IN PARTICULAR, I WANT TO, UH, THANK, UM, THE, UH, CHIEF OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE DISTRICT.
UM, ANDREA, UH, OSKY FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT SHE'S PROVIDED A WEALTH OF DATA, UH, WORKED, REALLY WORKED WITH OUR STAFF, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR.
AND THEN ALSO THE STAFF WERE THE HEADS OF EACH OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE REVIEWED.
UH, I JUST WANNA THANK THEM AS WELL FOR THE FEEDBACK AND THE ONGOING SUPPORT.
AND WE'VE SHARED WITH THEM OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR, OUR FINDINGS AND A NUMBER OF THEM HAVE ALREADY BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
AND I'LL DISCUSS SOME OF THAT TODAY.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, AS SUPERINTENDENT NACI MENTIONED, WE REPRESENT 78 OF THE NATION'S LARGEST URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
WHEN WE DO THESE REVIEWS, WE CONDUCT THESE REVIEWS.
WE DON'T ACTUALLY DO IT AS A STAFF.
WE, SEVERAL OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS DO COME IN.
BUT WHAT WE DO IS WE TAP THOSE WHO ARE ACTUALLY DOING THE WORK IN OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS AROUND THE COUNTRY TO ACTUALLY COME IN AND CONDUCT A REVIEW.
SO IT'S A REVIEW OF PRACTITIONERS, UM, FROM OTHER DISTRICTS THAT ARE LOOKING AT THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND SAYING, HERE ARE THE PLACES WHERE YOU CAN MAKE IMPROVEMENTS.
AND SO I WANT TO THANK THE TEAM FROM, UH, GILFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
MYRA HAYES, UH, AND SOLEDAD LADI DUNS FROM GILFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, UH, WHO CAME IN AND WORKED WITH US.
UH, SHE ALSO WORKS WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS OR WORKED WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BUFFALO, UM, PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND THEN OUR STAFF, I WANT TO THANK THEM AS WELL.
UM, AND DAVID LIVE FROM THE COUNCIL STAFF WHO WORK WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, UM, INSTRUCTORS, TEACHERS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND, AND JUMP INTO THE RE REPORT, AND THEN I'LL OPEN UP, UH, FOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
UH, BUT FIRST OF ALL, YOU, UH, WILL SEE IN THE, UH, IN THE POWERPOINT THAT, UH, WE WILL DO, I'LL DO AN OVERVIEW, JUST KIND OF A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE FOUND, GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT RELATIVE TO DATA, AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT OUR OBSERVATIONS, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEN WE'LL OPEN UP THE FLOOR TO QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
SO I WON'T GO INTO, UH, INTO DETAIL, UH, IN ALL OF THE, THE, UH, THE FINDINGS.
BUT I WILL PROVIDE, UH, AND I APOLOGIZE, THIS IS JUMPING, BUT WE'LL PROVIDE, UM, JUST AN OVERVIEW.
WE LOOKED AT THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS BY REGION, AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT, UH, ACROSS YOUR REGIONS, UH, THE BLUE BAR THAT YOU SEE THERE IS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER PERCENTAGE IN THE DISTRICT.
UH, THE RED, THE ORANGE BAR REPRESENTS THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, WHICH WAS A PART OF OUR PREVIOUS REPORT.
AND THEN THE GREEN BAR REPRESENTS THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO ARE ON FREE AND REDUCED PRICE LUNCH IN THE DISTRICT.
UH, IN PARTICULAR, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE BLUE BAR, UH, IS ABOUT, UH, 15 TO 12, 15% IS THE HIGHEST, 11%, UH, IN SOUTHEAST, 15% IN BROADMORE.
WHAT I WILL SHARE IS THAT, UH, YOU'LL SEE IN, UH, A SLIDE, UH, COMING UP SHORTLY, THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE SMALL PERCENTAGES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN THE DISTRICT, WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS ALL OF YOUR SCHOOLS, ABOUT 85% OF YOUR SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT HAVE AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER IN THE BUILDING.
SO IT'S, EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE A SMALL PERCENTAGE THERE, IT ACTUALLY TOUCHES MOST OF YOUR BUILDINGS.
AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
UH, SO FIRST OF ALL, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, REALLY STOOD OUT TO US IS THAT SUPERINTENDENT NACY'S, UH, WHEN WE CAME IN AND DID OUR REVIEW, WHICH WAS ABOUT A YEAR AGO, RECOGNIZED THE NEED, UH, TO BUILD, UM, THE DISTRICT SUPPORTS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN THE DISTRICT, AND ACTUALLY CREATED, UM, A, CREATED A, UH, AN OFFICE TO BEGIN TO SUPPORT THAT WORK.
THAT OFFICE WAS NEW AT THE TIME, AND WE'VE, OUR STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THEM, UH, SINCE THEY WERE CREATED TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOUR STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT.
UH, SO JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A NUMBER OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE RECOGNIZED HERE, THOSE STAFF HAVE ALREADY BEGUN, BEGUN TO LIFT UP.
I MENTIONED A MOMENT AGO ABOUT THE SCHOOLS.
THIS GIVES YOU AN IDEA ACROSS BROADMORE, UM, SHERWOOD HIGHLAND, AND THE OTHER REGIONS OF THE DISTRICT, UH, WHERE YOUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ARE AND WHAT SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES ARE ACROSS SOME OF YOUR BUILDINGS.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT IN BROADMORE, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S ONE BUILDING THAT HAS 208 ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
THERE'S ANOTHER BUILDING, UM, IN THAT SAME JURISDICTION THAT HAS THREE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
UH, BUT AGAIN, I WANNA POINT OUT THAT INDEPENDENT OF THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE THERE, MAKING SURE THOSE INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS HAVE THE SUPPORTS THAT THEY NEED, THAT THEIR TEACHERS HAVE, THE TRAINING THAT THEY NEED TO SUPPORT THEM IS CRITICAL.
INDEPENDENT OF HOW MANY ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ARE THERE.
UH, BUT YOU'LL SEE 14 OR 14 SCHOOLS, UH, HAVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, UH, IN THAT, UM, REGION, UH, IN HIGHLAND, OLD SOUTH, 10 OF THE 11, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
SO IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHERE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ARE, UH, ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, A COUPLE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND
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WERE SOME OF THE DEMANDING TASKS, UM, AND PROGRAMS, UH, WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO REALLY LIFT UP, UH, THE SUPPORTS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS WERE, UH, UNDERSTOOD BY THE DISTRICT OVERALL.AND IN PARTICULAR, THAT OFFICE WAS BEGINNING AT THE TIME AND HAS CONTINUED TO DO SO, LIFT UP CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND ALIGNMENT, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE TEACHERS, UH, WHO WERE WORKING WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
UH, THEY CREATED A TEAM OF STAFF TO SUPPORT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
AND ALSO OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR, WE'VE CONNECTED THEM WITH STAFF FROM OTHER LARGE URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTRY TO BEGIN TO BUILD, UH, THE EXPERTISE THAT'S HERE IN EAST BATON ROUGE.
FROM THE LESSONS THAT HAVE BEEN LEARNED IN OTHER DISTRICTS THAT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, GILFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, UH, IS ONE OF EXAMPLE OF THAT.
UH, AND I'LL, I CAN TALK MORE ABOUT, UH, HOW AND WHY THAT HAS WORKED.
AND THEN FINALLY, CURATING, UH, A SET OF PERFORMANCE METRICS, UH, AROUND MONITORING ELS HAS BEGUN, BEGUN.
UH, AND WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THAT IN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL.
AND THEN FINALLY, ESTABLISHING THAT NEW OFFICE WAS, UH, A FOCUS.
AND SO, UH, WE COMMEND THE DISTRICT ON HAVING ESTABLISHED THAT AND RECOGNIZED THAT COMING IN.
SO, A COUPLE OF OTHER FINDINGS, AND THESE ARE SOME THINGS THAT, UH, WE NOTED.
THE FIRST OF WHICH IS, UH, WHEN WE TALK TO STAFF ABOUT GROWTH AND STUDENT PROGRESS, WE DIDN'T HEAR MUCH ABOUT STUDENT GROWTH, PARTICULARLY FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AROUND THEIR ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT.
UH, SO IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WE SHARED ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LOOKED AT IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN AS WELL, EVEN THOUGH, EVEN IF IT'S NOT A MAJOR PART OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, CUZ WE WANNA LIMIT YOUR GOALS IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THEM, BUT RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR GROWTH FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS WOULD BE IMPORTANT MOVING FORWARD.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, THE ESL INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALISTS AND PARAPROFESSIONALS, UM, HAD REALLY BROAD ROLES IN THE SCHOOLS, AND QUITE OFTEN THAT THAT ROLE DIDN'T ALLOW THEM TO ALWAYS FOCUS ON INSTRUCTION.
AND SO, AS YOU MOVE FORWARD, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING, WE LIFTED UP IN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE REPORT WAS ENABLING, UH, THEM TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON INSTRUCTION FOR THE STUDENTS.
WHILE SOME OF THE OTHER NEEDS, UM, COMPLIANCE NEEDS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE ARE TAKEN CARE OF, UH, IN OTHER WAYS.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE, UM, SAW A LACK OF DISTRICT-WIDE UNDERSTANDING, UM, OF THE CURRICULUM OVERALL AND WHAT THAT MEANT IN TERMS OF SUPPORTS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
QUITE OFTEN, IT WASN'T A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CURRICULUM ITSELF, BUT A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE DIFFERENT INTERVENTIONS LIKE DREAM BOX OR EUREKA, THAT STUDENTS WERE PLUGGED INTO, IF THEY WERE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, AS OPPOSED TO JUST THE, THE DIRECT INSTRUCTION THAT WE TALKED ABOUT A FEW MOMENTS AGO WITH THE TEACHERS, UH, THAT WERE HERE IN THE ROOM.
SO THAT DIRECT INSTRUCTION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IS CRITICAL AS WELL.
IN PARTICULAR, UH, THE LAST PRESENTATION MENTIONED SETTING REALLY HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, UM, DISCUSS, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE SHARED IS ALSO SETTING HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
EVEN THOUGH I MAY NOT SPEAK THE LANGUAGE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, IT DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO LEARN, AND QUITE OFTEN, IT DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T ALREADY KNOW THE INFORMATION JUST IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE.
SO IT LOOKS AS THOUGH I DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY, BECAUSE I DON'T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE, BUT BEHIND IT, I DO ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND HOW TO DO THE WORK.
SO IT'S MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE IN ENSURING THAT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS GET HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES AS WELL.
UH, SO WE TALK HERE ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE AND THE ROLE, UH, OF TEACHERS, UH, MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE STUDENTS CAN ACCESS GRADE LEVEL MATERIAL ALONG WITH THEIR PEERS.
UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE TALK A LITTLE MORE, UH, AS WELL ABOUT A FINDING THAT WE HAD REGARDING, UH, HOW WELL DEFINED THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM MODELS ARE TO ENSURE THAT ELS HAVE ACCESS.
AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS A MOMENT AGO TO THE CORE CURRICULUM.
SO QUITE OFTEN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ARE PULLED OUT OF THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT, PARTICULARLY DURING CORE ENGLISH INSTRUCTION, CORE MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION TO GET ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTS.
BUT THAT MEANS THEY'RE MISSING THE CORE INSTRUCTION.
SO MAKING SURE YOU'RE WORKING WITH THEM TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN ENGAGE IN THAT.
AND THEN PROVIDING THE SCAFFOLDING AND THE SUPPORTS SO THAT WHEN THEY GET THE CORE INSTRUCTION, THEY CAN CONNECT.
THEY, THE LANGUAGE IS NOT A BARRIER FOR THEM AS THEY LEARN ENGLISH.
UM, AND THE COUNCIL TEAM DIDN'T HEAR, UH, ANY DESCRIPTIONS OF HOW, UH, CONTENT AREA TEACHERS SUPPORT ELS.
AND THIS ONE IS A CRITICAL ONE, EVEN THOUGH IT'S A SMALL BULLET, IT'S IMPORTANT.
QUITE OFTEN, UH, CONTENT TEACHERS WILL SAY THE SUPPORT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IS REALLY FOR THE EL INSTRUCTORS.
SO THE EL TEACHERS AND SPORT SUPPORT THOSE STUDENTS, NOT ME.
UH, BUT IF I'M A MATHEMATICS TEACHER OR IF I'M A ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER, IF I'M A SCIENCE TEACHER, IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO CONNECT THOSE KIDS AS WELL.
BUT PROVIDING THE SUPPORTS THAT ARE NECESSARY.
SO IT'S MAKING SURE EVERYONE RECOGNIZES THAT THEY ARE INSTRUCTORS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS JUST AS THEY ARE INSTRUCTORS.
AND THE PREVIOUS REPORT, WE SHARE THAT ALL TEACHERS ARE INSTRUCTORS OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCA WHO STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AS WELL.
SO IT'S MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF
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ALL TEACHERS IN THE DISTRICT RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO SUPPORT THOSE STUDENTS.AND THE LAST OF THE KEY FINDINGS, UM, WERE, UH, GRADE LEVEL TEXTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE REVIEW IS THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT TEXTS THEY'RE USED THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
SO SOME STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO ACCESS THE MORE CHALLENGING TEXTBOOKS, THE MORE CHALLENGING CURRICULUM MATERIALS, AND OTHERS ARE NOT.
SO MAKING SURE THAT ALL KIDS HAVE ACCESS TO CHALLENGING MATERIALS THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED IN THE DISTRICT IS IMPORTANT.
AND THEN NOT ADOPTING MATERIALS SPECIFICALLY TO SUPPORT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION.
SO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS REALLY SUPPLEMENT THOSE CHALLENGING MATERIALS WITH THE MATERIALS THAT ARE NEEDED TO SUPPORT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION.
SO OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE TO EXPLORE MAKING MODIFICATIONS TO THE DISTRICT'S SCORECARD.
UM, AND NOT NECESSARILY, AS I SHARED A MOMENT AGO, THE STRATEGIC PLAN, ALTHOUGH WE WERE RECOMMENDED, IF YOU'VE GOT A MINIMUM SET OF GOALS THAT YOU WANNA FOCUS ON IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN, KEEP THOSE MINIMUM SETS OF GOALS, HOWEVER, IN THE SCORECARD, INCLUDING ALL STUDENTS, SO THAT THE GROWTH OF ALL STUDENTS IS RECOGNIZED AS A PART OF THE SCORECARD.
AND IT'S A PART OF WHAT'S PRESENTED TO YOU, UH, AS A BOARD.
SO NOT ONLY FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, BUT STUDENTS WITH IEPS AS WELL, AND PARTICULARLY STUDENTS WHO ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS WITH IEPS.
SO INCLUDE TIME, UM, IN PROGRAMS AND PROFICIENCY, UH, LEVELS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR THOSE STUDENTS IN FUTURE PRESENTATIONS.
AND THEN TASK THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT WITH ACCELERATING AND IMPLEMENTING, UH, OBJECTIVE 2.5, WHICH IS PROVIDING COMMUNICATIONS OF ESSENTIAL INFORMATION IN DOMINANT LANGUAGES PRIOR TO 20 24, 25.
ONE OF THE THINGS, THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS.
ONE IS MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS, UH, WHO MAY NOT UNDER MAY NOT HAVE ENGLISH AS THEIR PRIMARY LANGUAGE.
SO MAKING SURE THAT ALL THE MEMBERS OF YOUR COMMUNITY ARE ABLE TO ACCESS, UM, THE INFORMATION THAT'S PERTINENT TO THEIR CHILDREN.
BUT THE SECOND THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT HERE, UH, AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND, AND THAT IS QUITE OFTEN WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS OR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS AND OTHER LANGUAGES, IS THAT THE ES, THE NEW DEPARTMENT THAT WAS CREATED, WILL BE ASKED TO DO EVERYTHING RELATED TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
AND WHAT WE'RE SPECIFICALLY SAYING HERE IS THEY AREN'T RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING RELATED TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
LET THEM FOCUS ON INSTRUCTION.
SO I MENTIONED A FEW MOMENTS AGO IN A FINDING THAT THEY HAD REALLY BROAD, UM, ROLES.
WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO IS HAVE YOUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, UH, REALLY LIFTING UP THE COMMUNICATIONS NEEDS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
AND THOSE FAMILIES THAT DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGE.
YOU WANT YOUR RESEARCH DEPARTMENT TO LIFT UP THE DATA ANALYSIS THAT'S NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THOSE STUDENTS ARE, ARE PROGRESSING.
QUITE OFTEN WHAT HAPPENS IS THE DATA ANALYSIS WILL GO TO THAT OFFICE BECAUSE THEIR ENGLISH, THE OFFICE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
SO THEY'LL SAY, YOU DO ALL THE DATA ANALYSIS FOR THAT GROUP OF STUDENTS, OR THEY'LL SAY YOU DO ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS FOR THAT PARTICULAR GROUP OF STUDENTS.
THAT SHOULD BE A PART OF THE DISTRICT'S, UM, PURVIEW.
AND THEN, UH, SECONDLY, UH, PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISTRICT LEADERS TO UNDERSTAND, DEVELOP, AND UNDERSTANDING OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND THE ROLE THAT NATIVE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT PLAYS IN LEARNING THAT.
UH, THERE WAS A PRESENTATION MADE EARLIER TONIGHT ABOUT, UH, FLAME, UM, AND JUST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION FOR ALL STUDENTS.
UH, BUT THIS IS PERTINENT FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AS WELL.
SECOND THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR BULLET NOT MENTIONED THIS, UH, EARLY ON, AND IT'S WHY IT'S A RECOMMENDATION FOR ALL, UM, OF YOUR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS.
YOU REMEMBER I MENTIONED THAT 85% OF YOUR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS HAVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS OR FAMILIES WHO ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN THEIR BUILDING.
SO MAKING SURE THAT ALL, UH, OF THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT LANGUAGE ACQUISITION LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THEIR STUDENTS IS IMPORTANT.
AND THEN FINALLY, UH, CREATING A COHERENT SERIES OF PRESENTATIONS AND ACTIVITIES SYSTEM-WIDE TO DEVELOP ALL STAFF'S UNDERSTANDING OF EL DATA AND RESEARCH, UH, AND ACTIONABLE STEPS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IS CRITICAL.
UM, INVOLVING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ESL IN MEETINGS IN WHICH EFFORTS AND THE ROLLOUT OF ACTIONS, UM, FOR LITERACY ARE DISCUSSED.
UH, WHAT WE LEARNED AS WE WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS IS, AGAIN, QUITE OFTEN THEY'RE EXCLUDED FROM THE BROADER CONVERSATIONS FOR INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENTS.
BUT AS THOSE BROADER CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING, UH, BOTH FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AS WELL AS FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, WHEN CURRICULUM IS DEVELOPED, UH, WHEN TEACHING STRATEGIES ARE DEVELOPED, ET CETERA, THEY SHOULD BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
AND THEN FINALLY, CLARIFY THE EXPECTED DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF BOTH GENERAL AND ESL TEACHERS TO SUPPORT EL INSTRUCTION.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I JUST MENTIONED IN THE FINDINGS WAS THAT QUITE OFTEN THE GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER SAW THE WORK OF EDUCATING AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER AS THE EL TEACHER OR THE PARAPROFESSIONAL'S JOB NOT THERE.
SO MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT THE JOINT ROLE IS FOR EDUCATING,
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UH, THE STUDENTS.UH, SO THIS IS THE ESL DIRECTOR THAT WE'RE SUGGESTING LEADS A WORK GROUP THAT DEVELOPS A SCHOOL SUPPORT PLAN BASED ON STRUCTURE FOR EACH SCHOOL.
IN THE EARLY SLIDE WHEN I SHARED DATA, EACH OF YOUR SCHOOLS HAS DIFFERENT NUMBERS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
SOME SCHOOLS, AS I'LL SHOW YOU IN JUST A MOMENT, UM, HAVE VERY HIGH PERCENTAGES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN THE BUILDING.
OTHERS HAVE VERY SMALL PERCENTAGES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN THE BUILDING.
AND SO THE SUPPORTS FOR THOSE SCHOOLS WILL LOOK VERY DIFFERENT.
SO MAKING SURE THAT EACH OF THOSE SCHOOLS HAS A PLAN FOR HOW THEY'LL SUPPORT STUDENTS IS IMPORTANT.
AND THEN, UH, AS I SHARED, I'LL JUST, I'LL SHOW YOU THE DATE IN A MOMENT, BUT 18 OF YOUR SCHOOLS, UM, HAVE 2,490 ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, OR ABOUT 85% OF THE ELS IN THE DISTRICT ARE IN THOSE 18 SCHOOLS.
SO THE SUPPORTS FOR THEM, UH, WILL NEED TO BE IDENTIFIED SPECIFICALLY.
AND THEN THE DATA THAT YOU SEE IN THE PRESENTATION, AND ALSO THE DATA THAT YOU SEE IN THE REPORT REALLY IDENTIFY, UM, WHERE SOME OF THOSE SCHOOLS HAVE LARGE NUM LARGE PERCENTAGES OF ELS, UH, AND WHERE THOSE SCHOOLS HAVE SMALLER PERCENTAGES.
SO YOU'LL SEE HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, FOR EXAMPLE, 42%, ALMOST HALF OF THE STUDENTS IN HIGHLY ELEMENT HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
UM, BEVILLE OAKS IS ABOUT 37%.
AND YOU'LL SEE THE, THE CHANGES, UH, AS YOU GO THROUGH.
UM, SAME FOR, UM, THE OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
YOU CAN SEE THOSE MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS THAT HAVE DIFFERENT PERCENTAGES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
UH, BROADMORE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, 25%.
SO ONE IN FOUR STUDENTS IS AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER IN BROADMORE.
SO JUST THE SUPPORTS THAT ARE NECESSARY, UH, TO SUPPORT STUDENTS AS THEY DEVELOP THE LANGUAGE, BUT ALSO CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THOSE STUDENTS AS THEY, UM, GET THEIR CORE INSTRUCTION, UH, IS CRITICAL.
AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'VE PROVIDED, UH, SUPPORTS FOR.
UM, WE'VE SHARED THIS REPORT, UH, WITH THE, THE DISTRICT, UH, AS WE'VE GONE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND, AND SUPPORTED THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE IN REALLY GROWING OUT THE WORK OF THE OFFICE FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
UH, SO WITH, WITH THAT, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, UM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING.
SO CONSIDERING THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN, UH, SEEMS LIKE THAT'S AMPLE AMOUNT OF TIME.
UH, THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WAS GIVEN IS THAT IMPROVEMENTS BE MADE BY THE SCHOOL YEAR OF 24 25, CORRECT? IT VARIES.
SO THAT ONE, UH, WAS BEFORE 24 25.
THAT WAS A COMMUNICATIONS PIECE.
UH, HOW THE SUPERINTENDENT, WE DIDN'T STIPULATE HOW AND WHAT ORDER.
UM, THE SUPERINTENDENT OR THE DISTRICT SHOULD, UM, IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO DO IS LAY OUT THE RECOMMENDATION.
WE WILL IDENTIFY SOME HIGH LEVEL, SOME LOW HANGING FRUIT, IF YOU WILL.
THINGS COULD BE DONE SOONER, BUT WE LIKE THE, THE DISTRICT TO SAY, HERE'S HOW WE LIKE TO ADDRESS THESE, AND HERE'S HOW WE'LL MOVE FORWARD.
SO ONE OF THE BULLETS THERE, YOU'LL SEE THAT I NOTED LIFTING UP THIS WORK IS A PROCESS, RIGHT? IT'S A IT'S A YEARS LONG PROCESS.
SO HOW THE DISTRICT LAYS OUT KIND OF HOW WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS THE RECOMMENDATION AS WE LEAVE UP TO THE DISTRICT MANAGEMENT.
NARCIS, WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK WAS, IS THERE A PLAN IN PLACE FOR A WORK GROUP? AND THEN ALSO THIS MIGHT BE A QUESTION FOR MS. HALL AS WELL.
I KNOW YOU ANSWERED BEFORE, I KNOW YOU ANSWERED BEFORE AS FAR AS, UM, UM, ESS UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS TO GET CERTIFIED IN ESS.
ARE THERE ALSO OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS TO BECOME EL CERTIFIED AS WELL? SO THOSE WERE MY TWO QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT A WORK GROUP IS ALREADY IN THE MAKING.
AND THEN NUMBER TWO, YOU KNOW, IF THERE ARE CERTIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES.
SO, UH, FOR THE ACADEMIC QUESTION, UH, YES, THERE'S A WORK GROUP THAT'S LED BY, UH, CESAR RICO, WHO'S THE HEAD OF OUR ELL.
HE'S, UH, WORKS UNDER, UH, DR.
ROBINSON'S OUR CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER THAT'S ALREADY WORKING ON AN ACTION PLAN.
WE, ONCE WE GET A REPORT, WE ACTUALLY START WORKING ON IT ONCE WE HEAR SOMETHING.
SO, UH, WHEN WE CAN ALWAYS BRING BACK TO THE BOARD WHAT THE ACTION PLAN IS, AS WHAT, AS WELL.
AND THEN, UH, ON THE OTHER END, AS YOU HEARD, UM, MS. HALL SAY AROUND CERTIFICATION FOR TEACHERS.
WE WOULD, WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND, UH, FOR TEACHERS TO BECOME DUALLY CERTIFIED IN ESS AND ALSO IN ELL.
THAT IS AN OPTION THAT IS IN OUR STATE.
AS OUR DISTRICT BECOMES MORE AND MORE DIVERSE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT GIVES US MORE OF LATITUDE FOR TEACHERS IN TERMS OF HIRING, UH, AROUND THAT, UH, THE POPULATION GROWTH WILL CONTINUE AS, AS I SHARED BEFORE WE, THE FASTEST ONE, UM, MR. RICOS IN THE BACK CAN SHARE WITH YOU.
AND, UH, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS THAT WE DON'T WAIT, WE HAVE TO DO IS SIMULTANEOUSLY, UM, BEING IN OTHER DISTRICTS, I'VE SEEN, UH, WHERE THE DISTRICTS WOULD WAIT AND AS THAT POPULATION WOULD GET, UH, LARGER AND LARGER, THEN BECOMES MORE OF A CRISIS MODE.
UH, WE HAVE ALMOST ABOUT, UH, MR. RICO'S ABOUT ALMOST 10 FAMILIES THAT COME PER
[01:20:01]
MONTH.IS THAT CORRECT? AND, UH, MAYBE YOU COULD COME ON UP.
WE JUST, I JUST WANNA GIVE A CONTEXT TO THE BOARD IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, ABOUT HOW MANY FAMILIES WE HAVE COME IN PER MONTH THAT DO NOT SPEAK THE LANGUAGE.
AND WHAT, AND ALSO MR. RICO ALSO SHARE WHAT COUNTRIES THEY COME FROM.
UH, JUST TO GIVE YOU A CONTEXT ABOUT MR. RICO, HE'S A PRODUCT OF, OF E B R AND ALSO AS A SCHOOL LEADER HERE.
UH, SO HE CAN GIVE YOU FROM A CULTURAL CONTEXT AS WELL AS, UH, HE'S DEVELOPING DEPARTMENT.
AND, UH, THANK YOU BOARD FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
HART MENTIONED EARLIER, THE PROCESS, UH, IN GOING THROUGH AND REALLY CLEARLY LOOKING AT THE NEEDS AND WHERE WE'RE AT WHEN IT COMES TO THE SUPPORTS FOR OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS, BEGINNING IN THE 2020 1 22 SCHOOL YEAR WAS A MASSIVE ONE.
AND, UH, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING THAT'S, I I CAME IN, UM, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME AS THIS WAS GOING ON.
I WENT AHEAD AND WAS ABLE TO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH DR.
HE MENTIONED, UH, MS. GABRIELLA UDO, UH, MR. DAVID, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, AND OTHER MEMBERS FROM THE DIFFERENT, UH, COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE COUNTRY.
SO, UM, REAL QUICK, JUST TO GET YOU GUYS IN THE CONTEXT AND EVERYTHING.
EVERY SINGLE YEAR, THE PERCENTAGES OF OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS GROW.
IT RANGES AND VARIES, BUT WE'VE SEEN JUMPS OF UP TO 20%, 30% FROM ONE, UH, SCHOOL YEAR TO ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, AND THEN WE'RE UP TO RIGHT NOW, UM, ALMOST 5,000, UH, EL ELS.
UM, AGAIN, THAT KIND OF FLUCTUATES, BUT IT USUALLY FLUCTUATES HIGHER.
MOST OF OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS ARE HISPANIC, AND THE FAR MAJORITY COME FROM HONDURAS, CENTRAL AMERICA AND SUCH.
ALTHOUGH WE DO HAVE A BIG POPULATION OF VIETNAMESE.
UM, AND WE DO HAVE, UH, FAMILIES AS WELL THAT WE SUPPORT FROM, UH, MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES AND SUCH.
SO IT'S A VERY DIVERSE GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AGAIN, UH, MAJORITY OF THEM ARE, UM, FROM A HISPANIC BACKGROUND.
LIKE MYSELF, I WAS BORN IN HONDURAS, IN DEPA.
SO I CAME HERE WHEN I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD.
AND I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND EXACTLY, UM, WHAT A LOT OF OUR KIDS ARE GOING THROUGH WHEN I SEE THESE KIDS.
THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY DESIRE IS TO HELP THEM.
CUZ I SEE MYSELF IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF 'EM.
UH, IF YOU READ THE EXTENSIVE, UM, DOCUMENT, THE LONG REPORT'S ABOUT WHAT HUNDRED AND 20 PAGES, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, UM, IT'S VERY EXTENSIVE AND VERY DETAILED.
I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR IT AS WELL BECAUSE IT BROUGHT FLAT A LOT OF THE NEEDS THAT WE, UH, NEED TO HAVE HERE IN OUR DISTRICT.
HOWEVER, SINCE THEN, WE'VE, UH, IMPLEMENTED SEVERAL THINGS.
NARCI SAID, WE'RE NOT GONNA WAIT.
OUR KIDS ARE TOO VALUABLE TO WAIT.
SO, UM, ENDING IN THE FALL OF 2022, WHEN THEY WERE WRAPPING UP THE AUDIT, NOW IT WAS WORKING CLOSELY WITH THEM AND HAVING ALL THIS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WE WENT AHEAD AND PUT SYSTEMATIC APPROACHES TO WHERE WE CAN START THIS PROCESS FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
SO, BEGINNING IN AUGUST, BEGINNING IN OCTOBER, BEGINNING NOW WE'VE DONE THINGS LIKE ONE CREATED A NEW STAFFING MODEL, WHEREAS BEFORE WE HAD INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALISTS AT SCHOOLS.
UH, HART WAS REFERRING TO, AS IN, OH, IT'S THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ONE OR TWO OR THREE INDIVIDUALS TO EDUCATE ALL THESE ELS AND MATH, SCIENCE, ENGLISH, AND SOCIAL STUDIES.
THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF ALMOST SILLY WHEN YOU SAY IT OUT LOUD.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ACTUAL, UH, COACHES, WHEREAS BEFORE WE ONLY HAD ONE.
WE HAVE COACHES, UH, 10 OF 'EM TO SERVE OUR ENTIRE DISTRICT.
THIS IS WHERE THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMES FROM.
THIS IS WHERE WE GO IN AND CO-TEACH WITH OUR TEACHERS.
THIS IS WHEN WE'RE SHOWING AND MODELING WITH OUR TEACHERS AND COLLABORATING IN THEIR PLCS AND SUCH.
ALSO, WE CREATED AN ESL CLASS, WHICH NEVER EXISTED BEFORE.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST NEEDS THAT WE HAVE, CUZ WE HAVE TO REMEMBER ENGLISH LEARNERS ARE NOT ALL THE SAME.
THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMEONE WHO'S GOTTEN TO THIS COUNTRY WHEN THEY WERE, UH, THEY JUST GOT HERE YESTERDAY, OR THEY'VE BEEN HERE FOR FIVE YEARS.
THEY CAN STILL BE AN ENGLISH LEARNER.
SO WHAT ARE THEY, THEIR NEEDS? NOW, OUR ENGLISH AS A SECOND, UH, LANGUAGE, OUR ESL CLASSES THAT WE'VE CREATED ARE FOR OUR NEWCOMER AND IMMIGRANT STUDENTS.
SO IF YOU'VE GOTTEN HERE, WHETHER IT'S IN KINDERGARTEN OR WHETHER IT'S IN, UH, NINTH GRADE OR 10TH GRADE IN SUCH, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE MEET YOU WHERE YOU'RE AT.
UM, WE HAVE OTHER ENGLISH LEARNERS BY FAR THE MAJORITY WHO NEED TO GO AHEAD AND BE SUPPORTED IN THE TRADITIONAL CLASSROOMS. SO ASIDE FROM THE ESL CLASSES, WE OF COURSE CREATED AN ESL TEACHER TO SUPPORT JUST THOSE CLASSES.
SO WE HAVE COACHES, WE HAVE TEACHERS NOW WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE TO, UH, BY FAR SUPPORT, UM, OUR KIDS.
UH, EVEN MORE ON TOP OF ALL THAT WE ACTUALLY ADOPTED CURRICULUM.
SOMETHING ELSE WE DIDN'T HAVE.
SO OUR ESL CLASSES, NOW YOU, WE USE A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CURRICULUM.
UM, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT ONES FOR LOWER GRADES AND UPPER GRADES AND SUCH TO SUPPORT THEM.
AND THEN THE, THE, THE BIG THING THAT WE'VE, UH, BEEN ABLE TO IMPLEMENT SINCE OCTOBER, CUZ WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS EMPOWER OUR SCHOOLS.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERY SINGLE TEACHER OR PARA OR COUNSELOR, WHOEVER THE, UH, INDIVIDUAL AT THAT SCHOOL IS, SEES THESE KIDS AS THEIR KIDS, RIGHT? JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER.
[01:25:01]
AS A RESULT, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE STRATEGIES NEEDED TO HELP THE KIDS IN ANY TYPE OF SETTING.SO ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT WE'VE IMPLEMENTED HAVE BEEN OUR INSTRUCTIONAL FLOWS.
YOU MENTIONED GIFFORD COUNTY, RIGHT? UM, THAT TEAM HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL.
WE JUST TOOK SOMETHING THAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING FOR YEARS AND WE'VE BEGUN TO IMPLEMENT IT HERE.
WHAT THAT DOES IS, JUST IN THE GIST OF IT, IS THAT WE TAKE OUR THREE L STRATEGIES, THE LEARNING, LITERACY AND LANGUAGE, AND THERE'S SIX, UH, SPECIFIC STRATEGIES WITH THAT.
AND THEN WE TAKE THE ACTUAL ELA CURRICULUMS. SO EARLY CHILDHOOD, PRE-K, YALE EDUCATION, GUIDEBOOKS.
THEN WE HAVE MY PERSPECTIVE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND, UH, IN HIGH SCHOOLS, WE'VE LITERALLY TAKEN EVERY SINGLE LESSON PLAN.
WE'VE CREATED, UH, POWERPOINTS AND NEW LESSON PLANS WITH OUR STRATEGIES FOR EVERY SINGLE WEEK OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
THAT'S A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING THAT OUR COACHES CONSTANTLY UPDATE EVERY SINGLE WEEK.
SO ANY TEACHER CAN SUPPORT THEIR KIDS IN THEIR TRADITIONAL CLASSROOMS. FURTHERMORE, YOU CAN TAKE THESE TYPES OF LESSONS WITH THESE STRATEGIES AND APPLY THEM TO THE AMPLIFIED CURRICULUMS, UH, AND SUPPORTS.
YOU CAN APPLY THEM TO THE EUREKA MATH AS WELL, SO YOU CAN APPLY THEM TO OTHER SUBJECT BASES SO WE CAN GROW THIS OUT.
SO AGAIN, THE BIGGEST THING THAT I COULD SAY IS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OUR STUDENTS ARE BEING EQUITABLY REPRESENTED AND SUPPORTED IN EACH OF THEIR SCHOOLS.
AND IF I MAY, WE'RE CELEBRATING BELAIRE AND TARA.
UH, AS YOU SAW THE, THE STATISTICS EARLIER, THOSE ARE TWO OF OUR HIGHEST ENGLISH LANGUAGE, UH, LEARNERS SCHOOLS.
YOU GOT WOODLAWN, YOU GOT TARA, YOU GOT BELAIRE, OF COURSE.
AND WE MENTIONED BROADMOOR EARLIER AND THE JUMPS AND LEAPS THAT THEY'RE MAKING.
SO THESE ARE WHERE OUR, OUR, OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS ARE AT.
WE'RE STARTING TO SEE, UM, THE TRANSITIONS AND SHIFTS IN EDUCATION AND ACADEMICS.
SO, SORRY, I KNOW THAT WAS A LOT, BUT I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO COME UP HERE AND KIND OF SHOW YOU SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN, UM, IMPLEMENTING.
AND THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR US.
IF I MAY, I HAVE JUST ONE LAST THING.
NAIS, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE SEEN THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY THAT HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY INSTRUMENTAL, AND I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT VISION AND THESE ARE OUR NEXT STEPS, CUZ I, I, I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU GUYS TO SAY, WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS? WHAT'S NEXT? AND EVERYTHING.
WE'RE NEVER SATISFIED, RIGHT? AND THE NEXT STEPS IS OUR DUAL LANGUAGE COMPONENT.
WE WANT OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS NOT TO LOSE THEIR SPANISH.
WE WANT THE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION TO BE LEARNED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE CONTENT ACQUISITION.
BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE BUILD PATHWAYS AND OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS TO GRADUATE FROM OUR SCHOOLS, TO GO AHEAD AND BE ABLE TO SPEAK ENGLISH AND SPEAK THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE.
THINK ABOUT THE SUPPORTS THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE TO OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR BUSINESSES AROUND THE ENTIRE STATE AND THE SOUTH, UH, IF THEY WERE ABLE TO BE CAPABLE OF DOING THIS.
SO ANYWAY, I WANTED TO KIND OF THROW THAT OUT THERE BECAUSE, UH, THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR OUR DISTRICT.
THANK YOU, MR. AS YOU KNOW, AS YOU CAN SEE, HE'S THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB.
IT, IT REALLY MADE MY HEART LEAP BECAUSE BEING A TEACHER AT BELAIRE, I REMEMBER 10 YEARS AGO WHERE WE HAD AN OVERWHELMING, A NUMBER, NUMBER OF EL STUDENTS, BOTH OF HISPANIC BACKGROUND, ALSO OF MIDDLE EAST BACKGROUND, UH, FROM AREAS OF AFRICA AS WELL.
AND WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE STUDENTS.
AND SO TO KNOW THAT THERE IS A PLAN IN PLACE AND THERE'S A PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTATION JUST MAKES ME SO EXCITED.
SO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT.
AND THEN ALSO, JUST AS WE MENTIONED BEFORE AT A PREVIOUS MEETING, I'M SAYING ON THE MIC, TEACHERS GO GET CERTIFIED IN EL, COME TALK TO MS. HALL IN HER OFFICE ABOUT GETTING CERTIFIED IN EL AND ESS AS WELL, BECAUSE WE NEED YOU.
HART, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK FROM YOU AND YOUR TEAM.
NAIS AND THE STAFF AND ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, UH, FAMILY.
UH, IT'S NOT AN EASY THING TO DO TO ASK SOMEONE TO COME IN AND PUT YOU UNDER THE MICROSCOPE AND WALK YOU THROUGH ALL THE THINGS AND, UH, FIND OUT WHERE ALL YOUR WARTS ARE AND ALL YOUR BIRTHMARKS ARE AND HOW TO GO ABOUT DOING THAT.
BUT IT'S A VERY VALUABLE THING TO HAVE DONE THAT.
AND IT REALLY HELPS US LAY OUT A PLAN.
WHEN I FIRST CAME ON THIS BOARD, I REMEMBER GOING TO HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY, WHICH IS IN MY DISTRICT, WHICH IS YOUR NUMBER HERE.
AND THEN THE NUMBER OF, UH, EL STUDENTS.
AND LAST YEAR, WHEN I WENT TO PARENTS NIGHT, WE
[01:30:01]
HAD TO HAVE A, UM, A TRANSLATOR, UH, THERE TO BE ABLE TO TRANSLATE TO THE PARENTS BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING PARENTS THERE.SO JUST IMAGINE THE DIFFICULTY WE HAVE, UH, TEACHING CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS SPEAK ENGLISH, AND THEN YOU TAKE A CHILD WHO DOESN'T HAVE ENGLISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGE AND WHOSE PARENTS CAN'T UNDERSTAND ENGLISH, AND YOU GET TO ALL THE HOMEWORK ISSUES AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
AND THE BIGGEST THING I'LL ECHO WITH, UH, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL SAID, WHEN I FIRST GOT ON THE BOARD, WE RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM, BUT OUR ANSWER WAS SHOTGUN APPROACH.
IT WAS A PROGRAM HERE, A STEP HERE, UH, DO THAT HERE.
THIS IS THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC, UH, SINCE DR.
NARCIS COME AND, AND SET UP HIS TEAM.
IT'S THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC APPROACH I'VE SEEN TO ANSWERING THIS, UH, QUESTION THAT BECOMES BIGGER AND BIGGER.
AND BRINGING PEOPLE LIKE MR. RICO AND OTHERS, UH, INTO THAT FOLD IS, UH, THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE NEED.
SO, UH, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO, I DON'T WANT IT TO BE LOST IN THE FACT THAT WE'VE MADE A VERY GOOD START ON IT.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORK.
SO I HAD A QUESTION, BUT MR. RICO, YOU ANSWERED IT VERY WELL.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS, UH, THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WAS BROUGHT UP WAS THAT THERE WASN'T A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE CURRICULUM WAS FOR ESL STUDENTS.
SO, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE OUR DISTRICT HAS ALREADY DONE A GREAT JOB OF, OF ACTING ON THOSE OBSERVATIONS.
UM, A AS SOMEONE THAT WORKS PRIMARILY WITH, UM, PEOPLE THAT HAVE ENGLISH AS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE, I WORK WITH A LOT OF HISPANIC FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND, UM, I'M SEEING THEM RAISE THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES AND OUR COMMUNITY, AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, UH, FOR SUPPORT.
AND AS THOSE KIDS GROW, UM, THEY BECOME OFTENTIMES MORE FLUENT IN ENGLISH THAN THEIR PARENTS.
AND, AND THAT IS SUCH A, UH, A, UH, A BENEFIT TO THOSE FAMILIES AS THEIR KIDS BECAUSE THEY, THEY HAVE SUCH A CAPACITY FOR LEARNING AT A YOUNG AGE TO PICK UP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 LANGUAGES.
AND SO, UH, I WANT TO, UH, SAY I APPRECIATE HOW, HOW IMPORTANT, UM, YOU'RE PLACING ON THEM RETAINING, UM, THEIR ORIGINAL SPEAKING LANGUAGE, WHETHER THAT'S SPANISH OR ARABIC, OR WHATEVER THAT LANGUAGE MIGHT BE, BECAUSE, UM, IN THE WORKFORCE, THERE IS SUCH A HUGE NEED RIGHT NOW FOR BILINGUAL INDIVIDUALS, NOT JUST IN, IN, IN MY INDUSTRY, IN CONSTRUCTION, BUT IN ENGINEERING, IN, IN STEM FIELDS ACROSS THE BOARD.
WE ARE SUCH A COM, UH, UM, A COUNTRY OF IMMIGRANTS.
AND, AND AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE JOIN, UM, OUR COUNTRY, WE NEED MORE AND MORE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE FLUENT IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS GONNA BE A HUGE BENEFIT 10, 20 YEARS FROM NOW TO OUR COMMUNITY.
SO I JUST WANT TO, UM, SAY THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS WORK AND, AND, UM, I, I, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING, YOU KNOW, THE CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION OF, UM, OF HELPING IMPROVE THIS.
MR. RECO, NEVER, PLEASE, NEVER LOSE YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND YOUR PASSION FOR WHAT YOU DO.
I DOUBT IF YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GETTING UP GOING TO WORK.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, NINTH GRADERS, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SCHOOLS THAT, UM, PEOPLE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, BRUSHED ASIDE.
ALL THIS IS, THIS IS, I MEAN, THIS DISTRICT HAS REALLY GROWN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS BECAUSE THERE'S A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE DOING TO MOVE THIS DISTRICT FORWARD.
UM, I THINK, UH, MR. GODI JUST, UH, IT WAS BELU TALKED ABOUT A SHOTGUN APPROACH.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE PUT THE SHOTGUN AWAY AND, AND WE HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN.
ALL THESE THINGS ARE DESIGNED TO MOVE THIS DISTRICT FORWARD.
AND I'VE SIT IN THIS ROOM AND I'VE HEARD SOME, SOME VERY MOVING, UM, CONVERSATIONS AROUND EDUCATION TONIGHT WAS ONE OF THE BEST I'VE EVER HEARD.
[01:35:01]
LOSE YOUR PASSION AND YOUR ENTHUSIASM FOR WHAT YOU DO.I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS, OF THIS AREA AND HELPING, UH, IMMIGRANTS TO OUR COMMUNITY, OUR COUNTRY, UH, BECOME INTEGRATED AND, AND FULFILL THE AMERICAN DREAM, UH, WHICH IS WHY THEY ALL CAME HERE.
UH, I WANT TO PARTICULARLY THANK MR. RICO FOR HIS PASSION FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR OUR STUDENTS.
HART, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU PASS ALONG, UM, TO YOUR STAFF, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY TO THE PROFESSIONALS THAT YOU GATHER FROM OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS AROUND THE COUNTRY TO COME AND SACRIFICE THEIR TIME, UH, TIME AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES TO COME HELP US DO A BETTER JOB.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
[E.1. Resolution: "National School Social Work Week" ]
MOVING INTO RESOLUTIONS, ALPHABET E RESOLUTIONS.THE FIRST ONE IS IN REGARDS TO THE NATIONAL SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK WEEK.
IN JUST A MINUTE, WE WILL HEAR THE WORDING OF THE PROCLAMATION FROM MR. MARTIN, BUT IT IS IN CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING MARCH 5TH THROUGH THE 11TH 2023 AS EAST BATON ROUGE PERRY SCHOOL BOARD SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK WEEK.
SO WE WILL HEAR THE PROCLAMATION AND THEN, THEN ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
I'M HONORED TO READ THIS, UH, PROCLAMATION.
UH, ONE OF MY DEAREST COLLEGE FRIENDS IS A SOCIAL WORKER.
SO I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND THE VALUABLE WORK THAT THEY DO, WHEREAS SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS OR ADVOCATES FOR ACCESS, EQUALITY, AND FAIRNESS.
AND WHEREAS SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS STRENGTHEN STUDENTS, EXPAND OPTIONS AND WORK TO FACILITATE HUMANE CHANGES IN SCHOOL POLICIES AND STATE LEGISLATION THAT IMPROVE THE LIVES OF STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF.
AND WHEREAS SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS WORK TO CHANGE SYSTEMS AND CUSTOMS THAT LIMIT THE ABILITY OF VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS TO LEAD FULFILLING AND PRODUCTIVE LIVES.
AND WHEREAS SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS ARE EMPLOYED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AS POSITIVE CHANGE AGENTS WHO DEDICATE THEIR CAREERS TO HELPING STUDENTS TRANSFORM THEIR LIVES OR IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTS THAT MAKE SUCH PROGRESS POSSIBLE.
AND WHEREAS SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS IMPROVE THE FABRIC OF SCHOOL SYSTEMS BY CARING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND, OR FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR VOICE.
AND WHEREAS SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS HELP STUDENTS EXPLORE NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FACE OF SERIOUS LIFE CHANGES AND CHALLENGES.
AND WHEREAS SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS BELIEVE THAT EACH DAY THEY WILL GIVE A STUDENT, A FAMILY OR AN EDUCATOR RENEWED HOPE IN THE FUTURE.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED IN RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND THEIR COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION THROUGH SERVICE DELIVERY, RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND ADVOCACY THAT THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT, DR.
CTO J NARCIS, HEREBY PROCLAIMED THE WEEK OF MARCH 5TH THROUGH THE 11TH 2023 AS NATIONAL SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK WEEK, AND JOINED WITH THE SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA IN CELEBRATION AND SUPPORT OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, SCHOOL SYSTEMS, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS, AND UPHOLDING THIS YEAR'S THEME.
IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MR. MARTIN AND SECOND BY MR. LEWIS.
UM, ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD IN REGARDS TO THIS PROCLAMATION? OKAY.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC AT THIS TIME? THANK YOU.
GOOD EVENING ON MADAME VICE PRESIDENT POWELL, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD SUPERINTENDENT NARCISE ON BEHALF OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEMS, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT, AND OUR SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS, WE'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THIS PROCLAMATION.
WE ARE HONORED TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS.
ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? OKAY.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? ALL RIGHT.
[01:40:16]
TRY TO REFRESH YOUR SCREEN.[E.2. Resolution: "Social Emotional Learning Week" ]
MOVING TO OUR NEXT RESOLUTION, RESOLUTION NUMBER TWO, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING WEEK.CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING MARCH 6TH THROUGH THE 10TH, 2023 AS EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING WEEK AND MARCH 10TH, 2023, A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING DAY.
AND THE PROCLAMATION READS AS FOLLOWS, EBR R SEL WEEK AND SEL DAY.
WHEREAS SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, SEL IS THE PROCESS THROUGH WHICH ALL YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS ACQUIRE AND APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ATTITUDES TO DEVELOP HEALTHY IDENTITIES, MANAGE EMOTIONS, AND ACHIEVE PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE GOALS.
FEEL AND SHOW EMPATHY FOR OTHERS, ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND MAKE RESPONSIBLE AND CARING DECISIONS.
AND WHEREAS S E L COMPETENCE DEVELOPED THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES AND ARE ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS IN OUR SCHOOLS, WORKPLACES, HOMES, AND COMMUNITIES, AND ALLOW INDIVIDUALS TO CONTRIBUTE MEANINGFULLY TO SOCIETY.
AND WHEREAS SEL CAN BE TAUGHT AND DEVELOPED THROUGHOUT CHILDHOOD ADOLESCENTS AND BEYOND, AND WHEREAS SCHOOLS, FAMILIES, AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY MUST BE ENGAGED TO ENHANCE THE STRENGTH, DEPTH AND PACE OF ACQUISITION OF SEL COMPETENCIES.
AND WHEREAS THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEMS SUPPORTS SEL AS A WISE USE OF RESOURCES BECAUSE THERE ARE LONG-TERM BENEFITS TO SOCIETY FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED SEL.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT IN THAT THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT DR.
SIDO J NARCIS, HEREBY PROCLAIMED THE WEEK OF MARCH 6TH THROUGH THE 10TH, 2023 AS EBR R SEL WEEK AND MARCH 10TH, 2023 AS SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING DAY.
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD ENCOURAGES ALL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO LEARN ABOUT AND SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE IMPORTANCE AND IMPACT OF INTEGRATING SEL INTO OUR SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITIES.
IF WE CAN ENTERTAIN A MOTION, PLEASE.
IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER STEWART, AND HAS BEEN SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER LEWIS, ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
UM, I'M GLAD THAT SOME ATTENTION IS BEING, UH, BROUGHT TO SEL.
UM, BUT I'M TROUBLED BY THE RESOLUTION BECAUSE IT'S ONLY A WEEK, UH, AND A DAY
UM, I THINK IT OUGHT TO BE, I, I STARTED THINKING ABOUT IT AND I WAS LIKE, MAYBE IT SHOULD BE, UH, A MONTH, MAYBE.
WHAT IF WE MADE IT A YEAR? ACTUALLY? WHAT IF WE MADE IT A DECADE? UM, BECAUSE JUST FOCUSING ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING, UH, HERE AND THERE PIECEMEAL, UM, HAVING A TEACHER GIVE A, A STUDENT A, A WORKSHEET TO CIRCLE THE SMILEY FACE OR THE SAD FACE, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT ENOUGH.
UM, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, IT, IT TEACHES US TO, UM, I'M SORRY.
I'M STILL LEARNING TO TALK ON THIS MICROPHONE.
UM, IT TEACHES US TO UNDERSTAND OUR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS, UM, TO GAIN A SELF, UH, A SENSE OF SELF-AWARENESS.
UM, AND IT TEACHES US EMPATHY FOR, FOR THOSE AROUND US, FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND, AND GLOBALLY.
UM, IT'S SOMETHING NOT JUST STUDENTS NEED IN SCHOOL, IT'S SOMETHING ALL HUMANS NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
UM, EDUCATION SHOULD BE BUILT AROUND THAT RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY.
[01:45:01]
AND ON THAT NOTE, IT'S IF YOU DON'T, IF, IF YOU DON'T RECEIVE THAT SORT OF EDUCATION, YOU LEARN, YOU LEARN FROM THE PEOPLE YOU'RE AROUND, YOU LEARN FROM THE ADULTS AS A CHILD, UH, AND YOU, YOU'RE SHAPED BY THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADULTS AROUND YOU.UM, I SUGGEST WE START WITH OURSELVES AT THE TOP.
WE START, UH, IMPLEMENTING SOME SORT OF
I DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS YET, BUT IMPLEMENTING A PROGRAM FOR, I MEAN, FOR US, LIKE, LET'S START AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE AND, UH, DO SOME SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING.
LIKE I, THIS IS THIS, UH, SINCE JOINING THIS OUTFIT, I'VE NEVER WITNESSED SO MANY UNTRUES, UH, OR BEEN LIED TO PERSONALLY, UM, IN SUCH A TINY AMOUNT OF TIME, UM, EVER IN MY LIFE.
UH, AND I'M
UH, THE POINT IS THAT IF, IF WE'RE NOT TAUGHT TO BE SELF-AWARE, TO BE, TO BE HONEST, TO KNOW WHO WE ARE, TO LOVE OURSELVES, WE CAN'T TEACH KIDS TO DO THAT.
WE CAN'T TEACH, UH, THE WORLD TO CARE.
UM, SO I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT ALL, ALL THE STAFF IN EBR BE GIVEN, UM, SOME SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL TOOLS, SOME LEARNING, SOME PROGRAMS, AND LET IT LET IT TRICKLE DOWN TO THE STUDENTS.
UM, AND THEN CREATE ALSO PROGRAMS LIKE INTEGRAL PROGRAMS FOR EVERY SUBJECT WHERE WE'RE WORKING ON THE INTERNAL WELLBEING OF OURSELVES.
LIKE WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT JUST ROBOTS HERE TO MAKE A, UM, A WORKER.
LIKE, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO TURN KIDS INTO, INTO WORKER BEES.
WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THEM HELP THEM BECOME GOOD PEOPLE.
AND, UH, ONE WEEK
IT NEEDS TO BE EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.
BEFORE WE PROCEED FORWARD, IS THERE STAFF HERE TO ACCEPT THE PROCLAMATION? OKAY.
HI, I'M STACY DUPREY, CHIEF OF STUDENT SUPPORT.
UM, I DIDN'T GET TO MEET Y'ALL AT THE RETREAT BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY I HAD SURGERY THAT DAY, BUT I'M DOING GREAT.
UM, SO IT'S VERY NICE TO MEET Y'ALL TODAY.
UM, I GUESS I HAVE A FEW MINUTES BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T VOTED ON THE PROCLAMATION YET.
I WANNA THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THE PROCLAMATION AND, UM, THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR APPROVING IT.
I'M GONNA BE POSITIVE ABOUT IT, AND I AGREE.
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING HAS TO START WITH ADULTS.
AND I HAVE TWO OF MY SEL SPECIALISTS, THEIR SUPERVISOR, UM, DR.
BURS IS NOT HERE TODAY BECAUSE SHE'S AT A A S A PRESENTING TO SUPERINTENDENTS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ACROSS THE NATION ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE WITH SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING.
NARCISS PLEASURE, I CAN SHARE THAT PRESENTATION.
WE ARE NOT GONNA DO IT TILL TOMORROW, BUT WE CAN SHARE IT SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE WE'RE GOING.
WE HAVE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN EVERY CLASSROOM EVERY DAY.
AND THESE WONDERFUL LADIES GO THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT PROVIDING SUPPORT.
WE HAVE A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL PERSON TO EVERY SCHOOL.
IT GOES TO THE SCHOOL COUNSELING DEPARTMENT, AND WE DO ADULT SEL.
NAIS, IF WE NEED TO HAVE A WORKSHOP WITH ADULT SEL, YOU KNOW, WE'LL DO IT.
AND I JUST SIMPLY WANTED TO SHARE THE SENTIMENTS OF MY COLLEAGUE AS WELL, UM, IN REGARDS TO SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOR NOT ONLY CHILDREN, BUT ADULTS ALSO.
YOU KNOW, WE NOTICED DURING THE, UH, PANDEMIC WHEN ALL OF US WERE AT HOME, FOR SOME OF US, WE MAY HAVE ENJOYED PART OF THAT TIME, IF NOT ALL OF IT.
WE MAY HAVE GOTTEN OUR HOUSES CLEANED AND, AND OTHER THINGS DONE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAD NEVER HAD A TIME IN OUR LIFESPAN WHERE WE WERE PRETTY MUCH SENTENCED TO OUR HOUSES, AND WE LEARNED HOW MUCH WE NEEDED EACH OTHER.
UH, WHAT I'VE ALSO NOTICED IS THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOW THAT WE CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER, AND THAT WE SHOW TRUE CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY IN EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.
UM, ONE OF MY PLATFORMS WHEN I WAS RUNNING FOR THIS OFFICE WAS TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT TEACHERS NEED SUPPORT AND CARE AND LOVE AS WELL, AND TO FEEL VALUED.
UM, AND I REMEMBER I SHARED BEFORE, THERE'S A QUOTE THAT, THAT THEY TAUGHT US ABOUT
[01:50:01]
IN GRAD SCHOOL.I DON'T REMEMBER WHERE THE QUOTE CAME FROM, BUT IF, IF YOU DON'T FEED THE TEACHERS, THE TEACHERS WILL EAT THE STUDENTS.
AND WHAT THAT SIMPLY MEANS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF YOUR ADULTS, THEN WHATEVER ATTITUDE THEY'RE BRINGING TO THE CLASSROOM IS WHAT WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE STUDENTS, AND IT WILL AFFECT THE STUDENTS DAY, THEIR MONTH, THEIR SCHOOL YEAR.
SO IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE PROVIDE THESE SERVICES FOR EVERYONE.
I TOTALLY AGREE, MS. KENON WITH, WITH YOUR SENTIMENTS ABOUT THAT.
AND I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT WHATEVER AMOUNT OF SEL SUPPORT THAT WE CAN OFFER TO NOT ONLY OUR CHILDREN, BUT OUR ADULTS AS WELL.
UH, I VERY MUCH AGREE WITH MS. KEN'S SENTIMENT THAT, THAT THAT EDUCATION, UH, IS NOT JUST ABOUT TRAINING WORKER BEES.
WE TALK A LOT ABOUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
UM, BUT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S JUST A, A, YOU KNOW, WORK IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DO TO, TO SURVIVE IN THIS WORLD.
BUT REALLY, EDUCATION SHOULD BE ABOUT PRODUCING GOOD PEOPLE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT JUST ONE KIND OF GOOD PERSON.
GOOD PEOPLE COME IN ALL SHAPES, COLORS, GENDERS, RELIGIONS, POLITICAL BELIEFS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S CERTAINLY A, A, A FAIR AMOUNT OF CONTROVERSY IN THE NATION ABOUT SEL AND WHAT IT REALLY MEANS.
UM, YOU KNOW, TO ME, IN, IN, IN VOTING FOR THIS RESOLUTION, IT MEANS TO, TO, TO TEACH KIDS TO CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES, TO CARE ABOUT OTHERS, UM, TO HAVE GREATER EMOTIONAL AWARENESS ABOUT THEMSELVES AND, AND WHO THEY ARE AND WHY THEY RESPOND TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT THE WAY THAT THEY DO, UM, SO THAT THEY CAN ALL BECOME BETTER PEOPLE SO THAT WE CAN ALL BECOME BETTER PEOPLE.
UM, YOU KNOW, SOME CLAIM THAT SCL IS A, IS A MEANS TO SNEAK IN OTHER PHILOSOPHIES, POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS, DOGMATIC, IDEOLOGICAL, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.
MAYBE IT IS, MAYBE IT ISN'T, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT AT, AT, AT THE LEVEL, AND I KNOW MADAM VICE PRESIDENT, YOU AND I HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS AT THE LEVEL THAT, THAT YOU UNDERSTAND IT, THAT I UNDERSTAND IT, IT'S JUST ABOUT WHAT I'VE JUST SAID.
AND SO FOR THAT REASON, I SUPPORT THIS MOTION.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
YES, I'M DANIEL LAMBFORD FROM JEFFERSON TERRACE ACADEMY, WHERE I SERVE AS AN ESS PARAPROFESSIONAL.
I JUST WANT A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING.
I KNOW ABOUT IT IN GENERALITIES, BUT I GUESS IF I COULD SEE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE, SOMEONE COULD LIKE, SEND ME A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING LESSON.
AND ALSO MY CONCERN IS, COULDN'T THIS TAKE AWAY VALUABLE CLASSROOM TIME FROM, YOU KNOW, TEACHING STUDENTS READING, WRITING, MATH, AND THE THINGS THAT THEY REALLY NEED TO LEARN IN SCHOOL? THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, DANIEL, AND GREAT TO SEE YOU
UM, RETURNING TO, UH, COMMENT FROM THE BOARD, UH, IF I CAN ASK IF YOU WILL RESPOND TO MR. DANIEL'S QUESTION.
HE WAS ASKING ABOUT, UH, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL.
WHAT IS SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, I GUESS? SO JUST A, A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, I'LL GIVE YOU THE BRIEF OVERVIEW BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE A TIMELINE.
UM, SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING IS ABOUT A CHILD, AN ADULT, AN ADOLESCENT, LEARNING HOW TO BE THE, THEIR BEST SELVES, HOW TO GET ALONG WITH EACH OTHER, HOW TO CONTROL THEIR EMOTIONS, HOW TO MEET THE GOALS IN THEIR LIFE THAT THEY WANNA MEET.
IT'S ABOUT BEING A GOOD, WELL-ROUNDED CITIZEN, AND IT'S THE SKILLS THAT ANY PERSON NEEDS IN ORDER TO BE A SUCCESS.
AND I THINK THAT PRETTY MUCH SUMS UP WHAT IT IS FOR LESSONS.
UM, WE HAVE A PLATFORM THAT WE USE CALLED RETHINK ED, AND WE CAN HAVE ONE OF OUR SEL SPECIALISTS TO GO AND MEET AND SHOW THIS GENTLEMAN, IF SO, DEEMED WHAT THE LESSONS LOOK LIKE.
AND THE LESSONS COVER FROM PRE KINDERGARTEN,
[01:55:01]
PRE-K, ALL THE WAY UP.AND IT ALSO HAS, UM, STANDARDS FOR E ESS AND SEL STUDENTS, SO THAT IF THEY NEED NOT SEL, ELL STUDENTS, EXCUSE ME, ELL STUDENTS.
SO IF THEY NEED ADJUSTED LESSONS, THEY'RE THERE.
SO I HOPE THAT ANSWERS THE QUESTION.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
IF WE CAN ENTERTAIN A VOTE, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE.
[E.3. Resolution: Black History Month ]
MOVING TO RESOLUTION NUMBER THREE, BLACK HISTORY MONTH.CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING FEBRUARY AS BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
MS. STEWART, IF YOU WILL READ THE PROCLAMATION FOR US, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD RESOLUTION.
WHEREAS OUR NATION WAS FOUNDED ON THE PERCEPTS, THAT WE ALL WERE CREATED EQUAL IN MERIT, THAT WE ALL SHOULD BE TREATED WITH EQUAL DIGNITY IN OUR LIVES.
WHEREAS IN THE FACE OF INJUSTICES, PEOPLE OF GOODWILL FROM ALL ORIGINS IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES WITH A COMMITMENT TO THE NOBLE IDEAS ON WHICH OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED AND HAVE FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AND OTHERS.
WHEREAS BLACK HISTORY MONTH ORIGINATED IN 1926 WHEN DR.
CARTER G WOODSON SET OUT TO RECOGNIZE THE HERITAGE AND ACHIEVEMENT OF BLACK PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES.
SINCE THAT TIME, OUR COUNTRY COMMEMORATES AND CELEBRATES THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS ANNUALLY DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, WHEREAS THE THEME OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH FOR 2023 FOCUSES ON THE DEEP COMMITMENT TO ADVANCING EQUITY, JUSTICE, ACCESS, AND OPPORTUNITY FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS AS WE CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR OUR COUNTRY'S FOUNDING PLEDGE.
WHEREAS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, REFLECTS THE GREATNESS OF OUR NATION, WHEREAS AFRICAN AMERICANS CONTINUE TO SERVE THE UNITED STATES AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF BUSINESS, EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT, AND THE MILITARY, BE IT RESOLVED.
THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AGREES THAT BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS VITAL AND SHOULD BE USED AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE AND HONOR THE TREMENDOUS CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS TO THE LANDSCAPE OF THE UNITED STATES, SETTING AN INTENTIONAL GOAL WITH A PURPOSE TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS TO RESOURCES FOR ALL STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT ON THIS 17TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2023, THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY AS BLACK HISTORY MONTH ISO MOVE.
IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MS. STEWART.
AND IT HAS BEEN SECONDED BY MR. RUSS.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? OKAY.
SEEING NONE, ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD AT THIS TIME? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, MR. LANGFORD.
SO I'VE, I HAVE, UH, SOME QUESTIONS, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF A MISUNDERSTANDING ON MY PART.
FIRST OF ALL, I KNOW THAT FEBRUARY IS ALREADY BLACK HISTORY MONTH, SO WHY DO WE NEED A RESOLUTION? THIS AGAIN, I KNOW WE HAD TALKED ABOUT THIS IN A PREVIOUS MEETING WITH A RESOLUTION AS WELL.
UM, AND THAT, ANYWAY, THAT, THAT'S MY MAIN, UM, QUESTION, I GUESS.
UM, ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD?
[02:00:01]
CAN WE ANSWER HIS QUESTION? SURE.OH, YOU'RE ASKING ME TO ANSWER THE QUESTION,
NARCIS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ANSWER?
UM, THE, UH, I MEAN, YES, BLACK HISTORY MONTH, THE RESOLUTION WAS BROUGHT UP BY, DO WE HAVE ONE THERE? UH, COUNCIL, HISTORICALLY, THE BOARD ADOPTS A RESOLUTION IN FEBRUARY TO RECOGNIZE BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
UM, UH, IT'S AN, IT'S A, IT'S A MOVEMENT OF THE BOARD TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF REC, OF, OF BLACK HISTORY, UM, EVEN THOUGH IT'S SOMETHING WE DO YEAR ROUND, UH, THIS IS A TIME OF YEAR THAT WE MORALIZE IT WITH AN ACTUAL, ACTUAL VOTE OF THE BOARD.
I, I, I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD, I, I, I THINK THIS RESOLUTION IS APPROPRIATE.
YOU KNOW, EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM IN PARTICULAR IS JUST A REALLY SHAMEFUL HISTORY OF, UM, SEGREGATION AND DISCRIMINATION, UM, UH, AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICAN, UH, PEOPLE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE COME A VERY LONG WAY FROM THAT.
UH, BUT IT WAS NOT THAT LONG AGO.
I, MYSELF WAS A STUDENT WHEN, UH, FOREST BUSING BEGAN, UM, OVER THE GREAT OBJECTIONS OF MANY, WE'VE SEEN A GREAT DEAL OF WHITE FLIGHT FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM SINCE THEN.
UM, AND SO I THINK IT'S ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE, UH, AS MUCH AS I OFTEN, YOU KNOW, WONDER WHY WE HAVE VARIOUS PROCLAMATIONS THAT DON'T REALLY DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN EXPRESS A SENTIMENT.
I, I THINK IN THIS CASE, IT'S ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE, UH, FOR OUR SCHOOL BOARD TO, UM, TO RECOGNIZE AFRICAN, UH, AMERICAN AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
I WAS HOPING TO HOLD MY COMMENTS UNTIL THE END.
AS A SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER, AS ONE WHO HAS TAUGHT AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, AND AS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN, WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF TIMES OUR HISTORY HAS BEEN EITHER ATTEMPTED TO BE DELETED, OR IN SOME CASES NOT DISCUSSED AS FREELY AS OTHER HISTORIES WITHIN AMERICA.
WE ARE ALL AMERICANS, BUT IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE LEARN NOT ONLY ABOUT ONE FACET OF HISTORY, BUT THAT WE LEARN ABOUT EVERY FACET.
AS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER TODAY, WE HAVE MANY AMERICANS WHO ARE JOINING OUR COUNTRY DAILY, THAT WE ALSO NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR HISTORIES AS WELL.
UM, WE WANT TO BE FULLY VETTED AMERICANS.
AND WITH THAT IN MIND, THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THOSE DIFFERENCES.
AND, AND AS, UH, MY COLLEAGUE MR. MARTIN MENTIONED AS WELL, EVEN THE SHAMEFUL THE POSITIVES, THE GOODS, THE BADS, THE INDIFFERENCE.
AND EVEN IF THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO ESTABLISH CERTAIN MONTHS OR WEEKS TO DO THAT AS A START STARTING POINT, THEN, THEN WE SHOOT IT.
SO I APPLAUD WHOMEVER WAS THE ONE WHO CREATED THIS RESOLUTION OR THIS PARTICULAR PROCLAMATION ON BEHALF OF AFRICAN AMERICANS.
AND THEN ALSO AS WE, UH, AGAIN, BEGIN TO ACKNOWLEDGE E EVEN ADDITIONAL MINORITIES WITHIN THE, UH, THE REST OF THE YEAR.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. LEWIS.
UM, I WAS JUST MADE AWARE, UH, TUESDAY NIGHT THAT ONLY 60 SCHOOLS IN AMER ONLY 60 SCHOOLS IN THIS COUNTRY TEACH AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY.
BATON ROUGE HIGH IS ONE OF 60 SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY WHO ACTUALLY TEACH AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AS A PART OF THEIR CURRICULUM.
ANYTIME, ANYBODY, ANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY LEFT OUT OF A PROCESS, THEY HAVE TO BE SYSTEMATICALLY INCLUDED.
THAT'S WHY WE'VE HAD BLACK HISTORY MONTH, IN MY OPINION, FOR FAR TOO LONG.
SOMEONE ALREADY SAID IT, IT, WE PRACTICE IT EVERY DAY.
WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE TONIGHT, SOMEBODY'S GONNA STOP AT A RED LIGHT.
CAUSE AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN INVENTED THE RED LIGHT.
JUST LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S BEEN BURIED IN OUR HISTORY BOOKS FOR SO LONG.
I REALLY WISH WE DIDN'T HAVE TO HAVE A PROCLAMATION FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, BECAUSE WE MAKE HISTORY EVERY DAY, AND WE'VE MADE HISTORY EVERY DAY IN THIS COUNTRY FOR OVER 400 YEARS.
SO IT'S TIME TO, UM, JUST BE AMERICANS.
THAT'S WHY THE, UH, WELL, I'M GONNA STAY JERMAINE TO THE TOPIC, BUT, UH, AGAIN, WHOEVER PUT THE RESOLUTION, I'M GLAD, I'M GLAD THEY DID
[02:05:01]
IT.AND I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO KEEP DOING IT AND DOING IT AND DOING IT UNTIL IT BECOMES A PART OF JUST WHO WE ARE AS AMERICANS, JUST WHO WE ARE.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
[E.4. Resolution: "National Magnet Schools Month" ]
TO RESOLUTION NUMBER FOUR, NATIONAL MAGNET SCHOOLS MONTH.CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING FEBRUARY AS NATIONAL MAGNET SCHOOLS MONTH.
THANK YOU APRIL FOR PICKING ME FOR THIS ONE
WHEREAS THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 4,340 MAGNET OR THEME BASED SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES SERVING NEARLY 3.5 MILLION STUDENTS.
WHEREAS MAGNET SCHOOLS ARE THE ORIGINAL FORM OF PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE AND HAVE PLAYED AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN PROMOTING RACIAL AND SOCIAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION.
WHEREAS MAGNET SCHOOLS ARE BASED ON FIVE PILLARS OF SUCCESS, DIVERSITY, INNOVATIVE CURRICULUM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, AND HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS, AND FAMILY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS.
WHEREAS THEME-BASED MAGNET SCHOOLS PROVIDE FAMILIES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE OPTIONS THAT NOURISH THE INDIVIDUAL TALENTS AND ABILITIES OF ALL STUDENTS AND PREPARE THEM FOR COLLEGE AND FUTURE SUCCESS, I'M SORRY, FUTURE CAREERS.
WHEREAS MAGNET SCHOOLS OFFER HIGH QUALITY, RIGOROUS, AND SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS AND SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH, STEAM, AEROSPACE AND AVIATION, MEDICAL AND HEALTH, SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, BUSINESS FINANCE AND COMMUNICATIONS, FOREIGN LANGUAGE PERFORMING IN VISUAL ARTS, INTERNATIONAL, BACCAL, ARTS, MOSSO, AND OTHER THEME-BASED CURRICULA IN PEDAGOGY THAT MEETS THE DEMANDS OF A GLOBAL ECONOMY.
WHEREAS MAGNET SCHOOLS, PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING VISION AND LEADERSHIP IN THEIR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES, AND HAVE UNIQUE SKILLS, TALENTS, AND ABILITIES THAT ARE DEVELOPED THROUGH THEME-BASED PROGRAM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, 2023 IS NATIONAL MAGNET SCHOOL MONTH, A TIME FOR THE NATION TO CELEBRATE SCHOOL DIVERSITY AND THEME-BASED MAGNET PROGRAMS BY HOSTING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE FOR ALL STUDENTS.
IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MR. LEWIS AND SECONDED BY MR. MARTIN.
MR. LEWIS, CAN I GO RIGHT BACK? RIGHT.
PARTNERSHIPS, FAMILY DIVERSITY, CURRICULA, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S WHAT WE ARE.
SO LET'S ALL BECOME MORE AMERICAN AND PUT OUR, PUT ALL THE, THE BAD THINGS ASIDE, AND I'LL JUST LEAVE IT LIKE THAT.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
HI, MY NAME IS ELIZABETH THOMAS, AND I AM THE RECRUITER FOR MAGNET PROGRAMS. AND ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICE OF INNOVATIVE AND SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS, WE WANNA THANK YOU DR.
NARCIS, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL, AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AS YOU HELP US TO SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT MAGNET PROGRAMS
[02:10:01]
AS WE CELEBRATE THE RICH HISTORY OF MAGNET SCHOOLS AND THE MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF BOTH LOCAL AND NATIONWIDE MAGNET SCHOOLS.THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND THIS SUPPORT.
AND AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ANY MAGNET PARENTS OR EMPLOYEES THAT ARE IN THE ROOM, STUDENTS, IF YOU WOULD STAND.
WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT THAT YOU OFFER US AS WELL.
AND ALSO, IN CELEBRATION OF THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION, WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE TWO OF OUR STUDENTS FROM OUR FOREIGN LANGUAGE IMMERSION PROGRAMS. WE HAVE A STUDENT FROM FLAME AS WELL AS A STUDENT FROM WESTDALE MIDDLE, WHO WOULD LIKE TO WISH US ALL A NATIONAL HAPPY MAGNET SCHOOL MONTH.
I AM IN FIFTH GRADE AT BATON ROUGE PLAIN.
THANK YOU FOR CELEBRATING NATIONAL MAGNET SCHOOLS MONTH.
I'M AMAYA JOHNSON, AND I'M IN THE EIGHTH GRADE AT WEST EL MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR CELEBRATING NATIONAL MAGNET SCHOOL MONTH.
AND THAT LASHING LADY WAS OUR STUDENT OF THE YEAR.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, UH, FROM THE PUBLIC AT THIS TIME? OKAY.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD, MR. RUST.
SO, I WANNA FIRST SAY, UM, A BIG THANK YOU TO THE FOLKS, UH, IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT WORK SO HARD TO SERVE, UH, THE KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY, IN OUR MAGNET PROGRAMS. UM, THAT IT, IT OFFERS A TREMENDOUS BENEFIT TO THE KIDS ENROLLED IN YOUR SCHOOLS.
AND, UM, SO I, I WANNA MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT MAGNET SCHOOLS.
THAT IS A NO REFLECTION ON THE PEOPLE THAT DO THIS GREAT WORK.
BUT I THINK THAT AS WE'RE CONSIDERING, UH, THIS, UH, RESOLUTION AND FOCUSING ON MAGNET SCHOOLS, THAT WE CONSIDER THE HISTORY OF MAGNET SCHOOLS IN OUR COMMUNITY, IN, UH, HOW THAT HAS IMPACTED THE FAMILIES AND THE STUDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY, HISTORICALLY, MAGNET SCHOOLS IN THE POLICY OF SELECTIVE ADMISSION IN MAGNET SCHOOLS IN OUR COMMUNITY, UNFORTUNATELY, CREATES, UM, A LOT OF HAVE AND HAVE NOTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I THINK THAT AS WE'RE WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE STRENGTHS THAT MAGNETS PRODUCE IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE ALSO NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN PRODUCE MORE EQUITY IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THE AVAILABILITY OF THESE GREAT PROGRAMS TO MORE KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO WHY NO WAY WANT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE, THE GREAT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE.
I THINK AS A BOARD AND AS A SYSTEM, WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT OUR POLICIES AND HOW WE, UH, USE THE STRENGTH OF OUR MAGNET PROGRAM, UM, AND, AND CONSIDER THE HISTORY OF WHAT THAT HAS PRODUCED IN OUR COMMUNITY.
ON A MO MATTER OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE, JUST WANNA NOTE THAT I WAS IN THE FIRST CLASS AT GLASGOW MIDDLE MAGNET WHEN IT WAS OPEN.
I WAS IN SEVENTH GRADE AND EIGHTH GRADE AT GLASGOW MIDDLE MAGNET IN MY, UH, MOTHER-IN-LAW.
BRIAN POST TAUGHT MATH AT BATON ROUGE HIGH, UH, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
UM, AND SO I, I APPRECIATE ALL THE WONDERFUL WORK THAT, UM, THAT THE MAGNET SCHOOLS DO FOR OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST STUDENTS.
AND OF COURSE, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE MY SENTIMENTS AS WELL AS BEING A PRODUCT OF THE MAGNUM PROGRAM, A GRADUATE OF SCOTLANDVILLE MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 97, AND NOW MY SON IS ALSO A MAGNET SCHOOL STUDENT.
UM, IT HAS BEEN A BLESSING, UH, TO BE A PART OF THOSE PROGRAMS. I DO ALSO AGREE WITH MR. RUSSO AS WELL, THAT WE NEED TO EXPAND, YOU KNOW, THAT WE NEED TO EXPAND THE SAME LEVEL OF CURRICULUM, UH, TO MANY OTHER SITES AS WELL.
I'M HOPEFUL THAT AS TIME GOES ON, WE WILL BEGIN TO SEE THAT.
[02:15:01]
ON NATIONAL MAGNET SCHOOL WEEK, MONTH, WHAT HAVE YOU,ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? ALL RIGHT, WELL, LET US ENTERTAIN A VOTE.
[F. Reports from Board Appointees to Committees/Agencies ]
WILL NOW MOVE ON TO ALPHABET F UH, REPORTS FROM BOARD APPOINTEES TO COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES.UM, ARE THERE ANY BOARD APPOINTEE REPORTS? OKAY, MR. RUSS? SO, UH, WANT TO THANK THE BOARD FOR, UH, ALLOWING ME TO SERVE AS THE APPOINTEE TO THE, UH, BRETT COMMISSION.
AND, UH, SO I'VE BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND MY FIRST BRETT COMMISSION MEETING.
UH, IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS, BUT, UH, STILL PLENTY TO DO.
UM, AND I WAS ABLE TO MEET SOME OF OUR FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, ONE OF WHOM IS HERE, UH, AND ALSO WITH, UM, THE SUPERINTENDENT WILSON.
AND, UM, A FEW THINGS THAT HAVE COME UP IN DISCUSSION THAT, UM, OUR SUPERINTENDENT IS WORKING ON AS WELL WITH BRETT, THAT WE HOPE TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON, UH, IS OUR PARTNERSHIP AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING AND SUMMER PROGRAMMING, AND HOW WE'RE GONNA BOTH CONTINUE, BUT ALSO IMPROVE THAT.
AND HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO, EXCUSE ME, TO ACHIEVE THAT ALONG WITH OTHER AGENCIES IN OUR, IN OUR PARISH, UH, AS WELL AS, UM, SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE TO, UM, ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO UTILIZE THE FACILITIES OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS WHEN THOSE FACILITIES ARE NOT BEING USED FOR THE SCHOOLS.
FOR INSTANCE, AFTER SCHOOL WEEKENDS AND DURING SUMMER WHEN WE HAVE ALL THESE GREAT FACILITIES IN OUR SCHOOLS.
UM, SUCH PLAYGROUNDS, BASKETBALL COURTS, TENNIS COURTS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN GET FURTHER ACCESS TO.
SO, UM, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE BEING DISCUSSED AND WORKED ON, AND I'M SURE SURE WILL COME UP IN THE FUTURE.
UH, AS WELL AS, UH, BRETT IS PREPARING TO LAUNCH TO THE PUBLIC THEIR NEXT INITIATIVE, WHICH IS IMAGINE YOUR PARK SYSTEM.
UM, THIS WAS DONE 10 YEARS AGO AND SUBSEQUENT SUBSEQUENTLY, THAT CURRENT PLAN IS ABOUT TO END.
AND SO THEY'LL BE REACHING OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
AND SO, UH, WHAT I WOULD ASK THE SCHOOL BOARD IS TO THINK ABOUT, UM, WHAT IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS CAN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM DO WITH OUR PARK SYSTEM, AND WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE SO THAT WE CAN OFFER THAT FEEDBACK TO BRETT.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR REPORTS IN REGARDS TO, UH, BOARD APPOINTEES TO VARIOUS COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES? OKAY, THANK YOU.
[G. Consent Agenda ]
WILL NOW MOVE TO ALPHABET G CONSENT AGENDA.UM, MR. GODDE, IF YOU WILL SHARE OUR CONSENT AGENDA.
UH, THE CONSENT AGENDA, THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE TO BE APPROVED AS PART OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE AND WILL BE ENACTED WITH ONE MOTION.
THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION OF ITEMS UNLESS A BOARD MEMBER, SO REQUEST IN WHICH EVENT THE 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 TWO, REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL EBR R MAGAZINE, PUBLICATION, CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST AUTHORIZED STAFF TO ISSUE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR A CUSTOM MAGAZINE PUBLICATION, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICES FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND THREE, GRANT, THE LINE ELECTRIC COMPANY CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO ACCEPT THE DONATION OF 19 ELECTRIC BUSES AND CHARGING STATIONS FROM THE LINE ELECTRIC COMPANY PROVIDED FUNDS FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANT AWARD, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT ADDENDUM, CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF AN ADDENDUM TO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL'S, PUBLIC EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND AMPLIFY TO ADD FOURTH GRADE DIBELS ASSESSMENT LICENSES AND RELATED MATERIALS TO THE SCOPE OF WORK IN ORDER TO MEET THE RECENTLY CHANGED REQUIREMENTS OF BESSIE 1566.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE SR TWO RESOLUTION, SPECIAL COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS FOR THE APPROVAL OF RESOLUTIONS REGARDING THE RETENTION OF SPECIAL COUNCIL BETWEEN EAST BATON ROUGE
[02:20:01]
PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD AND A PHELPS DUNMORE, L L P AND B SILLS ATKINS, JU JUDI, UH, JEWS, JUDI GEIS JI GEIS.GEIS, NOAH AND PERKINS, L L P SIX STIPENDS.
AS A SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHERS CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF ONE TIME STIPENDS FOR THE FOLLOWING, A $2,500 FOR NEW TEACHERS TEACHING IN CRITICAL NEED TEACHING AREA ESS SPECIAL EDUCATION B $1,000 FOR TEACHERS TEACHING IN THE CRITICAL NEED TEACHING AREA.
ENGLISH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE FUNDING SOURCE ESSER.
THIS IS THE END OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS AND ISO MOVED.
SO DO WE, UM, ASK THE QUESTION OF ABOUT ITEMS BEING PULLED FIRST? YES, MA'AM.
SO IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MR. GODDE AND SECOND BY MS. STEWART.
NOW, ARE THERE ANY ITEMS THAT ANY BOARD MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE PULLED? OKAY, MS. KENON? UH, I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT ITEM NUMBER SIX BE PULLED.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO BE PULLED? OKAY.
SO, UM, AT THIS TIME THEN WE WOULD, WE WOULD GO INTO PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS TWO THROUGH FIVE.
ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD FIRST AND THEN THE PUBLIC.
SO ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD FOR ITEMS TWO THROUGH FIVE? OKAY.
ANY ITEMS FROM, OH, ANY, UH, COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC FOR ITEMS TWO? OKAY.
OKAY, MR. LEWIS, ITEM FOUR, THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ITEM A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, BUT SINCE THEN, I'VE, UH, I'VE RESEARCHED IT, I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE, I'VE LOOKED AT IT, AND WE REALLY, WE REALLY NEED THIS.
IF WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE DOWN THE PATH OF LIKE HAVING GREAT NINTH GRADERS ACHIEVEMENT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND ALL THOSE THINGS, WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FOURTH GRADERS ARE READING ON, UH, ON, ON LEVEL.
UM, THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT IN TERMS OF, WOULD THIS BE THE BEST PLATFORM TO USE? BUT THERE ARE SAFETY NETS IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FOURTH GRADERS ARE NOT FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT A LOT OF, A LOT OF OUR KIDS THAT COME TO US, THEY'RE BEHIND THEIR, THEIR GRADE LEVELS BEHIND ANYWAY WHEN WE GET THEM.
YOU KNOW? SO IF WE CAN DO ALL THESE THINGS THAT THIS AMPLIFY WILL ALLOW US TO DO, I THINK WE CAN CON CONTINUE TO SEE THE UPWARD TRAJECTORY OF OUR STUDENTS IN THIS, IN THIS DISTRICT.
UM, BECAUSE I STRUGGLE WITH IT.
I STRUGGLE WITH IT FOR A COUPLE WEEKS, UM, BUT I'M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK USING THIS, UH, PLATFORM.
AND THE THINGS THAT ARE IN PLACE ARE GOOD FOR US.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD IN REGARDS TO ITEMS TWO THROUGH FIVE? OKAY.
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC IN REGARDS TO ITEMS TWO THROUGH FIVE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA.
RETURNING TO THE BOARD, ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD REGARDING ITEMS TWO THROUGH FIVE? OKAY.
I GUESS WE WILL NOW ENTERTAIN A VOTE.
[G.6. Stipend: Special Education & English as a Second Language Teachers ]
SO NOW[02:25:01]
WE WILL GO TO ITEM SIX FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.ITEM SIX IS STIPEND, SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHERS CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF ONE TIME STIPENDS FOR THE FOLLOWING ALPHABET, A $2,500 FOR NEW TEACHERS TEACHING IN THE CRITICAL NEED TEACHING AREA E S S, SPECIAL EDUCATION ALPHABET B $1,000 FOR TEACHERS TEACHING IN THE CRITICAL NEED TEACHING AREA, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE FUNDING SOURCE.
IS THERE A MOTION? OKAY, IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MR. GODDE AND SECOND BY MR. BELU.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? MS. KENON? UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, I THINK IT'S A MOTION TO BIFURCATE, UH, THIS INTO TWO SEPARATE ITEMS. MM-HMM.
SO AGAIN, FOR CLARITY, BIFURCATE MEANS TO, TO SEPARATE THE ITEM.
SO THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO BIFURCATE THE ITEM.
SO I, I JUST A POINT OF ORDER, I, I WOULD ACCEPT THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT IF MR. GODDE WANTS TO THEN MA.
SO, UM, IF THAT'S THE CASE, WILL WE NEED THE, THE MOTION AND THE SECOND FOR THAT AS WELL? NO, MA'AM.
UM, THE MAKER OF THE MOTION HAS AGREED TO A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, SO WE'LL MOVE INTO COMMENTS, BOARD AND THEN PUBLIC.
OKAY, SO COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD IN REGARDS TO THE ITEM BEING DIVIDED.
SO WHAT WE DO, ALPHABET A FIRST, AND THEN B WELL, WE'LL TAKE A VOTE ON THE MOTION TO ACTUALLY BIFURCATE THE MATTER FIRST.
IF THAT MOTION IS APPROVED BY THE BOARD, THEN WE'LL CONSIDER THE FIRST ITEM AS A SEPARATE NEW ITEM.
SO COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD IN REGARDS TO BIFURCATING THE ITEM.
MS. KENON, UH, THE REASONING FOR THAT IS THAT THOSE, THESE, THESE TWO THINGS ARE TWO, TWO, WHILE THEY'RE, THEY LOOK SIMILAR, THEY'RE TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO I HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON, ON EACH OF THEM.
AND ONE IS NOT RELATED TO THE OTHER.
SO, UH, OUT OF FAIRNESS FOR THE, THE PEOPLE AFFECTED, UH, I'D LIKE TO CONSIDER THEM SEPARATELY.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
UH, COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? MS. JACKSON, ARE YOU SPEAKING ON THE BIFURCATION IF I SAID THAT CORRECTLY? ITEM SIX? YES.
TO SEPARATE THE TWO ITEMS, OR IN REGARDS TO THE WORDING OF THE, THE ITEM? I WAS JUST GONNA SPEAK ON THE ITEM ON BOTH ITEMS. I'M NOT SURE.
SO WE'RE WE DIFFERENT TO SPEAK ON? SO, SO WE'RE, SO WE'RE CURRENTLY, WE'RE CURRENTLY CONSIDERING SEPARATING THE ITEM INTO TWO ITEMS. SO THAT, THAT'S, THAT WILL BE THE NATURE OF THE COMMENT AT THIS POINT? NO, IT'S THE COMMENT ON THE ITEMS. THANK YOU,
WE'LL CALL YOU BACK IN JUST A MINUTE.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC IN REGARDS TO THE SEPARATION OF THE TWO ITEMS? OKAY.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD IN REGARDS TO SEPARATING THE TWO ITEMS? OKAY.
LET US CALL FOR A VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
SO, UM, I GUESS AT THIS POINT, WILL I READ THE CONSIDERATION, BUT JUST FOR ALPHABET? A? YES, MA'AM.
[02:30:01]
THIS WOULD BE SIX, A CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF ONE-TIME ST OF A ONE-TIME STIPEND FOR THE FOLLOWING.UH, AND THAT WOULD BE $2,500 FOR NEW TEACHERS TEACHING IN THE CRITICAL NEED TEACHING AREA, ESS SPECIAL EDUCATION, UH, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE FUNDING SOURCE ES, SIR.
IS THERE A MOTION, UH, FOR ALPHABET? A? OKAY.
SO IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MR. GODDE AND SECONDED BY MS. STEWART.
UH, COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY, MR. MARTIN, I'M GONNA SUPPORT THE, THE MOTION.
UM, I, I SUPPORT THE, UM, I'M GONNA SUPPORT THE, THE, THE STIPEND.
UM, HOWEVER, I WANT TO EXPRESS MY CONCERN THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT GROUPS OF TEACHERS THAT ARE, I'M SURE ARE NEED, AND THAT ARE CERTAINLY ALL VERY DESERVING OF, OF STIPENDS, A VARIETY OF STRIPES.
UM, I'M, I'M SOMEWHAT CONCERNED THAT, THAT THESE ARE BROUGHT TO US IN KIND OF ISOLATION AND NOT, UM, NOT IN A CONTEXT WITH A BROADER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE BOARD TO PROVIDE PRIORITIES OR TO WEIGH IN ON PRIORITIES TO UNDERSTAND, UM, WHY THESE PARTICULAR ONES WERE CHOSEN VERSUS OTHER PARTICULAR ONES.
UM, THAT SAID, I, I'M, I'M CERTAINLY GOING IN, IN THIS MATTER, GONNA DEFER TO THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, UH, AND, AND SUPPORT THESE.
I AGREE WITH, WITH PATRICK IN A WAY THAT THERE, I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER HIGH NEEDS, YOU KNOW, TEACHERS NEED PAY.
UH, AND THIS IS A CRITICAL AREA OF, OF NEED, UM, FOR OUR STUDENTS.
UM, I JUST WISH WE COULD GIVE THE TEACHERS WHO'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, IN THE TRENCHES A LITTLE BIT LONGER, I WISH WE COULD GIVE THEM $3,500 OR, OR WHATEVER WE NEED TO, TO, TO, TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME AROUND A LOT OF TEACHERS, AND THEY LOVE THE WORK.
THEY DON'T LOVE THE PAY, BUT THEY GET UP EVERY MORNING AND THEY GET IN THEIR CARS AND THEY GO RIGHT BACK TO THE TRENCHES BECAUSE THEY KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS.
UM, I'M GOING TO SUPPORT THE MOTION, BUT I REALLY, REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US FIND SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE TEACHERS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE TRENCHES, WHO STAYED WITH US THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, WHO STAYED WITH US THROUGH, UM, HECK AND HIGH WATER IN, IN, IN THIS DISTRICT.
AND I THINK YOU WANT TO REWARD YOUR, YOUR, YOUR LOYAL TEACHERS FIRST.
AND I UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE, THE, THE STIPEND.
UM, AND I DON'T THINK WE CAN LOOK AT ASCENSION OR OTHER PLACES LIKE THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHO WE COMPETE WITH.
WE COMPETE AGAINST OTHER URBAN DISTRICTS.
AND, AND MAYBE WE ARE, UH, ABOVE THE CURVE, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH, UH, OTHER CITIES LIKE MEMPHIS AND PEOPLE THAT, THAT WE COMPARE WITH.
BUT I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US REWARD THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE TRENCHES FOR A WHILE WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE.
MS. KENSON, UM, ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH MR. LEWIS ABOUT, UM, SHIFTING STIPENDS FROM, YOU KNOW, NEW HIRES TO THE TEACHERS THAT HAVE BEEN WITH US FOR A LONG TIME, UM, AND REWARDING THEM.
I'M, I'M HEARING STORIES OF, OF TEACHERS WHO HAVE BEEN IN EBR R FOR OVER A DECADE WHO ARE WITH, I THINK, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND WITH THIS STIPEND BEING, BEING PAID JUST ABOUT THE SAME AS, AS A NEW TEACHER.
UM, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT DETAILS, UM, THERE, PER SE, BUT, UM, I THINK THAT THAT, UH, WHAT MR. LEWIS IS SAYING IS, IS CORRECT AND THAT IT NEEDS TO BE SHIFTED.
UM, ALONG THE LINES OF THE DATES HERE FOR THE, IT'S THE, THE ESS UH, STIPEND IS FOR, UH, FOR NEW HIRES.
BASICALLY, THE IDEA OF IS TO BRING PEOPLE IN WITH THIS, WITH THIS LITTLE POT OF MONEY, BUT IT'S FOR TEACHERS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN WORKING WITH US, UH, FROM MAY UNTIL JANUARY.
SO WHY, WHY ARE WE, WE GIVING IT TO THEM NOW? UM, ALSO, LIKE, HOW,
[02:35:01]
HOW MANY ESS TEACHERS ARE THERE? UM, AND WHAT, WHAT'S LEFT IN THIS POT OF MONEY? LIKE, HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE FOR THESE STIPENDS FOR, FOR NEW TEACHERS, SPECIFICALLY FOR ESS TEACHERS? AND IS THERE ANY ROOM TO SPREAD IT AROUND? THANK YOU.UM, I, I JUST WANTED TO ASK, I, I READ SOME DATA BEFORE, BUT I JUST WANTED CLARITY, MAYBE MS. HALL, MAYBE YOU CAN HELP US WITH THIS.
UM, IT, WAS THERE A REQUIREMENT OR SOMETHING FROM THE STATE THAT WE HAVE, UH, THAT, THAT WE PROVIDE MORE SUPPORT OR SOMETHING FOR OUR, FOR OUR, OUR TEACHERS THAT HELP IN THESE CRITICAL AREAS? THAT IS CORRECT.
SO WE WERE OUTTA COMPLIANCE BACK IN NOVEMBER.
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? I'M SORRY.
UM, SO YES, WE WERE OUTTA COMPLIANCE IN NOVEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER OF 2021 WHEN I CAME ON BOARD.
AND TO RESPOND TO THE COMPLIANCE ISSUE OR BEING NON-COMPLIANT, WE HAVE TO SHOW ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS IS WHAT WE ARE DOING.
WHAT ARE WE DOING AS A DISTRICT TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN CERTIFIED ESS TEACHER? IT'S SUCH A DEFICIT, UM, IN THE DISTRICT, BUT NOT JUST HERE ACROSS, UH, LOUISIANA AND ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
SO THIS WAS PART OF THIS INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS THAT.
AND, UM, ALSO TO RESPOND TO MS. KEN'S QUESTION, I, I THINK IT WAS MORE OF A COMMENT, BUT I STILL WANNA ASK AS WELL.
I KNOW SHE WAS ASKING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE THE FUNDS AVAILABLE, UM, FOR THIS STIPEND.
SO, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, MS. HALL IN THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WE'RE PROVIDED A POT OF MONEY IN ORDER TO HANDLE RETENTION AND STIPENDS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THROUGH THE ESSER FUNDING.
AND SO THESE FUNDS ARE BEING TRACKED BY DR.
AND SO SHE'S TRACKING HOW MUCH SHE HAS LEFT AND WHAT SHE CAN PROVIDE.
NOW, I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH THE STIPEND IS, CAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TEACHERS IT WILL IMPACT.
UM, I ASSUME THAT MS. HALL AND DR.
BEVERLY HAVE WORKED THIS OUT AMONGST THEMSELVES, BUT THESE ARE ESSER FUNDS THAT ARE BEING SPENT FOR THE STIPEND.
UH, SO THIS, SO FIRST LET ME ANSWER, UH, YOU HAD A QUESTION ABOUT HOW MANY ESS TEACHERS WE HAVE IN THE DISTRICT.
UH, WE HAVE 413, AND THAT'S A MIXTURE BETWEEN GIFTED AND SPECIAL ED TEACHERS.
SO WE HAVE ABOUT 93 GIFTED AND THE REMAINDER OF THREE 20 SPECIALIZED, UH, TEACHERS.
UM, THE MONEY IS, THAT'S COMING FROM THE ESS.
WE DID RECEIVE A POT OF MONEY FROM OUR GROW OUR OWN FUND, UM, I'M SORRY, GROW, GROW OUR OWN INITIATIVE, UH, WHICH, UH, RECREATED BACK IN, UH, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD AND IS TO TRY TO FIND A WAY TO GROW OUR VERY OWN USER, OWN INTERNAL RESOURCES.
INSTEAD OF TAPPING AND LOOKING OUTSIDE, WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THE RESOURCES THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.
AND THIS CAME FROM, FROM THIS INITIATIVE WAS A PART OF MANY RECRUITING INITIATIVES.
SO I DID UPLOAD A FAQ TO HELP FACILITATE, OR, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S NOT MUCH TIME UP HERE TO EXPLAIN THIS, BUT $7,500 WAS FOR CORE.
UM, AND I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THE LAST TIME CORE, UH, SUBJECT AREAS, WHICH IS ALSO A CRITICAL NEED.
THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE FACING, WE CANNOT FIND CERTIFIED, FULLY CERTIFIED TEACHERS.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT WHEN THEY COME IN WITH US.
WE HAVE LITERALLY, I KNOW THE STATE HAS SHIFTED THE ATTENTION AWAY FROM, UM, THIS CERTIFICATION PROCESS.
WELL, NOW WE'RE LOOKING INTO, IF YOU HAVE A DEGREE, WE COULD HIRE YOU AND WE PUT YOU ON A PATH TO GET CERTIFIED.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF REQUIREMENTS.
SO WHEN WE DO TAP INTO THE GOAL LINE AND FIND CERTIFIED, FULLY CERTIFIED ESS TEACHERS OR ESL TEACHERS, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY YES, TO RETAIN THE CURRENT ONES WE HAVE, BUT ALSO TO ATTRACT THEM.
BECAUSE WE ARE ALSO, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE, UM, OUR URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE ARE STILL COMPETING WITH THE OTHER DISTRICTS AROUND US.
SO WE'RE LITERALLY PULLING FROM THE SAME SPACE.
SO THIS INITIATIVE IS JUST, OR THESE TWO INITIATIVES A PART OF THE RECRUITING RE RETENTION, UM, INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE FROM THE OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES.
I HOPE THAT ANSWERED THE QUESTION.
AND I KNOW I HAVE ONE MINUTE LEFT IN, IN MY CONVERSATION, BUT MY NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE TEACHERS WHO WERE, WHO WERE ALREADY VETERANS? SO, JUST, JUST A RECAP.
SO, THE ESS TEACHERS, UM, THERE'S ALREADY A BOARD APPROVED STIPEND THAT WAS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS ALREADY.
UH, THEY GET A THOUSAND DOLLARS 500, UH, FIRST SEMESTER AND 500 AT THE END OF THE, UH, THE SECOND SEMESTER ON TOP OF THEIR REGULAR SALARY.
[02:40:01]
WELCOME.SOME OF THE, WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY GOT TOUCHED ON JUST NOW, BECAUSE, UH, I JUST WANTED TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT WE HAD GIVEN AND ACROSS THE BOARD STIPEND, UH, TO ALL THE TEACHERS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
AGAIN, IT'S 500 IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND 500 I THINK AFTER JANUARY.
UH, I, I'LL LEAVE THE DETAILS TO YOU, BUT, UH, SO WE HAVE GIVEN MONEY TO ALL OF THE TEACHERS.
SO THIS, THIS IS, WE HAVE SPREAD SOME OF THE MONEY AROUND, UH, AND GOING THROUGH THIS.
AND ALSO, WE AS A BOARD, AND WE'RE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS RIGHT NOW, HAVE MADE A COMMITMENT TO DO OUR BEST TO COME UP WITH AN 8% ACROSS THE BOARD PAY RAISE, UH, FOR THAT, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THE STIPEND BUSINESS.
WE NEED TO BE GIVING, UH, REASONABLE SALARIES, UH, AS WE HAVE THAT.
SO I THINK WE ARE ADDRESSING MANY OF THE CONCERNS THAT MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS HAVE BROUGHT UP.
WE HAVE GIVEN STIPENDS TO ALL TEACHERS, AND WE HAVE, UH, IN PROCESS A WAY TO, UH, UPGRADE THE SALARIES ACROSS THE BOARD FOR THAT.
AGAIN, THIS PARTICULAR ONE IS RELATED TO HIRING IN NEW PEOPLE TO ADDRESS A DEFICIT THAT WE INHERITED, UH, FROM SEVERAL YEARS BACK BY AND BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION BY L D O E.
SO IN NO WAY DO I WANT ANY CURRENT TEACHERS TO THINK THAT THEY'RE BEING SLIGHTED.
UH, WE HAVE GIVEN IT A STIPEND TO THOSE CURRENT TEACHERS.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S OUTSIDE OF THAT PURVIEW AS WE GO THROUGH THAT.
BUT WE DO KNOW WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR SALARY STRUCTURE, AND THAT IS WELL ON THE WAY.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. STEWART.
I ACTUALLY, UH, REALLY DON'T HAVE TO MAKE A COMMENT.
UH, I WAS GONNA, UH, SPEAK ALONG THE LINES WITH MY COLLEAGUE GOK IN REGARDS TO THE TEACHERS PREVIOUSLY ALREADY HAVING A STIPEND.
AND I WAS KIND OF CONFUSED WHEN IT WAS SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T.
SO I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT I HEARD MS. HALL MENTIONED LAST TIME THAT THEY DID RECEIVE A STIPEND.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLEAR.
BUT THAT'S WHAT MY COMMENT WAS.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? THANK YOU, MS. HALL.
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? UH, THE FIRST WE HAVE MS. JACKSON.
UM, GOOD EVENING, MADAME VICE PRESIDENT POWELL.
NAIS BOARD MEMBERS, UH, FIRST I WANNA SAY, UH, RESPECTFULLY THAT THE THOUSAND DOLLARS STIPEND FOR THE ESL TEACHERS, YOU JUST HAD A REPORT ABOUT HOW VITAL THESE TEACHERS ARE, OR THE, UH, UM, THE SUPPORT THAT THEY GIVE OUR STUDENTS, THE STUDENTS IN EDR, BUT YET, UH, THEY'RE ONLY GETTING A THOUSAND DOLLARS.
THE OTHER TEACHER'S GOT A A $3,000 STIPEND.
WHY IS THERE, EXCUSE ME, MS. JACKSON? I'M, I'M SORRY.
SO I JUST WANNA HAVE A, A MOMENT OF CLARITY.
SO SHOULD SHE ONLY SPEAK TO ITEM A AT THIS TIME? YES.
AND THAT IS, IS, THAT'S THE E ESS, THAT'S THE 2,500 FOR ESS.
UH, THEN THIS IS A NEW, UH, AGAIN, IT WAS MENTIONED, AND CORRECT ME IF I, I'M MISTAKEN THAT THEY RECEIVED A $3,000 STIPEND THAT EVERYONE GOT, RIGHT? I BELIEVE YES.
UM, SO THIS IS AN, AN ADDITIONAL STIPEND ON TOP OF THAT, UM, WHEN YOU, AND AN ISSUE THAT I HAVE WITH THAT IS YOU HAVE NEW TEACHERS, UM, STARTING OFF WITH $48,000, AND I GOT A TEXT FROM A 17 YEAR VETERAN IN, IN THIS DISTRICT THAT'S MAKING 50.
SO THAT'S A PROBLEM,
UH, THEY DON'T NEED THAT MONEY.
UH, IT SHOULD BE ACROSS THE BOARD.
IT SHOULD NOT JUST BE CERTAIN TEACHERS.
UH, THE GOAL IS, UH, TO, UH, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT TO OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE DISCRIMINATE, UH, DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TEACHING AREAS.
IT'S NOT, UH, THE WAY TO ACHIEVE IT.
AGAIN, UH, THERE'S A BEEN A COMMITMENT MADE FOR AN 8% RAISE, WIN.
UM, THE TEACHERS WANNA KNOW, WHEN IS IT COMING? WHEN ARE Y'ALL GOING TO GET TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN? WE ARE BEYOND THE ELECTION NOW, I KNOW
UH, YOU HAVE TO FEED THE TEACHERS BEFORE THEY EAT THE STUDENTS.
UM, AGAIN, THE MONEY, THESE STIPENDS ARE GREAT IF THAT ATTRACTS AND RETAINS PEOPLE.
I DOUBT IF IT WOULD, CUZ IT'S NOT ATTRACTING ME.
BUT YOU DO NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON MAKING SURE THESE TEACHERS ARE, ARE GETTING THE SERVICES AND THE, AND THE MONEY THAT THEY DESERVE.
[02:45:02]
GOOD EVENING.I'M FULLY SUPPORT THIS MOTION FOR THE STIPEND FOR ESS TEACHERS AND, AND FOR ENG ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS TEACHERS, AND HOPING TO, UM, GET CERTIFIED IN BOTH REGULAR ED FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPECIAL ED.
AND, AND SINCE THEY MENTIONED THE INFLUX OF, UH, PEOPLE COMING FROM UPPER COUNTRIES AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND, UH, AND THAT AS WELL, E ELL AS WELL.
AND, UH, I KNOW THAT THESE TEACHERS, THE ESS AND ELL TEACHERS PROVIDE A VITAL SERVICE FOR OUR DISTRICT.
AND I FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE STIPEND.
THE ONLY THING I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT, IT GOES ALONG WITH WHAT MR. GOE WAS SAYING ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD BE PROVIDING THE, UM, AND I THINK WE ALREADY ARE, IT ALREADY STARTED IN FEBRUARY, WE STARTED GIVING PAY RAISES TO, TO EBR R EMPLOYEES.
AND, UH, SO I WAS WONDERING, UM, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE, WE WERE DOING THAT AND, AND NOT JUST STIPENDS.
I I DON'T EVEN SEE WHY WE NEED THE STIPENDS SO MUCH IF, IF WE'RE ALREADY GIVING, UM, PAY RAISES TO EBR R EMPLOYEES.
UM, WE HAVE TWO, UH, WELL, I THINK IT'S ONE, ONE COMMENT, UM, FROM SOMEONE WHO HAD TO LEAVE.
SO THEY, UM, THEY JUST SIMPLY LEFT THEIR NOTE.
AND THE NOTE IS FROM MR. CALEB HOLMES, AND HE SAYS THE VETERAN TEACHERS SHOULD RECEIVE, UM, SHOULD RECEIVE STIPENDS, AND THAT WE SHOULD AMEND THE RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT EXISTING TEACHERS.
UH, FIRST WE MUST SUPPORT OUR DEDICATED, UH, LONG-TERM TEACHERS THAT WE HAVE.
AND SO THAT COMMENT IS FROM MR. CALEB HOLMES.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC AT THIS TIME? OKAY.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD, MR. MARTIN? YES.
SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, UM, THIS WAS PART OF OUR ORIGINAL, ORIGINAL INITIATIVES FOR 2223.
UH, WE HAD A NEW BOARD COMING IN.
AND A LOT OF THE ITEMS THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THESE AND SOME THAT'S COMING IN MARCH TO YOU GUYS HAD TO GET PUSHED BACK.
AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE ITEMS, OR TWO, THESE TWO ITEMS WERE HAD TO TAKEN OFF THE AGENDA TO ACCOMMODATE FOR OTHER MORE, UH, I WANNA SAY NOT, NOT SAYING THAT THIS IS NOT IMPORTANT, BUT CRUCIALLY OR OVERLY IMPORTANT.
AND THE ONLY REASON WHY THE 31ST OF JANUARY IS THERE, BECAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I AM, UH, HAVE EXTEND THE LEVEL OF FAIRNESS IF WE'VE HIRED ANYONE BETWEEN THEN AND NOW BECAUSE WE'VE CHANGED A DATE WHEN WE CAME TO THE BOARD, I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO CAPTURE THOSE INDIVIDUALS.
SO WE, WE SORT OF HAD AN EXPECTATION OR PLAN THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO OFFER THESE, BUT YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO YES.
QUITE ABLE TO GET THE BOARD TO VOTE FOR IT BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE WE HAD TO RIGHT.
PICK AND CHOOSE IT WAS THE SUPERINTENDENT.
UM, UM, AND SECOND, COULD YOU, COULD YOU SPEAK TO WHAT IMPACT DOING THIS WILL HAVE YOU EXPECT TO HAVE ON, ON MORALE AND RETENTION OF THE EXPERIENCED TEACHERS? KIND OF WHAT MS. JACKSON AND OTHERS HAVE HAVE ASKED? YEAH.
SO I WANNA ALSO PREFACE, UM, AND I HOPE MS. TIBI IS STILL HERE, THAT SHE COULD SHARE WITH ME, UM, IF THE PERSON FEELS COMFORTABLE FOR ME TO LOOK AT THEIR SALARY.
UH, SO HISTORICALLY WE'RE DOING A MAJOR CLEANUP WITH HR.
HART WAS HERE, HE MENTIONED ABOUT HR, UM, AUDIT.
UM, AND IT CAME ON BOARD AT THAT TIME.
AND THE MORALE AND CULTURE WITH THIS DISTRICT IS REALLY LOW.
AND WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND WE ARE DOING ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN AS FAST AS WE CAN, UM, TO, UH, TO INITIATE, UM, THE CHANGE OR SHIFT IN CULTURE.
I KNOW IT'S HARD, BUT I WANT EVERYONE TO HANG IN THERE WITH THIS, UH, WITH US.
UM, WE DO HAVE THE ALREADY BOARD APPROVED STIPEND, UH, FOR 500 AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, AND 500 AT THE END OF THE YEAR SCHOOL YEAR, IN ADDITION TO ALL, ALL EMPLOYEES RECEIVED, UM, $3,000 STIPEND, WHICH WAS BACK IN DECEMBER.
AND LAST YEAR, WE HAD SEVERAL OTHER STIPENDS THAT ALL, UH, EMPLOYEES RECEIVED AMONGST, ALONG WITH
[02:50:01]
POCKETS OF DIFFERENT TEACHERS BASED ON GAPS OR CRITICAL SHORTAGES.AM I CORRECT IN ASSUMING THAT IF WE TOOK THE AVAILABLE POT OF MONEY THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO SPEND ON THESE STIPENDS AND JUST DISTRIBUTED IT ACROSS THE BOARD, WE'D GET LIKE, WHAT, 20 BUCKS A TEACHER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? RIGHT.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE CONCERN.
UM, OUR INITIATIVES, UH, FROM HR STANDPOINT, UH, WE LITERALLY TRY TO BE, UM, INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE RECRUITMENT EFFORTS AND MAXIMIZING THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE.
SO WE SHIFT THINGS AROUND AS WE SEE THE TRENDS REMOVING, IF THERE'S A SHIFT IN ESS TEACHERS ARE LEAVING THE DISTRICT, IF THERE'S A SHIFT IN, UH, CORE TEACHERS ARE LEAVING THE DISTRICT, WE HAVE TO RESPOND AND BE PROACTIVE, NOT WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE HORSES LEAVE THE GATE FOR US TO DO SOMETHING.
SO I, I DO, I DO UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT I DO NOT, THE CURRENT BUDGET THAT I HAVE RIGHT NOW WAS EARMARKED FOR THIS.
NARCIS DECIDED TO MAKE AN EXECUTIVE DECISION AND GET YOU GUYS TO VOTE ON THAT, THEN I AM OPEN TO IT.
BUT WHAT I HAVE IS WHAT I HAVE AVAILABLE.
SO, AS I UNDERSTAND AND AND UNDERSTANDING SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT AND SOME OF THE FEEDBACK I'VE RECEIVED, UM, IN THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS AS THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED, UM, HAS A LOT TO DO WITH, UH, EXISTING STAFF AND TEACHERS DESIRE TO SEE, UH, FAIRNESS IN OUR, UH, COMPENSATION ACROSS THE BOARD.
FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, MS. HALL, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK, UM, PLACED ON YOUR DEPARTMENT IN HR IN TERMS OF EXAMINING POLICY PAY SCALE, UH, BUT YOU'RE ALSO, UH, GIVEN THE DIRECTIVE THAT WE HAVE TO RECRUIT TO FILL NEEDS THAT MUST BE FILLED NOT ONLY TO SERVE CHILDREN, BUT UNDER DEMAND DIRECTIVE FROM L D E THAT WE HAVE TO FILL THESE POSITIONS.
UM, I THINK THAT WE, WE, I WANT TO BE REALLY SENSITIVE IN HOW I SAY THIS BECAUSE, UH, THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS P**S OFF THE HARDWORKING TEACHERS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT IF I'M A TEACHER, I WOULD RATHER SEE A SCHOOL STAFF FULLY STAFFED THAN TO WALK IN AND HAVE TO COVER, COVER THREE CLASSROOMS, RIGHT? UM, AND IT, I WANT JUST WANNA SAY IT IS MY COMMITMENT TO OUR STAFF, TO OUR EDUCA EDUCATORS THAT MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY AND OUR UPCOMING BUDGET WILL BE OUR EDUCATORS, OUR SUPPORT STAFF, IN ENSURING THAT WE DELIVER WHAT HAS BEEN PROMISED, WHICH IS THAT 8% RAISE ACROSS THE BOARD THAT WE HAVE EXAMINED PAY SCALES TO ENSURE THAT 17 YEAR TEACHERS ARE NOT, UH, MAKING THE SAME THING THEY WERE 17 YEARS AGO.
AND I'M SURE MS. HO IS GONNA WORK ON THAT FOR US.
UM, MY, MY ASKS TO OUR COMMUNITY OF 6,000 EBR R EMPLOYEES, UH, IS TO SAY THAT THERE IS NO SYSTEM IN WHICH EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE FAIR RIGHT NOW, UNFORTUNATELY, UM, WHEN THERE'S A BIG POT OF MONEY UP FOR GRABS, EVERYBODY IS ALWAYS GONNA THINK ABOUT WHAT ABOUT MINE? AND I UNDERSTAND THAT
UM, BUT I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ABOUT KIDS AND GIVE US PATIENCE AS A BOARD AND AS A SYSTEM, AS WE TRY TO, UM, DEAL WITH THESE INEQUITIES.
UM, I, I CAN'T IMAGINE ANY BOARD MEMBER HERE TODAY THAT THAT IS NOT HIGHLY TOP OF MIND IN THE COMING MONTHS.
AND WE HAVE SET, UM, WORKSHOPS FOR OUR BUDGET COMING UP SO THAT OUR BOARD MEMBERS CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE COMING INTO A BUDGET SEASON WHERE WE HAVE A SHORTFALL AND WE'VE ALSO MADE SOME BIG PROMISES.
SO THERE'S GONNA BE SOME TOUGH WORK AHEAD.
UM, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU AND I WILL SPEAK, UH, WITH THE PERMISSION FROM THIS BOARD, BUT THAT IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY.
THE FIRST WAS, UM, FOR TEACHERS WHO ARE NOT CERTIFIED, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THAT BEFORE, IS, ARE THERE FUNDS PUT ASSIGNED TO ASSIST THEM IN GETTING CERTIFIED? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION,
THE GROW OUR GROWER OWN PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE INTERNALLY, WE FUND, AND THE MONEY COMES FROM THIS POT OF MONEY.
SO IF YOU ARE CERTIFIED, WE LOVE FOLKS WHO HAVE MULTIPLE CERTIFICATION, UM, CERTIFICATIONS BECAUSE IT HELP US, UH, FILL SO MUCH NEEDED SPACE.
LIKE ESS SUPER HARD, SUPER HARD TO FIND A FULLY, FULLY CERTIFIED ESS TEACHER ANYWHERE.
SO NOW WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE TREND AND SAY, WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT CAN WE DO INTERNALLY TO GET AHEAD OF THIS TREND THAT'S HAPPENING? AND THAT'S WHERE OUR GROWER
[02:55:01]
OWN PROGRAM COMES IN AND BE ABLE TO, TO FUND, YOU WANT TO ADD CERTIFICATION ON.WE WILL WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS LIKE A DMV SERVICE, SIT YOU DOWN, FILL OUT THE APPLICATION, WALK YOU THROUGH FROM START TO FINISH AND PAY FOR IT.
SO PART OF THE INITIATIVES, AND A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE LITTLE NUGGETS THAT WE HAVE IN HR, AND WELCOME FOLKS TO REACH OUT TO US AND COME ON DOWN AND WE'LL CHAT ABOUT ALL THE THINGS.
BUT I JUST WANT TO PREFACE THAT WE DO LOVE EVERYONE.
WE DO ADORE TEACHERS, BUT WHAT I HAVE, I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I NEED TO DO TO FILL A MUCH NEEDED GAP AND BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH L D OE.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER PLUG TEACHERS
THE OTHER IS, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, TO RESPOND TO MR. RUSS.
I FELT THAT ANXIETY WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU MENTIONED ABOUT HAVING THREE CLASSES TO COVER, AND THAT IS THE TRUTH YOU ALL.
SO AS A TEACHER, THE IDEA OF HAVING TO COVER CLASSES ON EVERY GIVEN BREAK THAT I HAD, AND I'VE BEEN THERE AND I'VE DONE THAT, THAT IS REALLY, REALLY HARD WORK.
AND THE REALITY IS, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THOSE VACANCIES FILLED, THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO.
AND IT SHOULD BE A, A GROUP OR A COMMUNITY EFFORT TO SAY, LET'S GET THE VACANCIES FILLED.
AND IF THAT'S WHAT, IF IT MEANS THAT, THAT THERE HAS TO BE A ONE-TIME STIPEND GIVEN FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO GO AND USE THE BATHROOM, THEN THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
OH, AND MR. RUSS, JUST ONE OTHER THING.
UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE SALARY AND CHANGING ALL THAT.
WE'VE ALREADY BEGAN THAT WORK.
WE'VE MET WITH MYSELF AND MY TEAM ONE-ON-ONE WITH ALL PRINCIPALS AND APS THAT WE'VE MADE SOME SHIFTS ALREADY AND WE ARE ON NEXT TO THE SUPPORT STAFF.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING.
JUST CALL ME OR EMAIL ME SO I COULD TALK TO YOU AND HELP ALONG THE WAY.
IF I DON'T KNOW, I CANNOT FIX THE PROBLEM.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT.
AND MS. STEWART HAS WAIVED THE RIGHT TO SPEAK.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
WE WILL NOW ENTERTAIN A VOTE, AND THIS IS FOR ALPHABET, A CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF ONE OF A ONE-TIME STIPEND FOR THE FOLLOWING.
THAT WILL BE ALPHABET A $2,500 FOR NEW TEACHERS TEACHING IN THE CRITICAL NEED TEACHING AREA, ESS SPECIAL EDUCATION, PLEASE VOTE.
MOVING TO SIX B, CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A ONE-TIME STIPEND FOR THE FOLLOWING ALPHABET, B $1,000 FOR TEACHERS TEACHING IN THE CRITICAL NEED TEACHING AREA, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE FUNDING SOURCE ESSER.
IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MR. BELU AND SECONDED BY MS. STEWART.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY, COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC, MS. TE JACKSON.
I'M AN EDUCATOR, A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR, AND A THOUSAND DOLLARS IS NOT ENOUGH.
UM, THESE TEACHERS ARE CURRENTLY TEACHING, UM, THEY DID NOT RECEIVE THE SAME AMOUNT AS THE OTHER TEACHERS RECEIVED IN THE DISTRICT.
SO WHY DID THEY GET A DIFFERENT, UM, AMOUNT? UM, ESL IS EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT AS CORE SUBJECTS.
AS YOU DISCUSSED EARLIER FROM YOUR REPORTS, THEY HAVE BROAD, UM, JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK, AND THEY DESERVE THE SAME AMOUNT THAT THE OTHER TEACHERS GOT.
UM, AND THAT'S, THAT'S MY, MY ONLY COMMENT IS THAT IT SHOULD BE A, ACROSS THE BOARD, THE SAME AMOUNT.
EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS? OKAY, COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? MR. MARTIN? MIKE, PLEASE.
[03:00:01]
I'M SO SORRY.AGAIN, MY WIFE TEXTED ME TO FUSS AT ME FOR THAT TOO.
ANY OTHER FACTORS THAT MAY GO INTO WHY THESE AMOUNTS ARE DIFFERENT? PLEASE? YES.
SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE START THINKING ABOUT, UM, ACTUALLY LET ME BACK UP A LITTLE BIT.
IN APRIL OF LAST YEAR, WE START LOOKING AT THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR AND WHAT TYPE OF RECRUITMENT EFFORTS THAT WE NEED TO PUT IN PLACE TO ADDRESS CERTAIN THINGS.
THE ESS BECAUSE THAT WAS A STATE MANDATE, HENCE WHY THE 2,500? AND WE ARE LITERALLY COMPETING WITH EVERYONE ELSE AROUND US.
UM, IT'D BE COOL IF WE COULD GET FOLKS FROM, UH, TEXAS TO COME OVER, BUT WE DON'T PAY AS MUCH IN TERMS OF BEING COMPETITIVE TO ATTRACT.
SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SOMETHING ELSE TO ATTRACT THEM.
UH, WE HAVE, I SHARED OUT THE, UH, BOARD APPROVED CALENDAR FOR ALL STIPENDS.
ALL STIPENDS THAT WERE BOARD APPROVED OF A PERIOD OF THREE YEARS THAT'S ON THE BOOKS.
THE NEXT ASK I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO DO, CUZ IF YOU LOOK AT THE NU THE AMOUNT OF 500 AND 500, IT REFLECTS THE SAME AS THE ESS.
SO I WOULD LOVE FOR THIS TO BE ONGOING EFFORT TO BE ABLE TO ALIGN WITH.
SO I DO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE, BUT THE 2,500 WAS FOCUSED ON FULFILLING OR CORRECTING A COMPLIANCE ISSUE THAT WE HAD IN NOVEMBER OF 2021, AND THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH FUNDS TO GO AROUND.
UH, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE BACKUP THAT I SHARED, UH, 20 TEACHERS WILL BE GETTING ESS, WHICH, WHICH YOU CAN TELL BY THE NUMBERS, IT'S SO HARD TO FIND.
AND, UH, ESL TEACHERS, 81 TEACHERS.
SO IT'S A LOT, IT'S A BIGGER AMOUNT OF FOLKS THAT WE HAVE TO SPEND THIS MONEY ON.
AND I BELIEVE YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION ALREADY.
UM, BY SHARING THAT THERE ARE FUNDS AVAILABLE, EVEN IF EL TEACHERS NEEDED TO GET CERTIFIED MM-HMM.
SO IF THAT WERE THE CASE, IF THERE WAS SOMEONE WHO CAME AND SAID THAT THEY NEEDED TO GET EL CERTIFIED, UM, AND THEY WANTED TO TEACH IN THAT AREA, WOULD WE PAY FOR THEIR CERTIFICATION AS WELL AS THEY WOULD GET THAT THOUSAND DOLLARS STIPEND? YES.
SAME AS THE ESS, SAME AS THE OTHER, UM, SUBJECT AREAS THAT HAVE A ALREADY BOARD APPROVED, UM, UH, BOARD APPROVED STIPENDS.
SO YES, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'RE DOING ANYTHING WITH ESL.
UM, LITERALLY LOOK, P POCKETS OUT THE DIFFERENT RECRUITMENT EFFORTS AND AROUND ESL AND DR.
HART TALKED ABOUT THE NEED OR THE GROWING TREND OF THE ESL INFLUX OF STUDENTS COMING IN.
SO WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT A WAY HOW TO ATTRACT FOLKS.
AND YES, A THOUSAND DOLLARS IS NOT ENOUGH TO ATTRACT EVERYONE.
BUT THEN I HAVE ESS OVER HERE WHERE IT'S A COMPLIANCE ISSUE, AND THEN I HAVE COURSE SUBJECT MATTER OVER HERE.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT, PRIORITIZE EXACTLY HOW AND WHERE LOVE TO BE ABLE TO DO FOR EVERYONE 3000, 5,000.
BUT I JUST DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY WITH WHAT I HAVE IN MY GROWING, UH, GROW TO OWN, GROW OUR OWN, UM, WITHIN OUR HR DEPARTMENT.
SO THAT'S, I'M SORRY I'M GIVING YOU LITTLE PIECES TO KIND OF MAKE THIS WHOLE PUZZLE MAKE SENSE, BUT THAT'S WHAT I HAVE.
THAT JUST MEANS THAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, WE NEED TO GET THAT 8% RAISED.
SHE, SHE ANSWERED, I'LL WAIVE MY THANK YOU SO MUCH.
A ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
UM, WE WILL NOW ENTERTAIN A VOTE.
[H.1. Unclaimed Property ]
NOW MOVING TO ALPHABET H, NEW BUSINESS NUMBER ONE, UNCLAIMED PROPERTY CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF TO WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY TO PROVIDE WITH EBR R P S S EMPLOYEE AUTHORIZATION AND OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN UNCLAIMED PROPERTY.IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MR. GODDE IS AND SECONDED BY MS. STEWART.
UM, COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD, MS. KENON? UH, OH,
[03:05:01]
BEFORE I GET TO THE ITEM, UM, BACK TO THE, UH, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING THING THAT I SPOKE OF EARLIER.UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS LIED TO DIRECTLY, UH, ABOUT WAS PUTTING NEW BUSINESS ON, UM, ON THE REGULAR AGENDA.
I WAS PROMISED THAT THAT WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, UM, BECAUSE IT CAUSES ISSUES BECAUSE THERE, EVERYTHING NEEDS TO GO THROUGH THE COW UNLESS IT'S SOME SORT OF EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY SITUATION, UM, THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
BUT, UM, ABOUT THIS ITEM, IT SEEMS ODD TO ME, AND I'M NOT SURE LIKE WHY, LIKE WHY WE'RE MAKING IT AUTOMATIC AND EMPLOYEES HAVE TO OPT OUT.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S JUST ONE, ONE MORE THING TO MAKE EMPLOYEES DO.
UM, I I I THINK IT'S A NICE IDEA FOR PEOPLE TO SIGN UP IF THEY WISH, BUT, UM, I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH, UH, AUTOMATICALLY SENDING EMPLOYEE INFORMATION TO OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES UNLESS THEY SPECIFICALLY OPT OUT.
THAT SEEMS LIKE A LITTLE TRICKY SORT OF AREA, NOT IS IT LEGAL EVEN.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE A CONCERT QUEUE I'M WAITING FOR TO COME ON UP.
UM, SO I'M GONNA LEAN ON MR. SHALIN, UH, TO HELP ME WITH THIS.
UM, WE, THERE'S A POLICY, UM, A POLICY, A BOARD POLICY THAT WE CANNOT JUST GO OUT AND READILY SHARE INFORMATION.
WE HAVE TO ASK FOR PERMISSION TO DO SO.
AND MR. SHAMAN, YOU COULD KIND OF HELP TO LEGALIZE, UH, WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY HERE.
NOCE BROUGHT THIS, UH, MATTER TO ME FOR REVIEW.
I ACTUALLY, UM, CONSULTED WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL ON IT.
CAUSE I WANTED TO BE CERTAIN, WE LOOKED INTO, UM, THE, THE PROCESS WE WOULD HAVE TO UNDERTAKE TO ESSENTIALLY SHARE EMPLOYEE INFORMATION TO ALLOW THEM TO ACCESS UNCLAIMED UNCLAIMED PROPERTY.
THE IDEA BEHIND THIS IS TO HELP OUR FACILITATE EMPLOYEE ACCESS TO RESOURCES THEY MAY EVEN KNOW ARE THERE.
AND SO WHEN WE LOOKED INTO IT, UH, AS WE KIND OF DELVED INTO IT, TALKED IN MORE DETAIL, UH, WE KIND OF CAME TO A CONCLUSION, I BELIEVE THAT WE WOULD, IN ADDITION TO, TO SEEKING BOARD AUTHORITY, ALSO SEEK EMPLOYEE AUTHORITY.
SO I THINK YOU'RE REFERRING TO AN OPT-OUT, BUT I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE AN OPT AN OPT-IN.
UM, BUT I'LL LET MS. HALL SPEAK TO THAT.
I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE OR I AM OPEN TO WHATEVER DIRECTIVES.
BUT THE, THE LANGUAGE OF THE ITEM IS WITH EMPLOYEE AUTHORIZATION, DOESN'T IT, IN THE BACKUP.
DOESN'T IT SAY THAT YOU SPEC SPECIFICALLY HAVE TO OPT OUT AND UNLESS THAT CHANGED IN THE LAST DAY YEAH, IT MAY HAVE CHANGED.
WE, WE CAN, WE CAN, WE CAN MAKE SURE WE NOTE THAT FOR THE RECORD BEFORE YOU VOTE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR VOTE IS AN APPROVAL OF AN OPT IN.
IF, IF THAT'S THE LEISURE OF THE REST OF THE BOARD.
UM, I, I SHARE MS. KEN'S CONCERN THAT, THAT THIS DOES NOT STRIKE ME AS THE TYPE OF EMERGENCY THING THAT SHOULD COME TO THE BOARD WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE COMMITTEE.
UH, YOU KNOW, I, I WON'T LET THAT AFFECT MY VOTE THIS TIME, BUT I WOULD URGE, UH, SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF TO, TO, TO REDOUBLE EFFORTS TO, TO FOLLOW THE, THE, THE NORMAL PROTOCOL.
UM, UH, IN, IN TERMS OF THE, THE BURDEN ON THE TEACHERS, I, I COULD SEE, I CAN SEE KIND OF THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF, OF, OF IT.
THAT, THAT, UM, TELLING THEM THAT THEY HAVE TO OPT IN TO GET THIS NICE SERVICE TO MAYBE FIND $50 OR A HUNDRED DOLLARS OR SOME OLD ELECTRICAL, UM, SERVICE DEPOSIT THAT'S ON AT THE TREASURY'S OFFICE, UH, MIGHT BE PUTTING MORE BURDEN THAN IT'S WORTH ON THE TEACHERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.
UM, UH, BUT I GUESS, UH, MR. CHALIN, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT WHETHER ARE THERE ANY NEGATIVE REPERCUSSIONS? I MEAN, I'VE FOLLOWED TO, TO GET SOME PROPERTY BACK FROM THE STATE BEFORE, BUT I DON'T KNOW OF THAT EXPOSES PEOPLE TO THE TAX MAN COMING TO LOOK FOR HIM OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IS THERE ANY POTENTIAL NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCE TO A TEACHER OF SHARING THIS INFORMATION WITH THE TREASURER'S OFFICE IN, IN TERMS OF THEIR REGULATIONS OR WHAT THEY DO WITH THE INFORMATION OR LIENS THAT THEY MIGHT PUT THAT, THAT PEOPLE MIGHT PREFER NOT TO, NOT TO, TO RAISE THAT ATTENTION TO THE TREASURER'S OFFICE? YES.
SO WE VETTED THIS THOROUGHLY, UH, THROUGH LEGAL COUNSEL, THROUGH MYSELF, AND WE DID TALK ABOUT IT.
AND, AND I BELIEVE WE DECIDED IT WOULD BE BEST TO ALLOW AN OPT IN OR AT LEAST AN EMPLOYEE AUTHORIZATION THAT WOULD REQUIRE SOME ACCURATE EMPLOYEE.
IT DOES PUT MORE BURDEN ON STAFF.
I MEAN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT.
I THINK THAT WAS THE CONCERN THAT WE WANTED TO TRY AND EASE PEOPLE'S ACCESS TO THIS WITHOUT PUTTING TOO MUCH, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT TURNING
[03:10:01]
IT INTO TOO MUCH, UH, TOO, TOO MANY LAYERS OF, UM, YEAH, ADDITIONAL PROCESS.BUT HEARING THE CONCERNS OF THE, THE BOARD MEMBERS, UH, AND EVEN SOME PUBLIC PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THE RECOMMENDATION WILL BE OPT IN, UM, WHICH WILL REQUIRE EMPLOYEES TO ACTUALLY TAKE AN ACTION TO ALLOW US TO DO THIS.
SO I THINK THAT PUTS TO REST, UM, MR. MARTIN, YOUR CONCERN IF AN EMPLOYEE OPTS IN, THEN THEY HAVE THE, I THEY HAVE THE OPTION TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MIGHT MEAN FOR THEM IN TERMS OF EFFECTS BEFORE THEY MAKE A DECISION.
SO I THINK THAT KIND OF SOLVES THAT PROBLEM.
AS LONG AS WE CAN HAVE CLARITY IN THE MOTION, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE DOCUMENT THAT'S STILL UP RIGHT NOW MM-HMM.
SO IF THERE'S CLARITY ON THE MOTION THAT IT'S OPT IN MM-HMM.
SO IF HE WOULD, AND, AND, AND NOT THAT I'M A BOARD, WAS IT? WHO MADE THE MOTION? I THINK WHO MOVED MR. GO.
SO IF YOU, IF YOU, YOU ACCEPT THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO SPECIFICALLY REQUIRING OPTIN, WE CAN DO THAT.
OH, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT.
I HAVE KATHLEEN, UH, KATHLEEN, UM, LL HOPE I'M PRONOUNCING CORRECTLY.
SHE'S A DIRECTOR OF THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT, SO SHE'S HERE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE THAT I CANNOT ANSWER.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE UNCLAIMED PROPERTY DIVISION.
AND, AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WE DO NOT SHARE INFORMATION WITH THE TAX DEPARTMENT.
WE ARE TREASURY, WE ARE NOT THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, AND, AND THERE'S NO WAY THAT WE WOULD, YOU KNOW, PUT ANY LIEN ON ANYBODY FOR PARTICIPATING IN OUR PROGRAM.
WE, UM, WE HAVE OVER A BILLION DOLLARS THAT HAS NOT BEEN CLAIMED IN SPITE OF ALL OF OUR EFFORTS FOR ADVERTISING.
MOST OF THE ITEMS THAT COME TO US END UP IN OUR CUSTODY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A CURRENT ADDRESS FOR THE PERSON.
SO WE GET ASKED ALL THE TIME, WHY DON'T YOU JUST SEND ME A CHECK? WELL, WE DON'T KNOW YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS.
AND IT CAME TO OUR ATTENTION THAT EMPLOYERS HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
SO WE STARTED THIS PROGRAM TO ALLOW EMPLOYERS TO SEND US THEIR EMPLOYEE DATA.
WE, UM, THE PILOT PARTICIPANT WAS THE BATON ROUGE GENERAL.
THEY SENT US, UH, 4,500 NAMES AND WE ENDED UP WITH 572 CHECKS REPRESENTING $42,000 FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES.
SO WE, WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO OFFER THAT TO THE EBR R EMPLOYEES AS WELL.
AND MA'AM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND, AND, AND WE APPRECIATE THE, THE PROGRAM AND Y'ALL'S OUTREACH EFFORTS.
UM, UM, IN, IN TERMS OF OPTIN VERSUS OPTOUT, WHAT, WHAT ARE OTHER EMPLOYERS CHOOSING TO DO? UM, THE BATON ROUGE GENERAL DID AN OPTOUT.
WE HAD ANOTHER SMALLER COMPANY THAT HAS PARTICIPATED.
WE JUST STARTED THIS PROGRAM ON FEBRUARY 2ND.
SO WE HAD ANOTHER SMALLER COMPANY PARTICIPATE, AND I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW THEY HANDLED IT.
WE'RE LEAVING IT UP TO EACH INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYER.
UH, ORIGINALLY I WAS GONNA PROPOSE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO THAT, BUT I THINK THAT'S BEEN HANDLED.
UM, I JUST WANT TO COMMENT THAT I'VE SPOKEN WITH TREASURER SCHROEDER ABOUT THIS, AND I'VE SEEN THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM FOR MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS.
UNCLAIMED PROPERTY JUST GOT SWEPT INTO THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE STATE, AND THEY TOOK THAT MONEY THAT BELONGED THE CITIZENS OF OUR STATE.
SO I COMMEND THE TREASURY FOR TRYING TO REACH OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND GET THAT MONEY BACK IN THE HANDS WHERE IT BELONGS.
UM, I'M CERTAINLY SENSITIVE TO WHY WE WOULD WANT TO HAVE, UM, AND OPT IN.
AND I'M CURIOUS, SO, SO WE'VE GOT 6,000 EMPLOYEES.
THAT'S, I'M, I'M CURIOUS WHAT THE OPT-IN RATE COULD BE BECAUSE WE GET SO MANY EMAILS THAT PROBABLY GO OUT.
IT WOULD TAKE A LOT OF EFFORT, I THINK, TO GET A SUCCESSFUL OPT-IN.
AND I'M WONDERING, UM, IF THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE MAY BE ABLE TO DO THAT IN PERSON.
I'VE SEEN TREASURIES SHOW UP TO MEETINGS AND SAY, HEY, COME HERE IF YOU WANT ME TO CHECK FOR YOU.
UM, IT HAPPENED AT MY ROTARY CLUB, AND, UH, THEY FOUND A COUPLE PEOPLE THAT NEEDED MONEY, THAT MIGHT BE A HUGE EFFORT ON YOUR PART, BUT MAYBE THERE'S A, A ANOTHER WAY THAT WE CAN DO THIS TO GET TO, TO ACHIEVE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.
UM, WE WOULD BE WILLING TO COME OUT IF, IF YOU WANT TO PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER, AND MS. HALL HAS MY CONTACT INFORMATION IF YOU WANT TO REACH OUT FOR THAT.
ARE THERE, ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES, MS. HALL OR MR. DR.
NARCIS WHERE WE GET A LOT OF PEOPLE TOGETHER OR YES.
PERHAPS ANNUALLY WE SEE THEM IN PERSON THAT WE CAN DO THIS.
I MEAN, THERE, THERE'S WAYS WE CAN, UM, KIND OF DO THAT.
UM, I GUESS THE, WE'LL HAVE TO WORK THROUGH IT, THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT, UH, IT'LL BE A, A LABOR OF LOVE ON YOUR END AS WELL TO COME OUT A FEW MM-HMM.
[03:15:01]
SO, UM, WE CAN WORK THROUGH SOME WAYS ON IT, BUT IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU SAID, WE HAVE 6,000 EMPLOYEES AND SO WE'LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT, UH, THOSE SPACES TO DO THAT.
AND, AND FOR AN IN-PERSON EVENT, EACH CLAIM WOULD HAVE TO BE TAKEN INDIVIDUALLY, AND THAT'S A MUCH MORE LENGTHY PROCESS.
IF WE GET A LIST, WE CAN RUN THAT THROUGH OUR DATABASE AND CUT THE CHECKS SO MUCH MORE QUICKLY.
BUT, BUT TO, UM, UM, THE CONCERN I HAVE JUST IN TERMS OF THE DIFFERENCE IS, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, WHEN YOU DO EITHER AN OPT-IN OR OPT OUT, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH THE AMOUNT OF EMPLOYEES WE HAVE, I'M ALWAYS FEARFUL THAT, UM, SOME EMPLOYEES MAY NOT, WITHOUT US HAVING A MUCH MORE HANDS-ON APPROACH TO 'EM, MAY, YOU KNOW, MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THAT TO WHERE WE LEAVE, THEY LEAVE MONEY ON THE TABLE.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE NUMBER ONE, UM, IN REGARDS TO THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, WELL BE, BEFORE I ASK THE QUESTION I, I HAD FOR THIS ITEM, UM, MR. SHALIN, WILL YOU TELL US IF, IF THERE IS A POLICY IN PLACE FOR, UH, ITEMS COMING DIRECTLY TO THE BOARD, TO THE FULL BOARD MEETING INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH THE COW FIRST? YEAH, SO, UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF REFERENCES THROUGH OUR POLICY, SPECIFICALLY WHEN THERE ARE POLICY REVISIONS OR AMENDMENTS, UM, IT SUGGESTED THAT THOSE GO THROUGH THE COW.
UM, AND THEN THE REGULAR MEETING, UM, THE POLICY ITSELF, OUR, OUR MEETING POLICY ACTUALLY CREATES A COW OR COMMITTEE THE WHOLE MEETING AS A VETTING PROCESS.
SO THE EXPECTATION IS ANY ITEM THAT THE BOARD WILL CONSIDER GOES THROUGH THE COW WHEN POSSIBLE.
UM, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES IN THE PAST, UH, NOT JUST WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION BUT PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS WHERE IF THERE WAS A TIME CONSTRAINT OR IF THERE WAS A CRITICAL NEED TO ADDRESS SOMETHING BECAUSE OF A DEADLINE THAT WE, THAT WAS OUT OF THE CONTROL OF STAFF, WE WOULD PUT ON A REGULAR MEETING FOR CONSIDERATION.
BUT GENERALLY, ITEMS WILL GO THROUGH THE CALL FOR CONSIDERATION TO ALLOW THE BOARD TO VET THE PUBLIC TO VET, ET CETERA, FULLY BEFORE I, BEFORE FINAL ADOPTION.
AND THE OTHER I JUST WANTED TO SHARE IN REGARDS TO, UM, THE, THE ITEM THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING RIGHT NOW, UH, I, I FEEL LIKE I KNOW THAT WITHIN THE, THE PAPERWORK WHEN WE DO OUR NEW HIRE PAPERWORK AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN OPT-IN OPT OUT OPTIONS.
AND WITHIN THAT, THERE'S A LEVEL OF WORDING THAT ALLOWS YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE OPTING IN OR OPTING OUT OF.
SO I JUST FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE TO ADD THIS PARTICULAR OPPORTUNITY, THEN WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE STRATEGIC WITH THE WRITING AND THE WORDING TO MAKE IT CLEAR FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW, UM, FOR EMPLOYEES TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE OPTING INTO.
SO WE JUST HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY CLEAR IN THAT.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
SO COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD, MR. MARTIN.
I, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, THE, WE'RE WE'RE NOT TALKING MASSIVE SUMS OF MONEY GENERALLY IN THESE UNCLAIMED PROPERTY THINGS.
THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, $50 A YEAR, $200 THERE, GAS DEPOSIT, WATER DEPOSIT, THINGS LIKE THAT.
EVERY NOW AND THEN, THERE'S A BIG CHUNK OF CHANGE.
AND, AND, AND SO I'M, YOU KNOW, I, I REALLY AM MORE INCLINED TO, TO THINK THAT, THAT IF I WERE A TEACHER, I, I WOULDN'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, I, I'D JUST LIKE TO HAVE SOMEBODY JUST GO DO THIS AND UNLESS I CHOSE TO OPT, OPT OUT, UM, SO, SO I, YOU KNOW, I, I, I, I'M, YOU KNOW, I JUST ASSUME, YOU KNOW, LEAVE IT AS THE SUPERINTENDENT, UH, RECOMMENDED AND, AND HAVE IT BE OPT OUT.
UM, BUT I'LL CERTAINLY DEFER TO, TO THE GENERAL JUDGMENT OF MY COLLEAGUES ON THAT.
I WILL RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY WITH THAT.
I THINK TEACHERS HAVE ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH EVERY DAY, UH, AT WORK, AND THEN WHEN THEY GO HOME, THEY PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHERE THEIR INFORMATION IS BEING SENT WHILE THEY'RE TRYING TO TEACH THE KIDS.
UM, MY QUESTION FOR YOU, MA'AM, UM, IS ISN'T THERE A WAY TO FILE A CLAIM JUST INDIVIDUALLY WITHOUT BEING AN EMPLOYEE? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND WHAT, WHAT'S THAT PROCESS? WE HAVE A WEBSITE,
[03:20:01]
LA CASH CLAIM.ORG.THEY CAN GO ONLINE, UM, SEARCH FOR THEIR OWN PROPERTY AND, AND START THE CLAIM PROCESS.
SO WE COULD SAVE EVERYONE LOTS OF TIME AND ENERGY BY JUST PUTTING UP A COUPLE OF POSTERS.
HOW MANY OF 'EM ARE REALLY GONNA DO THAT THOUGH? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ADVERTISE EVERYWHERE.
I'M JUST SEEING, LIKE WEIGHING THE, THE, THE BENEFITS TO EMPLOYEES.
UH, MAYBE I'M WRONG, BUT I FEEL LIKE THE MAJORITY OF OF PEOPLE DON'T WANT THEIR INFORMATION SHARED UNLESS THEY'VE GIVEN PERMISSION.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? MR. GODDY? UH, THANK YOU, UH, MS. HALL, AND I'M SORRY I DIDN'T GET YOUR NAME.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE INFORMATION THAT IS SHARED? UH, AS IT GOES TO THIS? WE NEED SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
DO, DID YOU WANT THE MOTION REREAD? I THINK, I THINK ONE BOARD MEMBER WAS ASKING FOR THE MOTION TO BE REREAD.
IS THAT OKAY? SURE, PLEASE DO.
SO THIS IS, UH, H ONE UNCLAIMED PROPERTY CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF TO WORK CO COOPERATIVELY WITH THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY TO PROVIDE WITH EBR R P S S EMPLOYEE AUTHORIZATION AND OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN UNCLAIMED PROPERTY.
SO I'LL READ THE AMENDED VERSION.
UM, IT'S A CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST AUTHORIZING THE SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF TO WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY TO PROVIDE WITH EBR R PSS EMPLOYEE AUTHORIZATION VIA AN OPT-IN PROCESS, AN OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN UNCLAIMED PROPERTY.
THE, IN THE BACKUP, IT STILL SAYS THERE'S LIKE INSTRUCTIONS ON OPTING, LIKE, WHAT ARE, THIS IS JUST TOO CONFUSING TO VOTE ON THIS, THIS IS WHY THINGS OUGHT TO BE PUT THROUGH THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, THIS, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE ACTUALLY, WHAT ARE WE ACTUALLY VOTING ON? IS IT OPTING IN OR OPTING IN? BECAUSE THE, THE, THE MOTION BEFORE THE, THE BOARD IS TO APPROVE THIS WITH AN OPT-IN PROCESS.
THAT'S THE LANGUAGE OF THE MOTION.
AND SO THE BACKUP MATERIALS WILL NOT APPLY IN THIS CASE.
IT'S, IT, WE WOULD HAVE TO DEVELOP A NEW PROCESS.
[H.2. Inter-Governmental Agreement ]
H TWO READS INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT, CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO APPROVE AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE TO PROVIDE FOR A SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER ADMINISTRATOR.IT'S BEEN MOVED BY MR. RUSS AND SECONDED BY MR. LEWIS.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY, MR. MARTIN? THANK YOU, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT.
I, I'D JUST LIKE TO ASK THE SUPERINTENDENT TO SPEAK TO WHY THIS IS, IS SUFFICIENTLY, OR THIS IS OBVIOUSLY SCHOOL SECURITY, VERY IMPORTANT IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT, BUT WHY IS THIS, UM, SO URGENT THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT IT NEEDS TO COME NOW WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE, THE COMMITTEE AND HAVING TIME FOR US AND THE PUBLIC TO DIGEST IT? REALLY.
UH, BOARD MEMBER MARTIN, UM, WHEN WE CAME ON BOARD, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TO ADD MORE SECURITY FOR NOT ONLY TO, UH, EACH OF OUR SCHOOLS.
UH, WE HAD A PRIORITY FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS.
A PART OF OUR CONVERSATION HAS BEEN, UH, WE HAD AN AGREEMENT WITH THE, UH, SHERIFF'S OFFICE AT GORO AND ALSO CHIEF MURPHY PAUL TO VAMP UP SECURITY.
UH, AND THAT HAPPENED WITH THE LAST BOARD.
WHERE WE ARE NOW, AS WE'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS, AS YOU KNOW, WITH ALL THE INCIDENTS WE HAVE BEEN GOING ON IN VARIOUS SCHOOLS, WAS TO BEGIN TO START THE PROCESS ON TRYING TO GET SOMEONE TO BE THE HEAD OF SECURITY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE BECAUSE OF THE SROS.
AND SO, UM, IN OUR CONVERSATION WITH, UM, UH, SIGO JOE, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, UM, HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE TONIGHT, BUT THERE'S A BANQUET THAT THEY HAVE GOING ON.
[03:25:01]
WE HAD TO WORK ON AN MOU TO BEGIN THIS PROCESS BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS CURRENT SPACE IN OUR SCHOOLS, UH, THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW.UM, AND, UM, IF I COULD GET, UM, MS. MORNING SCOTT SPADING, OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, TO ADD MORE CONTEXT FOR YOU, UM, ON THIS SPACE.
THIS IS WHY WE, UH, BEGIN THE PROCESS OF MOVING FORWARD.
MONIQUE, ANYTHING ELSE? HEAR ME? OH, THERE YOU GO.
SO, CURRENTLY WE HAVE TWO CAPTAINS FROM E B RSO THAT COME TO WORK WITH US.
THEY WORK EACH 45 HOURS PLUS A PAY PERIOD.
ONE OF THE, UM, CAPTAINS IS NO LONGER ABLE TO WORK WITH US.
NAIS, WE LOOKED AT THE INCIDENTS IN SCHOOLS, AND WE'VE ASKED FOR MORE SUPPORT.
SO THIS CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN WALKER IS ABLE TO COME ON BOARD AND SUPPORT US FULL-TIME.
SO IT, IT, DOES THIS MEAN THEN THAT WE WON'T BE HIRING, YOU KNOW, LIKE ONE OF OUR OWN EMPLOYEES TO BE, YOU KNOW, AS A CHIEF SECURITY OFFICER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? SO DR.
NARCIS, I'LL JUST SAY LAW ENFORCEMENT MANAGES LAW ENFORCEMENT, RIGHT.
WE DON'T HAVE A LAYPERSON TO DO THAT.
MR. LEWIS? UM, UH, I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THIS ITEM.
MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS LAW ENFORCEMENT, MANAGING LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT YOU'RE DEALING WITH OUR CHILDREN.
SO WHENEVER THIS TAKES PLACE, I EXPECT TO SEE SOME, UH, BIAS TRAINING.
SO IF THEY'RE USING LAW ENFORCEMENT TO DISCIPLINE STUDENTS, THEY NEED TO BE DISCIPLINED.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO WITH THIS AMENDMENT, BUT WHATEVER WE DO WITH IT, IT NEEDS TO BE THOUGHT OUT.
AND EVERYBODY ROLE ROLES NEEDS TO BE CLEAR.
I JUST WANTED TO GET SOME CLARITY ON THIS.
UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE TWO OFFICERS THAT KIND OF OVERSEE THE SROS CURRENTLY AT THE SCHOOLS.
AND SO YOU'RE LOOKING TO REPLACE THE ONE THAT LEFT, OR JUST HAVE THAT ONE TO HAVE ONE FULL-TIME, AND SO YOU WON'T HAVE THE OTHER, SO YOU ONLY HAVE THE ONE FULL-TIME.
SO WHAT WOULD BE THE CHANGE IN THE POSITION? IS THERE ANY TYPE OF CHANGE OR ANYTHING IN REGARDS TO THE PERSON THAT WOULD TAKE THIS POSITION FULL-TIME? IS THERE ANY TYPE OF CHANGE OR ANYTHING THAT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED OR PUT IN PLACE AS A RESULT OF HIM TAKING THIS POSITION WITH ONE OFFICER AS FULL-TIME? SO, FIRST OF ALL, OBVIOUSLY IT'LL BE ONE OFFICER FULL-TIME.
HE'LL BE ABLE TO MANAGE ALL OF THE DAY SHIFT.
WE DO HAVE A CAPTAIN WHO MANAGES THE NIGHT SHIFT EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS.
AND SO THIS IS SOLELY FOR THE DAY SHIFT.
UM, CAPTAIN WALKER HAS WORKED WITH THE DISTRICT.
WELL, LET ME HAVE HIM SHARE SOME OF HIS EXPERIENCE WITH YOU, DR.
UH, FIRST I WANT TO SAY THAT I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UH, I WON'T BE ABLE TO SMILE TODAY BECAUSE IT MAY RUN MY REPUTATION, BUT I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT BEING HERE.
UM, I BRING WITH ME 30 YEARS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE.
UM, I'M THE COMMANDER OF THE SPECIAL COMMUNITY ANTI-CRIME TEAM.
UM, I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE SCHOOLS SINCE 1998.
I WAS A RESOURCE OFFICER WHERE I WALKED THE SAME HALLWAYS AND BREEZEWAYS AS THESE DEPUTIES TODAY.
SO I KNOW THE SCHOOLS, I CARE ABOUT THE KIDS.
I CARE ABOUT THE SUPPORT TEAM THAT WE HAVE, AND I KNOW TOGETHER WE'LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ABOUT MAKING ARRESTS EVERY DAY WITH KIDS.
WE DON'T, WE DON'T, WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT.
WE CARE ABOUT CHANGING LIVES BY BEING IMPACTFUL AND PROVIDING SOMETHING POSITIVE TO THESE KIDS.
I'VE TALKED TO KIDS SINCE 1998, AND I'VE TRIED TO GIVE THEM SOMETHING.
NOT JUST WALKING THROUGH THE SCHOOLS AND BEING A FORCE, BUT BEING A POSITIVE LIGHT.
THEY LOOK AT US AS LAW ENFORCEMENT.
WE CAN GIVE REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES ABOUT CONSEQUENCES, THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO TO STAY OUT OF JAIL.
WE DON'T WANT THE KIDS TO GO FROM SCHOOLS TO PRISONS.
WE'RE THERE TO CHANGE THE LIVES BY THE THINGS THAT WE DO EVERY DAY.
WE TALK TO THESE KIDS DURING THEIR BREAKS, LUNCH BREAKS.
WE HAVE PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS.
WE HAVE REAL TALKS WITH THESE KIDS.
AND SO I WANT THE NEW RESOURCE OFFICERS TO BE THERE, TO HAVE THE INPUT THAT WE NEED TO CHANGE THE LIVES BY THE HOPE THAT WE CAN GIVE THEM.
[03:30:01]
WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF THINGS IN OUR CAREERS AND LIVES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO POUR THAT POSITIVE ENERGY INTO THESE KIDS EVERY DAY.AND THE GROUP THAT I'M RECRUITING NOW, THEY HAVE THAT SAME MINDSET.
WE HAVE TO GIVE, WE HAVE TO POUR THE NEGATIVE OUT AND REPLACE IT WITH POSITIVITY.
IT'S NOT GONNA CHANGE UNTIL WE DO SOMETHING.
WE HAVE THE EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE, LIKE I SAID, 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, AND I'M HERE TO HELP, NOT TO HURT.
I KNOW PEOPLE SEE US AND THEY THINK WE'RE HERE TO ARREST.
AND I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU SAID, MR. LEWIS.
AND, AND I KNOW I'M THE PERSON WITH THE ENERGY, THE PASSION AND ENTHUSIASM TO DO IT.
SO I HOPE THAT Y'ALL WELCOME IN.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL.
UM, I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND SO, UH, I'M REAL PASSIONATE ABOUT THE INTERACTION THAT THE OFF THE SROS HAVE WITHIN THE SCHOOLS.
AND SO MY QUESTION WAS WHEN I INITIALLY SAID, YOU KNOW, WAS ANYTHING GONNA CHANGE OR WAS ANYTHING DIFFERENT GONNA BE IMPLEMENTED? AND WHAT I MEAN IS, UH, LIKE SOME OF US SAID, CHILDREN, UH, REACT OR BASE THEIR REACTIONS ON, UH, WITH PEOPLE ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY CARE.
RIGHT? AND THAT INCLUDES THE OFFICERS, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE ISSUES WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS.
UH, I GET FIGHT VIDEOS SENT TO MY PHONE ALL THE TIME, RIGHT? AND SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, I NEVER SEE ANY, YOU KNOW, OFFICERS OR THE SRO IN ANY, AROUND THE SITUATIONS IN THE VARIOUS VIDEOS THAT ARE SENT.
SO I'M SAYING THAT TO SAY, WHEN I SAY, OR ANYTHING'S GONNA CHANGE IN REGARDS TO THE INTERACTIONS WITH THE SROS WITH STUDENTS, OR WHAT TYPE OF TRAININGS, UH, ON HOW THEY INTERACT WITH STUDENTS AND HOW, UH, WHEN THINGS OCCUR, WHAT IS DONE.
SO THAT WAS MY CONCERN IN REGARDS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW THE SROS INTERACT WITH THE SCHOOLS AND THE STUDENTS, UH, TO TRY TO HELP WITH, UH, THE ISSUES THAT GO ON, RIGHT? NOT THE DISCIPLINE, 'EM, AS YOU GUYS SAID, RIGHT? BUT, BUT THE ISSUES THAT GO ON.
AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE ALSO TOO, SOMETIMES I ENCOUNTER SOME OF OUR YOUNG JUVENILES AS A RESULT OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, RIGHT? AND SO, ULTIMATELY, I KNOW, UM, LIKE I SAID, THEY REACT BASED OFF OF HOW THESE OFFICERS ACT WITH THEM, RIGHT? WE HAVE A SRO PROGRAM THAT ALL OF THE OFFICERS HAS TO GO THROUGH.
YOU, YOU MAY SEE A KID FIGHT, HAVE A FIGHT, BUT MOST OF THE TIME YOU DON'T KNOW THE ROOT CAUSE.
I WAS AT THE TRANSFER POINT, MAYBE ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, AND JUST TO GIVE A BRIEF, I'M GONNA MAKE IT QUICK.
UH, THESE TWO GIRLS HAD A FIGHT, AND I PULLED ONE AWAY.
MY COWORKER PUT ANOTHER ONE AWAY.
AND SO THIS GIRL THAT WAS FIGHTING, SHE WAS TOTALLY STONE-FACED.
EVERY QUESTION I ASKED HER, SHE LOOKED STRAIGHT AHEAD, NEVER LOOKED AT ME AT ANY POINT.
I SAID, WHY ARE Y'ALL FIGHTING? WELL, THIS GIRL SAID THIS, THIS GIRL SAID THAT.
AND SHE HAD THIS SAME MEAN LOOK.
I SAID, WELL, DID IT MAKE ANY SENSE FOR YOU TO FIGHT LIKE THAT? SHE HAD THE SAME MEAN LOOK.
I SAID, WELL, WHAT WOULD YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER SAY IF THEY SAW YOU BEHAVE LIKE THIS? SHE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED HER COLD FACE.
SHE TURNED TEARS, RAN DOWN THE SIDE OF HER FACE.
I GOT DISTRACTED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE FOR SOME REASON OR ANOTHER, AND I LEFT.
AND I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO TALK TO THIS KID.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I DID, YOU KNOW WHAT I MESSED UP AT? I LOST AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE WHEN SHE TURNED AND FACED ME, AND TEARS RAN DOWN HER FACE, I TOUCHED SOMETHING IN HER, BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE IT TILL I GOT HOME THAT NIGHT.
YOU LOST A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO IMPART SOMETHING POSITIVE IN THIS FEMALE.
BUT I DIDN'T CATCH IT UNTIL LATER.
AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT I, I CAN'T, I CAN'T ALLOW ME TO DO, BECAUSE THESE OPPORTUNITIES DON'T COME OFTEN.
AND WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE TO HAVE A, A DEEP CONVERSATION WITH A CHILD, AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAD 'EM AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME, WE HAVE TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
AND SO I WANT TO TEACH THE NEW GUYS COMING OUT, THAT WHEN THESE OPPORTUNITIES PRESENT THEMSELVES, YOU HAVE TO GO FULL THROTTLE.
AND I MISSED THAT, AND I APOLOGIZE.
I LET HER DOWN BECAUSE I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T SEE THE CHANGE IN HER EXPRESSION.
I THOUGHT ABOUT IT LATER, BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE LET HER GO.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE TRAININGS THAT I WANT FOR THE NEW GUYS JUST TO PAY ATTENTION AND LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES.
WHEN YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK TO THESE KIDS, THEY'LL GIVE IT TO YOU.
IT MAY BE SUBTLE, BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION.
UM, MY QUESTION FIRST IS, AND, AND MAYBE THIS HAS BEEN ANSWERED, BUT I THINK IT WAS NOT CLEAR.
UM, WILL THIS ROLE REPLACE THE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL SECURITY? AM
[03:35:01]
I CORRECT IN UNDERSTANDING THAT? YES, MA'AM.AND THEN ALSO, MY NEXT QUESTION IS, WILL THE SALARY BE PAID BY THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE OR BY EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM? SO CURRENTLY THE STRUCTURE IS THE SHERIFF WILL PAY THE FULL-TIME SALARY, AND THE SUPPLEMENTAL SALARY WILL BE MANAGED BY EBR R SCHOOLS.
EXPLAIN WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO, CAPTAIN WALKER'S STILL AN EMPLOYEE OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
HE HAS BEFORE RETIREMENT, BUT HE'S STILL EMPLOYED BY THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS GIVING US AN EMPLOYEE TO MANAGE IN THIS ROLE, BUT THERE'S A SUPPLEMENTAL SALARY THAT WE PAY FOR MANAGING THE LAW ENFORCEMENT.
AND SO IT'S UPWARDS OF 55,000.
I THINK WE PUT 62 IN THIS SPACE TO BE ABLE TO ALLOW FOR INCREASES OVER THE YEARS.
AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS ACTUALLY FOR OFFICER WALKER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING.
UM, I CURRENTLY AM A DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE NORTH BATON ROUGE AREA, WHICH WOULD BE MANY OF OUR INNER CITY SCHOOLS.
AND OF COURSE, IF YOU FOLLOWED ANY OF THAT PROCESS, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'VE RECENTLY HAD ADULTS TO COME ON CAMPUS.
UM, AND, AND ENGAGING IN ALTERCATIONS.
THERE HAVE BEEN QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UH, WHY IS IT THAT THERE WAS A DELAY IN ARRESTING THOSE ADULTS WHO CAME ON CAMPUS? LIKE THEY HAD HAD DAYS OF WORDS BEFORE AN ARREST TOOK PLACE.
HOW WOULD YOU HANDLE THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WERE IN THIS ROLE? WELL, NOW, AFTER LOOKING AT THE FOOTAGE AND EVERYTHING, THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT HAS TO TAKE PLACE FOR THE ACTUAL ARRESTING, TAKING THE PERSON FROM THE PLACE TO THE PRISON.
THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST WHAT WE SAW AT THAT TIME, BECAUSE ONCE WE MAKE AN ARREST, WE CAN'T UNREST.
SO WE HAVE TO HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION, ALL THE STATEMENTS, EVERYTHING TOGETHER, SO WE HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO MAKE AN ARREST.
IN THAT PARTICULAR CASE, WELL, I'M NOT GONNA GO TOO FAR ON THE TECHNICAL PARTS, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME TO MAKE THE ARREST.
AND NOW WE KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE THOSE ACTUAL PHYSICAL ARRESTS.
WE DON'T PUT MISDEMEANORS IN JAIL, BUT TO MAKE AN ACTUAL PHYSICAL ARREST IS A FELONY.
AND WE DIDN'T HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEEDED AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME TO MAKE THAT PHYSICAL ARREST.
I THINK A LOT OF WHAT I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT HAS BEEN ANSWERED.
UM, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ALL CLEAR ABOUT WHAT'S, WHAT THIS MOTION PROPOSES IS THAT, UM, AS OPPOSED TO BRINGING IN, SAY, A RETIREE, UM, OR SOMEONE THAT, LIKE WE'VE HAD PREVIOUSLY, WE'RE GONNA STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WILL ALLOW THEM TO DO WHAT THEY DO BEST.
AND FROM WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE MR. WALKER IS DESCRIBING, UH, IS WHAT WE NEED, WHICH IS COMMUNITY POLICING MODELS.
AND, UH, I, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD BE IN THE BUSINESS, UM, OF POLICING OUR SCHOOLS.
I THINK WE SHOULD BE IN THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION, UH, IN LEAVE SAFETY TO THE EXPERTS, UH, IN WHICH CASE IN, IN THIS PARISH ARE, ARE TWO LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.
UM, IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, THE, THE SHERIFF IS GONNA PROVIDE A GREAT VALUE TO OUR SYSTEM, UH, ESSENTIALLY SUBSIDIZING THE COST OF WHAT MR. WALKER IS GONNA BE DOING FOR US.
UM, AND HE'S VERY EXPERIENCED.
SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE, UM, WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE BECAUSE OF THE, IT'S JUST SO VITAL THAT WE GET A HANDLE ON OUR, OUR SECURITY IN OUR SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE A LOT, A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
UH, AND THIS WOULD JUST BE JUST THE BEGINNING.
SO I JUST WANNA SAY I'M IN SUPPORT OF THIS MOTION.
UM, AND, UH, THAT, THAT I HOPE TO SEE SOME REALLY GREAT COMMUNITY POLICING IN OUR SCHOOLS.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
OH, WHERE, WHERE IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS? JUST A MOMENT.
CUZ I, I THINK THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM ME.
AND SO, UM, THEN WE NEED OUR, OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS, AND THEN YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SPEAK AGAIN.
MR. LEWIS
ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT.
NOW, MR. LEWIS COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD WITH THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS, IS THERE SOMEPLACE IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THEIR, WHAT, WHAT THEY DO AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE ASKING THEM TO DO, WHERE THAT FITS IN? UH, THE WAY WHERE THIS WOULD FIT IS MORE AROUND A OPERATIONAL OPERATION, OPERATIONS OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE SECTION.
UM, WE HAVEN'T PULLED OUT SPECIFICALLY LANGUAGE AROUND SROS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW,
[03:40:01]
THIS IS A PART OF EFFICIENCY.AND ALSO SAFETY FOR OUR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES IN ORDER TO KEEP HIM WITH, WITH, WITH ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT I THINK ARE GOING ON IN THIS DISTRICT THAT NEEDS TO BE AS MUCH A PART OF WHAT WE DO AS READ AND WRITING AND RITHMETIC.
ONE, ONE THING THAT WE, THEIR TEAM HAVE INCORPORATED, AND I'LL LET, UH, MS. BOLDEN COULD TALK ABOUT IT, HAS BEEN TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRACKING, UH, WHERE WE ARE HAVING PRIOR TO INCIDENTS.
I THINK I TALKED WITH BOARD MEMBER RUSS THIS WEEK AROUND, UH, THE, UH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO WHERE WE ASSESS ALL OF LIKE THE SECURITY AND WHERE THE HOTSPOTS ARE IN THOSE PIECES.
AND THEN, SO THE, UM, THE, UH, GUIDANCE TO OFFICERS AND SECURITY HAS BEEN MORE TARGETED AND STRATEGIC.
UH, SO WE CAN ALIGN RESOURCES TO MORE AND MORE PROBLEMATIC AREAS, UH, BECAUSE IT'S NOT HAPPENING AT EVERY PLACE, BUT THERE ARE PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON A LITTLE BIT MORE TO HELP SUPPORT AND ALSO TO PROVIDE VARIOUS SUPPORTS, NOT JUST ONLY THE PEACE AROUND COMMUNITY POLICING, BUT ALSO COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND THOSE.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH ARMED FORCES.
I MEAN, THE GREAT THING ABOUT CAPTAIN WALKERS, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE
WE WORK WITH B R P D AND THEY ACTUALLY WORK TOGETHER AS WELL.
I KNOW SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T SEE THAT.
UM, AND WE ALSO ARE, YOU KNOW, ENGAGING ALSO IN PARTICULAR AREAS WITH THE DA'S OFFICE, UM, WITH, UH, UM, HILLARY MOORE AND OTHER, OTHER AGENCIES.
I MEAN, THIS WORK IS AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL WORK AROUND THE PROBLEM.
IT'S NOT JUST SOLELY THE SCHOOL.
UM, HISTORICALLY IT'S ONLY BEEN A, JUST A SCHOOL THING.
AND, UH, WE ARE MUCH MORE NOW ALIGNED THAN I THINK WE'VE EVER HEARD IN TERMS OF TRYING TO COORDINATE AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
UM, AS YOU EVEN SAW THIS WEEK, YOU KNOW, JUST THE CONVERSATION AROUND CBR, WE'RE WORKING AROUND TRUANCY.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S A MUCH MORE COORDINATED EFFORT RIGHT NOW TRYING TO RESOLVE SOME ISSUES.
BUT, UH, A LOT OF THESE CHALLENGES ARE MUCH MORE COMPLEX.
UH, SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, THE MAIN GOALS THAT WE'VE TALKED SPECIFICALLY ABOUT IS IMPORTANT FOR SAFETY IN SCHOOLS, IMPORTANT FOR WORKING WITH FAMILIES TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY ENGAGE IN SCHOOLS AND, AND ALSO THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN INSIDE.
I THINK, UH, UM, WHAT HAS BEEN VERY CLEAR TO ME, UM, HEARING, UM, BOB BOARD MEMBERS IS TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SAFETY IN PLACE, BUT ALSO, UH, HOW, UM, OUR OFFICERS ARE KIND OF WORKING THROUGH 'EM.
SO THE EXPERIENCE THAT CAPTAIN WALKER IS BRINGING IS GONNA, UH, BE TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY AS WE CONTINUE TO ADD, I THINK WE'VE ADD, UM, WELL, THE TOTAL NUMBER THAT WE'VE ADDED IN TERMS OF FORCE IN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO HAS BEEN HOW MANY, UH, DION, SINCE JANUARY WE'VE ADDED THREE NEW SROS.
AND SO CAN YOU GIVE THE BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY JUST A TOTAL AMOUNT OF OFFICERS WE'VE HAD ON A, ON A DELI BASIS ON WITH DELI, WITH THE DAY SHIFT, IT'S, I AVERAGE AROUND 16 OFFICERS PER DAY.
AND SO ONE OF THE, UM, ONE OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO IS WE PRIORITIZE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL FIRST THAT WE WANTED TO HAVE OFFICERS AT.
AND THEN WE WANTED PRIORITY AREAS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE 45 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, AND SO THEY PRIORITIZE AREAS THAT WERE MUCH MORE UNSAFE THAN OTHERS.
UM, AND THE GOAL IS, IF WE CAN GET 'EM ALL, IS OUR, OUR GOAL, BUT WE HAVE TO KIND OF WORK THROUGH WITH OUR, UM, ALL OF OUR AGENCIES TO, TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS TOGETHER.
MR. CHALIN, DID YOU WANNA RESPOND? NO, I WAS GONNA ANSWER THE QUESTION ABOUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
NARCIS, UH, THERE'S ACTUALLY A CALL TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HIGH RISK INCIDENCES UNDER THE OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, UM, PILLAR.
NARCIS, I WANT, UM, CAPTAIN WALKER TO SPEAK ABOUT THE NEW INITIATIVE THAT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND, UM, B R P D ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO SUPPORT HAVING SAFE SCHOOLS.
NOT TO ALARM ANYBODY ABOUT GROUPS, AND WE DON'T LIKE TO USE THE TERM GANGS, BUT WE HAVE SOMETIMES NEIGHBORHOOD CLIQUES THAT MAY BEGIN IN OUR SCHOOLS.
UH, WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE G V I TEAM, WHICH IS THE GROUP INTERVENTION GROUP VIOLENCE INTERVENTION TEAM.
AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY TRACK THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, THEY MONITOR AND, AND, AND KEEP UP WITH MEMBERS AND NEW INITIATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND THEY ALSO, UH, PROVIDE SOME INTERVENTION BETWEEN THESE GROUPS AND GANGS.
IF YOU HAVE TWO FEUDING GROUPS THAT MAY BE, GET INTO SOME KIND OF FEUD, THEY TRY TO INTERVENE PRIOR TO ANY VIOLENCE THAT MAY HAPPEN.
SO THEY GO TO SCHOOLS, THEY GO TO HOMES, THEY GO TO WHEREVER THESE KIDS MAY BE, FAMILIES MAY BE, UM, AND PROVIDE THE SERVICES THEY NEED TO PULL THEM OUT OF THE GROUPS AND GIVE THEM ANY OTHER SERVICES, WHETHER IT MAY BE SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAMS, ANGER ABUSE, UM, RETENTION PRO, ANYTHING THAT WE CAN PROVIDE, THIS GROUP PROVIDES THAT.
SO WE TRYING TO WORK WITH THAT GROUP TO MINIMIZE THE, THE VIOLENCE THAT WE HAVE, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE TIMES OUR COMMUNITY ISSUES CAN BLEED INTO
[03:45:01]
THE SCHOOLS.AND SO WE TRYING TO BE AWARE OF THAT PRIOR TO IT HAPPENING SO WE CAN PREVENT IT.
UH, MR. MARTIN, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I'M, I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE SOMEBODY OF THE CALIBER OF CAPTAIN WALKER, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH OUR, OUR SROS AND, AND WORKING VERY HARD TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE.
UM, I'M NEVERTHELESS, I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, ABOUT THIS, THIS ITEM BECAUSE A, AS, AS THE SUPERINTENDENT KIND OF JUST ALLUDED TO, IT'S A GREAT DEAL MORE TO SECURITY THAN JUST LAW ENFORCEMENT.
RIGHT? THERE ARE, UM, TRAINING TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS TO, TO ACTUALLY CLOSE THE DOORS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE CLOSED AT THE SCHOOLS.
THERE'S DESIGNED TO FACILITY, THERE'S ORGANIZATION OF, OF ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
AND I'M, AND I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT IF WE, UM, OUTSOURCE THAT TO THAT, THAT THAT POSITION OF CHIEF OF SECURITY TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, THAT THAT WILL KIND OF INHERENTLY LEAD DESPITE, I'M SURE THE BEST OF INTENTIONS OF ALL INVOLVED IN, IN HAVING A, A PURELY LAW ENFORCEMENT FOCUSED APPROACH TO SECURITY WITHOUT LOOKING AT, AT, UM, BROADER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
AND, AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M, UH, AND, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M RIGHT ABOUT THAT.
THERE, THERE MAY BE GOOD ANSWERS TO THAT, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, I'M HAVING TO THINK THROUGH THIS ALL FOR THE FIRST TIME, HAVING SEEN THIS POP ON THE AGENDA THREE DAYS AGO.
THAT'S MY CONCERN, SUPERINTENDENT.
MS. KENON, UM, IS THE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL SECURITY THAT'S TRADITIONALLY A, A SCHOOL EMPLOYEE AND NOT, NOT A POLICE OFFICER SPOKEN.
SO IN THE PAST, IT'S BEEN AN EMPLOYEE, SOMEONE THAT CAME FROM ACADEMICS.
UM, WE HAD AN EMPLOYEE PRIOR TO OUR LAST EMPLOYEE.
SO THE LAST TWO EMPLOYEES HAVE HAD LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE.
DID THEY HAVE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE? LIKE NO.
BUT IN SECURITY, WE HAVE THE DIRECTOR WHO MANAGES ACADEMIC AND REPORTING.
UM, MS. CHANEY CAN COME AND SHARE WITH YOU THE REPORTS THAT SHE MANAGES WITH STUDENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW WHICH SCHOOLS OR HOTSPOTS AND WHICH SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ISSUES.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE DIRECTOR OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
BUT, BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS UNPRECEDENTED.
OUR LAST, OUR LAST DIRECTOR OF SECURITY WAS FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT HE WAS RETIRED.
HE'S, WE'RE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TAKING THE, SO CURRENTLY CAPTAIN WALKER IS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE DISTRICT.
ALL OF OUR SROS ARE PART-TIME EMPLOYEES OF THE DISTRICT.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD AT THIS TIME? OKAY.
SEEING NONE, WE WILL ENTERTAIN A VOTE.
PLEASE VOTE THE MOTION CARRIES.
WELL, BEFORE WE MOVE ON, I JUST WANNA SAY IF, IF OUR BOARD PRESIDENT IS WATCHING, HE'S PROBABLY GONNA HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH ME ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THIS MEETING,
BUT WE WILL CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD.
[I. Organizational Items ]
ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OF MEETINGS.MR. RUST, A BOARD WORKSHOP IS TO BE HELD ON MARCH 2ND FROM FOUR TO 5:00 PM AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE BOARDROOM.
THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING IS TO BE HELD ON MARCH 2ND, 2023 AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE BOARDROOM.
THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING IS TO BE HELD MARCH 16TH, 2023 AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE.