[00:01:17]
[A. Meeting Opening]
EVENING, BOARD PRESIDENT LANIS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT NORTHEAST CITIZENS AND FRIENDS OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL DISTRICT.I'M LIEUTENANT COLONEL, RETIRED SHIRLEY SUTTON, AND I'M THE SENIOR ARMY INSTRUCTOR AT NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL WHERE I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SERVING, UM, UNDER THE AWESOME LEADERSHIP OF OUR HEAD, VIKING.
I'M ELATED TO INTRODUCE NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL TOP CADET AND THIS YEAR'S CADET BATTALION COMMANDER.
SHE IS THE HIGHEST RANKING CADET IN THE VIKING BATTALION.
OUR CADET IS THE DAUGHTER OF MR. JESSE AND MS. EMMA BATES OF BATON ROUGE.
DURING THE FOUR YEARS I HAVE KNOWN THIS CADET, SHE HAS DISTINGUISHED HERSELF AS AN ORGANIZED AND TASK ORIENTED LEADER ACADEMICALLY.
SHE HAS DISTINGUISHED HERSELF BY ACHIEVING A 4.3 GRADE POINT AVERAGE RANKING IN THE TOP 10% OF HER CLASS.
AND SHE'S ENUMERATED ON THE A HONOR ROLL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE LIST.
SHE EXEMPLIFIES THE HIGHEST VALUES AND CAN ALWAYS BE COUNTED ON.
TO SET THE EXAMPLE, THIS PAST YEAR, SHE SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION, THE HONOR GUARD TEAM, AND WAS ELECTED BY HER PEERS TO SERVE AS MISS J R O T C.
SHE'S ALSO SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE MAYOR'S BATON ROUGE U UH, YOUTH COALITION.
AND SHE IS ALWAYS SELFLESS IN HER ACTIONS AND DEEDS.
SHE HAS VOLUNTEERED AND ACHIEVED OVER 180 HOURS DURING THE PAST TWO, THE PAST TWO YEARS.
THIS IS MOST, MOST, UH, HOURS OF ALL OF OUR CADETS.
HER FAVORITE VOLUNTEER SERVICE IS SERVING AS A MENTOR WITH JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT.
THIS SUMMER, SHE COMPLETED A TWO WEEK WOMEN IN STEMS PROGRAM AT DILLARD UNIVERSITY.
THIS DI DILIGENT, RESILIENT, AND WELL-MANNERED CADET IS UNDECIDED ABOUT WHICH LOUISIANA H B C U.
HER GOAL IS TO BECOME A SOCIAL WORKER.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT IS WITH GREAT PRIDE AND RESPECT THAT I INTRODUCED TO YOU CADET MAJOR JASMINE BATES.
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.
MS. BATES, MS. BATES, MS. BATES, FIRST AND FOREMOST, CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL YOUR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS.
WE THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARD AND ALSO ON BEHALF OF OUR SUPERINTENDENT.
WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE ACCEPT THIS MATTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK.
CONTINUE TO BE GREAT IN EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
NEXT WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM A TWO.
MADAM SECRETARY, DISTRICT TWO, PRESIDENT LANIS.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS.
[00:05:02]
DISTRICT ONE.[B. Meeting Minutes]
B ONE.MEETING MINUTES, APPROVE OF THE FOLLOWING, FOLLOWING SCHOOL BOARD MINUTES A JUNE 15TH, 2023.
COMMITTEE AS A WHOLE D JULY 13TH, 2023 SPECIAL MEETING AS PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL.
CAN I GET A MOTION MOVE BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART.
SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL NOW COME TO OUR BOARD FOR COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM.
SEEING NO NAME IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME, WE'LL NOW GO TO THE PUBLIC SEEING NO PUBLIC COMMENT CARDS.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL COME BACK TO OUR BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
DISTRICT TWO PRESIDENT LANTIS.
[C. Information Only]
ITEM ITEMS C ONE THROUGH C THREE.THIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AND THIS IS, UH, ITEM I'LL BRING TO OUR BOARD.
DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING ITEM C? ONE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT.
AND I SEE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL, GO THERE INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK, I THINK I SAW MS. HALL COME IN.
HEY, HOW YOU DOING THERE? UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK, THE REPORT THAT WE GET IS A PERSONNEL CHANGES REPORT.
AND THAT HAS NEVER CHANGED SINCE THE SEVEN YEARS I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD.
AND I THINK IT WAS IN PLACE MANY YEARS BEFORE THAT.
AND I THINK IT GOES BACK TO A TIME WHEN BOARD MEMBERS WERE UNFORTUNATELY MAY MAYBE MUCH MORE INVOLVED IN WHO GOT WHICH JOBS AND WHERE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UH, THAT'S INTERESTING DATA, BUT IT REALLY IS AN INFORMATION I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF OVER THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS YOU COULD WORK ON BRINGING US A REPORT THAT TALKS ABOUT VACANCIES BY REGION AND BY GRADE LEVELS AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THINGS THAT REALLY, AND TRANSPORTATION AND CAFETERIA AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO, TO GIVE US AS A BOARD SOMETHING MORE OF A VIEW OF WHAT, WHAT IS IN OUR ROLE TO PROVIDE RESOURCES INSTEAD OF JUST A LIST OF PEOPLE.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, READING THROUGH 20 PAGES, SOME OF IT'S INTERESTING, BUT I REALLY WOULD LIKE, AND THIS IS NO CUT ON YOU, YOU'RE JUST DOING EXACTLY WHAT WAS THERE BEFORE.
BUT I THINK IT'S TIME FOR US TO MAKE A CHANGE SO THAT WE GET SOMETHING THAT'S MUCH MORE INFORMATIVE TO US AS A POLICY BOARD AS OPPOSED TO JUST A LIST OF NAMES AS IT GOES THROUGH.
DO THAT INTERNALLY FOR CHARLES.
SO I MEAN, SO JUST THINK ABOUT WHAT WE WOULD NEED TO SEE AS A POLICY BOARD AS OPPOSED TO JUST A LIST OF NAMES.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN CONTINUE SAYING A LIST OF NAMES.
I'LL SKIMM IT SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES I DON'T.
BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE VACANCIES POSITIONS FILLED, NEW HIRES, ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS IN A, IN A WAY THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO US WHO AREN'T IN THE INSIDE JARGON.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GOEY.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I LIKE THE IDEA OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, BUT I DID WANT TO EMPHASIZE THE POINT THEY MADE IS YOU CAN CONTINUE TO SENDING US THE NAMES AS WELL.
I THINK THAT'S A VALUE, VERY VALUABLE PUBLIC RECORD THAT I KNOW MANY TIMES I'VE GOTTEN COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC, UM, UH, ABOUT INFORMATION THAT WAS REAL REVEAL IN THERE.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE PROVIDE THAT AS WELL.
BUT I, I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE STRATEGIC INFORMATION VERY MUCH.
ALRIGHT, MOVING RIGHT, WE HIT, NEXT WE HAVE ITEM C THREE.
IS THERE ANY, UH, BOARD QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS AROUND PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS FOR A MONTHLY REPORT? OKAY.
SEEING NO NAMES AT THIS TIME, WE'LL KEEP MOVING RIGHT ALONG WITH OUR, UH, AGENDA.
NEXT WE HAVE ITEM D, WHICH IS RECEIVE AS INFORMATION ONLY.
[D.1. Update from Superintendent]
D ONE, UPDATE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT, DR.[00:10:01]
YOU PRESIDENT ALANIS.UM, SO FIRST WANTED TO JUST SAY, UH, AS YOU'LL HEAR TONIGHT, WE WILL, UM, UH, PRESENT OUR, UM, TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR, UM, SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM GOALS AS WE'VE BEEN WORKING FEVERISHLY FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, TRYING TO, UM, MAKE SURE WE GET, UH, SOME SOLUTIONS AND ALSO WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO HELP US IN THAT PROCESS.
AND SO I WON'T GET INTO DETAIL INTO THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT WHEN WE GET TO THAT ITEM, WE'LL, UH, SHARE OUR PLAN.
UH, JUST ON, UH, I TELL, UH, I DO WANNA JUST BRING UP A COUPLE OF THINGS 'CAUSE WE DO HAVE A LOT OF KIDS IN SCHOOL.
UM, AND JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT.
UM, UH, WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT, UM, UH, THE FIRST FEW DAYS WE, UH, JUST WATCHING TEACHERS.
WE WANNA THANK ALL OF OUR TEACHERS FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING.
'CAUSE A LOT OF KIDS ARE ACTUALLY IN CLASSES THAT ARE LEARNING.
SO WE'VE SEEN THAT GO WELL YESTERDAY.
UH, WE, UM, PARTICIPATED WITH BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
I DUNNO IF THERE'S ANYBODY HERE REPRESENTED FROM THERE, BUT WE WANTED TO THANK CHANCELLOR, UM, CHANCELLOR SMITH AND DR.
SARAH BARLOW AND THEIR ENTIRE STAFF.
WE WERE APPROVED TO DO A DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM, BEING THE FIRST IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, WHERE, UH, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE GONNA GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME, UH, LPNS.
UH, WE GAVE OVER 25 WHITE COATS, UH, TO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING RIGHT INTO THE PROGRAM.
AND SO WE WANTED TO THANK OCHSNER, UH, OUR LADY OF LA AND ALSO, UM, ALL OF THE PARTNERS IN THE NURSING SCHOOL, UH, TO, UH, TO BEGIN TO DO THAT.
AND SO, UH, WE WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT, THAT PIPELINE.
AND THEN THE LAST THING I JUST, UM, I WOULD SAY BEFORE I ALLOW US TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON DUAL ENROLLMENT IS, UH, THIS MORNING WE WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE, UH, UH, 30 PLUS BUSINESS PARTNERS THAT WERE THERE THIS MORNING AT CTEC, WHERE WE'RE PROVIDING ALL OF OUR KIDS WITH INTERNSHIPS.
AS YOU KNOW, A PART OF OUR PATHWAYS TO BRIGHT FUTURE WORK, UH, IS A PART WHERE, UH, STUDENTS GET INTERNSHIPS, UH, TO LEARN IN THE PROFESSION AND PATHWAY THAT THEY WANT TO BECOME.
AND WE WERE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND SO WE WANT TO THANK THE 30 PARTNERS AS THEY WERE DOING THEIR ORIENTATION, UH, THIS MORNING.
UH, THAT INCLUDE NOT ONLY PRO, UH, FOR-PROFIT PARTNERS, BUT ALSO NON-PROFIT PARTNERS THAT WERE THERE TO HAVE THE, UM, MANY, UH, STUDENTS THAT'LL BE DOING INTERNSHIPS, UH, THIS YEAR.
UH, AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW THAT PROGRAM.
[D.2. Dual Enrollment Report]
AN UPDATE ON JUST ON DUAL ENROLLMENT.AS YOU KNOW, WE, UM, HAVE BEEN DOING DUAL ENROLLMENT WITHIN OUR PATHWAYS WORK, AND I JUST WANTED OUR TEAM TO JUST GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE TO THE BOARD AND THE PUBLIC.
SO I'LL ASK FOR, UH, MR. LA LEINO AND SEG MAYWEATHER TO COME UP AT THIS TIME, UH, TO GIVE THAT UPDATE.
BOARD PRESIDENT LANTIS, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AND DR.
UH, WE ARE GONNA GIVE YOU GUYS AN UPDATE ON WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
UM, AND BEFORE WAITING FOR THEM TO QUEUE THAT UP.
SO AS WE START THIS, WE WANNA, IT'S IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST FROM THE BOARD, UH, TO LOOK AT THE DUAL ENROLLMENT NUMBERS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
AND IN DOING SO, WE DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, AS DR.
NARCI SAID, DUAL ENROLLMENT IS ONE OF THE OPTIONS WITHIN THE, UH, PATHWAYS PROGRAM.
HOWEVER, IT'S NOT THE ONLY OPTION STILL IN ALL BASED ON YOUR REQUEST.
WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE DUAL ENROLLMENT DATA, BUT WE'RE ALSO GONNA INCLUDE THE DUAL ENROLLMENT DATA FOR GRADES NINE THROUGH 12.
SO THAT IS INCLUSIVE OF THE PATHWAYS GROUP, BUT IT IS ALSO INCLUSIVE OF OUR UPPERCLASSMEN AS WELL, WHO HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN DUAL ENROLLMENT FOR OVER FIVE YEARS.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU, 'CAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT AS THIS PROGRAM, AS PATHWAYS OF BRIGHT FUTURES ROLLED OUT, IT WAS NEW, UM, TO THIS BOARD.
SO IT IS EMBEDDED IN OUR SIX KEYS TO SUCCESS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST TWO KEYS, IT'S ABOUT ACCELERATING, UH, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS EARNING IBCS AS WELL AS IN ACCELERATING KEY SIX, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS GRADUATING ON TIME WITH EITHER AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE, STATEWIDE, IBCS, OR BEING TOPS ELIGIBLE.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, AS I STATED BEFORE, OUR PATHWAYS DIVIDE, RIGHT FUTURES PROGRAM INCLUDES FOUR OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS.
SO THE ONES THAT WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON TONIGHT ARE OPTIONS ONE AND THREE.
UH, JUST AS A QUICK REVIEW, OPTION ONE IS YOUR ASSOCIATE DEGREE THAT TRANSFERABLE LOUISIANA ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE.
YOU HAVE OPTION TWO, WHICH IS YOUR ADVANCED PLACEMENT OPTION THREE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSEWORK.
UH, INDEPENDENTLY IT IS STILL ADDING TOWARDS SOMETHING, BUT IT'S NOT THE STUDENT THAT'S GOING FOR THAT ENTIRE PACKAGE OF DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSEWORK.
AND THEN OPTION FOUR IS YOUR INDUSTRY-BASED CERTIFICATIONS.
ALL RIGHT, SO THE FIRST THING THAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS IN RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION ON EIGHT THREE, HOW MANY STUDENTS, LIKE ACTUAL STUDENTS DID WE HAVE PARTICIPATING IN DUAL ENROLLMENT? SO WHAT YOU SEE ON THIS CHART, IS IT BY GRADE LEVEL, BY SCHOOL? UM, WE HAVE THE NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT STUDENTS, AND I'M EX, UM, STRESSING
[00:15:01]
THAT INDEPENDENT STUDENT COUNTS BECAUSE REMEMBER, THIS ONE IS SHOWING YOU HOW MANY KIDS PARTICIPATED, NOT HOW MANY COURSES THEY PARTICIPATED IN.WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION AT A LATER SLIDE OR AFTER THIS PIECE.
BUT, SO THAT YOU'LL SEE HOW MANY STUDENTS WE'RE LOOKING AT AND THEN WHAT THAT IS PERCENTAGE-WISE FOR THE ENTIRE GROUP OF GRADE LEVEL STUDENTS FOR THAT SITE, AS WELL AS FOR THE DISTRICT.
SO IN THE ANSWER TO THIS ONE, THIS IS INCLUSIVE AGAIN OF GRADES NINE THROUGH 12, SO THAT YOUR PATHWAYS STUDENTS AS WELL AS YOUR CTEC STUDENTS, BECAUSE STUDENTS AT THE CAREER AND TECHNICAL S DO ALSO PARTICIPATE IN DUAL ENROLLMENT.
AND ANY OF YOUR 10TH, 11TH, AND 12TH GRADE STUDENTS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN DUAL ENROLLMENT AS WELL.
THIS IS, I'M SORRY, SCHOOL YEAR 2223.
AND MR. GODA, IT IS LISTED DOWN AT THE BOTTOM IN THE NOTES IF YOU NEED TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT SEMESTER.
SO WE DID BREAK IT UP INTO FALL AND SPRING BECAUSE THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN THE NUMBERS AND THE TYPES OF ENGAGEMENT.
AND SO WE WANTED TO BE AS SPECIFIC AS WE COULD BE AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS INFORMATION.
AND JUST TO PIGGYBACK ON MS. LEVITT REAL QUICKLY, UM, BECAUSE I KNOW, UH, BOARD MEMBER LEWIS, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO ASKED, UH, SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS INFORMATION.
THE REASON WE'RE CLARIFYING THAT THIS IS STUDENT PARTICIPATION VERSUS ENGAGEMENT IS KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME STUDENTS TAKE MORE THAN ONE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSE AT A TIME.
AND THAT'S WHY THERE'S A NUMBER OF STUDENTS VERSUS A NUMBER OF ENGAGEMENTS.
THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND WE HAVE THE NUMBER OF ENGAGEMENTS ON A LATER SLIDE.
ARE, UH, HAS THIS BEEN UPLOADED TO BOARD DOCS OR WILL IT BE UPLOADED TO BOARD DOCS SO THE PUBLIC CAN ACCESS IT? UH, IT SHOULD BE UPLOADED APRIL.
I DON'T SEE, I, I'LL ACCESS THE, THANK YOU.
SO ANOTHER QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED, UH, DURING THE CAL WAS ABOUT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT DROPPED, AND I THINK IT WAS IN CONJUNCTION WITH WITHDRAWAL.
SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SPECIFY THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DROP AND A WITHDRAWAL.
SO JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A QUICK LITTLE NOTE HERE.
WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH DROPS, IT OCCURS WHEN A STUDENT EXITS THE COURSE PRIOR TO THE START DATE OR DURING A SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENT PERIOD.
SO THE SAME AS WHEN WE START COURSES, UM, IN REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL SETTINGS AND THERE'S A SCHEDULE CHANGE OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE STUDENTS WITHIN THE FIRST 10 DAYS, COLLEGES DO THE SAME THING.
SO THERE ISN'T A MARK THAT EXISTS ON A STUDENT RECORD AFTER A DROP.
WE CHANGE THE COURSE, WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO WHAT WE WANTED YOU TO SEE IS WHEN A STUDENT DROPS THAT DE COURSE IN HOW WE'VE HANDLED THIS FOR THIS YEAR, THEY ARE TRANSFERRED TO AN EQUIVALENT COURSE AND THEY RETAIN THE SEAT TIME THAT THEY EARN WHILE IN THAT DE COURSE.
BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, DE COURSES DO START A LITTLE LATER THAN OUR HIGH SCHOOL COURSES.
SO IN ORDER FOR THEM TO RETAIN THE SEAT TIME THAT THEY EARN WHILE THEY'RE, AND THE COURSE PROGRESS GRADE THAT THEY EARN, WE TRANSFER THEM INTO AN EQUIVALENT COURSE.
AND WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT THAT IS ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
WITHDRAWALS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY TYPICALLY OCCUR WHEN A STUDENT EXITS AFTER THE DROP PERIOD.
SO THAT COULD LITERALLY BE THE VERY NEXT DAY IF THE DROP PERIOD ENDS.
IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, FOR US IT WAS ABOUT SEPTEMBER 8TH, UM, FOR THE FALL SEMESTER.
SO IF I DROPPED ON THE NINTH, THAT IS NOT A DROP, IT IS A WITHDRAWAL.
IF I DROPPED NOVEMBER 1ST, THAT IS A WITHDRAWAL.
SO THERE IS A PERIOD IN WHICH THEY CAN DO THAT, AND THEY WOULD RECEIVE A W ON THEIR TRANSCRIPT, THEIR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT FOR THOSE WITHDRAWALS.
A W IS NOT A GRADED MARK, HOWEVER, IT IS A MARK.
UM, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE INDICATE THAT AND WE'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENED WITH THOSE WITHDRAWAL STUDENTS AS WELL.
JUST FOR THE CLARIFICATION, FOR ANYBODY THAT'S LISTENING, ANY STUDENT THAT IS IN OR ENROLLED IN DUAL ENROLLMENT MM-HMM.
I GOT QUITE A FEW W'S WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE THERE.
THERE ARE NO DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES THAT E B R OFFERS THAT IN OUR PORTFOLIO THAT DO NOT ALIGN TO A HIGH SCHOOL COURSE THAT A STUDENT WOULD NEED FOR GRADUATION.
SO THERE IS NO HARM IN THE, IN THE DROP MM-HMM.
SO THAT'S, AS WE MENTIONED, IS ON A LATER SLIDE.
THIS IS THE SLIDE WE'RE LOOKING AT NOW.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE CENTER OF THIS PIECE AS MS. MAYWEATHER REFERENCE, WE USE THE MASTER COURSE ARTICULATION MATRIX, WHICH IS JUST A REALLY LONG WAY OF SAYING THE COURSES THAT WE SELECT ARE TRANSFERRABLE AMONGST THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
SO IF I'M TAKING MATH 10 0 1 AT ONE INSTITUTION, THAT MAY BE EQUIVALENT TO MATH 10 13 AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION, AND THERE IS A HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT COURSE THAT'S ALSO AN EQUIVALENT FOR THAT COURSE.
SO IN THE CASE OF HERE, IF A KID DROPPED FROM, LET'S SAY, INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL ARTS DE, AND WE DID HAVE STUDENTS TAKING A VARIETY OF COURSEWORK THAT INCLUDED THE ARTS AND INCLUDED YOUR HUMANITIES AND SOME SOCIAL SCIENCES AS WELL, WOULD THAT BEING THE CASE? IF A STUDENT DROPPED FROM INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL ARTS, THEY WOULD BE SCHEDULED INTO ART ONE, WHICH WAS THE COURSE EQUIVALENT FOR THAT.
THEREBY THE STUDENT WOULD BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR PROGRESS THAT THEY EARNED IN
[00:20:01]
THE INTRODUCTION OF VISUAL VISUAL ARTS DE COURSE, AS WELL AS CONTINUE TOWARDS THEIR MATRICULATION FOR GRADUATION.SO WE'RE NOT INTERRUPTING THOSE PIECES.
SO THEN THE OTHER QUESTION THAT COMES UP IS, OKAY, WHY DO STUDENTS DROP BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT IT'S NOT A MARK THAT'S SHOWN ON THEIR TRANSCRIPT IN ANY WAY BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT IT'S A SIMPLE SCHEDULE CHANGE AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
YOU HAVE SOME REASONS THAT, REMEMBER WE DO SCHEDULING AT THE HIGH SCHOOL AREA IN MAY OF THE YEAR BEFORE, OR EVEN IN JUNE AS STUDENTS COME IN FOR ORIENTATION OR JULY AND THEY REQUEST THINGS.
THEN AUGUST COMES AROUND AND SOMETIMES STUDENTS CHANGE THEIR MINDS.
I I MIGHT WANNA PARTICIPATE IN CTEC, OR MAYBE I WANNA GET OUT EARLY 'CAUSE I WANNA DO SOMETHING ELSE.
SO THERE'S A PLETHORA OF REASONS WHY THAT HAPPENS.
BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THE STUDENTS MOVE BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS, LIKE THEY TRANSFER, THEY MOVED.
SO THEY, THEY WENT SOMEWHERE AND MAYBE I WAS GONNA TAKE SPEECH ONE DE OVER HERE, BUT IT'S NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS PARTICULAR SITE, SO I HAD TO SWITCH TO SOMETHING ELSE.
OR THE NUMBERS ARE RECORDED BASED ON WHAT APPEARS ON THE STUDENT'S SCHEDULE.
SO DO REMEMBER THE STUDENTS ALSO HAVE TO COMPLETE AN APPLICATION FOR THE COLLEGE.
SO IF A STUDENT IS SCHEDULED INTO THE CLASS BUT DID NOT COMPLETE THE COLLEGE APPLICATION, THEN THEY CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN THE COURSE, IN WHICH CASE THEY WOULD BE REMOVED AT THAT POINT TOO.
SO THE NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT ARE THERE, THEY'RE ALSO CALLED NON-PARTICIPATION DROPS.
WHEN STUDENTS DO NOT SUBMIT WORK WITHIN A CERTAIN TIME PERIOD, THEY WOULD BE DROPPED FROM THAT PARTICULAR COLLEGE COURSE.
ALL RIGHT? NOW AGAIN, WE EMPHASIZED THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE FIRST ONE FOR THE FALL.
THIS CHART IS THE NUMBER OF COURSE ENGAGEMENTS.
SO YOU'LL SEE THERE'S A SLIGHT VARIANCE AT SOME SCHOOLS BECAUSE MAYBE A STUDENT WAS ONLY TAKING ONE DE COURSE.
SO THAT NUMBER THAT YOU SEE FOR THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS MAY MATCH THE NUMBER OF COURSE ENGAGEMENTS.
BUT IN SOME SITUATIONS, THE STUDENTS MAY HAVE BEEN TAKING TWO OR THREE.
SO AT THAT SITE YOU'LL SEE SOME VARIANCE THERE.
WHAT WE PUT ON THIS SLIDE WAS SO THAT YOU COULD SEE, UH, AS AT PER EACH GRADE LEVEL, PER EACH SCHOOL AT SEPTEMBER 5TH, WHICH IS BEFORE THE DROP DATE, THERE'S A NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE THE NUMBER OF ENGAGEMENTS, SORRY, COURSE ENGAGEMENTS FOR THAT PARTICULAR SITE VERSUS HOW MANY COURSE ENGAGEMENTS WERE MARKED AS FINISHED THAT EARNED A GRADE.
AND SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE DIFFERENCE THERE.
THERE'S A CHART AT THE BOTTOM THAT KIND OF COUNTS OUT THE DIFFERENCES FOR YOU.
AND WE'LL TALK THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED WITH EACH OF THOSE AS WE GO THROUGH.
SO AGAIN, UNLIKE THE PREVIOUSLY DISPLAYED CHART, THIS IS NOT PER STUDENT, THIS IS PER COURSE ENGAGEMENT.
SO AGAIN, MR. LEWIS, YOU HAD A QUESTION ABOUT WITHDRAWALS, UH, FOR THAT PIECE.
SO WE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT WHAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DROPS AND THE WITHDRAWALS WERE.
UH, SINCE WITHDRAWALS OCCUR LATER IN THE SEMESTER, THERE IS STILL AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT A KID IN AN EQUIVALENT COURSE THOUGH.
SO WE, WE ARE GONNA EXERCISE THAT EACH TIME BE, THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF CHOOSING A COURSE THAT CAN STILL GO TOWARDS GRADUATION THAT WE HAVE AN EQUIVALENT TRADITIONAL COURSE FOR.
NOW, THIS DATA IS SPECIFIC TO OUR PATHWAYS STUDENTS, PRIMARILY BECAUSE AS WE ARE ROLLING OUT THIS INFORMATION, WE'RE PUTTING IN PLACE SOME PROCEDURES FOR THE UNDERCLASSMEN STUDENTS OR THE PATHWAYS PARTICIPANTS THAT WERE NOT NECESSARILY IN PLACE FOR THE UPPERCLASSMEN STUDENTS.
BUT WE WILL BE IMPLEMENTING THOSE THIS YEAR AS WE SEE THAT THOSE PROCEDURES WORK.
SO IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO MONITOR WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE WITHDRAWALS, WHY IT'S HAPPENING, WHAT THOSE INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN BEFORE THAT, HOW MANY PHONE CALLS HAVE HAPPENED, HOW MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR REMEDIATION HAVE HAPPENED.
SO IN DOING THAT IN THE FALL, WE DID HAVE 177 WITHDRAWALS.
THAT'S 126 STUDENTS WITH 177 WITHDRAWALS STILL IN.
ALL WITHIN THOSE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIX FIFTY ONE, I'M SORRY, WITHIN THOSE 1 77, 50 1% OF THOSE WITHDRAWALS WERE RELATED TO CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
ESSENTIALLY, IF THE STUDENT'S NOT HERE, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT ON THAT TIMELINE TO TRY TO GET THEM TO MAKE UP.
SO SOME OF THEM MADE THE CHOICE TO WITHDRAW.
THEN YOU HAVE 69% OF THEM THAT DESPITE THE WITHDRAWAL, THEY STILL WENT ON TO COMPLETE THEIR SEMESTER COURSE, WHICH MEANS THEY EARNED THE CREDIT THAT THEY WOULD HAVE EARNED HAD THEY NOT BEEN IN A DE ENGAGEMENT ANYWAY.
SO THEY STILL EARNED, 'CAUSE EVERY SEMESTER WE CAN EARN FOUR CREDITS FOR THE SECOND SEMESTER AS WELL.
SO THEY STILL WENT ON TO EARN THE SEMESTER CREDIT THAT THEY WOULD'VE EARNED HAD THEY NOT BEEN INDEED.
UH, THE SCREENSHOT ON THE SIDE IS JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU GUYS A SAMPLE.
SO THEN YOUR GRADE DISTRIBUTION, AGAIN PER YOUR REQUEST, HERE'S THE GRADE DISTRIBUTION PER SITE.
UM, AND AGAIN, THIS IS BY GRADES PER COURSES, NOT STUDENTS.
BECAUSE IF I WERE TO GIVE YOU THE ONE PER STUDENT, YOU WOULD HAVE KIDS APPEARING IN BOTH CATEGORIES AND THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE TOO, I'M GOING TO GENERAL COUNSEL THERE, STUDENT SPECIFIC.
YOU'D BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SOME THINGS.
SO WE HAVE TO GIVE YOU THE NUMBERS THERE.
UM, STILL IN ALL, WE HAD 26% OF OUR GRADES THAT WERE A'S 27% THAT WERE BS 27% AGAIN, THAT WERE C'S.
AND THEN WE HAD 20% IN THE DSS
[00:25:01]
AND F CATEGORIES AND 14% IN THE WITHDRAWAL CATEGORY FOR THE FALL SEMESTER.UH, FIRST I HAVE SCHOOL BOARD A MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN IN THE QUEUE.
I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE, KINDA THE ORDER OF DISCUSSION.
UM, IS, IS THE INTENT TO, UM, TO TALK ABOUT TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, WHICH THE, UH, THE SUPERINTENDENT TOUCHED ON IN HIS UPDATE, UH, UH, WHEN WE HAVE THE, ONE OF THE TWO AGENDA ITEMS? OR, OR SHOULD WE ASK, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GENERAL TRANSPORTATION ISSUES NOW? I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.
DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE, THE, THE, THE SPECIFIC ENGINE ITEMS. I WAS GONNA SAY WHEN WE GET TO THE ITEMS, 'CAUSE WHAT WE'RE, WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS I'M GONNA ASK THE BOARD TO ALLOW ME TO MOVE THOSE ITEMS UP OKAY.
AFTER WE, BEFORE WE GO INTO, UH, THE CONSENT AGENDA.
SO WE WILL BE, THAT'S GONNA BE THE FIRST ITEMS. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I DIDN'T, I WANT DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SAY MY COMMENTS OR MY QUESTIONS WEREN'T GERMANE AT THAT TIME.
DIRECTLY RELATE TO THE NO, YOU'RE GOOD.
NEXT, IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE, UH, SCHOOL MEMO MICHAEL GODDE.
UH, JUST TRYING TO LOOK AT THE DATA ON THE GRADE DISTRIBUTION.
AND I'M LOOKING AT MCKINLEY HIGH SINCE THAT'S IN MY DISTRICT.
AND WHEN I READ ACROSS THE GRADE DISTRIBUTION, I HAVE 124 GRADES.
BUT WHEN I LOOK AT THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT COUNT OVER HERE, UH, I HAVE, UH, 102 HUNDRED 28.
SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE CHART WITH THE STUDENT PARTICIPATION MATCHING UP AT THE START FOR THE CHART FOR THE GRADE DISTRIBUTION.
I'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT ONE SPECIFICALLY.
'CAUSE I'M, I'M GONNA HAVE TO GO IN BETWEEN THE TWO SLIDES.
BUT DO REMEMBER THAT THE STUDENT COUNT AND THE GRADE DISTRIBUTION WILL NOT BE THE SAME FOR KIDS THAT WITHDREW? 'CAUSE THEY DON'T GET A GRADE.
THEY WOULD GET A W SO THERE MAY BE A PERCENTAGE OF THEM THAT ARE THERE.
BUT I DON'T WANNA LIKE, YOU KNOW, ASSUME, BUT I CAN LOOK SPECIFICALLY AT THIS.
I'LL NOTE THAT MR. GOEY FIRST TO GO BACK AND CHECK.
SO IN TERMS, SORRY, I HAVE ONE MORE PERSON IN THE QUEUE.
MY APOLOGIES HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER KATIE KINISON.
UH, I DUNNO IF WE CAN GO BACK TO THE, THE LAST SLIDE.
SO JUST SO I'M CLEAR ON, ON THE TOP, THAT'S TOTALS RIGHT? YES.
SO BETWEEN D, F AND WS, UM, I DON'T CONSIDER A C LIKE A GREAT, A GREAT START.
BUT, SO THAT'S ROUGHLY 700, UH, PERMANENT MARKS ON A TRANSCRIPT, PERMANENT NEGATIVE MARKS ON A TRANSCRIPT IN ONE SEMESTER.
IS THAT, SO WE DON'T CONSIDER THE C A NEGATIVE MARK.
THE REASON IT IS COLORED GREEN IS NOT NECESSARILY BECAUSE OF THE GRADE ITSELF.
IT'S BECAUSE IT'S COLLEGE CREDIT.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO START YOUR COLLEGE CAREER WITH A C ON YOUR TRANSCRIPT? WOULD THAT BE CONSIDERED A GREEN FLIGHT? IT'S COLLEGE.
WE'RE COUNTING COLLEGE CREDIT FOR THOSE.
THAT'S THE REASON THAT WE'RE TRACKING IT IN THAT WAY.
SO, I'M SORRY, POINT OF INFORMATION.
SO JUST FOR CLARITY, YOU'RE TRACKING IT THAT WAY BECAUSE IF YOU GET RE IF YOU RECEIVE A D, R AND F, YOU DON'T RECEIVE THE COLLEGE CREDIT.
IF YOU'RE TAKING DUAL ENROLLMENT, YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE COLLEGE CREDIT.
SO IT IS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH, UH, WHETHER OR NOT THAT GRADE IS DEEMED AS GOOD OR BAD.
AND I'M JUST ASKING THAT JUST FOR ABSOLUTE CLARITY BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THE PUBLIC IS WATCHING TONIGHT.
WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE GET EVERYTHING RIGHT ON THE RECORD.
COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS ARE, THE GRADES ARE IMPORTANT.
AND ALSO JUST FOR A FURTHER POINT OF CLARITY, UH, PRESIDENT LANIS, ALTHOUGH THE D AND THE F ARE CONSIDERED MI MARGINAL SUCCESS, A D ALSO EARNS THE STUDENT AN ENTIRE YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT.
ALTHOUGH THAT'S NOT A A A GRADE THAT WE WOULD WANNA SEE ON THE TRANSCRIPT.
AND THAT'S ACTUALLY COVERED ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO AS WE'RE LOOKING AT THE MARGINAL AND UNSUCCESSFUL MARKS, SO WE DID HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND THEN ANALYZE AND AGAIN, RESPONSE TO THE REQUEST.
WHAT BECAME OF THE STUDENTS WITH THE D'S AND THE F'S AND THE WOULD BE GIVING YOU THE WITHDRAWAL ONES.
ALREADY THERE WERE 130 D GRADES IN THE FALL THAT ACCOUNTED FOR 120 KIDS.
THAT BEING THE CASE, WE LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ON THIS ONE.
SO 88% OF THOSE STUDENTS STILL EARN THREE CREDITS OR MORE, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY'RE ON TRACK FOR GRADUATION OR ON TRACK TO MATRICULATE TO THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL.
THEN YOU HAVE 84% OF THAT, WHICH IS 1 0 1 OUT OF ONE 20 THAT OPTED TO CONTINUE IN A DIFFERENT DE CLASS.
SO DESPITE HAVING EARNED THE D THE DE COURSES ARE DIFFERENT, JUST THE SAME AS ANY OTHER IMPLEMENTATION.
LIKE I MAYBE I DO REALLY WELL IN ENGLISH AND NOT SO WELL IN MATH.
WELL, IF I'M TAKING A HISTORY COURSE AT FIRST, BUT THEN I GO INTO A GEOGRAPHY COURSE THAT'S A HUMANITIES VERSUS A SOCIAL SCIENCE, IT'S A DIFFERENT PIECE OF LEARNING THERE.
SO THE STUDENTS DID, 84% OF THEM DECIDED TO CONTINUE ON AND DO A DIFFERENT COURSE.
UH, THEN YOU HAVE 90 STUDENTS THAT DID EARN AN F DURING, I'M SORRY, 90 FSS ACCOUNTS FOR 81 STUDENTS.
OF THOSE 81, 60 2% STILL WENT ON TO EARN THEIR THREE CREDITS.
SO THEY'RE ON TRACK FOR GRADUATION.
I'M 65% CHOSE TO CONTINUE IN A DE COURSEWORK, UH, DE
[00:30:01]
COURSE ENGAGEMENT DESPITE WHAT HAPPENED, UH, DURING THEIR FIRST SEMESTER.SO AGAIN, AS WE'RE GETTING INTO THE SPRING SEMESTER, I DO WANNA LOOK AT THE FACT THAT WE ARE NOTATING THIS INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN MAKE CHANGES AS WE GO INTO THE SPRING.
AND WE'VE INCLUDED DOWN AT THE BOTTOM, BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PATHWAYS STUDENTS SPECIFICALLY.
'CAUSE THAT'S THE ONES WE'RE TRACKING THIS DATA THIS DEEPLY FOR, WE WILL BE MOVING INTO DOING THAT FOR THE UPPERCLASSMEN THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, BUT THERE ARE POLICIES THAT WE WANTED TO POINT OUT FOR THESE KIDS.
SO AS WE'RE CONCERNED WITH THE COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A POLICY WITH OUR PARTNER INSTITUTION THAT A STUDENT THAT CAN REPLACE AN EARLIER GRADE EARNED WITH THE LATER GRADE.
SO IF I DECIDE TO RETAKE A COURSE THAT I EARNED A D IN, I CAN'T REPLACE IT WITH THE LATER GRADE THAT I EARNED FOR THAT.
SO QUESTION, THAT'S THE QUESTION THAT I ACTUALLY WAS GONNA ASK YOU WAS, DOES REPEAT AND DELETE, UH, IS IT AN OPTION FOR THESE STUDENTS? BECAUSE TECHNICALLY THEY ARE COLLEGE STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE RECEIVING COLLEGE CREDIT WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL.
SO CAN THEY, UH, UTILIZE THE REPEAT AND DELETE, UH, UH, I'M SORRY, OPTION FOR THEIR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT? YES.
BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING WITH B R C C FOR THIS PARTICULAR ENGAGEMENT.
SO THE SPRING, WE DID HAVE STUDENTS ENGAGED IN THE SPRING COURSES.
AGAIN, THIS IS DEALING WITH YOUR NUMBER OF STUDENTS.
SO I'M NOT GONNA SPEND AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF TIME ON THIS ONE.
THEY'RE GONNA FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERN AS WHAT WE DID FOR THE FALL SPREAD, UH, SLIDES.
BUT THIS IS INCLUSIVE OF YOUR P B F STUDENTS AS WELL AS YOUR CTEC STUDENTS AND YOUR NINE THROUGH 12 GROUPS.
SO THEN YOU GO INTO THE SLIDE THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT BEFORE WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT DROPS VERSUS WITHDRAWALS.
AND WHAT WE ENDED WITH, WE DID THE SAME THING.
BUT YOU WILL NOTICE IN THE SPRING THAT YOU SEE MORE BLACK IN THE DIFFERENCES.
IN THE FIRST SLIDE FOR THE FALL, WE HAD STUDENTS THAT WERE EITHER DROPPING OR WITHDRAWING IN THE SPRING.
WE PICKED UP KIDS AFTER THE DROP DATES OR AROUND THAT DROP PERIOD.
SO WE HAD KIDS THAT DIDN'T START OFF SAYING, HEY, I WANNA DO THIS DE UH, COURSE, BUT THEN DECIDED TO DO SO, UH, LATER IN.
SO YOU SEE THAT IN THE FRESHMAN YEAR AND THE, I'M SORRY, THE FRESHMAN GROUP AND THE SENIOR GROUP.
AND THEN HERE'S OUR SPRING GRADE DISTRIBUTION LOOKING A LOT BETTER.
UH, THERE WERE ONLY 39 WITHDRAWALS IN THE SPRING.
53 F'S STILL A FAIR NUMBER OF D'S, BUT LOWER THAN BEFORE.
BUT OUR A'S ARE AT 3 0 2, OUR B'S ARE AT 2 77.
OUR C'S ARE AT 2 59, WHICH GAVE US AN OVERALL OF 85% FOR THAT ONE.
ALL RIGHT, SO IN TERMS OF OUR SPRING WITHDRAWALS AND UNSUCCESSFUL OR MARGINAL AND UNSUCCESSFUL MARKS, THAT'S OUR DS AND OUR W DFS AND WS, THERE WERE ONLY 39 WITHDRAWALS IN THE SPRING.
18 OF THE 39 STUDENTS STILL WENT ON TO EARN THEIR, THEIR SEMESTER CREDIT, KEEPING THEM ON TRACK WITH THEIR PEERS TO BE PROMOTED TO THE 10TH GRADE.
26TH OF THE 39 OR 67% OF THE WITHDRAWALS WERE RELATED TO CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
SO WE STILL HAD THAT HAPPENING.
BUT AT A SMALLER RATE, UH, THE MOST COMMONLY CITED REASON FOR WITHDRAWALS WAS ACTUALLY A LACK OF PROGRESS BY THE EIGHTH OR 10TH WEEK MARK.
AND SO WE JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW WE ARE TRACKING THOSE AT THOSE MARKS.
THE FOUR WEEK, THE EIGHT WEEK, THE 10TH WEEK, THE 12TH WEEK.
UM, SO THAT WE CAN KEEP STUDENTS INFORMED AND FAMILIES INFORMED AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THAT.
THEN YOU HAD THE 141 D AND FS THAT ONLY ACCOUNTED FOR 102 STUDENTS, NOT THE FULL 1 41.
I HAD SOME NAMES IN THE QUEUE, SO I DIDN'T WANT TO GET YOU TO GO TOO FAR.
AND THEY FORGET THEIR QUESTIONS THEY WANT TO ASK.
SO NEXT WE HAVE IN THE QUEUE SCHOOL OF MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I JUST, I JUST WANNA MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE I UNDERSTOOD YOUR ANSWER TO PRESIDENT LANIS EARLIER.
IF THE, IF THE STUDENT GETS EITHER A D OR AN F, THEY DON'T GET COLLEGE CREDIT.
BUT NO NEGATIVE MARK APPEARS ON THEIR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT.
THEIR COLLEGE, IF YOU HAVE A GRADE, THE GRADE IS ON YOUR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT.
WHAT WE WERE SPEAKING TO WAS THE POLICY THAT WE LISTED DOWN AT THE BOTTOM THAT IF A STUDENT CHOOSES TO REPEAT THAT COURSE, THE LATER GRADE IS WHAT'S RECORDED ON THE COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT.
BUT IF THEY, IF THEY DON'T REPEAT THE COURSE, THEN, THEN DO THEY HAVE A D OR AN F ON THEIR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT THE SAME AS YOU WOULD FOR A HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT? YES, SIR.
SO, SO, SO YOU COULD TRY TO TAKE THE DUAL ENROLLMENT.
IF YOU, IF YOU FAIL, THEN, THEN THAT'S PERMANENTLY REFLECTED ON YOUR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT THAT WOULD FOLLOW YOU WHEREVER YOU GO, UNLESS YOU CHOOSE TO WITH TAKE RETAKE THE COURSE, WHICH IS STILL AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE STUDENTS.
NOW, THIS IS ALSO WHY FOR THE WITHDRAWAL PIECE, WITHDRAWALS HAVE COME WITH THEIR OWN MARK THAT W MARK.
BUT AS I WAS STATING, THIS IS WHY WE DO THAT FOUR WEEK, THAT EIGHT WEEK, THAT 10 WEEK, THAT 12TH WEEK.
SO THOSE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES CHOSE TO STAY ENGAGED IN THAT PARTICULAR COURSE.
SO THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME OUT AND DO THE W PIECE, BUT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO MAKE SURE WE GIVE 'EM AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO TRY TO FIX WHAT THEY HAVE GOING ON.
AND THEN A LOT OF THEM WERE, WERE BECAUSE OF ABSENCES.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, YES, IT IS A TRANSCRIPT MARK, BUT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REMEDIATE IT.
IT'S A COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT MARK THAT IS, THAT'S DUAL.
AND BEFORE I MOVE ALONG, I'LL JUST SAY THAT THAT IS A COMMONLY USED OPTION
[00:35:01]
FOR ALL FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORE STUDENTS WHEN THEY'RE IN COLLEGES TO REPEAT AND DELETE IF YOU FAIL THE COURSE.SO NEXT THING YOU HAVE IN THE QUEUE, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS, THANK YOU.
ON THE DUAL ENROLLMENT, MARGINAL AND UNSUCCESSFUL MARCH OF THE FALL OF 22, THE FALL.
JUST FOR A POINT OF CLARITY, THOSE KIDS, EVEN THOUGH THEY FAIL THE DUAL ENROLLMENT, THEY TRANSITION TO THAT EQUIVALENT EQUIVALENT COURSE COACH.
IF YOU SEE A WITHDRAWAL, THEN THEY DID NOT FAIL THE COLLEGE COURSE.
SO WHAT THEY PASSED OR WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO SUCCEED IN IS THE EQUIVALENT HIGH SCHOOL COURT.
SO THEY DON'T, DON'T HAVE THAT GRADE ON THEIR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT.
THEY MOVED IT OVER TO THE HIGH SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT, WHICH THEN COLLEGE, THEY EARNED THE HIGH SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT.
COACH CONCLUDES YOUR QUESTION.
NIXON Q WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER KATIE KENERSON.
UH, JUST SO I'M CLEAR, IF, IF THEY COMPLETE THE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSE AND RECEIVE A D OR F, UM, THEY STILL RECEIVE HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT FOR A D FOR A D A FULL YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT, NOT THE SEMESTER CREDIT THAT THEY WOULD'VE NORMALLY RECEIVED A FULL YEAR CREDIT.
THEY WOULD RECEIVE, RECEIVE A FULL CREDIT, ONE CREDIT NOT A HALF.
THAT MAKES SENSE WHY WE SEE THOSE READINESS, NINTH GRADE READINESS NUMBERS.
AND IT'S ALL COMING TOGETHER NOW? NOT NECESSARILY.
'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY D'S.
AND REMEMBER, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NINTH GRADE READINESS NUMBERS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ENTIRE 2000 GROUP OF NINTH GRADE STUDENTS.
AND THIS DOESN'T ENCOMPASS THE WHOLE 2000.
WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT THE DUAL ENROLLMENT GROUP.
THERE'S JUST MAIN PIECES MISSING THAT I'M TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER.
BUT, SO IF YOU GET A, IF YOU GET A D, AND I'M GONNA JUST SAY IT AGAIN.
IF YOU GET A D IN A DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASS, YOU'RE CLEARED WITH HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT, UH, AND YOU MOVE ON TO THE NEXT, THAT WOULD BE THE SAME FOR ANY HIGH SCHOOL COURSE THOUGH.
SO IF I GET A D IN ENGLISH ONE, I STILL MOVE ON.
I HAVE A CREDIT IN ENGLISH ONE.
AND IF YOU GET AN F I DO NOT GET CREDIT.
SO I THINK FOR CLARITY, THE SEQUENCING IS EQUIVALENT OR ALIGNED TO HIGH SCHOOL.
UH, TO THE HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE, CORRECT? YES, SIR.
SO I, I'M USING ENGLISH ONE AS THE EXAMPLE FOR A TRADITIONAL COURSE I GOT, BUT THERE IS NO DE ENGLISH ONE.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CARLA POWELL, LEWIS.
UM, OKAY, SO MY QUESTION IN REGARDS TO, YOU MENTIONED THAT IF THEY GET A D, AND OF COURSE IT'S, IT'S ALSO THE SAME THING OF, OF BEING THEIR HIGH SCHOOL GRADE OR WHAT HAVE YOU MM-HMM.
IF THEY FAIL, IF THEY MAKE THAT, UH, THAT D AND THAT DUAL ENROLLMENT.
SO LEMME MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING YOUR QUESTION.
I'M GONNA GET AWAY FROM ENGLISH ONE 'CAUSE THERE ISN'T A DUAL ENROLLMENT FOR THAT.
SPEECH ONE HAS A DUAL ENROLLMENT PIECE.
SO I'M A STUDENT, I TOOK SPEECH ONE, I GOT A D IN SPEECH ONE.
AND SO THEN WHAT YOU'RE ASKING IS, COULD THE STUDENT THEN GO BACK AND TAKE TRADITIONAL SPEECH YES.
AND EARN MAYBE A B OR SOMETHING? YES.
THE, THE ONLY THING IS WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT REPEATING COURSE CREDITS WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TO.
BUT OF COURSE, IF A STUDENT CHOOSES TO DO THAT, THAT'S ALWAYS AN OPTION.
THAT WOULD BE THE SAME AS IF I WANTED TO RETAKE HEALTH BECAUSE I GOT A D THIS TIME.
AND SO I RETOOK IT IN THE SUMMER AND GOT A B.
AND I, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ASK TOO AS WELL, WITH, UM, THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SCHOOL, BETWEEN THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS AND FAMILIES, UH, ARE THERE ANY MECHANISMS PUT IN PLACE THAT, THAT REQUIRE MAYBE SCHOOL COUNSELORS, GRADUATION COACHES, WHOMEVER IS OVER DE FOR THAT SCHOOL TO STAY IN CONTACT WITH THE PARENTS TO LET THEM KNOW THESE ARE YOUR CHILD'S OPTIONS BEFORE WE GET TO THE D N F STAGE? THESE ARE YOUR CHILD'S OPTIONS.
DROP THE CLASS, WITHDRAW, WHAT HAVE YOU, WHAT HAVE YOU.
THAT'S ACTUALLY WHY WE PICTURED THAT SCREENSHOT OF WHAT THAT WITHDRAWAL CRITERIA LOOKS LIKE TO SHOW YOU THE INDICATORS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
AND THERE'S PERSONNEL DEDICATED TO MAKING SURE WE ARE GETTING AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL GRADE REPORTS FROM STUDENTS ON A REGULAR.
MS. MAYWEATHER ACTUALLY HAS ACCESS TO ALL OF THE CANVAS COURSES AS WELL.
SO SHE CAN GO IN AND VIEW THAT INFORMATION.
AND SO WE SEND DIRECTIONS WHETHER IF WE NEED TO DO THAT.
BUT THERE'S PERSONNEL ON EVERY SITE WHO THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO CONTACT PARENTS, WORK WITH STUDENTS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE ON THEIR OWN.
AND THEN THEY DISCOVER THEY HAVE A DNR.
NO, AND MS. POWELL, DON'T FORGET, MS. POWELL.
UM, DUAL ENROLLMENT IS ONE OF THE ONLY COURSES WHERE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TWO TEACHERS OF RECORD, RIGHT? CORRECT.
A COLLEGE PROFESSOR AND YOU HAVE AS WELL AS THE HIGH SCHOOL FACILITATOR ON CAMPUS.
SO YOU REALLY HAVE MORE SUPPORT, MORE MONITORING THAN IN ANY OTHER ENGAGEMENT IN, IN HIGH SCHOOL.
[00:40:01]
WE'RE TRYING TO GET THROUGH THIS.'CAUSE I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE LOTS OF THINGS TO DEAL WITH, BUT THANK YOU.
SO I MENTIONING YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION, THERE ARE COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF LIKE, ACTIVITIES THAT WE'VE LOGGED THAT HAVE WHAT THE INTERVENTIONS WERE FOR STUDENTS AS BEFORE THEY GET TO THAT POINT, BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS THE STUDENT TO GET TO THAT POINT TO WHERE THEY HAVE THE D THE F OR HAVE TO WITHDRAW.
SO WE HAVE PLENTY OF ACTIVITIES THAT HAPPEN BEFORE THAT.
SO THEN THIS IS JUST KIND OF A SUMMATION, PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER, WHAT THE END OF THE YEAR LOOKED LIKE WITH WHAT YOU JUST SAW ON THE LAST SLIDE.
SO IT'S NOT VERY DIFFERENT, IT'S JUST WHAT YOU ALREADY HAD PUT IN ONE PLACE.
WE HAD 28% A'S 28% B'S, 27% C'S.
WE HAD 10% OF THEM WERE D'S, 7% WERE F'S.
AND AGAIN, BECAUSE THE WITHDRAWAL RATE, THE SPRING SEMESTER WAS SO MUCH LOWER 'CAUSE WE LEARNED SO MUCH DURING THE FALL, WE HAD A 9%, UH, WITHDRAWAL RATE FOR THE FULL YEAR, GIVING US 83% OF OUR ENROLLMENTS EARNED COLLEGE CREDIT.
AND THEN PURSUANT TO THE LAST REQUEST, MR. LEWIS, UM, SO WE'VE LOOKED AT THE LEAP DATA AS REQUESTED.
WE CHOSE THE ENGLISH ONE LEAP DATA FOR SPECIFICALLY PATHWAY STUDENTS AT THE PARTICULAR SCHOOLS THAT PARTICIPATED.
UM, AND CHOSE TO LOOK AT THE A, B, C RATE ONLY BECAUSE IF YOU GO IN OUR PUPIL PROGRESSION PLAN, TYPICALLY YOU KIND OF SEE WHERE THE C WOULD BE AS A GRADE MARK.
IT'S TYPICALLY AROUND IN THAT BASIC AREA.
THERE'S A LITTLE BIT THAT GOES A LITTLE BIT IN THE APPROACHING TO, BUT IT'S IN THAT BASIC AREA.
SO WE LOOKED AT BASIC AND ABOVE COMPARED TO AN A, B, C RATE FOR EACH SCHOOL.
NOW AGAIN, THIS WAS THE REQUEST, UH, BUT WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT AND WHAT WE'RE PULLING FROM IT IS OUR A, B, C RATE EXCEEDED OUR, UH, BASIC AND ABOVE RATE IN MOST CASES.
THE REASON FOR THAT IS, I THINK WHAT MS. MAYWEATHER HAS SAID CONTINUOUSLY ON A REGULAR BASIS IS THE FACT THAT THE LEAPS ASSESSMENT MEASURES A DIFFERENT SET OF SKILLS THAN WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR A STUDENT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN DUAL ENROLLMENT.
SO, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA ADD TO, YEAH.
SO, UM, COACH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT IN OUR DEPARTMENT, AND, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS, IS, UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF US IN HERE ARE DEGREED OR TO WHAT LEVEL, RIGHT? UM, BACHELOR'S, MASTER'S, PHD, AND EVEN JUST A A, I DON'T MEAN TO SAY JUST A, BUT EVEN A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, IT ISN'T ALWAYS ABOUT INTELLIGENCE OR ASSESSMENT, RIGHT? PERFORMING WELL IN THOSE CLASSES AND SUCCEEDING IS ABOUT A SET OF HABITS.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT DUAL ENROLLMENT IS ABOUT.
DO YOU SHOW UP EVERY DAY? DO YOU LOG INTO THE CANVAS PLATFORM? DO YOU DO THAT ON TIME WHEN YOU LOG IN? ARE YOU ABLE TO TAKE THAT SYLLABUS AND BREAK IT DOWN INTO A TIMELINE? DO YOU MEET THE SCHEDULING OF THAT TIMELINE? DO YOU MEET YOUR DEADLINES? DUAL ENROLLMENT AND COLLEGE COURSEWORK IN GENERAL IS ABOUT HABITS.
SO THAT DOES NOT ALIGN, IN MY OPINION, TO THE ASSESSMENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK I HEARD YOU SAY ONE TIME, WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T, UH, COMPARE APPLES AND ORANGES, RIGHT? UM, AND SO THE TESTED SUBJECTS ARE NOT THE ONES THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSEWORK.
SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO MAKE THAT ALIGNMENT.
THERE IS NO, AGAIN, THERE'S NO ENGLISH ONE DE COURSE THAT WE ENGAGE IN.
THERE'S NO ENGLISH TWO DE COURSE THAT WE ENGAGE IN.
THERE'S NO ALGEBRA ONE DE COURSE THAT WE ENGAGE IN.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING, ALTHOUGH WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANNA GIVE YOU THE RATES THAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR.
SO WE PICKED THE ONE THAT WOULD BE SIMILAR TO HUMANITIES, I GUESS, DEALT WITH AT LEAST 17.
WE HAVE SCUBA MARK BLUE IN THE QUEUE.
REAL QUICK, JUST ONE THING THAT STOOD OUT TO ME WAS TARA HIGH SCHOOL.
AND FROM THE FALL TO THE SPRING, THEIR RESULTS IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY.
DO DO WE HAVE A, HAVE WE PINNED DOWN WHY THAT WAS AND IT'S, IS IT SOMETHING WE CAN REPLICATE AT OTHER SCHOOLS? REPLICATE? HE'S SHOUTING AT RICHARD.
SO, UH, MR. BALLOU, THIS KIND OF GOES BACK TO WHAT MS. MAYWEATHER WAS SAYING AS WELL.
I THINK I KIND OF MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT BEFORE THEIR COURSE ENGAGEMENTS SWITCH FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
LIKE, SO A HIGH SCHOOL COURSE IS A FULL YEAR.
SO SOME COURSES THEY MAY HAVE TAKEN IN THE FALL, THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AS INTERESTED IN AS THEY WERE IN THE ONES IN THE SPRING.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT COULD BE INVOLVED IN THAT.
BUT WE CAN ALSO SAY THAT THE THINGS THAT WE NOTICED ABOUT THE DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS THAT WORK IS THAT IF YOU HAVE STRONG, UM, SUPPORT FROM YOUR ADMINISTRATION, STRONG SUPPORT FROM YOUR, UH, CAMPUS LEVEL PERSONNEL THAT'S WORKING WITH THOSE STUDENTS, THAT YOU CAN BUILD A SUPPORT STRUCTURE.
AND I THINK THERE, LIKE WE SAID ABOUT OUR FALL VERSUS SPRING COURSEWORK, THEY FIGURED IT OUT.
AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO LOOK IN AND SEE OKAY, WHERE STUDENTS WERE STUMBLING.
LIKE WE HAD THE MIDTERMS THAT CAME UP AND YOU WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WASN'T SCHEDULED AT THE TIME AS SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENING ON CAMPUS.
SO THERE WERE A COUPLE OF SITES THAT HAD LIKE DRASTIC TURNS FROM FALL TO SPRING.
BUT YES, UH, TARA WAS ONE OF THEM.
[00:45:01]
DO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS THE COURSE ENGAGEMENT ALSO THAT THEY ENJOYED IN THE SPRING SEMESTER.AND THE LAST THING HAS, UH, NOTHING TO DO WITH DUAL ENROLLMENT, BUT MR. GODDE ASKED FOR THE I V C AND AP DATA, UM, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE TYPO UP THERE.
IT SAYS P C, BUT IT'S AP DATA.
SO, UM, AGAIN, WE TAKE COURSE EQUIVALENCE.
SO IF WE ARE, ACCORDING TO OUR SEQUENCE AS, UH, PRESIDENT LANIS MENTIONED, NINTH GRADE STUDENTS TAKE WORLD GEOGRAPHY.
UH, SO IN THE DE VERSION THAT WOULD BE CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY IN THE AP WORLD, THAT WOULD BE AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY.
AND SO WITH THIS, WE HAD ABOUT 1,281 STUDENTS THAT ENGAGED IN AP.
SO ONLY 690 TESTS CAME BACK FROM COLLEGE BOARD.
NOW, I WILL ADMIT, THIS IS A FLUKE.
THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED WITH COLLEGE BOARD BEFORE.
WE ARE MISSING 262 SCORES FROM WOODLAWN.
THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE POSTED AUGUST 15TH.
WE DID CHECK BACK WITH THE SITE.
SOMETHING'S GOING ON WITH COLLEGE BOARD.
OF COURSE, ONCE WE GET THAT INFORMATION WE'LL SEND IT TO YOU.
SO, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE FOR NOW.
IT JUST DID NOT COME BACK FOR THAT.
WE ARE STILL MISSING SOME OTHER ENGAGEMENTS.
'CAUSE SOME STUDENTS, THEY'RE IN THE COURSE BUT DID NOT TAKE THE ASSESSMENT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY IF THE GOAL IS FOR AN ADVANCED COURSE TO YIELD SOMETHING AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, THEN THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
SO THAT SOMETHING WE'LL WORK ON.
BUT AS THE FOCUS OF THIS IS DUAL ENROLLMENT, WE COULD GO INTO A WHOLE DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.
BUT HERE IS WHAT YOU HAVE FOR THAT.
60% OF THE TESTERS WERE 1 54, UH, 5.4% TWOS, AND THEN KIND OF GOING INTO WHAT YOUR THREE AND ABOVE WAS, I BELIEVE IT'S 34.6% HAD THE THREE OR ABOVE, WHICH IS THE, UH, COLLEGE READINESS MARK.
WE WILL ALSO NOTE THAT THE AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY TEST, OUT OF ALL OF THE HU HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCE TESTS ACTUALLY RANKS AS THE SECOND MOST DIFFICULT IN, UH, MAY OF 2022, WHICH OF COURSE WE DON'T HAVE THE 23 DATA YET, WE JUST TOOK IT.
SO THE COLLEGE BOARD LISTED THIS INFORMATION FOR US.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO LOOK AT.
BUT WE ARE DEALING WITH EQUIVALENT, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THE SEQUENCE IS EQUAL ALL THE WAY ACROSS.
AND THEN FOR OUR INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATIONS, WE HAD 197 EARNED BY PATHWAYS STUDENTS.
WE HAVE A FEW MORE, A FEW MORE NAMES IN THE QUEUE.
UH, SCHOOL MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS, THANK YOU FOR A VERY INFORMATIVE, AMAZING, THE OVER INFORMATION.
BUT THE ONE THING THAT, UM, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE ABCS AND THE, THE, THE LEAP.
A LOT OF KIDS THAT ARE REALLY GOOD STUDENTS ABSOLUTELY JUST DON'T TEST VERY WELL.
SO, UH, I'M NOT A GREAT PROPONENT OF STANDARDIZED TESTING, BUT I THINK THAT IF A, IF A KID CAN DO THE, DO THE CLASSWORK, THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IN HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IN COLLEGE BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S ABOUT HABITS, KNOWING HOW TO STUDY.
UM, BUT WE ALL KNOW ABOUT TEST ANXIETY.
WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE LEAP TEST.
SO I WAS NOT SURPRISED TO SEE THAT GRAPHIC THAT KIDS DID WELL IN THE COURSEWORK AND MAYBE DIPPED A LITTLE BIT ON THE LEAP TEST AND COACH.
IF I COULD, CAN, IF I, IF I COULD JUST ADD SOME, IF I COULD TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE.
ALSO, JUST TO ADD SOMETHING TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, THE HABIT SET THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT'S GAINED FROM DUAL ENROLLMENT IS EXACTLY WHAT EMPLOYERS ARE LOOKING FOR.
DO YOU COME TO WORK? DO YOU SHOW UP? DO YOU SHOW UP ON TIME? CAN YOU CHECK OFF A LIST OF THINGS? CAN YOU FOLLOW A SCHEDULE? SO IT'S NOT JUST FOR US, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE ADVANCED COURSEWORK, IT'S ABOUT THE HABITS THAT THEY'RE BUILDING THAT WILL CARRY THEM THROUGH THEIR COURSEWORK.
NOT JUST DUAL ENROLLMENT, BUT SUCCESS THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATING ON TIME AND THEN BEING ABLE TO EITHER TRANSITION TO A POST-SECONDARY OR TO THE WORKFORCE.
BECAUSE THOSE SAME HABITS WILL TELL AN EMPLOYER, THAT'S IT, THAT YOU'RE TRAINABLE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE HERE ON TIME, YOU'RE GOING TO DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THEY ASK ANYBODY FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR LEAP SCORES OR THE E O C SCORES WHEN THEY GO APPLY FOR A JOB.
I HATE TO SAY THIS BECAUSE I'M TELLING 'EM MYSELF, BUT 75% OF WHAT I NEED TO WORK IN MY JOB, I LEARN ON THE JOB, ON THE JOB.
THE REASON PEOPLE HIRE ME IS BECAUSE I HAVE A CREDENTIAL THAT SAYS, OH, SHE COMPLETED SOMETHING.
SHE'S ABLE TO FOLLOW SOMETHING.
IF I COULD JUST ADD TO, I ALWAYS WANT TO, UH, MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS AWARE WHEN WE DESIGNED THIS PROGRAM, WE DID IT IN COLLABORATION WITH L S U SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND B R C C.
UH, THEY ARE ACTUALLY ALL IN A ROOM TOGETHER WITH US TO DESIGN THIS TO ACCELERATE FOR KIDS ACROSS OUR CITY.
AND I WANTED TO THANK THOSE INSTITUTIONS, UH, TO BE IN THERE BECAUSE THEY DID THE COURSE SEQUENCING.
WE TALK THROUGH ALL THOSE THINGS.
SO ANYTHING THAT KIDS TAKE IS THROUGH THAT COURSE.
AND THESE, THOSE ARE ACTUALLY THE THREE COLLEGES OF MAJORITY OF OUR KIDS IN THE ENTIRE PARISH GO TO NEXT.
WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GODDE.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS GETTING SOMETHING CORRECT.
[00:50:01]
IF I LOOK AT THE SPRING GRADE DISTRIBUTION, IT SAYS THAT 82% OF OUR KIDS TAKING THE SPRING CLASSES GAIN COLLEGE CREDIT.AND THAT'S COMPARED TO ONLY 44 OR 34% OF THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK AP CLASSES GAINED CREDIT.
AND DON'T, DON'T FORGET MR. GODDE INSTITUTIONS, POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS SET WHAT THEIR MARK IS.
SO IT COULD, THEY DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO ACCEPT THE 300.
WELL, I, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT.
BUT THEY ALSO DON'T HAVE TO ACCEPT THE DUAL ENROLLMENT.
SO I'M JUST COMPARING APPLES TO APPLES.
I UNDERSTAND A LOT OF TOP UNIVERSITIES DON'T ACCEPT AP, BUT WE HAVE AN 82% COLLEGE CREDIT IN DUAL ENROLLMENT AND A 44% COLLEGE, 45% COLLEGE CREDIT IN AP CLASSES.
83 AND OVERALL FOR DUAL ENROLLMENT AND 34 FOR AP.
SCHOOL MEMBER MICHAEL GOEY, SEEING NO OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
UH, I'M SORRY, THAT IS MY REPORT.
I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THEY GAVE AMAZING INFORMATION.
BY THE WAY, MS. MAYWEATHER IS MY FORMER BIOLOGY TEACHER, SO THANK YOU
ALRIGHT, WHAT GRADES DO YOU, SHE STARTED AS A CHILD, RIGHT? YEAH.
[E.1. Board Appointees]
ALONG.WE'LL GO ON TO, UH, ITEM E ONE, WHICH WOULD BE REPORTS FROM BOARD APPOINTEES TO COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES.
UH, ITEM E ONE, IS THERE ANY BOARD APPOINTS APPOINTMENTS OR APPOINTEES THAT WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT? OKAY.
UM, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD, COACH.
UH, DAY BEFORE, DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY VS.
KINDA KICKED OFF THE YEAR, UM, OVER AT DROCK.
UH, SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE THERE.
DROCK DROCK IS A, A, A GREAT SCHOOL.
AND IF ANYBODY, ANY OF YOU GUYS SITTING OUT THERE, HAVE SOME SPARE TIME AND YOU'D LIKE TO VOLUNTEER, PLEASE LOOK INTO VIPS.
UH, THEY HAVE LOTS OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO.
UM, IT'S JUST AMAZING WHAT AN ADULT CAN DO WHEN HE TOUCHES A CHILD.
IF THAT CHILD, IF THAT ADULT NOT, IS NOT NECESSARILY THAT THAT KID'S CLASSROOM TEACHER, YOU KNOW, IT JUST SHOWS INTEREST AND CONCERN ABOUT THEM.
SO IF YOU HAVE VOLUNTEER TIME, PLEASE LOOK INTO VS.
AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY PROVIDE.
UH, SEEING NO OTHER BOARD APPOINTEES AT THIS TIME.
UH, I'M GOING TO ASK THE BOARD TO GIVE, I MEAN, IF THERE'S NO DISSENSION UP ON THE BOARD, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE ITEM H ONE AND H TWO ON THE NEW BUSINESS TO THE TOP OF THE AGENDA.
AND THERE'S NO DISSENSION FROM THE BOARD.
SEEING UNDER THIS TIME, WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM H ONE,
[H.1. Stipend]
WHICH IS STIPEND CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE RE FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING STIPENDS.A, A STIPEND IN THE AMOUNT OF $5,000 PAY PAYABLE IN TWO PAYMENTS OF 200, I'M SORRY, OF, UH, $2,500 ON NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023, AND MAY 16TH, 2024.
AND AN ADDITIONAL STIPEND OF $2,500 AS A RETENTION INCENTIVE.
PAID MAY 16TH, 2024 FOR BUS DRIVE, BUS OPERATORS, TRANSPORTATION, AIDS AND MECHANICS.
B A STIPEND IN THE AMOUNT OF $3,000 PAYABLE IN TWO, TWO PAYMENTS OF $1,500 ON JUNE, I'M SORRY, NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023.
AND MAY 16TH, 2024 FOR ALL SCHOOL-BASED PARA PARAPROFESSIONALS, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND.
CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, SECONDED BY SECRETARY.
AT THIS TIME I'M GOING TO COME BEFORE THE BOARD.
I'M GONNA ENTER THE QUEUE AND UNDERSTANDING A LOT OF WHAT WAS DISCUSSED, A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT I HAVE HAD WITH, UH, OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.
I WOULD OFFER UP A FRIENDLY, UH, A FRIENDLY, UH, AMENDMENT IF I COULD.
UH, UNDERSTANDING THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS OF WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE, THAT'LL PUT OUR PAY SOMEWHERE AROUND 26,000 OR $27,000, 26 5.
I THINK THAT, UM, FOR AS MUCH CONVERSATION AS WE HAD AROUND THIS DISCUSSION SO FAR, AND WHERE WE CURRENTLY WERE FOR SO LONG WITH OUR BUS
[00:55:01]
DRIVERS, I'M GONNA ASK THAT WE INCREASE THAT THRESHOLD BY $3,000 TO BRING THEM TO BE ONE OF THE HIGHEST PAID IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.THAT, THAT REQUEST SHOULD PROBABLY COME FROM ANOTHER BOARD MEMBER.
I WOULD OFFER SOMEONE ELSE TO MAKE THE REQUEST.
MR. SHONEY STEWART, I'LL MAKE THE REQUEST.
SO, UM, COUNSEL, YOU CAN JUST PUT IT UNDER MY NAME.
PROCEED, UNDERSTAND THAT'S OFFERED AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT.
UM, IS, IS THERE SOME CLARITY FROM THE PRESIDENT OR OR MS. STEWART, UH, AS TO WHEN, HOW THAT EXTRA 3000 IS, IS DIVIDED, UH, AMONG THE DATES? JUST TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE TECHNICAL AT THE 15? YES.
IT WOULD BE $7,000 OVER, OR IS IT $7,000? UH, OVERALL, AND IT WOULD BE BROKEN DOWN BY, UH, $3,500, UH, EACH SEMESTER.
SO THE DATES WOULD STILL BE THE SAME.
THE ONLY THREAT, THE ONLY THING WE'RE CHANGING IS THE THRESHOLD.
UH, THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD BE CHANGED IS THE THRESHOLD AND THE, UH, THE PAYOUTS, NOT THE DATES.
AND WHO IS IT APPLY? UM, UH, IT SAYS BUS OPERATORS, TRANSPORTATION AIDE AND MECHANICS.
I'LL ACCEPT THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT.
THE, UH, SO, SO THAT MEAN YOU'RE GONNA SECOND OH NINE FIVE? IT'S NINE FIVE.
'CAUSE YOU STILL HAVE THE $2,500 STIPEND.
SO IT'S, IT'S NO, SO I WAS, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
SO ORIGINALLY IT WAS 5,000 AND IT WAS BROKEN DOWN INTO TWO PAYMENTS OF $2,500.
AND THEN YOU STILL HAD THE RETENTION, UH, INCENTIVE ON THE BACKEND FOR 2,500.
WHEN YOU ADD IN THE ADDITIONAL THREE THAT ARE NOW PUSHED THE THRESHOLD TO $9,500.
ALRIGHT, SO, SO THESE ARE TWO SEPARATE STIPENDS, RIGHT? THANK YOU.
A QUESTION I WAS JUST GONNA ASK, ONE IS, THE ONE IS FOR THE BUS OPERATORS, TRANSPORTATION AIDE AND MECHANICS, AND ONE IS FOR ALL SCHOOL-BASED PARAPROFESSIONALS.
SO THAT'S O THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S B I'M SORRY.
SO THIS IS ONLY FOR, THIS IS ONLY FOR A BUS DROP, BUS OPERATORS TRANSPORTATION A AND MECHANICS FOR CLASSIFICATION.
I, I I, I UNDERSTOOD THAT WE WERE, THAT BOTH OF THESE WERE A SINGLE ITEM.
AND, AND SO MY MOTION WAS, YOU KNOW, TO MOVE BOTH OF THEM.
UH, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL, IS THAT YOU UNDERSTAND A SECOND IN THE MOTION.
SO I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT WE WERE ONLY TALKING ABOUT H ONE A AND SO THEN THAT WOULD BE, THAT'S 7,000.
SO SHE WAS ASKING ABOUT THE WORDING FOR PARTICULAR.
SO WE'RE GONNA VOTE ON H ONE A AND H ONE B SEPARATELY.
LET, LET ME SPEAK IF YOU DON'T MIND.
MR. THE ITEM IS DESIGNED IS SUCH THAT IT HAS TO BE TAKEN AS ONE ITEM A, PART A, OR PART B, UNLESS THERE'S A MOTION TO BIFURCATE THE ITEM IN THIS CASE IS ONE ITEM.
MR. MARTIN'S MOTION IS TO PROVE THAT ITEM, BOTH PARTS OF IT.
THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, I BELIEVE IS OFFERED JUST AS TO PART A, WHICH IS APPROPRIATE, BUT WE GOTTA MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THE, WE HAVE THAT LANGUAGE CORRECT.
I I, I THINK WE'RE GONNA GET IN TROUBLE IF WE, I'D BE CONCERNED THAT, THAT WE GET IN TROUBLE IF WE, UM, CREATE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE TOTAL AMOUNTS BETWEEN THOSE TWO ITEMS. RESIDENT LANDIS, CAN YOU READ IT? APRIL? SO IT WOULD BE 7,000 INSTEAD OF 5,000 IN NA, WHICH WOULD MAKE THE INCREMENTS 30 503,000.
SO IT'D BE 2 3500 MAKING THE TOTAL 7,000 NOT, AND THE RETENTION IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE, THE 25 TOTAL AMOUNT IS WHAT I WAS ADDING UP AT THE END SAID THAT WOULD BRING THE TOTAL AMOUNT TO THE WHOLE, THE WHOLE 9,000, CORRECT.
WHEN YOU INCLUDE THE RETENTION, THE STIPEND, AND THE YEAH.
I SAID I'M SORRY, I, I SORRY FOR THAT.
I SAID THE FIRST AMOUNT WOULD BE $7,000 AND IT WOULD BE DIVIDED INTO TWO PAYMENTS OF $3,500.
AND THEN YOU WILL STILL RECEIVE THE RETENTION, UH, INCENTIVE ON THE BACKEND FOR $2,500, WHICH BRINGS THE TOTAL ALLOTMENT TO $9,500 FOR BUS OPERATORS, TRANSPORTATION, AIDS, AND MECHANICS.
DID, DID YOU GET THAT PITCH? AND B STAYS THE SAME AND THEN B STAYS THE SAME.
SO BASICALLY THEY JUST MOVED IT UP TO 95.
SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE MR. MARTIN APPROVES OF THAT OFFER OF A FRIEND.
I, I, I, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSION AS A BOARD AS TO, AS TO WHETHER WE WANT TO, TO HAVE THAT GREATER A VARIANCE BETWEEN THE STIPEND THAT WE'RE OFFERING TO BUS OPERATORS, TRANSPORTATION AIDE, AND MECHANICS, AND THAT, UM, UH, AND THAT, THAT WE'RE OFFERING TO PARAPROFESSIONALS.
I, I, I THINK, I THINK YOU DECLINE THE CLAIM Y YEAH, I THINK AT THIS POINT I HAVE TO DECLINE
[01:00:01]
THE, THE, THE FRIENDLY BECAUSE I THINK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE MORE DISCUSSION OVER, OVER THOSE TWO, OVER THAT ISSUE.WELL, I'LL STILL HAVE MY MOTION.
ANYBODY ELSE WANT A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
SO YOU'VE CONVERTED THAT TO A SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
SO NOW IT'S NO LONGER A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT ON THE TABLE.
IT'S NOT A SUBSTITUTE MOTION WITH THE SAME, UH, CONFIGURATIONS TO, UH, INCREASE THE, UH, FIRST STIPEND BY TO $7,000 AND IT WILL BE BROKEN DOWN INTO TWO SEPARATE PAYMENTS OF, UM, $3,500 EACH WITH THE, UH, RETENTION IN, UH, INCENTIVE AT THE BACK END.
THAT WHICH WILL BE RECEIVED ON MAY 16TH, 2024 FOR $2,500.
GOT THAT DOWN, MADAM SECRETARY.
OKAY, NOW WE WILL COME BACK TO THE BOARD FOR PUBLIC DISCUSSION.
I'M FIRST INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
UM, I WOULD JUST SAY AGAIN, I KNOW WE SAID THIS LAST WEEK, BUT I JUST WANT TO HAMMER IT HOME ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARD.
WE ARE SINCERELY APOLOGETIC FOR A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE BEEN SEEING AROUND OUR COMMUNITY.
WE'RE GONNA DO A BETTER JOB OF THAT, AND I THINK TONIGHT SPEAKS TOWARDS THAT JOB, IS MAKING SURE THAT OUR EMPLOYEES, THE ONES WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINES EVERY DAY, WE HEARD FROM ONE OF OUR MECHANICS LAST, UH, ON MONDAY, WHO SAID THAT THEY, UH, DURING COVID, THEY WERE STILL WORKING.
AND I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW MY MAN, THAT WE HEARD YOU AND WE HEARD EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT CAME IN THIS ROOM LAST WEEK.
AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THAT NOT JUST IN COMPENSATION, BUT ALSO IN THE PROCESSES BY WHICH WE ARE, UH, ADMINISTERING A LOT OF THE POLICIES AND THINGS THAT COMING FROM CENTRAL OFFICE TO OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, WE'RE GONNA DO A BETTER JOB, NOT JUST FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.
WE'RE ALSO GONNA DO A BETTER JOB FOR OUR PARENTS AND ALSO FOR OUR STUDENTS.
BECAUSE WITHOUT YOU, THIS SYSTEM IS NOTHING.
AND WE JUST WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT.
AND I WANT YOU TO HEAR THAT FROM ME PERSONALLY.
IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER KATIE KENON.
UM, I HAVE A WHOLE, WHOLE WHOLE LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS.
UM, SO STRAP IN FOR LIKE FOUR HOURS OF ME TALKING.
UM, UM, THE STIPEND, IT AS A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE COMMUNITY, UM, FOR THE CONSTITUENTS IN MY DISTRICT, AND FRANKLY FOR THE CONSTITUENTS IN THE WHOLE, UH, IN THE WHOLE CITY.
PARENTS, I'VE BEEN HEARING, UH, FROM YOU A WEEK.
UM, I'VE BEEN ON THE GROUND TALKING TO PEOPLE 12 HOURS A DAY SINCE SCHOOL STARTED.
THE SENTIMENT, UH, THAT, THAT EVERYONE WANTS ME TO CONVEY IS THAT THE STIPEND, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW BIG IT IS, IT'S A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE WORKERS, UM, BECAUSE IT DOES NOT IMPROVE THEIR STANDARD OF LIVING.
UM, I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE IT.
I APPRECIATE WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE.
UM, BUT IT'S NOT SATISFACTORY.
UM, I WAS TOLD IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW BIG THE STIPEND IS.
UM, PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO HANG ON TO JOBS IF THEY CAN'T, IF THEY CAN'T IMPROVE THEIR STANDARD OF LIVING PAST, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS RIGHT NOW AT THE POVERTY LEVEL.
UM, OUR EMPLOYEES ARE WORKING TIRELESSLY AT THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
OUR DRIVERS ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
OUR MECHANICS ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
UM, OUR OUR TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISORS ARE BEYOND PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
UM, I, I MET A LOT OF THEM THIS WEEK, AND WE HAVE SO MANY QUALITY PEOPLE WORKING FOR E B R AND BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS THAT THEY'RE WORKING UNDER, UM, THEY'RE ALL PASSIONATE.
OTHERWISE, THEY'D BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE THEY CAN EASILY MAKE DOUBLE GOING ANYWHERE ELSE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WAS IN THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
UM, WE HAVE ONE FRONT DESK CLERK.
UH, SHE COLLAPSED INTO A CHAIR IN FRONT OF A, A FAN FOR 90 SECONDS TO TAKE A BREATH THIS WEEK.
BETWEEN, UH, DEALING WITH THE, THE INCOMING, UH, ENDLESSLY INCOMING PARENTS, DRIVERS, EVERYBODY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALL OVERWORK.
SUPERVISORS ARE WORKING 15, 16 HOURS A DAY.
UM, ONE OF THEM IS GONNA HAVE TO GET RID OF HIS DOG THIS WEEK BECAUSE HE CAN'T EVEN GET HOME TO, TO LET THE DOG OUT.
UM, PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE, ARE BEING CHANGED OVER THIS.
AND I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO, YOU KNOW, THE
UM, WE KNOW, UH, THAT DRIVERS ARE, ARE OVERWORKED.
THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITIES THAT SHOULDN'T BE THEIRS.
AND THAT'S HAPPENING ALL OVER.
[01:05:01]
STAFF ARE ASKING, TAKE, ASKING, UH, OR BEING ASKED, EXCUSE ME, TO TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITIES FOR TRANSPORTATION.UH, THEY SHOULD BE, UH, TEACHING KIDS, UM, AND NOT NOT SOLVING OUR TRANSPORTATION ISSUES.
UM, AS WE ALL KNOW, UM, THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF MANAGEMENT, BECAUSE OF, OF THE LACK OF OVERSIGHT, THE DISORGANIZATION, WE LITERALLY PUT CHILDREN IN DIRECT PHYSICAL DANGER DAY ONE.
THIS IS SUCH A SERIOUS SITUATION THAT THROWING A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS AT IT,
KIDS STILL AREN'T BEING PICKED UP.
WE'RE OVERWORKING EVERYONE STILL WITH NO END IN SIGHT.
WE'RE LOSING DRIVERS EVERY DAY.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MECHANICS TO, TO GET TO THE, THE
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A LOT OF BUSES SITTING THERE, BUT THE, WE, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MECHANICS TO GET TO THEM.
UM, AND THEY'RE, SORRY, MISS KENON, I'M GONNA LET YOU FINISH THAT THOUGHT, BUT WE ARE, UH, BIT OVER TIME.
UM, CHILDREN ARE IN REAL DANGER BEING LEFT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD OR NOT BEING PICKED UP OR BEING ON THE, AN UN AIR CONDITIONED BUS FOR HOURS AT A TIME.
UM, THE REST OF THE STAFF DOES NOT NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS.
THE LEADERSHIP NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS.
UM, AND ALL WE CAN DO AS A BOARD, ALL I CAN DO IS TO VOTE ON THINGS AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS.
UM, IN THAT LIGHT, I'D LIKE TO MAKE ANOTHER SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
CAN I NOT WITH A, WE HAVE TO, YOU HAVE ONE SUBSTITUTE MOTION ON THE TABLE.
WE HAVE TO EXHAUST THAT BEFORE CONSIDERING ANY FURTHER MOTION.
SO ONE SUBSTITUTE AT A TIME, BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE A FRIENDLY, IF I'M CORRECT, SHE CAN MAKE A YES OFFER THAT SHE CAN REQUEST, CAN OFFER FRIENDLY REQUEST, AMENDMENT TO THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
CURRENTLY, UH, LET'S, LET'S, UH, SUBSTITUTE THAT.
LEMME GO AHEAD AND JUST OFFER A FRIENDLY, UM, THAT'S NOT GONNA GO ANYWHERE.
BUT, UH, AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF, OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS COMMUNITY, IT IS BEING DEMANDED NOT JUST BY DRIVERS, NOT JUST BY PARENTS, NOT JUST EVERYONE.
COLLECTIVELY, WE'RE ALL COMING TOGETHER OVER THIS.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION OR A, A FRIENDLY, EXCUSE ME, UM, THAT IN LIEU OF A STIPEND, WE MAKE A, A PERMANENT IMMEDIATE RAISE FOR, UH, ALL THE PEOPLE LISTED.
UH, I'M SORRY FOR, UH, TO, TO BRING DRIVERS.
UH, WHERE DID IT GO? UH, TRANSPORTATION AIDS, UH, PARAS TO IMMEDIATELY $30,000, UH, SALARY BEGINNING AND FOR MECHANICS TO GIVE THEM A, A PERMANENT $10,000 A YEAR RAISE.
UM, SO THE FRIEND ON THE FLOOR, SO THAT'LL GO TO SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, I'M SORRY, THAT'LL GO TO MS. SHOSHONE STEWART.
AND, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER GO DAY MOTION.
SO YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT AMENDMENT SO YOU CAN ACCEPT OR DENY.
OKAY? SO IF I ACCEPT THE AMENDMENT, THEN THAT MEANS WE DON'T DISCUSS OR ENGAGE ABOUT, OKAY? OKAY.
AND SO FOR, UH, CONVERSATIONAL PIECES OR TO HAVE CONVERSATION, UH, LEMME JUST SAY THIS.
LEMME JUST SAY THIS, I DO APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING IN ATTENDANCE ON MONDAY.
UH, I WAS NOT HERE FOR THAT EMERGENCY MEETING.
AND SO, UM, I DO WANNA SAY, AND I'M, I'M ALREADY IN THE QUEUE.
UH, SO I DO WANNA SAY THAT I DO BELIEVE THAT OUR BUS DRIVERS AND OUR TRANSPORTATION AIDES AND OUR MECHANICS DO NEED, UH, A RAISE.
AND I AM FOR GIVING THEM A RAISE.
BUT AS A PERSON THAT'S, UH, SUPPOSED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FIDUCIARY MATTERS AND TO MAKE THAT TYPE OF DECISION AT THIS MOMENT, I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE TO SAY THAT WE CAN JUST, YOU KNOW, INCREASE ALL THOSE SALARIES WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS AND BEING ABLE TO, UH, EFFECTIVELY PUT THAT INTO OUR BUDGET AT THIS TIME.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE DON'T WANNA DO THAT.
THE DECISION TO GIVE THE STIPEND WAS
[01:10:01]
TO GIVE US TIME SO THAT WE CAN'T ALLOCATE A INCREASE IN THE SALARIES FOR THOSE POPULATIONS OF PEOPLE, JUST AS WE DID FOR THE TEACHERS AND OTHER PERSONNEL.AND SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, UM, I'M OPEN FOR THE DISCUSSION.
I'M OPEN FOR THE DISCUSSION, SO I WILL ACCEPT THAT, MS. KENON.
SO JUST FOR THE RECORD, IF I, I, I, I'M SORRY.
YEAH, I, I WILL NOT ACCEPT BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO TALK THROUGH THE FIRST MOTION FIRST, AND IT, WHETHER OR NOT THAT PASSES OR FAILS, WE HAVE THE OPTION TO COME BACK, UH, AND MAKE THIS MOTION TO DISCUSS THAT.
SO I, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO DISCUSS THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
I DO HAVE ONE POINT OF INFORMATION I'D LIKE TO KNOW.
WE, WE PASSED, UH, STIPENDS AT OUR LAST MEETING, RIGHT? AND SO THESE STIPENDS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW ARE OVER AND ABOVE THE STIPENDS THAT WERE PASSED AT THE LAST MEETING, CORRECT.
ARE INCLUSIVE OF THE STIPENDS WE PASSED AT LAST MEETING.
I, MY, MY IMPRESSION IS OVER AND ABOVE, BUT I WANT UNDERSTAND THAT OVER AND BEYOND.
SO RIGHT NOW, THE STIPENDS WE PASSED, I THINK WERE $2,000, $2,000 TWO.
AND THEY'RE ALSO RECEIVING A THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE STATE.
SO THERE'S 3000, WHICH WOULD BRING THE THRESHOLD IF WE WENT ON WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW ON PAPER, THAT WOULD PUT OUR BUS DRIVERS AT $32,000 THIS YEAR ALONE, WHICH WOULD MAKE THEM, IF NOT THE HIGHEST, ONE OF THE HIGHEST IN THE STATE.
RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHY I THINK WE NEED TO VOTE ON THIS.
AND I'M LIKE YOU, I'M ALL FOR RAISING THE SALARIES, BUT WE HAD A PARADE OF PEOPLE UP HERE TELLING US NOT TO RAISE, NOT TO MAKE IT PERMANENT TWO WEEKS AGO OR, OR A MONTH AGO WHEN WE WERE PASSING THE BUDGET, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE FIGURED OUT EXACTLY HOW EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE DOING.
AND THIS IS A, THIS IS A CRISIS, BUT THIS MONEY IS NOT GONNA SOLVE THE CRISIS.
'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA GROW BUS DRIVERS OVERNIGHT.
WE'RE NOT GONNA GROW MECHANICS OVERNIGHT.
THIS IS, THIS IS, THIS IS RIGHT TO DO, BUT IT DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM OVERNIGHT.
SO CAN I JUST ADD SOMETHING, UM, BOARD CHAIR.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO, UM, LET THE BOARD KNOW, UM, THAT, UH, UM, IN YOUR LAST VOTE DECISION, YOU STIPEND MAJORITY OF THE SYSTEM.
UM, AND I, I WOULD CAUTION US TO MAKE AN, UH, GO AHEAD AND WITHOUT US DOING AN ANALYSIS ON JUST SHIFTING A SALARY RIGHT NOW, UH, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THAT, WE SHOULD MAKE IT SIMILAR TO ALL THE OTHER PART GROUPS THAT WE'VE DONE.
SO WE HAVE TOLD TEACHERS AND OTHER GROUPS THAT WE WERE GOING TO, UH, STIPEND YEAR ONE, STIPEND YEAR TWO, AND SALARY YEAR THREE.
AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD FOR, FOR, UM, FAIRNESS ACROSS ALL GROUPS, UM, EVEN THOUGH YOU, TONIGHT YOU MAY APPROVE THIS, IS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A PLAN OF DOING SOMETHING YEAR ONE, YEAR TWO.
AND IN YEAR THREE, WE WOULD HAVE SALARIES AFTER WORKING OUT THROUGH THE BUDGET IN THAT WAY.
SO THE ENTIRE STAFF CAN, UH, FEEL THE SAME EFFECT.
AND SO YOU, YOU, THERE'S A WAY TO GO ABOUT THAT.
BUT I DO WANNA CAUTION US TO SAY, YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST GO AHEAD AND DO THIS SALARY.
'CAUSE WE'D HAVE TO DO AN ANALYSIS.
UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEIR BUDGET IS BALANCED IN THOSE THINGS.
AND JUST TO ADD A, A POINT OF INFORMATION FOR EXTENDED CLARITY, THIS IS IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM SAYING THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO GIVE A SALARY TO OUR BUS DRIVERS TRANSPORTATION, I'M SORRY, A TRANSPORTATION A OR OUR MECHANICS.
BUT WE HAVE TO BE GOOD FIDUCIARY STU STEWARDS TO ENSURE THAT ONE, WE HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS INSIDE OF OUR BANKING ACCOUNTS TO TAKE CARE OF OUR STUDENTS, TAKE CARE OF OUR TEACHERS, AND ALSO COME BACK AND GIVE YOU ALL A SOLID SAL SALARY.
SO ALSO, JUST KEEP IN MIND, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A STIPEND, IT IS GOING TO FEEL LIKE IT IS A SALARY INCREASE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS IF WE GO THROUGH WITH THOSE STIPENDS, AS WE JUST SAID.
AND THEN BY YEAR THREE, YOU CAN TRY TO LOCK YOU ALL IN AT THAT COST.
THAT WAY YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING ANY MORE STIPENDS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT.
AND, UH, BASED OFF WHAT A LOT OF WHAT WE HEARD, IF, EXCUSE ME, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, NATHAN RUSSELLS, NIXON, THE QUEUE, IF YOU DIDN'T MIND.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, NATHAN, RUSS, CAN WE PLEASE DO THE TRIP, THE, THE PRESENTATION SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT'S GONNA BE OFFERED OR WHAT NEW THINGS ARE COMING UP, IF YOU DIDN'T MIND? YEAH.
'CAUSE HONESTLY, I'M, I'M CONFOUNDED THAT WE'RE ONE HOUR AND 15 MINUTES INTO THIS MEETING.
WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED THAT PRESENTATION CORRECT OF EVERYTHING THAT CONTEXTUALIZES EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING.
SO PLEASE, MR. PRESIDENT, YES.
UH, TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, THE WRITTEN REPRESENTATIVES.
SO WHILE THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT COMES UP, I JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO BE AWARE.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TREMENDOUSLY ON TRYING TO, UM, UH, PROBLEM SOLVE OUR CHALLENGES.
I KNOW AT TIMES PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO HEAR THIS, BUT THE REALITY IS, UH, WE ARE NOT THE ONLY DISTRICT THAT IS DEALING WITH THIS, UM, WITH THIS ISSUE ON.
BUT WE'VE WORKED TREMENDOUSLY HARD AS WE'VE BEEN ENGAGING, NOT ONLY WITH OTHERS IN THE STATE, UM, OTHER PARISHES SIMILAR TO OUR SIZE, BUT WE'VE ALSO
[01:15:01]
BEEN TRYING TO GET THROUGH PROBLEM SOLVING, UH, WHERE THEY ARE.AND SO WE, UM, MANY OF US ARE KIND OF IN THE SAME SITUATION.
UM, SO THIS IS JUST NOT ONLY A UNIQUE PROBLEM TO US HERE IN BATON ROUGE.
UH, SO, UH, MS. SCOTT SPALDING.
AND THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO PRESENT.
UM, THE FIRST SLIDE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS WITH OUR SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM GOALS.
I'M SORRY, THIS IS THE FULL TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
UH, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY SAW IT.
AND SO WE'RE PROVIDING DAILY REPORTS, NOT ONLY TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, BUT TO OUR FAMILIES AND TO THE BOARD.
WE HAVE, UM, ESTABLISHED THE CALL CENTER.
AND THE CALL CENTER HAS BEEN INCREASED TO 10 PEOPLE.
AND SO TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE IN MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH HAVING THOSE 10 PEOPLE.
THE DIVISION OF STAFF HAS AGREED TO CONNECT WITH A, UM, CONTRACT COMPANY TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT.
UM, I THINK THE AGREEMENT WAS ASSIGNED WAS SIGNED TODAY.
AND SO WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE ITEMS THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED WITH THE TEAM HERE AND WITH THE BOARD.
UM, THE NEXT ITEM THAT WE HAVE IS THE TRANSPORTATION CONCERNS.
THERE'S BEEN TEAM MEMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN SENT OVER TO THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO SUPPORT US ANSWERING THOSE EMAILS.
AND SO THAT WILL BE ONGOING FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PRIORITIZING THOSE RESPONSES AND ANSWERING THOSE WITHIN THE 24 HOUR TIMELINE.
WE'RE PROVIDING, UM, SUPPORT TO FAMILIES AS WELL BY ATTENDING THE SCHOOL'S OPEN HOUSE MEETINGS AND ORIENTATION MEETINGS.
HAVING A MEMBER OF TRANSPORTATION THERE WILL BE HELPFUL TO TALK ABOUT THE APP TO MAKE SURE FAMILIES UNDERSTAND THEIR NEW ROUTING STRUCTURE AND, UM, TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN ASK ANY QUESTIONS AND RESOLVE HOPEFULLY MOST ISSUES.
THE NEXT THING WE'RE DOING IS WORKING WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT, AND I WOULD APPRECIATE IF THE BOARD CAN BE SUPPORTED THERE AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S, UM, THERE'S A MEETING SCHEDULED IN SEPTEMBER.
WHILE WE DON'T HAVE THE DATE, WE'RE WAITING ON A PLACE THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE THE NUMBER OF STAFF MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE.
WE'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BOARD RECEIVES AN INVITATION AS WELL TO ATTEND THAT MEETING.
WE'RE ASKING THE TEAM MEMBERS TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS PRIOR TO THAT MEETING SO THAT IT'S CONSTRUCTIVE AND THEY RECEIVE ANSWERS.
UM, YOU SEE DATES AND TIMELINES THERE.
I'M NOT NECESSARILY MENTIONING THOSE, BUT, UM, WANTED TO ALSO SHARE THAT THE, UM, WE'RE PROVIDING NEW ROUTING CARDS ONCE WE COMPLETE THE NEW ROUTES FOR THE STUDENTS.
THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS COMPLETED A LIST OF RIDERSHIP FOR US.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT THAT LIST HAD FEWER THAN 13,000 ON THE, ON THE LIST, AND SO I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY ACCURATE.
UM, AND SO THE TRANSPORTATION TEAM IS GONNA WORK WITH COMMUNICATIONS TO BE ABLE TO SEND OUT CALLS TO JUST ENSURE THAT WE'VE CAPTURED THE STUDENTS.
WE KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE START OF SCHOOL.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE ONCE WE HAVE THE NEW ROUTES AND WE COMMUNICATE WITH FAMILIES THAT WE HAVE ACCURATE INFORMATION, THAT TIMELINE IS, UM, AUGUST 28TH, THAT WE'LL MAKE SURE THOSE CARDS ARE MAILED OUT, AND THERE WILL BE A DIFFERENT DESIGN SO THAT FAMILIES CAN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE CARDS THEY'VE RECEIVED AND THE NEW CARDS TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE.
FAMILIES WILL RECEIVE ROUTE NUMBERS ON THE CARDS.
WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES WITH BUSES, LOTS OF BREAKDOWNS.
WE HAVE 10 BREAKDOWNS, 10 BREAKDOWNS THIS MORNING.
AND SO FAMILIES ARE CONFUSED BECAUSE THE BUS NUMBER THAT'S ON YOUR CARD MAY NOT BE THE BUS THAT'S TRAVELING TO PICK UP YOUR STUDENTS.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH, UM, THE PRINTING SERVICES DEPARTMENT WITH COMMUNICATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE PLACARDS THAT LIST SCHOOLS ON THE BUSES.
SO IT'LL BE AT THE FRONT OF THE BUS, IT'LL LIST THE SCHOOL, IT'LL LIST A ROUTE NUMBER.
BUT IF A PARENT IS WAITING AND A BUS THAT SAYS, BE OUR C V P A AS AN EXAMPLE FOR THE SCHOOL, AND IT COMES AROUND THAT TIME, THEY'RE ABLE TO GET ON THE BUS AT THAT TIME TO BE ABLE TO TRAVEL TO THE SCHOOL.
THEY'LL BE MULTIPLE BUSES THAT ARE SUPPORTING THIS EFFORT.
THERE WILL BE, UM, AND WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH THE PLANS, BUT THERE'LL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE SUBSTITUTE BUS OPERATORS TO ALSO HAVE MAYBE A PLACARD OR A SIGN THAT HAS THE SCHOOL SO THAT FAMILIES UNDERSTAND THAT THIS BUS IS GOING TO THEIR CHILD'S SCHOOL AND IT'S APPROPRIATE TO ENTER AND TO RIDE TO SCHOOL.
THE NEXT ITEM IS PRINCIPALS WILL CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH FAMILIES.
A LOT OF THEM ARE USING CLASSDOJO, WHICH WORKS REALLY WELL.
THE FAMILIES ARE ACCUSTOMED TO IT.
WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE BROADER COMMUNICATION.
AND SO WE WILL, UM, WORK WITH THE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT TO SEE HOW WE CAN PUT SOMETHING ON OUR WEBSITE AS WELL, SO THAT IT'S JUST BROAD COMMUNICATION, UM, FOR OUR FAMILIES TO UNDERSTAND WHEN BUSES ARE LATE.
UM, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT USING BUS NUMBERS.
IT WOULD BE A SCHOOL AND THEN A PARTICULAR BUS THAT'S, THAT'S LATE WHEN WE'RE COMMUNICATING.
UM, THE SUPERINTENDENT IS GONNA PROVIDE MESSAGING TO THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS WHAT THE NEW PROTOCOLS ARE
[01:20:01]
IN PLACE, UM, TO EXPRESS OUR SINCERE APOLOGY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THIS WAS AN ABSOLUTE FAIL AND WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THIS RIGHT FOR OUR FAMILIES.THAT'S WHAT THEY DESERVE, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
THE LAST ITEM IS A LONG-TERM ITEM, AND I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY RELATED TO DISCIPLINE ISSUES ON THE BUS.
OUR DRIVERS GO THROUGH MANY, MANY ISSUES, MANY, MANY CONCERNS WITH SAFETY, WITH STUDENTS AND THEIR BEHAVIOR ON THE BUS.
AND SO WE, WE'VE HEARD OUR DRIVERS WE'RE COMING TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND TO THE BOARD TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED DISCIPLINARY POLICIES, UM, THAT FRANKLY ALIGN WITH BULLETIN ONE 19, BUT EVEN OVER AND ABOVE BULLETIN ONE 19 TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR BUS OPERATORS ARE SAFE AND THE STUDENTS ON THE BUS WHO ARE NOT CAUSING DISCIPLINE ISSUES ARE SAFE AS WELL.
I'LL HAVE KELVIN MENTION THE MAINTENANCE ITEMS. GOOD AFTERNOON.
SHORT TERM FOR US IS EDUCATING OPERATORS ON MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF AN OPERATOR'S ON ROUTE AND A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, WE'D LIKE THEM TO RADIO INTO MAINTENANCE SO THAT THE MAINTENANCE EXPERTS COULD GIVE THEM DIRECTION.
WE WANNA PROVIDE A FLEET MAINTENANCE PLAN TO THE SUPERINTENDENT THAT STIPULATES THE ROTATION CYCLE FOR ACQUIRING NEW OR LEASED BUSES WITH AIR CONDITIONING.
WE WANNA PROVIDE A PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PLAN TO ENSURE FLEET REMAINS OPERATIONAL.
WE WANT TO CREATE, WITHIN THE MAINTENANCE SHOP FOR A SIT, WE WANNA CREATE TEAMS WITHIN THE MECHANIC SHOP FOR EFFICIENT MAINTENANCE AND EXP EXPEDITED DELIVERY OF REPAIRED BUSES.
WE ALSO WANT TO PURCHASE, I'M SORRY, JUST WANTED TO ADD JUST FOR THE PUBLIC AND THE BOARD, WE HAVE, UM, LEASES WITH MULTIPLE, UH, VENDORS AND ALSO PUT OUT TO PURCHASE, UH, BUSES.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY, UM, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN AVAILABLE THERE.
THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY BUSES AVAILABLE, UH, SIMILAR TO OTHER PARISHES ACROSS THE STATE.
WE'VE BEEN ALSO WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO HELP US PROBLEM SOLVE THAT.
UH, BUT WE JUST WANTED PEOPLE TO BE AWARE OF THAT.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING FEVEROUSLY TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO, UM, UH, WORK WITH THE MAINTENANCE GROUP TO FIGURE OUT WHICH MECHANIC VENDORS CAN QUICKLY HELP FIX BUSES AND ALSO HOW WE SUPPORT OUR MECHANICS, UH, IN OUR CURRENT, OUR CURRENT SYSTEM.
WE ALSO WANNA PURCHASE A GENERATOR FOR THE MAINTENANCE SHOP.
UM, TWO DAYS AGO WE HAD A POWER OUTAGE AND IT COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN THE MAINTENANCE OPERATION.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE A GENERATOR SO THAT WHEN THOSE THINGS HAPPEN, WE CAN STILL BE EFFICIENT.
I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ROWDY SHORT TERM.
WE WANT TO CONSOLIDATE BUS ROUTES TO ENSURE MORE STUDENTS WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO AND FROM SCHOOLS.
WE WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH THE OFFICE OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TO ENSURE THAT THE DATA IN J CAMPUS IS ACCURATE SO THAT WE CAN PROPERLY ROUTE STUDENTS.
UM, WE ALSO WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH EXTERNAL CONSULTANTS TO ROUTE STUDENTS MORE EFFICIENTLY BASED UPON THE SS I S INFORMATION.
IF I, IF I COULD JUST ADD ONE THING TO THAT.
UM, UH, WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE LAST DAY OR TWO, UH, IS THAT WE, UM, WORKED WITH PRINCIPALS TO COLLECT AND TO FIND OUT WHO'S RIDING THE BUS AND WHO'S NOT RIDING THE BUS ON A CHECKLIST FOR THAT ACCURACY FOR, UM, FOR THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT SO THEY CAN BE ABLE TO, UH, CONSOLIDATE ROUTES AND HAVE A MUCH MORE ACCURATE NUMBER ON WHO'S ON THE BUS AND NOT ON THE BUS.
WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE SCHOOLS YET.
AND SO THAT NUMBER THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, JUST UNDER 13,000, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ALL OF THE SCHOOLS AND THAT ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS THERE.
AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THAT.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT CHILDREN WILL ADD, THERE MAY BE STUDENTS THAT ARE NOT RIDING NOW BECAUSE THEY'RE PART OF SPORTS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, AND THEN IN THE OFF SEASON THEY MAY CHOOSE TO RIDE.
BUT THAT, SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT NUMBER WILL CONTINUE TO GROW.
SO THE MAIN THING I'D LIKE THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW IS IF YOUR CHILD IS RIDING A BUS, JUST GO TO YOUR PRINCIPALS AND JUST MAKE SURE THEY ARE AWARE THAT THE CHILD IS RIDING THE BUS AND THEY'LL GET THEIR NAME, THEY CHECK OFF A BOX, THEY GIVE US THAT INFORMATION, AND THEN WE CAN, UH, MOVE FORWARD FROM THERE.
UH, IF, IF YOUR CHILD'S NOT RIDING THE BUS, WE TRY TO MAKE SURE WE CHECK ON THAT AS WELL.
UH, BUT THE MAIN THING IS FOR THAT.
SO IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD A BUS, OR, UH, IF YOUR CHILD HAS NOT BEEN PICKED UP, WE ALSO TELL FOLKS, MAKE SURE YOU SEND EMAILS.
WE TRY TO BE AS QUICKLY AND RESPONSIVE AS WE CAN.
THAT'S WHY WE ADDED MORE PEOPLE, NOT ONLY THE HOTLINE, BUT WE'LL HAVE SOMEBODY, UM, ANSWERING THE TRANSPORTATION CONCERNS LINE OR SEND AN EMAIL TO MR. RILEY, MO SCOTT SPALDING, UM, AND THAT WE CAN TRY TO MOVE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
[01:25:01]
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT ALREADY.UM, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO, UH, CLOSE THAT GAP.
LASTLY, WE WANNA PRIORITI PRIORITIZE SPECIAL EDUCATION ROUTING FOR STUDENTS WITH EXCEPTIONALITIES.
WE WANT TO EVALUATE THE EXPECTATIONS AND INVEST IN TRAINING FOR OPERATORS TO ADD VALUE TO FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT WITH E B R AND ADDITIONAL SKILLS WITH EXPERTISE.
AND MS. BALDWIN, WE'LL TALK TO YOU ABOUT STUDENTS AND FAMILY SERVICES AND SUPPORT.
SO USUALLY THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF SCHOOLS, OUR TEACHERS, UM, AND OUR BUS OPERATORS AND OUR TRANSPORTATION STAFF, UM, COUNT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE IN SEATS.
UM, AND THEY CALL IT THE WARM BODY COUNT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHO'S IN OUR SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUES.
THOSE NUMBERS ARE NOT GONNA BE ACCURATE.
AND SO THAT'S BEEN EXTENDED TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION AND NO STUDENTS WILL BE DROPPED FROM THE ROLES UNTIL THE 20TH DAY OF SCHOOLS.
UM, WE'RE ALSO, UM, THERE'S AN APPEAL WITH L D O E FOR AN ATTENDANCE WAIVER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROTECTING OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES FROM PUNITIVE ACTIONS BASED ON THE NON-COMPLIANCE WITH L D O E AND BESTING.
AND THERE'S A TIMELINE THERE AS WELL.
THE DIVISION OF ACADEMICS IS ALSO GOING TO CREATE AN ACADEMIC RECOVERY PLAN BASED ON NON-ATTENDANCE FOR STUDENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY RECEIVE THE CONTENT THAT THEY ARE DUE AS PART OF OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
THE NEXT ITEM IS WE WANT TO, UM, EXPLORE, UM, OR SEEK APPROVAL TO EXPAND BEFORE CARE AND AFTERCARE FOR OUR STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT OUR FAMILIES.
HUNDREDS, PROBABLY THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES HAVE TALKED ABOUT BEING LATE FOR WORK OR MISSING WORK OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
IF WE ARE ABLE TO EXTEND BEFORE CARE AND AFTERCARE TO THEM, THEN THAT CAN MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S LESS FINANCIAL IMPACT TO FAMILIES.
IT WILL ALSO HELP WITH SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WITH TRANSPORTATION AS WELL.
I'D LIKE TO CALL MY COLLEAGUE CHIEF JONES TO SPEAK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY.
UM, OUR DIVISION IS ALWAYS HERE TO SUPPORT THE SERVICES IN THE DISTRICT.
AND, UH, IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, UH, WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE, UH, TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO EVALUATE BOTH THE SOFTWARE THAT WE'RE USING TO ROUTE STUDENTS NOW, AS WELL AS THE NEW PLATFORM THAT WE HOPE TO MOVE TO IN THE IN SOON.
UH, WE ALSO, UM, WORK ON THE BACKEND SIDE TO MAKE SURE THE INTEGRATIONS BETWEEN OUR STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM AND THE TRANSPORTATION SOFTWARE IS A VALID, UH, LINK BETWEEN THE TWO SYSTEMS. AND THEN ALSO, UH, IF WE DO, UH, HAVE TO HAPPEN TO GO TO ANY NEW SOFTWARE, WE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE EVALUATION IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT SOFTWARE.
AND THEN, UH, AS PART OF THE R F R F P PROCESS THAT WE HAD THIS PAST YEAR, THE G P SS AND R F I D SYSTEMS, THAT WILL BE INCLUDED ON THE BUSES.
WE INTEND TO, UH, HELP ASSIST WITH THAT PROCESS AS WELL.
UH, IF I COULD ALSO ADD, WE ARE WORKING WITH, UM, UH, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE IF WE CAN GET WAIVERS TO ACCELERATE THE LICENSES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE APPLYING FOR CDLS.
UM, WE'RE WAITING TO GET THE APPROVAL FOR THAT.
UM, IF, AND WE'RE ALSO PROMOTING THAT ANYBODY HA HAS A C D L, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE, WE ARE, UH, UM, WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO, UH, APPLY TO SEE IF WE CAN, UH, GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO ROUTES AS WELL.
UM, THAT ALSO INCLUDES INTERNALLY WITH OUR STAFF, UM, AND WE CAN, UH, BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN INCENTIVIZE THAT AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO BRING TO THE BOARD, UH, FOR THAT, FOR BOARD ACTION, WE'LL DO THAT AS WELL.
UM, SO THAT HAS BEEN OUR STRATEGY FOR THAT.
SO THAT IS OUR, UM, PRESENTLY OUR LONG-TERM AND PLAN FOR THE, UH, TRANSPORTATION PLAN THERE.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING FOR SEEKING, UM, I DID CALL, UM, THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AS WELL.
WE'RE TRYING TO SEEK FOR APPROVAL, UM, TO SEE IF THERE IS A, UH, WAY THAT WE CAN GET APPROVAL FOR, YOU KNOW, UM, ANY EMERGENCIES OR WAIVERS.
AND WE'LL ALSO FOLLOW UP WITH L D O E ON THAT, UH, FOR, YOU KNOW, JUST IN CASE WE MAY HAVE TO EITHER CHANGE OUR SOFTWARE OR WE NEED TO GET, UH, DIFFERENT SETS OF REQUIREMENTS TO HAPPEN.
UM, WE WE'RE NOT THE ONLY AGENCY THAT'S HAD TO DO THESE THINGS, UH, ESPECIALLY FOR VACANCIES.
WE FOUND OUT WHEN WE START TO ENGAGE WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THAT, UH, MANY OF THE OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES HAD TO SEEK DIFFERENT TYPE OF, UM, WAIVERS AND APPROVALS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT SET OF VACANCIES, UH, THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THEIR DIVISION.
SO, UH, THAT MAY SET PRECEDENCE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE, UH, IF, IF WE NEED TO GO DOWN THAT ROUTE.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I'LL MENTION IS, UM, WE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH SEVERAL DISTRICTS TODAY, AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE LEARNED IS, UM, THERE'S A DISTRICT THAT HAD A LEASE PURCHASE OPTION FOR THEIR BUSES.
[01:30:01]
HAVEN'T NECESSARILY EXPLORED THAT I CAN FIND RECORDS FOR IN THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.AND SO WHAT I'LL SAY IS, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE WANT TO LEASE 50 OR 80 OR A HUNDRED BUSES, WHATEVER THE NUMBER IS, YOU CAN NEGOTIATE AN AGREEMENT TO PAY OVER TIME, BUT YOU RECEIVE THOSE BUSES AT THE FRONT END OF THAT AGREEMENT AND THEN YOU JUST CONTINUE TO PAY AS YOU MOVE FORWARD.
AND SO, WHETHER IT'S A SEVEN YEAR AGREEMENT OR 10 YEAR AGREEMENT, OBVIOUSLY THE BOARD WOULD HAVE TO SUPPORT US IN THAT.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO CONSIDER TO BE ABLE TO HAVE BUSES, I WOULD SAY QUICKLY, BUT THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE.
MOST OF THEM ARE, ARE MORE THAN A YEAR OUT.
BUT IF WE CAN ORDER AND THEN KNOW THAT THOSE BUSES WILL BE IN PRODUCTION, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
AND, UH, AND I SPOKE TO OTHER SUPERINTENDENTS IN THE STATE, UM, WITH JUST AS MANY DISTRICTS, A LARGE DISTRICT OF OURS, AND THEY, THEY ALSO HAVE, UH, THE SAME SET OF PROBLEMS. THEY, THEY HAVE MONEY READY TO PURCHASE BUSES, BUT THEY'RE UNABLE TO FIND BUSES TO PURCHASE.
ALRIGHT, THAT'S, THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.
ALRIGHT, NEXT IN THE QUEUE, OUR FIRST IN THE QUEUE, WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.
IS THIS UM, MY TIME FOR THE PRESENTATION OR FOR THE ITEM? THIS IS, WE'RE NOW WE'RE ON THE ITEM.
CAN I COMMENT ON THE PRESENTATION FIRST? ABSOLUTELY.
SO WHAT I'LL DO IS I WILL, DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOUR TIME.
YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND COMMENT ON THE PRESENTATION AND YOU LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU'RE GONNA START YOUR TIME SO I CAN, SO I WANNA DISCUSS THE ITEM SEPARATE.
UM, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE POINT, POINT OF ORDER, EXCUSE ME, IS I'VE GOT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESENTATION AS WELL.
UM, AND IT'S GONNA GET VERY DISJOINTED IF WE HAVE MR. RUSS ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, THE, THE PRESENTATION AND THEN, AND THEN HAVE HIS TIME ON THE ITEM.
AND THEN I, AND WHEN I HIT IN THE QUEUE, I'VE GOT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESENTATION AND THEN I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ITEM.
THAT'S GONNA BE A VERY DISJOINTED CONVERSATION.
AND SO IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN KIND OF, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE, THE PRESENTATION RIGHT NOW, FINISH ALL OUR OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK ON THAT AND THEN RETURN TO THE ITEM.
SO WHAT I WILL DO IS I WILL LIMIT THE TIME FOR DISCUSSION ON THE, ON THE TRANSPORTATION, I MEAN ON THE PRESENTATION.
AND THEN, UH, YOU'LL HAVE THE TIME, THE ORIGINAL TIME GIVEN TO YOU FOR THE ACTUAL ITEM.
BUT MY SUGGESTION IS THE BOARD GONNA COLLECTIVELY HAVE A CONVERSATION AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESENTATION SEPARATE FROM THE ITEM.
SO YEAH, SO WHAT I'LL DO IS, OKAY, SO NOT TO CONFUSE THIS, THIS SITUATION, LET'S JUST DISCUSS THE ITEM ITSELF.
THAT WAY WE CAN KEEP EVERYTHING GOING THAT WAY THERE'S NO CONFUSION IF THAT'S OKAY.
SO, CAN I MAKE A SUGGESTION? GO AHEAD MR. MARTIN.
SO, UM, MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO, LET'S FOCUS ON THE PRESENTATION SINCE IT WAS JUST MADE MM-HMM.
ONCE THAT'S CLOSED OUT, MOVE TO THE ITEM FOR FULL DISCUSSION.
FOR THE SAKE OF TIME THOUGH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO LIMIT THAT TIME DOWN FOR PRESENTATION.
WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE REGULAR AGENDA.
I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT WE STICK TO STANDARD TIMES.
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE.
IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT WE HAVE TWO THINGS HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME.
SO LET'S DO ONE AND THEN LET'S DO ANOTHER.
LIMITING TIME IS INAPPROPRIATE, I THINK, FOR THIS NOTED, BUT I WANNA ALSO CAUTION BECAUSE WE HAVE A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE AND WE, THEY ALSO HAVE TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENTS AS WELL.
AND AS I SAID BEFORE, IT'S 6 33 AND WE'RE STILL ON ONE ITEM.
WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN THROUGH ANY OTHER ITEM YET.
WE CAN DECIDE TO GO ALL NIGHT IF WE NEED TO.
NO, THAT'S NOT GONNA BE THE CASE.
I'M NOT GONNA HAVE EVERYBODY INSIDE OF THIS BOARDROOM CRAMMED INSIDE OF A COLD ROOM FOR, UH, HOURS ON END.
I JUST THINK EVERYONE DESERVES TO SPEAK AND SAY WHAT THEY NEED TO SAY AND EVERYONE WILL.
SO POINT OF ORDER EVERYONE WILL, MS. HENDERSON.
BUT AGAIN, I WANNA DO THIS IN AN EFFECTIVE MANNER THAT ALLOWS EVERYONE ENOUGH TIME EQUALLY TO SPEAK ON THE TRANSPORTATION OR THE PRESENTATION AND ALSO SPEAK ON THE ITEM, IF THAT'S OKAY.
ALRIGHT, SO SCHOOL RUSS, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS YOU HAVE YES, PRESENTATION, YOU HAVE FOUR MINUTES.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, I KNOW OUR ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN WORKING VERY HARD ON THIS.
UM, WHAT I SEE IN THIS PRESENTATION, THERE'S SOME GOOD IMPORTANT DETAILS.
WHAT I DON'T SEE COMMUNICATED TO ME OR TO THE BOARD OR TO OUR PUBLIC IN GENERAL, UM, A GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF OR PERHAPS COMMUNICATION OF WHAT OUR SHORT-TERM PROBLEMS ARE AND WHAT OUR LONG-TERM PROBLEMS ARE AND WHAT WE ARE DOING ABOUT THOSE.
I, I SEE A LOT OF BULLET POINTS OF THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE DONE AND NEED TO BE IMPLEMENTED AND CORRECTIONS TO BE MADE.
BUT I DON'T SEE ANY PRACTICAL DELIVERY OF, HEY, THIS IS HOW MANY BUSES WERE SHORT TODAY.
UM, THIS IS HOW MANY BUSES ARE GOING DOWN EVERY DAY.
HERE'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO ABOUT IN THE SHORT TERM, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IN THE LONG TERM.
[01:35:01]
I, I, I DON'T FEEL THAT THIS IS PROPERLY COMMUNICATING WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING ON HERE.I THINK THAT OUR ADMINISTRATION, I THINK YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND IT.
I DON'T THINK YOU'RE GETTING ACROSS THAT YOU HAS A, YOU HAVE A GRASP ON HOW TO FIX THIS.
UM, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT BEING COMMUNICATED AS I'VE SEEN IT TO THE PUBLIC.
WHEN, WHEN I SAT IN A MEETING YESTERDAY AND REVIEWED A LOT OF THIS STUFF, UM, OVER ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF, I GOT A GOOD GRASP ON WHAT WAS GOING ON.
UM, BUT I DON'T SEE A LOT OF COMMITMENTS HERE.
UM, I DON'T SEE ANY PLAN ON WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT OUR BUSES.
UM, NOT IN THE SHORT TERM TO REMEDY THE FACT THAT WE'RE LIKE A HUNDRED BUSES SHORT.
I DON'T SEE I PLAN FOR WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT, UM, HOW MANY DRIVERS WERE SHORT.
THOSE ARE THE TWO BIGGEST ISSUES THAT WE'RE HAVING HERE.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HEAR SOME CONTEXT AROUND WHAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO DO, WHICH IS SPEND LIKE NORTH OF $10 MILLION AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT, UM, THIS PROBLEM.
UM, BECAUSE THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY AND THAT ALSO IS NOT GOING TO FIX THIS.
UM, WE COULD DO RAISES, WE COULD DO STIPENDS, WE COULD DO ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
IT DOESN'T MAKE PEOPLE WANT TO GET IN A HOT, HOT BUS WITH 30 KIDS, UH, AT FIVE IN THE MORNING.
SO, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE CAN CHANGE THAT PROBLEM OVERNIGHT, BUT LOOK, I, I MEAN, I'LL, I'M GONNA BE FRANK, LIKE I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY OUR SUPERINTENDENT IS SITTING UP HERE AND NOT STANDING DOWN HERE DURING THIS PRESENTATION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING WHILE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRISIS AND NOT IMMEDIATELY ADDRESSING WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND INSTEAD, YOUR, YOUR STAFF IS OUT HERE TELLING US WHAT'S GOING ON AND, AND THEY'RE GONNA GET THE QUESTIONS AND THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
I MEAN, I SAT IN A MEETING AND ASKED YOU TO COMMUNICATE THAT YOU GRASPED A PLAN AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AND MAKE COMMITMENTS TO OUR COMMUNITY OF HOW THIS IS GONNA GET TURNED AROUND.
SO WHEN WE HAD OUR MEETING, YOU CAME IN WITH SUGGESTIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU WANTED TO GET DONE AND WE HAD A CONVERSATION.
PART OF THE PLAN WE PROVIDED TO YOU WAS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK.
WE PUT SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM.
THERE ARE THREE MAJOR ISSUES WE HAVE AND MONEY WILL NOT SOLVE.
NUMBER ONE, WE HAVE ISSUES WITH 161 VACANCIES.
THOSE VACANCIES BEGAN A WHILE BACK AND I EXPLAINED THAT TO YOU AND I ALSO TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THIS IS NOT JUST A BATON ROUGE PROBLEM, IT IS ALL OVER THE PLACE, INCLUDING THE STATE.
AND I MADE A CALL TO THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE TO ASK FOR HELP FOR THAT.
THE SECOND THING I ASKED WAS, I SAID, I NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE POLICIES AND ISSUES ARE SO WE CAN, SO YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT ME IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF YOU NEED TO GO TO THE STATE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE SOLVE THAT ISSUE.
WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT C D L LICENSES AND OTHER THINGS BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE SAME ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IN ALL THE PARISHES IN THE STATES.
THE SECOND ISSUE WE TALKED ABOUT WAS THE ROUTING SYSTEM.
THE SOFTWARE THAT THE BOARD APPROVED, THERE WAS ISSUES WITH THE SOFTWARE THAT WAS DETERMINED IN JUNE.
AND THAT PROBLEM, IF WE GOT A NEW SOFTWARE, THAT MEANS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO, UH, DO ANOTHER R F P IN ORDER TO BRING A NEW SOFTWARE.
SO WE SAID WE WOULD GET A CONSULTING, THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WE SOLVE.
SO WE START TO CONSOLIDATE THAT.
AND THEN THE THIRD ISSUE, AND THAT WE COULD NOT GET THE MECHANICS TO FIX BUSES FAST ENOUGH, BECAUSE THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT HERE IS THAT WE DID NOT INVEST IN RE REPLENISHING OUR FLEET AND THE PROPANE BUSES BECAUSE WE'VE MOSTLY BOUGHT BUSES IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BY GRANTS.
AND EVERY TIME YOU BUY A BUS BY A GRANT TO ACTUALLY DESTROY THE CURRENT BUS THAT'S THERE TO REPLACE THAT BUS IS WHERE THE PROBLEM IS, WHICH IS MOST OF THE PROPANE BUSES BREAK DOWN.
AND WE HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE CAN WORK THROUGH THAT.
IN OUR CONVERSATION, YOU WERE ADAMANT ABOUT WE NEED TO HAVE X DATE TO TELL THE COMMUNITY THAT WE NEED TO GET THIS FIXED.
AND WHAT I TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO YOU WAS, WE CAN DO THAT, BUT WE STILL HAVE TO WORK THROUGH POLICY ISSUES, UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO DO CERTAIN THINGS.
AND WE WORKED OUR WAY THROUGH THAT.
AND SO THE SAME PLAN THAT YOU'RE LOOKING TODAY THAT YOU RECEIVED AND GAVE US FEEDBACK ON IS WHAT WE BROUGHT IN TODAY.
AND WE, WE TRIED TO OUTLINE THIS PROCESS WITH SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM GOALS TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE GOALS.
AND THEN WE SAID WE WOULD GO OUT AND COMMUNICATE IN AN EASY WAY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH OUR, OUR COMMUNITY IN THAT PROCESS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO.
[01:40:01]
WHAT I KEEP TRYING TO TELL EVERYONE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU YELL AT US, GET UPSET WITH US, ASK 3000 QUESTIONS, THIS IS A BIGGER ISSUE AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME TO SOLVE.AND SO THAT IS WHERE WE ARE IN THAT PROCESS.
AND SO, ALTHOUGH I'M SITTING UP HERE, WHICH I DO IN MOST PRESENTATIONS, AND THE STAFF IS THERE BECAUSE IT TAKES A TEAM OF 6,000 PEOPLE TO TRY TO SOLVE STUFF IN THIS PLACE, I'M TRYING TO GET, FIGURE OUT A WAY TO PROBLEM SOLVING AND KEEP US IN A SOLUTION ORIENTED SPACE TO MOVE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE.
BUT AN UNFORTUNATE THING THAT IS THE UN THAT HAS BEEN HARD FOR ME IS THAT THE REALITY IS THAT THIS IS A CHALLENGE THAT HAS HAPPENED OVER TIME.
IT HAS HAPPENED OVER TIME AND WE DID NOT PUT ENOUGH EFFORT, WE DID NOT PUT ENOUGH FOCUS IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM.
AND NOW IT'S BEEN EXACERBATED AND THEREFORE THIS IS WHY WHERE WE ARE.
AND SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
AND WE ARE ALSO A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT IS A CHOICE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS AND YOU HAVE CHOICE MAGNET SCHOOLS.
SO YOU HAVE KIDS THAT GO TO SCHOOL IN NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE KIDS THAT GO TO SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE CITY TO A PARTICULAR SCHOOL.
AND SO WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH THOSE ISSUES.
AND SO, SO IT'S NOT A MATTER OF ME BEING THAT I'M NOT WITH OUR TEAM 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN UP EARLY IN THE MORNING, LATE AT NIGHT IN THIS OFFICE, IN THE TRANSPORTATION OFFICE AFTER FOLKS HAVE GONE DOWN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TODAY.
I WAS ALSO THIS MORNING WITH THE MC, UM, SOME OF THE FOLKS HERE MEETING WITH THE, UH, GOVERNOR THAT ALLOWED THE GENERALS TO COME AND HELP US THIS MORNING.
'CAUSE I CALLED THE GOVERNOR AND SAID TO THE GOVERNOR GOVERNOR'S OFFICE WITH AN ADVISOR AND SAID, WE NEED HELP.
WE NEED HELP WITH THEIR FOLKS.
AND THEY'VE BEEN HELPING US SINCE WHAT TIME? WE HAD THAT MEETING THIS MORNING AT 7:30 AM SEVEN 30.
AND THEN WE HAD ANOTHER MEETING THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE THEY, THEY ALSO SHARED WITH US THAT WE ARE NOT THE ONLY DISTRICT IN THIS PARISH.
I MEAN IN, IN THE STATE HAVING THESE SETS OF CHALLENGES.
IT'S JUST SO HAPPENS THAT IT IS MUCH MORE COMPLEX FOR US BECAUSE WE ARE THE SECOND LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
AND SO WE NEED JUST SOME TIME, OUR GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO HOPEFULLY BY SEPTEMBER, UH, BECAUSE I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT SEPTEMBER 4TH, BUT BY SEPTEMBER TO HAVE MANY OF THESE ISSUES RESOLVED SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AND PROBLEM SOLVE THIS.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M ASKING FOR.
THE THINGS THAT YOU JUST COMMUNICATED IS CONTEXT AND AN EXPLANATION TO THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM AND TO THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH.
MY COMMENT WAS NOT ABOUT THROWING YOU UNDER THE BUS, DR.
NAIS, IT WAS ABOUT THIS PLAN DOES NOT COMMUNICATE AN UNDERSTANDING TO OUR PUBLIC THAT YOU HAVE OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE AT HAND.
EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM WAS NOT IN THAT MEETING.
THE MEMBERS, OUR BOARD THAT WERE NOT IN THAT MEETING, YOUR EMPLOYEES THAT WERE NOT IN THIS MEETING, EVERYBODY HERE THAT'S A STAKEHOLDER DESERVES TO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH AND WHY IT'S GONNA TAKE TIME TO FIX, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU NEEDED TO SAY AND TO COMMUNICATE CLEARLY.
THIS IS GONNA TAKE TIME TO FIX.
WE'RE NOT FIXING IT NEXT WEEK.
WE'RE NOT FIXING IT THE WEEK AFTER.
BUT WHAT WE, WE ARE DOING EVERY DAY, I WILL SAY IS WE'VE BEEN MINIMIZING ISSUES.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THIS MORNING WE CONSOLIDATE HOW MANY ROUTES WE WERE ABLE TO CONSOLIDATE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS.
IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS IT'S BEEN ALMOST 20, 28, 30.
I'M NOT, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER IN FRONT OF ME.
SO, SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT EL LEAST, NO, NO, NO, I'M SORRY.
ORIGINALLY WE WERE REPORTING OVER 800 ROUTES YESTERDAY WE REPORTED OVER 700 ROUTES.
AND MR. RIDGLEY JUST REPORTED, I THINK IT'S SOMEWHERE AROUND 5 65 62, 5 62 FOR TODAY.
AND SO IT'S MULTIPLE ROUTES THAT ARE BEING CONSOLIDATED.
SO EVERY DAY THAT WE CONSOLIDATE ROUTES, WE GET FASTER.
RIGHT? BUT THERE'S STILL SOME CHALLENGES AROUND BUSES AND ROUTING THAT KIDS ARE NOT GETTING PICKED UP.
IT'S NOT THE WHOLE SYSTEM, BUT THERE ARE PARTICULAR AREAS THAT WE ARE HAVING CHALLENGES FOR.
AND THAT IS WHY WE NEED SUPPORT IN THAT SPACE.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO REROUTE ALL OF THE ENTIRE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHICH TAKES A LOT OF TIME.
ALSO, I WILL SAY IS THE RIDERSHIP FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHEN WE ELIMINATE THE ELEMENTARY TRANSFER GREW.
AND ALTHOUGH THE ROUTE NUMBERS WERE THE SAME FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR, WHEN PARENTS FOUND OUT THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THE ELEMENTARY TRANSFER POINTS THAT MORE OF PARENTS WANTED TO SEND THEIR KIDS ON THE BUS.
AND SO THAT ALSO EXACERBATED THAT ISSUE, EVEN THOUGH I STILL SAY THAT THE ELEMENTARY TRANSFER WAS NOT A, A GOOD THING TO HAVE.
OUR GOAL IS TO DO DIRECT BUS ROUTES.
THE ONLY TRANSFER WE'VE ALLOWED TO KEEP OPEN WAS FOR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS.
AND THOUGH THAT IS THE ONE THAT WE WERE LOOKING TO KEEP UP, IS THAT CORRECT? WE'RE
[01:45:01]
REEXAMINING THE E S S TRANSFER ROUTE, ELEMENTARY TRANSFER ROUTE.SO THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THAT.
SORRY, BENEATH THE RU WAS SEVEN MINUTES AND SIX SECONDS OVER.
UM, I'M TRYING TO SEE HOW WE CAN RESOLVE THIS.
UH, I'LL LET YOU FINISH THAT LAST START.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE TO MOVE ON.
MY MY POINT WAS THERE, THERE, THIS IS, AS YOU'VE SAID, VERY, VERY COMPLEX ISSUE.
I THINK THAT YOU, YOU AND YOUR TEAM DO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE FACED BETWEEN MONDAY AND TODAY.
YOUR TEAM HAS GOTTEN TOGETHER, YOU'VE DEVELOPED AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE, THAT WE'RE FACING AND YOU'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON SOLUTIONS.
AND OUR BOARD AND OUR COMMUNITY NEED THAT CONTEXT.
THEY DESERVE TO KNOW THE DETAILS.
YOU, YOU MENTIONED THINGS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN COMMUNICATED VERY CLEARLY IN THIS PLAN, SUCH AS THE FACT THAT OUR ROUTING SY SYSTEM IS ABSOLUTELY BROKEN AND WE HAVE TO COMPLETELY, MANUALLY REDO IT AND REPLACE IT.
SO I JUST LOOK, I I I'M, I'M JUST FRUSTRATED BECAUSE WE'RE NOT COMMUNICATING WELL AND OUR BOARD AS WELL DESERVE, UM, CLARITY AROUND WHAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO DO SO THAT WE CAN HELP YOU AND WE WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS SOLUTION TO HELP GET THROUGH THIS PROBLEM.
AND, UH, AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE ALONG, I'LL JUST TAKE A, JUST A QUICK POINT OF INFORMATION.
'CAUSE I DO ALSO UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM WITH THIS SCUBA MEMBER.
UM, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, WHENEVER YOU GAVE THE PRESENTATION, WE HAD NO IDEA OF WHAT OUR BUS SHORTAGE IS RIGHT NOW.
THOSE ARE, THAT'S THE TYPE OF CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION WE NEED TO KNOW.
UM, WE JUST FOUND OUT WHAT OUR BUS, UH, OPERATOR SHORTAGE IS.
THAT'S THE KIND OF CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO KNOW.
UH, HOW ARE WE, WHICH ROUTES ARE BEING GROUPED? WE DON'T KNOW THAT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS WELL AS OUR BOARD.
MORE SPECIFICALLY TO KNOW THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE GONNA BE RIDING ON EACH BUS.
THIS IS INFORMATION I THINK THAT WE NEED TO KNOW SO THAT WE HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEM.
UH, AND WE ALSO NEED TO GET A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW WE, EVALUATING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TEAM FROM THE TOP ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE MECHANIC.
WE NEED TO KNOW HOW THOSE PEOPLE ARE EFFECTIVE.
IF WE NEED TO MAKE MOVES, THAT'S THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO KNOW.
UH, NEXT IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
I'M JUST GONNA BE VERY BRIEF AND I'M GONNA COME BACK AFTER PUBLIC COMMENTS.
UM, LAST WEEK I MADE THE COMMENT THAT, UM, INFORMATION IN J CAMPUS WAS JACKED UP.
MADE THAT COMMENT BASED ON, UM, COMPUTERS BAD INFORMATION IN, BAD INFORMATION OUT.
SO WE HAVE, WE AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, WE'VE GOT TO GET PROPER INFORMATION, ACCURATE INFORMATION PUT INTO J CAMPUS.
'CAUSE IF YOU ARE USING J CAMPUS AND THE INFORMATION IS BAD, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET OUT MONDAY MORNING.
A YOUNG LADY AT TRANSPORTATION HAD NOT LIVED AT THAT ADDRESS IN TWO YEARS.
SHE CAME IN WITH HER DRIVER'S LICENSE, UH, DOCUMENTATION WHERE SHE HAD GONE TO THE SCHOOL AND CHANGED HER INFORMATION ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS.
SO AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, IT, IT HAS TO BE IMPLEMENTED.
THERE'S NO REAL SENSE OF SYNERGY IN THIS DISTRICT WHERE WE ALL FEEL LIKE WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER.
AND I UNDERSTAND WITH THE WORK SHORTAGES IN THE SCHOOLS WITH, WITH CLERKS AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE LIKE THAT, A LOT OF THINGS HAVE, A LOT OF TIMES THE BALL HAS BEEN DROPPED.
BUT, AND I, AND I'M GOING TO BE FINISHING JUST A SECOND.
I'LL GO BACK AND REPEAT WHAT I SAID LAST WEEK.
WELL, MONDAY, THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT HAD TO HAPPEN.
IT NEEDED TO HAPPEN BECAUSE IF WE'RE GOING TO BECOME A PROGRESSIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE HAD TO KNOW HOW BAD IT WAS SO WE COULD FIX IT.
THE CAN HAS BEEN KICKED DOWN THE ROAD FOR A DECADE, FOR ONE DECADE.
I GOT AN EMAIL FROM A PARENT WHO SAYS BUS ISSUES HAS BEEN A PROBLEM AT HER HOME FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS.
SO I'LL JUST RESERVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS.
BASICALLY ANYBODY WHO I OFFENDED WITH MY COMMENTS ABOUT JAY CAMPUS, I WANTED TO BRING CLARITY BACK TO IT BECAUSE I'VE, YOU, I'VE BEEN THERE WITH JAY CAMPUS.
SO, AND JUST CAN, IF I COULD JUST ADD TO WHAT, UM, BOARD MEMBER LUIS, UM, UM, HAS SAID, UM, THE, THE REALITY IS OUR, WE HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF SET OF ISSUES AND WHEN, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD AND WE TRIED TO DO A TRANSITION REPORT, WE COULD NOT DO EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IT TAKES TIME.
AND SO WE AT THAT TIME LOOKED AT SYSTEMS AND ACADEMICS FOR KIDS FIRST.
[01:50:01]
HIGH RATE WAS TO GET THE OPERATIONAL PIECES UP TO PAR.YOU ADD C O V AND ALL THOSE PO THINGS THAT END UP HAPPENING.
AND SO NOW WE'VE BEEN REALLY FOCUSED ON TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TRAINS OF THE, WE DON'T HAVE TRAINS HERE, BUT MM-HMM.
AND AS WE STARTED TO INTERVIEW AND HAVE CONVERSATION WITH THE, THE, UH, TRANSPORTATION TEAM, AND WE'RE WORKING THIS MORNING WITH THE GOVERNOR FOR, WE'VE, WE'VE LEARNED FROM PEOPLE THERE THAT THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF BREAKDOWN FOR YEARS THAT'S HAPPENED EVEN IN PROCESSES AND PROTOCOLS AND HOW BUSES WERE DONE OR NOT DONE.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO GIVE CONTEXT.
IS THAT, AS YOU SAID FOR RIGHT.
AND I THINK WHAT IS HARD SOMETIMES IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS, PEOPLE MAKE IT SOUND LIKE IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN FIX EASILY TOMORROW.
AND SO WE JUST NEED SOME TIME TO WORK THROUGH TO AT LEAST GET US TO A NORMAL LEVEL AND THEN FROM THERE WE CAN START TO INVEST IN OTHER SPACES.
NEXT IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CARLA, POWER LEWIS, OUR VICE PRESIDENT.
SO ARE WE STILL SPEAKING ON THE PRESENTATION OR ARE WE SPEAKING ON THE, OKAY.
CE, I KNOW YOU'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, WELL EARLIER IN YOUR COMMENTS, THAT WE WERE REACHING OUT TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, THE GOVERNOR, UH, AND, AND MANY DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATORS.
MY QUESTION, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME SAY THIS.
I KNOW THAT, UH, WE HAVE HAD MANY CONSTITUENTS TO REACH OUT TO US VIA EMAIL, BY PHONE, UH, AND EVERY AVENUE THAT THEY CAN, IF THEY SEE US OUT IN THE STORE, THEY'RE REACHING OUT TO US.
UM, BUT I DO KNOW THAT SOME HAVE SENT US SOME UNIQUE IDEAS ABOUT GRANTS TOWARDS PURCHASE, UH, PURCHASING BUSES OR SECURING BUSES.
AND THEN EVEN THE USE OF LIKE THE NATIONAL GUARD SUPPORT.
HAS THERE BEEN ANY EXPLORATION OF THAT? SO WE SPOKE THIS MORNING, AND I DON'T WANNA GET TOO MUCH DETAIL BECAUSE THEY WERE STILL WORKING OUT.
WE SPOKE THIS MORNING, THE, UH, GOVERNOR SENT, UH, THE GENERALS HERE THIS MORNING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT SOME OF THOSE POSSIBILITIES.
THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO AND SOME THINGS THAT, UH, THEY CAN'T DO.
SO WE TALKED ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UM, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, HOW DO YOU GET FOLKS WHO HAVE THE C D L LICENSE PROCESS TO ACCELERATE? THERE ARE THINGS THAT IF YOU HAVE SOME TYPE OF A, A WAIVER AND IT'S AN EMERGENCY, HE'S ABLE, AS THE GOVERNOR CAN OR WORK WITH THE PARISH, IS A PROTOCOL, A PROCESS THEY GO THROUGH.
SO I DON'T WANNA MISQUOTE 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW FULLY ALL THAT.
WE'RE STILL REVIEWING WHAT THAT IS TO BE ABLE TO ALLOW US TO ACCELERATE PEOPLE, UM, WHO GO AND GET THESE LICENSES IN TERMS OF HOW THE TRAINING AND THE PROCESSING, YOU KNOW, SO WE, WE EXPLORED THAT THIS MORNING.
WE ALSO EXPLORED OF ASKING IF THERE WERE NATIONAL GUARD FOLKS WHO HAD C D L LICENSES ALREADY.
UM, THE CHALLENGE IS THAT THE RULES THAT THEY LIVE BY AND WE LIVE BY ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
FOR EXAMPLE, THEY CAN PASS AN EMERGENCY WAIVER FOR SOMETHING AND ANYBODY CAN DRIVE THEIR TRUCK, BUT, UH, OR THEIR BUS.
WE CANNOT DO THAT BECAUSE WE TRANSPORT KIDS.
AND SO THERE IS A WHOLE SET OF COMPLEXITIES AROUND THAT.
AND SO, UM, SO WE ARE STILL EXPLORING WHAT THAT WOULD BE.
UM, THIS MO AFTERNOON AT THREE O'CLOCK, WE HAD ANOTHER CONVERSATION WITH THEM AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE ANOTHER CONVERSATION AGAIN MM-HMM.
AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS, UM, IN REGARDS TO OUR HIRING CAMPAIGN.
SO I, I KNOW THAT WE'VE MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES TONIGHT THAT IF SOMEONE HAS A C D L AND WOULD LIKE TO, TO ASSIST US.
SO WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT STEP IF THEY'RE INTERESTED IN ASSISTING US? SHOULD THEY CALL? YES.
SHOULD THEY GO TO HR? WHAT SHOULD THEY DO? SO OUR POSITIONS ARE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE.
IF THEY GO THROUGH AND COMPLETE THAT INFORMATION, UPLOAD THEIR C D L, ALL OF THE INFORMATION.
UM, THE OFFICE OF HR IS WORKING WITH US TO EXPEDITE NEW HIRES.
MADAM VP, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART WAIVED HER RIGHT TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I'M NOT GONNA ASK ANY QUESTIONS OR MAKE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT WHY WE GOT, HOW WE GOT WHERE WE ARE, WHOSE FAULT IT IS, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT THE CRISIS AND EMERGENCY FACING US.
I HAVE SOME STRONG THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT, BUT WE DON'T NEED TO GET INTO THAT.
UM, ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE BEEN PROVIDED BY STAFF ON TUESDAY 17, BUSES BROKE DOWN ON WEDNESDAY 23 BUSES BROKE DOWN.
BUT WE ONLY EXPECT TO GET 10 FIXED BUSES BACK FROM VENDORS THIS WEEK.
AND YOUR SHORT TERM MAINTENANCE SOLUTION IN THE PRESENTATION IS EDUCATE OPERATORS.
OPERATORS ON MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES.
THAT'S NOT FIXING BUSES, RIGHT? WE NEED BUSES FIXED.
[01:55:01]
BUSES? SO LET ME TELL YOU THE PLAN FOR FIXING BUSES.THERE ARE A NUMBER OF VENDORS THAT THE BUS TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE ARE PUTTING ON THE LIST FOR THEM TO FIX BUSES.
AND THE REALITY BOARD MEMBER MARTIN, IS THEY ARE FIXING NOT ONLY OUR OUR BUS, BUT THEY'RE FIXING A NUMBER OF OTHER BUSES.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS GET FIRST ON THEIR LIST.
SO THE BUSES, OUR BUSES CAN GET FIXED.
THE REALITY IS WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH WITH THEM IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
THAT'S WHAT WE TALKED WITH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE THIS MORNING AS WELL.
UH, THEIR FOLKS TO HELP US OUT TO GET, SEE IF THEY CAN PRIORITIZE US TO FIX OUR BUSES.
WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE GOT TO DO WITH, WITH, BECAUSE WITH THE PRIVATE COMPANIES FIXING BUSES.
WELL THAT THE, THE, WHAT HE CAN HELP US WITH IS, IS TO HELP US TO SEE IF THEY CAN PRIORITIZE US.
BECAUSE THE REALITY IS WHEN YOU, WE OUTSOURCE A LOT OF THINGS IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND BECAUSE WE OUTSOURCE TO OTHER MECHANICS, THEY'RE NOT ONLY FIXING, UM, THEY ARE NOT ONLY FIXING OUR BUSES, BUT THEY'RE ALSO FIXING OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSES IN THE ENTIRE PARISH OR IN THE STATE.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE COMPLEXITY COMES INTO IT.
ARE, ARE WE, SO UNLESS YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, OFFER THEM MORE MONEY TO PRIORITIZE US, WE CAN DO THAT IF THAT'S A A, A A RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU HAVE.
BUT THERE, WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IS HOW DO WE CAN GET PRIOR PRIORITIZE THAT OR THE OTHER OPTION CAN BE BOARD MEMBER MARTIN IS IF YOU WANT US TO HIRE MORE MECHANICS, WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL.
WHAT I WANT SUPERINTENDENT, IS FOR YOU TO TELL ME WHAT THE PLAN IS IS IN HERE.
THAT'S WHAT YOUR RECOMMENDATION IS.
IF YOU NEED RECOMMENDATION, WE WILL PROVIDE THEM MY RECOMMENDATION BOARD MEMBER MARTIN.
IF IT IS TO HIRE MORE MECHANICS AND GET OUR OWN MECHANIC STAFF HERE, THEN WHY IS THAT NOT ON HERE? WELL, THE REASON WHY IS IT THERE NOT A PROPOSAL TO AMEND THE BUDGET TO INCLUDE ANOTHER MILLION DOLLAR ONE? 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO CHECK FIRST BOARD MEMBER MARTIN, WHAT THE BUDGET SUPERINTENDENT COST WOULD'VE TO BE.
THE LAST THING WE NEED RIGHT NOW IS PUBLIC SPATTER IN A PUBLICIZED BOARDROOM.
I UNDERSTAND ALL FRUSTRATIONS, BUT I JUST ASK THAT WE PLEASE SPEAK TO EACH OTHER CALMLY AND RESPECTFULLY.
I UNDERSTAND A LOT OF, A LOT OF FRUSTRATION IS INSIDE OF THE ROOM, BUT I DON'T WANT US TO LOSE WHAT IS IN FRONT OF US RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS TO PRESENT TO OUR COMMUNITY A PLAN, DISCUSS IT IN A REASONABLE FASHION.
JUST WANTED TO BRING THE TEMPERATURE DOWN A BIT.
SUPERINTENDENT, LET ME ASK YOU THIS QUESTION.
IN THE MEETING WITH THE GENERALS AND WHATNOT THIS MORNING, DID WE ASK FOR THE NATIONAL GUARD TO BE DEPLOYED TO PROVIDE US WITH MECHANICS OR DRIVERS THAT THEY HAVE WHO ALREADY HAVE C D L WHO COULD BE ASSIGNED TO DRIVE BUSES, SCHOOL BUSES FOR A WHILE? YEAH, SO WE SPOKE TO A GENERAL ON YESTERDAY WHO SAID, WE NEED TO FULLY UNDERSTAND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES.
ONCE WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION AND DISCUSSED WHAT OUR NEEDS WERE, INCLUSIVE OF MECHANICS AND BUS OPERATORS AND EQUIPMENT AND WHAT HAVE YOU, ONCE WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION, THEY AGREED TO SEND A GENERAL AND A MAJOR GENERAL TO US TODAY.
THEY WERE IN THE DEPARTMENT FOR PROBABLY ABOUT FIVE HOURS TO DO THEIR ASSESSMENT.
WE WERE WAITING ON THAT REPORT.
WE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT ROUTING.
WE KNOW WE NEED TO SECURE A CONSULTANT TO BE ABLE TO HELP US WITH THE ROUTING.
THEY DO NOT OFFER THAT SERVICE.
THEY HAVE PEOPLE IN THE NATIONAL GUARD WITH CDLS.
THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE A CALL THAT E B R IS HIRING TO SEE WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO COME AND WORK FOR US.
THEY WILL NOT DEPLOY THE NATIONAL GUARD TO BE ABLE TO COME AND WORK FOR US.
THEY ONLY DO THAT IN THE STATE OF A, OF A, AN EMERGENCY.
AND SO THEY WOULD HAVE TO BECOME OUR EMPLOYEES AND GO THROUGH OUR PROCESS AND WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HIRE THEM IN THAT SPACE.
REGARDING MECHANICS, WE DID TALK TO THE GENERAL WHO WAS IN CHARGE, WHO STATED THAT WE HAVE HVAC MECHANICS THAT ARE IN THE GUARD, BUT THEY ARE WORKING THEIR REGULAR JOBS.
AND SO WE'RE NOT CALLING THEM IN TO BE ABLE TO COME AND TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING WITH E B R.
BUT WE WILL SEND A CALL OUT TO LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU NEED SUPPORT.
AND THEY'VE DONE THAT BEFORE FOR DIFFERENT ISSUES AND THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING IN PEOPLE.
AND SO ONCE WE RECEIVE THEIR REPORT FROM THEIR ASSESSMENT TODAY, I CLEARLY EXPECT THEM TO BE ABLE TO SAY WHAT THEY CAN DO AND WHAT THEY CAN'T DO.
SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF TODAY.
THEY WERE ABLE TO TALK TO US ABOUT HOW THE MECHANICS ARE SCHEDULED AND WHAT THEIR WORKFLOWS ARE.
AND SO KELVIN, MR. RIDLEY, SORRY, HAS THE, HAS THAT INFORMATION AND HE WILL BE ABLE TO EXAMINE THAT AND ASSESS THAT AND TALK TO THE TEAMS THAT ARE ON THE GROUND TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO CONNECT US WITH SOME LEADERS THROUGHOUT THE STATE WHO USE OTHER VENDORS THAT WE DON'T USE.
AND SO WE'RE CALLING THOSE VENDORS TO SEE IF THEY CAN SUPPORT US TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN HELP US NOT ONLY WITH MECHANICS, BUT BUSES AS WELL.
LEASE BUSES, PURCHASE BUSES, WHATEVER THEY HAVE.
WE'RE MAKING A Y CAST THROUGHOUT
[02:00:01]
THE STATE AND BEYOND.BOARD MEMBER RUST MENTIONED YESTERDAY THAT WE NEED TO REACH OUT TO THOSE SURROUNDING STATES.
AND SO SOME OF THOSE COMMUNICATIONS HAVE COME IN TODAY AS WELL.
SO THE TEAM WILL SPEND TIME TOMORROW REACHING OUT TO OTHER STATES.
THERE'S A STATE, UM, I MEAN THERE'S A BUS COMPANY AS FAR AS ILLINOIS THAT WE'VE LEFT A MESSAGE WITH TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IF THEY CAN SEND SOME BUSES TO US.
AND SO WE'RE PUTTING THE WORD OUT THAT WE NEED SUPPORT AND WE'RE WORKING TO BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THAT SPACE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
BUT THEY'RE NO DEFINITIVE ANSWERS TONIGHT.
THANK YOU MS. SCOTT SPALDING, SUPERMAN.
MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT I THINK WE NEED TO ENGAGE A LOGISTICS EXPERT, EX-MILITARY, SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO COME IN AND TAKE CHARGE OF THIS CRISIS.
NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, KEEP MAKING SOME PHONE CALLS.
THAT'S NOT GONNA GET US BUS, THAT'S NOT GONNA DO ANYTHING QUICKLY.
WE NEED SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS HOW TO RUN A VERY COMPLEX OPERATION, MAKE RAPID DECISIONS, COMMUNICATE THOSE QUICKLY TO THE PUBLIC.
THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO DO THAT.
THEY DON'T WORK FOR US RIGHT NOW.
WE DON'T NEED THAT KIND OF EXPERTISE EVERY DAY.
THAT'S WHAT YOU, THAT'S WHEN YOU HIRE A CONSULTANT AND EXPERT TO COME IN AND TEMPORARILY HELP US.
AND SO I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO FIND SOMEBODY LIKE THAT TO COME IN AND, AND, AND TAKE CHARGE OF, OF THE, OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
FIGURING OUT THE ROUTING, FIGURING OUT THE, THE MECHANIC SCHEDULE, MAKING SURE THAT, THAT OUR MECHANICS ARE BEING USED AS SUFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT MAKING THEM WORK.
RIGHT? BUT IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE LOSING 40 BUSES IN TWO DAYS AND GETTING 10, 10 BACK THIS WEEK, THEN, THEN WE'RE FALLING APART, RIGHT? THE, THE, THE WHEELS ARE FALLING OFF FASTER THAN WE'RE PUTTING THEM BACK ON.
SO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING VERY SIGNIFICANT, VERY DRASTIC.
AND THIS IS, THIS IS NOT, THIS IS NOT IT.
THANK YOU SCUBA MEMBER MARTIN.
NEXT WE HAVE SCUBA, UH, MICHAEL GOE.
THANK YOU, UH, MS. SCOTT SPALDING.
UM, WE HAVE VACANCIES IN MECHANICS NOW, DON'T WE? WE DO.
WE WOULD BE HIRING EVERY MECHANIC WE COULD IF THEY WERE APPLYING FOR THE JOB.
SO GOING OUT AND GETTING A RAF OF MECHANICS.
WE'VE BEEN TRYING THAT FOR MONTHS.
UH, HOW MUCH DOES A NEW BUS COST? 130,000 A DIESEL.
A DIESEL WOULD BE, BUT UH, ABOUT 130.
DIESEL AND 170 SOMETHING FOR A GASOLINE.
AND SO IF WE GAVE YOU $10 MILLION, HOW MANY BUSES COULD YOU GET HERE NEXT WEEK? NONE.
SO THAT'S THE POINT I'M TRYING TO BRING UP HERE.
YOU KNOW, EVERYONE'S LOOKING FOR A QUICK FIX.
WE GOT TO FACE THE SITUATION THAT WE GOTTA FIX THIS WITH WHAT WE GOT AND YEAH.
MAKING, MAKING MECHANICS MORE EFFICIENT.
BUT THE REALITY IS WE'RE NOT GETTING A WHOLE BUNCH OF NEW BUSES IN ANYTIME SOON.
AND THE REALITY IS WE'RE NOT GETTING A WHOLE BUNCH OF MECHANICS IN ANYTIME SOON.
AND THE REALITY IS WE'RE NOT GETTING A WHOLE BUNCH OF BUS DRIVERS IN ANYTIME SOON.
NOW, HOPEFULLY THE SALARY INCREASE MIGHT HELP THAT.
AND SO THAT'S A POSITIVE STEP TO THAT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I GUESS I, I HEARD A LOT OF THINGS TONIGHT ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, AND I THINK ALL OF US ON THIS BOARD REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY AS WE GO THROUGH THAT.
AND I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I'VE BEEN ONE OF THE ONES, UH, OVER MY TENURE THAT HAVE PROBABLY NOT DONE A GOOD JOB OF THAT.
'CAUSE I'M GONNA TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOME OF THIS.
WE SIT HERE AND WE HAVE A SYSTEM THAT FOR YEARS HAS BEEN SLOWLY DETERIORATING.
WE HAVE NOT BEEN BUYING, I DON'T RE WHEN'S THE LAST TIME WE ACTUALLY PURCHASED A BUS WITHOUT A GRANT? OH, IT'S PROBABLY BEEN 10 YEARS.
THE LAST TIME WE PURCHASED, NO, THOSE WERE GRANT BUSES IN 2016.
THOSE WERE GRANT BUSES IN 2016, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THE DATA.
SO MAYBE 10 YEARS PLUS SINCE WE BOUGHT A BUS THAT WASN'T A GRANT.
AND THAT'S A BOARD RESPONSIBILITY.
UH, WE HAVEN'T RAISED THE SALARIES OF THE BUS DRIVERS.
WE HAVEN'T RAISED THE SALARY OF THE MECHANICS.
AND THIS THING HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.
I KIND OF VIEW THIS AS, YOU KNOW, WE PLAYED MUSICAL CHAIRS AND UNFORTUNATELY NOW WE GOT STUCK WITH THE LAST CHAIR AND WE WENT DOWN TO SIT ON IT AND TERMITES HAD EATEN IT AND THE CHAIR FELL TO THE GROUND WHEN WE SAT ON IT.
THERE WERE SOME MISTAKES MADE AND THERE WERE SOME THINGS WE COULD DO BETTER, BUT POINTING THE FINGER AROUND HERE.
YEAH, I, I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ROUTING SOFTWARE.
AND, AND YEAH, WE'LL HOLD, BUT THAT DOESN'T PRECLUDE ALL THE BUSES BREAKING DOWN.
THAT'S FROM 15 YEARS OF NEGLECT COMING IN.
THAT AND, AND NO ONE'S RESPONSIBLE HERE FOR THAT.
[02:05:01]
OF THE ELEMENTARY TRANSFER POINTS IS A GOOD THING.SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
WE'RE CHANGING THAT AND THAT EXACERBATED THE PROBLEM.
THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE REALITY.
THE REALITY IS WE'VE UNDERINVESTED FOR 15 PLUS YEARS.
WE GOT A SYSTEM THAT WAS ON THE VERGE OF BREAKING DOWN AND FINALLY THE LAST STRAW HIT THE CAMEL'S BACK AND IT BROKE.
AND YEAH, WE COULD DO SOME THINGS BETTER.
AND WE'VE LEARNED FROM SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE LEARNED FROM, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE GONNA GET BETTER INFORMATION TO DO OUR ROUTING AND ALL THOSE SORTS OF, ALL THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
BUT THE FACT IS, WE HAD NO CUSHION.
WE HAD NO PLAN B, WE HAD NO THING WHEN 10 BUSES WENT DOWN, WE DIDN'T HAVE 10 BUSES PARKED OUT THERE TO GO TAKE THEIR PLACE.
WE DON'T HAVE, WE HAVE A VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE SITUATION AROUND HERE.
I WANT TO QUESTION WHICH SPECIFICATIONS WE PUT ON BUSES.
'CAUSE WE SHOULDN'T BE HAVING AS MANY BUSES BREAK DOWN AS WE DO.
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, WE KEPT OUR BUSES TOO LONG.
YOU KNOW, WE RUN 400 AND SOMETHING BUSES.
IF WE WERE REPLACING A BUS EVERY 10 YEARS, THAT'D MEAN WE'D BE BUYING 40 BUSES A YEAR.
THE MOST I EVER REMEMBER GETTING IS NINE OR MAYBE 1218 WITH THE GRANTS.
SO WE GOTTA LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM AND THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK QUITE AS HARD, BUT THE REST OF US, WE HAVE TO LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM AND LOOK AROUND ALL THE PEOPLE OUT HERE AND, AND LOOK AT THAT.
AND THE OTHER THING I I WANNA BRING UP IS, I'M MY LAST THOUGHT.
THE OTHER THING I WANNA BRING UP IS WE TALK ABOUT THESE 80 SOMETHING OR HOW MANY, HOWEVER MANY BUS DRIVERS.
AND I WANNA GO BACK TO SOMETHING MY COLLEAGUE MR. RUSS SAID THE OTHER DAY.
WE SET THE BAR TOO LOW HERE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE 80 SOMETHING CORE TEACHER VACANCIES.
WHERE'S OUR BAR ON THAT? WHY ISN'T THIS ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE SITTING HERE GOING, WHY AREN'T YOU HIRING MORE TEACHERS? WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ALL THIS? IT'S BECAUSE THE BUS DRIVERS IMPACT MULTIPLE SCHOOLS, WHEREAS NOT HAVING A TEACHER ONLY IMPACTS THE KIDS IN THAT CLASSROOM.
BUT NOT HAVING A TEACHER IS SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT FOR THAT KID IN THAT CLASSROOM.
WE SET OUR BAR TOO LOW IN ALL OF THIS.
AND WE TALK ABOUT RAISING SALARIES, WE TALK ABOUT DOING STUFF.
WELL, WE CAN'T DO STIPENDS BECAUSE WE GOT THIS, WE EVEN GOT UNIONS COMING IN SAYING, PLEASE DON'T RAISE OUR SALARIES.
WE GOT CLASSROOMS THAT ARE EMPTY.
AND THAT IS MORE IMPORTANT IN MY MIND AT THE END OF THE DAY THAN GET, THAN THE BUS ROUTES.
BUS ROUTES ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
I'M NOT MINIMIZING THAT AT ALL.
IT'S KEEPING THE TRAINS RUNNING, BUT OUR JOB IS TO EDUCATE KIDS AND WE CAN'T LOSE FOCUS ON THE JOB AS OUR JOB IS TO EDUCATE KIDS.
AND WE CAN'T LOSE FOCUS ON THE SITE THAT WE'VE CREATED THIS OVER 15 YEARS AND IT'S NOT GONNA BE DONE OVERNIGHT.
MAY I SAY ONE THING ABOUT THE SOFTWARE? THE SOFTWARE THAT WAS CHOSEN HAD AN AUTO ROUTING FEATURE.
THERE WAS LOGIC AT S PART OF THE CODE.
THAT'S WHAT FAILED IN THE SOFTWARE.
WE COULD NOT DO THE AUTO ROUTING.
THE THE MAPS WEREN'T CONNECTING.
IT'S, IT'S AN ISSUE WITH THE SOFTWARE.
THAT'S WHY CHIEF JONES IS WORKING WITH HIM TO SEE IF THIS CAN BE RESOLVED.
AND IF IT'S NOT RESOLVED, THEN WE'LL WORK WITH MR. SHAMBLIN MOVING FORWARD.
WAS THE IT DEPARTMENT PART OF THE EVALUATION? YES, SIR.
NEXT WE HAVE AN ACCUSED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, KATIE KINISON.
UM, LET'S SEE,
THIS IS A, THIS IS A NEW PART OF THE OLD PROBLEM.
AND WE ALL KNOW IT'S HAPPENING ALL OVER THE STATE, BUT I DON'T CARE IF ME AND MY BROTHER GET IN TROUBLE, I STILL, I STILL DID IT.
YOU KNOW, LIKE I STILL HAVE A PROBLEM.
UM, JUST SAYING, MAKING EXCUSES IS NOT HELPING.
UM, EXCUSE, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU MIKE.
SO A LITTLE EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUMMER.
THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT HAD BEEN TELLING LEADERSHIP FOR MONTHS THAT, THAT THE BEGINNING OF SCHOOL WAS GONNA LOOK LIKE THIS.
UM, THAT, UH, THE SOFTWARE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE PEOPLE MANAGING, TRYING TO MOVE, UH, UH, OUR INFORMATION TO THE NEW SOFTWARE FOR HAVE BEEN TELLING THE LEADERSHIP FOR MONTHS THAT IT WAS NOT WORKING.
THEY WEREN'T ALLOWED TO SWITCH BACK TO THE OLD VERSION UNTIL JUST OVER A WEEK BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED.
UM, WHICH GAVE THEM ABOUT LESS THAN TWO WEEKS TO DO WHAT THEY NORMALLY DO IN ALL SUMMER, WHICH IS ROUTING,
[02:10:01]
ROUTING ALL THE KIDS.SO THEY HAD TO SCRAMBLE TO DO THAT.
THE CALL CENTER, UH, THAT IS STILL BEING PIECED TOGETHER EVERY DAY IS USUALLY UP TWO WEEKS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS.
FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IT WAS NON-EXISTENT UNTIL, WAS IT TUESDAY? MONDAY, MONDAY WE STARTED, WE TOOK OUR FIRST CALL AT NOON.
UM, IT WAS WHY I, I'M NOT SURE WHY.
UM, SO LIKE, IT'S, IT'S NOT THAT WE WERE JUST IGNORING, THERE WERE THINGS THAT WERE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF LEADERSHIP THAT, THAT WE'RE SPECIFICALLY NOT TAKEN CARE OF.
SO THIS IS NOT SOME HUGE SURPRISE.
UM, AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SAYING WE CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING OVERNIGHT.
WE CAN ACTUALLY, TONIGHT WE CAN CHANGE SOMETHING OVERNIGHT BY PAYING, UH, THE MECHANICS AND THE DRIVERS MORE.
SO TOMORROW WE WILL GET PEOPLE THAT WANNA BE DRIVERS FOR A DECENT SALARY.
LIKE IT'S NOT, I DON'T UNDER, IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED.
THIS PART ISN'T, WE CAN'T ACTUALLY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TONIGHT.
THE MECHANICS SHOP, I WAS THERE YESTERDAY.
WE HAVE ALMOST A HUNDRED BUSES.
IS THERE, IS THERE SOMEBODY FROM THE MECHANIC SHOP THAT CAN ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME UP? WE'RE ABOUT A HUNDRED BUSES SHORT.
WE HAVE ABOUT A HUNDRED BUSES SITTING ON A LOT.
I'VE TALKED TO THESE GUYS AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THEY'RE, THEY'RE VERY CAPABLE AND THEY CAN FIX ALL THE BUSES SITTING THERE, BUT THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, WHETHER IT'S, UH, UH, NEW BUSES BEING UNDER WARRANTY.
SO WE'RE SENDING THEM BACK TO THE, THE MANUFACTURER BECAUSE THEY'RE BREAKING AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS OF BEING ON THE ROAD, THESE GUYS CAN FIX THOSE.
BUT IN ORDER FOR THE DISTRICT TO SAVE MONEY, WE SEND THEM BACK.
AND THE SAME THING'S HAPPENING, UH, WITH SOME OTHER THINGS CAN, UH, IF WE HAD, LIKE, IF, IF WE GAVE, BUT THESE GUYS CAN MAKE SO MUCH MORE MONEY SOMEWHERE ELSE.
WE'RE NOT PAYING THEM ENOUGH EITHER.
SO IF WE CALL FOR MECHANICS TO COME, THEY'RE NOT GONNA COME TOMORROW.
IF THEY HAD A DECENT SALARY, THEY MIGHT COME TOMORROW AND THEN WE CAN, WE HAVE BUSES.
THEY'RE JUST OUT OF COMMISSION.
CAN ONE OF YOU GENTLEMEN SPEAK TO THE, THE BUSES THAT ARE OUT OF COMMISSION AND IF YOUR TEAM HAS THE CAPABILITIES OF REPAIRING THEM, IF YOU HAD PROPER, UM, SUPPORT, IF YOU HAD MORE MECHANICS THERE, I'M GONNA LET YOU DO THE
UH, THE MECHANIC ISSUE AT THE MECHANIC SHOP, A GREAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR BUSES ARE NEW BUSES THAT BREAK DOWN.
MOST OF OUR BUSES THAT ARE OUTSIDE BUSINESS ARE NEW BUSES 2016 YEAR.
I'M SORRY, POINT OF INFORMATION.
YOU SAID THE NEW BUSES ARE BREAKING DOWN? YEAH, THE NEW BUSES.
DOES IT MAKE SENSE FOR US TO PURCHASE A NEW BUS AND THEN PUT A MECHANIC ON IT TO WORK ON IT THAT HAS A WARRANTY? BUT IF YOU COULD, SO WE SEND IT BACK TO THE MANUFACTURER AND MOST OF THEM ARE AIR CONDITIONED PROBLEMS. A LOT OF THEM.
AND THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES ALSO.
BUT THE PROBLEM I HAVE, UH, WE HAVE IS THAT WHEN WE PURCHASING THESE BUSES, NO ONE CONSIDER US WHEN YOU'RE MAKING THESE DECISIONS BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE BUSES WE GETTING, WE GETTING THEM CHEAPER AND THAT'S WHAT WE GOT.
CHEAP BUSES AND THE BUS GRABBERS ARE FRUSTRATED.
THE PARENTS ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE THE CHILDREN ARE NOT GETTING HOME ON TIME.
BUT THESE BUSES THAT WE ARE GETTING NOW ARE JUST THE LOWER GRADE BUSES.
I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT EVEN PUTTING THE WIRE INSTALLATION ON THE WIRES.
AND WE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THESE BUSES THAT WE GETTING NOW.
AND THAT IS A PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE.
THEN ON THE OTHER PART, WE, WHAT OTHER PARISH DO YOU ALL KNOW HAVE PROPANE BUSES? NO, I, I, I SEARCHED THIS MORNING.
I COULDN'T FIND NOT ONE PARISH THAT HAVE PROPANE BUSES BUT US.
WE'LL ASK THAT THE PUBLIC INSIDE OF THE ROOM PLEASE REFRAIN FROM TALKING AT SO THAT THE BOARD CAN HEAR FULL DETAIL OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
THIS IS OUTTA NO DISRESPECT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT JUST OUT OF CONCERN.
THE PROPANE BUSES IS A SEAL UNIT.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CERTAIN MACHINE TO TAKE THE PROPANE OUT BEFORE A MECHANIC CAN WORK ON IT.
SO WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WHEN YOU NEED BUS TO GO OUTTA WARRANTY? WHERE WE AT THEN? THIS IS WHAT WE FACED WITH, AND I'M LISTENING TO ALL OF THIS AND I'M LISTENING TO WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT I'VE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE.
THE PROBLEM IS, AND WE'VE WENT BACK AND FORTH WITH THIS, I THINK IN 2016 WE HAD 172 SPARE BUSES.
THE TERMINOLOGY OF A SPARE BUS IS THE PROBLEM BECAUSE WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW IS A LOANER BUS.
[02:15:01]
A SPARE BUS WAS A BUS THAT BELONGED TO THE MECHANIC SHOP THAT WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR TO KEEP CLEAN FUEL UP AND TO ISSUE TO AN OPERATOR WHEN THEY BUS BREAK DOWN.WE HADN'T HAD THIS SINCE 2016.
SO QUITE NATURALLY WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS WHEN A BUS COME IN FOR REPAIR, WE REPAIR THAT BUS AND PUT IT ON A READY LINE.
AND IF ANOTHER BUS OPERATOR NEEDS TO BUS, THEY'LL ISSUE THAT BUS.
SO THEN THEY'LL COMPLAIN BECAUSE THEY'RE DIRTY.
WELL, THE DRIVER TO TURN IN, TURNING IN DIRTY, THAT'S NOT A MECHANIC ISSUE.
SO WE DON'T HAVE SPARE BUSES, PERIOD.
AND THE THING, THINK ABOUT THIS FOR ONE MOMENT.
IN 2016, PRIOR TO 2016, YOU HEARD TODAY THAT WE HAD 10 BREAKDOWNS.
WE'D HAVE LOVED TO HAVE THAT IN 2016.
OUR BREAKDOWNS TODAY WAS LIKE 20 TO 25.
BUT WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE WHEN THAT DRIVER CAME IN? THEY HAD A BUS, THEY CAN GET BACK ON THE ROAD AND GO, AND THE DRIVERS WERE SMILING, THE PARENTS WERE HAPPY BECAUSE THE CHILDREN MAKING HOME ON TIME.
SO TO BALANCE OUT IN THE, THE RATIO DUE TO STATISTICS, THE RATIO WITH 100 BUS BUSES, YOU NEED 10 MECHANICS POINT OF INFORMATION.
AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE INFORMATION YOU'RE BRINGING TO US RIGHT NOW.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU GUYS NEED RIGHT NOW IN ORDER TO MAKE YOUR LIVES EASIER AND TO GET THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED, OR AT LEAST GET US BACK ON TRACK? WE NEED BUSES,
MY NAME'S ADAM CHARLES, I'M MECHANIC SHOP MANAGER.
I'VE BEEN THERE FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS, SIX AND A HALF YEARS.
WE HAVE NEVER BOUGHT A DIESEL BUS IN SIX AND A HALF YEARS.
EVERYTHING'S BEEN THROUGH A GRANT.
BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, WE NEED, WE NEED BUSES.
UH, I'M NOT GONNA BLAME ON THE PANDEMIC, BUT WE ALL KNOW THE SITUATION.
WE JUST CANNOT GET ENOUGH BUSES IN, IN TIME.
WHAT ABOUT THE, THE, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT.
UM, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE, THE MACHINE, UM, THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TO, TO FIX THE PROPANE, LIKE, UH, ISSUE THE, THE BUSES WE HAVE TO RECAPTURE THE PROPANE, UH, FOR THE EPA TO D AND THE D E Q DEPARTMENT? SO YOU DON'T, IT IS A CLOSED SYSTEM.
NOW THE THING ABOUT THIS, DAVE SAID EARLIER, MOST OF OUR PROPANE BUSES WILL STAY UNDER WARRANTY.
IT MAKES NO SENSE TO SEND 'EM, YOU KNOW, FIRE MECHANICS TO, TO WORK ON 'EM WHEN YOU HAVE 400 BUSES OUT THERE, THAT'S NOT UNDER WARRANTY THEY NEED TO BE WORKED ON.
BUT IF WE, IF WE'RE UNDER AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, YOU GUYS COULD YEAH, BUT, BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO USE THOSE SAME VENDORS ANYWAY.
AND THE PROBLEM IS, WE HAVE BEEN REACHING OUT TO OUR VENDORS AND, AND OTHER PERSONNEL AND WHAT WE REALIZED IS THAT NOBODY WANTS TO REALLY FOOL WITH A BUS, A DIESEL BUS OLDER THAN THAN FOUR YEARS BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THEY START DECLINING.
AND I, I GAVE A BREAKDOWN, UH, ME AND THE PREVIOUS DIRECTOR DID A BREAKDOWN ON HOW OLD OUR BUSES WERE.
AND I THINK, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE AVERAGE WAS ALMOST 13 YEARS OLD.
IT IS PHYSICALLY HARD TO KEEP A BUS THAT OLD ON THE ROAD PERIOD.
YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE HAD TWICE AS MANY MECHANICS, YOU MAY PUT A DENT IN IT, BUT IT'S JUST THE SAME REOCCURRING ISSUES.
AND THEN YOU LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR VENDORS, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN IN IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH 'EM, THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT PHASING OUT THE DIESEL ENGINES FOR, FOR, UH, SCHOOL BUSES BY LIKE 2027.
THEY MAY BE GOING BACK TO GASOLINE ENGINES AND WE'VE LOOKED INTO THAT ALSO.
BUT THE DIESEL, YOU KNOW, DIESEL ENGINE WAS REALLY MADE TO GO ON LONG RUNS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE NEW E P A, UH, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIES PUT ON IT AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND MOSTLY OVER THE ROAD TRUCKERS.
BUT A START, A VEHICLE THAT STARTS AND STOPS AT, YOU KNOW, FOR HOURS AT A TIME.
IT, IT'S JUST NOT CONDUCIVE FOR, FOR THAT ENGINE TO BE IN THAT BUS.
UH, WE GO TO OUR VENDORS, UH, PRETTY FREQUENTLY AND, AND YOU SEE TRUCKS, 18 WHEELERS AND LIKE YOU SAID, OTHER PEOPLE'S, UH, OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS BUSES OUT THERE.
SO IT, IT IS JUST A PHENOMENON THAT'S TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW.
AND I DO APPRECIATE YOU COMING BY THE OFFICE YESTERDAY TOO.
UH, MS. KENNETH, WE'RE OUT SIX MINUTES AND 35 SECONDS OVER TO KEEP IT MOVING.
UH, SEE COACH LEWIS INSIDE THE QUEUE, HOWEVER, YOU'VE ALREADY SPOKEN COACH, SO WE GOTTA KEEP IT MOVING.
NEXT WE HAVE SCUBA MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART.
UM, I JUST WANNA, UH, MAKE A REQUEST RATHER.
UM, AND I DON'T WANNA LIKE BEAT A DEAD HORSE OR ANYTHING, BUT I JUST WANNA REQUEST THAT, UH, WHEN COMMUNICATION, UH, IS GIVEN OR WHEN QUESTIONS ARE ASKED, THAT WE GET SOME TRUTH TO ABOUT, UH, THE QUESTIONS.
AND THE REASON WHY I'M SAYING THIS BECAUSE I KNOW MOVING FORWARD, UM, WE NEED TO IDENTIFY A RESOLUTION AND IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO HARPER A
[02:20:01]
LOT ON THE PAST.SO HOW WE GOT THERE, BUT I DO WANNA MAKE A STATEMENT IN MY REQUEST TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I RECEIVED AN EMAIL AND IT WAS AN ANONYMOUS EMAIL AND THE EMAIL WAS SENT BACK IN OCTOBER OF 2022 TO BE SPECIFIC, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5TH, 2022.
AND THIS EMAIL WAS SENT TO, UH, TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
IT WAS SENT SPECIFICALLY TO MR. CHAUNCEY MOORE AND MS. MONIQUE SPALDING AND MS. NICOLA HALL WAS CC'D IN THAT.
AND IN THAT EMAIL IT TALKS ABOUT THE CONCERNS OF TRANSPORTATION.
AND SO ULTIMATELY WHAT I'M ASKING IS THAT THIS IS NOT ANYTHING NEW FOR TRANSPORTATION.
THIS IS, I HAVE THE EMAIL RIGHT HERE ON MY PHONE RIGHT HERE.
IT'S A WHOLE LIST OF CONCERNS AS IT RELATES TO TRANSPORTATION IN REGARDS TO WHAT WE WILL BE FACING AND THE POINT THAT WE ARE AT NOW.
SO TO SAY THAT WE REALLY WEREN'T AWARE OR WE COULDN'T TRY TO IDENTIFY SOME TYPE OF RESOLUTION TO SOMETHING IS NOT TRUTHFUL.
SO WHAT I'M ASKING IS, MOVING FORWARD, I WOULD LIKE TO GET TRUTH IN QUESTIONS THAT WE PRESENT THAT WE ASK AND IN OUR REQUESTS.
PLEASE DO SO BECAUSE THEN IF NOT, I'M GONNA CALL YOU OUT.
OKAY, MR. SHONEY STEWART, THANK YOU FOR THAT COMMENT.
I SEE MR. PATRICK MARTIN IS IN THE QUEUE AND I'VE KNOWN ALREADY SPOKEN PRESIDENT LESS, BUT I HAD JUST ONE PARTICULAR QUESTION.
I WONDER WHY ASKED THE, THE MAINTENANCE STAFF WHILE WE HAD THEM UP THERE.
IF I COULD BE GRANTED JUST A LITTLE BIT OF LATITUDE.
COACH, YOU OKAY WITH THAT
UM, I JUST UNDERSTANDING THAT WE CAN'T MAGICALLY MAKE NEW BUSES APPEAR, RIGHT? YEAH.
WHAT YOU FUNDAMENTALLY NEED IS NEW BUSES AND BETTER BUSES.
IT SOUND LIKE, IS THERE ANY EQUIPMENT THAT WE CAN BUY OR LEASE FOR YOU GUYS THAT WOULD ALLOW YOU THIS PROPANE REMOVAL MACHINE? ANYTHING THAT WE COULD AUTHORIZE THE PURCHASE OR LEASE FOR, FOR YOU GUYS THAT WOULD ALLOW Y'ALL TO FIX AT LEAST SOME OF THESE BUSES IN-HOUSE WITH THE STAFF THAT YOU HAVE AS OPPOSED TO SENDING THEM OFF, WHICH I ASSUME TAKES A LOT OF TIME TO TRANSPORT TO, TO HAUL THE BUS THERE, GET IT FIXED AND HAUL IT BACK OR WHATEVER.
IS THERE ANY, ANY RESOURCE WE CAN PROVIDE SHORT OF BUYING NEW BUSES, UM, THAT WOULD ALLOW Y'ALL TO FIX MORE BUSES FASTER, MORE MECHANICS, MORE MECHANICS, MORE MECHANIC, BETTER PAY.
AND WHEN I'M EXPLAINING TO YOU, WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS THE PAY IN A MINUTE, BUT I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS, OKAY? THEY WAS, UH, SENT OUT LIKE YOU SAY ABOUT 10 20 SOMETHING BREAKDOWN, 15 BREAKDOWN.
I GOT A SIX MAN CREW, FOUR MECHANICS.
I GOT A SIX MAN CREW WITH FOUR, FOUR MECHANICS THAT HIT THE ROAD, HIT THE ROAD WORKING.
THAT LEADS ME ONLY WITH TWO MECHANICS AT THE SHOP, 15 BUSES COMING IN, ONLY TWO MECHANICS.
SO WE TALKING WHAT, TWO MECHANICS? THE SEVEN BUSES? MM-HMM.
THAT'S NOT GOING CUT IT, RIGHT? THAT'S NOT GOING TO CUT IT.
SO IF YOU HAD MORE MECHANICS, SOME NUMBER MORE, THEN, THEN, THEN THERE ARE THINGS, SOME OF, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE WRONG WITH OUR BUSES, I UNDERSTAND SOME SURELY NOT EVERY SINGLE PROBLEM WITH THE PROPANE THING REQUIRES IT BEING SHIPPED OFF TO REMOVE THE PROPANE BEFORE YOU CAN FIX IT, RIGHT? SO THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEMS ARE SUCH THAT WE COULD FIX MORE OF THEM.
IF WE HAD MORE MECHANICS, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO SEND AS MANY OFF TO, TO BE REPAIRED.
I MEAN, BUT WE STILL HAVING BUSES THAT'S UNDER WARRANTY THAT ARE DONE PROPANE, WHICH YOU NO, IT MAKES NO SENSE.
BUT AS, AS MY COLLEAGUE, MS. KINISON SAYS RIGHT NOW WE GOTTA GET KIDS TO SCHOOL AND IF THAT MEANS, YOU KNOW, FIXING 'EM AND THEN SUING THEM LATER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEN THEN, YOU KNOW, THEN, THEN I'M, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO PAY SOME LAWYERS AT SOME POINT TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT I, RIGHT NOW I'M FOCUSED ON IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO FIX THE BUSES IF WE HAD MORE MECHANICS ELSE AS FAR AS THE PROPANE BUSES GO ELSE, WE HAVE 161 PROPANE BUSES.
I WOULD SAY, UH, THE MAJORITY OF THEM HAD BODY FAILURES MORE THAN MOTOR FAILURES, WHICH YOU WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE THE PROPANE IN A CERTAIN WAY FOR THE D E Q AND E P A PEOPLE TO BE SATISFIED.
AND JUST TO SHOW YOU HOW EXPENSIVE THAT SYSTEM IS.
THE, THE, THE, THE MAIN DEALER THAT WE, THE ONLY DEALER WE BUY THOSE PARTICULAR BUSES FROM, THEY JUST GOT THAT SYSTEM LIKE RECENTLY IN THEIR YEAH.
SO, SO THEY DIDN'T ALWAYS HAVE IT.
SO WHAT I WILL DO, I CAN PRICE 'EM FOR YOU AND THEN WE CAN SEE, I MEAN, IF, IF IT WOULD HELP.
YEAH, I MEAN I, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT I'LL, I'LL SPEND A LOT OF MONEY TO GET OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL ON TIME AT THIS POINT.
BUT I, I, BUT I NEED TO, I NEED TO UNDERSTAND, WE NEED COLLECTIVELY TO UNDERSTAND FROM YOU GUYS, 'CAUSE WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE NOT LISTENED TO Y'ALL COLLECTIVELY
[02:25:01]
IN THE PAST WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE, UM, THE, WHAT, WHAT RESOURCES DO YOU NEED THAT WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR ABILITY TO GET BUSES BACK ON THE ROAD FASTER? IF IT'S MORE MECHANICS, GREAT.WE'LL FIGURE OUT HOW WE DO THAT.
IF IT'S SOME WEIRD PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT WE DON'T HAVE EVEN SO EXPENSIVE, WE'LL DO THAT.
I DON'T WANNA BUY, YOU KNOW, SPEND $2 MILLION ON A WEIRD PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT WON'T, THAT WON'T ACTUALLY SPEED UP OUR ABILITY TO FIX BUDGET THERE.
THERE'S, THERE'S, UH, SOME DIAGNOSTIC SOFTWARE THAT WE CAN PURCHASE FOR A DIESEL, AN OLDER DIESEL ENGINE.
BUT ONCE AGAIN, YOU POUR MORE MONEY AND RESOURCES DOWN A BUS THAT PROBABLY SHOULDN'T, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S WEARING OUT ANYWAY.
BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT BUS ON THE ROAD, RIGHT? AND, AND IT'S GOING TO, IT, IT MOSTLY DEALS WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, THE REGEN ISSUES AND STUFF LIKE THAT WHERE THEY HAVE TO STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND, AND LET THE BUS REGEN FOR 45 MINUTES OR WHATEVER.
BUT, UH, AT THE END OF THE DAY THAT THAT BUS IS BEING WORN OUT AND, AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
IF YOU COULD, IF YOU COULD GIVE THROUGH, THROUGH YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND A A WISHLIST OF THINGS THAT WOULD, THAT, THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, LET US WORRY ABOUT WHETHER IT'S A COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION POURING GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD OR NOT, RIGHT? WHAT WOULD, WHAT, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S A, IF IT'S A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS MACHINE THAT READS THE DIGITAL CODES AND THE OLD DIESEL BUST, THAT THEN ALLOWS Y'ALL TO GO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM QUICKLY AND FIX IT.
I SAY BUY THAT, BUT IF Y'ALL CAN PROVIDE A WISHLIST, WISHLIST OF THINGS THAT WE COULD SPEND MONEY ON THAT, THAT WOULD ACTUALLY HELP IN THE, IN THE VERY SHORT TERM.
NOT THAT, NOT OVER THE NEXT YEAR, BUT IN THE VERY SHORT TERM, WE DEFINITELY CAN DO THAT.
UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MARTIN.
COACH HOLMAN GIVING 30 SECONDS.
I'M, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU 30 SECONDS AT SOME POINT WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THE, THE REST OF THIS AGENDA AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SPENDING SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO A MILLION DOLLARS ON STUFF, CLOSE TO A MILLION DOLLARS ON STUFF, PLATFORMS, SOFTWARE PROGRAMS, A MILLION DOLLARS FOR KIDS THAT RIGHT NOW WE ARE HAVING A HECK OF A TIME JUST GETTING THEM TO SCHOOL.
AM I OKAY? AND, AND WHAT I'VE, I'VE BEEN SAYING IT FOR A WEEK, THERE NEEDS A PARADIGM SHIFT, NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE IN THIS PARISH ABOUT HOW WE EDUCATE, HOW WE GO ABOUT EDUCATING OUR KIDS, WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
THEY GOTTA GET TO THE SCHOOL NOW, MISS, UH, MONIQUE SPALDING.
WHAT AREAS ARE NOT GETTING SERVED? BECAUSE I'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE AREAS THAT ARE GETTING SERVED, BUT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE AREAS THAT ARE NOT GETTING SERVED.
AND I'M WILLING TO BET YOU, I KNOW WHERE THOSE AREAS ARE, BUT I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM YOU.
SO COACH LEWIS, IT'S ALL OVER THE PARISH THAT KIDS ARE NOT GETTING SERVED.
I'M, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT ALL OVER THE PARISH YOU HAVE KIDS FROM, WHICH ONES ARE GETTING SERVED? WHICH ONES ARE WE SERVING MOST CONSISTENTLY EVERY DAY? SO IT'S, IT'S SPREAD THROUGH ALL MAGNET SCHOOLS.
MAGNET SCHOOLS, RIGHT? MAGNET SCHOOLS YOU SERVE.
WE HAD TO CONSOLIDATE, THEY'VE HAD CHALLENGES, BUT DO THEY HAVE THE SAME CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE GETTING NORTH OF FLORIDA BOULEVARD? THAT'S MY QUESTION.
WELL, WHAT I WILL SPEAK TO IS SIMPLY THAT WE'VE CONSOLIDATED FOUR AND FIVE ROUTES.
MOORE AND, AND BR FLAMES PRINCIPAL AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
WE'VE CONSOLIDATED MORE ROUTES IN THE MAGNET SCHOOL, UM, THAN WE'VE CONSOLIDATED IN THE NORTH.
UM, MY, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT EQUITY ACROSS THE BOARD IN THIS DISTRICT.
I'M CONCERNED ABOUT EQUITY ACROSS THE BOARD IN THIS DISTRICT BECAUSE 59 YEARS AGO IN MAY, 1964, IT BECAME THE LAW IN THIS COUNTRY THAT EVERY CHILD HAS TO RECEIVE FAIR AND EQUITABLE EDUCATION.
AND THAT INCLUDES GETTING THEM TO WHERE THEY GOT TO RECEIVE THAT EDUCATION, EQUITABLE RESOURCES, AND THAT'S HUMAN CAPITAL AND PHYSICAL CAPITAL.
BECAUSE WE CANNOT DO WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IF WE'RE NOT DOING IT FOR EVERYBODY.
AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT OTHER PEOPLE DON'T HAVE, BUT I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, ONE SCHOOL DISTRICT, TWO SEPARATE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. IT'S BEEN THAT WAY.
[02:30:01]
OKAY.UH, LAST IN THE QUEUE IS, UH, VICE PRESIDENT CARLA POWELL LEWIS.
SO I SAID IT WASN'T FAIR THAT SOME PEOPLE GOT A CHANCE TO SPEAK TWICE AND I DIDN'T, AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME I WAS TRYING TO DECIDE IF IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A POINT OF INFORMATION OR A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE.
BUT, UM, AS I LISTENED TO THE CONVERSATION, WHAT I, WHAT I BELIEVE THAT I'VE HEARD IS THAT EVEN IF WE HIRED MORE BUS DRIVERS, WE DON'T HAVE BUSES FOR THEM TO DRIVE.
SO THEN WHAT I HEARD IS WITH THE BUSES THAT WE HAVE, THEY ARE PROPANE BUSES, SO IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO MAKE NECESSARY REPAIRS ON THEM.
AND WE ARE WAITING FOR WARRANTY ASSISTANCE OR WHAT HAVE YOU MM-HMM.
SO THEN IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THOSE BUSES TO BE REPAIRED.
THEN WHAT I HEARD IN, IN REGARDS TO THAT IS THE MAJOR ISSUES WITH THESE NEW BUSES IS THAT WE'RE HAVING AC ISSUES.
SO WHAT MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS, WAS MAYBE WE NEEDED TO FIND, UM, DIESEL MECHANICS THAT ARE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY OR IN OUR INNER CIRCLES WHO ARE WILLING TO AT LEAST CONTRACT WITH US OR SUBCONTRACT WITH US TO HELP US WITH WHATEVER NECESSARY REPAIRS.
BUT IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A SPECIAL SITUATION WITH A CERTAIN KIND OF BUS THAT'S GONNA MAKE THAT DIFFICULT.
SO THEN THE LAST THING I THOUGHT ABOUT WAS MAYBE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, OR MAYBE TODAY EVEN, I DON'T KNOW, BUT MAYBE WE NEED TO CONSIDER A LATER START TIME FOR SCHOOL BECAUSE WE'RE NOT PREPARED FOR WHEN IT'S HOT OUTSIDE, WE WE'RE NOT PREPARED.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE NEED TO BE UNIQUELY DIFFERENT FROM THOSE WHO ARE AROUND US AND CONSIDER A LATER START TIME FOR SCHOOL, A LATER SCHOOL CALENDAR THAT WILL ALLOW US TO OPERATE AFTER HURRICANE C AFTER THE HEART OF HURRICANE SEASON, AFTER THE HEART OF THE 100 DEGREES HEAT WHERE WE TRYING TO BUY WATER TO PUT ON BUSES, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THOSE ARE EMAILS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED AS WELL.
IF OUR GOVERNOR HAS CALLED A STATE OF EMERGENCY, WHY ARE WE NOT OPERATING? LIKE WE'RE IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY.
THAT'S GONNA CONCLUDE EVERYBODY SPEAKING ON, UH, PRESENTATION.
WE WILL NOW GO BACK TO THE ITEM, WHICH IS GIMME ONE SECOND.
YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
YOU HAVE IT? OH, THIS IS RIGHT HERE.
WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO? ALRIGHT, WE ARE NOW MOVING BACK TO THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION FOR H ONE STIPEND CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING STIPENDS.
A, A STIPEND IN THE AMOUNT OF $7,000 PAYABLE, UH, PAYABLE IN TWO, UH, PAYMENTS OF $3,500 ON NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023 AND MAY 16TH, 2024.
AND AN ADDITIONAL STIPEND OF $2,500 AS A RETENTION INCENTIVE PAY ON MAY 16TH, 2024 FOR BUS OPERATORS, TRANSPORTATION, AIDS AND MECHANICS.
AND B, A STIPEND IN THE AMOUNT OF $3,000 PAYABLE IN TWO, IN TWO PAYMENTS OF $1,500 ON NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023 AND MAY 16TH, 2024 FOR ALL SCHOOL-BASED PARA, UM, PARAPROFESSIONALS, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, UH, AND FUNDING SOURCE IS GENERAL FUND.
THIS WAS MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART AND SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GODDE.
UM, I SEE A FEW NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, I KNOW WE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT AT SOME POINT.
WHEN WE DO, I JUST WANNA REMIND THE PUBLIC WE ARE ONLY SPEAKING GERMANE TO THE ITEMS THAT I JUST SAID.
WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
I JUST WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT BECAUSE TRANSPORTATION PLAN WAS NOT A VULNERABLE ITEM.
SO WHEN YOU COME UP, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL STAY GERMANE TO THE TOPIC.
AT THIS POINT, UH, WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, THE QUEUE PRESIDENT.
I JUST WANTED TO, CAN'T HEAR YOU.
IT'S, IT'S ON, SO I WASN'T LEANING CLOSE ENOUGH.
UM, PRESIDENT LIZ, I WAS JUST, I I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR THINKING WAS IN, IN, UM, OR, OR MS. STEWART, WHICHEVER ONE, UH, IN, IN, IN, IN PROVIDING, UM, THAT EXTRA ADDITIONAL INCENTIVE TO THE BUS DRIVER'S, OPERATORS, AND WHATNOT AND NOT, UH, ANYTHING,
[02:35:01]
ANY CHANGE TO THE, TO THE AMOUNT BEING, UH, PROPOSED FOR THE PARAPROFESSIONALS WHO, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, HAVE A VERY SIMILAR LEVEL OF, OF PAY, UH, AND ARE EVERY BIT AS NECESSARY, OBVIOUSLY, AS, AS, AS THE REST OF OUR EMPLOYEES.SO I JUST AS, AS JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR THINKING IS BEFORE WE, UM, BEFORE I CAN DECIDE HOW TO VOTE ON THIS.
UH, I'LL LET MADAM VP SPEAK FIRST.
SO, MR. MARTIN, I KNOW THAT WE ATTEMPTED TO INTERVENE EARLIER AND, UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SUGGEST A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT OF, UM, OF ADDING TO ALPHABET B UM, $2,000.
AND, AND BEFORE I DO THAT, BEFORE I DO THAT, MS. LOPEZ MM-HMM.
SO I KNOW THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT STIPENDS RIGHT NOW MM-HMM.
SO I WAS ABOUT TO, UH, ASK FOR A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO ADD TO THE STIPEND FOR THE PARAPROFESSIONALS.
UM, NOW MY QUESTION IS, WHEN WE SAY THAT THIS IS COMING OUT OF GENERAL FUND, IS THIS COMING OUT OF THE FUND BALANCE? YES, MA'AM.
AND WOULD YOU SAY THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY AFFORD IF IT'S A A ONETIME STIPEND? YES, MA'AM.
DO YOU WANT THE NUMBERS? SURE.
SO FOR THE ORIGINAL ONE, IT WAS GONNA COST $8.3 MILLION.
THAT WAS THE 5,000 PLUS THE $2,500 STIPEND AND A $3,000 STIPEND WITH NO SIGN ON BONUS FOR THE PARAPROFESSIONALS WITH A $7,000 STIPEND PLUS $2,500 BONUS SIGN-ON FOR YOUR TRANSPORTATION STAFF AND $5,000 FOR YOUR PARAPROFESSIONALS, YOU'RE LOOKING AT 11.6 MILLION.
ALRIGHT, WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
OKAY, SO THEN I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE WITH A POSSIBLE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, UH, OF CHANGING ALPHABET B TO, UH, ADD 2000 TO THAT, WHICH WOULD BE 5,000 JUST AS WE HAVE ADDED 2000 TO ALPHABET A, UM, WHICH WOULD ALLOW THE, UH, PARAPROFESSIONALS TO RECEIVE 2,502 IN A, IN A TWO-PART STIPEND AS WELL.
AND, UH, I'M SORRY, SHE HAS TO ANSWER TO THE, WELL, SHE JUST STEPPED OUT MS. MS. POWELL AS A SECOND.
IT, I WILL DECLINE TO ACCEPT THAT FRIENDLY, AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHY, BECAUSE WE HAVE A TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY AND WE NEED TO BE, WE NEED TO BE DEALING WITH TRANSPORTATION.
I HAVE NO PROBLEM IN THINKING ABOUT THE PARAPROFESSIONALS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE'VE HAD NO PRESENTATIONS ON IT.
I HAVE NO IDEA IF THEIR PAY RE RELATIVE TO ANYONE ELSE.
IT IS TOTALLY ACTING BLIND AND, AND DOING MONEY, AND I CAN'T FIDUCIARY PROVIDE MY FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY JUST GOING BLIND INTO THAT.
I HAVE NO PROBLEM IF YOU WANNA MAKE IT FOR AN AMENDMENT, UH, A MOTION FOR THE NEXT COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, WHERE WE CAN GO THROUGH IT, BUT IT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY.
IN FACT, I WOULD NOT EVEN HAVE IT ON, UH, PART B TO BEGIN WITH, BUT IT'S THERE NOW AND I'M TOTALLY WILLING TO ACCEPT THAT.
BUT WE HAVE A TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY, LET'S FOCUS ON THE TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY AND LET'S HAVE A MOTION NEXT MEETING.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. GODDE, AND LET THAT GO ON.
WE HAVE DISCUSSED TEACHER INCREASES, WE'VE DISCUSSED BUSES AND BUS AIDES.
WE DID, PARAPROFESSIONALS WERE PART OF THE STIPEND THAT WE JUST PASSED EARLIER.
BUSES DON'T PAINT ME THAT I'M AGAINST RAISING PARA, I'M JUST RESPONDING TO I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I, BUT AGAIN, MY MEETING AND I WANT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE WE GOT ABSOLUTE ORDER IN THE ROOM AND REMINDED THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN ITEM THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY SENSITIVE TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INSIDE OF THIS ROOM.
SO I WANNA GIVE OF THEM THAT RESPECT.
AND I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER IN A CANDID WAY, IN A RESPECTFUL MANNER.
UM, IF THAT IS, UM, THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE WILL NOT CONSIDER IT, IT IS STILL SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO HAVE ON THE TABLE.
AND JUST AS PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS HAVE TAKEN PLACE, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE ARE PROVIDING STIPENDS, THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY THAT WHEN OUR
[02:40:01]
BUS DRIVERS DROP OFF STUDENTS, THERE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS TO CATCH THOSE KIDS WHEN THEY GET OFF THE BUS AND MOST TIMES THEY ARE PARAPROFESSIONALS.UH, SO I'M, I THINK I'M STILL IN THE QUEUE AND, AND WAITING FOR AN ANSWER FOR, FOR ON MY QUESTION FROM, FROM MS. STEWART OR YOURSELF ON YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
WHAT, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE RATIONALE FOR, FOR PROVIDING SUCH A SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL AMOUNT TO THE, UH, BUS DRIVERS AND, AND, AND OTHER TRANSPORTATION STAFF AND NOT YES.
ANY ADDITIONAL INCREASED STIPEND OTHER THAN WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY CONTAINED IN THE MOTION, UM, FOR THE PARAPROFESSIONAL? YES, SIR.
SO I'LL TRY TO BE AS, AS FAST AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR US TO VOTE ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM AND ALSO PROVIDE THE, THE GENERAL PUBLIC AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM.
UH, WHEN ONE, WHEN WE ORIGINALLY TALKED ABOUT THIS IN SPECIFICS, PARAPROFESSIONALS WERE NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM INCLUDED.
UH, WHAT CAME TO LIGHT AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH OUR BUS DRIVERS AND OUR OP BUS OPERATORS WAS THAT THEY ALSO NEEDED ADDITIONAL PAY.
UH, WHEN IN DOING SO, WE SAID, OKAY, WHILE WE ARE HAVING A DISCUSSION, NOW, LET'S MAKE SURE WE INCLUDE OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS NOW, UNDERSTANDING HOW MUCH MONEY THEY'RE LOOKING TO RECEIVE.
RIGHT NOW, THE CURRENT AVERAGE SALARY FOR A PARAPROFESSIONAL IS $18,000 BASED OFF OF WHAT WE JUST PASSED THIS OUT OF OUR BUDGET, THEY'RE GONNA RECEIVE 2000 FROM US AND ALSO 1000 FROM THE STATE ON TOP OF THAT, WITH THE 3000 THAT WE'RE GIVING TONIGHT, THAT'S GONNA BE $6,000 IN TOTAL, WHICH WILL BRING THEM TO $24,000.
SO IT PUT THEM IN A GOOD PLACE.
NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE MAY HAVE A SHORTAGE FOR OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS, BUT THE ABSOLUTE EMERGENCY TONIGHT IS TRANSPORTATION AND WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
SO THE INFERENCE OF WHY WE MADE THAT, WHY, WHY WE DID THAT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT ONE, WHEN PEOPLE SEE THIS, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACTIVELY RECRUIT AND GET MORE PEOPLE TO COME IN AND BE A PART OF IT.
THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO DO THE SAME THING WITH PARAPROFESSIONALS, BUT AGAIN, THE CRISIS THAT WE'RE HAVING IS WITH TRANSPORTATION.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE, I I JUST WANT TO VERIFY THAT AND JUST LET YOU KNOW THAT'S WHERE THAT RATIONALE CAME FROM.
AND, AND, AND I GET THAT MY, MY CONCERN AND, AND THIS ADDRESSES, UH, MR. GOD'S COMMENTS AS WELL IS THAT, YOU KNOW, BOTH THE PARAPROFESSIONALS AND THE, THE BUS AND AND TRANSPORT STAFF RIGHT NOW ARE PAID BALLPARK ABOUT THE SAME.
AND, AND IF I'M A PARAPROFESSIONAL, UH, WORKING VERY HARD, BEING ASKED TO DO EXTRA DUTIES, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF THE TRANSPORTATION CRISIS AND WHATNOT, AND I HEAR THAT SUDDENLY THE, THE, THE MAINTENANCE WORKERS ARE GONNA GET A, A $10,000 STIPEND.
UH, AND I'M, AS A PARAPROFESSIONAL GETTING PAID TO THE SAME LEVEL, ONLY GONNA GET A 5,000, UH, DOLLARS STIPEND BECAUSE, UM, SO MANY BUS DRIVERS HAVE JUST DECIDED NOT TO SHOW UP TO WORK AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
I'M GONNA THINK, OH, WHY AM I GONNA SHOW UP TO WORK? MAY MAYBE EVEN ENOUGH OF US DON'T SHOW UP TO WORK.
WE GET, WE GET, WE GET, UM, UH, PAID ATTENTION TO AS WELL.
SO I'M CONCERNED THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT I, I GET WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO.
I, I, I CERTAINLY AGREE THAT TRANSPORTATION IS OUR PRIMARY CRISIS RIGHT NOW, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WE CAN, UM, DIVORCE THE CONCEPT OF EQUITY, UH, ACROSS, UM, SIMILARLY PAID JOBS, UH, FROM AN IMMEDIATE DECISION TO, TO ADDRESS THE CRISIS.
UM, AND, AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M CONCERNED THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION, YOU KNOW, JUST CREATES TOO BIG A GAP, UH, BETWEEN TWO CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEES AND, AND IS, IS US REALLY SORT OF PITTING AND VALUING ONE GROUP OF EMPLOYEES OVER ANOTHER GROUP OF EMPLOYEES, WHICH I, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, CONCERNED ON A, ON A BROADER SUBJECT OF STIPENDS VERSUS PAY.
I AGREE THAT, THAT, THAT THIS IS A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY AND, AND IT WOULD BE FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE OF US TO MAKE PERMANENT PAY DECISIONS, UM, UH, TONIGHT.
RIGHT? AND I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING MY COLLEAGUE MS. STEWART SAID EARLIER ON THAT POINT.
WE, WE, WE, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF BUDGET CHALLENGES OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
WE'VE ALL COMMITTED TO HAVING A MUCH MORE THOROUGH AND RIGOROUS BUDGET PROCESS TO CONSIDER THESE ISSUES.
WE ALL HAVE A GOAL TO GET PERMANENT PAY RAISES NEXT YEAR, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, BUT IF WE, IF WE, YOU KNOW, $8 MILLION OUT OF THE FUND BALANCE FOR A ONE-TIME STIPEND IS ONE THING, UH, $8 MILLION FOR RECURRING OR 12, HOWEVER MUCH IT GETS TO BE, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A, AS A PERMANENT PAY RAISE, IT'S JUST TOO, TOO BIG A FISCAL RISK TO TAKE WITHOUT MORE TIME AND MORE ANALYSIS.
SO I THINK THE STIPEND SHOULD HELP ADDRESS THE IMMEDIATE CONCERN, UH, WHILE WE WORK ON THE, THE LONGER TERM SOLUTION.
BUT I, I I'M JUST CONCERNED THAT THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION, UH, CREATES TOO BIG A GAP IN THE PAY BETWEEN THOSE TWO CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEES.
AND SIR, AND IT IS JUST A, AS A POINT OF INFORMATION, UH, I'LL ALSO ADD THAT REMEMBER WHEN WE'VE HAD THE DISCUSSION ABOUT, UH, PAY RAISES FOR BUS DRIVERS AND OPERATORS, WE ARE ONE OF THE LOWEST PAID, IF NOT THE LOWEST IN THE ENTIRE STATE.
SO THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO TRY TO MOVE
[02:45:01]
THAT THRESHOLD TO A PLACE THAT GETS US TO A EQUAL FOOTING.SO NOW WE ARE MORE COMPETITIVE IN WHAT THE HIGHEST PAID IN THE STATE IN TERMS OF OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS.
THAT IS AN AVERAGE FOR THE MOST PART.
THAT'S ABOUT AVERAGE WHAT PARAPROFESSIONALS MAKE ACROSS THE STATE.
SO US GOING ABOVE THAT THRESHOLD AND ADD AN ADDITIONAL $6,000, IT ACTUALLY IS A GOOD PLACE THAT WE PUT THEM IN BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY WOULDN'T GET A, A RAISE ANYWHERE ON TOP OF WHAT WE'VE ALREADY GIVEN THEM.
SO I'M NOT SAYING THAT THEY WILL NOT GET A RAISE.
IF YOU ARE A PARAPROFESSIONAL AND YOU'RE LISTENING RIGHT NOW, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN WE GO THROUGH THIS FUNDING MECHANISMS O OVER THE NEXT COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW YEARS, YOU ALL ARE ALSO GONNA BE INCLUDED IN THE SALARY INCREASE.
BUT I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO TAKE AWAY THAT WE ARE PRIORITIZING ANYONE ELSE OVER ANYBODY ELSE.
A LOT OF THESE THINGS ARE JUST BEING COMPARED AS APPLES TO APPLES BASED OFF SALARY AND UH, ALSO BASED OFF OF HISTORICAL CONTEXT AROUND WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE MAKING.
SO I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT NOW.
UH, I JUST WANT JUST THANK YOU.
IT IS VERY HELPFUL CONTEXT TO KNOW WHAT THE AVERAGE, UM, SALARIES ARE.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
UH, I UNDERSTAND THE SENTIMENT COMPLETELY.
UH, SCUBA MEMBER VICE PRESIDENT, MS. PAUL LEWIS.
SHE HAS WAIVED COACH LEWIS, YOU'RE NOT IN THE QUEUE.
ALL RIGHT, MS. KENON, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
UM, THE STIPEND PAYOUT DATES ARE NOVEMBER AND MAY WE, WE, WE ARE OUR SOLUTION TONIGHT, JUST SO I'M CLEAR, IS TO OFFER THESE WORKERS THAT ARE KILLING THEMSELVES TO GET THESE KIDS TO SCHOOL TOMORROW WHEN WE'RE STILL NOT GETTING THEM.
WE'RE STILL NOT GETTING THEM ALL.
THERE'S HUNDREDS THAT ARE STILL NOT GETTING TO SCHOOL.
UH, CAN WE DO A POINT OF INFORMATION? I'M SORRY.
'CAUSE I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, MS. KELLY LOPEZ, BECAUSE I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY SOMETHING FOR YOU, IF THAT'S OKAY.
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE PAYOUT DATES.
SO I WANT TO VERIFY SOMETHING AND THEN WE CAN MAKE A CHANGE.
THAT'S WHY I WANT, THAT'S WHY I WAS SAYING THAT.
'CAUSE I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH THAT.
CAN I FINISH MY SENTENCE? YES MA'AM.
UM, IF YOU'RE A BUS DRIVER ASKED TO DO WAY MORE THAN WHAT THEY SHOULD DO, PERHAPS FOUR TIMES AS MUCH 'CAUSE THEY'RE RUNNING WHAT, FOUR ROUTES ON AVERAGE A DAY TO COME BACK TO WORK TOMORROW TO CONTINUE TO MAKE $19,000 A YEAR AND THEY'RE GONNA GET A CHECK IN NOVEMBER.
HOW MANY DO YOU THINK ARE GONNA COME BACK AND HOW MANY NEW DRIVERS ARE WE GONNA START TO GET? I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S FISCALLY DANGEROUS TO OFFER A RAISE, BUT IT'S ALSO ESSENTIAL THAT WE GET THESE KIDS TO SCHOOL.
WE DO THINGS THAT ARE FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE AROUND HERE EVERY TIME WE COME TO THESE MEETINGS.
SO I'D LIKE TO JUST KEEP PUSHING FOR A SALARY INCREASE BECAUSE I'M GONNA BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING A PART OF THE BOARD THAT'S FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE.
I'D LIKE TO PUT IN AT LEAST SOMETHING THAT HELPS THE HUMANS THAT ARE TRYING TO HELP EDUCATE THESE KIDS.
NOW WHAT DID YOU WANT TO ASK? YES MA'AM.
SO I HAD A POINT OF INFORMATION ON THE FLOOR.
I REMOVED IT SO THAT YOU CAN FINISH YOUR STATEMENT.
MY POINT OF INFORMATION IS SURROUNDING WHEN THE STIPENDS CAN BE PAID OUT.
THAT'S UP TO THE BOARD TO CLARIFY THOSE, UH, PAYOUTS.
CORRECT? IT IS, AS LONG AS WE CAN SET UP THE PAYROLL DATE, AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE SWITCHING SYSTEMS. UM, WE DO HAVE A STIPEND FOR THE L D O E STIPEND THAT Y'ALL ARE GONNA APPROVE NEXT MONTH AT THE BOARD MEETING.
'CAUSE IT HAS TO GO THROUGH BOARD APPROVAL THAT WILL GO OUT TO ALL EMPLOYEES ON OCTOBER 5TH.
SO AS LONG AS IT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO GIVE ME A DATE.
I'VE GOTTA, I'VE GOTTA GET WITH THE PAYROLL DEPARTMENT AND THE IT DEPARTMENT.
I MEAN, RUNNING PAYROLLS IS NOT AS AS EASY AS YOU WOULD THINK.
I'M WILLING TO WORK WITH BOARD.
HOW SOON? HOWEVER YOU WOULD LIKE.
HOW SOON COULD WE LIKE BALLPARK, LIKE MONTH? LIKE COULD WE DO IT IN A SEPTEMBER, COUPLE WEEKS? WE COULD DO SEPTEMBER.
'CAUSE THE FIRST PAYROLL FOR ALL TEACHERS IS AUGUST 31ST.
AND WE'RE STILL KEYING AND ONBOARDING NEW EMPLOYEES AS FAST AS WE CAN.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION.
WHAT DO THE NEW EMPLOYEES GET OFFERED? THE STIPEND? ANYONE? YES.
YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE EMPLOYED AND YOU'RE WORKING.
IF YOU'RE AN ACTIVE EMPLOYEE, THIS ISN'T REALLY A QUESTION FOR YOU.
BUT IF YOU HAVE THE ANSWER, IF WE HIRE SOME, A NEW BUS DRIVER TOMORROW, DO THEY QUALIFY TO GET THESE STIPENDS? THEY DO.
AS LONG AS THEY'RE IN THE SYSTEM AND I PULL THEIR NAMES.
THEY HAVE TO BE IN THE SYSTEM.
[02:50:01]
I WANTED TO ASK ALSO WAS THAT WE MOVE THE PAYMENT DATES TO THE SAME DATES THAT WE HAVE SET UP FOR OUR, FOR THE BUDGET, UH, STIPENDS THAT WE HAD ALREADY APPROVED.SO THAT WOULD BE OCTOBER RATHER THAN NOVEMBER.
AND THEN THAT WOULD BE MARCH RATHER THAN MAY.
SO NOW THAT THAT'S UNDERSTOOD.
LIKE WE HAVE THEM WORKING UNDER UNREASONABLE CONDITIONS.
WE HAVE EVERYONE INVOLVED ON THE GROUND WORKING IN UNREASONABLE CONDITIONS.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, WE UP HERE, I THINK IT GETS LOST SOMETIMES THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT OUR COMMUNITY AND KEEP CHECKS ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SYSTEM.
WE DON'T, WE ARE NOT FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES OF THE SYSTEM.
WE ARE SUPPOSED TO, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TO REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY.
ALL THOSE EMAILS, ALL THOSE CALLS WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE GIVING, LIKE PRESENTING THOSE IDEAS AND MAKING SURE THOSE THAT THE COMMUNITY, LIKE, WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE ANY OTHER AGENDA THAN, THAN
UM, LET ME TAKE IT DOWN A SECOND.
UM, THE COMMUNITY WANTS OUR HUMANS THAT ARE GETTING OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL TO BE TAKEN CARE OF AND TO NOT LIVE, UH, IN POVERTY.
SO I DON'T SEE, I JUST DON'T, WE TIME MS. KINISON.
WHAT I WOULD ADD TODAY IS A POINT OF INFORMATION IS THAT JUST A MONTH AGO WE TOLD OUR TEACHERS THAT WE WERE GONNA MOVE THE TIME UP TO OCTOBER AND WE WERE OKAY WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING.
WE HAVING A CRISIS, RIGHT? AND THEN NOW THESE, THE FIRST PAYOUT WAS IN NOVEMBER AND THE LAST ONE WAS GONNA BE IN MAY.
WITH THIS CHANGE, WE HAVE NOW MOVED UP THE PAYOUT TO OCTOBER AND MARCH, WHICH WILL BE ON THE SAME SCALE AS WHAT WE'RE PAYING THE REST OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
I'LL WORK WITH MY PAYROLL DEPARTMENT TOMORROW.
UM, PRESIDENT LENIS IS THERE, UM, ARE Y'ALL, IS SOMEBODY MAKING A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO ADJUST THE PAY DATES? 'CAUSE I THINK THE PAY DATES WERE IN THE LENGTH.
I WANT TO CLARIFY MS. KELLY FIRST THAT WE CAN CHANGE THAT ORDER AND THEN NOW YOU GUYS CAN MAKE THE FRIENDLY.
SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO, OH, I ACCEPT.
SHE SHALL, WELL I DIDN'T MAKE IT SO I WOULD SAY SCUBA MEMORIAL.
CAN YOU MAKE A CALL FOR A POINT OF ORDER? THEY MAY NOT VOTE FOR IT FOR THE SUBSTITUTE AT THE END OF OF THE DAY, BUT I'LL MAKE THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT OVER TO IT.
UH, I THINK A COUPLE OF POINTS CAME OUT THAT REITERATE THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE.
I HAVE NO IDEA OF HOW OUR PARAPROFESSIONAL SALARIES COMPARED TO SURROUNDING AREAS.
UH, MS. HALL, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? HOW MUCH DO OUR CAFETERIA MAKE WORKERS MAKE? WELL, I MEAN, IT'S THE SAME THING.
I MEAN, WE HAVE TO BE COMPETITIVE WITHIN THE DIFFERENT THINGS.
YOU DON'T NEED TO ANSWER THAT, BUT IT, THEY'RE NOT MAKING $30,000 A YEAR.
SO WHEN YOU START GETTING TO ALL OF THIS, THIS IS SOMETHING WE JUST CAN'T JUMP INTO AND GO MAKE REAL DRASTIC CHANGES TO ALL OF THESE THINGS ON A FLY WHERE WE DON'T HAVE INFORMATION, WE DON'T HAVE THE SALARY SURVEYS.
I AM, I WANNA SAY COMPLETELY, I AM NOT AGAINST PAYING PARAPROFESSIONALS MORE, BUT I GOTTA KNOW WHAT I'M DOING AND HOW I'M DOING IT WITH ALL THAT.
AND SOME OF THE SAME THINGS AROUND GETTING SALARIES.
HECK, I WAS BEGGING LAST MEETING WHEN WE PASSED THE BUDGET TO MAKE IT A PERMANENT SALARY INCREASE.
AND IT GOT VOTED DOWN BECAUSE EVERYONE WANTED TO MAKE IT A STIPEND.
OKAY? I AM NOT OPPOSED TO MAKING IT A SALARY AT ALL.
BUT WE DID A SET, WE DID A STIPEND FOR EVERYBODY ELSE.
I THINK WE OUGHT TO DO THE STIPEND FOR THIS.
THIS IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION WITH TRANSPORTATION.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS ALL OF OUR SALARIES ACROSS THE BOARD.
LET'S DON'T DO 'EM IN ISOLATION.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU START DOING 'EM IN ISOLATION, YOU'RE GONNA END UP WITH ALL THESE THINGS LIKE, WELL, THE CAFETERIA WORKERS VERSUS THE PARAPROFESSIONALS VERSUS THIS VERSUS THAT.
AND WE GOTTA BE CAREFUL THAT WE ALL DO THE HELP EQUITABLY ACROSS THE BOARD AROUND WITH THE COMPETITIVE MARKET THAT WE'RE DEALING IN.
I DON'T KNOW THOSE DETAILS RIGHT NOW.
I KNOW IT'S VERY, WE DID THE WORK.
WE KNOW BUS DRIVERS ARE UNDERPAID.
WE KNOW MECHANICS ARE UNDERPAID.
AND I THINK IF IT WOULD BE GOOD IF WE HAVE SOME EXTRA BUS DRIVERS, EVEN IF THEY DON'T HAVE BUSES, 'CAUSE BUS DRIVERS GET SICK AND EVERYTHING ELSE, WE NEED EXTRA BUS DRIVERS THROUGH ALL THIS OUR STUFF.
[02:55:01]
SO MY SUGGESTION IS LET'S FIX WHAT WE CAN TRY TO FIX TODAY.BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE AREN'T COMMITTED TO GOING AHEAD AND WORKING DOWN THE OTHER THING.
LIKE I SAID, THAT WHOLE FRAME WAS FULL OF TERMITES AND IT FELL APART.
WE NEED TO BE BUYING NEW WOOD AND PUTTING THAT BACK TOGETHER.
BUT LET'S START OFF WITH WHAT'S IMMEDIATE AND CRISIS RIGHT NOW AND TRY TO DO SOMETHING THAT WE AS A BOARD CAN MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON.
NEXT IN THE QUEUE, WE SCHOOL MEMBER NATHAN RUSH.
UM, LORD, I'M HAVING A HARD TIME KEEPING TRACK OF WHAT WE'RE EVEN VOTING ON.
UM, I WAS DOING SOME MATH LOOKING AT THE WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA DISPERSE OUT THESE PROPOSED, UM, STIPENDS.
AND IF I HAVE IT RIGHT, IF WE COMBINE THE PROPOSED STIPENDS ON THE BOARD TODAY, ALONG WITH PREVIOUSLY APPROVED STIPENDS AS WELL AS THE L D O E STIPEND.
WE'RE LOOKING AT $12,500, UM, OVER THE SCHOOL YEAR.
$5,500 OF THAT, UM, I BELIEVE WOULD COME TO OUR BUS DRIVERS IN OCTOBER AND $8,000 OF THAT WOULD COME TO OUR BUS DRIVERS IN APRIL.
THAT'S ASSUMING THAT, UH, THE $1,000 FROM L D O E WOULD MAKE IT TO OUR STAFF BY OCTOBER.
AND THAT'S BASED ON THE DATES THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED SO FAR.
WELL, DO I HAVE THAT RIGHT? DID THAT SOUND RIGHT? I'M SORRY.
PRESIDENT LANIS, UM, ALIGNING THE DATES OF DISBURSEMENT WITH THESE, UM, YES SIR.
TO OCTOBER AND APRIL IN MAR IN MARCH.
AND SO WE'VE GOT A TOTAL OF $12,500.
SO I I I'M NOT ADVOCATING FOR ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR.
I WANT WHAT IS GONNA BE BEST FOR OUR STAFF TO RETAIN AND ATTRACT OUR STAFF.
UM, THAT ESSENTIALLY IT EQUIVOCATES TO OVER, OVER THE NEXT NINE MONTHS OF EMPLOYMENT, ABOUT $1,389 A MONTH ON AVERAGE.
UM, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN DO THIS.
UM, I THINK WE MAY WOULDN'T CONSIDER, UM, REMOVING, UH, OR DICTATING HOW THESE STIPENDS SHOULD BE DELIVERED SO THAT WE CAN LEAVE IT OPEN TO PERHAPS OUR, OUR SUPERINTENDENT TO DO THIS STRATEGICALLY.
BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS WE COULD DO THIS DEPENDING ON TALKS WITH STAFF, WHAT WE FEEL IS APPROPRIATE.
UM, I, BECAUSE I ALMOST, YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF I'M A BUS DRIVER, I WANNA SEE IT ON MY NEXT PAYCHECK, RIGHT? I, YOU KNOW, NOT, NOT ONE LUMP SUM, BUT I MIGHT BE WRONG.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I I JUST WANNA PUT THAT OUT TO THE BOARD TO CONSIDER PERHAPS REMOVING THE DATES, UM, FROM WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UM, OUTSIDE OF THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I AGREE IT'S REALLY TRICKY TO DECIDE, UM, ON THE FLY MANY, MANY DIFFERENT SALARIES AND COMPENSATION FOR DIFFERENT EMPLOYEES.
AND I THINK WE DO NEED TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE ITEM AT HAND OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE, WHICH IS HOW DO WE ENSURE OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT IS PROPERLY STAFFED.
UM, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT, IT IS GREAT THAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO DO FOR OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS THAT WORK REALLY HARD.
UM, BUT WE NEED TO KEEP THINGS IN CONTEXT.
I ALSO BELIEVE THAT, UM, WE HAVE NO BUSINESS, UM, PUTTING PERMANENT RAISES IN EFFECT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CONTEXT OF THE SITUATION WE'RE IN NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.
LIKE I'M, I SLIPPED EASY LAST NIGHT KNOWING, THANK GOD WE DIDN'T PUT PERMANENT RAISES IN PLACE BECAUSE WE WOULD BE TAPPED RIGHT NOW.
AND THANK GOD WE HAVE A, A FUND BALANCE THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS DECISION WITH WITHOUT PUTTING OURSELVES IN A PRECARIOUS POSITION.
AND WE DON'T KNOW THE CONTEXT OF THE BUDGET THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO PASS NEXT YEAR.
AND WE NEED TO TREAD VERY, VERY CAREFULLY WITH THE DECISIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER RUSS AND I WILL NOW ENTER THE QUEUE.
UM, AND I JUST WANNA PIGGYBACK ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER RUSS SAID AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS BUDGET AND THIS HAS GONE ON NOW FOR THE LAST THREE HOURS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING JUST TRANSPORTATION.
'CAUSE THAT'S HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS.
AND IT IS A CRISIS, OR AS THE VICE PRESIDENT SAID, A STATE OF EMERGENCY.
I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO WALK AWAY THINKING THAT THE DISTRICT DOES NOT CARE.
BECAUSE I WANNA PUT THIS IN CONTEXT OF NUMBERS.
'CAUSE I REALLY WANT US TO UNDERSTAND THIS.
WHEN WE STARTED OFF BEFORE, PRIOR TO THE BUDGET CONVERSATION, WE STARTED OFF WITH A FUND BALANCE OF, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, MS. LOPEZ, $109 MILLION,
[03:00:01]
$111 MILLION AND ONE MONTH'S TIME, SINCE WE HAVE MOVED THE BUDGET MONEY JUST FOR, UH, PAY INCREASES ALONE, WE ARE NOW AT $22 MILLION.I WANNA SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME.
AND I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE SENTIMENTS OF SCUBA MEMBER RUSS, BECAUSE IF WE'VE BEEN TALKING THROUGH THE BUDGET, THERE ARE SOME CONSTRAINTS BASED OFF OF INDIRECT COSTS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE ROLLING OVER BECAUSE ESTHER'S GONNA SUNSET NEXT YEAR.
WE HAVE TO BE STEWARDS, GREAT STEWARDS MOVING FORWARD, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE GOING TO A MONTH BY MONTH BASIS TO LOOK AT HOW OUR BUDGET IS GONNA BE CONSTRUCTED OVER THE NEXT YEAR AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE SOME HARD DECISIONS.
BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE PUT OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD TO PAY PEOPLE NOW IN A CONSTRUCTIVE MANNER THAT'S GONNA GET US CAUGHT BACK UP WHERE WE NEED TO BE AND MAKE THEM FEEL APPRECIATED.
SO I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO THINK THAT WE JUST SNEEZING AT $22 MILLION.
'CAUSE IF YOU RECALL, WE WANTED TO TRY TO SAFEGUARD THAT MONEY AS WE PREPARE FOR IMPACTS NEXT YEAR.
BUT WE CARED ENOUGH TO GO INSIDE OF THE BUDGET, INSIDE OF OUR FUND BALANCE TO MOVE $22 MILLION, WHICH NOW IT GOES FROM ONE 11 DOWN TO ABOUT $87 MILLION THAT WE HAVE REMAINING REMAINING.
WE HAVE TO ALSO KEEP IN MIND, WE HAVE TO KEEP A CAP ON THOSE FUND BALANCE DOLLARS.
SO THE DEEPER WE GO INTO IT, THE MORE CUTS WE HAVE TO MAKE INSIDE OF THE BUDGET NEXT YEAR.
AND I'M JUST SAYING IS SO PEOPLE CAN BE PREPARED FOR THAT AND HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF, IF WE HAVE NO MONEY INSIDE OF FUND BALANCE, WE GOTTA CUT FROM SOMEWHERE.
SO WE'RE GONNA MAKE EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE THAT WE CAN TO GET PEOPLE CAUGHT UP TO SPEED.
BUT IN THE SAME SENSE, WE HAVE TO BE GOOD FIDUCIARY STEWARDS AND MONITOR OUR, OUR BUDGET PROGRESS ON A MONTH BY MONTH BASIS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET IN FRONT OF THIS PROBLEM RATHER THAN TRYING TO ATTACK IT ON THE BACK END.
SO I'LL JUST STOP THERE THIS TIME.
NOW WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
FIRST UP, WE HAVE MS. STORM MATTHEWS, FOLLOWED BY MR. PATRICK AFFY.
DID I SAY THAT RIGHT? I'M SORRY.
WHAT I WILL REMIND EVERYONE AS THEY COME UP TO THE QUEUE, AND IF THERE'S ANYBODY INSIDE OF THE ROOM OR INSIDE OF OUR STANDING ROOMS THAT WANT TO SPEAK, PLEASE GO OUT INTO THE ATRIUM, GRAB THE YELLOW CUE CARD, FILL IT OUT, GIVE IT TO MADAM, UH, UH, SECRETARY, SHE'LL BRING IT TO ME, AND I WILL CALL UPON YOU.
AGAIN, WE ARE SPEAKING ON THE SUBSTITUTE ITEM FOR STIPENDS.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT A TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
SO I ASKED FOR EVERYONE TO PLEASE AND RESPECTFULLY STAY ON TOPIC.
MS. STORM MATTHEWS, YOU GOT IT.
MY COMMENTS ARE GONNA KIND OF BE A LITTLE BIT ALL OVER THE PLACE.
UM, 'CAUSE AS YOU ALL KNOW, WHEN I GET UP HERE, I DON'T SPEAK AS MYSELF.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE FRIENDLY TO MOVE UP THE DATES.
IT'S, IT'S HARD WHEN YOU'VE BEEN WORKING FOR THE DISTRICT FOR 15 YEARS AND YOU HAVE GOOD CREDIT AND YOU DEVOTE, YOU KNOW, EVERY SCHOOL BUS DRIVER MY KIDS HAVE EVER HAD IS LIKE FAMILY.
THEY SEE MY KIDS SOMEWHERE ELSE.
AND YOU KNOW, THESE, THESE PEOPLE, THOSE, THOSE ARE THEIR BABIES.
JUST LIKE MY STUDENTS ARE MY BABIES, THEIR KIDS THAT, THAT THEY TRANSPORT, THOSE ARE THEIR BABIES.
UM, IT'S HARD WHEN YOU GIVE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO A JOB WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING FOUR ROUTES TO, TO MAKE UP FOR IT, FOR THE, THE LOSS OF WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
AND YOU WANNA GO BUY A HOUSE AND YOU'VE GOT THE CREDIT, YOU'VE GOT THE DEPOSIT, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THE INCOME ON A PIECE OF PAPER NOW STIPEND.
I MEAN THIS $12,000, THAT IS HOW MUCH THE, THE RAISE WOULD BE.
BUT GUESS WHAT? A STIPEND DOESN'T GET YOU A HOUSE.
SO WHEREAS THE STIPEND IS THE AMOUNT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO TURN DOWN $12,000 IN A STIPEND, BUT IT DOES NOT GIVE THEM AS BOARD MEMBER KENON HAS SAID, THE CHANGE IN, IN LIVING.
THEY CAN'T GO GET A HOUSE BASED ON WHAT THEY HAVE AND FOR WHAT THEY GIVE OUR KIDS AND WHAT THEY DEDICATE THEMSELVES TOO, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE FIRST PEOPLE OUR BABIES SEE IN THE DAY BEFORE WE GET TO SCHOOL, BEFORE THEY GET TO US, BEFORE WE CAN IMPART ON THEM.
IF MY SON'S HAVING A BAD MORNING BECAUSE I'VE RIPPED HIM A NEW ONE.
'CAUSE HE MADE ME LATE FOR WORK, IT'S HIS BUS DRIVER TO CALMS HIM DOWN AND GETS THE ANXIETY TO GO DOWN.
IT'S HIS BUS DRIVER TO GET HIM TO HAVE A GOOD DAY SO THAT HE DOESN'T RUN AND BECOME A LEGAL PROBLEM FOR Y'ALL.
[03:05:01]
GET A HOUSE BECAUSE OF THE PAY.UM, I WAS HERE MONDAY FOR THE EMERGENCY MEETING TO DISCUSS THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUES FACING E B R.
UM, IT SEEMS THAT WE'VE MISSED THE POINT, SOME OF THE POINT FROM MONDAY.
UM, IT'S EITHER, UH, WHAT WAS SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN MONDAY WAS THAT THE STARTING WAGE OF $19,000 A YEAR FOR OUR BUS OPERATORS NEEDED TO BE INCREASED TO AT LEAST MATCH SURROUNDING PARISHES THAT HAVE A STARTING SALARY OF 30,000 PLUS.
WE NEED TO ATTRACT THE NEW DRIVERS.
WE NEED TO RETAIN THE ONES WE CURRENTLY HAVE THIS PAST MONDAY.
MANY OF YOU STATED, WE'RE GOING TO FIX THIS AND WE'RE NOT GONNA KICK THIS CAN DOWN THE STREET ANYMORE.
THAT SOUNDS GREAT, EXCEPT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING.
THE AMENDMENTS YOU'VE CHANGED TONIGHT.
UH, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT IS THE STARTING SALARY FOR A BUS DRIVER? $19,000 STIPENDS ARE A ONE TIME PAYMENT.
WE CAN THROW SOME MONEY AT IT AND MAYBE WE CAN DO SOMETHING NEXT YEAR.
UM, I HEARD, UH, YEAR ONE, UH, STIPEND.
YEAR TWO STIPEND AND YEAR THREE, WE'LL MAKE IT SALARY BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE IN SOME OTHER AREAS THAT DOESN'T HELP THESE PEOPLE BUDGET.
HOW DO YOU MAKE A MONTHLY BUDGET FOR ALL OF YOUR UTILITIES, YOUR RENT, AND THOSE TYPE OF THINGS? WHEN IT'S A STIPEND, IT'S A LUMP SUM IN TWO MONTHS OVER NINE, YOU CAN'T MAKE A BUDGET.
YOU ALSO CAN'T CALCULATE YOUR RETIREMENT WHEN IT'S A STIPEND.
IN THE SAME WAY THE WAY THOSE CALCULATIONS HAPPEN, AS I SAID ON MONDAY, IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE CONTENT WITH PUSHING THIS OFF TO THE NEXT YEAR.
WHY ARE WE EVEN HERE? IF YOU'RE JUST GONNA SLAP A BANDAID ON THIS AND LET IT CONTINUE TO FESTER UNDERNEATH, IS THIS REALLY THE BEST THAT YOU COULD DO? LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I THINK IS, UH, LIKELY TO END UP HAPPENING.
JUST LIKE SEVERAL OF THE BUS OPERATORS STATED MONDAY, WHAT WILL YOU DO? IF, ACTUALLY I SHOULD SAY WHEN THEY WALK OUT PASSING THIS AS A FIX WILL CAUSE THEM TO DO JUST THAT.
NARCISS IN THIS BOARD FOR NOT FIXING THE DECADES LONG PROBLEM AND KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.
ONCE AGAIN, IF YOU WAKE UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MORNINGS TO EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS AND UNDER THE BUS DRIVERS HAVE SHOWN UP, I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, I WOULDN'T BLAME THEM.
WHEN THAT HAPPENS, YOU'RE GONNA THEN HAVE TO PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS TO BRING THEM BACK.
AND I WOULD WAGER IT'S GONNA COST YOU MORE THEN THAN IT WILL NOW IF YOU FIX IT.
THESE PEOPLE NEED GUARANTEED MONEY.
THEY NEED THE FAITH FROM THIS BOARD TO SAY, WE WANT YOU HERE AND WE WANT YOU FOR A LONG TIME.
AND THAT COMES IN SALARY, NOT STIPEND.
MY NAME IS CATHERINE HAWK AND I AM A BUS DRIVER AND I'VE BEEN DRIVING NOW FOR 13 YEARS.
I CAN DRAW MY MONEY, BUT I'M TRYING TO STAY WITH E B R.
BUT E B R IS NOT LETTING ME STAY.
WHAT IT'S MAKING ME DO IS RETIRE IN MY MONEY OF RETIRE AND GO DRIVE FOR ANOTHER PARISH.
BECAUSE E B R IS NOT TAKING CARE OF US.
I'M MAKING $20,000 AND I'VE BEEN HERE FOR 12 YEARS NOW.
I GET LIKE A A 25 CENT RAISE OR 50 CENT RAISE EVERY YEAR.
BUT RIGHT NOW I'M RUNNING THREE ROUTES ON A HOT BUS.
I'LL DRIVE FROM BRIGHT SIDE TO GLASGOW, I COME TO FLAME AND THEN I WENT DO WESTDALE MILL AND I DON'T HAVE A AIR CONDITIONER BUS.
THEN YOU TALKING ABOUT, UH, GIVING US A STIFLES, BUT WE NEED MONEY.
I'M, I DON'T MIND RIDING A HOT BUS.
I'VE BEEN DRIVING IT NOW 12 YEARS.
THIS, I HAD THE SAME ROUTE FOR EIGHT YEARS ON THE SAME HOT BUS.
BUT I THINK THAT I DESERVE A PAY RAISE OR SOMETHING TO HELP ME OUT.
I'M NOT GONNA LIE TO YOU, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT OVER LIKE THEY SAY IN MY PAYCHECK EVERY MONTH OR YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME I GET PAID.
AND I THANK ALL Y'ALL FOR WHAT YOU DO, BUT YOU GOT TO GET IT TOGETHER UP HERE.
'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA LOSE DRIVERS.
[03:10:01]
YOU GOT 10 OF US IN THE SAME SHAPE I AM.WHAT YOU GOTTA DO, YOU GOTTA COVER THEM DRIVERS.
NEXT WE HAVE MR. DAVID CARR, MR. PAUL SOTO, AND MS. UH, JEAN DONALDSON.
PAUL SOTO, AND MS. JEAN DONALDSON.
PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE MIC AND YOU ALL DON'T HAVE TO SPEAK IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.
JUST WHOEVER FEELS COMFORTABLE SPEAKING FIRST.
UH, THIS IS MY FIRST, UH, I'M PAUL SOTO, NOT DAVID CARR.
UH, THIS IS MY FIRST SCHOOL BOARD MEETING EVER ATTENDING.
AND, UH, I GOT INTERESTED IN WHAT'S HAPPENING BECAUSE OF THE SCHOOL BUSING.
WAITED EVERY DAY FOR A SCHOOL BUS.
THAT'S BECAUSE NO BUS WAS EVER ASSIGNED, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT FOR SIX DAYS.
SO WE WAITED EVERY DAY AND THE KIDS WERE LATE EVERY DAY WHEN WE FINALLY GAVE UP.
AND, UM, AND, AND I HEARD, AND I THOUGHT, I HEARD ON THE RECORDING THAT DR.
NAIS SAID THERE WAS MONEY TO INCREASE THE SALARIES FOR THESE BUS DRIVERS.
AND I'M SITTING OUT THERE LISTENING TO THEM AND WHAT THEY WANT.
THE STIPEND SOUNDS NICE, BUT WHAT THEY REALLY WANT IT SOUNDS LIKE TO ME, IS A SALARY INCREASE.
SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN COUNT ON.
SO I'M ENCOURAGING YOU AS A PARENT OF KIDS IN THIS SYSTEM TO PLEASE CONSIDER COMING BACK WITH A SALARY INCREASE FOR THESE BUS DRIVERS AND MECHANICS.
UM, AND, UH, I, I ATTENDED THE MEETING MONDAY, BUT DIDN'T SPEAK.
AND, UM, I FELT COMPELLED TO COME AGAIN AND, AND SPEAK TODAY BECAUSE I WAS SURPRISED AT THE MEETING ON MONDAY.
IT FELT LIKE THERE WAS CONSENSUS AROUND INCREASING OPERATOR SALARIES AND MECHANIC SALARIES.
AND, UM, AND IT, IT KIND OF SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S THAT TODAY TOO.
BUT, UM, THERE'S ALSO A WEIRD RATIONALE THAT KEEPS COMING UP THAT IS, WELL, WE'VE, WE DID IT THIS WAY IN THE PAST.
WE PROVIDED STIPENDS TO THESE OTHER GROUPS.
WE'VE DONE IT, WE'VE DONE IT THIS WAY IN THE PAST, AND THEREFORE WE CAN'T INCREASE SALARIES NOW, UH, FOR, FOR THIS GROUP.
AND I, I FIND THAT STRANGE BECAUSE THERE'S ALSO BEEN, UM, CLEAR ADMISSIONS FROM FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR A WHILE SAYING, WE'VE MESSED UP, WE'VE BEEN DOING THINGS WRONG FOR A LONG TIME.
UM, SO WHY CONTINUE, UH, TO MAKE THE SAME KINDS OF MISTAKES.
IT'S CLEAR THAT WHAT'S NEEDED ARE SALARY INCREASES.
AND, AND I ALSO DON'T FIND THE ARGUMENT COMPELLING THAT, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION AND WE NEED MORE TIME.
AND I BELIEVE THAT THESE THINGS ARE COMPLICATED AND YOU WANNA GET IT RIGHT.
THESE HAVE BEEN KNOWN PROBLEMS. SO TONIGHT I URGE YOU TO, TO VOTE ON AND SUPPORT THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION THE REPRESENTATIVE, UM, UH, KENNISON HAS MADE TO, TO INCREASE SALARIES BECAUSE YOU MIGHT NOT GET IT PERFECTLY RIGHT BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH THIS IS A SMART GROUP OF PEOPLE, I BET YOU COULD FIGURE OUT A REASONABLE WAY TO INCREASE SALARIES TO, UH, WHAT WOULD BE A MUCH MORE LIVABLE AMOUNT.
MAYBE NOT EVEN ABOVE 30,000 IN COMPETITIVE WITH NEIGHBORING PARISHES, BUT SOMETHING THAT WOULD SHOW NO, WE, WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THAT PROMISE OF A REAL SALARY INCREASE TONIGHT.
UM, AND THEN GO AND DO THE HARD WORK AND GET IT RIGHT NEXT YEAR SO YOU CAN CONTINUE TO KICK IT DOWN THE ROAD.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, 30,000 FROM THE NUMBERS I WAS HEARING ON MONDAY, 30,000 IS NOT EVEN COMPETITIVE WITH THE LOCAL PARISHES THAT WOULD BE ON THE LOW END.
SO EVEN IF YOU RAISED THE MINIMUM STARTING SALARY TO 30,000 TONIGHT, THAT'S NOT, UH, I DON'T SEE THAT AS THE END OF, OF WHERE IT NEEDS TO GO.
SO I URGE YOU TO, TO PLEASE SERIOUSLY CONSIDER, AND, AND AGAIN, WHEN EVERYONE'S SAYING I, I HAVE TO BE A GOOD STEWARD OF THE MONEY, BUT YOU'RE MAKING FINANCIAL ERRORS, CONSTANTLY BUYING CHEAP BUSES.
THAT'S THAT, YOU KNOW, THEN THE MECHANICS SAY THESE, THESE ARE LOUSY BUSES.
OR EVEN SUGGESTING WE NEED TO LEASE MORE BUSES.
LEASING IS NOT A GREAT USE OF RESOURCES EITHER.
SO, UH, IF YOU WANNA BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE MONEY, I APPRECIATE THAT.
BUT, BUT THERE'S ALSO A LONG HISTORY AND ALL THE BAND-AIDS ARE NOT BEING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE EITHER.
SO PLEASE CONSIDER A RAISE TONIGHT.
[03:15:01]
NEXT WE HAVE MS. OCTAVIA CADE, MORGAN KELLY, AND MS. TONYA MCMILLAN.I JUST WANNA SAY THE STIPEND PAY IS A SLAP IN OUR FACE AS BUS DRIVERS.
I'M DOING SIX TO SEVEN ROUTES A DAY.
I GET UP AT 4 45 IN THE MORNING.
I HAVE TO PICK UP MY FIRST SET OF KIDS AT A QUARTER TO SIX.
ANOTHER SCHOOL, ANOTHER SCHOOL.
RIGHT? YOU GUYS, WE NEED A PAY RAISE.
AND IF YOU GIVE US THAT RAISE, YOU GET BETTER DRIVERS.
WHEN I SAY THAT, IT'S LIKE, UM, CHICKEN FILET AND MCDONALD'S, RIGHT? THE CUSTOMER SERVICE BETTER PAID.
YOU GET DRIVERS WHO WANNA COME TO WORK WHO WANNA DO THEIR JOB, RIGHT? WHO, WHO WANT TO BE NOT JUST A TEACHER, THE GUIDANCE COUNSELOR, THE DISCIPLINARIAN, BUT A PARENT MOST TO OUR BABIES.
I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR EIGHT YEARS, WELL SEVEN YEARS.
I LOVE MY STUDENTS, I LOVE MY PARENTS, RIGHT? BUT I CAN'T DO MY JOB WITH THE PROPER EQUIPMENT.
I'VE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT A BUS FOREVER, RIGHT? WE ARE ACTUALLY TIRED.
WE ARE TIRED ACROSS THE BOARD AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THOSE WHO ARE REALLY BACKING US WITH THIS PAY RAISE.
I JUST FEEL THAT YOU GUYS ARE NOT HEARING US THE WAY YOU SHOULD BE HEARING US.
I'VE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT A BUSTED SINCE 2017 AFTER THE FLOOD.
BUT I STAYED BECAUSE I LOVE MY JOB.
WE ARE THE MEAT TO YOUR BREAD AND WE ARE DEVALUED.
BECAUSE WITHOUT US, THE TRAIN WILL STOP.
WE SHOULD BE, WE SHOULD BE HERE.
WE SHOULD BE VALUED THE MOST IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT BECAUSE WE MAKE IT HAPPEN.
I MEAN, WE COULD USE THEM 12,000, BUT WE NEEDED DAILY.
WE NEEDED AN HOUR CHECK EVERY WHAT WE GET PAID TWICE A MONTH.
I WENT TO GO DO, UM, UNEMPLOYMENT.
THEY TOLD ME I COULDN'T GET IT BECAUSE THE STATE IN THE UM, E B R SAYS THAT THEY GOT, UH, I I CAN BE A 12 MONTH WORKER.
HOW THEY TALKING ABOUT A DEFERRED PAYMENT? I DON'T GET ENOUGH TO DEFER NOTHING.
I, I CAN'T, I, I NEED ALL MY MONEY.
SO I COULDN'T EVEN GET UNEMPLOYMENT BECAUSE YOU GUYS SAID I, I CAN BE ABLE TO BE A 12 MONTH WORKER.
I DON'T GET ENOUGH TO PUT TO THE SIDE.
OH, SHE SAID, I'M SORRY SHE DID NOT WANNA SPEAK, BUT SHE SAID A STIPEND IS NOT A BASE PAY INCREASE IN FOR, UH, BUS DRIVERS MECHANICS.
I CAN'T MAKE OUT ALL OF IT 'CAUSE IT'S, UH, THE WORDS ARE KIND OF CLOSE TOGETHER.
SHOULD IT, SHOULD IT BE ENOUGH? WHAT ABOUT AC? OKAY.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, I THINK IT SAYS BORN SLATED.
I'M CALLING ARREST OF PEOPLE COMING UP AFTER HER.
MS. UH, MCMILLAN, UH, MR. CRAIG, BILL RE AND EMPRESS HALLMAN.
I'M TANYA MCMILLAN, PARENT OF A CHILD IN EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND TONIGHT I SHARED THE CONFERENCE ROOM WITH BUS DRIVERS AND THEY WANT RAISES, NOT STIPENDS.
AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THEY DESERVE RAISES.
THEY HAVEN'T HAD A RAISE IN SO MANY YEARS FOR THAT, FOR THAT WOMAN TO SAY SHE'S BEEN DRIVING BUSES FOR 10 YEARS AND SHE'S MAKING $20,000, 12 YEARS AND $20,000.
LIKE WHO DOES THAT? AND AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM.
IF WE LOOK IN THE ADVOCATE FROM THIS TIME, LAST YEAR WAS
[03:20:01]
THE SAME ISSUES.THE DIFFERENCE IS THIS YEAR IS THAT WE STOPPED THE TRANSFERS TO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, RIGHT? WHICH MEANT THAT PARENTS OF THAT WOULD NORM OR KIDS THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE ON TRANSFER, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A DIRECT ROUTE.
THOSE KIDS ARE NORMALLY YOUR MADDEN, THE KIDS AND YOUR KIDS WHO LIVE IN D AND F SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
SO WHEN THE PARENTS OF FLAME AND THE PARENTS OF B R C C V P A, WHEN THEIR CHILDREN WERE LEFT ON THE STREETS WITH NO BUS AND THEY STARTED MAKING NOISE, ALL OF A SUDDEN WE GET AN EMERGENCY MEETING.
AND I'M GLAD THAT WE THAT WE'RE HAVING IT.
'CAUSE AGAIN, THESE THINGS HAD TO HAPPEN, RIGHT? SO WHEN THEY, THESE, WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY INTEGRATED THE SCHOOLS AND THEY STARTED ALLOWING BLACK CHILDREN TO GO TO THESE SCHOOLS, HOW EASY WAS IT FOR THEM TO GET THERE? WHY DO THESE DRIVERS WHO LOOK LIKE MY MOM AND MY DAD HAVE TO ACCEPT $20,000 A YEAR AND RIDE TO SCHOOL, RIDE TO WORK IN UNSAFE VANS? THEY SAID THEY'RE SCARED OF THE PROPANE.
THEY'RE SCARED WHEN THEY GET IN THOSE BUSES.
WHY DO THEY HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THAT? WHY DO KIDS WHO LOOK LIKE MY KID HAVE TO BE BUSED ALL OVER THE CITY AND BEEN DOING IT FOR ALL THESE YEARS? AND IT WAS NEVER AN EMERGENCY MEETING.
I KNOW MOST OF YOU GUYS ARE NEW TO THE BOARD, BUT SOME OF YOU GUYS AREN'T.
AND SOME OF Y'ALL ARE MAKING PROMISES TO FIX THINGS, BUT HAVE PLANS TO LEAVE.
YOU CAN'T MAKE PROMISES AND THEN NOT BE HERE TO SEE 'EM THROUGH.
AND SOMEONE ASKED ME WHY I'M SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS.
'CAUSE MY GRANDMOTHER WAS THE HELP.
MY FATHER CLIMBED UNDERNEATH THE CAR EVERY DAY AS A MECHANIC BEFORE HE BECAME AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER.
I SAW HIS GREASY CLOTHES EVERY DAY WHEN HE CAME HOME BECAUSE THAT ROOM LOOKS LIKE MY MOTHER AND MY AUNTIES AND MY UNCLES.
AND BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM THAT GENERATION WERE TAUGHT NOT TO SPEAK UP.
BUT IT'S A NEW GENERATION AND I'M GONNA SPEAK FOR THEM IF THEY CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
AND PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING.
NEXT WE HAVE MR. CRAIG, BERT BR.
OKAY, WELL, UH, MY NAME IS EMPRESS HOLMAN.
WHERE DO I START? I'VE BEEN ON THIS HOT BUS EVERY DAY MAKING SURE MY KIDS GET TO AND FROM SCHOOL.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT'S KEEPING ME GOING RIGHT NOW, IS MAKING SURE THAT MY KIDS GET TO SCHOOL.
LORD KNOWS I HAD A CHILD THAT WAS ON MY BUS.
I GOT ALL THE KIDS OFF THE BUS MY LAST ROUTE, ELEMENTARY, I MADE IT TO WHERE I PARKED MY BUS.
I STARTED CRYING BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? IT WAS TOO HOT FOR BOTH OF US TO BE ON THAT BUS ANY MORE TIME THAN WHAT WE HAD TO BE.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THIS STIPEND.
BUT I'M REALLY NOT THANKFUL BECAUSE FOR ONE, WE HAD GOT A STIPEND.
WHERE'S THE OTHER HALF? SO Y'ALL SAYING WHAT HAPPENED? OH, OKAY.
SO WHERE'S THE OTHER HALF OF THAT STIPEND? NOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT $7,500.
BUT THEN ARE WE GONNA SEE THE REST OF IT? ARE WE, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BUS I WAS ON LAST YEAR.
OKAY, LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT BUS.
THAT BUS NEEDS TO BE OFF THE ROAD.
YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES THAT IT'S BEEN AT THE SHOP? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES IT'S BEEN AT A VENDOR'S SHOP? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THAT WERE WASTED ON THAT BUS? RAGGEDY? I'M TALKING ABOUT THE FLOORS LIFTING UP RAGGEDY.
WHAT Y'ALL GONNA DO? DO Y'ALL CARE ENOUGH? Y'ALL HAVE ALL THIS
[03:25:01]
EQUIPMENT ON THESE BUSES THAT KIDS ARE GONNA BREAK INTO STILL 'EM THINKING THEY WORTH SOMETHING WHEN THEY WORTH NOTHING.THAT 19,000, BY THE TIME IT HIT MY CHECK, IT'S GONE.
I HAVE TWO KIDS OUT THERE RIGHT NOW.
GOES TO WHAM UH, IN, UH, BELL FAIR.
I GOTTA TAKE THEM TO SCHOOL EVERY MORNING.
PLUS I HAVE TO GET THE OTHER KIDS TO SCHOOL.
IF I WANTED TO PUT THEM ON A BUS, THEY WOULDN'T GET PICKED UP.
SO BY THE TIME I'M GETTING OFF AT 4 40, 4 45, I GOTTA GO AND GET THEM.
'CAUSE THEY'RE STILL AT THE SCHOOL BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE BUS DRIVERS.
YOU WILL SEE BUS DRIVERS COMING BECAUSE WE WANT MORE MONEY.
'CAUSE IF NOT, I'M GONNA BE GONE.
ME GETTING ON THAT BUS GONE GOOD IS GONE.
RIDE WITH ME ON THE BUS AND YOU SHALL SEE RIDE IN THE FRONT.
IT'S HOTTER IN THE FRONT THAN IT IS IN THE BACK.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, I'M SORRY, MR. UH, BILL BREW FOLLOWED BY MS. UH, ANGELICA JOSEPH FOLLOWED BY, UH, I DON'T THINK THIS PERSON WANTS TO SPEAK, BUT THEY DID HAVE SOMEONE ON THE COMMENT CARD.
DO Y'ALL THINK $10 AND 50 CENTS IS ENOUGH TO PAY FOR A FIELD TRIP? AND THE LA I'M SORRY.
THE NEXT PERSON FOLLOWING THAT IS MR. JAMIE ROBINSON.
PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY INSIDE OF THE, UH, BOARDROOM.
YOU HAVING MR. BILL BREW? ALL RIGHT, GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY.
MY NAME IS CRAIG BILBOROUGH AND I'M A TEACHER HERE AT EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH GOING INTO MY 10TH YEAR HERE.
EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY AS A TEACHER, THE FIRST WEEKS OF SCHOOL, YOU ESTABLISH THE NORMS, CLASSROOM POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, ASSESSING, REVIEWING AND REINFORCING THINGS THAT THEY MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN OVER THE SUMMER OR REVIEWING STUFF FROM LAST YEAR AND REINFORCING THE STUFF THAT YOU NEED TO TEACH THIS YEAR AND THEN YOU INTRODUCE.
BUT EVERY DAY OUR STUDENTS ARE OUR CHILDREN, OUR SCHOOLS, OUR DISTRICT, OUR COMMUNITY IS FALLING BEHIND.
WE ARE FAILING EVERY STUDENT EVERY DAY.
WE ARE RIGHT NOW DOING A 10 DAY COUNT SO WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHO'S COMING TO SCHOOL, WHO'S SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, HOW WE CAN DO STAFFING ISSUES.
HOW CAN WE DO THAT WHEN THE KIDS CAN'T EVEN GET TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY, YOU ARE BOMBARDED IN THE OFFICE WITH PARENTS COMING IN.
THEY'RE UPSET BECAUSE THEY'RE MISSING WORK BECAUSE THEY HAD TO GET THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL.
AND THE THING THAT HURTS THE MOST IS YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET UPSET WITH THE PARENT.
OR YOU WANT TO TELL THEM, WELL, THAT'S YOUR CHILD.
IT'S YOUR CHILD'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET TO SCHOOL AND GET THE EDUCATION.
BUT THEY DON'T KNOW THAT THE BUS IS NOT COMING.
DUDE, I GO TO WORK AND BE AT WORK ON TIME AT SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND LEAVE MY CHILD TO CATCH THE BUS.
OR DO I SEND THEM OUT THERE AND THEN THEY SITTING OUT THERE FOR 2, 3, 4 HOURS AND THE BUS DON'T SHOW UP BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE BUSES.
AND THEN THE SAME THING IN THE AFTERNOON.
MY KID GOT ON THE BUS, AND THEN I GET A PHONE CALL TELLING ME THAT MY CHILD DON'T HAVE A RIDE HOME BECAUSE EITHER THE BUS DRIVER QUIT, THE BUS BROKE DOWN, OR WE SIMPLY JUST DON'T HAVE ONE.
NOW, IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF YOU JUST FLAT OUT TOLD 'EM, WE WASN'T TAKING ANYBODY TO SCHOOL.
WE ARE NOT HIRING ANY BUS DRIVERS.
WE'RE NOT FIXING, WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING.
BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE PLANS WITH A, OH, WE'RE GOING TO, AND THEN THIS KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD, KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.
NARCISS, I'VE BEEN ON YOUR SIDE.
I'VE BEEN OSTRACIZED BY COWORKERS.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TO THE TIME AND IN JU UH, JULY WHEN WE WAS TRYING TO FINALIZE OUR BUDGET AND DOING ALL THAT STUFF, AND YOU WAS ON THERE AND YOU WAS INTERVIEWING FOR A JOB SOMEWHERE ELSE, IF YOU WOULD'VE GOT THAT JOB, WE WOULD BE SITTING HERE PICKING UP THE PIECES BY OURSELVES.
YOU KNOW, I FEEL SOME TYPE OF WAY WHEN ANYBODY MAKE ME PROMISES, WHEN THEY'VE ALREADY SHOWED ME THAT THEY GOT ONE FOOT OUT THE DOOR.
SO THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH SCARING ME WHEN THEY SAY THEY WANNA PUSH SOMETHING FOR A LATER DATE OR HAVE A VOTE OR DO SOMETHING POSSIBLY LATER, BECAUSE I'M AFRAID THAT I WAKE UP TOMORROW AND OUR LEADERSHIP WON'T BE HERE.
AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT YOU BROUGHT IN HERE WITH YOU THAT ARE JUST PADDING THEIR RESUMES, WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY, BUT OUR CHILDREN ARE THE ONE HERE WHO CANNOT SPEAK, WHO NEED SOMEBODY TO FIGHT FOR THEM.
AND THEY'RE SUFFERING THEIR LIVES ARE THE ONES THAT WE'RE BUILDING.
BUILD A HOUSE WITH A WEAK FOUNDATION AND PUT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROOF ON IT AND WATCH IT COLLAPSE.
THAT'S WHAT OUR CHILDREN ARE GOING FOR.
THE BUS DRIVERS, AND PLEASE ERASE THIS WORD OUTTA YOUR VOCABULARY.
THE BUS DRIVERS GO TO WORK BECAUSE THEY NEED MONEY TO PAY THEIR BILLS.
THEY NEED TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILY.
AND IT REALLY HURT MY FEELINGS WHEN YOU SIT THERE
[03:30:01]
AND SAY THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IS IN THE CLASSROOM.DON'T GET ME WRONG, ALL TEACHERS ARE IMPORTANT, AND WE ARE THE PROFESSION THAT MAKES EVERY OTHER PROFESSION POSSIBLE.
BUT IF THE BUS DRIVERS DON'T BRING THE KIDS TO THE CLASSROOM, I'M THE HIGHEST QUALIFIED PERSON IN THERE.
BUT WHO AM I GOING TO TEACH? THANK YOU MR. BEDROOM.
THIS TIME I DON'T HAVE A C CHANCE TO SUPPORT ME.
THEN WHO'S GONNA GET IT? AND I'M SORRY FOR WHAT'S YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I'M SORRY MR. ROBINSON, BEFORE YOU GO, I'M GONNA CALL IT THE, THE, THE REST OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING BEHIND YOU.
SO DON'T START THIS TIME IF YOU, OH, I JUST HEARD YOU SAY MY NAME.
LEACH, AND I THINK IT SAYS BORN SLATED.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT PERSON IS HERE.
THAT'S THE NAME THAT'S ON HERE.
OKAY? IF THAT IS IT ALSO MR. UH, DAVID CARTER, IF HE'S STILL HERE.
WHEN YOU PUT A BANDAID ON A SITUATION, THEY REQUIRED STITCHES.
EVENTUALLY THE BANDAID FALLS OFF AND THE VISIBLE INFECTION THAT IS NOW ARISEN IS MORE VISIBLE.
YOU STARTED OFF HERE TODAY ADDRESSING THE INITIAL NEED FOR GIVING OUR BUS DRIVERS THE PAY INCREASE THAT THEY NEED AND DESERVE.
AND NOW YOU'VE TURNED IT INTO SOMETHING ELSE.
WE'VE ADDED IT PARAPROFESSIONALS TO IT.
MR. GODDE BOUGHT UP A GOOD POINT.
WHAT ABOUT OUR CAFETERIA WORKERS? AND WHILE I WAS OUTSIDE, I GOT A TEXT MESSAGE FROM A CLERK.
TELL 'EM I ONLY MAKE $18,000 TOO.
SO NOW YOU'VE TAKEN THE BANDAID OFF OF A SITUATION THAT YOU HAD NO BUSINESS PUTTING A BANDAID ON BEFORE, BECAUSE WE TOLD YOU GUYS THAT PEOPLE NEEDED TO FEEL VALUED.
MR. GODDE, I, I WON'T BEAT A DEAD HORSE BECAUSE I KNOW, UH, MR. BILL BRUCE SAID IT BEFORE ME, BUT EVERYBODY OUGHT FEEL VALUE.
THERE IS NOT ONE PERSON WHO IS NOT A PART OF THE ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL SUCCESS OF CHILDREN, TEACHERS, CUSTODIANS, CAFETERIA WORKERS, THE PERSON THAT COMES AND CUT THE GRASS SO THEY CAN GO AND ENJOY RECESS.
THAT PERSON MATTERS AND PEOPLE WANT TO FEEL VALUED.
AND IF YOU DON'T MAKE THEM FEEL VALUED SOON, YOU WON'T HAVE A SYSTEM TO REPRESENT.
MR. LANA, YOU MADE THE COMMENT EARLIER TONIGHT.
YOU SAID, IF WE GIVE THE PARAPROFESSIONALS THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY THOUGH, GO TO $26,000.
I HATE TO BE IN A BAD SPOT WITH YOU IF YOU THINK THAT'S GOOD.
IF YOU GUYS DON'T DO SOMETHING TONIGHT, THAT'S SUSTAINABLE.
IF YOU GUYS DON'T DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES THESE PEOPLE WANNA COME TO WORK TOMORROW TO PICK THOSE CHILDREN UP, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BIG, BIG PROBLEMS ON OUR HANDS.
SO TYPICALLY I WOULD TELL YOU, I WOULD SAY DON'T MAKE A RASH DECISION BECAUSE YOU JUST ADDED ALL THIS, THIS MONEY UP INTO THE, UH, YOUR FOLD AND YOU, AND YOU DIDN'T DO YOUR, UH, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THE MONEY.
BECAUSE IF YOU DO THIS AND WE DON'T HAVE IT, THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER CRISIS.
BECAUSE WHEN THEY DON'T GET PAID, YOU'RE VIEWED AS LIARS AND THEY ALREADY DON'T TRUST YOU.
UM, I GAVE THE MADAM SECRETARY THIS DOCUMENT FOR YOU GUYS TO READ, UH, EIGHT WAYS TO SOLVE YOUR SCHOOL BUS SHORTAGE.
WHEN YOU GET IT, AND I HOPE YOU DO GET IT, THAT YOU PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO NUMBER FIVE WHERE IT SAYS SCHOOL BUSES MAY NOT BE YOUR ONLY OPTION.
I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY INTERESTING.
UM, IN THE MEANTIME, I JUST WANNA ADDRESS SOMETHING.
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY MEETING WE HAVE, THERE'S A DIG ON YOU DR.
NARCISS, ABOUT APPLYING FOR A JOB IN ANOTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW, SITTING ON THE BOARD, LISTENING, WATCHING ON YOUTUBE OR WHEREVER YOU ARE LOOKING AT THIS, KNOW THAT ON AVERAGE, SUPERINTENDENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY GENERALLY STAY IN THEIR POSITIONS FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS,
[03:35:01]
PERIOD.THEY MOVE ON TO DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
SO PUT THAT HORSE TO SLEEP OR WHATEVER THE SAYING IS.
UM,
THEY HAVE THE BEST LOGISTICAL SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY, PROBABLY IN THE WORLD.
MAYBE WE SHOULD REACH OUT TO AT LEAST AT BEST, THEIR REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT TO SEE HOW OR IF THEY'RE WILLING TO WORK WITH US ON LOGISTICS.
THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF PROGRAMS OUT THERE THAT WE COULD LOOK AT.
I FIND SOMETHING INHERENTLY WRONG THAT WE HAVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN AT A SCHOOL BUS STOP AT 5 30, 6 O'CLOCK, SIX 20 IN THE MORNING.
WE ARE A CORRIDOR FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF THAT IF WE'RE NOT.
UM, DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PARAPROFESSIONALS WHO ARE ALSO TRANSPORTATION AIDES? IT'S THE SAME, UM, THAT QUALIFY FOR SNAP AND MEDICAID.
WE'RE KINDA LIKE A WALMART HERE, RIGHT? UM, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
UH, THE, UH, I, I I THINK THAT'S IT.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO FAR TO GET HELP ON LOGISTICS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF SOFTWARE PROGRAMS, BUT WE DO NEED TO, AND, AND PLEASE READ THIS.
AND, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT OUR BUS DRIVERS AND, AND THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF OUR STUDENTS NEED TO GET A SALARY INCREASE.
AND IF WE CAN'T DO IT THIS YEAR AND WE HAVE TO GIVE THEM A SUPPLEMENTAL PAY, THEN LET'S MOVE IT TO OCTOBER OR GIVE IT TO 'EM ALL AT ONE TIME.
AND I KNOW THE FEAR IS IF WE GIVE IT TO 'EM ALL AT ONE TIME, THEY'RE GONNA ALL QUIT.
BUT, UM, LOOK AT THAT NUMBER FIVE OPTION.
I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO LOOK AT AND AND IMPLEMENT QUICKLY.
AND I HAD FOUR SECONDS LEFT FROM THE LAST CLOCK.
OKAY, AT THAT TIME NOW I SEE NO MORE THAN NO OTHER FURTHER, WELL, NOT SO FAST THAT THOSE ARE DONE.
OKAY, NEXT WE HAVE, UH, MS. SHANNON.
I'M SORRY, I WON'T SAY MISS R MR. 'CAUSE I, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A, UH, A NAME THAT CAN GO BOTH WAYS.
SO I WOULD SAY THIS IS, NEXT UP WE HAVE SHANNON LEWIS, FOLLOWED BY LYDIA KEY CHAPMAN AND MS. VALENCIA JOHNSON.
UM, I DO WANNA SAY THAT, UM, I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR 16 YEARS.
UM, LIKE THE OTHER, MY COWORKER SAID, STIPEND IS GOOD.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE DO NEED A RAISE.
OKAY? UM, AND WE CAN'T NOT, LIKE THEY WAS SAYING, I, WE CAN'T BUY A HOUSE.
OKAY? SO WHEN I STARTED 16 YEARS AGO, YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I WAS MAKING 500 SOMETHING DOLLARS.
I TRIED TO APPLY FOR A HOUSE, UM, THROUGH, UM, WHAT IS THAT HABITAT? I DIDN'T EVEN MAKE ENOUGH TO GET A HOUSE.
BUT AS THE YEARS WENT BY, I CLEAN HOUSES JUST TO MAKE MONEY, EXTRA MONEY.
NOW I HAVE A BUSINESS AND I MAKE MONEY THROUGH.
UM, BUT I WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO ALL THAT IF I HAD A RAISE.
YOU KNOW, I DO THAT FOR ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, SOURCE OF INCOME.
BUT I APPRECIATE Y'ALL FOR HOW Y'ALL DO.
UM, IT IS, WE JUST HAD A, UM, DRIVER QUIT LITTLE DO Y'ALL KNOW WE HAD, WE LOST ANOTHER DRI DRIVER TONIGHT.
SO IF YOU DON'T GET US ANY MONEY, I'M JUST SAYING, I'VE BEEN HEARING TODAY, WE HAD ANOTHER MEETING TODAY.
THEY SAID THAT THEY, THEY ROLLING.
I JUST WANNA LET Y'ALL KNOW EVERYBODY ON THE BOARD, THESE DRIVERS ARE GOING SOMEWHERE.
THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE OTHER DRIVER, UH, OTHER JOBS THAT'S MAKING MORE MONEY.
THAT'S WHAT THEIR OPTIONS ARE.
SO IF YOU DON'T GIVE US MORE MONEY, THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
UH, MS. LYDIA KEY CHAPMAN AND MS. VALENCIA JOHNSON.
[03:40:05]
OKAY, I'M SORRY MS. JOHNSON.AS YOU MAKE YOUR WAY UP, I'LL GO AHEAD AND READ WHAT MS. UH, CHAPMAN SAID.
SHE SAID, PLEASE CLARIFY THE DISBURSEMENT OF THE STIPEND AND RETENTION BONUS.
IS THE SECOND PORTION OF THE STIPEND COMING AT THE SAME TIME AS THE RETENTION BONUS IN MARCH? THE ANSWER IS YES.
MY NAME IS VALENCIA JOHNSON AND I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS.
AND WHILE SITTING OUT, UH, IN THE OVERFLOW, UH, BUS DRIVERS WANTED ME TO TELL YOU THAT IF THEY DON'T GET A RAISE, THEY'RE NOT COMING TOMORROW.
AND SO I'M JUST LETTING YOU KNOW SO YOU CAN LET THE PARENTS KNOW THAT THEY DON'T NEED TO LOOK FOR A BUS IF THEY DO NOT GET A RAISE TODAY.
I KNOW WE HAVE SOME BUDGETARY ISSUES AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE GETTING THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO THE BEST THAT YOU CAN.
BUT AT THIS POINT FOR BUS DRIVERS, IT'S IS NOT ENOUGH.
AND WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE WITH TRANSPORTATION, I THINK IT WILL PROBABLY BE MORE EFFECTIVE FOR US TO DO A PAUSE SINCE WE HAVE THE COVERING OF THE EMERGENCY SO WE CAN GET TRANSPORTATION IN ORDER.
SO WE CAN GET OUR BUS DRIVERS TOGETHER, GET THOSE EMERGENCY, UH, FIXES THAT WE NEED TO DO WITH, UH, WITH THE BUSES.
GET THE J CAMPUS TOGETHER BECAUSE WE GOT TEACHERS WHO ARE STILL AT THE OTHER SCHOOL, ON THE OTHER SCHOOL ROLE, OR HAVE THE ROLES FOR THE OTHER SCHOOLS THAT THEY TRANSFERRED FROM.
SO THEY CAN'T PUT IN GRADES THAT THEY SUPPOSED TO DO EVERY WEEK BECAUSE THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE, UH, ACCESS TO THE CHILDREN THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY TEACHING.
SO WE HAVE BIGGER PROBLEMS. WE GOT, WE WE CAN'T GET THE, THE CHILDREN TO SCHOOL AND THEN WHEN THEY'RE AT SCHOOL, THE TEACHERS CAN'T DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO.
SO, AND EVERYBODY IS NOT GETTING EDUCATED IN AT THE SAME RATE BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS NOT MAKING IT TO SCHOOL.
SO WE NEED TO CONSIDER ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
SO WE MIGHT HAVE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX TO GET OUR, OUR, OUR THINGS GOING.
BUT THE WORD ON THE STREET IS BUS DRIVERS ARE NOT COMING TOMORROW IF THEY DON'T GET A RACE.
SEEING NO OTHER CUE CARDS AT THIS TIME, WE'LL NOW COME BACK TO THE BOARD.
I'M FIRST INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
I'LL TRY TO BE AS FAST AS I CAN.
I WANT TO JUST CLARIFY SOMETHING BECAUSE A COM A A COUPLE, A COMMENT WAS MADE AND MY NAME WAS ATTACHED TO IT.
I, IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM WOULD EVER SAY THAT $26,000 IS ENOUGH FOR ANYBODY TO EARN AS A WAGE.
'CAUSE IT NEVER CAME OUTTA MY MOUTH.
WHAT I DID WAS I TRIED TO QUANTIFY HOW MUCH MONEY PARAPROFESSIONALS WERE GOING TO MAKE.
JUST WANTED TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT.
THE NEXT THING I WANNA DO IS I WANT TO HAVE AN HONEST CONVERSATION WITH EVERYBODY WHO'S LISTENING AND EVERYBODY INSIDE OF THE ROOM.
IF WE GAVE EVERY SINGLE BUS DRIVER $30,000 SALARY INCREASE TODAY, THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE LEGACY COSTS BY THE WAY.
THAT'S JUST FOR BUS OPERATORS AS WE HEARD.
MECHANICS ALSO NEED MORE MONEY AS WELL AS OUR TRANSPORTATION ATTENDEES.
AGAIN, THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE LEGACY COSTS.
IF WE DID THE SAME THING FOR TEACHERS, IT WOULD COST US 46,000,008 $46.8 MILLION FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF 64,000,003.
AGAIN, NOT INCLUDING LEGACY COST.
WE HAVEN'T EVEN DISCUSSED THE EQUIPMENT WE NEED TO GET OUR BUSES BACK UP ON THE ROAD.
WE HAVEN'T EVEN TALKED ABOUT GETTING BUSES.
'CAUSE THE REALITY IS, WHAT WE HEARD TONIGHT IS WE HAVE BEEN BUYING CHEAP BUSES AND WE HAVE TO GET MORE EFFICIENT BUSES TO KEEP THEM ON THE ROAD.
WHEN YOU ADD ALL OF THESE NUMBERS TOGETHER, THAT NUMBER NOW IS CLOSER TO, UM, A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
AND THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE TO DO ON A YEARLY BASIS.
THAT'S NEARLY 25% OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE DISTRICT.
SO NOW YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF, ARE WE GONNA BALANCE WHAT WE'RE DOING INSIDE OF OUR CLASSROOMS OF WHAT WE GIVING OUR STUDENTS? OR ARE WE GOING TO, UH, ARE WE GONNA BALANCE SALARIES? I GET IT, IT'S NOT ENOUGH, BUT IT IS A START AND WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST TO MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
NOW, WHAT I WILL CLEAR UP BY SAYING IT IS THIS.
I LOVE THE SALARY CONVERSATIONS.
[03:45:01]
I JUST WISH THEY WOULD'VE CAME LAST MONTH WHEN WE HAD AN OPTION ON THE TABLE TO INCREASE SALARIES.'CAUSE THE, THE REALITY IS, HALF OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE, THAT I'M HEARING TONIGHT TELL US WE NEED TO GIVE SALARY RAISES.
WERE THE SAME PEOPLE THAT SAID THAT YOU'RE GONNA ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL.
IF WE DO THAT AT, I KNOW BUS DRIVERS NEED MORE MONEY.
I KNOW CAFETERIA WORKERS NEED MORE MONEY.
I KNOW JANITORS NEED MORE MONEY AND I KNOW TEACHERS NEED MORE MONEY.
ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES NEED MORE MONEY.
IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH TO GO AROUND.
AND WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH AN EQUITABLE PLAN FOR HOW WE DO THAT.
YOU CAN'T DO THAT IN ONE YEAR.
YOU CAN'T REALLY DO IT IN TWO YEARS.
YOU NEED THREE YEARS TO SPAN OUT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR INDIRECT COSTS ARE GONNA BE.
'CAUSE AGAIN, S IS GONNA SUNSET NEXT YEAR.
AND WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PICK THAT COST UP.
I'M ONLY SAYING THIS TO GIVE EVERYBODY MORE CONTEXTUAL DETAILS AROUND WHAT WE ARE DEALING WITH BECAUSE IT'S EASY WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ALL THE COMPLEXITIES THAT GO ALONG WITH IT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SIMPLY JUST MOVE MONEY THAT WAY.
BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WE HEAR YOU AND WE APPRECIATE YOU, AND WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO MAKE THIS WORK.
WE HAVE PRIORITIZED OUR BUS DRIVERS OVER EVERYBODY ELSE RECEIVING A STIPEND.
OUR TEACHERS ONLY GETTING $6,000, AND THAT'S INCLUDING WHAT WE'RE GETTING FROM THE STATE.
OUR BUS DRIVERS, WHEN YOU ADD THE TOTAL ALLOCATION UP, IS SOMEWHERE AROUND $12,500 THAT WE'RE GIVING IN ONE YEAR.
BUT WE'RE TRYING TO BE GOOD STEWARDS AT THE SAME TIME BY FIGURING OUT HOW WE'RE GONNA ALSO TAKE CARE OF WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM.
'CAUSE THAT'S EQUALLY IMPORTANT, IS MAKING SURE THAT KIDS GET THERE SAFELY, THEY HAVE GOOD, SAFE PLACES AND SPACES, AND THAT THEY'RE ALSO RECEIVING A FAIR AND EQUAL EQUITABLE EDUCATION EVERY SINGLE DAY.
WE HAVE TO TRY TO BALANCE EVERYTHING AS A BOARD.
SO I DIDN'T WANT ANYBODY TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE WALKING OUTTA THERE UNAPPRECIATED, THAT WE DON'T WANNA MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
BUT WHAT WE CAN'T AFFORD TO DO IS DEB OUT SO MUCH MONEY AND WE TAKE ON ALL OF THESE FINANCIAL IMPACTS NEXT YEAR, AND WE FIND OURSELVES INSIDE OF FINANCIAL EXIGENCY.
THAT IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO BE IN BECAUSE THEN A LOT OF HEADS WOULD HAVE TO ROLL, AND THEN WE WOULD STILL HAVE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE COVER OVERHEAD AND HOW WE COVER OPERATIONS.
I'LL JUST STOP THERE, AND I JUST, AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE WITH US.
THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING UP AND LETTING YOUR VOICES BE HEARD.
WE HEAR YOU, AND WE'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THIS PROCESS WITH YOU.
WE HAVE S SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
YOU SAID ALL OF WHAT I WANTED TO SAY BETTER THAN I WOULD HAVE, BUT, BUT I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT I AS DO ALL OF US, HAVE AN EXTRAORDINARY APPRECIATION FOR THE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT JOB THAT OUR BUS DRIVERS, OUR MECHANICS, EVERYBODY INVOLVED, DO FOR OUR KIDS EVERY SINGLE DAY.
NONE OF YOU DO THIS FOR THE MONEY.
ALL OF YOU DO IT BECAUSE YOU LOVE THE CHILDREN.
IF YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE WHAT MS. JOHNSON SAID, THAT'S GONNA HURT THE CHILDREN, IT'S, IT, IT'S GONNA MAKE OUR LIVES DIFFICULT, BUT IT'S FUNDAMENTALLY GONNA HURT THE CHILDREN AND THE FAMILIES.
IT'S GOING TO ADD TO A CRISIS THAT IS ALREADY VERY SIGNIFICANT AND THAT WE CAN'T FIX, AS THE SUPERINTENDENT SAID OVERNIGHT, RIGHT? DECADES OF POOR CHOICES FOR BUS PURCHASES, RELYING ON GRANTS TO, TO BUY BUSES THAT DON'T ACTUALLY WORK, RIGHT? SOMETIMES FREE THINGS ARE NOT REALLY FREE.
UM, WE, WE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO FIX THOSE OVERNIGHT.
WE CAN'T RESPONSIBLY, NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE CARE, AND WE CARE AN AWFUL LOT, WE CAN RESPONSIBLY UNDERTAKE THE, THE FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES RIGHT NOW IN RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS THAT IT WOULD TAKE TO ACTUALLY GIVE EVERYBODY A RAISES TO WHAT THEY DESERVE, BECAUSE THEY DESERVE MORE THAN THAT.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AVERAGE PAY IN A FIELD THAT THAT IS UNDERPAID ACROSS THE STATE, RIGHT? IN THE STATE THAT HAS THE ONE OF THE WORST EDUCATION SYSTEMS IN THE COUNTRY.
THIS IS THE CRISIS OF THE DAY.
MR. GODDE MENTIONED TEACHER SHORTAGES RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE.
WHEN EVEN WHEN WE DID THE, THE, THE, UM, THE BUDGET AND WE VOTED COLLECTIVELY ON SOMETHING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $25 MILLION OF STIPENDS FOR OUR TEACHERS AND, AND, AND STAFF, ALMOST EVERY PENNY OF THAT WAS COMING FROM A ONE TIME SURPLUS OF FUNDS IN, IN WHAT'S CALLED SALES TAX PROP THREE.
THAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE WITHOUT A LOT OF OTHER STUFF.
WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE FACT THAT THE, THAT THAT TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF ESSER FUNDING IS GONNA GO AWAY, WHICH WILL IMPACT A LOT OF JOBS IN OUR SYSTEM, THAT WILL AFFECT EVERYBODY IN THE SYSTEM IF THOSE JOBS GO AWAY.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA SOLVE THAT PROBLEM.
[03:50:01]
IF WE SAY, HEY, WE'RE GONNA GIVE EVERYBODY A RAISE, WE'RE MAKING A PRO, WE'D BE MAKING A PROMISE THAT WE DO NOT KNOW WHETHER WE CAN KEEP OR NOT.THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE, AT THE END OF THE DAY LAST MONTH, UH, DECIDED TO GO WITH THE STIPENDS BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA MAKE PROMISES THAT WE CAN'T KEEP.
WE DON'T, THAT'S BEEN MADE TOO MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, PROMISES THAT THE SYSTEM COULDN'T KEEP.
WE HAVE TO BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE.
YES, THE BUS DRIVERS DESERVE A RAISE.
EVERY POINT YOU MADE IS A HUNDRED PERCENT VALID.
I WOULD NOT WANT TO BE IN YOUR SHOES.
I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT YOU GO THROUGH AND THE SACRIFICES THAT YOU MAKE FOR OUR CHILDREN.
AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOU DO.
BUT IF I WERE TO VOTE FOR A PERMANENT PAY RAISE OF THIS MAGNITUDE WITH THE FO KNOWING THAT THAT WILL CASCADE THROUGH ALL THE OTHER POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE, THEN I WOULD BE SETTING THIS UP FOR EXACTLY WHAT, AS MR. AS PRESIDENT LANDIS ALLUDED TO, PEOPLE WERE WARNING US ABOUT WHEN THEY WERE ENCOURAGING US A MONTH AGO, NOT TO VOTE FOR A PERMANENT PAY RAISE, BUT TO VOTE ONLY FOR A STIPEND.
I HAD PEOPLE TELL ME, IF YOU, IF YOU VOTE FOR A PERMANENT PAY RAISE, THAT'S BECAUSE YOU WANT THE SYSTEM TO CLOSE ITS DOORS.
RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE TOLD ME, THAT THAT'S NOT THE GOAL.
RIGHT? I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED HAD WE GIVEN A A A A, IT MADE SOME PART OF THAT STIPEND, A A PERMANENT PAY RAISE.
BUT IF WE GAVE A LARGE PART OF THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE RISK THAT WE HAVE.
IT WOULD BE A REAL RISK IF WE MADE THAT LARGE OF A PERMANENT PAY RAISE AND COMMITMENT.
WE CAN'T DO THAT RIGHT NOW, NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE CARE.
NEXT WE HAVE MS. KATIE KENNISON, A SCUBA MCKENNON.
UM, MS. HALL, MS. SMITH, MR. RIDGELEY AND MS. LOPEZ, CAN YOU ALL JUST BE ON, UH, UM, ON CALL TO FACT? CHECK ME, PLEASE.
UM, MS. LOPEZ, I'LL PROBABLY NEED, UH, YOU TO COME TO THE MIC.
CAN YOU PLEASE PAUSE THE TIME, THE TIME IS NOW 8 52 AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE ONLY, UH, WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN THROUGH THE AGENDA ITEM THAT WE'RE ON.
WE'RE STILL ON ONE AGENDA ITEM, AND WE STILL HAVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS WELL AS NEW BUSINESS.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO DO SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE TYPICALLY HAVE NOT DONE.
I'M GOING TO ASK THE BOARD TO ALLOW ME, ALLOW US TO SUSPEND TONIGHT'S RULES SO THAT WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS AGENDA, THE ENTIRE AGENDA.
BUT I CAN ONLY DO SO IF THERE IS NO, UH, DISSENT FROM US DOING SO.
OKAY? SO, UH, WE GO THROUGH A MOTION AND EVERYTHING TOO, ATTORNEY.
OKAY? SO I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR US TO SUSPEND TONIGHT'S RULES.
ALL RIGHT? SO I HAVE ONE MOTION THAT'S, UH, SUPERMAN, MARTIN, AND I NEED A SECOND.
UH, CAN YOU DO A, COULD, COULD I THINK IT, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE PRUDENT, UM, IF MR. SHALIN WOULD, WOULD SPEAK OUT LOUD.
WHAT MOTION I JUST MADE? YES, SIR.
SO, MR. MARTIN, UH, MADE A MOTION TO SUSPEND TONIGHT'S RULES OF PROCEDURE.
AND THE EFFECT THAT THAT HAS IS THAT IT WILL ALLOW THE MEETING TO EXTEND BEYOND NINE 30.
UM, AND WE ARE GONNA REQUIRE A, IT IS GONNA REQUIRE A UNANIMOUS VOTE BECAUSE IT TAKES A UNANIMOUS VOTE TO EXTEND THE MEETING UNTIL NINE 30.
AND SO, UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S UNDERSTOOD.
THE SECOND WAS BY MRS. STEWART.
OKAY, SO WE DON'T HAVE A SECOND.
HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SHAWNEE STEWART HAS RESCINDED, I'M THINKING THAT SHE WILL NOT VOTE FOR IT ANYWAY.
SO I JUST WANT, BUT THE DEBATE MIGHT MANAGE TO CHANGE HER MIND.
SO, OKAY,
SO I'M GONNA SUSPEND THE ORDER THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM, JUST PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND SO WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE ANYBODY OUTTA THE QUEUE.
SO, PATRICK MARTIN, I'M SORRY.
AND WE, WE, WE, AT THE, AT A MINIMUM WE HAVE ANOTHER ITEM RELATED TO, TO THE TRANSPORTATION CRISIS ON THE AGENDA.
WE CANNOT LEAVE HERE WITHOUT GETTING AT LEAST BOTH THE TRANSPORTATION ITEMS ON THERE.
AND I DON'T SEE HOW WE'RE GONNA FINISH OUR DISCUSSION ABOUT THE, THIS ITEM, THE CURRENT ITEM, AND FINISH THE DISCUSSION ON THAT BEFORE NINE 30.
SO MY CONCERN IS THAT IF WE DON'T SUSPEND THE RULES THEN AND, AND, AND ALLOW FOR CONTINUING PAST NINE 30, THEN WE ARE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO ADDRESS THE CRISIS THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS TONIGHT.
AND IT'S A, AS A POINT OF INFORMATION, WE ALSO HAVE AN IT TIP ITEM THAT IS COMPLETELY OR OR ABSOLUTELY SENSITIVE AND WE HAVE TO GET THROUGH IT
[03:55:01]
TONIGHT.SO I WOULD JUST LET EVERYONE KNOW TO CAUTION ON THE SIDE OF ERROR WITH US.
UM, MOVING NOT TO SUSPEND TONIGHT'S RULES BECAUSE AS YOU, AS YOU JUST ALLUDED, THAT I DON'T FORESEE US GETTING THROUGH THIS ITEM.
AND THEN ALSO GETTING THROUGH THE NEXT ITEM THAT'S CONNECTED TO IT.
AND THEN ALSO GETTING TO THE ITEP SENSITIVE ITEM BEFORE NINE 30.
'CAUSE THE, NOT THAT THE HOUR IS NOW 8 55.
UH, JUST WANT TO JUST ADD ONE THING TO THE BOARD.
THERE ARE SOME ITEMS THERE IN THESE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS THAT ARE RELATED TO CHILDREN THAT CANNOT BE DELAYED.
AND I'D LIKE TO, UM, IN ANY WAY GET THOSE VOTED FOR TONIGHT.
SO IF YOU CAN, HOWEVER YOU GET THROUGH THIS, I WOULD JUST LIKE THE BOARD TO CONSIDER THAT.
I'LL JUST PUT A QUICK WORD TO MY BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, I THINK THERE IS TIME SENSITIVE INFORMATION THAT NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED AND DEALT WITH TONIGHT.
I'LL ALSO POINT OUT THE FACT THAT IF FOR SOME REASON SOME OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS CAN'T STAY THE ENTIRE MEETING, I THINK YOU HAVE AN OPTION TO LEAVE IF YOU HAVE TO FOR TIME SENSITIVE REASONS, ALTHOUGH THAT'S NOT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
UM, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM IF ONE OR TWO MEMBERS HAVE TO LEAVE AT 9 30, 10 O'CLOCK, 11 O'CLOCK, WHATEVER IT IS.
UH, BUT WE NEED TO GET THROUGH THIS THROUGH SOME OF THESE ITEMS. ALSO, THERE IS A COUPLE OF ITEMS THAT I THINK COULD BE REMOVED AND TABLED THAT I WOULD ASK THAT OUR PRESIDENT LOOK AT, UH, WHEN WE WOULD GET TO THOSE ITEMS SO THAT WE CAN HASTEN THOSE TO THE NEXT COMMITTEE, THE WHOLE OR THE NEXT REGULAR BOARD MEETING.
AND UH, I WILL TAKE THAT INTO SERIOUS CONSIDERATION.
MR. SUPERINTENDENT, UH, PRESIDENT LAN, I CAN MOVE THE PRESENTATIONS TO NEXT, UM, TO THE NEXT AGENDA IF THE BOARD IS OKAY WITH THAT.
WELL, THEY, THEY WILL BE BACK.
I'LL HAVE TO TALK TO THEM
SO NOW WE HAVE A MOTION, WE HAVE A SECOND.
I'M SORRY, WE HAD BOARD COMMENT.
I SEE NO OTHER HANDS IN THE AIR NOW WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
I SEE NO COMMENT CARDS ON THAT.
AND WE'LL NOW COME BACK TO THE BOARD SEEING NO, UM, OTHER HANDS IN THE AIR.
AND IF YOU HAVE TO, WE COULD DO A ROLL CALL IF IT'S EASY.
OH, IS IT POPPING UP FOR Y'ALL? NO, IT TOOK ME COMPLETELY OUT.
ALRIGHT, NOW I'LL GO BACK TO BOARD.
UH, AGAIN GUYS, DID I MENTION OR ANYONE ELSE, IF I'M NOT STATING FACTS, PLEASE COME UP AND CORRECT ME.
UM, TALK FOR A SECOND ABOUT EQUITY.
YOU KNOW, I DID, I WAS AGAINST GIVING PERMANENT RAISES TO TEACHERS.
EVERYONE KEEPS ALLUDING TO THAT.
TEACHERS AREN'T LIVING IN POVERTY, ALTHOUGH THEY'RE DEALING WITH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS.
THEY CAN LIVE IN A HOUSE AND THEY CAN HAVE A CAR AND THEY CAN PUT FOOD ON THEIR TABLES.
SO IT'S NOT AS AN EMERGENT OF A SITUATION, UM, AS THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING AS BUS DRIVERS.
AND PART OF WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS EQUITY, UH, PEOPLE WHO HAVE MUCH LESS TO WORK WITH IN ORDER FOR A SITUATION TO BE EQUITABLE NEED MUCH MORE THAN SOME OTHERS FOR, TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD.
UM, SO IT IS TRUE, I HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION ON PERMANENT RAISES FOR TEACHERS RIGHT NOW VERSUS PERMANENT RAISES FOR BUS DRIVERS.
UM, I WANNA LOOK AT SOME NUMBERS REAL QUICK.
UH, THE UPDATE THAT WE GOT YESTERDAY WAS THAT WE HAD 285 BUS DRIVERS.
THEY KEEP, THEY'RE QUITTING BY THE DOZEN.
SO, AND THAT 249 WERE WORKING YESTERDAY.
UM, DOES THAT SOUND ABOUT RIGHT MR. RIDLEY? OKAY, SO THE $17 MILLION WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TO GIVE PERMANENT RAISES TO DRIVERS RIGHT NOW, WOULD THAT BE THE FULLY STAFFED 700 OR 474 SPOTS WE HAVE BUDGETED FOR? BECAUSE IF WE, IF WE BRING THESE 285 PEOPLE AND PERHAPS MUCH LESS AND 284 AFTER THE LAST 15 MINUTES, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER IS TODAY.
IF WE BRING THEM ALL THAT WE STILL HAVE THAT HAVEN'T LEFT, IF WE BRING THEM ALL TO $30,000 TONIGHT, UM, HELP ME WITH THE MATH MS. LOPEZ.
I SEE FIVE TO $6 MILLION INCLUSIVE
[04:00:01]
OF BENEFITS.IS THAT OKAY? SO THAT CHANGES THINGS A BIT.
IF WE'RE LOOKING AT, EVERYONE'S SAYING THEY'RE GONNA STRIKE TOMORROW.
IF WE'RE LOOKING AT KIDS NOT BEING ABLE TO GET TO SCHOOL TOMORROW AND WE'RE BEING BEGGED TO DO SOMETHING TONIGHT, I'D LIKE THAT, THAT NUMBER.
LIKE IF WE DON'T HAVE THE BUSES, OBVIOUSLY IT'S GONNA BE AN ISSUE.
OBVIOUSLY THIS IS GONNA CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE.
AND OBVIOUSLY WE WANT A FULLY STAFFED 474 DRIVERS, BUT IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING TONIGHT, NOT ONLY IS NO ONE GONNA COME AND TAKE THESE JOBS, WE WON'T HAVE THE DRIVERS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
SO LET'S KEEP, WHAT IF WE THOUGHT ABOUT KEEPING THE DRIVERS THAT WE HAVE SO WE CAN GET OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL TOMORROW, MONDAY, TUESDAY.
AND IF WE DON'T HAVE BUSES AFTER TALKING TO, UM, THE MECHANICS AND TO DR.
NARCISS, THERE ISN'T AN INFLUX OF BUSES.
SO WE'RE NOT SUDDENLY GONNA HIRE 200 MORE DRIVERS IF WE DON'T HAVE THE BUSES.
THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA TRICKLE IN SLOW.
BUT AT THE VERY LEAST WE CAN, UM, KEEP THE DRIVERS.
WE HAVE GIVE THEM A STANDARD OF LIVING THAT IS LEAST REASONABLE AND KEEP GETTING THE KIDS TO SCHOOL SOMEHOW.
MOST OF THEM, THAT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING.
BUT PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG WITH THAT.
FOR AVERAGE SALARY, A BUS DRIVER IS ABOUT 20,000.
SORRY, MS. LOPEZ, DO YOU MIND COMING UP? I'M SORRY TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE, THE NUMBER 285.
DO WE HAVE A MORE ACCURATE NUMBER TODAY, MS. SPALDING? PERHAPS DO, DOES ANYONE HAVE AN ACCURATE NUMBER OF HOW MANY MS. HALL, HOW MANY DO WE HAVE? IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE ROOM WHO KNOWS? HOW MANY BUS DRIVERS WORKED TODAY? 303.
SO WHAT THAT NUMBER YESTERDAY OF 2 85 DID WE HIRE 18? I'M SORRY.
MR. MS. MR. RIDLEY, CAN YOU PLEASE COME TO THE MIC? SORRY MR. SCHOOL BOARD MAYOR KENON YOU 30 SECONDS OVER.
BUT I ALLOW YOU TO ASK THIS QUESTION.
I'M EVERYONE'S UNDERSTANDING THE POINT I'M MAKING.
SO IF WE COULD GET A BALLPARK NUMBER FROM MS. LOPEZ ABOUT THE CURRENT DRIVERS THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE ABLE TO BE ON THE ROAD.
SO IS THAT LIKE HOW, WHAT WOULD WE BE LOOKING AT TODAY IF WE COULDN'T HIRE, IF ANYMORE, LIKE TO GET THEM THE ONES WE HAVE TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE.
AND AS WE GET NEW BUSES, WE HIRE MORE DRIVERS ONE AT A TIME.
BUT IS IT HOW MANY, HOW MANY DRIVERS DO WE HAVE? SO YOU ASKED HOW MANY DRIVERS ACTUALLY DROVE TODAY? TODAY? 303.
AND HOW MANY DROVE YESTERDAY? HOW MANY TOTAL? WE 3 75.
AND THAT'S INCLUSIVE OF THE 48.
THAT DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR CHANGEOVER? NO, IT'S INCLUSIVE OF PEOPLE ON LEAVE.
CAN YOU SPEAK IN THE MIC, MS. SPING? THANK YOU.
THAT'S INCLUSIVE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ON F M L A OR WHO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, ON WORKER'S COMP OR WHO HAVE CALLED OUT.
SO THOSE NUMBERS FLEX EVERY DAY.
IT IS REALLY HARD TO GET INFORMATION HERE 'CAUSE I'M LOOKING AT THE UPDATE THAT WE'VE RECEIVED LAST NIGHT THAT WE HAVE THAT YESTERDAY WE HAD 249 OF, OUT OF 285 OPERATORS DROVE BUSES TODAY.
WHERE ARE THOSE NUM WHAT ARE THOSE NUMBERS? SO THERE WAS A LIST OF PEOPLE WHO SAID THAT THEY WERE COMING IN YESTERDAY, RIGHT? THERE WEREN'T ON LEAVE, THEY WEREN'T ON WORKERS' COMP.
THEY DIDN'T CALL OUT OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
THERE WAS A LIST THAT SAID THAT THEY WERE COMING IN, BUT PEOPLE DID NOT COME IN.
THERE WAS A, A DEFICIT WITH THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CAME IN.
WE ACTUALLY REPORT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WORKED THAT DAY AND THEN THE LIST THAT'S ON OUR HR ROLES.
OKAY, WELL LET'S
SO WHAT'S THE NUMBER? YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE HAVE WORKING 75, OH, I'M SORRY.
WORKING 303 PEOPLE WORK TODAY.
BUT WE HAVE 370 SOME YOU'RE SAYING ARE THAT ARE ON PAYROLL? YES.
THAT NUMBER'S NOT 100% ACCURATE, BUT THAT'S A REAL, THAT'S A BALLPARK NUMBER
[04:05:01]
ABOUT, SO THE, IT'S EVER CHANGING.UM, OKAY, I'M IN THE SAKE OF TIME.
I'LL JUST LET KELLY WORK ON THAT AND UH, I'LL, I'LL MOVE ON.
BUT I WANT, I WOULD LIKE AN AN ACCURATE NUMBER OF WHAT IT, WHAT WHAT NUMBER, WHAT UH, WHAT DOLLAR AMOUNT WE WOULD NEED TO COME UP WITH THIS YEAR, UH, TO GIVE THEM THE, THE DRIVERS THAT WE HAVE HERE NOW.
THE SALARY INCREASE TO 30,000.
UH, MR. GODDE, IF YOU DON'T MIND, BEFORE WE GO BACK IN THE HOUR'S NOW, 9 0 5.
WE'VE BEEN GOING AT THIS NOW FOR FIVE HOURS STRAIGHT.
DO YOU MIND IF WE TAKE A FIVE MINUTE RECESS AND COME BACK? ABSOLUTELY.
SO EVERYONE, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A FIVE MINUTE RECESS AND THEN WE WILL COME BACK AT 1159.
ALL RIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE'LL NOW CALL THIS MEETING BACK TO ORDER.
WE ARE NOW ON ITEM H ONE AND WE LEFT OFF AT, UM, MS. KATIE KENON.
UH, SCHOOL MEMBER MICHAEL GODDE.
MS. KENON SPOKE BEFORE WE CONCLUDED.
YOU ARE NOW IN THE QUEUE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER GODDE? YES.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTOOD SOME OF MY COMMENTS.
UH, IN NO WAY DO I WANT TO SAY THAT BUS DRIVERS, PARAPROFESSIONALS AND THINGS LIKE THAT ARE NOT IMPORTANT.
WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY WAS THAT WE ARE AN EDUCATION ENTITY AND THE TEACHERS ARE THE HEART OF THAT ENTITY.
JUST LIKE YOU CAN'T HAVE A HOSPITAL IF YOU DON'T HAVE DOCTORS.
YOU CAN'T HAVE A SCHOOL IF YOU DON'T HAVE TEACHERS.
BUT JUST LIKE A HOSPITAL, A HOSPITAL CAN'T RUN WITHOUT NURSES.
A HOSPITAL CAN'T RUN WITHOUT MED TECHS.
A HOSPITAL CAN'T RUN WITHOUT X-RAY TECHNICIANS AND ALL THOSE THINGS.
SO ALL THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.
JUST LIKE ALL OF OUR BUS DRIVERS ARE IMPORTANT.
ALL OF OUR CAFETERIA WORKERS ARE IMPORTANT.
PARAPROFESSIONALS ARE IMPORTANT.
THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF IS VERY IMPORTANT.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY POINT I WAS REALLY TRYING TO MAKE, IS THAT TEACHERS ARE THE HEART OF WHAT WE TRY TO DO HERE AS AN EDUCATIONAL ENTITY.
AND THAT WAS, I KNOW I GOT CALLED OUT BY NAME BY SOME OF THE COMMENTERS ON THAT, BUT THAT'S ALL THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE.
WE NEED TO PAY OTHER PEOPLE VERY WELL.
THEY DO ESSENTIAL JOBS THAT NEED TO BE DONE.
WITHOUT IT, THE TEACHERS CAN'T DO THEIR JOBS.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE.
THE OTHER POINT I'D LIKE TO MAKE IS I KNOW THAT THERE IS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER IT'S A SALARY OR A STIPEND OR WHATEVER, BUT I JUST WANT NOT TO GET LOST IN ALL OF THE DISCUSSIONS.
LAST YEAR, OUR T OUR BUS DRIVERS HAD A STARTING SALARY.
AND I'M GONNA JUST USE THE STARTING SALARY 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT THEY'RE SMALL STEP INCREASES, BUT BASICALLY IT'S $19,000 A YEAR THIS YEAR WITH THE STIPENDS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
I RECOGNIZE THE MONEY'S GONNA COME LUMPY, BUT THE MONEY WILL COME.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A PROBLEM, BUT THE MONEY WILL COME.
THEY WOULD BE GETTING 31,500 THAT IS A 65% INCREASE IN ONE YEAR.
I RECOGNIZE THE TIMING IS AN ISSUE.
I RECOGNIZE THAT THAT IS NOT THE ABSOLUTE PREFERRED WAY TO DO IT.
IT WOULD NOT BE THE PREFERRED WAY.
I WOULD LIKE TO DO IT, BUT IT'S THE WAY WE CAN SEE FORWARD TO MAKING IT HAPPEN.
SO FOR THIS YEAR, IT CAN BE A 65% INCREASE.
AND WE ARE GONNA, WE, I THINK EVERYONE HERE ON THE BOARD HAS MADE A COMMITMENT TO DO THEIR DAMNEDEST TO TRY TO MAKE THAT PERMANENT AS SOON AS WE CAN AS WE DO THAT.
NOW, IN DOING THAT, WE TALK ABOUT KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.
WE'VE KICKED SO MANY CANS DOWN THE ROAD.
WE CAN OPEN UP A RECYCLING CENTER.
UH, AND WE SIT HERE WITH ALL OF THIS.
WE HAVE CONSOLIDATIONS OF SCHOOLS WE NEED TO DO, WE HAVE LOTS OF OTHER THINGS WE NEED TO DO.
WE CANNOT NOT CONTINUE TO HAVE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WE HAD AT 30.
WE HAVE ABOUT 32,000 KIDS IN OUR SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF SCHOOLS WE HAD WHEN WE HAD 50,000 KIDS.
WE NEED TO MAKE, WE NEED TO MAKE SERIOUS CHANGES.
AND THAT CAN'S BEEN KICKED DOWN THE ROAD.
AND THIS IS JUST, AND WE'VE MADE THAT BY NOT SPENDING THE MONEY.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T SPEND MONEY TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE IN REPAIR, SOONER OR LATER YOUR HOUSE FALLS DOWN.
WE HAVEN'T BEEN SPENDING THE MONEY TO KEEP OUR
[04:10:01]
HOUSE IN REPAIR AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN MAKING THE CHANGES THAT NEED TO BE MADE.SO I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUE, MR. UH LEWIS HERE, WHO SAID THAT THIS WAS, UH, UH, A SITUATION THAT WE HAD TO GO THROUGH.
IT WAS A WAKE UP CALL FOR US, AND I A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE WITH THAT.
WE HAD TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS.
WE HAD TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS TO MAKE US REALIZE THAT THIS IS REAL AND ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE REAL.
AND TRANSPORTATION'S JUST ONE PART OF IT.
IT'S THE PART THAT BROKE TODAY.
AND THE REASON IT'S SO CONTROVERSIAL IS THE PART THAT IMPACTS SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE BECAUSE ALL THE PARENTS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ALL OF THE SCHOOLS IN THEIR DISTRICT ARE IMPACTED.
BUT WE STILL HAVE A TEACHER SHORTAGE.
WE STILL HAVE ALL THESE OTHER THINGS AND THE IMPACTS OF THOSE ARE NOT QUITE AS WIDESPREAD AS A BUS SHORTAGE, BUT THEY'RE JUST AS REAL, PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE KIDS WHO DON'T HAVE A TEACHER IN THEIR CLASSROOM.
AND SO WE NEED TO BE DOING ALL OF THESE THINGS AND GETTING ALL THESE THINGS GOING ON.
AND I'M OVER TIME ALREADY, SO I'LL STOP THERE.
GO NEXT, WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CARLA POWELL.
UM, I, I HAVE A QUESTION, UH, FOR I GUESS MS. LOPEZ, YOU MAY HAVE ANSWERED THIS BEFORE, BUT I JUST, UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SO VERY MUCH.
IF YOU COULD ANSWER FOR US, AND, UH, MAYBE YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IT AS YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY UP HERE.
MY QUESTION IS EXACTLY HOW MUCH, UH, WOULD IT COST US IF WE WERE TO ATTEMPT A SALARY INCREASE? WELL, THAT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH YOU WANNA PAY THEM.
OKAY, SO, SO AT A RATE OF, I THINK THAT'S ABOUT 30, 30,000.
SO LET, LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.
AND THAT'S JUST BUS DRIVERS, RIGHT? THAT'S JUST BUS DRIVERS.
SO IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT 474 BUS DRIVERS, OKAY, THAT'S IT.
YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN SAY $30,000.
OKAY? BUT YOU CAN'T JUST SAY $30,000 BECAUSE THEY'RE ON A SCALE, RIGHT? ALL RIGHT.
SO WITH THAT ARGUMENT, LET'S SAY AN AVERAGE, WHICH THEY DO, AN AVERAGE BUS DRIVER MAKES $22,000 RIGHT NOW.
OKAY? BECAUSE WHILE THE, THE SCALE GOES ALL THE WAY UP TO 30, WE HAVE VERY FEW OLDER EXPERIENCED DRIVERS.
MOST OF OUR DRIVERS ARE YOUNGER.
THAT WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL $13,700 ROUGHLY PER PERSON IF YOU PUT THEM ON THE SCALE.
SO IF YOU HAVE 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, YOU WON'T MAKE 30.
A ONE YEAR PERSON WOULD MAKE 30, AND THEN IT WOULD GO DOWN.
SO THAT BEING SAID, FOR 474 DRIVERS ONLY, IT WOULD COST YOU ABOUT $8.5 MILLION.
NOW THAT WOULD SHIFT UP AS YEARS GO BY.
AS THEY GET MORE EXPERIENCE, THEY WOULD MAKE MORE.
THAT'S ALSO ALWAYS THE AVERAGE.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SOME ONE YEARS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SOME 20 YEARS.
POINT OF INFORMATION THOUGH, THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE LEGACY COSTS.
SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LEGACY, LEGACY COSTS IS ONLY IF YOU OUTSOURCE 'EM.
DID IT INCLUDE RETIREMENT? YES.
AND, UM, MY OTHER QUESTION I GUESS IS, UH, IN REGARDS TO DR.
SO IN THE CASE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE RECEIVED QUITE A FEW, I DON'T WANNA SAY THREATS,
WHAT IS THE CONTINGENCY PLAN? MY PRAYER IS THAT THEY ROLL, BUT IN THE CASE THAT THEY DON'T, WHAT IS THE CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR OUR KIDS? I I, I WOULD DEFINITELY EXPECT THEM TO COME TO WORK, BUT IF, IF THEY DO NOT COME TO WORK, WE'LL HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH FAMILIES OKAY.
AND DO AN ALL OUT CALL LETTING THEM KNOW THAT, UH, WE DON'T HAVE BUS DRIVERS AND WE MAY HAVE TO THINK OF THE POSSIBILITY OF NOT HAVING SCHOOL TOMORROW.
I JUST, I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO, TO ASK THAT BECAUSE I KNOW, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THIS KIND OF REALLY BLEW UP LAST WEEK AROUND THIS TIME.
AND SO WE JUST NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE ON TOMORROW.
AND BECAUSE YOU ARE THE LAST PERSON TO SPEAK, I'LL JUST ADD ONE LAST, UM, UH, POINT OF INFORMATION.
IF, LET'S JUST SAY HYPOTHETICALLY BUS DRIVERS DECIDED NOT TO COME TOMORROW AND WE HAD TO CANCEL SCHOOL, DO THOSE STUDENTS HAVE TO MAKE THEIR SCHOOL DAY UP AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR? SO THERE ARE, UM, THERE ARE POLICY.
[04:15:01]
BUILT OUR CALENDAR IS WE BUILT IN CONTINGENCY WEATHER DAYS.AND SO WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO LOOK AT SNOW DAY.
WELL, WE'D HAVE TO LOOK AT TAKING ONE OF THOSE ACTUAL DAYS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AND TRY TO SUBSTITUTE THAT OUR GOAL AND NOT THE GOAL.
THE, THE STATE GIVES US X AMOUNT OF DAYS WHEN WE SEND OUR CALENDAR IN.
AND, UH, THEY WOULD JUST, YOU KNOW, TAKE ONE OF THOSE DAYS.
OR WE CAN LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE DAYS WHERE YOU CAN LOOK AT WHERE YOU HAVE, UM, WHICH WOULD PROBABLY PUT A BURDEN ON TEACHERS, BUT YOU HAVE A TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY.
SO WE'D HAVE TO PROBABLY TAKE ONE OF THOSE DAYS.
SO THERE'S DIFFERENT DAYS WE CAN TAKE AWAY, BUT, UH, THAT WOULD BURDEN, UM, THE SYSTEM.
SO, NO, SO THAT'S THE POINT THAT I WAS MAKING, IS THAT IF THAT DOES OCCUR, THAT TIME HAS TO BE MADE UP SOMEWHERE.
AND WHETHER OR NOT IT BURDENS ONE GROUP IS GONNA BURDEN SOMEBODY, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT'S GONNA BURDEN THE STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE LEARNING AND THE PARENTS IS ESSENTIAL AND THE PARENTS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLEAR.
SEE NO OF THE NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
WE'VE ALREADY DID THE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT.
YOU'RE IN THE, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
YEAH, I'VE, I'VE REALLY BEEN TRYING TO HOLD MY TONGUE, BUT I HAVE TO SPEAK ON THIS BECAUSE, UM, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF RHETORIC THROWN AROUND A LOT TONIGHT.
UM, AND SOMEBODY'S GOTTA SPEAK IN A WAY TO TEMPER SOME OF THE EXPECTATIONS AND SOME OF THE ATTITUDES TONIGHT BECAUSE WE ARE HERE TRYING TO DO WHAT IS IN THE BEST OF THE INTEREST OF STUDENTS.
THAT IS WHY I JOINED THIS BOARD.
UM, I BELIEVE THAT'S WHY, AND I LIKE TO GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT THAT THAT'S WHY EVERYBODY IS IN THIS ROOM.
UM, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONTENTION TONIGHT.
THERE'S DIFFERENCE OF OPINION FROM FAMILIES, FROM BUS DRIVERS, FROM BOARD MEMBERS, FROM STAFF, YOU NAME IT.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT AS A BOARD, WE ARE TRYING TO DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN EVERY MEMBER OF THIS BOARD TO WEIGH THE IMPACT OF OUR DECISIONS.
UM, WE DO NOT SERVE OUR KIDS WELL IF WE PIT, UM, GROUPS OF EMPLOYEES AGAINST THE SYSTEM THAT EMPLOYS IT.
UM, IF WE PUT BOARD MEMBERS, BOARD MEMBERS AGAINST EACH OTHER IN THEIR DIFFERENCE OF OPINION, UM, WE'RE GONNA COME LOOSE AT THE SEAMS REAL QUICK IF WE DON'T STICK TOGETHER ON THIS.
AND IT'S GONNA BE A TEST, UM, HOW THINGS PLAY OUT, REGARDLESS OF WHAT DECISION IS MADE HERE TONIGHT ABOUT THIS ITEM AND OTHER ITEMS. UM, I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE, UM, TO GIVE EVERYBODY A LITTLE GRACE.
UM, OUR BUS DRIVERS ARE WORKING REALLY HARD.
OUR MECHANICS ARE WORKING REALLY HARD, OR OUR SCHOOL STAFFS, OUR CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF IS WORKING REALLY HARD.
UM, WE CAN BE MAD ABOUT WHOSE FAULT THIS IS ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA MAKE THINGS ANY BETTER.
UM, WE'VE HIT A JUNCTURE IN THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM WHERE WE'RE FEELING SOME PAIN AND THAT IS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES TO DO THINGS THE WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING THEM.
AND THIS IS SHOWING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE CONTINUE DOWN THAT ROUTE.
THIS IS A PIECE OF CAKE COMPARED TO HOW HARD IT'S GONNA GET WHEN WE HAVE TO MAKE FINANCIAL DECISIONS IN THE FUTURE.
'CAUSE WE'RE LOSING $60 MILLION AT THE END OF THIS YEAR AND OUR ENROLLMENT'S GOING DOWN AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CONSOLIDATE SCHOOLS.
AND THOSE ARE GONNA BE TOUGH CHOICES AND ON AND ON AND ON.
MEANWHILE, WE GOTTA PAY VIRTUALLY EVERYBODY IN OUR SYSTEM, MORE MONEY JUST TO KEEP 'EM ON BOARD.
SO WE ARE GONNA DO OUR BEST ABSOLUTELY AS A BOARD TO THREAD THAT NEEDLE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT TO DO THAT, WE CANNOT PIT GROUPS OF EMPLOYEES AGAINST THE SYSTEM THAT IT EMPLOYS.
AND SO, UM, I DON'T WANT TO TAKE A HARD LINE ON MY ATTITUDE AGAINST PEOPLE THAT, UH, DECIDE THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA SHOW UP FOR WORK TOMORROW.
I'M INSTEAD GONNA ASK THAT REGARDLESS OF THE DECISION THAT'S MADE, THAT YOU SHOW UP AND DO WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS.
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE FOR CLARIFICATION.
[04:20:01]
LANIS, UH, WE ARE NOW VOTING ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION WITH THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.WITH A FRIENDLY, WITH THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT FOR THE OCTOBER 23 AND MARCH 20.
SO THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION FOR CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING STIPENDS.
A, A STIPEND IN THE AMOUNT OF $7,000 PAYABLE AND TWO PAYMENTS OF $3,500 ON NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023 AND MAY 16TH, 2024.
AND AN ADDITIONAL STIPEND OF $2,500 AS A RE, AS A RETENTION INCENTIVE PAID.
I'M SORRY, I NEED TO GO BACK 'CAUSE I SAID THE WRONG DATES.
A, A STIPEND IN THE AMOUNT OF $7,000 PAYABLE IN THE PAYABLE IN TWO PAYMENTS OF $3,500 ON, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC DAY YET.
OCTOBER, 2023 IS HOW I HAVE IT IN THE SYSTEM.
ON OCTOBER, 2023 AND MARCH, 2024.
AND AN ADDITIONAL STIPEND OF 2020 $500 IS A RETENTION INCENTIVE PAID ON MARCH, 2024 FOR BUS DROP, BUS OPERATORS, TRANSPORTATION, AIDS AND MECHANICS.
SO THAT ONE NEEDS TO BE MARCH TWO, THE RETENTION, YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
AND B, A STIPEND IN THE AMOUNT OF $3,000 PAYABLE AND TWO PAYMENTS OF $1,500 ON NOVEMBER T ON NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023.
AND I'M SORRY, ON OCTOBER, 2023 AND MARCH, 2024 FOR ALL SCHOOL-BASED PARA PARAPROFESSIONAL, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, FUNDING SOURCE, UH, GENERAL FUND POINT OF INFORMATION.
UM, ARE YOU GIVING IT A PARTICULAR DATE OR YOU'RE JUST SAYING NO? 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ONE YET.
SHE SAID SHE HAS A CODED, IT'S JUST THE, THE MONTH AND THE YEAR.
[H.2. Temporary Hourly Rate: Before and Aftercare]
TEMPORARY HOURLY, UH, RATE BEFORE AND AFTERCARE CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF AN HOURLY RATE OF $40 AN HOUR FOR ALL TEACHERS AND $25 AN HOUR, UH, PER HOUR FOR ALL, UH, PARAPROFESSIONALS.WORKING EXTENDED DAY PROGRAMS AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS PAYABLE THROUGH THE FALL SEMESTER OF 2023.
2024 FISCAL YEAR INTO THE RESOLUTION OF THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
ISSUES SUCH RESOLUTION TO BE DETERMINED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND.
ALRIGHT, MOVE BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.
UH, UH, NATHAN RUST AND SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, CAN I HAVE A POINT OF INFORMATION? YES SIR.
CE TO PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT AROUND WHAT THIS ITEM IS MEANT FOR.
UH, THE, ONE OF OUR STRATEGIES WAS TO, UM, UH, ALLOW SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE EITHER EARLY CARE OR AFTERCARE BECAUSE OF THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUE.
AND SO WE WANTED TO INCREASE THE STIPEND FOR A TEACHER, UM, OR A STAFF THAT CHOOSES TO DO THAT.
SO PRINCIPALS COULD HAVE MORE LATITUDE THAT WHOEVER WOULD VOLUNTEER TO DO THAT, WE GET A HIGHER HOURLY PAY RATE TO DO THAT BECAUSE THEY WOULD BE, THEY COME IN IN THE MORNING AND THEY'RE NOT ONLY COMING IN TO HELP SUPPORT, BUT THEY'RE ALSO GONNA TEACH A CLASS FOR DAY.
SO IT'S JUST A WAY TO GIVE THEM THAT OPPORTUNITY.
THIS CONCLUDES YOUR QUESTIONS.
UH, IN THE QUEUE RIGHT NOW, HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
TO, TO ADD SOME, UH, ADDITIONAL CONTEXT TO THE POINTS THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT MADE.
I'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF, UM, UH, MAIL THE PAST COUPLE DAYS, PAST DAY ABOUT THIS ITEM.
PEOPLE SAYING, WELL THAT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE JUST DEMANDING THE PARENTS BRING THE KIDS TO SCHOOL, RIGHT? THAT'S, THAT'S YOUR ABANDONING YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND THIS IS NOT GONNA HELP.
WELL IT'S NOT GONNA HELP EVERYBODY.
AND CERTAINLY WE ALL WOULD DESIRE A FUNCTIONING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
BUT I, UM, WE ARE ALSO HEARING FROM PARENTS WHO SAY, IF THE BUS IS NOT COMING, IF I KNOW THAT I WOULD MUCH RATHER TAKE MY KID TO THE BUS AT SIX O'CLOCK 'CAUSE I GOTTA BE AT WORK AT, I MEAN, TAKE MY KID TO SCHOOL.
'CAUSE I GOTTA BE AT WORK AT SEVEN 30 RATHER THAN NOT KNOW AND NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MY CHILD UNTIL SCHOOL DOORS OPEN AT EIGHT O'CLOCK FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
SO THE GOAL OF THIS IS TO PROVIDE IN UNDERSTANDING THAT EVEN IF WE TOOK ALL A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS
[04:25:01]
OF OUR SURPLUS AND SAID, SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, WE COULD NOT SOLVE, WE CAN, WE COULD NOT GET THE BUSES THAT WE NEED.WE CANNOT IMMEDIATELY IN THE NEXT THREE DAYS GET THE NUMBER OF DRIVERS THAT WE NEED.
THEN THE GOAL OF THIS IS TO, UH, PROVIDE GREATER FLEXIBILITY FOR THOSE PARENTS WHO ARE DRIVING THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL BECAUSE WE'VE, WE'VE FAILED TO DO OUR JOB AND GET THEM, WE'RE AT LEAST TRYING TO PROVIDE SOME RELIEF TO THOSE, TO THOSE PARENTS SO THEY CAN, UM, UH, DROP THE KIDS OFF TO SCHOOL.
AS EARLY AS, WHAT, SIX 30? IS IT? UH, YES.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS.
IT IS NOT A PANACEA, IT IS NOT AN IDEAL SOLUTION.
IT IS NOT GOING TO SOLVE EVERYBODY'S PROBLEMS, BUT FOR SOME PEOPLE IT'S GOING TO ALLEVIATE, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF THE PAIN, UH, BY ALLOWING THEM, IF THEY HAVE TO DRIVE, DRIVE THEIR KID TO SCHOOL, TO DRIVE THEM TO SCHOOL A LITTLE EARLY TO PICK THEM UP A LITTLE LATER, UM, WITHOUT HAVING TO PAY FOR BEFORE AND AFTERCARE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO THAT'S WHY, UH, I SUPPORT THIS ITEM.
I JUST WANTED TO, IF I COULD JUST ADD BOARD MEMBER MARTIN, YOU'RE WONDERING, I'M GETTING ALL TYPE OF EMAILS AS WELL AND THERE ARE MANY FAMILIES WHO ACTUALLY WOULD LIKE THIS OPTION AS WELL TOO.
UM, SO IT IS, UH, IT'S NOT ALL ONE SIDE.
IT IS JUST TO GET THEM TO GET TO WORK ON TIME AND THOSE THINGS.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER KATIE KENON.
UM, I THINK THIS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA.
UM, WHILE IT DOES HELP, UH, SOME PARENTS THAT HAVE TRANSPORTATION GET TO WORK ON TIME, I, I AGREE WITH THAT.
UM, WHAT ABOUT ALL THE PARENTS THAT DON'T HAVE ANY TRANSPORTATION? THIS DOESN'T ADDRESS THEM WHATSOEVER, BUT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE PROBLEM IS, UH, IS KICKING THIS CAN TO BASICALLY THE PRINCIPLES AND I'VE HAD MULTIPLE PRINCIPLES REACH OUT TO ME IN CONFIDENCE, MIND YOU, BECAUSE THEY FEAR RETRIBUTION, UM, THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A DISASTER.
BECAUSE IF YOU'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO STAY, TO COME TO WORK AT 6:00 AM AND TO STAY UNTIL 6:00 PM I KNOW WE THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA JUMP AT THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE, UH, A FEW EXTRA DOLLARS AN HOUR.
RIGHT NOW THE PRINCIPLES ARE THE ONES WHO ARE COMING IN EARLY AND WHO ARE STAYING LATE WHEN THE BUSES AREN'T COMING, THAT'S GOING TO REMAIN AN ISSUE.
AND JUST TO, YOU KNOW, DELIVER THE MESSAGE FROM THE STAFF THAT I'M HEARING THAT IT'S, IT'S SO UNREASONABLE THAT WE ARE GONNA LOSE EMPLOYEES OVER THIS, UM, BY MAKING IT FREE AS WELL.
IF I DIDN'T KNOW, IF I WASN'T WATCHING THIS MEETING AND I JUST GOT WIND THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO FREE BEFORE AND AFTERCARE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A GIANT INFLUX OF PARENTS JUST DROPPING THEIR KIDS AND LEAVING THEM, UH, FOR TO, TO RUN ERRANDS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN, WE'RE GONNA HA IT'S GONNA BE A BIG ISSUE.
I, I APPRECIATE THE SENTIMENT.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.
I, UH, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS MS. KENON.
I'M, UM, I DO AGREE THIS DOES PUT A GREATER RESPONSIBILITY ON THE SCHOOL SITE.
UM, I THINK THE, THE IDEA BEHIND THIS IS MR. MARTIN RELATED, I'VE, I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF PARENTS AND YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF THE BUS IS SHOWING UP, IF IT'S NOT SHOWING UP.
I'M SHOWING UP LATE TO WORK ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UM, WE ARE AT A POINT WHERE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS HURRICANE AND IT'S NOT GONNA GET ANY BETTER RIGHT AWAY.
WE GOTTA PROVIDE EVERY RELIEF WE CAN TO FAMILIES THAT CAN SOMEHOW UTILIZE IT.
UM, THE CONCEPT WITH THIS, AND MY HOPE IS WE'RE GONNA UP THE PAY FOR TEACHERS TO INCENTIVIZE THEM IF THEY'RE WILLING TO PAT OR BEFORE AND AFTERCARE AT SCHOOLS THAT HAVE IT AND PROVIDE, HOPEFULLY PROVIDE IT AT SCHOOLS THAT DON'T.
AND THEN WE WOULD REQUEST THAT IF THERE ARE FAMILIES THAT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO DRIVE THEIR KID TO SCHOOL OR WOULD LIKE TO ORGANIZE CARPOOL WITH THEIR FAMILIES, THEY CAN DO SO.
UM, THEY CAN BRING THEIR KIDS EARLIER TO SCHOOL THAN WHAT IS TYPICAL AT AN EL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SITE.
AND THEY COULD COME TO SCHOOL TO PICK THEM UP LATER THAN WHAT IS TYPICAL AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SITE.
UM, THAT IS NOT IDEAL AND IT'S NOT A PERMANENT SOLUTION.
WHAT IT COULD PROVIDE IS TAKING SOME PRESSURE OFF OUR EXISTING BUS LINES AT A TIME WHERE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH BUSES TO RUN THE ROUTES THAT WE HAVE AND WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DRIVERS TO RUN THE ROUTES THAT WE HAVE.
UM, EVEN A TEMPORARY RELIEF ON THAT WILL HELP US SERVE MORE
[04:30:01]
KIDS AND PERHAPS KIDS THAT COULDN'T UTILIZE THIS SOLUTION.UM, I THINK WE HAVE TO TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THIS, UM, AS GOOD AS WE CAN.
YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE CAN THROW MONEY AT A PROBLEM, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE WAYS WE CAN THROW MONEY AT A PROBLEM.
UM, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT IT, IT DOES HELP SOME FAMILIES.
AND I'VE, I'VE TALKED TO FAMILIES THAT SAID THAT THIS WOULD HELP THEM.
SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, TO AFFORD THAT.
AND SO I, YOU KNOW, I SUPPORT THIS.
IF IT DOESN'T WORK, IT DOESN'T WORK, BUT I THINK IT'S WORTH A SHOT.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART.
I JUST WANTED TO GET SOME CLARITY AROUND, UM, THIS ITEM AS IT RELATES TO, UM, THE EXTENDED DAY PROGRAMS. AND SO MY QUESTION WAS, IS THIS FOR NEW EXTENDED DAY BEFORE AND AFTERCARE? BECAUSE I WAS KIND OF CONFUSED WHEN IT SAID TO PAY THE TEACHERS.
ARE THEY, ARE THOSE EXTENDED PROGRAMS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN PLAY NOW? ARE THOSE STAFF PERSONS THAT ARE WORKING THOSE PROGRAMS ALREADY BEING COMPENSATED FOR THE BEFORE AND AFTERCARE? GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
BATON ROUGE FLAME EXTENDED DAY, ARE THOSE PERSONS THAT WORK AT THAT EXTENDED BEFORE DAY CARE? ARE THEY BEING COMPENSATED? OKAY, SO EXTENDED DAY, CURRENTLY EXTENDED DAYS ARE FUNDED BY SCHOOLS.
THEY ARE GIANT FUNDRAISERS FOR THE SCHOOLS AND THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO ASSIST PARENTS.
EVERY SCHOOL HAS AN OPTION AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY YEAR AS THE BOARD APPROVED TO CHOOSE HOW MUCH THEY PAY THEIR TEACHERS NO LESS THAN $25 AN HOUR, NO MORE THAN $35 AN HOUR.
THEY TELL ME HOW MUCH THEY WANNA PAY THEM AND THAT'S HOW MUCH WE PAY THEM.
SO THEY SEND IN THEIR PART-TIME FORMS, WE PAY THE TEACHERS AND THEN WE BASICALLY INVOICE THE SCHOOLS FOR THE EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM.
WITH THIS THING, WITH THIS POLICY THAT Y'ALL ARE HAVE BEFORE YOU RIGHT NOW, WHAT YOU WOULD DO IS BASICALLY THOSE TEACHERS WOULD STAY, BUT THE SCHOOLS WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT AND THE PARENTS WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT.
JUST THE GENERAL FUND WOULD PAY FOR IT UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT IT IS TRANSPORTATION IS, IS ROCKING AND ROLLING AND WE SEE EVERYTHING IS FINE AND THEN WE WOULD GO BACK TO THE TUITION BASED.
AH, SO THIS JUST, IS THIS JUST A TRANSPORTATION ISSUE, FIX OR, YOU KNOW, REMEDY FOR NOW.
SO WITH THAT CHANGE, THE PARENTS' COST, START WITH THAT CHANGE ANYTHING? YES.
THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING.
SO THE PARENTS WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY BEFORE AND AFTERCARE AS A RESULT OF THIS UNTIL THE FIX.
I'M JUST WANTING TO MAKE SURE 'CAUSE NO, YEAH, I'M A PAYING PARENT.
I JUST PAID, I LISTEN, I HAVE SEVERAL IN MY OFFICE WHO, WHO READ WHEN I, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT AND THEY WERE LIKE, OH, I'M GOING GROCERY SHOPPING AFTER.
I JUST WANTED, I JUST, I WAS JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND 'CAUSE I JUST PAID, SO I JUST WANTED TO, WE'RE ALL MOMS BOARD LIKE STEWART.
SO I ACTUALLY, WHEN WE ACTUALLY ASKED SOME LEADERS, THEY THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ANOTHER WAY TO HELP DO SOME RELIEF.
SO, UM, BUT, BUT THIS WAS JUST A TEMPORARY FIX.
AND I, I WOULD KNOW THAT THE PARENTS WOULD APPRECIATE THIS.
SO YEAH, I AM FORWARD TO LIKE COLLEAGUE, UH, RUSS AND MYSELF.
IT IS, UH, ALMOST 10 O'CLOCK, SO YOU'RE GOOD.
I JUST WANNA SAY, UM, NOT ONLY WILL THIS HELP ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE PROBLEM, BUT AGAIN, I WANNA ALSO LIFT UP THAT IT GIVES TEACHERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOME EXTRA MONEY.
MAY NOT BE A WHOLE LOT, BUT EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS.
SO JUST WANTED TO SPELL THAT OUT.
ALRIGHT, THIS TIME NOW WE'LL GO TO THE PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
FIRST WE HAVE, UH, MEGAN PERRY, AND THIS IS FOR H TWO.
HOWEVER, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT COMPLETELY GERMANE, BUT I'LL GO AHEAD AND I'LL READ IT ANYWAY.
FOR THE RECORD, IT SAYS A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS SUR PERSON AND Y'ALL CHOSE TO DO A ONE TIME $5,000 STIPEND.
DO Y'ALL WANT EVERYONE WHO WORKS IN E B R TO QUIT? THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE HEADING 12 HOUR WORK DAYS FEEL FEELS DISRESPECTFUL AND LIKE Y'ALL ARE PUTTING ALL THE WORK ONTO TEACHERS YET AGAIN, WHY? OKAY, NEXT WE HAVE MS. STORM MATTHEWS.
UM, MY QUESTION IS, UM, IF NO TEACHER VOLUNTEERS TO DO IT, WHICH THERE MAY BE SOME PEOPLE WHO DO, BUT IF NOBODY DOES VOLUNTEER, THEN WILL SOMEBODY FROM CENTRAL OFFICE BE COMING TO COVER THE SIX TO SIX? MM-HMM.
YEAH, JUST, JUST FOR THAT, WE, WE HAVE, UM, UH, WE WORK WITH STAFF.
WE'VE BEEN ALREADY THINKING ABOUT THIS THROUGH WITH OUR CHIEF, UM, OUR CHIEF OF LITERACY WHO HAS EARLY CHILDHOOD, UM, UNDER HER SHOP.
AND WE WILL DEPLOY DIFFERENT FOLKS TO HELP SUPPORT THE SCHOOLS.
[04:35:05]
OKAY, THANK YOU.C N O OTHER, UH, NAMES TO CALL ON IN TERMS OF OUR PUBLIC COMMENT.
WE WILL NOW COME BACK TO THE BOARD.
I SEE SCHOOL MEMBER NATHAN RU IS IN THE QUEUE.
YEAH, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE I WANTED TO SAY.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS IS, UM, THIS AGAIN GOES BACK TO MY EARLIER COMMENT FROM THE PREVIOUS ITEM, THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT IMPACTS EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE ACROSS THE DISTRICT AND IMPACTS EVERY SINGLE CHILD ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
IF WE DECIDE THAT THIS IS A CENTRAL OFFICE'S PROBLEM, TRANSPORTATION'S PROBLEM, NATHAN, RUSS PROBLEM.
UM, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET IT DONE.
AND AS MUCH AS IT SUCKS, AS HARD AS THESE PROBLEMS ARE TO DEAL WITH, UM, TEACHERS ARE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA NEED YOUR HELP.
PARAPROFESSIONALS, WE'RE GONNA NEED YOUR HELP.
UH, PRINCIPALS, WE'RE GONNA NEED YOU HELP.
YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN WORKING SUPER HARD THIS WEEK BECAUSE, UM, OUR CENTRAL OFFICE ASKED YOU TO DO A REALLY HEAVY LIFT IN HELPING US FIX OUR DATA.
THE SCHOOL SITE WAS THE MOST QUALIFIED PLACE, I BELIEVE TO GET THAT DONE IN A QUICK, UH, EFFICIENT MANNER.
AND I SAY E B R SCHOOLS, ONE PIECE OF THE PIE THAT WE NEEDED TO GET THROUGH THIS.
IF, IF WE SIT AROUND AND TALK ABOUT THAT AIN'T MY JOB.
WHO'S GONNA DO THAT? THIS ISN'T MY PROBLEM.
IT'S NOT GONNA GET ANY BETTER.
I NEED, AND WE NEED EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS DISTRICT, FROM BOARD MEMBER, TO CUSTODIAN, TO TEACHER, TO BUS DRIVER, YOU NAME IT, WE ARE ALL GONNA HAVE TO GET TOGETHER AND ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES AND GET THIS DONE.
AND IT MEANS EVERYBODY'S JOB IS GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT HARDER.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO GET THESE KIDS TO SCHOOL AND GET THEM IN A CLASSROOM.
AND IF YOU CAN'T TAKE THAT ON, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU.
BUT WE CANNOT HAVE THE ATTITUDE OF THIS IS NOT MY PROBLEM.
RUSS, NEXT WE HAVE SCBU, MCCADE, KENNISON.
UM, MR. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS, BUT I'M, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA DIG IN A LITTLE BIT MORE BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S NICE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY IS THIS IS, I I WOULD LIKE SOME CLARITY.
ARE WE STARTING THIS TOMORROW? IF WE VOTE YES.
UH, WE, WE WILL HAVE TO NOT TOMORROW.
WE'LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO START, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH, WITH SCHOOL LEADERS.
WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND THEN SCHOOL LEADERS CAN TELL US, UM, YOU KNOW, WHO THEY CAN FIND ON THEIR STAFF THAT'S WILLING TO VOLUNTEER AND GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
BUT YOU ULTIMATELY, ULTIMATELY DECIDE WHEN AND FROM NO, OUR, OUR GOAL IS TO, OUR GOAL IS TO START IMMEDIATELY.
BUT, UH, ONCE YOU VOTE ON THIS, UH, WE'LL HAVE, WE DON'T, WE CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH LEADERS AT 10 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT TONIGHT TO GET, SAY TOMORROW MORNING TO START THIS.
BUT WE'LL HAVE, WE CAN HAVE THIS UP AND RUNNING MONDAY BY MONDAY.
SO MONDAY WE EXPECT SOMEONE TO BE THERE MONDAY.
SO, UH, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE, YOU KNOW, FIND OUT WHO, LIKE, I, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST GET ADDITIONAL CLARITY ON WHAT MS. MS, UH, MATTHEWS WAS ASKING YOU SAID THAT WE WOULD HAVE SUPPORT STAFF AVAILABLE.
IS THAT'S A, CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC? BECAUSE PRINCIPALS RIGHT NOW ARE TASKED WITH, WITH THIS NOW.
AND SO A LOT OF PRINCIPALS, PARDON ME, I'M NOT FINISHED.
A LOT OF PRINCIPALS, THEY HAVE FAMILIES, THEY HAVE TO GET THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL AS WELL AND THEY CAN'T.
THEY'RE ALREADY DOING JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE ABOVE AND BEYOND.
IF TEACHERS DO NOT VOLUNTEER, WHICH IS A VERY REAL CONCERN FROM THE SCHOOLS THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO THIS AFTERNOON ABOUT THIS, IF, IF TEACHERS DO NOT VOLUNTEER, DOES IT FALL ON THE PRINCIPAL'S MONDAY TO BE THERE AT 6:00 AM AND TO BE THERE UNTIL 6:00 PM CAN, CAN YOU TELL ME THAT WITH CLARITY PLEASE? SO BOARD MEMBER KENNISON, I KNOW YOU SAY A LOT THAT YOU TAKE TALK TO PRINCIPALS AND THIS IS WHAT YOU HEAR.
WE TALK TO PRINCIPALS EVERY DAY AS WELL AND PRINCIPALS AND SCHOOL LEADERS ARE TRYING TO PUT ALL HANDS ON DECK WHEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO ALLEVIATE FOR THEIR PARENTS.
SO I KNOW I'M PROBABLY HEARING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU'RE HEARING.
BUT WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THEY, ANYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT, SCHOOL LEADERS, TEACHERS, PARAPROFESSIONAL, MANY PEOPLE VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME TO DO THAT.
WHAT THEY DO ASK FOR IS, CAN WE GET PAID A LITTLE EXTRA IF WE DO THIS, CAN WE GET A LITTLE MORE SUPPORT TO DO THAT? SO, UM, I'M NOT HEARING THE SAME THING YOU'RE HEARING AND NOR AM I FINE, NOR AM I HEARING OF THE FEAR AROUND DOING THAT.
I DO KNOW THE SURE THAT WHAT THEY ARE ASKING IS LET'S GIVE THEM TIME TO TRY TO GET THIS FIXED.
AND SO I DO NOT ANTICIPATE IF YOU CALL ANY OF THE PRINCIPALS HIGH SCHOOLS, THAT THEY'LL, THEY'LL, THEY'LL STAFF SAY, WELL, I DON'T WANNA DO THIS, BUT IF THEY CAN'T, THEN WE'LL WORK WITH THEM TO DEPLOY LIKE WE DO IN EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE DO.
BECAUSE WHAT MS. LOPEZ SAYS, A LOT OF, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE
[04:40:01]
GETTING PAID BETWEEN 30 AND $35 AN HOUR RIGHT NOW TO DO EXTENDED 5 25 TO 35.SO IF, IF THERE'S SOME SCHOOLS THAT ARE ALREADY PAYING 35, THEY'RE BEING OFFERED AN EXTRA $5 AN HOUR.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE, THE, THE SENTIMENT IS LIKE, EVERYONE PLEASE COME HELP.
BUT, BUT LOGISTICALLY I WOULD LIKE SOME CLARITY, LIKE CAN YOU ANSWER THAT? WHO TO WHO WILL IT FALL UPON MONDAY MORNING TO BE THERE AT 6:00 AM IF NO, IF, IF IT, IF WE DON'T HAVE VOLUNTEERS BOARD MEMBER KENON, WE WILL, WE WILL WORK WITH THE SCHOOL LEADERS THAT WORK WITH THEIR STAFF TO BE ABLE TO DO, DO THESE THINGS.
AND THEN WHATEVER SCHOOL THAT HAS A WHATEVER SCHOOL THAT HAS A CHALLENGE, THEN WE WILL TRY TO DEPLOY TO HELP SUPPORT.
BUT THAT'S HOW WE DO IN EVERY INITIATIVE IN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND, AND, AND I DO WANT TO KEEP SAYING THIS BECAUSE I THERE THIS, THERE IS THIS NOTION BECAUSE OUR SCHOOL LEADERS WORK VERY HARD, THAT THEY ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO HELP US FIGURE OUT WAYS ON HOW TO PROBLEM SOLVE US.
A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WE DO HAVE TO HELP ALLEVIATE WHAT GOES ON IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND SO I THINK TO UH, SUGGEST THAT IS JUST, WE SAY THIS AND THEN THEY, THEY KNOW ARE NOT A PART OF THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO THINK ABOUT HOW THAT WORKS FOR THEIR COMMUNITY IS IS ACTUALLY A LITTLE MISLEADING.
SO ARE I WOULD ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT WHAT I'M HEARING IS NOT ACCURATE? WOULDN'T IT, WOULDN'T IT BENEFIT YOU AS, AS THE SUPERINTENDENT HEARING TO, TO TAKE PERSPECTIVES FROM ALL OF US AND TAKE THEM BOARD MEMBER KENSON? I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU'RE HEARING FROM, BUT WHAT I AM WHAT I'M SAYING TO YOU IS WE, WE WORK WITH SCHOOL LEADERS AND WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE ARE HEARING IS THAT THEY WANT TO WORK MORE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SUPPORT THEIR STAFF AND ALSO THEIR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.
RIGHT NOW, THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION FOR MOST OF THE SCHOOL LEADERS IN THE SCHOOL IS HOW DO WE MAKE SURE KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL? AND TO THEM, WHAT THEY SEE IS IF A PARENT, UH, ACTUALLY IF, IF THE PARENT CAN GET THE CHILD TO SCHOOL OR IF WE, THE, THE, THE BUS GETS THE CHILD TO SCHOOL, THEY CAN BE ABLE TO PROVIDE DIAGNOSTICS TO THE STUDENTS SO THEY CAN START, START HELPING THEM WITH THEIR LEARNING.
AND THAT, THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE MEASURED BASED ON THE PERFORMANCE OF CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS.
I APPRECIATE THAT AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE YOU TO APPRECIATE, UH, THAT WHEN, WHEN YOU SPEAK TO PEOPLE HONESTLY AND GENUINELY, THEY'RE GONNA SPEAK BACK TO YOU HONESTLY AND GENUINELY.
I WOULD, I WOULD APPRECIATE IF YOU WOULD VALUE, IF YOU DON'T VALUE MY OPINION, MAYBE THIS OPINION VALUE THAT ARE COMING, I'M GONNA CALL FOR A POINT OF ORDER.
I APOLOGIZE FOR BRINGING IT TO THAT LEVEL.
I'M SORRY, I'M GONNA CALL FOR A POINT OF ORDER.
I WILL USE A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE HOWEVER, THOUGH, TO LAY FORTH SOME SUGGESTION AND THAT WOULD BE THAT WHEN WE DO THE BEFORE AND AFTER CARE, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE FAMILIES THAT HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR THIS MONTH AND WE'RE GONNA OFFER FREE SERVICES TO OTHER PARENTS IN ORDER TO GIVE US ENOUGH TIME TO BUILD THIS OUT THAT WE START IN SEPTEMBER, IF THAT MAKES MORE SENSE.
I WOULD LIKE TO HOPEFULLY GET US STARTED SOONER THAN LATER.
UM, BUT UH, WE, WE, UM, YOU'D LIKE TO, IF I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, PRESIDENT LETTUCE IS, YOU'D LIKE US TO START THIS PROCESS IN SEPTEMBER? IT WAS A SUGGESTION THAT I'M OFFERING UP.
I I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND THAT WE CAN GET THIS UP AND RUNNING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UM, IF IT TAKES ME A DAY OR TWO OR THREE, I KNOW IT'S GONNA, UH, CHIEF BRICKHOUSE CAN START HAVING A CALL TOMORROW WITH ALL SCHOOL LEADERS, BUT WE, WE NEED TO TALK TO THE SCHOOL LEADERS AROUND THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS OF THIS AND ALSO SEE WHO WANTS TO VOLUNTEER.
UH, SCHOOL MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
I WANNA TRY TO DRAW A PARALLEL TO SOME THINGS I WANNA SAY.
UM, LAST WEEK WHEN I WAS TALKING TO THE YOUNG BROTHER SITTING HERE, I MADE THE COMMENT ABOUT THERE'S A LOT OF PRIDE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
PEOPLE TAKE TO HEART LIVING HERE.
AND IN 1953, THE BOYS, THE BUS BOYCOTT IN BATON ROUGE TOOK PLACE.
IT WAS UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT THAT WAS 70 YEARS AGO.
AND THIS COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE DO THAT WHEN WE HAVE HURRICANES.
WE DO THAT WHEN WE HAVE FLOODS.
PEOPLE TAKE PRIDE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YOU GOT, AND I'M GOING ALONG WITH SOME THINGS NATHAN SAID, AND I'VE SAID IT BEFORE.
THERE HAS TO BE A PARADIGM SHIFT IN HOW WE LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
NOW, THERE'S A, A, A SONG THAT, UH, GEORGE BENSON AND BOTH WHITNEY HOUSTON MADE FAMOUS WHEN THEY SAID, THE CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE.
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THIS ROOM TONIGHT IS OUR FUTURE.
[04:45:01]
OUR FUTURE.AND WE'VE GOTTA DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT FUTURE IS BETTER THAN WHAT SOME OF US HAD.
WE'VE GOTTA COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY, AND THIS IS A CRISIS SITUATION.
AND WHEN CRISIS, WHEN CRISIS HIT THIS TOWN, WE COME TOGETHER.
WE OPENED OUR DOORS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO CAME FROM NEW ORLEANS FOR KATRINA.
A LOT OF US DIDN'T LIKE IT, BUT WE DID IT ANYWAY.
THIS IS A PLACE WHEN CRISIS COME, PEOPLE STICK TOGETHER AND THEY DO WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND THEY DO WHAT'S BEST FOR THE CITIZENS.
WE HAVE GOT TO FIND A WAY TO GET PAST ALL OF THE FINGER POINTING AND, AND BLAMING AND SAY, WHAT CAN WE DO? WHAT'S THE SOLUTION? AND THIS, THE, THE, UM, EXTENDED CARE DAYCARE, THAT'S JUST A PART OF A, THE, A SMALL SOLUTION TO A BIG PROBLEM.
LET'S TAKE PRIDE IN BEING FROM BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA.
LET'S TAKE PRIDE IN SAYING THAT WE CAN OVERCOME WHATEVER OBSTACLES COME OUR WAY.
LET'S SHOW SOME FORTITUDE AND LET'S DO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO FOR OUR CHILDREN.
I DON'T THINK ANY OF THE TEACHERS WERE COMPLAINING A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHEN THEY WERE GETTING PAID TO STAY AFTER SCHOOL FOR PD.
REMEMBER ALL THAT COVID MONEY Y'ALL GAVE AWAY AND THEY WEREN'T DOING NOTHING BUT SITTING AROUND.
I'M NOT, I DON'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT, OKAY? I DON'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT.
THEY WERE DOING THINGS, THEY WERE DOING LESSON PLANS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, OKAY? BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, MY MENTOR ALREADY CALLED ME ON THE CARPET THIS WEEK ABOUT SAYING SOME THINGS.
BUT LET'S DO WHAT WE'VE GOT TO DO TO GET THROUGH THIS AND LET'S, YOU KNOW, LET'S FOCUS ON THE, THE WHITE SHEET OF PAPER INSTEAD OF THE LITTLE BLACK DOT.
SOLUTIONS AND NOT PROBLEMS AND OBSTACLES.
'CAUSE I KNOW THOSE MECHANICS ARE GOING GO TO WORK AND THEY'RE GONNA DO THEIR JOB.
TEACHERS ARE GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL, THEY'RE GOING TO DO THEIR JOB.
BUS DRIVERS THAT CONTINUE TO DRIVE.
THEY'RE GOING TO DO THEIR JOB.
AND WE'RE GONNA DO OUR JOB BY MAKING SURE THAT THIS DISTRICT IS SOLVENT IT, WE'RE GONNA DO OUR JOB.
WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THE TEACHERS HAVE EVERYTHING AT THEIR DISPOSAL THAT THEY NEED SO THEY CAN DO THEIR JOB.
AND WE'RE GOING TO COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE BETTER, BECAUSE I'LL SAY IT AGAIN.
WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH IS NO ACCIDENT.
BECAUSE IF WE'RE EVER GOING TO BE A GREAT SCHOOL SYSTEM AND A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH SOME THINGS AND IT'S GOING TO CHANGE THE WAY WE SEE EACH OTHER, AND IT'S GONNA CHANGE THE WAY WE SEE THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THAT'S WHY I'M SITTING UP HERE BECAUSE MY KIDS WENT TO SCHOOL HERE.
MY GRANDKIDS GO TO SCHOOL HERE, AND MY GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN ARE GOING TO SCHOOL HERE.
AND I DANG SURE WANNA LEAVE IT BETTER THAN I FOUNDED WHEN I GOT HERE.
I DO BELIEVE THAT CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE.
TEACH THEM WILL THEN LET THEM LEAD THE WAY, THE WAY
ALRIGHT, SCUBA MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
AND GEORGE BENSON HAD THE BETTER VERSION.
I, I, I, SECOND ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CAN'T LET THE FACT THAT THIS SOLUTION MAY NOT BE IDEAL, AND THERE'S A CHANCE THAT IT MIGHT NOT WORK FOR THE REASONS THAT, THAT SOME HAVE SUGGESTED.
WE CAN'T NOT TRY, TRY SEVERAL THINGS TO DO THIS, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT, WE, WE DON'T NEED TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF NOT TRYING SOMETHING BECAUSE, OH, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY IT WON'T WORK.
WE NEED TO TRY A LOT OF THINGS.
HALF OF 'EM MAY NOT WORK, BUT IF HALF OF 'EM DO, THEN WE MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
AND THAT'S HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS ITEM.
AS MR. RUSS SAID, WE ARE DEEP IN A CRISIS.
THIS IS A CRISIS THAT, THAT IS NOT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT IS SOMEWHAT CLOSE TO THE FLOODING AND THE CIVIL UNREST THAT WE HAD A FEW YEARS AGO.
THIS IS A CRISIS, AND WE ALL HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A CRISIS AND WE'RE GOING TO RESPOND TO IT AS BEST AS WE
[04:50:01]
POSSIBLY CAN.WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR PART AND MAKE AND, AND MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS WE'RE ASKED TO MAKE ON A REGULAR BASIS.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE EXTRA MEETINGS, MUCH TO THE ANNOYANCE OF MY WIFE AND PROBABLY ALL OF YOUR SPOUSES AS WELL, AND BE HERE LATE.
THAT'S A SMALL SACRIFICE TO US COMPARED TO THE SACRIFICES THAT OUR EMPLOYEES MAKE EVERY DAY.
BUT WE'RE GONNA KEEP WORKING, KEEP TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS. AND, AND REMEMBER THAT ALL OF US, OUR EMPLOYEES, OUR BOARD ARE HERE FUNDAMENTALLY FOR THE CHILDREN.
AND WE MAY BE MAD, WE MAY BE THINKING THAT WE ARE BEING TREATED UNFAIR OR THAT SOMEBODY ELSE IS BEING TREATED BETTER THAN US.
AND, AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
IF WE HAVE THAT MENTALITY, THAT DIVISIVE MENTALITY, THEN, THEN WE'RE NOT GONNA SUCCEED.
AND THE PEOPLE THAT PAY THE PRICE FOR THAT ARE GOING TO BE OUR CHILDREN.
SO WE'VE REALLY GOT TO PUT ASIDE NOT PETTY DIFFERENCES, REAL DIFFERENCES, REAL FRUSTRATIONS, REAL, UM, INEQUITIES THAT ARE THE RESULT OF DECADES AND DECADES IN BATON ROUGE OF MISMANAGEMENT.
UM, WRONG DECISION MAKING, WRONG THINKING.
TH THIS IS, THIS IS THE CULMINATION.
THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS THAT THE STRAW BROKE THIS YEAR RATHER THAN A YEAR AGO OR FIVE YEARS AGO.
BUT, BUT THIS WAS THE LAST STRAW, NOT THE WHOLE PILE, RIGHT? THERE'S A LOT OF LONG-TERM PROBLEMS THAT ARE SUDDENLY BEING DUMPED AS, AS MR. GODDE SAYS, BECAUSE SUDDENLY YOU SIT DOWN ON THE LAST CHAIR REMAINING IN THE TERMITES HAVE EATEN IT.
WE'RE NOT GONNA SOLVE IT ALL, NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY WE THROW AT THE PROBLEM, NO MATTER HOW MUCH GOODWILL WE HAVE, WE'RE NOT GONNA SOLVE IT IN A DAY OR THREE DAYS.
WE'VE GOTTA DO EVERYTHING WE CAN.
AND, AND, AND, AND, AND I KNOW, AND I HAVE ABSOLUTE FAITH IN OUR EMPLOYEES THAT THEY WILL, AT THE END OF THE DAY, SEE WHAT WE'RE SAYING, AND THEY'RE GOING TO COME AND SHOW UP AS THEY HAVE FOR, FOR YEARS.
ALL OF THESE EMPLOYEES SHOWN UP FOR YEARS AND VERY TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT BEING TREATED AS WELL AS THEY SHOULD, NOT HAVING THE WORKING CONDITIONS THEY DESERVE, NOT HAVING THE PAY THAT THEY DESERVE.
NONE OF THAT IS NEW, RIGHT? THIS IS, THIS IS TOUGH AND IT'S ANOTHER BLOW.
AND THE LACK OF AIR CONDITIONING MAKES EVERYBODY IRATE RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? AND, AND, UM, BUT, BUT I KNOW THAT WE WILL, AS COACH LEWIS SAYS, THIS IS A COMMUNITY THAT COMES TOGETHER IN A TIME OF CRISIS.
AND WE DO BETTER AT THAT SORT OF THING THAN OTHER PLACES THAT SOMETIMES LET THEIR DIVISIONS, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, CAUSE THEM TO LOSE THEIR BETTER JUDGMENT AND FOCUS ON THE DIVISION RATHER THAN SOLUTIONS.
I KNOW THIS COMMUNITY WILL COME TOGETHER AND ALL OF OUR STAFF AND TEACHERS AND EMPLOYEES AND FAMILIES WILL PULL TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER TO TRY TO FIND, UH, TO, TO FIND SOLUTIONS THAT WILL GET US THROUGH THIS CRISIS.
SO THEN WE CAN MAKE MUCH, MUCH BETTER DECISIONS IN THIS AREA AND OTHER AREAS AS TIME GOES FORWARD.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, VICE PRESIDENT CARLA POWELL LEWIS.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN TELL THAT, THAT WE HAVE HAVE, UH, A LITTLE COMEDY SHOW GOING ON IN THE HORSESHOE, BUT IT'S BETTER TO LAUGH, RIGHT? AND CRY
SO STILL, EVEN WITHIN THIS, UM, AS WE LOOK AT ITEM TWO, I JUST WANTED TO STATE, UM, THAT I THINK THAT THIS IS NOT ONLY AN EXCELLENT IDEA FOR PARENTS, JUST AS I'VE HEARD MY COLLEAGUES SAY, BUT I REMEMBER A TIME WHEN I WOULD HAVE JUMPED AT THIS IDEA BEFORE AND AFTERCARE FOR MY SON JUST TRYING TO GET FROM MY TEACHING JOB TO WHEREVER ELSE HE IS.
UH, BUT THEN I ALSO REMEMBER BEING THE TEACHER WHO WANTED THE EXTRA HOURS OR WANTED THE EXTRA PAY.
UM, I REMEMBER HEARING MY GRANDFATHER SAY ALL THE TIME THAT, YOU KNOW, DON'T PASS UP THAT PENNY BECAUSE PENNIES ADD UP.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT HOW TO GIVE A RAISE OR HOW NOT TO GIVE A RAISE, HOW TO GIVE A STIPEND OR HOW NOT TO GIVE A STIPEND.
UM, THIS MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY OR SOMEONE'S BLESSING IN DISGUISE THE FACT THAT THEY MAY GET TO MAKE $40 AN HOUR FOR BEFORE OR AFTERCARE OR $25 AN HOUR EVEN FOR BEFORE OR AFTERCARE.
SO I HOPE THAT WE WILL CONSIDER THIS.
AND, UM, JUST AS I'VE HEARD MY COLLEAGUES SAY ABOUT US BEING A VILLAGE, THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT.
WE ARE A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY.
I MEAN, WE HAVE BEEN IN PLACES LIKE THIS BEFORE.
I CAN'T SAY WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TOMORROW.
[04:55:02]
I WAS SHARING WITH SOMEONE WHEN WE WERE ON RECESS, UM, JUST A, A MAYBE, I GUESS WHAT ABOUT AN HOUR AGO, UH, OR OR 30 MINUTES AGO THAT I REMEMBER A TIME WHEN WE SHOWED UP TO SCHOOL AS TEACHERS, JUST A FEW OF US, AND ALL THE OTHER TEACHERS DIDN'T SHOW UP BECAUSE THEY WERE ON STRIKE DUE TO PAY RAISES.THAT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD, BUT IT IS A STATEMENT THAT'S MADE.
AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME, WE'VE BEEN IN SITUATIONS WHERE WE HAVE NOT HAD PERFECT CONDITIONS.
AND SO THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE IT RIGHT, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THIS IS ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PULL TOGETHER AND FOR TEACHERS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME MONEY FOR THE THINGS THAT THEY ALREADY DO.
THERE ARE TEACHERS WHO ALREADY ARRIVE EARLY, EARLY, EARLY IN THE MORNING, VOLUNTARILY AND LEAVE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LATE IN THE EVENING.
AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME MONEY DOING WHAT THEY NORMALLY DO.
SEEING NO OTHER NAMES IN THE QUEUE.
I DON'T THINK WE DID PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS YET.
SO AT THIS TIME NOW WE WILL CALL FOR THE VOTE.
[H.3. ITEP Application-International Mezzo Technologies]
E APPLICATION, INTERNATIONAL MESO TECHNOLOGIES, DISCUSSION SLASH CONSIDERATION OF AN APPLICATION FROM INTERNATIONAL MESOS TECHNOLOGY, UH, FOR AN INDUSTRIAL TAX EXEMPTION AND RELATED MATTERS.CAN I GET A MOTION MOVE BY BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GODDE.
OKAY, AT THIS TIME NOW WE WILL COME TO THE BOARD FOR COMMENT, RIGHT? SEEING NO NAMES IN THE QUEUE RIGHT NOW FOR COMMENT.
UH, NOW GO TO, UH, UH, THE PUBLIC FOR COMMENT.
SO THERE'S ONLY ONE I SEE MR. JOSHUA COMBS IS HERE.
UM, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME AND SPEAK TO US, THE ITEM, YOU CAN, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARY IF YOU DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO.
JUST AS MANAGER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN BATON ROUGE AREA CHAMBER.
JUST WANT TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT.
UH, INTERNATIONAL MESO HAS BEEN IN THE COMMUNITY.
THEY'RE LOCATED IN NORTH BATON ROUGE.
THEY STARTED, UH, THERE'S A COMPANY REP THERE.
HE SAID WHEN HE STARTED 11 YEARS AGO, THEY ONLY HAD 11 EMPLOYEES.
SO THEY'RE CONTINUING TO GROW.
THEY'VE MET ALL COMPLIANCE WITHIN THEIR PREVIOUS IEP APPLICATIONS.
AND I JUST WANT TO SPEAK TO, UH, OUR SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT.
SEEING ALL THE COMMENT CARDS ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM.
I WILL NOT COME BACK TO THE BOARD.
MS. KATIE KINISON, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
UH, SO THE PEOPLE PAYING ATTENTION CAN HAVE SOME INFORMATION.
THIS IS ABOUT A TAX EXEMPTION FOR HOW MUCH? $282,000 THAT YOU'RE, I'M SORRY, CAN YOU COME BACK UP? THANK YOU.
AND SO THIS IS MONEY THAT YOU NORMALLY PAY IN TAXES THAT YOU'RE ASKING US TO HAVE YOU NOT PAY YEAH.
AT THAT TIME, THEY WOULD STILL CONTINUE TO PAY TAXES.
AND HOW, SO, HOW EAST BATON ROUGE WOULD ALSO RECEIVE TAXES AS A RESULT OF THE SALES TAX FROM THE MACHINERY PURCHASE AS WELL.
SO IT WOULDN'T BE A COMPLETE EXEMPTION OF TAXES.
SO HOW MUCH WILL YOU NOT BE GIVING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM? GIMME A SECOND HERE, PLEASE.
MY NAME'S MARK TURNER, BY THE WAY, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE FOR THE COMPANY.
MARK, I HAVE THE NUMBER IF YOU'D LIKE.
IT'S $4,945 AND 6 CENTS PER YEAR.
SO WE HAVE A SEVERE MONEY PROBLEM, AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT FOR THE LAST FIVE HOURS.
SO WE NEED EVERY PENNY THAT WE CAN GET.
UH, THIS WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT THAT WAS SAID TONIGHT ABOUT HOW WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT OUR FINANCES AND THAT EVERY PENNY COUNTS.
SO I WOULD HOPE THAT, UH, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO GET EVERY PENNY FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT
[05:00:01]
WE CAN.SO I KNOW IT'S NOT A LOT OF MONEY AND THANK YOU GENTLEMEN FOR COMING.
UH, BUT THIS IS JUST REGULAR PAYING TAXES TO A PUBLIC BODY.
SO WE CAN HAVE 4,000 MORE DOLLARS TO PUT TOWARD THIS GINORMOUS PROBLEM THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.
SO, WELL, IF YOU VOTE NO, THEN YOU WOULDN'T GET ANY TAXES.
SO WOULDN'T LIKE, SO NOTHING TO NOTHING.
SO IF IT DOESN'T GO THROUGH, YOU'RE NOT RECEIVING THAT MONEY EITHER.
SO WHAT ARE WE VOTING ON THEN? AM I CONFUSED WHEN I SAY, WELL, LET ME RETRACT THAT, MR. SHALIN, BUT LET ME RETRACT IT.
THERE'S, UH, A CHANCE THAT THE INVESTMENT MAY NOT BE MADE BY THE COMPANY IF IT DOESN'T GO THROUGH POTENTIALLY, RIGHT? I DOUBT THAT.
RIGHT? BUT THERE'S A CHANCE, THERE'S ALWAYS A CHANCE, RIGHT? THERE'S ALWAYS A CHANCE, RIGHT? THAT, OKAY.
UH, AND THIS IS STATUTORY, UH, EXEMPTION AS WELL.
SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THE COMPANY IS ASKING FOR THAT THE STATE OF LOUISIANA HAS NOT, UH, OUTLINED THAT THEY GET IN THE PROJECT WAS ALSO, THE IEP APPLICATION WAS APPROVED BY METRO COUNCIL LAST WEEK AS WELL.
SO I KNOW IT'S A SEPARATE ENTITY, BUT, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN HERE ALL NIGHT? YES.
CAN WE GET SOME CLARITY IF WE VOTE? NO.
UM, WHAT IS THE QUESTION? WELL, THE GENTLEMAN IS SAYING IF WE VOTE NO, THAT THERE'S A CHANCE THAT WE WON'T.
I, I THINK, I THINK WHAT HE'S EXPLAINING, AND I I, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THE C E O OF THE COMPANY.
I, I BELIEVE WHAT HE'S SAYING IS THAT IF THE BOARD WERE NOT TO APPROVE THE EXEMPTION, THE CO THERE'S A CHANCE THE COMPANY MIGHT NOT INVEST, UH, IN THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT IN FUTURE MONEY ELSE WOULD IN FUTURE PROJECTS.
IT'S PO IT'S POSSIBLE, RIGHT? NOT A GUARANTEE.
NEXT IN THE QUEUE, WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
THAT'S, THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT I WANTED TO ADDRESS U UNDER THESE PROGRAMS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, BY THE WAY.
UN UNDER THESE PROGRAMS, WE ARE NOT RECEIVING THAT TAX MONEY.
NOW THE COMPANY IS BUYING NEW, UH, NEW EQUIPMENT, NEW PROPERTY THAT WILL THEN BE SUBJECT THAT WOULD THEN BE SUBJECT TO PROPERTY TAX.
THE, THE STATE HAS DECIDED MANY YEARS AGO THAT THEY WANTED TO PROVIDE A TAX INCENTIVE TO COMPANIES TO MAKE THIS CAPITAL INVESTMENT, TO BUY MORE PROPERTY, TO PUT IN HERE AND GIVE THEM A BREAK FOR 10 YEARS ON THE PROPERTY TAXES THAT WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN DONE ON THE NEW STUFF THAT THEY JUST BOUGHT AND PUT IN HERE.
THIS IS A LOCAL COMPANY INVESTING IN, UM, THE, THE WHOSE PROFITS ARE STAYING HERE IN BATON ROUGE.
NOT GOING OFF TO, TO SOME BIG, YOU KNOW, MEGA CORPORATION.
THEY WOULD PROBABLY DO THIS, WHETHER WE VOTED FOR THIS OR NOT, PROBABLY, RIGHT? BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF PROGRAMS, AND WE WILL BE HAVING VOTES ON THESE IN THE COMING MONTHS, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA HAVE ONE.
EVERYBODY KNOWS WE'RE GONNA HAVE ONE ON EXXONMOBIL IN THE NEAR FUTURE, RIGHT? AND AT THAT LEVEL WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF, OF, OF PROPERTY INVESTMENT FROM A COMPANY THAT COULD CHOOSE TO INVEST IT HERE, OR WHO COULD CHOOSE TO INVEST IT IN TEXAS OR GEORGIA OR ANY OF THE OTHER STATES THAT WE COMPETE WITH FOR BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE, THERE IS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY THAT IF WE DON'T APPROVE THOSE, THEN, THEN, UM, THEN, THEN THAT INVESTMENT WOULD NOT BE MADE, WOULDN'T BE MADE, NOT HERE, BE MADE SOMEWHERE, BUT NOT HERE.
I WOULD RE MUCH RATHER HAVE A MUCH SIMPLER TAX SYSTEM AND NOT HAVE, UH, I REMEMBER ONE TIME WHEN I WORKED FOR GOVERNOR FOSTER, WE WERE COMPETING WITH THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, TWO OF THE POOREST STATES IN THE UNION OVER WHO COULD OFFER THE MOST INCENTIVES TO PRIVATE, UH, SHIPYARD COMPANIES TO HELP THEM WIN A NAVY CONTRACT.
RIGHT? THAT TO ME MAKES NO SENSE WHATSOEVER IN THE WORLD, RIGHT? WHY ARE WE DOING THAT? RIGHT? WHY WERE WE TWO POOR PEOPLE, TWO POOR STATES BIDDING AGAINST EACH OTHER TO SUBSIDIZE THE CONTRACTION OF FEDERAL WARSHIPS? THAT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME.
A LOT OF THIS STUFF MAKES NO SENSE TO ME, BUT IT IS THE REALITY OF THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN, RIGHT? WE HAVE TO, THIS, THIS IS THE WORLD.
THIS IS HOW CORPORATIONS MAKE DECISIONS.
AND, AND IF WE DON'T PLAY IN THAT WORLD RIGHT NOW, NO MATTER HOW, HOW NICE IT MIGHT BE TO BE PRINCIPLED AND SAY, WE'RE GONNA STOP.
[05:05:01]
GAME.THE REALITY IS, IS THAT WOULD HAVE VERY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES ULTIMATELY ON OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR ABILITY TO BRING ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO IF WE'RE GOING TO VERY LIKELY VOTE IN, IN FAVOR OF, OF, OF, OF, UM, ITEP EXEMPTIONS FOR MEGA PROJECTS BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY REAL, THAT THEY WILL NOT COME HERE.
IF WE DON'T, THEN WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO SUPPORT AN ITEP PROGRAM FOR A LOCAL COMPANY THAT, THAT, THAT WHERE ALL THE PROFITS ARE STAYING HERE IN BATON ROUGE.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.
BOARD MEMBER MARTIN PRETTY MUCH STATED PRETTY WELL, UM, THE REALITY OF HIGH TIP EXEMPTIONS AND, UH, PERSONALLY, UM, I AM A FAN OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES HAVING A SAY.
UM, BUT IT ALSO SETS A PRECEDENT WHERE, UM, WE CAN DISINCENTIVIZE COMPANIES TO INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY.
I, I'LL BE HONEST, YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE A REALITY WHERE INDUSTRY DOESN'T EXIST IN BATON ROUGE BECAUSE WE'D ALL BE OUT OF A, OUT OF A JOB.
UM, IT PROVIDES, UM, AN INCREDIBLY SIGNIFICANT, UM, ECONOMIC IMPACT TO VIRTUALLY EVERY FAMILY IN THIS PARISH, WHETHER YOU REALIZE IT OR NOT.
UM, IN, IN, AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, I'M HAPPY TO SEE COMPANIES LIKE THIS, UM, INVESTING IN THEIR ABILITY TO GROW THEIR BUSINESS, UM, IN INVESTING IN, THEY'RE GONNA CREATE A JOB FROM THIS.
UM, WE'RE GONNA SEE TAXES DOWN THE LINE.
WE'RE STILL GOING TO SEE, UM, UH, A PERCENTAGE OF TAX, UH, IN THE PROPERTY BECAUSE, UH, THEY'RE ONLY GETTING, I BELIEVE, A 80% EXEMPTION.
UM, AND THAT'S A BENEFIT TO HOW THIS CURRENT ITEP, UH, SYSTEM IS STRUCTURED.
UM, SO I, I SUPPORT THIS AND, UM, I, I THINK IT'S REALLY DISINGENUOUS TO BE SITTING UP HERE ON THE DAIS AND TELLING PEOPLE WE NEED THEIR MONEY.
UM, WHEN THESE ARE COMPANIES THAT ARE ACTIVELY PUTTING, PAYING PROPERTY TAX, THEY ARE ACTIVELY HIRE PAYING EMPLOYEES THAT LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY, THAT CONTRIBUTE TO OUR SOCIETY CREATING, UH, IMPORTABLE AND EXPORTABLE, UH, PRODUCTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ECONOMY.
UM, AND, AND WE'RE GONNA BE ASKING THEM TO NOT ONLY, SORRY, YOU DON'T GET TO, UH, INVEST IN YOUR COMPANY, BUT WE WANT YOU TO COME PAY THOSE TAXES TOO.
I, I THINK THAT SAYS A REALLY POOR PRECEDENT IN JUST, UM, WE, WE, WE CAN'T CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE BUSINESS, UM, WILL THRIVE AND INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY IF THOSE ARE THE ATTITUDES THAT WE CARRY.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOLER CLIFF LEWIS, UH, BOARD MEMBER MARTIN MADE THE, UH, THE, THE COMMENT ABOUT SOME OF THESE MAJOR TAX EXEMPTIONS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA BE FACED WITH LOCAL COMPANIES.
SOME OF THOSE MAJOR ONES ARE GOING TO CAUSE A LOT.
GONNA CALL FOR A LOT MORE DISCUSSION THAN WE'RE HAVING ABOUT THIS ONE.
BUT I, I RECALL PROBABLY SIX OR SEVEN YEARS AGO, MIKE, YOU MAY KNOW MORE THAN I DO, WE LOST A BID, UM, FOR A MAJOR AIRCRAFT DEVELOPER.
WE WERE RIGHT HERE ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER PORTS, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS.
THEY WENT TO KANSAS WHERE THERE AIN'T NOTHING BUT FLAT DIRT.
YOU KNOW, WE LOST OUT ON AN AIRCRAFT, UH, MANUFACTURER.
ONE OF THE REASONS EDUCATION, THEY LOOKED AT OUR EDUCATION, LEVEL OF EDUCATION IN THE CITY, AND THEY DID NOT WANNA BRING THEIR FAMILIES HERE AND THEIR EXECUTIVES HERE AND THEIR WORKERS HERE AND PUT THEM IN AN EDUCATION SYSTEM THAT, THAT WE HAD AT THE TIME.
AGAIN, THERE'S THAT PARADIGM SHIFT THAT WE'VE GOT TO EMBRACE.
IF THE LOCAL COMPANY FROM NORTH BATON ROUGE, IF THEY'RE GOING TO INVEST IN THE COMMUNITY AND, AND, AND, AND PAY PEOPLE AND PAY PROPERTY TAXES, WE GOTTA HAVE IT.
SOME OF THE MAJOR IEPS, THERE'S GONNA CALL FOR A LOT MORE DISCUSSION, BUT THIS IS SMALL POTATOES COMPARED TO SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH WHEN IT COMES TO TAX EXEMPTIONS.
BECAUSE IT'S LOCAL, I CAN SUPPORT IT.
YOUR C E O, HE MAY WANNA PITCH IN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY PULLING TOGETHER, SEE IF HE'LL PITCH IN A LITTLE BIT.
[05:10:01]
WHATEVER.BUT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED PEOPLE THAT, UH, THAT ARE SUPPORTING OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM AND TAXES SUPPORT OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.
THE QUEUE, WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER MARK BALLOU.
I JUST WANNA MAKE A QUICK POINT.
MOST OF YOU HAVE ARE PROBABLY AWARE, BUT THE WAY THE ITEP SYSTEM WORKS, IT'S ONLY ON, IT DOESN'T AFFECT ANY EXISTING TAXES THAT ARE BEING PAID.
IT ONLY, UH, IMPACTS, UH, TAXES ON THE INVESTMENT THAT'S BEING MADE.
SO, UH, IT'S ONLY COVERS 80%, UH, EXEMPTION FOR UP TO 10 YEARS.
SO, UH, BY MAKING THIS INVESTMENT, THEY'RE ACTUALLY GONNA BE INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY TAXES THAT WE TAKE IN.
SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT POINT.
AND I JUST REALLY INTO THE QUEUE REALLY FAST.
UM, I'VE SERVED ON THIS BOARD NOW GOING ON ALMOST SIX YEARS.
AND WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT I THINK INTERNATIONAL MESO, UM, SO HAS COME TO US NOT THREE TIMES, AT LEAST TWICE.
AND, UH, THE FIRST TIME YOU ALL CAME TO US, THERE WAS SOME CONTENTION BEHIND IT.
AND I WISH DONNIE MILLER WAS STILL HERE BECAUSE I APPROACHED HIM AFTERWARDS.
I SAID, I WANNA COME SEE THE FACILITY.
I WALKED THE FACILITY, I TALKED TO THE PEOPLE.
THEY ARE TRULY INVESTED IN NORTH BATON ROUGE.
AND WHAT I CAN HONESTLY SAY IS THAT THE GROWTH IN TERMS OF JOBS HAS BEEN CONTINUOUS EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU ALL GREW TO 58, UH, EMPLOYEES UNTIL YOU JUST MENTIONED IT TONIGHT.
THAT IS TREMENDOUS BECAUSE SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH IS ONE OF THE
SO THE FACT THAT YOU ALL ARE STILL WILLING TO INVEST HERE, GIVE INVESTMENT BACK, AND AGAIN, AS WE SAID BEFORE, YOU HAVE LARGER THINGS.
THE LAST THING WE WANNA SEE IS THAT WE SAID PRESIDENTS BY SAYING, NO, DON'T COME HERE.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU START SAYING THAT TO INDUSTRY WAS GONNA HAPPEN, IS YOUR SURROUNDING JOBS ARE GONNA DRY UP.
AND WE SAW THAT ALMOST HAPPEN WITH, UH, A FEW YEARS AGO.
ONE OF OUR LARGER, UH, CONTRIBUTORS IN TERMS OF OUR ECONOMIC STABILITY HERE IN BATON ROUGE.
SO I JUST WANNA SAY MY HAT GOES OFF TO YOU GUYS, CONTINUE DOING THE GOOD WORK.
UM, YOU HAVE ANSWERED ALL OF THE NEEDS OF ITEP EXEMPTION AND THAT'S ANOTHER THING TOO.
YOU KNOW, AT ONE POINT, I, I AGREE WITH YOU, UH, SCHOOL MEMBER RUSS, AT ONE POINT WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE OPTION OF SAYING WHO CAN, WHO CAN WE VOTE ON OR WHO CAN WE NOT VOTE ON? IT WAS A RUBBER STAMP PROCESS.
SINCE THEN, THE STATE HAS SAID NO, LET MUNICIPALITIES, LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES HANDLE THE PROCESS THEMSELVES.
SO NOW WE CAN LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE GONNA GO THROUGH UNDER THIS TAX EXEMPTION PROGRAM.
SO AGAIN, I JUST WANNA SAY KUDOS TO YOU GUYS, CONTINUE GROWING BUSINESS AND I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE STAY IN NORTH BATON ROUGE AND CONTINUE TO GROW INSIDE OF THOSE AREAS ALSO.
ALSO, I WANT TO, NOT ONLY THE CHANGES THAT WERE MADE WITH THE 80% EXEMPTION, BUT THE WAY THE IAP IS SET UP NOW, IT TRULY ONLY COVERS ACTUAL NEW INVESTMENT BECAUSE IN THE DAYS GOING BY, A LOT OF MAINTENANCE WORK AND THINGS LIKE THAT WERE BEING COVERED BY IEP, BUT THOSE ARE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF REFORM MADE IN THE IEP THING.
SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IEP TODAY IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT EIGHT, NINE YEARS AGO.
UH, IT'S GOTTEN MUCH TIGHTER AND, UH, MUCH MORE FOCUSED ON NEW INVESTMENT, WHICH BRINGS NEW JOBS, WHICH BRINGS, UH, NEW ECONOMIC VITALITY TO BATON ROUGE.
SEEING ALL THE NAMES RIGHT NOW, THE ONLY NAME I SEE FOR THIS ITEM TO SPEAK ON IT.
I'M ANGELA REAMS, BROWN, PRESIDENT OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE FEDERATION OF TEACHERS AND SUPPORT WORKERS.
TO BE SPECIFIC, IT WAS EIGHT YEARS AGO WHEN WE GOT JOHN GOVERNOR JOHN BELL EDWARDS AS OUR GOVERNOR WHEN ITEP CHANGED.
PRIOR TO THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND THE CITY COUNCIL DID NOT HAVE ANY SAY AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THESE EXEMPTIONS EXISTED.
TONIGHT, WE HAVE SPENT IN EXCESS OF FIVE HOURS TALKING ABOUT THE MONEY.
WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY EMPLOYEES, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.
WE CAN'T AFFORD TO GIVE AWAY A DOLLAR, NOT ONE DIME, BECAUSE THAT MONEY COULD BE SPENT ON OUR BOYS AND GIRLS.
NOW UNLESS YOU GUYS KNOW SOMETHING THAT THE AUDIENCE DOESN'T KNOW, YEAH, WE KNOW THEY'RE IN NORTH BATON ROUGE.
WE KNOW THEY'VE HIRED 50 SOME PEOPLE, BUT WHO'S MAKING THE BIG SALARIES? IS THAT MONEY STAYING HERE OR IS THAT MONEY GOING OUT? ARE THERE KIDS EVEN
[05:15:01]
A PART OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM? BECAUSE IN MOST INSTANCES, THE CEOS AND THE TOP PEOPLE, THEIR KIDS GO INTO PRIVATE AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS, OR THEY DON'T EVEN LIVE WHERE THEIR PARENTS ARE WORKING.SO IT'S OBVIOUS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DECIDED THAT THIS IS A GOOD THING.
BUT TAKE NOTE, NEXT YEAR WHEN WE CAN'T MEET OUR BUDGET BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, REMEMBER GIVING THESE EXEMPTIONS.
THANK YOU MS. REAMS BROWN, SENATOR.
I'LL COME BACK TO THE BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
MAD SECRETARY, POLICE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
[H.4. Grant: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]
UH, AGENDA.NOW I'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM H FOUR, GRANT, BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE BILL AND BELINDA GATES FOUNDATION.
GO MATH BETWEEN THE EAST BAT ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM AND LOUISE AND THE L S U S R E C.
DIFFERENTIATING LESSONS WITH AI GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO PROVIDE AI EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM TO HELP DIFFERENTIATE, UH, INSTRUCTIONAL LESSON PLANS AND RELATED MATTERS.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS, SECONDED BY SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MARK BALLOU.
I WILL GO TO THE QUEUE C NINE'S IN THE QUEUE.
AT THIS TIME I'LL NOW TURN TO THE PUBLIC AND UH, WE HAVE ONE CUE CARD FOR THIS ITEM.
THE LAST TIME WE GOT A GRANT FROM THE BILL GATES FOUNDATION, WE HAD $3 MILLION OF OUT-OF-POCKET UPKEEP ON KEEPING A PROGRAM.
WILL THERE BE ANY PURCHASE REQUIREMENT IN THE FUTURE? FUTURE OR ANY SPENDING REQUIREMENT OF ANY KIND OUTSIDE OF THE $100,000? GRANTED? THANK YOU MS. MATTHEWS.
SEEING NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS AT THIS TIME OR CUE CARDS.
ALRIGHT, UH, WE'LL NOW GO BACK TO THE BOARD.
I SEE, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CARLA POWELL LEWIS, A VICE PRESIDENT, CARLA POWELL LEWIS IN THE Q DR.
ESE JUST WANTED YOU TO ANSWER MS. MATTHEW'S QUESTION.
UH, MS. NAVO, CAN YOU PLEASE COME DOWN? AND, AND MS. KOSKI, UH, I THINK WAS NAVOS GOOD? GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
NO, THERE WILL BE NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE PAID BY THE GRANT.
IT'S A PILOT, SO IT WILL ONLY TAKE PLACE TO SUPPORT TEACHER LESSON PLANNING THROUGH DECEMBER.
SEEING NO OTHER, UH, NAMES IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME, UH, WE WILL NOW CALL FOR A VOTE.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE VOTE
I'M ACCUSING MYSELF BECAUSE THIS HAS THE LETTERS.
UH, BEFORE I GO INTO THE NEXT, UH, WELL FIRST I'LL GO AHEAD AND I'LL READ IT INTO ORDER AND THEN I WILL ALLOW COUNSEL TO SPEAK ON IT.
[H.5. Litigation]
SO NO, I'M, I'M GONNA CALL IT INTO ORDER FIRST.SO I'LL LET, I'LL LET YOU SPEAK ON THE FIRST COUNCIL.
OH, THIS IS, UM, WE ACTUALLY CALLED FOR THE CHAIR.
I CHAIRED, UM, PRESIDENT, UH, LANIS CALLED FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THIS MATTER.
UM, HE PLACED THE MATTER ON THE AGENDA, SO I'LL LET HIM MAKE THE DECISION.
WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO AT THIS POINT? UH, GIVEN OUR TIME FOR TONIGHT, I'M GOING TO ELECT THAT WE MOVE THIS ITEM.
UH, I WILL ELECT THAT SOMEONE MAKES THE MOTION TO MOVE THIS ITEM, UH, TO THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR, UH, I'M SORRY, TO THE, UH, COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
MAKING I MOVE TO MOVE THIS ITEM TO THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FOR SEPTEMBER.
[05:20:01]
MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.SECONDED BY SCHOOL MEMBER, MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART.
OKAY, AT THIS TIME NOW WE WILL TURN TO THE BOARD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
SCENE, NO PUBLIC COMMENT AT THIS TIME.
YOU, I THINK THAT'S TOO, I'M SORRY, BUT I'M SORRY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE BEAR WITH ME.
I'M A BIT TIRED, BUT WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH IT.
WE'RE SEEING NO OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE FOR BOARD COMMENT.
WE WILL NOW GO TO THE PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
OKAY? AND WE HAVE TWO QUEUE CARDS IN AT THIS TIME.
WE HAVE, UM, MS. FAIRLEY JACKSON, FOLLOWED BY MS. EVELYN WARE, JACKSON.
I ASKED MY DAUGHTER TO FOLD UP MY NOTES TODAY AND SHE PUT ON THE OUTSIDE, SHE HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS DOING, BUT SHE SAID, LOVE, CALM, AND REMEMBER.
AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY BEAUTIFUL.
UM, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REDISTRICTING, 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT THIS WAS ABOUT.
UM, I FULLY SUPPORT YOU ALL DEFERRING THIS.
UM, SO THE REASONS THAT I SUPPORT THIS ARE THE REASONS THAT I WOULD HAVE SUPPORTED YOU ALL GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
AND I SUPPORT YOU ALL DEFERRING THIS BECAUSE THIS IS AN ACTIVE LEGAL SUIT AROUND REDISTRICTING AND IT'S ONE OF TWO.
THERE ARE STATE AND FEDERAL SUITS AND, UH, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF YOUR JOB.
UM, NUMBER TWO, MY REASON THAT I SUPPORT YOU DEFERRING THIS FOR WHEN YOU'RE ALL PRESENT AND ABLE TO REALLY FOCUS IS THAT REDISTRICTING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB OF A GOVERNMENT BODY.
AND IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE EVERY 10 YEARS.
UH, MY REASON NUMBER THREE FOR SUPPORTING YOU ALL IN DEFERRING THIS ITEM IS THAT, UM, THE PLAINTIFFS HAD SENT A SETTLEMENT AND ON JUNE 20TH, AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT YOU ALL HAVEN'T SEEN THAT.
SO I THINK YOU DEFINITELY NEED TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHY YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE THAT SETTLEMENT.
UM, AND IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE IT, I'M HAPPY TO SEND IT TO YOU.
UM, SO I THINK YOU SHOULD DEFER THIS.
UM, NUMBER FOUR, MY SUPPORT OF YOU ALL DEFERRING THIS ITEM IS THAT THE MAP THAT YOU ALL ARE HERE BECAUSE OF IS BASED ON THE 2010 CENSUS.
AND I DON'T THINK ANYONE IN THIS ROOM OR IN THE PUBLIC OR IN THE DISTRICT COULD AGREE THAT THAT'S OKAY.
SO THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
NUMBER FIVE, I SUPPORT YOU DEFERRING THIS ITEM BECAUSE THERE ARE SIX NEW MEMBERS HERE THAT REALLY NEED TIME TO LOOK AT THIS AND REALLY STUDY THESE MAPS AND FIGURE OUT HOW THESE MAPS ACTUALLY AFFECT YOU INDIVIDUALLY.
AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RUN FOR THE SEATS THAT YOU'RE SITTING IN RIGHT NOW.
SO EVERYBODY NEEDS TO START LOOKING AT THIS.
NOW THAT THE CLOCK IS TICKING, UM, THIS MAP WILL NOT BE THERE.
SO, UM, AND NUMBER SIX, UM, WE TALK ABOUT EQUITY AND WE TALK ABOUT REPRESENTATION.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT YOU AS A BOARD DO TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU REPRESENT THIS DISTRICT.
SO I SUPPORT YOU DEFERRING THIS ITEM.
I SUPPORT YOU TAKING TIME, BUT MOVING EXPEDITIOUSLY WITH THIS AND REALIZING HOW IMPORTANT OF A JOB THIS IS.
THAT'S A ONCE IN A DECADE JOB AND IT IS YOUR JOB REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU INHERITED.
AND THERE IS AN ACTIVE SUIT, ACTIVE, ACTIVE SUIT, STATE AND FEDERAL.
I HOPE YOU ALL CAN GET SOME REST TONIGHT.
ALRIGHT, NEXT WE HAVE MS. EVELYN, WELL, JACKSON, FOLLOWED BY MS. STORM MATTHEWS.
UM, I'M HERE BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT MATTER.
I SPENT THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS ON THE BOARD REALLY FIGHTING FOR, UH, JUST AND UM, FAIR MAPS, WHICH WE DIDN'T RECEIVE.
AND I BELIEVE THAT, UH, ALL OF YOU REALLY NEED TO TAKE A, A THOROUGH, THOROUGH LOOK AT EVERYTHING.
UM, NOT JUST WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE OR WHAT YOU WOULD'VE
[05:25:01]
SEEN TONIGHT, WHICH YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN ALREADY 'CAUSE I'VE ALREADY SEEN IT TWO MONTHS AGO.IT'S A VERY SIMPLE ONE PAGE LETTER WITH, UM, TAKES TWO MINUTES TO READ, 10 SECONDS TO DECIDE TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
UM, JUST WITH A LITTLE COMMON SENSE AND A DESIRE TO STOP BREAKING STATE AND FEDERAL LAW.
YOU CAN MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION.
AND, UM, IT'S BEEN LAID OUT VERY SIMPLY.
UM, I AM NAMED IN THE FEDERAL SUIT AND THAT SUIT CAN'T BE SETTLED UNTIL THE STATE SUIT IS SETTLED.
UH, NOT ONLY MYSELF, BUT THE ENTIRE FORMER BOARD IS NAMED INDIVIDUALLY, WHICH IS VERY UNUSUAL.
BUT, UM, THAT'S THE WAY IT IS.
AND I WOULD APPRECIATE THE MATTER TAKEN CARE OF, UH, SIMPLY TO GET MY NAME OFF OF
AND, UM, BUT AT LEAST UM, THE FIVE BOARD MEMBERS WHO PUSHED THAT FORWARD, UM, MOST OF THEM ARE NOT HERE.
AND ALL OF YOU REALLY, REALLY NEED TO TAKE A VERY CLOSE LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF IT.
NOT JUST WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT, AT EVERYTHING.
AND, UH, BECAUSE I REALLY DON'T WANT YOU TO LOOK BACK 10 YEARS FROM NOW, A BOARD ONLY DOES THIS EVERY 10 YEARS AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE CENSUS AND YOUR DUTY AS A GOVERNMENTAL BODY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE REPRESENTATION IS CORRECT ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS.
UH, IT'S AT LEAST, AT LEAST 10 YEARS OFF.
AND I WOULD HATE FOR YOU TO LOOK BACK 10 YEARS FROM NOW AND REALIZE THAT YOU DIDN'T GET ALL OF THE INFORMATION AND YOU MADE A DECISION THAT YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE MADE BASED ON THINGS THAT YOU NEVER GOT TO SEE.
AND THE FORMER, UM, DEMOGRAPHER HAS ALREADY AGREED UNDER OATH THAT HE CANNOT FORMULATE A MAP THAT IS, UM, A CORRECT MAP AND WE'VE SEEN SOME SINCE THEN.
NEXT WE HAVE MS. STAR MATTHEWS.
I AGREE WITH, UH, PUTTING IT OFF 'CAUSE EVERYBODY'S TIRED AND EVERYBODY'S HUNGRY, AND WE DEFINITELY NEED OUR MINDS CLEAR.
UM, I REALLY LIKE MY NEW BOARD AND, AND I DEFINITELY WANNA BE ABLE TO KEEP MY NEW BOARD.
AND, UM, SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THOSE MAPS AND KNOW EXACTLY WHERE EVERYBODY IS AND HOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT YOU INDIVIDUALLY.
SO Y'ALL DEFINITELY NEED TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT INFORMATION AND, UM, AND SEE WHAT IT IS.
UM, AND DO QUESTION WHY YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN THAT INFORMATION YET.
THANK YOU MS. MATTHEWS, C N O OF THE QUEUE CARDS.
AT THIS TIME, WE WILL NOW COME BACK TO THE BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
[G. Consent Agenda]
OUR LAST VULNERABLE ITEM, WHICH IS ITEM G CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH WILL BE READ INTO ORDER OR TO THE RECORD BY SUBA MEMORIAL CLIFF LEWIS.HOPE I CAN STAY AWAKE LONG ENOUGH TO FINISH IT.
THE FOLLOWING ITEMS OUGHT TO BE APPROVED AS PART OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AND A CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE AND WILL BE ENACTED WITH ONE MOTION.
THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSIONS OF ITEMS UNLESS A BOARD MEMBER SOW REQUEST IN EACH, 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 GRANTS CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE DEBORAH ROCHELLE TEACHER GRANT FROM KELLY G. COOK FOUNDATION FOR SIX TEACHERS FOR, FOR A TOLL OF $25,170 TO PROVIDE CLASSROOM PROJECT TO TO PROVIDE CLASSROOM PROJECTS STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT 3 22 23 STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES HANDBOOK AND DISCIPLINE POLICY CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL
[05:30:01]
OF THE STUDENT'S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITY HANDBOOK AND DISCIPLINARY POLICY FOR 2023 SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE EASTBOUND RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH NOTED CHANGES STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT OPERATION EXCELLENCE.CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE 2220, I'M SORRY, 2324 SCHOOL YEAR DISTRICT PUPIL PROGRESSION PLAN, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, EXTERNAL AGREEMENT, CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE EXTERNAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE LOUISIANA STATE AND AGRICULTURE MECHANICAL COLLEGE NOT TO EXCEED $220,000 TO EXTEND THEIR AGREEMENT FOR ONE YEAR TO PROVIDE UP TO NINE EXTERNS.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE JOURNAL FUND.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING DUAL ENROLLMENT.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND THE FOLLOWING, BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO PROVIDE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES FOR THE 2324 SCHOOL YEAR.
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY TO PROVIDE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES FOR THE 2324 SCHOOL YEAR.
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AT ALEXANDRIA TO PROVIDE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES FOR THE 2324 SCHOOL YEAR.
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY HAD EUNICE COURSE COURSES FOR THE 2324 SCHOOL YEAR SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY TO PROVIDE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES FOR THE 2324 SCHOOL YEAR.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE SC SS C A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FUTURE COLLEGE PROGRAM.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE EAST BEAR RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF L SS I ALMOST SAID L S U LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY IN AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE TO IMPLEMENT THE L S U FUTURE SCHOLARS PROGRAM.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
PAGE TWO EIGHT MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY-BASED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AGENCIES.
CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING.
MEMORANDUM, MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THESE BEAR RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND CARE ONE HEALTH DOING BUSINESS AS PEAK BEHAVIOR HEALTH FOCUSED FAMILY SERVICES.
L L C HOPE COMMUNITY SERVICES INCORPORATED.
LOUISIANA EMPOWERMENT SERVICES, NEW HORIZON BEHAVIOR HEALTH CENTERS NEW LIFE CENTER FOR COUNSELING.
L L C RESTORE OUTREACH CENTER, L L C, SEASIDE HEALTHCARE INCORPORATED.
DOING BUSINESS AS COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT CENTER TO PROVIDE ONSITE SCHOOL-BASED BEHAVIOR HEALTH SERVICES, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF L S U IN AGRICULTURAL MECHANICAL COLLEGE.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT BETWEEN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE L S U AND AGRICULTURAL AND AGRICULTURAL MECHANICAL COLLEGE ON BEHALF OF THE LOUISIANA STATE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER IN THE AMOUNT OF $70,750 TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND SPECIALIZED SUPPORT FOR AUTISM SERVICES.
STUDENT STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE ID I D E A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT ILLUMINATE CONSIDERING CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL AND ILLUMINATE.
ALSO KNOWN AS UM, WHAT'S THAT RENAISSANCE LEARNING IN THE AMOUNT OF $204,646 TO IMPLEMENT ED KLIER DATA PROF.
DATA PLATFORM SERVICES, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT, A MIRROR LEARNING INCORPORATED CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND AMIRA LEARNING INCORPORATED IN THE AMOUNT OF $141,000 TO PROVIDE E S L INSTRUCTION SUPPORT.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE SR TWO 12 PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT FINE ARTS CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACTS BETWEEN EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL BOARD AND ARTS COUNCIL OF GREATER BATON ROUGE FOR $130,000
[05:35:01]
TO PROVIDE ARTS INTEGRATION IN EDUCATION AND RESIDENCY PERFORMANCE FOR SCHOOLS.DOUGLAS MANSHIP SENIOR THEATER COMPLEX HOLDING INCORPORATED MANSHIP MANSHIP THEATER IN THE AMOUNT OF $91,594 TO PROVIDE FOUR TOURING PRODUCTIONS FOR SELECTED FOR SELECT SCHOOLS, KIDS ORCHESTRA, AND THE AMOUNT OF $250,000 TO PROVIDE AFTERSCHOOL ENRICHMENT IN ORCHESTRA INSTRUCTION PROGRAMMING FOR K EIGHT STUDENTS.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND.
AND APRIL DID THIS TO ME ON PURPOSE.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT.
L L C CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT BETWEEN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND LET SERVE IN THE AMOUNT OF 95,000 TO FACILITATE AND MONITOR STUDENT COMMUNITY SERVICES.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE SS A THREE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT ASSOCIATED PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS OF LOUISIANA.
A PAL CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT BETWEEN EAST BEAR RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND ASSOCIATED PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS OF LOUISIANA, A PAL IN THE AMOUNT OF $67,158 TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR CONTENT LEADERS.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT FUNDING SOURCE.
UH, PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT CITY YEAR CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND CITY YEAR.
INCORPORATED IN THE AMOUNT OF 480,000 TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
16 CMAR BATON ROUGE CENTER FOR VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS.
CONSIDERATION FOR REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SMAR SELECTION COMMITTEE OF RADCLIFFE V P G TO PROVIDE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT RISK SMAR SERVICES FOR B R C V P A PROJECT STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT.
EXEMPLARY EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE FUNDING SOURCE TAX PLAN, WESTDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL PROPERTY SERVITUDE APPRAISAL, CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT TO PURCHASE AND A TO PURCHASE AN APPRAISAL FOR ONE ACRE OF LAND ON THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF WESTDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL PROPERTY.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO ACCEPT THE APPRAISAL OF PARCEL EIGHT THREE AND 11 DASH ONE DASH D DASH ONE IDENTIFIED AS APPRAISAL REPORT FORM C STATE PROJECT NUMBER H 0 0 4 1 0 0 AND AUTHORIZE THE BOARD PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL TO EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE FINAL SALE OF THE, OF THE IDENTIFIED PARCEL MILEAGE RATE.
INCREASE CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL TO INCREASE TRAVEL MILEAGE RATES FOR EMPLOYEES, NOT INCLUDING BOARD MEMBERS FROM THE CURRENT RATE OF 50 CENTS PER MILE TO THE CURRENT FEDERAL RATE OF 65 CENTS PER MILE.
LITIGATION OF A REQUEST, SORRY.
LITIGATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM GWEN SHALIN, GENERAL COUNSEL EASTBOUND RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD IN THE MATTER OF RANDOLPH V EASTBOUND RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL, UM, MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA, DOCKET 15, 6 54 US FIFTH CIRCUIT COURT, DOCKET NUMBER 23 30 22.
CAN I GET A SECOND? SECOND, REMEMBER NATHAN RUST.
POINT OF INFORMATION? YES SIR.
CAN I HAVE HIM REREAD WHICH ONE? I'M SORRY.
JUST TELL ME WHICH ONE YOU WANT.
READ WHICH ONE YOU WANT, BUT, BUT, UM, NO, I DO HAVE.
ALRIGHT, SO AT THIS TIME, UH, UH, SCHOOL MEMBER S SECONDED AT THIS TIME.
NOW I'M GONNA ASK IS, ARE THERE ANY ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE PULLED? YEAH.
[05:40:01]
ON THE, UH, FINE ARTS? 12.SO ITEM 12 IS GONNA BE PULLED FOR A STANDALONE VOTE.
GO AHEAD MS. JIM, I KNOW THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS A RECOMMENDATION FOR THE HANDBOOKS.
YOU MAY NEED TO PULL IT TO HAVE A BRIEF DISCUSSION ABOUT IT.
UH, FOR THE HANDBOOK CONCERNING, OH, NUMBER THREE.
SO YOU'RE PULLING ITEM THREE? YES.
JUST TO MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT FOR THE HANDBOOK.
SO WE HAVE TWO ITEMS OFF THE CONSENT AGENDA.
THAT'S GONNA BE STANDALONE VOTING ITEMS. IT'S GONNA BE ITEM 3 20 23, 20 24.
STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, HANDBOOK AND DISCIPLINE POLICY.
AND ITEM 12, UH, PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACTS, FINE ARTS.
ARE THERE ANY MORE AT THIS TIME BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD? OKAY.
SEEING NO OTHER ITEMS THAT WE'RE GONNA PULL FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA, WE'LL NOW VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS ABOUT THE CONSENT AGENDA? AGAIN, ITEM THREE AND ITEM 12 HAVE BEEN PULLED.
SEEING NO NAMES IN THE QUEUE, WE'LL NOT GO TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
WHAT HAP WHAT COACH? NO, WE'RE NOT ON YOUR ITEM YET.
WE BOLDING ON THE CONSENT AGENDA FIRST.
THEN WE COMING TO YOURS? YEAH.
THANK YOU COACH FOR BLAMING HER.
AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL GO TO OUR BOARD, SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
AGAIN, WE'RE VOTING ON THE CONSENT AGENDA MINUS ITEMS THREE AND 12.
SEEING NO CUE CARDS, WE'LL NOW COME BACK TO THE BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
[G.3. 2023-2024 Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook & Discipline Policy]
G THREE, WHICH IS 2023 2024.STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, HANDBOOK AND DISCIPLINE POLICY.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE STUDENT HANDBOOKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, I'M SORRY, STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
HANDBOOK AND DISCIPLINE POLICY FOR THE 2023.
2024 SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE EASTBOUND RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH NOTED CHANGES, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
CAN I GET A MOTION? AL LEY? CAN WE HEAR THE CHANGE? YEAH, LET'S HOLD THE MOTION.
SO THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS OF THE HANDBOOK.
THERE WAS A VERSION PRESENTED TO THE BOARD TWO WEEKS AGO, UH, WHICH HAS ALL THE CHANGES WE DISCUSSED.
UH, THE SUPERINTENDENT IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS ASKED US TO CONSIDER A MINOR EDIT.
UM, THE GENERAL RULE HAS BEEN NO FOOD AND DRINK ALLOWED ON BUSES.
HE'S ASKING THAT WE ALLOW WATER FOR STUDENTS TO BE USED ON BUSES IN LIGHT BUSES.
HE'S ASKING THAT WE ALLOW WATER FOR STUDENTS TO BE USED ON BUSES IN LIGHT OF THE, THE EXTREME TEMPERATURES.
SO THE BOARD, WHOEVER MAKES THE MOTION, HE'S DECIDE DO I ADOPT VERSION ONE OR VERSION TWO.
SO FOR CLARITY VERSION ONE, IF REQUEST IS VERSION TWO.
SO FOR CLARITY VERSION ONE, EXCLUDE STUDENTS EATING OR DRINKING ON THE BUS.
AND OPTION TWO ALLOWS STUDENTS TO DRINK AT LEAST WATER ON THE BUS.
SO OR YOU DRINK OR YOU SAID OR DRINK.
AS IF A CHILD DRINKS LIKE A GATORADE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WE JUST OKAY.
SO THEY CAN'T EAT ON THE BUS, BUT THEY CAN DRINK ON THE BUS? YES.
SO AGAIN, OPTION ONE, UH, NO EATING OR DRINKING ON THE BUS.
UH, IN TERMS OF STUDENTS, OPTION TWO, THE STUDENTS CAN DRINK ON THE BUS, WHOEVER ADOPTS THE MOTION HAS TO SELECT ONE OF THOSE POINT, POINT OF INFORMATION.
IF WE ALLOW DRINKING ON THE BUS, IS THAT PLASTIC WATER IS THAT PLASTIC BOTTLE THAT WE CAN USE? OR METAL OR WE, WE HAD THAT DISCUSSION, UH, ACTUALLY WITH OUR CHIEF.
UH, MR. GODDE, COULD YOU REPEAT THAT? TURN THE MIC ON MS. VICKI SILAS COULDN'T HEAR YOU IN BACK.
UH, QUESTION IS, UH, DOES THAT POLICY, UH, ENTAIL WATER, PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES OR WOULD IT INCLUDE TH THINGS LIKE METAL, UH, BOTTLES AND THINGS LIKE THAT? OKAY, MS. VICKI SALAS IS GONNA COME DOWN THIS, I'M JUST THINKING ABOUT THE SAFETY SIDE.
AND I'LL SPEAK TO HER AS SHE COMES UP.
IT DOES NOT SPECIFY WE DISCUSSED THAT WE SPECIFICALLY LEFT IT.
I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A WAY, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, BUT WE LEFT IT BROAD TO ALLOW FLEXIBILITY.
AND IS THIS GONNA BE FOREVER OR JUST WHEN IT'S HOT? WELL, IT WILL BE FOR THE TERM OF THE ADOPTION OF THIS VERSION OF THE HANDBOOK.
SO THAT CAN CHANGE NEXT YEAR IS
[05:45:01]
BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YES, SIR.ALRIGHT, THAT YOUR QUESTIONS, UH, SCHOOL MEMBER GO THERE.
ALRIGHT, THIS TIME NOW SEND THE NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
WE'LL NOW GO TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC SEEING NO MOTION.
SO WE COULD, UH, I WILL HERE TO MOVE WITH THE OPTION THAT ALLOWS FOR WATER ON BUSES.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND WE HAVE A SECOND NOW ON THE FLOOR.
ALRIGHT, AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL GO TO THE BOARD FOR ANY C*M.
WHICH, WHICH SECOND? OH, I'M SORRY.
THAT'S, UH, UH, SCHOOL MEMBER GOD DAY.
THE SECOND WAS MADE FIRST BY MS. SHOSHONE STEWART, SCHOOL MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART.
OKAY, THIS TIME NOW WE'LL GO TO THE BOARD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
I'M SORRY FOR A BOARD COMMENT.
WE'LL NOW TURN TO THE PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
SEEING NO COMMENT CARDS AT THIS TIME, WE'LL GO BACK TO THE BOARD.
MAD SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
WHAT YOU THINKING? THE FINAL STUFF? UM, THIS IS VERSION TWO, RIGHT? YES, SIR.
NOW WE'LL GO ON TO OUR LAST VOTING ITEM OF THE NIGHT, WHICH WILL BE ITEM 12,
[G.12. Professional Services Contracts: Fine Arts]
A G 12 PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACTS TO FIND ARTS CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACTS BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND A ARTS COUNCIL OF GREATER BATON ROUGE IN THE AMOUNT OF $130,000 TO PROVIDE ARTS INTEGRATION AND EDUCATION AND RESIDENCY SLASH PERFORMANCES FOR SCHOOLS.B DOUGLAS MANSHIP SENIOR THEATER COMPLEX HOLDING AND INCORPORATED MANSHIP THEATER IN THE AMOUNT OF $91,594 TO PROVIDE FOUR TOURING PRODUCTIONS FOR SELECT SCHOOLS AND C KIDS ORCHESTRA IN THE AMOUNT OF $250,000 TO PROVIDE AFTERSCHOOL ENRICHMENT AND ORCHESTRA, UH, IN AL, UH, INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM FOR K EIGHT STUDENTS.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND.
CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY MS. MR. SHAWNEE STEWART, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MR. SHAWNEE STEWART.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER VICE PRESIDENT MS. CARLA POWELL LEWIS.
OKAY, AT THIS TIME NOW WE WILL GO TO THE QUEUE.
COACH, DID YOU WANNA SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? YES, YOU CAN GO AHEAD, ENTER THE QUEUE SO I CAN QUEUE YOU UP.
MR. JAFFAN, COULD YOU COME UP PLEASE? HIT REQUEST TO SPEAK COACH OR PUT YOU IN THE QUEUE? WHERE AM I? OKAY, THERE.
DOC, YOU CAN HAVE A FEW OF MY MINUTES IF YOU LIKE.
YOU YOU HAVE IT NOW YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
SO JUST WANTED TO ADD, UH, WE WANTED TO MAKE AN ADDITION TO, UM, THE, UM, TO THE ARTS INTEGRATION, UH, WITH, UH, ADDING RYAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND ONE OTHER SCHOOL, RYAN ELEMENTARY, SHARON HILLS AND FOREST HEIGHTS.
AND WE WANTED TO DO ONE MORE TO YOU WANNA ADD ONE MORE? YES.
THERE, THEREIN LIES MY CONCERNS.
UH, IT SAYS THAT, UM, THIS IS TO IMPROVE E L A, RIGHT? ACCORDING TO YOUR, UH, WHICH, WHICH ONE? UM, FINE ARTS.
THE ONE 30? NO, THAT'S ARTS COUNCIL.
AREN'T YOU, AREN'T YOU, ARE YOU HERE SPEAKING FOR ARTS COUNCIL? UHHUH
HERE'S, HERE'S MY, MY ISSUE WITH THAT.
MY GRANDKIDS ATTENDED FOREST HEIGHTS ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE.
THEY DON'T NEED ANYTHING AT FOREST HEIGHTS.
I'M FINE WITH SHARON HILLS, BUT LET ME, UH, I JUST GOT SOME INFORMATION I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU.
CLAYBORN ELEMENTARY, 18% OF THOSE KIDS, ONLY 18% OF THOSE KIDS HAD MASTERY OR ABOVE IN THE LA MELROSE ELEMENTARY.
ONLY 13% OF THOSE KIDS HAD MASTERY OR ABOVE.
WHEN BORN 14, FOREST HEIGHTS, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAD 67% OF THEIR STUDENTS MET MASTERY.
[05:50:03]
WELL, LET ME THEN, LEMME GO BACK TO THE TOP.ONLY 10% OF THE KIDS IN THAT SCHOOL HIT MASTERY OR ABOVE.
SO IF WE ARE LOOKING TO IMPROVE E L A, LET'S GO SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY NEED THE ARTS TO INCREASE THE E L A.
FOR THAT, THAT THAT WILL FALL UNDER THE PARTNERSHIP WITH MANSHIP THEATER.
THE E L A COMPONENT IS GEARED WITH THAT.
WELL, IN YOUR, IN YOUR DOCUMENT IT SAYS THAT, UH, YOU, YOU NAMED SHARON HILLS AND, AND, UH, FOREST HEIGHTS ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE.
BUT THEY WILL BE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FOREST HEIGHTS.
FOREST HEIGHTS IS IN THIS BECAUSE IT FALLS, I'M SORRY, I'M TIRED.
IT FALLS IN THIS BECAUSE SHARON FOREST HEIGHTS IS A ARTS INTEGRATED SCHOOL WHERE IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE IT'S A PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL.
BUT THE INTEGRATION STOPPED WHEN WE CHANGED PRINCIPLES.
WE HAVE A NEW PRINCIPAL NOW WITH THE NEW STAFF WHO DOES NOT HAVE ALL OF THE NECESSARY NEEDS OR TOOLS TO DO ARTS INTEGRATION.
BUT ALONG WITH THIS, THIS ALSO ALLOWS FOREST HEIGHTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A C A SCHOOL, WHICH WE ARE WORKING WITH THE KENNEDY CENTER.
SO THEY ARE LOOKING AT CERTAIN SCHOOLS WITHIN THE COUNTRY.
AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE FOREST HEIGHTS AS ONE OF THOSE SCHOOLS, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE EVERYTHING IN PLACE AS FAR AS ARTS INTEGRATION IS CONCERNED.
FOREST HEIGHTS, EVERYTHING AT FOREST HEIGHTS HAS HAD STUFF IN PLACE FOR YEARS.
ALL I'M SAYING IS THIS, IF THE KENNEDY CENTER AND ALL THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S FINE AND GOOD.
I'M SITTING UP I'M ABOUT IMPROVING E L A IN SOME OF THESE SCHOOLS WHERE 80% OF THE KIDS ARE NOT MOVING IN E L A.
WE HAVE 1089 CHILDREN IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT, FIRST THROUGH FIRST GRADE, WHO ARE READING TWO YEARS BELOW GRADE LEVEL.
AND THAT WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF BECAUSE OF THE SCHOOLS THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED.
THOSE ARE THE PRIORITY SCHOOLS THAT WILL FALL WITH US LOOKING AT THE LITERACY WHEN WE DO THE COMBINATION OF THE PARTNERSHIP WITH MANCHESTER FIELD.
SO BOARD MEMBER LEWIS, I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE'S SAYING, UNDERSTAND WHAT HE'S SAYING, BUT UNDERSTAND ME, THESE SCHOOLS ARE TANKING IN E L A.
IT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE OF THE RICH GETTING RICHER AND THE HAVE NOTS STAYING HAVE NOTS NOW.
SO ALL KENNEDY CENTER, ALL THAT'S FINE AND GOOD, BUT I'M WORRYING ABOUT THE KIDS THAT'S GETTING LEFT BEHIND AND THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO STOP GETTING LEFT BEHIND IN 1965 AS 2023 AND THEY'RE FURTHER BEHIND.
SO BOARD MEMBER LEWIS, WOULD YOU BE, WOULD YOU BE OKAY IF WE CONSIDER, UM, BY KEEPING FOREST HEIGHTS AND ADDING SOME OF THOSE SCHOOLS IN THERE, FOREST HEIGHTS? I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF FOREST HEIGHTS.
JUST I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF FOREST HEIGHTS.
FOREST HEIGHTS, FOUR OF MY GRANDKIDS WENT THERE.
I KNOW WHAT THEY GOT OVER THERE.
AND IF THERE'S A NEW PRINCIPAL OVER THERE, IT AIN'T GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.
I I I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
IT'S JUST BECAUSE OF THE KENNEDYS CENTER.
BUT, BUT THAT'S FINE AND GOOD.
BUT WE WOULD ADD, LET'S JUST KEEP THE RICHER GETTING RICHER AND THE HAVE-NOTS STAND.
BUT WE, WE, WE CAN CONSIDER ADDING THE, UH, THOSE SCHOOLS.
WE CAN ADD AS MANY AS WE AS WE WOULD LIKE.
LET'S, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S ADD SOME OF THESE KIDS THAT ARE GOING TO SCHOOLS WHERE, UH, 10% OF 'EM ARE, ARE HITTING MASTERY IN E L A, BUT YOU KNOW WHO GONNA BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT? THIS DISTRICT MELROSE.
WE WANT THESE KIDS TO IMPROVE IN E L A.
AND I WALKED AT SCHOOL THE THURSDAY BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED.
WASHED, DIRTY, SEALED CEILING TILES FALLING DOWN.
DON'T THINK I'M ATTACKING YOU.
I KNOW IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT, BUT ALL I WANT IS SOME EQUITY ACROSS THE BOARD.
AND EQUITY AT FOREST HEIGHTS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE EQUITY AT CAPITAL ELEMENTARY.
EQUITY AT SHARON HILLS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE EQUITY AT CLAYBORN.
WHEN I JOINED THIS BOARD, TWO THINGS I RAN ON WAS EQUITABLE RESOURCES ACROSS THE BOARD FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS UNITS.
AND IT GETS ME HOT UNDER THE COLLAR WHEN I KEEP SEEING KIDS THAT HAVE
[05:55:01]
LESS, GETTING LESS.I HAD A STATE MONITOR TOLD ME ONCE WHEN I WAS AT CAPITAL MIDDLE, I WAS GIVING HER A TOUR OF THE SCHOOL.
YOU KNOW, THAT USED TO BE A MAGNET SCHOOL.
I'VE BEEN SITTING HERE ALL NIGHT.
I JUST, JUST GIMME A COUPLE MORE MINUTES.
I, I'VE MADE THE COMMENT TO HER.
I, I SHOWED HER THE SCHOOL SHOWED HER WHERE WE HAD AN ART CLASSROOM, BUT THERE WAS NO ARTS.
WE HAD A CHOIR ROOM, BUT THERE WAS NO CHOIR.
SHOWED HER A ROOM THAT HAD BEEN USED FOR DRAMA.
AND I ASKED HER, I SAID, NOW WE ARE TRYING TO IMPROVE E L A AND MATH SCORES.
WE ARE EDUCATING 99.99% AFRICAN AFRICAN-AMERICAN KIDS WHO BY NATURE TEND TO BE KINESTHETIC LEARNERS.
WE TOUCH, WE FEEL, WE EXPRESS, WE, WE, WE, WE, WE, WE FEEL THINGS.
WHY AREN'T WE TEACHING MUSIC AND ART HERE? KNOW WHAT SHE SAID? MM.
BUT SHE AGREED WITH ME THAT ARTS AND MATH IMPROVE E L A.
BUT WE'RE NOT TEACHING IT, BUT WE'RE TEACHING IT RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET AT WESTDALE.
WE'RE TEACHING IT DOWN THE STREET AT WHAM.
WE'RE TEACHING IT AROUND THE CORNER AT FLAME.
WHY CAN'T WE TEACH IT AT THESE SCHOOLS? MR. Y THANK YOU.
UH, NEXT IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER, VICE PRESIDENT CAR, POWELL LEWIS.
UM, IN THESE ITEMS, SO ALPHABET A, B, AND C.
I KNOW FOR ALPHABET C WE TALKED ABOUT HOW THERE WILL BE AT LEAST ONE SCHOOL SERVICE PER REGION.
WITH THOSE, WITH THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ARTS COUNCIL, IT'S GONNA DO THREE OR FOUR DIFFERENT THINGS.
WITH THE ACTUAL INTEGRATION PIECE AT FOREST AS HEIGHTS, IT ACTUALLY MARRIES SCHOOLS TOGETHER.
SO IT'S THE THING, THE SERVICES THAT'S OFFERED AT FOREST HEIGHTS, FOREST HEIGHTS WOULD JUST GET AN ENHANCEMENT ON THEIR ARTS INTEGRATION.
BUT SHARON HILLS NOW, RYAN NOW PROGRESS WILL WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THOSE SCHOOLS WITH FOREST HEIGHTS AND THOSE TEACHERS WITH PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER AND SEE HOW THEY CAN USE THOSE SKILLS TO EXCEL IN THOSE OTHER CORE SUBJECTS.
NOT JUST THAT THEY WILL ALSO HAVE MASTER ARTISTS COMING INTO THE SCHOOLS, NOT TO THOSE FOUR SCHOOLS, BUT TO ALL SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT.
SO LISTENING TO BOARD LEWIS, BOARD MEMBER LEWIS, WE CAN NOW LOOK AT MAKING THOSE SCHOOLS SOME OF THE PRIORITY SCHOOLS AND FINDING WAYS WORKING WITH LITERACY, HOW WE CAN TIE THAT IN AND HAVE THOSE MASTER TEACHERS BUILD SOME TYPE OF PROGRAMMING AT THOSE SCHOOLS TOO AS WELL.
AND MY NEXT QUESTION IS, I GUESS IN REGARDS TO KIDS' ORCHESTRA, I KNOW I WAS ASKING IN REGARDS TO ALL THREE PARTS OF THE ITEM, BUT UH, WITH KIDS ORCHESTRA, WERE WE SAYING THAT ONE SCHOOL PER REGION WOULD BE A FEEDER SCHOOL AND THE OTHER SCHOOLS WOULD, WOULD THERE BE OTHER SCHOOLS THAT WOULD BE BUSED IN OR? SO WE'RE PILOTING THOSE BECAUSE IN SOME, FROM YEARS DOING KIDS ORCHESTRA IN ALL PARTS OF THE DISTRICT, AT ONE POINT, UHHUH
SO NOW WE ARE WORKING SOMETHING OUT WITH THEM AS WELL.
IT WILL BE A PART OF THEIR EXTENDED DAY OPPORTUNITIES WHERE THEY CAN ACTUALLY GET THE SKILLS, IF YOU WILL, OF LEARNING AN INSTRUMENT PLUS ALSO THE OTHER HALF OF TIME ACTUALLY DOING THE TUTORING THAT'S BASED THERE AT THE SCHOOL.
SO THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY OTHER SCHOOLS THAT'LL BE BUSED IN LIKE THEY WERE IN THE PAST? NO.
BUT NOW, STARTING THE NEXT YEAR, IF, IF FUNDING IS THERE, WE CAN LOOK AT TRANSPORTATION AND BRINGING THOSE KIDS INTO IT.
WE ARE GOING TO TRY IT AT ONE SCHOOL THIS YEAR BETWEEN SHARON HILLS AND RYAN TO SEE HOW WE CAN BUS KIDS FROM SHARON HILLS TO GET TO THE RYAN SITE OR VICE VERSA.
SO THE BIG THING RIGHT NOW IS JUST THE TRANSPORTATION PIECE.
AND I KNOW IN THE PAST WE HAVE USED FIRST STUDENT FOR AFTERSCHOOL PURPOSES.
ARE WE PLANNING TO USE EAST BATON ROUGE TRANSPORTATION? THAT'S, THAT'S THE THOUGHT.
IT IS THE THOUGHT MOVING FORWARD IF WE CAN, TO
[06:00:01]
USE OUR OWN TRANSPORTATION SERVICES.AND TRY TO FIND A BUS DRIVER WHO IS ROUTED AT THAT SCHOOL TO CONTINUE THAT ROUTE.
UH, DID WE DO PUBLIC COMMENT? I CAN'T RECALL.
AT THIS TIME NOW WE SEND OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
AT THIS TIME, WE WILL COME BACK TO THE BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
THIS, UH, NOW BRINGS US TO OUR LAST AGENDA ITEM OF THE NIGHT, WHICH IS ITEM J.
UH, ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS. UH, J ONE
[J.1. Announcement of Meetings]
ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETINGS COMMITTEE AT A WHOLE TO BE HELD.SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2023 AT 5:00 PM IN A CENTRAL OFFICE, BOARDROOM AND REGULAR MEETING TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2023 AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE.
MR. GODDE, CAN I SPEAK? I MOVE.