[00:00:33]
GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THE REGULAR[A. Meeting Opening]
MEETING OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD.TODAY IS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST, 2024.
IT IS NOW 5:00 PM THE INVOCATION TODAY WILL BE LED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.
UM, IS IS THE MS. SOLE, UM, MS. EMILY SOLE, AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WILL BE LED BY CADET COMMAND, SERGEANT MAJOR, UM, AVIANNA.
AVIANNA WILLIAMS, BROADMOOR HIGH SCHOOL, ACCOMPANIED BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL RETIRED DAVID MARSHALL JR.
LET US STAND AND THANK YOU, MS. LEY.
FATHER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE TOGETHER THIS EVENING, THE WEEK BEFORE THANKSGIVING, AND TAKE A SECOND TO GIVE THANKS.
THANK YOU FOR THE TEACHERS, THE STAFF, THE PARAS, THE CAFETERIA WORKERS, THE BUS DRIVERS, ALL OF THOSE WHO SPEND THEIR DAYS LOVING AND CARING FOR THE STUDENTS OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE IT IS TO SERVE ON THE BOARD.
MAY OUR MINDS AND HEARTS BE UNITED TONIGHT AS WE WORK FOR THE GOOD OF YOUR KIDS.
MADAM PRESIDENT, SUPERINTENDENT LAMONT, CO BOARD MEMBERS AND FEDERAL CITIZENS OF EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL DISTRICT, IT IS MY HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE CADET COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR AVIANNA WILLIAMS. CADET WILLIAMS IS A SENIOR AT BROADMOOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL AND IS THE DAUGHTER OF JOANNE AND CURTIS GREENLEY.
SHE IS A MEMBER OF THE PORT CLUB AND GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM.
CADET WILLIAMS HAS A 3.0 GPA AVERAGE AND CONTINUES TO IMPROVE IN HER ACADEMIC STUDIES.
SHE EMBODIES THE CADET CREED THROUGH UNWAVERING DEDICATION, HONOR, AND INTEGRITY.
CADET WILLIAMS LEADS BY EXAMPLE, PRIORITIZING SELF-DISCIPLINE, SERVICE, AND EXCELLENCE IN EVERY ENDEAVOR.
HER COMMITMENT TO THE ETHICAL LEADERSHIP INSPIRES PEERS AND STRENGTHENS THE ENTIRE BROADMOOR COMMUNITY.
AFTER GRADUATING FROM BROADMOOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, CADET WILLIAMS PLANS TO PURSUE A BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE IN THEOLOGY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA, LAFAYETTE DEEPENING HER FAITH IN PREPARING FOR A FUTURE OF SERVICE, LEADERSHIP AND SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HERE TO LEAD US IN OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
I PRESENT TO YOU CADET COMMAND STAR MAJOR ABIANA WILLIAMS. 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.
I PRESENT YOU A SUPERINTENDENT'S MEDAL.
THANK YOU FOR REPRESENTING AND FOR CONTINUING TRADITION.
BEFORE WE OFFICIALLY CALL OUR MEETING TO ORDER, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE, UM, AND SIMPLY SHARE THAT WE HAVE SOMEONE CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY, UH, ON OUR DAY TODAY.
AND THAT IS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MR. MARK BALLOU.
MAY YOU BE BLESSED WITH MANY MORE WONDERFUL YEARS.
THIS MEETING IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER.
PRESENT, DISTRICT NINE, VICE PRESIDENT MARTIN.
[00:05:01]
TWO.DISTRICT EIGHT, MS. SOLE PRESENT.
[B. Minutes]
TO AGENDA ITEM B, MINUTES APPROVAL OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 17TH, 2024 REGULAR BOARD MEETING AND THE OCTOBER 3RD, 2024 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING AS PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL.BEFORE WE HAVE A MOTION, ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC AT THIS TIME? OKAY.
SEEING NONE, IF WE, UH, WILL, WE WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
IS IS THERE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR? IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MR. RUSS.
IS THERE A SECOND? IT'S BEEN SECONDED BY MR. LEWIS.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD AT THIS TIME.
SEEING NONE, WE WILL ENTERTAIN A VOTE.
[C. Information Only]
UH, AGENDA ITEM ALPHABET C INFORMATION ONLY.YOU CAN FIND THESE ITEMS IN, UH, BOARD DOCS.
THIS WOULD INCLUDE THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT AND ANY PERSONNEL CHANGES.
[D.1. Update from Superintendent]
D TO RECEIVE AS INFORMATION.FIRST, WE HAVE THE UPDATE FROM OUR SUPERINTENDENT, MR. COLE.
THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IN THE AUDIENCE AND THOSE OF YOU AT HOME TODAY, UH, IS DAY 75, UH, THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS WORK TOGETHER, AND I WANT TO SHARE A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AND SOME OF THE WORK WE, UH, HAVE BEEN DOING.
SO WE'VE CONTINUED TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY, UH, BY VISITING WITH ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
THE TEACHER ADVISORY GROUP, THE STUDENT ADVISORY GROUP, WHICH IS MY FAVORITE GROUP BECAUSE STUDENTS ARE ALWAYS SO BRUTALLY HONEST ABOUT WHAT THEY KNOW IS HAPPENING AND IS NOT HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AND WAYS WE CAN IMPROVE.
UH, BUT MEETING WITH PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AS WELL AS HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND SOME TIME, UH, WITH THE JK HAYNES STAFF.
UH, AS AS WELL, WE ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS.
UH, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A FIRESIDE CHAT AT THE CHANGEMAKERS EVENT EARLIER THIS WEEK.
UH, WE SPOKE TO THE PARENTS, UH, AT JK HAYNES AND THEN HAD AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, EARLIER THIS WEEK TO BE WITH ALL OF THE FOLKS FROM THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE STATE.
UH, AS YOU ALL PROBABLY ARE AWARE, THE STATE HAS CHANGED SOME OF THE, UH, THE SCHOOLS.
I MEAN, THE WAY THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE GOING TO BE GRADED IN TERMS OF THEIR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES.
AND SO WE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIT WITH DISTRICTS AND TALK ABOUT WHAT WE ARE GONNA BE DOING IN BATON ROUGE, WORKING WITH OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY AS WELL AS SOME OF WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING.
AND THEN HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIT WITH SOME BESSIE BOARD MEMBERS TO TALK ABOUT, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND CAREER READINESS.
WHEN, UH, YOUNG PEOPLE GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL THUS FAR, WE VISITED 73 SCHOOLS OF OUR, UH, DIRECT RUN SCHOOLS.
AND I'M EXTREMELY DELIGHTED ABOUT THE WORK THAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOLS.
UH, WE'VE HAD SOME, UH, RELOCATION OF CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF MEETINGS ACROSS SCHOOL SITES.
AND THEN WE MET AS A, OUR REORGANIZED OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM TO INCLUDE A MEMBER FROM EVERY DEPARTMENT, UH, IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM TO MEET ONCE A WEEK SO THAT WE CAN BE IN ALIGNMENT AROUND, UH, WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE DISTRICT, UH, WHO IS WORKING ON WHAT PRIORITY WORK AND HOW WE CAN BETTER ASSIST AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER.
UM, MR. RUST, AS YOU ARE AWARE, 'CAUSE YOU VISITED US, VISITED US A COUPLE OF TIMES, UH, WE TRY TO MOVE THESE MEETINGS AROUND AND MEET AT SCHOOLS.
SO NOT ONLY AFTER WE MEET, WE CAN BE IN CLASSROOMS AS A DISTRICT TEAM PRO, PROVIDING SUPPORT AND FEED BACK TO SCHOOLS AROUND WHAT WE SEE.
AND THEN THAT WORK ALSO ALLOWS US, UH, TO BE BOOTS ON THE GROUND LEARNING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOLS VERSUS BEING TOLD, UH, WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOLS.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE CONTINUED TO DO IN OUR EFFORTS TO BRIDGE SOME OF WHAT, UH, HASN'T BEEN HAPPENING AND WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IS OUR COMPREHENSIVE, UH, DATA ANALYSIS.
WE ARE, UH, DIRECTLY WORKING WITH OUR FINANCIAL CONSULTANT.
I'M SURE MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY THE BUDGET CONSULTANT, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH HER TO STREAMLINE AND ADVANCE SOME OF OUR BUDGET PROCESSES AND OUR FINANCIAL PROCESSES.
UH, WE'RE DOING A DATA DISAGGREGATION TO DETERMINE, UH, WHERE WE NEED TO BE BEST DEPLOYING OUR RESOURCES.
WE'VE ESTABLISHED AN INTERNAL WORKING GROUP, UH, TO LOOK AT OUR STAFFING ALLOCATIONS FOR SCHOOL AS WE PREPARE, UH, TO GET READY FOR THE BUDGET PROCESS.
[00:10:01]
RECOGNIZE THAT SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS AND TO STAFF THEM ALL THE SAME IS NOT EQUITABLE.AND SO WE HAVE, UH, ASSEMBLED A TEAM TO START LOOKING AT THAT.
WE CAN CREATE AN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM TO COMPLIMENT THE WORK OF THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM.
SO WHAT IS, AND WE WENT THROUGH A TWO DAY TRAINING ALTOGETHER ABOUT 50 OF US.
SO WE COULD TALK ABOUT, AGAIN, EVERYONE HAS TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE HEADING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS WE SEEK TO IMPROVE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES IN OUR DISTRICT.
AND ONE OF THE BIG PARTS IS EVALUATING ALL OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN OUR CLASSES.
ARE OUR STUDENTS BEING EXPOSED TO HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS? ARE THEY BEING EXPOSED TO THAT INFORMATION AT GRADE LEVEL? AND THEN WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE SURE WE ARE FILLING IN GAPS TO HELP THEM BE SUCCESSFUL? NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL HOMELESS AWARENESS MONTH.
I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THOSE WHO SERVE THE SPECIAL POPULATION OF STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO OUR DISTRICT POINTS OF CONTACT IN THE PROGRAM.
SANDRA BETLEY, DR. NICOLE WARREN, OSHA, JOSEPH LAIKA, MONTAGUE, SHONDA DEONE, AND PARO TARABA AND LOUIS.
OR IF YOU ALL ARE HERE, WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED AT THIS TIME? THIS IS OUR TEAM THAT WORKS WITH OUR HOMELESS DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO EVERY SINGLE DAY.
WE CAN'T DO THIS WORK WITHOUT YOU.
IF YOU WANT, IF YOU WANT TO LET EXTRA CHEESE ON YOUR WHOPPER FOR THANKSGIVING, SEE ANY ONE OF THE NINE BOARD MEMBERS, THEY'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO EVERY DAY.
AS I'M SURE ALL OF YOU'RE AWARE, ARE AWARE ON YESTERDAY, UH, SCHOOL PERFORMANCE SCORES, UH, WERE RELEASED.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A IN-DEPTH, UH, PRESENTATION ABOUT OUR SCHOOL PERFORMANCE SCORE, UH, NEXT MONTH, UH, BECAUSE THE SCORES WEREN'T EMBARGOED UP UNTIL YESTERDAY.
AND WE ARE STILL DISAGGREGATING THE DATA TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION RELATIVE TO OUR SCHOOL PERFORMANCE.
WHERE HAVE WE MADE GAINS? WHERE HAVE WE GONE BACKWARDS? WHERE HAVE WE SHOWN GROWTH AND WHERE WE NEED TO, UH, SPEND OUR TIME ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE DISTRICT? WHILE I'M HAPPY TO REPORT, WE EARNED ONE POINT, UH, AND WE ARE 70.1, WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, WE STILL IN OUR DISTRICT HAVE DNF SCHOOLS, AND WE CAN NEVER BE SATISFIED.
AND I WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED UNTIL WE JUST HAVE ZERO DNF SCHOOLS AND WE HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS AROUND HOW DO WE IDENTIFY WHERE OUR STUDENTS AREN'T BEING SUCCESSFUL, AND THEN WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO USING RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGIES TO MEET THEM AT THEIR POINT OF MENT NEED AND HELP THEM GROW? AND SO WE'LL HAVE A FULL, UH, PRESENTATION NEXT MONTH, UH, BUT WE ARE GOING TO SEND YOU THE RESULTS, UH, OF ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THOSE RESULTS.
AND THEN WHEN WE COME BACK, UH, NEXT MONTH, WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION.
WE MAY EVEN HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS.
ONE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE, UH, AT THE CAL.
AND THEN PERHAPS AT THE BOARD MEETING IN DECEMBER, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR SUBGROUP INFORMATION AND REALLY DIG DEEP INTO WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING TO ADDRESS, UH, THE SUBGROUPS AND WHERE WE IDENTIFY SOME OF THE WEAKNESSES.
UH, SO THAT WOULD BE NEXT MONTH.
AND THEN WE'RE STILL EXPANDING THE PARTNERSHIPS AND DEVELOPING LONG RING PLANS TO DEVELOP CONTINUED COMMITMENTS, UH, TO RESTORE OUR STUDENT OUTCOMES.
EARLY CHILDHOOD IS A, IS AN OPPORTUNITY.
THE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND THE GRADUATION PROFILE AND WHAT'S TO BE EXPECTED, AND THEN RIGHT SIZING AND ELEVATING INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMMING IN OUR SCHOOL.
THOSE ARE GONNA BE THE PRIORITIES THAT WE TACKLE IN 2025, AS WELL AS WORKING WITH OUR BOARD AND, AND THE UPDATED STRATEGIC PLAN TO MAKE SURE THERE'S ALIGNMENT BETWEEN WHAT THE BOARD, UH, WANTS TO SEE HAPPEN IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND THEN WHAT OUR WORK LOOKS LIKE AS A WAY TO MEET THE, THE GOALS AND TARGETS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
TO THAT END, WE HAVE WONDERFUL SCHOOL LEADERS DOING OUTSTANDING WORK IN OUR SCHOOLS, AND WE ARE STILL IN DISTRICT TWO.
AND SO TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PRESENTATION, A SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT, UH, FROM, UH, THE SCHOOL IN THE GREAT METROPOLIS OF, UH, PORT HUDSON, LOUISIANA
THAT IS, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE SHANA ROSS, UH, THE PRINCIPAL AT NORTHEAST HIGH TO, UH, COME AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS THEY'RE DOING, UH, AT NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL.
I'M SORRY, SUPERINTENDENT COLE, YOU SAID? WHAT DISTRICT IS THAT? DISTRICT TWO.
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT SUPERINTENDENT COLE, DO YOU MEAN CHENEY? CHENEY.
I'M, I JUST WAS TRYING TO SEE IF YOU WAS PAYING ATTENTION.
TRYING TO SEE IF YOU'RE PAYING ATTENTION.
UM, I AM THE PROUD AND HUMBLE PRINCIPAL OF NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOLS, THE HOME OF THE VICTORIOUS
[00:15:01]
VIKINGS.AND, UM, I JUST THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF, OF MY WONDERFUL SCHOOL TONIGHT.
UM, I HAVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION AND, UM, JUST TO TELL YOU A, A LITTLE BIT, BUT I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE, IF YOU REALLY WANNA SEE WHO WE ARE AND KNOW WHO WE ARE, YOU HAVE TO COME VISIT US.
SO OUR, UH, THEME THIS YEAR IS LEVEL UP BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR GROWTH.
AND WE ARE SPECIFICALLY TRYING TO LEVEL UP WHEN IT COMES TO OUR, UM, PRIDE SCHOOL PRIDE POSITIVITY ON THE CAMPUS, AND OF, OF COURSE, OUR ACADEMIC PROGRESS.
UM, WE ARE SMALL BUT MIGHTY WITH A TOTAL OF 302 VIKINGS IN GRADES SEVEN THROUGH 12.
UM, REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE, UM, WE MAKE SURE THAT EACH STUDENT FEELS VALUED, AND WE KNOW MOST OF THEM BY NAME.
WE WORK TOGETHER VERY HARD TO MAKE SURE OUR STUDENTS HAVE WHAT WE NEED OR WHAT THEY NEED.
WE HAVE CAREER PATHWAYS THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF, AND THEY INCLUDE AGRICULTURE, UM, ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, GETTING OUR CULINARY ARTS DEPARTMENT BACK UP AND RUNNING.
AND WE ALSO HAVE A GROWING, UH, ARTS DEPARTMENT WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE, UM, LEARNING MORE ABOUT, UH, BROADCASTING.
AND, UM, MY INSTRUCTOR GOT HIS DRONE CERTIFICATION OVER THE SUMMER, SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AS WELL TO OPEN NEW DOORS, AS WELL AS VERY PROUD OF OUR JRTC PROGRAM.
UM, THE NEXT SLIDE SHOULD BE SOME OF, UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS 'CAUSE I PREPARED THIS, UH, BEFORE THE SCORES CAME OUT.
BUT IF I'M A WOMAN OF FAITH AND, UM, I KNEW THAT WE WOULD PULL THROUGH, WE REMAIN A C CAMPUS, WE HAVE MAINTAINED THAT C UM, OUR SCORE WENT UP SLIGHTLY, BUT WE ARE VERY PROUD THAT STUDENTS ARE NOT ONLY GRADUATING, BUT THEY'RE GRADUATING WITH THE SKILLS THAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
AND, UM, WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS EACH AND EVERY DAY.
ONE STUDENT AT A TIME, MOST OF, UM, AT THE BOTTOM YOU SEE ABOUT OUR IBCS.
AND SO THOSE STUDENTS ARE LEAVING OUR CAMPUS EQUIPPED FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS, AND WE'RE EXTREMELY PROUD OF THE GROWTH IN THAT AREA.
AND THEN, UM, ONE PARK, A WONDERFUL PART OF OUR CAMPUS THAT I LOVE TO PEEK OUT AND SEE THE GROWTH IS, UM, WITHIN OUR AG DEPARTMENT.
AND, UH, RIGHT NOW OUR STUDENTS ARE VERY EXCITED BECAUSE, UM, THEY'VE USED ALL TYPES OF SKILLS TO GROW, UH, PLANT GROW, AND, UH, THEY STARTED CLEANING THE GREENS AND ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS.
BUT, UM, THEY'RE INCREASING THEIR WRITING BY JOURNALING ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE.
SO THE AG PROGRAM IS EXPANDED BEYOND THE AG CLASSROOMS AND THOSE STUDENTS, UM, ARE BRINGING SOME OF THOSE WONDERFUL SKILLS INTO, UH, THE CORE CLASSES AS WELL.
AND THEN, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE TRY OUR BEST TO STAY CONNECTED.
SO, UM, WE HAVE A NEWSLETTER TO KEEP EVERYONE AWARE OF WHAT GREAT THINGS ARE GOING ON IN NORTHEAST, IN OUR SCHOOL APP.
I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO DOWNLOAD IT EVERY DAY.
YOU'LL GET AN ALERT AT 6 0 1 TO TELL YOU WHAT'S GOING ON THE NEXT DAY IN NORTHEAST.
AND, UM, WE HAVE MY BRAG BOARD ATTACHED TO IT.
SO, UH, THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, AND WE TRY TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT THOSE GREAT THINGS.
AND, UM, IT'S LINKED INTO THE SCHOOL APP.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE SPOTLIGHT.
UM, I ENCOURAGE ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW MORE, YOU DON'T NEED AN APPOINTMENT, YOU DON'T NEED TO SCHEDULE.
IF YOU DRIVE AWAY OUT THERE, WE GONNA MAKE TIME FOR YOU.
AND, UM, WE ARE JUST, I'M VERY PROUD OF IT.
I CANNOT DO WHAT I DO WITHOUT MY TEAM, MY STUDENTS, UH, HARDWORKING STUDENTS, MY PARENTS, AND EVERYONE WHO'S, UH, SUPPORTING US EACH AND EVERY DAY.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT US AND COME SEE US.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. ROSS.
I, I HAVE, I HAVE, I WENT AND VISITED THE SCHOOL A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND SPENT A HALF A DAY WITH MS. ROSS.
AND I CAN ATTEST THAT THERE ARE AMAZING THINGS HAPPENING, AND I EXCITED TO SEE THE ANIMALS OUTSIDE AND IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST AMAZING.
AND IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY, SO IT WAS A NICE DRIVE GOING UP.
I HAVE BEEN ON A CAMPAIGN THROUGHOUT OUR DISTRICT, ENCOURAGING OUR EMPLOYEES TO TREAT EACH OTHER WITH KINDNESS AND TREAT EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT AND BE, UH, BE, JUST DO THE RIGHT THING.
AND WHEN WE MAKE MISTAKES AND WHEN WE HAVE, UH, NOT DONE THE APPROPRIATE THING AS IT RELATES TO WORKING WITH EACH OTHER, I HAVE BEEN SAYING TREAT PEOPLE RIGHT.
AND HOW FITTING IS IT THAT WE TALK ABOUT JUST SIMPLY TREATING PEOPLE RIGHT? TREATING PEOPLE RIGHT? WE CAN BE HARSH ON THE ISSUE OR THE SITUATION, BUT WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE HARSH ON EACH OTHER.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WANT TO WISH EVERYONE A VERY, VERY HAPPY, UH, THANKSGIVING.
[00:20:01]
THANKFUL THAT YOU ARE HERE TO SEE THANKSGIVING.IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT, TRY MISSING ONE.
YOU'LL CATCH THAT ON THE WAY HOME.
AND, AND, AND, AND ENJOY YOURSELF.
'CAUSE ONE THING ABOUT THIS LIFE, NOBODY GETS OUT ALIVE.
SO WHILE YOU'RE HERE, ENJOY YOURSELF AND FOCUS ON THE GOOD, HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
AND MADAM PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT.
UM, MR. LANIS, UH, PRINCIPAL ROSS, COULD YOU STAND UP FOR A SECOND? I'M SORRY.
I DIDN'T WANNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT I WOULD BE REMISS 'CAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DISTRICT TWO.
AND I MUST SAY, FOR THE AMAZING THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THROUGHOUT THE, UH, PRIDE PORT HUDSON AREA OR CHENEY AREA, I HAVE NOT BEEN AS ATTENTIVE AS I NEEDED TO BE.
AND I'M TELLING YOU HERE, AND I WANT THE, ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN PRIDE PORT HUDSON AND CHENEY TO KNOW THAT I'M COMING.
I'M COMING WITH RESOURCES AND I'M COMING TO HELP.
AND I WANT TO KNOW HOW WE CAN MAKE THAT AREA, THAT SCHOOL, THOSE FAMILIES, THAT COMMUNITY BETTER.
HOW CAN WE MAKE IT BRIGHTER? I KNOW I GOT SHOW A LOT OF SHOUT.
UH, I DO A LOT OF SHOUTING OUT FOR GLEN OAKS 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY ALMA MATER.
BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW I LOVE EVERYTHING THAT THE VIKINGS DO.
I APPRECIATE YOUR TEAM, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO COMING TO SEEING YOU ALL.
[D.2. Update from Board President]
MY REPORT.AND I JUST SIMPLY WANNA SHARE, UH, AS A RESULT OF OUR VOTE AT THE LAST MEETING WE ARE NOW, OR THE SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT, YOURS TRULY AT THIS TIME, UH, SERVES ON THE IEP COMMITTEE, UH, FOR THE, FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
AND SO WE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING ON TUESDAY, AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE ITEM, AND IT WAS, UH, THE RENEWAL OF AN IEP ITEM THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO US BY EXXON MOBIL.
UH, THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE INCLUDE MYSELF, UH, INCLUDE MAYOR BROOM, AND IT ALSO INCLUDES, UH, THE LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AS WELL.
UH, MAYOR BROOM WAS NOMINATED AND CHOSEN TO BE THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE.
AND ON TUESDAY WE DID VOTE TO, UH, RENEW THE, OR OR FULFILL THE ITEP REQUIREMENT FOR EXXONMOBIL.
SO WE, WE DID VOTE IN FAVOR OF EXXON, SO I WANTED TO SHARE THAT.
UM, IN ADDITION, OF COURSE, AS I'VE MENTIONED TO YOU GUYS BEFORE, MY REPORT, I HAVE, UH, YIELDED TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, AS WE'VE BEEN IN OUR BOOK STUDY.
AND SO WE'RE NOW ON TO CHAPTERS NINE, CHAPTERS NINE THROUGH 12 OF GREAT ON THEIR BEHALF.
WHY SCHOOL BOARDS FAIL, HOW YOURS CAN BECOME EFFECTIVE BY MR. AJ KBI.
AND YOU ALL, I WILL SAY OUR PRESENTERS ARE REPORTERS FOR, UM, FOR NOVEMBER, THEY SHOWED EVERYBODY ELSE UP.
THEY ACTUALLY BROUGHT BOOK REPORTS.
AND SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE MS. STEWART AND MR. GODDE.
AND SO WHOMEVER HAS CHAPTERS NINE AND 10, WE WILL GO FIRST.
THERE WILL BE A TEST AFTERWARDS.
UM, YEAH, I'M, I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS QUICKLY.
I OUTLINE THIS MORE FOR THE BOARD, UH, MEMBERS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO READ IT.
BUT I THINK CHAPTERS NINE AND 10, TOUCH ON TWO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TOPICS, UH, FOR US AS A BOARD AND FOR THE PUBLIC.
THE FIRST TOPIC IS CHAPTER NINE IS TITLED BOARD WORK VERSUS SUPERINTENDENT WORK.
AND WHAT ARE THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SCHOOL BOARD VERSUS THE SUPERINTENDENT.
AND IN THE VISION OF THE AUTHOR, IT SAYS, ANYTHING THAT MEETS THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA IS CONSIDERED BOARD WORK.
ANYTHING DIRECTLY RELATED, UH, OR IN MENTION IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE BOARD GOALS AND GUARDRAILS.
AND THAT'S LIKE LISTENING COMMUNITY VISIONS AND VALUES FOR STUDENT OUTCOMES, CODIFYING THOSE, WORKING ON THE, ON THE, UH, GUARDRAILS, WHICH ARE REALLY THINGS YOU DON'T DO AND SO FORTH.
AND THEN ANY, ANY WORK LEGALLY REQUIRED.
AND THE KEY THING ABOUT THIS IS ANYTHING THAT IS NOT SCHOOL BOARD WORK BY DEFINITION, IS SUPERINTENDENT WORK.
AND I THINK THAT GETS CONFUSED A LOT WHILE WE GO IN THROUGH HERE WHERE, UH, IT SAYS THE, UH, SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF SHOULD BE THE ONES PROVIDING CUSTOMER SERVICE TO INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE CLOSEST TO THE ISSUE.
THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE BEING PAID TO DO THAT.
THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE THE EXPERTSS EXPERTS.
THE BOARD SHOULD REALLY BE FOCUSED ON DO THOSE INDIVIDUAL ISSUES HAVE POLICY IMPLICATIONS, AND SHOULD WE BE AMENDING OR CHANGING
[00:25:01]
POLICIES BASED UPON THE INFORMATION WE HEAR? BUT THE BOARD MEMBERS SHOULD NOT BE GETTING INVOLVED IN TRYING TO RESOLVE AN INDIVIDUAL ISSUE.AND ONE OF THE KEY REASONS FOR THAT, THERE'S LOTS OF 'EM TO IMPROVE DECISION MAKING MORE TO TIMELY, BUT IT'S ALSO AN IMPROVED PERCEPTION OF FAIRNESS.
'CAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO GET TO THE THING OF, OH, WHATEVER RESULT YOU GET IS TO BASED UPON WHAT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, YOU KNOW, THE BEST.
BUT THAT BASICALLY CLARIFIES IT THAT THE BOARD SHOULD STICK TO POLICY, LEAVE THE SUPERINTENDENT TO RUNNING THE DISTRICT AND DOING THE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS. AND THEN AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE BOARD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVALUATING THE SUPERINTENDENT TO HOW WELL HE MET THOSE POLICIES AND HOW WELL DID HE MEET THE GOALS.
THE SECOND ONE WAS UNDERSTANDING ASSESSMENTS AND BASICALLY GOING THROUGH THE, THE INFORMATION THEY HAD ON ASSESSMENTS THERE, THE FOUR DIFFERENT KINDS OF DIAGNOSTIC, FORMATIVE, INTERIM AND SUMMATIVE.
THE KEY ISSUE HERE IS ALL OF THESE ARE NECESSARY.
THE KEY ISSUE IS HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND ON THEM AND HOW, HOW WELL DO YOU USE THEM? AND THAT'S A DEBATE YOU CAN ALWAYS GET INTO.
BUT RECOGNIZE AT THE END OF THE DAY, ASSESSMENTS ARE ALWAYS HAPPENING, WHETHER IT'S A TEACHER LOOKING AT THE STUDENTS AND DECIDING WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO, HE OR SHE NEEDS TO DO WITH THE, WITH THAT CHILD TO HELP THEM LEARN OR TAKING THE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S CRITICAL ABOUT THE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS, PARTICULARLY FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE CHALLENGED, UH, ACADEMICALLY, THE STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS GIVES YOU, YOU A COMMON PLAN TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT WHERE PEOPLE ARE.
AND IT SHOULD BE UP TO US THEN TO BE ABLE TO APPLY MORE RESOURCES AND THINGS IN THE AREAS WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, UH, TO BE ABLE TO BRING THOSE CHILDREN UP.
AND SO FOLLOWING UP WITH MR. GODDE, UM, I REVIEWED AND READ CHAPTERS 11 AND 12.
AND SO FOLLOWING FROM CHAPTER 10, AS HE MENTIONED ABOUT ASSESSMENTS, IT SPEAKS ABOUT, UH, EFFECTIVE PROGRESS MONITORING.
AND SO, UH, IN THAT CHAPTER, IT DISCUSSED A CONTINUATION OF IMPROVEMENT IN THE CLASSROOM, IN THE BOARDROOM, AND BASICALLY GUIDELINES, MONITORING GUIDELINES.
NOW, A PART OF THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN THE BOARDROOM, OF COURSE, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT, UH, SPEAKS, UH, PRIMARILY ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE, UH, THE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY'S VISION FOR STUDENT OUTCOMES, WHICH ARE THE GOALS AND CURRENT STUDENT PERFORMANCE, UH, AND GROWTH, WHICH IS THE REALITY OF WHERE WE ARE AS A DISTRICT.
AND SO, UH, HOW THE GOALS ARE MONITORED AND SET, IT TALKS ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS, UH, HOW WE CAN DO THAT, UH, FROM THE BOARDROOM AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HOW TO IMPLEMENT, UH, MONITORING CALENDARS, MONITORING REPORTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UH, AND IT DISCUSSED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, I'M NOT GONNA RE UH, DISCUSS IT, BUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MR. GODDE MENTIONED ABOUT OUR ROLE AS THE BOARD, OUR PARTICIPATION, UH, TO CREATE AND INCREASE EFFECTIVENESS WITHIN, UH, THE DISTRICT.
SO PRETTY MUCH CHAPTER 11 TALKS ABOUT MONITORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MONITORING, AND IT GIVES US SOME GUIDELINES ON HOW TO DO THAT.
UH, MOVING ALONG, UH, CHAPTER 12 TALKS ABOUT THE EVALUATE EVALUATION OF THE BOARD PERFORMANCE, HOW WE SHOULD EVALUATE OURSELVES, HOW WE SHOULD MONITOR, UH, THE CONTINUATION OF IMPROVEMENT, KEEPING SCORES, UH, BASICALLY, UH, HAVING DIFFERENT PRINCIPLES, HOW WE ATTAIN PROGRESS.
AND SO, UH, CHAPTER 12 PRETTY MUCH SUMS THAT UP AND DISCUSSED THAT.
AND SO I DID AN OUTLINE FOR MY COLLEAGUES.
SO IF THEY WANTED TO KIND OF GO A LITTLE MORE IN DEPTH, YOU CAN.
SO I WOULD SAY A PLUS, PLUS PLUS BECAUSE THEY WENT THE EXTRA MILE.
UM, ALSO, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE TOO, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, MR. GODDE, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. STEWART.
AS WE GOT TO CHAPTER 12, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE NOT DONE AS A BOARD, RIGHT, AS FAR AS EVALUATING OURSELVES AS, AS A BOARD BOARD MEMBERS, AND THEN AS A BOARD, UH, COLLECTIVELY.
AND SO I HOPE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CONSIDER IF NOT FOR DECEMBER, MAYBE FOR JANUARY AS WE BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT 2025 NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT AS WELL.
[E. Reports from Board Appointees to Committees/Agencies]
MOVE TO ALPHABET E REPORTS FROM BOARD APPOINTEES TO COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES, UH, IF ARE THERE ANY REPORTS? OKAY, MR. MARTIN,[00:30:01]
THANK YOU.UM, ONE IS, UH, UH, I MISSED, UH, THE LAST REGULAR BOARD MEETING IN OCTOBER BECAUSE I WAS ATTENDING, UH, THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCHOOL START TIMES IN BALTIMORE.
UM, AND IT WAS A VERY FASCINATING CONFERENCE, I THINK OF VERY IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT I HOPE THE BOARD WILL CONSIDER OVER THE COMING YEAR.
UH, THERE'S A SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF RESEARCH AND THE PEOPLE PRESENTING AT THIS CONFERENCE WERE FULL PROFESSORS AT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL.
UM, AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPENT THE LAST 20 YEARS, UH, OTHER DOCTORS AND PROFESSIONALS WHO SPENT THE PAST 20 YEARS STUDYING, UM, UH, SLEEP CYCLES, CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS IN ADOLESCENTS AND, AND, AND YOUNGER CHILDREN.
UH, AND THE IMPACT THAT THAT HAS ON THEIR ABILITY TO, TO LEARN.
AND WHAT THE RESEARCH UNIVERSALLY SHOWS IS THAT ADOLESCENTS, BASICALLY, THEIR CIRCADIAN RHYTHM IS SHIFTED FROM THE REST OF US.
IT'S NOT JUST YOUR TEENAGER OR MY TEENAGER THAT DOESN'T WANT TO GET UP AT SIX O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING.
IT'S LITERALLY EVERY ADOLESCENT CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE THEIR, THEIR, THEIR BODY CHEMISTRY, THEIR, THEIR CIRCADIAN RHYTHM CYCLE IS SHIFTED FROM EVERYBODY ELSE.
SO THEY'RE NOT REALLY READY OR ABLE TO GO TO SLEEP UNTIL LIKE 11 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.
ALL OF YOU KNOW THIS, RIGHT? THAT HAVE HAD TEENAGERS IN YOUR HOUSE.
IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE BEING, UM, RESISTANT OR DEFIANT.
THEIR BODY'S NOT GIVING THEM THE SIGNAL, GO TO SLEEP.
AND SO IT'D BE LIKE TAKING YOU AT SEVEN O'CLOCK AND SAY, GO TO SLEEP.
NOW, SOME OF US MIGHT WANT TO DO THAT, RIGHT? BUT STILL, UM, AND, AND SO WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS IS THAT WHEN YOU FORCE THESE KIDS TO GET UP AT FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, FIVE 30 IN THE MORNING, 'CAUSE THEY GOTTA BE OUT THE DOOR TO CATCH THE BUS FOR SIX OR SIX 30 BECAUSE THEY GOTTA BE AT SCHOOL AT 7 0 5, WHICH IS HOW EARLY SOME OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS START, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE HAD EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP.
THEIR BODY WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO HAVE HAD EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP THAT NIGHT.
AND SO BY, WE WE'RE BASICALLY GUARANTEEING THAT, THAT THE FIRST TWO OR THREE HOURS IN THE MORNING, OUR CHILDREN ARE GONNA BE SLEEP DEPRIVED AND THEY ARE NOT GO JUST LIKE US WHEN WE DON'T GET ENOUGH SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE, WE HAVE A HARD TIME FOCUSING AT WORK, RIGHT? OR AT LIFE, WE ARE, WE'RE PUTTING THESE KIDS AND SAYING, NOW, HEY, YOU GOTTA LEARN ENGLISH.
YOU GOTTA LEARN ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE HALF ASLEEP.
'CAUSE FOR THE LAST, FOR THE LAST HALF OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, YOU'VE ONLY AVERAGED FIVE OR SIX HOURS OF SLEEP AT NIGHT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE BIOLOGICALLY CAPABLE OF DOING.
AND SO WHEN, WHEN, WHEN A NUMBER OF DISTRICTS AND, AND IT'S AN INCREASING TREND ACROSS THE COUNTRY OR SHIFTING TO, TO LATER START TIMES FOR, PARTICULARLY FOR HIGH SCHOOL, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS, THEY'RE FINE.
THEY CAN, THEY CAN IN FACT START BE READY AND MENTALLY CAPABLE OF FUNCTIONING AT 7, 7 30 IN THE MORNING OR WHATEVER.
IT'S THE ADOLESCENTS THAT CAN'T.
AND, AND, AND, AND, AND A LOT OF THE KIDS, AS WE'VE DISCUSSED AT LENGTH, UH, UM, IN THE TWO YEARS I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD, COME LIVE IN VERY STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENTS, RIGHT? THEY HAVE A LOT OF STRESSORS IN THEIR LIFE.
AND WHEN YOU ADD ON TOP OF THAT STRESSOR, CHRONIC SLEEP DEPRIVATION, THEY'RE CERTAINLY NOT GONNA PERFORM WELL.
AND SO WHAT YOU SEE, WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS IS THAT WHEN DISTRICTS HAVE ADOPTED LATER SCHOOL START TIMES SIGNIFICANTLY LATER, SCHOOL START TIMES LIKE EIGHT 30 OR NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, THEY GET A LITTLE BIT OF BOOST IN THE GRADES AND WHATNOT.
THE COMMUNITIES AS A WHOLE SEES A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN AUTO ACCIDENTS, IN TEEN SUICIDES AND IN OTHER SIGNIFICANT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES FOR OUR TEENAGERS.
AND SO THE, THE, THIS, THE SLEEP DEPRIVATION THAT WE REALLY FORCE ON THEM BY THESE EARLY START TIMES THAT WE HAVE, AND LOUISIANA HAS ON AVERAGE THE EARLIEST HIGH SCHOOL START TIMES OF ANY STATE IN THE COUNTRY.
UM, SO, SO I'M GOING TO BE, UM, UH, URGING US TO, TO LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT THE, AT THE NEXT FIVE MONTHS AT THIS TO SEE IF WE CAN, IF, IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY AGREES WITH US, WE SHOULD DO, EXPLAIN AND EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY MORE.
'CAUSE THEY LOOK, IT'S NOT WITHOUT CHALLENGES, RIGHT? EVERYBODY'S GOT TEENAGERS THAT THEY HOPE THAT THEY NEED TO STAY HOME IN THE AFTERNOON AND WATCH THEIR BABY BROTHER OR BABY SISTER WHEN THEY GET HOME FROM SCHOOL AND WHATNOT.
DISTRICT OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE DONE THIS AND HAVE FOUND WAYS TO OVERCOME THIS SO OUR LEARNING CAN BE EFFECTIVE, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT JUST CRAMMING IN AN INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES, BUT WE'RE HAVING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL TIME.
UH, ANOTHER BRIEF ANNOUNCEMENT, UM, UM, AS SOME OF YOU KNOW, UM, MY COLLEAGUE, UH, SHOSHONE STEWART AND I ARE BOTH MEMBERS OF THE BATON ROUGE ROTARY CLUB.
AND ON DECEMBER 11TH, UH, SUPERINTENDENT COLE WILL BE SPEAKING AT THE BATON ROUGE ROTARY CLUB GIVING AN UPDATE ON HIS FIRST A HUNDRED DAYS AS SUPERINTENDENT.
UH, AND SO, UH, COLLEAGUES, YOU'LL BE GETTING AN EMAIL SHORTLY, BUT, UH, MS. STEWART AND
[00:35:01]
I AND, UH, THE SCHOOL FOUNDATION WOULD LIKE TO INVITE EACH, ALL OF YOU TO COME AND ATTEND.UM, THAT, UM, THE FOUNDATION WILL BE PICKING UP THE TAB FOR, FOR Y'ALL TO COME, UH, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO COME AND WE'LL HAVE A TABLE RESERVED FOR US.
SO PLEASE CONSIDER, UM, DOING THAT.
THE F TO THE FOUNDATION, UH, MR. GODDE.
UH, I HAVE AN UPDATE FROM THE, UH, JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT SIDE, UH, JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT.
YOU CAN SEE A PICTURE UP HERE.
WE DID A RIBBON CUTTING, UH, AT THE JEWEL NEWMAN CENTER ON WEDNESDAY, UH, OCTOBER 30TH.
EXCUSE ME FOR A MOMENT, MR. LANIS.
AND THAT IS IN DISTRICT THREE
UH, AND THIS IS THE RIBBON CUTTING WITH THE MAYOR AND OTHER FOLKS, UH, THERE PARTICIPATING IN THAT.
AND THAT IS THE BUSINESS TOWN AND ALSO THE FINANCE PARK, WHICH IS WHERE THE STUDENTS GO FOR THAT.
AND, UH, THIS YEAR WE HAVE A MOBILE SETUP WHERE WE CAN MOVE THAT AROUND TO DIFFERENT PLACES.
AND FOR NOW, IT'S GONNA BE AT THE JEWEL NEWMAN CENTER FOR THE MONTH THROUGH THE MONTH OF DECEMBER.
AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES LEFT FOR VOLUNTEERS TO, UH, SIGN UP TO WORK ON THAT.
UH, THERE WILL BE THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 3RD AND THE WEEK OF, UH, DECEMBER 9TH.
UH, THEY WILL BE OPEN AT, AT THAT AREA AND WE NEED SOME MORE VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH THAT.
UH, AND THE VOLUNTEER, UH, YOU, UM, CR CODE WAS UP THERE A SECOND AGO, SO I HOPE ALL OF YOU HAVE SOME TIME AND AVAILABILITY.
UH, WE CLICK ON THAT CR CODE Q, COULD YOU PUT THE CODE BACK UP, PLEASE? THERE YOU GO.
SO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO VOLUNTEER, UH, FOR A COUPLE HOURS AT JA OR F UH, I THINK THEY RUN GENERALLY FROM EIGHT TO ONE.
UH, BUT I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE TO BE THERE THE WHOLE TIME, BUT WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU THERE TO HELP US OUT BECAUSE IT'S A WONDERFUL, UH, OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY TO UH, BE WITH THE KIDS, BUT TO REALLY SEE WHAT JA DOES AND HOW USEFUL IT IS TO OUR CHILDREN.
UM, AND MS. SOLE OR MR. RUSS? OKAY.
UM, SO I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND THIS PAST WEEK ALONG WITH BOARD MEMBER SOLE, UM, THE EXCEL AND ED CONFERENCE, UM, IN OKLAHOMA CITY.
UM, SO WE WERE THERE FOR ABOUT THREE DAYS, AND I'M GONNA BE BRIEF, I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A LITTLE HIGHLIGHT OF SOME THINGS THAT I PICKED UP AND LEARNED.
UM, SO I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND SOME STRATEGY SESSIONS, WHICH WERE LIKE SMALLER PANELS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN AND, AND, UH, ASK QUESTIONS AS NEEDED AROUND, UH, EARLY LITERACY ACCOUNTABILITY, UH, DECLINING SCHOOL ENROLLMENT AND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, WHICH, UH, FOUND ALL HAD REALLY GREAT, UM, HELPFUL INFORMATION TO GET, UM, NOT ONLY, UH, PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT'S GOING ON IN OTHER STATES IN EDUCATION, BUT ALSO LEARN SOME THINGS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR STATE AND EDUCATION.
UM, BECAUSE OUR STATE SUPERINTENDENT, UM, DR.
BRUMLEY WAS THERE PRESENTING IN TWO OF THESE, UH, AND I ACTUALLY GOT A LITTLE BIT BETTER INSIGHT INTO SOME OF THE MEASURES THAT WE'VE TAKEN IN LOUISIANA AROUND ACCOUNTABILITY AND EARLY LITER, EARLY LITERACY, UH, AND, AND LEARN THAT, UM, SOME OF THE POLICIES AND THE STEPS THAT WE'RE TAKING AS A STATE ARE ACTUALLY AT THE FOREFRONT OF, OF THOSE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS.
AND SO REAL, REAL HAPPY TO LEARN ABOUT THOSE THINGS.
WE HEARD FROM UM, UM, THREE, FOUR OR FIVE DIFFERENT KEYNOTE SPEAKERS WITH A LOT OF GREAT INFORMATION.
UM, AND SOME OF THE TAKEAWAYS I GOT, UM, FROM THE CONFERENCE IS THAT A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR DISTRICT ARE NOT UNIQUE.
THEY'RE PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE FACING ACROSS THE NATION AND, AND IN MULTIPLE DIFFERENT STATES, NOT JUST IN THE SOUTH, BUT ALL OVER THE PLACE.
UM, I LEARNED THAT WE HAVE A BIG OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE OUR RELATIONSHIP AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH LDOE.
UM, I LEARNED THAT, UM, ALSO AS I HAD MENTIONED, THAT WE ARE LEADING, UH, STATEWIDE, UH, AS A STATE LOUISIANA ON INITIATIVES AROUND LITERACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY POLICIES.
UM, SO IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND RUB SHOULDERS AND TALK WITH OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE POLICY MAKERS AND SUPERINTENDENTS AND ADVOCATES IN EDUCATION.
UM, AND THERE WAS ACTUALLY A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM LOUISIANA THERE.
UM, SO I GOT TO TALK TO A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AS WELL WHILE I WAS THERE, UH, AND HAD A GREAT TIME AND ALSO GOT TO HANG OUT WITH UH, BOARD MEMBER SOLE.
SO I WAS ALSO AT EXCEL AND ED IN OKLAHOMA CITY LAST WEEK
[00:40:01]
AND UM, ATTENDED MANY OF THE SAME SEMINARS THAT BOARD MEMBER RUST DID.UM, AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS THAT I AM BRINGING BACK AND ACTUALLY HAVE ALREADY, UM, STARTED SOME EMAILS WITH SUPERINTENDENT COLE ABOUT IS LOUISIANA IS, HAS SOME AMAZING POLICIES AT THE STATE LEVEL.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MANY OF THE SUPERINTENDENTS THAT SHARED AT THIS CONFERENCE, UM, SAID WAS THE POLICIES ARE GREAT, BUT IT'S GETTING IT TO THE LOCAL LEVELS, TO THE ACTUAL SCHOOL BOARD.
SO SOMETIMES THERE CAN BE SOME BREAKDOWNS THERE.
AND MANY OF THE SPEAKERS WERE TALKING ABOUT THESE AMAZING POLICIES THAT LOUISIANA HAS IN PLACE.
UM, AND SO I REALLY WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME IN THE COMING MONTHS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR LOCAL DISTRICT IS USING WHAT THE STATE HAS PUT IN PLACE TO ITS FULLEST.
UM, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS BEING IN THE CAPITAL CITY AND SO CLOSE TO THE STATE OFFICE, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE USING THE RESOURCES THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING, IMPLEMENTING THE POLICIES THEY HAVE IN PLACE.
ALSO GOT TO SPEND A GOOD BIT OF TIME LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF READING AND MEETING SOME OF THE, UM, THE CURRICULUMS THAT ARE IMPLEMENTING IT AND HOW THEY'RE DOING THAT.
AND SO, UM, I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED ABOUT 2025 AND GETTING TO CONTINUE TO HELP OUR STUDENTS GROW IN THESE WAYS.
I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE OF ALL OF THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE.
I HOPE THAT OUR COMMUNITIES ARE PAYING ATTENTION, THAT WE ARE TRYING TO LEARN ALL THAT WE CAN SO THAT WAY WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW AS A BOARD AND AS A DISTRICT AND BE ABLE TO SUPPORT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
SO THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE REPORTED TODAY.
[F.1. Amended Policy: EFA-EFA-Internet Safety and Network Use]
TO ALPHABET F UNFINISHED BUSINESS ITEM F1 AMENDED POLICY E-F-A-E-F-A, INTERNET SAFETY AND NETWORK USE CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE AMENDED SCHOOL BOARD POLICY AND RELATED MATTERS, EFA, INTERNET SAFETY AND NETWORK USE.ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC AT THIS TIME? OKAY, NO COMMENTS.
AND ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD AT THIS TIME? I BELIEVE WE NEED A MOTION NOW.
SO MR. MARTIN, ARE YOU PROVIDING THE MOTION? I, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE.
UM, AMENDED POLICY E-F-A-E-F-A, INTERNET SAFETY AND NETWORK USE.
IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MR. MARTIN AND SECONDED BY MR. LANIS.
UM, AND AGAIN, COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD AT THIS TIME? SEEING NONE, WE WILL ENTERTAIN A VOTE.
[G. Consent Agenda]
NOW TO ALPHABET G CONSENT AGENDA, MS. SOLE.THIS IS MY FIRST TIME READING THIS.
I READ THE WHOLE PAGE, RIGHT? YEAH, WE HAD IT EASY AND NO WORRIES.
YOUR, YOUR CONSENT AGENDA IS VERY LIGHT.
OKAY, GEE, CONSENT AGENDA ONE.
THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WOULD BE APPROVED AS PART OF THE CONSENT AGENDA ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE AND WILL BE ENACTED WITH ONE MOTION.
THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION OF ITEMS UNLESS A BOARD MEMBER.
SO REQUEST IN WHICH EVENT THE ITEM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND CONSIDERED AS AN ITEM ON THE REGULAR AGENDA FOR A SEPARATE VOTE.
PROCEEDING THE LAST ITEM ON THE REGULAR AGENDA.
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL UPDATE, CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE SEMI-ANNUAL FINANCIAL TAX PLAN UPDATE AND THE 20 23 20 24 PRELIMINARY ACTUAL RESULTS FOR PROPOSITIONS ONE, TWO, AND THREE.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT OPERATION, NO EXCELLENCE.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT YOUTH EDUCATIONAL SERVICES INCORPORATED.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH
[00:45:01]
SCHOOL BOARD AND YOUTH EDUCATIONAL SERVICE INCORPORATED.AND THE AMOUNT OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO PROVIDE A CT INSTRUCTION, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT SLASH FUNDING SOURCE.
TITLE ONE SCHOOLWIDE NUMBER FOUR.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING, AMENDED SCHOOL BOARD POLICIES AND RELATED MATTERS.
A-B-B-B-C SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CONTINUING EDUCATION.
D-G-B-R-I-B-B SICK LEAVE BANK.
ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES IJCD? NOPE.
J-G-C-D-A NALOXONE NUMBER FIVE.
LITIGATION CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION FROM GWEN CHAMBLIN, GENERAL COUNSEL E-B-R-P-S-B IN THE MATTER OF LEN LEONARD BRISCOE AND DANIEL BRISCO.
DANIELLE BRISCOE INDIVIDUALLY AND ON THE BEHALF OF THEIR MINOR CHILD VERSUS EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD.
DOCKET NUMBER 7 1 8 2 1 4 SECTION 26 19TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE, STATE OF LOUISIANA AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS.
END OF THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. THANK YOU.
ALRIGHT, SO, UH, COLLEAGUES ARE THE, WAIT, I'M NOT DONE.
SHE'S SUPPOSED TO SAY I'M SO SORRY.
ALRIGHT, SO ARE THERE ANY ITEMS BEFORE WE UH, PROCEED FORWARD? ANY ITEMS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE PULLED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA? OKAY, THAT I SECOND.
OKAY, SO IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY MS. SOLE AND SECONDED BY MR. LANDIS THAT WE ACCEPT THE CONSENT AGENDA, UH, COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC AT THIS TIME.
OKAY, SEEING NONE, WE WILL TURN TO COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD AT THIS TIME.
OH, MR. BALLOU, JUST REAL QUICK, I THINK WE SHOULD CONSIDER HAVING MS. SOLE BE THE PERMANENT READER OF THE CONSENT AGENDA.
I AGREE I WOULD LIKE TO PULL THAT FROM THE AGENDA OR WHATEVER THE CORRECT TERM IS.
UH, SEEING NO FURTHER BOARD COMMENT, WE WILL NOW ENTERTAIN A VOTE.
PLEASE VOTE THE MOTION CARRIES.
WE'RE NOW TO ALPHABET H NEW BUSINESS
[H.1. Student Expulsion]
H ONE STUDENT EXPULSION DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO APPEAL A STUDENT EXPULSION.UM, OKAY, UH, COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? MS. MATTHEWS? MS. MATTHEWS, I JUST WANNA SAY PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU READ ALL THE ASPECTS, UM, OF THE CASE.
I HAVE SEEN THIS BOARD LOOK AT THINGS AND TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, UM, FOR DIFFERENT CASES AND RULE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD AND I DO APPRECIATE THAT ON BEHALF OF THIS BOARD.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS CASE IS, UM, BUT MAKE SURE YOU RULE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILDREN.
SEEING NO FURTHER PUBLIC COMMENT AT THIS TIME.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY, MR. SHALIN, YOU HAD A, OKAY, MR. YEAH, JUST A REMINDER, THIS IS THE BOARD MAKING A DECISION TO HEAR THIS MATTER POTENTIALLY FULLY IN DECEMBER.
IT ONLY REQUIRES A MOTION AND A SECOND NO VOTE OF THE BOARD.
UH, SEEING NO FURTHER BOARD COMMENT AT THIS TIME THEN WE WILL MOVE.
SO, SO YEAH, SO YOU'RE GONNA ASK THE BOARD IF THEY'VE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE RECORD FULLY.
[00:50:01]
THERE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO HEAR THIS MATTER FULLY AT THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD? WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. SHAMBLIN, YOU ALL, HE NORMALLY GIVES ME A SCRIPT.OKAY, SO HAS EVERYONE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW, UH, THE CASE AT THIS TIME? OKAY.
AND THEN, UM, OKAY, SO IS THERE A MOTION TO HEAR THE ITEM? OKAY, SEEING NONE, WE WILL MOVE FORWARD.
[H.2. Appeal Hearing-Student Expulsion]
UH, ALPHABET H TWO.APPEAL HEARING STUDENT EXPULSION REQUEST TO APPEAL A STUDENT EXPULSION.
IS THE WORDING THE SAME OR DIFFERENT MR. SHALER? NO MA'AM.
UM, THIS IS ACTUALLY A HEARING.
UM, AND SO THE BOARD WILL BE VOTING IF NEEDED TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THE MATTER.
HOWEVER, THE BOARD HAS BEEN TOLD THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS RESOLVED THIS MATTER, UH, FULLY.
MR. COLE, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? OKAY.
ALRIGHT, SO THERE IS NO NEED TO, DO WE STILL TAKE A AN A VOTE ON THIS? TAKE 'EM.
IF THERE'S NO MOTION, THE MATTER DIES.
SO IS THERE A MOTION AT THIS TIME? OKAY, THANK YOU.
[H.3. Appeal Hearing-Student Expulsion]
H THREE APPEAL HEARING STUDENT EXPULSION.UM, MR. SHAMBLIN, IS THERE ADDITIONAL DETAIL IN REGARDS TO THIS AS WELL? NO MA'AM.
UM, SO REQUEST TO APPEAL A STUDENT EXPULSION.
IS THERE A MOTION THIS ONE'S ALSO RESOLVED? YES.
SO SEEING NONE, WE WILL CONTINUE MOVING AS WELL.
[I.1. Announcement of Meetings]
ARE NOW TO ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS. ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETINGS.ALRIGHT, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I HAD THIS
BOARDROOM, REGULAR MEETING TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 19TH, 2024 AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE BOARDROOM.
OKAY, BEFORE WE PROCEED TO THE ADJOURNMENT, I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE TO WISH EVERYONE A VERY, VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
I HOPE THAT YOU ALL REMAIN SAFE.
ALSO, WE KNOW THAT WE ARE NOW TO DECEMBER.
NEXT MONTH WILL BE DECEMBER AND THAT WILL BE OUR MEETING THAT WILL END THE YEAR.
UH, YOU ALL, I KNOW THAT UM, MS. ARMAN WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ME SAY THIS.
UH, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO COME WEARING YOUR UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER OOH
UM, ALSO, UH, THIS WILL BE THE TIME THAT WE WILL CULMINATE OUR BOOK STUDY.
AND SO WE WILL HEAR FROM MR. RUST AND WE WILL HEAR FROM MR. LEWIS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL ALSO HEAR FROM DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT AND SUPERINTENDENT COLE.
SO DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT SMITH AND SUPERINTENDENT COLE AS WELL.
AND YOU ALL, JUST AS I MENTIONED TO YOU BEFORE, THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK HAS AGREED TO JOIN US VIRTUALLY IN JANUARY.
SO WE'LL GET A CHANCE TO HEAR A LITTLE SNIPPET FROM HIM AS WELL.
SO, UH, THAT CONCLUDES ALL OF MY ANNOUNCEMENTS.
CAN I GET A POINT OF PURPOSE AND PRIVILEGE BEFORE WE GO? SURE.
WHILE I CANNOT TELL ANYONE WHO TO VOTE FOR, I JUST WANNA REMIND US THAT EARLY VOTING IS ON US.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU EXPRESS YOUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT AND GO OUT AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAST YOUR VOTE EARLY VOTING STARTS THIS SATURDAY, ENDS NEXT WEEK.
MAKE SURE YOU DO SO BEFORE YOU EAT SOME TURKEY.