* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] TARA HIGH SCHOOL, [A. Meeting Opening] ACCOMPANIED BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL RETIRED RAPHAEL MORRISON. THANK YOU. PLEASE RISE. LORD, WE COME TOGETHER THIS EVENING WITH A SHARED PURPOSE AND A STRONG RESPONSIBILITY. GRANT US WISDOM AND CLARITY AS WE DELIBERATE THE ISSUES BEFORE US, THAT EVERY DECISION WE MAKE HERE AND ALL OF OUR DEBATES BE GUIDED BY LOVE, UNDERSTANDING, AND A COMMITMENT TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILDREN WE SERVE. MAY OUR DISCUSSIONS BE MARKED BY RESPECT, OUR ACTIONS, BY COMPASSION AND OUR HEARTS, BY A SPIRIT OF UNITY AS WE WORK FOR THE GOOD OF ALL STUDENTS AND THEIR FUTURE. AMEN. AMEN. GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ESTEEM BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT COLE. UH, MY NAME IS 10 CARL RAPHAEL MORRISON FROM D TERRA HIGH SCHOOL, UH, TRO STRONG. UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE TONIGHT. UH, IT'S MY DISTINCT HONOR AND PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING JRTC STUDENTS AT TERRA HIGH SCHOOL, CADET MAJOR CHANTEL JONES. CHANTEL IS A SENIOR IN HER FINAL YEAR OF JRTC, AND SHE'S CURRENTLY SERVING ON OUR STAFF AS THE BATTALION TRAINING OFFICER. SHE'S A MEMBER OF THE PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL HONORS SOCIETY, AS WELL AS THE RETURNING CAPTAIN OF THE TARA HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM. SHE HOLDS THE RANK OF MAJOR AND MAINTAINS AN IMPRESSIVE CUMULATIVE GPA OF 3.5 WHILE ENROLLED IN DUAL ENROLLMENT. AND SHE'S ON TRACK TO GRADUATE WITH HER ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE IN HUMANITIES FROM B-B-R-C-C. UPON GRADUATING, SHE WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND LOUISIANA TECH, MAJORING IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT IS SHE'S MY NIECE. NOW, SHE WON'T TELL Y'ALL THAT SHE WON'T CLAIM IT. I PROMISE YOU SHE WON'T. SHE AIN'T GONNA SAY NOTHING ABOUT IT, , UM, JUST LIKE MOST HIGH SCHOOL KIDS DO WHEN THEY'RE, WHEN ONE OF THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS IS, YOU KNOW, AT THE SCHOOL WITH 'EM. BUT I'M SUPER PROUD OF HER. AND, UM, SO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE, I'D LIKE TO PRESENT TO YOU, UH, CADET MAJOR CHANTEL JONES. GOOD EVENING. PLEASE PLACE YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART AND JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STAND. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU BEHALF OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE SCHOOL BOARD. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES FOR YOUR FUTURE. THANK YOU. OKAY, MOVING ALONG. UH, WE'LL NOW HAVE THE ROLL CALL. MADAM SECRETARY, WOULD YOU PLEASE CONDUCT A ROLL CALL DISTRICT FOUR, PRESIDENT STEWART, DISTRICT SEVEN, VICE PRESIDENT. GDAY. HERE. DISTRICT ONE, MR. BLUE? HERE, DISTRICT TWO. MR. LANIS, DISTRICT THREE. MS. POWELL LEWIS. PRESENT, DISTRICT FIVE. MR. LEWIS PRESENT, DISTRICT SIX. MR. RUSS PRESENT. DISTRICT EIGHT. MS. SOLE PRESENT. DISTRICT NINE. MR. MARTIN, PRESENT. WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU, MA'AM. UH, NOW [B. Minutes] WE WILL MOVE TO ITEM B ONE. MEETING MINUTES, APPROVAL OF THE SCHOOL BOARD, MINUTES OF THE JULY 10TH, 2025, COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING AND THE JULY 17TH, 2025 REGULAR BOARD MEETING AS PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL. DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? AND I NEED TO CHECK ONLINE. I CAN'T , UH, I DON'T SEE ANY COMMENTS ONLINE FOR THIS ITEM. ANY COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? MOTION TO APPROVE. MOTION TO APPROVE BY MR. RUST. SECONDED BY MR. LEWIS. ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM ANY BOARD MEMBERS? SEEING NONE, MADAM SECRETARY, WOULD YOU PLEASE CONDUCT THE VOTE? PLEASE VOTE. YOU HAVE TO GIVE ME A SECOND. I'M NOT LOGGED IN. [00:05:21] BEAR WITH US. WE'RE TAKING A WHILE TO LOG IN. SURE. LET'S DO A ROLL CALL VERY QUICKLY. MR. MR. BLUE? YES. DISTRICT THREE. MS. POWELL. MS. POWELL LEWIS? YES. DISTRICT FIVE. MR. LEWIS? YES. DISTRICT SIX. MR. RUSS? YAY. DISTRICT SEVEN, VICE PRESIDENT. GO DAY. YES. DISTRICT EIGHT. MS. SOLE? YES. DISTRICT NINE. MR. MARTIN? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM C FOR INFORMATION. UH, ONLY THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT, WHICH HAS BEEN POSTED UP IN BOARD DOCS. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANY BOARD MEMBERS REGARDING THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORTS? THANK YOU, CIGNA. AND WE'LL GO TO PERSONNEL CHANGES FOR INFORMATION ONLY. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM ANY BOARD MEMBERS? SEEING NONE NOW WE'LL [D.1. Update from the Superintendent] MOVE TO ITEM D UPDATE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT, WHICH WILL GIVE US THE TIME TO LOG IN. VICE PRESIDENT GOER MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE HERE, AND THOSE OF YOU AT HOME. UH, I AM HUMBLED TO BE BACK FOR A ANOTHER MONTH SERVING AS A SUPERINTENDENT AND HAPPY TO REPORT, UH, ALL WE HAVE GOING ON IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. UH, WE'VE HAD A A PRETTY GOOD START TO OUR SCHOOL YEAR. OUR COLLECTIVE SUCCESS, UH, WILL BE THE INTENTIONALITY AND THE SUPPORT WE USE TO APPROACH EACH AND EVERY DAY. OUR WORK CONTINUES TO BE GUIDED BY OUR DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN. SO UNDER THE AREA OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, STUDENTS ARE CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENTS DURING THE FIRST 30 DAYS OF SCHOOL. UH, THE STATE POLICY REQUIRES LITERACY AND NUMERACY SCREENINGS. THE ASSESSMENT DATA, ALONG WITH OUR DISTRICT DEVELOPED COMMON FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS WILL HELP US TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE DATA AND TO MOVE OUR STUDENTS FORWARD SO THAT WE MAY TRACK AND MONITOR PROGRESS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. DURING THE SUMMER, WE APPROVED THE ALLOCATION OF $50,000 IN GRANT FUNDING FOR THE PURCHASE OF NEW BAND INSTRUMENTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT. THIS INVESTMENT IN OUR FINE ARTS PROGRAM HAS ALREADY MADE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT. OVER THE PAST WEEK, WE HAVE RECEIVED NUMEROUS HEARTFELT THANK YOU NOTES FROM BOTH THE STAFF AND STUDENTS EXPRESSING THEIR APPRECIATION FOR THE NEW INSTRUMENTS NOW AVAILABLE AT THEIR SCHOOLS. I SHARED WITH PARENTS THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE SEEKING, UH, FUNDRAISING EFFORTS TO PURCHASE BAND UNIFORMS FOR THE BANDS AT OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. AND SO WE ARE GOING TO PUT A COMMITTEE TOGETHER, AND I AM DETERMINED TO MAKE SURE NONE OF OUR, UH, HIGH SCHOOL BANDS MISS OUT ON AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN PARADES AS A RESULT OF NOT HAVING OUR BAND UNIFORMS. SO I'M GONNA CHALLENGE, UH, OUR BOARD MEMBERS TO ASSIST WITH THAT. UH, WE, WE WANNA PUT A COMMITTEE TOGETHER AND I'D LIKE TO ASK, UH, MS. SOULA TO SERVE AS THE COMMITTEE CHAIR, UH, OF THE BAND UNIFORM FUNDRAISING EFFORTS. YAY. I LOVE A GOOD BAND AND A GOOD PARADE AND A GOOD FUNDRAISER. . AMEN. THE OUTPOURING OF GRATITUDE HIGHLIGHTS THE VITAL ROLE, THE VI FINE ARTS PLAY, AND THE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE OF OUR STUDENTS. THE JOY AND ENTHUSIASM SHARED ABOUT OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY AFFIRM THAT MUSIC AND THE ARTS ARE NOT JUST EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. THERE ARE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF OUR ROUNDED EDUCATION, AND WE RECOGNIZE AND KNOW THAT MANY OF OUR STUDENTS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE, UH, IN AFTER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES WITH KIDS ORCHESTRAS. SO WE ARE EXCITED, UH, TO PROVIDE FINE ARTS TO STUDENTS WHILE THEY'RE IN SCHOOL AND AS WELL AS AFTER SCHOOLS. UH, WE'VE IMPLEMENTED CLASSROOM LOOK FORS AS WE CONDUCT OUR LEARNING WALKS AT OUR SCHOOLS. ALIGNED TO THE LOUISIANA EDUCATION RUBRIC, UH, THEY'VE BEEN CONDUCTED ON ALL CAMPUSES. MANY OF THE LEARNING WALKS HAVE BEEN CALIBRATED WITH THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL LEADERS ENSURING CONSISTENCY AND OBSERVATION AND EVALUATION. IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK IS BEING PROVIDED FOR TEACHERS, SUPPORTING TIME AND REFLECTION AND GROWTH. A KEY HIGHLIGHT. ALL SCHOOLS ARE EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTING HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, ENSURING RIGOROUS TEACHING AND LEARNING IS HAPPENING IN EVERY CLASSROOM. THIS WEEK, THE DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM, UH, MET AND WAS HOSTED BY TWIN OAKS ELEMENTARY. THE OBSERVATIONS WE, UH, SAW WHILE WE WERE AT THE SCHOOLS SHOWCASE GOOD TEACHING PRACTICES AND ACTION ACROSS THE CLASSROOMS. TEACHER COLLABORATION SESSIONS FOCUSED ON ANALYZING STUDENT DATAS, IDENTIFYING NEXT STEPS, AND ALIGNING INSTRUCTION IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICES DEMONSTRATING A COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND INSTRUCTIONAL EXCELLENCE IN OUR STUDENT HEALTH AND WELLNESS. SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS MONTH TO EDUCATE AND INFORM AND BRING AWARENESS TO WHAT MAY, WHAT MANY HAVE REFERRED TO AS A SILENT EPIDEMIC AMONG OUR YOUTH. THE ICARE PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT SUICIDE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN EFFORTS AT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT. THIS WILL INCLUDE CLASSROOM RESOURCES, LESSONS, ACTIVITIES. [00:10:01] WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2025. WE ARE ASKING ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE THIRD ANNUAL SUNSHINE DAY IN HONOR OF SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH AND MONTH. AND WE'RE ASKING EVERYONE TO WEAR YELLOW. I WAS WITH THE MAYOR EARLIER TODAY AND I CHALLENGED HE AND HIS STAFF TO DO THE SAME. AND THEY CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, EMS, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WILL ALL WEAR YELLOW RIBBONS THAT DAY. AND THE STAFF AT CITY HALL IS GOING TO PARTICIPATE BY WEARING YELLOW AS WELL. IN HONOR OF SEPTEMBER SUICIDE AWARENESS MONTH, UH, WE WANT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED, YOU ARE CARED FOR, AND THERE ARE RESOURCES FOR YOU. IF IN FACT YOU ARE FEELING UNDERWHELMED OR OVERWHELMED, EXCUSE ME. UH, AND IN NEED OF SUPPORT. SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH, A TIME DEDICATED TO HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR SCHOOL ATTENDANCE FOR STUDENT SUCCESS. TO THAT END, I MET WITH OUR DA, AND HE AND I ARE GOING TO REESTABLISH OUR DISTRICT-WIDE TASK FORCE ON THE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, AND WE ARE GOING TO ENGAGE A DOOR-TO-DOOR INITIATIVE FOR HOMES WE KNOW ARE SUFFERING WITH GOING TO SCHOOL OR CHALLENGED WITH THEIR STUDENTS GOING TO SCHOOL. UH, WE ARE IN THE BEGINNING PHASE OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS, BUT THOSE ARE THE, UH, INITIAL CONVERSATIONS WE HAVE. SO I'M EXCITED TO, UH, ENGAGE IN THIS WORK. UH, WE WANT, UH, TO PUT A DENT IN OUR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, AND WE HAVE PUT A DENT IN OUR TRUANCY NUMBERS, AND SO WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. THE CHILD WELFARE AND ATTENDANCE OFFICE CAMPAIGN WILL PROMOTE THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTENDANCE AND ACADEMIC OUTCOMES. OUR CELEBRATION SCHOOLS ARE EMBRACING THE CULTURE OF FEEDBACK AND GROWTH THROUGH WALKTHROUGHS AND CALIBRATION. HQIM USAGE IS UNIVERSAL, A MAJOR MILESTONE IN ELEVATING INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY. TEACHERS ARE ACTIVELY COLLABORATING AND USING DATA TO DRIVE DECISION, ENSURING STUDENT LEARNING REMAINS AT THE CENTER OF ALL OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING NEXT WEEK, WE WILL HAVE THE SID EDWARDS BATTLE ON THE BLUFF, HOSTED BY THE EAST BARR RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, AS WELL AS THE EAST BARR RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM. WE WILL HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE MONDAY AT SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY MUMFORD FIELD HOUSE TO PREVIEW THE EVENT. THIS COMING, UH, NEXT WEEK, THE JAMBOREE WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH AND 29TH. SO WE ARE ASKING THE COMMUNITY TO COME OUT AND SUPPORT OUR STUDENT ATHLETES. THE BANDS WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE, THE CHEERLEADERS AND ALL OF THE SUPPORT STAFF. AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, THERE'S GOING TO BE A RECRUITMENT FAIR FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND WE ARE EXCITED, UH, FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. UH, OUR HIGH SCHOOLS WILL BE SOME OF THE FIRST TEAMS TO BE ABLE TO PLAY ON THE NEWLY RENOVATED MUMFORD STADIUM WITH BRAND NEW TURF ON THE FIELD. SO WE ARE EXCITED. SO UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN GRACIOUS IN ALLOWING US, UH, TO PARTICIPATE. THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM IS TARGETING SCHOOLS THAT LACK ANY PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. THEY HAVE CREATED A TEMPLATE THAT CAN BE PERSONALIZED FOR EACH SCHOOL. EXPLAINING THE BENEFITS OF JOINING A PTA PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION, OR A PSN PARENT SUPPORT NETWORK. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL TO GET INVOLVED. EAST BARR PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM WAS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE IN STEM AND CAREER PATHWAY STATEWIDE RECOGNITION. LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RECOGNIZED THE EAST MARY PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM AT THE BESSIE BOARD MEETING FOR EARNING SECOND HIGHEST NUMBER OF STEM DIPLOMA SEALS IN THE STATE. WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL AND LIBERTY MAGNA HIGH SCHOOL WERE SPECIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED FOR THE EXEMPLARY PROMOTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF STEM PATHWAYS. ROBUST STEM PATHWAYS OFTEN INCLUDE STEM, PRE HEALTHCARE, STEM, PRE-ENGINEERING, AND STEM COMPUTING AND CYBERSECURITY. WE'VE EXPANDED OUR AGRICULTURE EDUCATION. THE NEWEST GREENHOUSES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND OUR NEAR COMPLETION AT THE FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOLS, ENHANCING THE AGRICULTURE COLLEGE AND CAREER PATHWAY, NORTHDALE, NORTHEAST WOODLAWN AND TRUMAN AND BROADMORE WOR WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPANSION. 300 OF OUR STUDENTS COMPLETED SUMMER INTERNSHIPS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES AND WITHIN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND IN ADDITIONAL 315 STUDENTS ARE SET TO INTERN THROUGHOUT THE FALL AND SPRING SEMESTERS ACROSS THE CAPITAL REGION. SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VALUED PARTNERS, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, AND THE BATON ROUGE AREA CHAMBER FOR PARTICIPATING BUSINESS PARTNERS FOR SUPPORTING CAREER READINESS. 615 OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN STUDENT INTERNSHIPS, AND WE COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED OF THE OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE TO HELP THEM PREPARE FOR THEIR LIVES AFTER THEIR K 12 EXPERIENCE. UNDER THE AREA OF OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND I KNOW I'M GOING FAST 'CAUSE I HAVE A LOT TO REPORT. UNDER THE AREA OF OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, OUR SRO UPDATES, WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE 15 NEW OFFICERS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE HIRING PROCESS. AND WE'LL SOON BE WORKING ON OUR SCHOOLS WITH STRONG SUPPORT FROM OUR BOARD MEMBERS. UH, AND WE ARE EXCITED. YEP. 75% OF OUR SCHOOLS WILL HAVE A RESOURCE OFFICER WORKING ON THEIR CAMPUS, AND ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO A RESOURCE OFFICER TO WORK IF THERE IS A NEED, UH, FOR THEIR SUPPORT. WE ARE EXCITED, WE [00:15:01] ARE THANKFUL. THIS IS A FANTASTIC DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCES SAFE, IMPROVISING VALUABLE SUPPORT TO OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF. HAVING DEDICATED SROS AND OUR SCHOOLS IS A CRUCIAL STEP TOWARDS FOSTERING A SECURE POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR EVERYONE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS AND ACTIVELY RECRUIT SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS WHILE STILL WORKING WITH OUR BRPD, WHO HAS PROVIDED CONSISTENT SUPPORT AROUND OUR SCHOOLS DURING SCHOOL, UH, THE, THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL DAY, AND IN THE AFTERNOONS WHEN OUR SCHOOL IS RELEASED, UH, EP SECURITY GRANT, WE HAVE SITES THAT WERE AWARDED $50,000 EACH FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY. BEL AIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MCKINLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL, CLAYBORN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BEL AIR HIGH SCHOOL, PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL IN GLEN OAK HIGH SCHOOL. THE PROJECT ENCOMPASSES A COMPREHENSIVE SUITE FOR SECURITY ENHANCEMENTS DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN SCHOOL SAFETY AND ENSURE SECURE ENVIRONMENTAL FOR STUDENT, STAFF AND VISITORS. THIS VISITOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS ESSENTIAL FOR CONTROLLING AND MONITORING ACCESS TO THE CAMPUS, HELPING TO PREVENT AUTHORIZED ENTRY TWO-WAY RADIOS FOR FACILITATE CLEAR AND IMMEDIATE COMMUNICATION AMONG STAFF AND SECURITY PERSONNEL, ENABLING SWIFT RESPONSE TO ANY INCIDENTS. DOOR ALARMS WITH THEIR MATERIALS AND INSTALLATIONS SERVE AS A CRITICAL ALERT, UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, OR BREACHES ENHANCING PERIMETER SECURITY. I KNOW COACH, YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT FOR A WHILE. SO EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THAT INITIATIVE WAY. FINDING SECURITY SIGNAGE PROVIDES CLEAR GUIDANCE AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION, HELPING VISITORS NAVIGATE THE CAMPUS SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY. FENCING AND GATES, INCLUDING MATERIALS AND INSTALLATION TO ESTABLISH PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES TO RESTRICT ACCESS AND PROTECT SCHOOL GROUNDS. LASTLY, CAMERAS WITH PROPER MATERIALS AND INSTALLATION CREATE A VISUAL SURVEILLANCE NETWORK THAT DETERS MISCONDUCT AND GRANT PROVIDES EVIDENCE WHEN NEEDED. COLLECTIVELY, THESE SECURITY MEASURES ARE VITAL FOR CREATING A SAFE, WELL-MANAGED SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT THAT SUPPORT EFFECTIVE CRISIS RESPONSE AND FOSTERS A SENSE OF SAFETY FOR EVERYONE ON CAMPUS. THE NEW EVOLVED WEAPONS TO TEXAS SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED AT NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL, CAPITAL HIGH AND MIDDLE SCHOOL, GLEN OAKS HIGH AND MIDDLE SCHOOL, REMA HIGH AND MIDDLE SCHOOL, MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL, BAYLOR HIGH SCHOOL, WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL, SCOTLANDVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, TARA HIGH SCHOOL, BROADMOOR HIGH SCHOOL, AND EBR READINESS. THE NAVIGATE 360 VISITOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS, IS PENDING BOARD APPROVAL, UH, AND SPECIFIC UPDATES WILL BE PROVIDED SOON. SO WE ARE EXCITED THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEPLOY, UH, THOSE SECURITY SYSTEMS AT OUR SCHOOL, HELPING TO ENSURE WE KEEP OUR CAMPUSES SAFE. AND LET ME SAY TO STUDENTS, IF THERE IS A CHALLENGE YOU ARE EXPERIENCING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, SO MUCH SO THAT YOU FEEL YOU HAVE TO BRING A WEAPON TO SCHOOL, PLEASE REACH OUT TO AN ADULT ON YOUR CAMPUS. WE WANNA KEEP EVERYONE SAFE. UH, AND IF THERE'S YOU ARE HAVING CHALLENGES, THERE ARE RESOURCES FOR YOU. AND WE ARE HERE TO HELP. UNDER THE AREA OF EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT, THE OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES IS HOSTING THE WEEKLY CONNECT TO SUCCEED JOB FAIRS AT SCHOOLS ACROSS THE DISTRICT, ADDRESSING STAFF NEEDS AND EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT SERVICES AND CORE ACADEMIC AREAS. THESE EVENTS PROVIDE CANDIDATES WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT CURRENT VACANCIES, ENGAGED WITH SCHOOL LEADERS, AND EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DISTRICT. THE DISTRICT HAS HIRED ALMOST 500 SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS ON THE ROSTER, INCLUDING TWO DEDICATED SITE-BASED SUBSTITUTE ASSIGNED TO EVERY CAMPUS. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE A SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS WHO ARE DEPLOYED TO OUR SCHOOLS EVERY DAY, AND A POOL OF GOOD HARDWORKING INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EXCITED ABOUT WORKING IN OUR SCHOOLS TODAY. HUMAN RESOURCES LAUNCHED THE FIRST CONNECT LIVE ON WINNING EXPERIENCE SESSION, ALLOWING EMPLOYEES TO CONNECT WITH HR, PAYROLL AND BENEFITS TEAM, AND RECEIVE VALUABLE INFORMATION AND SUPPORT. AS OF NOW, STAFFING LEVELS REMAIN STABLE WITH NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES. HR REPORTS A CURRENT OF 68 TEACHER VACANCIES AND 41 SUPPORT STAFF VACANCIES. WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 4,076 STAFF, 3,967, UH, OF OUR POSITIONS OF FIELD, AND 97% OF OUR TOTAL STAFF HAS BEEN FILLED. WE ARE, UH, ACTIVELY AND AGGRESSIVELY RECRUITING CLASSROOM TEACHING POSITIONS. UH, BEFORE WE SEEK TO FILL ANY OF THE SUPPORT STAFF POSITIONS WE ARE SEEKING TO FILL THE CLASSROOM POSITIONS. SO THOSE OF YOU IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO WANT TO JOIN A WINNING TEAM, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO VISIT, UH, OUR HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT, AND I WANT TO SAY TO DR. SMOTHERS, CONTINUED THE EXCELLENT WORK OF GETTING PEOPLE HIRED QUICKLY. UH, OUR SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN EXCITED ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS, SO PLEASE CONTINUE, UH, TO DO THAT WORK. WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE LAST REPORT I'D LIKE TO UPDATE THE BOARD IS OUR LESS TALK INITIATIVE, OUR LESS TALK AI INITIATIVE THAT ALLOWS FOR FAMILIES TO CONTACT US USING THE AI PORTAL. WE HAVE HAD 5,410 DIALOGUES. UH, 4,942 OF THOSE DIALOGUES HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTATION DIALOGUES. AND 4,827 OF THOSE DIALOGUES HAVE BEEN CLOSED. [00:20:01] SO THE EFFICIENCY OF RESPONDING TO OUR FAMILIES, UH, IS HIGH. WE RECOGNIZE WE STILL HAVE CHALLENGES. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ORGANIZATION THAT WORKS WITH. HUMAN BEINGS DOES NOT HAVE CHALLENGES. SO WE ARE ALWAYS GONNA HAVE CHALLENGES, BUT WE ARE WORKING EVERY DAY TO GET BETTER. WE ARE WORKING EVERY DAY TO SERVE OUR FAMILIES SO THAT WE CAN SERVE OUR STUDENTS IN A WAY THAT PUTS THEM ON A PATH TO BEING SUCCESSFUL. UH, I'VE TALKED ENOUGH, UH, NOW I'VE SHARED A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE GREAT THINGS WE HAVE GOING ON, AND I ALWAYS ENJOY TALKING ABOUT, UH, WHAT WE ARE DOING IN THE EAST PARISH PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM. WITH THAT BEING SAID, THAT COMPLETES MY REPORT. THANK YOU SUPERINTENDENT. AND I'M BACK. OKAY, SO MOVING [E. Reports from Board Appointees to Committees/Agencies] ALONG TO, UM, ITEM E REPORTS FROM BOARD APPOINTEES TO COMMITTEES. ARE THERE ANY, UH, BOARD MEMBERS THAT HAVE REPORTS TO REPORT? OKAY, MS. EMILY? YES. WELL, UM, SUPERINTENDENT COLE STOLE MY THUNDER ON THE SEPTEMBER, UM, SUICIDE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANKS FOR SHARING IT WITH THE MAYOR. AND, UM, I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT OUR EYECARE TEAM HAS. I ALSO JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT, UM, IN THE PAST MONTH I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK CLOSELY WITH SOME OF OUR STAFF, AND THERE WAS A FEW THAT I JUST REALLY WANTED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO. IT'S, UM, SUPERINTENDENT COLE AND THE BOARD. ONE OF OUR GOALS HAS REALLY BEEN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND I'VE GOTTEN TO JUST WITNESS THAT IN SUCH A BIG WAY RECENTLY WITH OUR STAFF. I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF MEETING WITH, UM, DR. CASEY AND HIS STAFF. I KNOW YOU'RE NOT A DOCTOR, I JUST LIKE IT. I FEEL LIKE YOU SHOULD BE, UM, AT MCKINLEY AS THEY MOVED INTO THEIR, UM, THEIR FACILITY IN THE KENILWORTH NEIGHBORHOOD, AND THERE WERE SOME KENILWORTH MEMBER NEIGHBORHOOD MEMBERS THAT HAD SOME CONCERNS. AND SO, UM, CASEY AND HIS STAFF WERE THERE BEFORE US, BEFORE THE NEIGHBORHOOD PEOPLE READY TO WALK AROUND. AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS JUST SO GRATEFUL. AND I WAS SO PROUD AS A BOARD MEMBER TO GET TO SHOW OFF MCKINLEY IN THE KENWORTH NEIGHBORHOOD AND JUST THE GOOD PARTNERS THEY WANNA BE. AND SO THANK YOU TO YOUR STAFF FOR, UM, DOING THAT. I ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS MY SECOND BEGINNING OF SCHOOL, BUT THE FIRST TIME PEOPLE HAVE REALLY REACHED OUT TO ME ABOUT THE BUSES . AND SO I'VE GOTTEN TO EXPERIENCE SOME BUS SITUATIONS AND THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH THE TRANSPORTATION TEAM ON THAT HAS JUST REALLY BEEN A PRIVILEGE. AND THE WAY THAT THEY HAVE ADDRESSED PEOPLE'S CONCERNS AND ADDRESSED THEM QUICKLY AND ANSWERED THINGS, UM, HAS JUST REALLY BEEN, UM, COOL TO BE A PART OF THAT TEAM. SO I JUST WANTED TO TELL HIM THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HARD WORK Y'ALL ARE DOING. UM, THE COMMUNITY SEES IT AND IT'S, IT'S COOL TO GET TO BE A SMALL PART OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU. UM, COACH, UM, VS. WE HAD A GREAT KICKOFF MEETING THIS WEEK. UM, THEIR VS IS REALLY AMPING UP THEIR EFFORTS TO EXPAND THEIR FOOTPRINT THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. UM, LOTS OF COMMITTEES, LOTS OF DEDICATED, VERY DEDICATED PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HELP CHILDREN, UM, GET A HEAD START. IT'S JUST, I'M REALLY PROUD TO BE A PART OF THAT ORGANIZATION. THEY DO A GREAT JOB. AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE A READING HELPER, A VOLUNTEER READER, WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF ROOM AT VS. JUST GO THROUGH THE WEBSITE, SIGN UP. THANK YOU. AND SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR, UM, REPORTS FROM THE BOARD APPOINTEES. NEXT WE HAVE [F. Consent Agenda] OUR CONSENT AGENDA, MR. BALLOU. THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT. THE FOLLOWING ITEMS 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. ITEM NUMBER ONE, GRANT EIGHT G STUDENT ENHANCEMENT BLOCK. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE EIGHT G STUDENT ENHANCEMENT BLOCK PROGRAM AND THE AMOUNT OF $414,846 TO PROVIDE THREE PRE-K FOUR CLASSES AT OTTOMAN, SHENANDOAH AND TWIN OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. YES. ITEM TWO, BUDGET REVISION CHILD NUTRITION. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE REVISED 20 24 20 25 AND PROPOSED 2025. 2026 CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM BUDGETS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH LOUISIANA REVISED STATUTE 39 13 10 AND LOUISIANA REVISED STATUTE THIR 39 13 11. [00:25:03] ITEM NUMBER THREE, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT AUGUST SCHOOLS INCORPORATED CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACTS BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND AUGUST SCHOOLS. INCORPORATED IN THE AMOUNT OF $74,340 TO PROVIDE AN ELECTRONIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RECORD PLATFORM. FUNDING SOURCE IS ICARE. ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT HIGH DOSAGE TUTORING. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT TO DETERMINE THE SELECTION OF NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE CONTRACTS WITH STATE APPROVED VENDORS TO PROVIDE HIGH DOSAGE TUTORING SERVICES IN READING AND MATH NOT TO EXCEED $1 MILLION. $560,855 ALLOCATION PENDING AUGUST 20TH BESSIE APPROVAL FUNDING SOURCE HIGH DOSAGE TUTORING GRANT. ITEM NUMBER FIVE, HEALTHCARE AND ANCILLARY BENEFIT PLANS. CONSIDERATION OF OUR REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL AUTHORIZATION OF THE FOLLOWING, A PROPOSED CONTRACT RENEWAL WITH LOUISIANA BLUE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OF THE HEALTH PLAN FOR 2026 THROUGH 2028. PRO B PROPOSED 2026 HEALTHCARE RATES FOR ACTIVE EMPLOYEES NON-MEDICARE AND MEDICARE ELIGIBLE RETIREES PARTICIPATING IN THE LOUISIANA BLUE ADMINISTRATOR ADMINISTERED MEDICAL PLANS FOR CORE BUY-UP AND HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN OPTIONS UNDER THE COMMUNITY BLUE AND PRECISION BLUE NETWORKS. C. PROPOSED CONTRACT RENEWAL WITH UNITED HEALTHCARE FOR ME MEDICARE RETIREES FOR 2026 D. PROPOSED CONTRACT RENEWAL FOR METLIFE FOR DENTAL FOR 2026. E PROPOSED CONTRACT RENEWAL WITH CELLEX FOR THE ONLINE BENEFITS ENROLLMENT PLATFORM WITH THE ADDITION OF FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND CONSOLIDATED OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT ADMINISTRATION F AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE THE 2026 CONTRACT FOR STOP-LOSS INSURANCE COVERAGE NUMBER SIX, PUPIL PROGRESSION PLAN. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR DISTRICT PUPIL PROGRESSION PLAN, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT SEVEN. POLICY AGREEMENT NAVIGATE 360 CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING, A POLICY KG VISITOR VISITORS TO THE SCHOOLS. B, AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND NAVIGATE 360 IN THE AMOUNT OF $98,532 TO PROVIDE, PROVIDE A VISITOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR THE DISTRICT FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND. NUMBER EIGHT, AMENDED POLICIES. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING AMENDED SCHOOL BOARD POLICIES AND RELATED MATTERS. A-A-B-C-B QUALIFICATION FOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS. B-D-J-E-G PUR PURCHASE ORDERS AND CONTRACTS. CIFA. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS C OH, EXCUSE ME, IS THAT TWO CS C. UM, JBD STUDENT ABSENCES AND EXCUSES. D-J-C-D-A-F. BULLYING EJDE EXPULSION. F-J-G-C-E. CHILD ABUSE ITEM NINE. RESOLUTION REVENUE BOND. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION GIVING PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO THE ISSUANCE OF REVENUE BONDS OF THE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA. ITEM 10, REAPPORTIONMENT REDISTRICTING CONSULTANT CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST THAT THE RFQQ BE REISSUED AND THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT COLLATE THE RESPONSES TO THE REISSUED RFQQ AND PRESENT THEM DIRECTLY TO THE BOARD AT A FUTURE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING WITH SCORING OR WITHOUT SCORING OR RECOMMENDATION. ITEM 11, LITIGATION CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF [00:30:01] THE RECOMMENDATION FROM GRIN SHALIN GENERAL COUNSEL, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD IN THE MATTER OF GWENDOLYN FLANAGAN VERSUS EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD. DOCKET NUMBER 22 DASH OH 5 4 3 6. DISTRICT FIVE AND RELATED MATTERS. DO I NEED TO READ ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE SESSION? NO. NO. OKAY. ITEM 11 OR ITEM 12, LITIGATION CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION FROM GWEN SHALIN, GENERAL COUNSEL, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD IN THE MATTER OF BRENDA MOORE VERSUS EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD. DOCKET NUMBER 24 DASH OH 4 5 4 2. DISTRICT FIVE, OFFICE OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION. AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR CONSENT AGENDA. THANK YOU. UM, ARE THERE ANY ITEMS, UH, ANY BOARD MEMBERS, UH, WOULD LIKE TO PULL FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA BEFORE WE MOVE ANY FURTHER? ITEM THREE. ITEM THREE. SORRY. ITEM THREE. YES. OKAY. JUST FOR CLARITY, A LITTLE BIT MORE CLARITY. OKAY. THAT'S, UH, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT AUGUST SCHOOLS. IS THAT ALL? OKAY? UM, DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR, WELL, WE GOT PUBLIC COMMENT. OH, DO WE HAVE ANY CARDS? ANY, ANY PUBLIC? OKAY. WE DO HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN ONLINE. OKAY. UM, I HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS, UH, MS. TANYA NIMAN. AND IF ANYBODY ELSE, UH, WANTS TO MAKE A COMMENT, PLEASE, UM, GET A CARD AND GIVE IT TO OUR SECRETARY OR COME UP AND THEN MAKE SURE YOU FILL OUT THE CARD. GOOD EVENING. UM, I'M HERE TO COMMENT ON THE REDISTRICTING AGENDA ITEM AND, UH, MY NAME IS TANYA NEIMAN. I AM, UH, BEEN INVOLVED IN EDUCATION ADVOCACY IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH FOR MORE THAN 13 YEARS PRODUCT OF NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. MY KIDS ARE A PRODUCT OF EAST BATON ROUGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND CERTAINLY MY EXTENDED FAMILY IS PRO PRODUCT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. CERTAINLY THAT, UM, MAKES ME GIVE A LOT OF CREDIT AND, AND FEEL A RESPONSIBILITY FOR ADVOCATING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. BUT THAT'S NOT THE ONLY REASON WHY I THINK THIS ITEM IS SO IMPORTANT. IT'S ALSO BECAUSE I RECOGNIZE THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION IS A CORNERSTONE OF A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY. UM, A CONSTITUTIONAL REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY FOR LENGTH. BUT I'M GONNA JUST SAY DEMOCRACY. I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND. UM, IT'S A CORNERSTONE OF A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY. AND THOUGH I ADMIT, I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER ACHIEVED A FULLY FUNCTIONAL DEMOCRACY IN THIS PARISH OR STATE OR COUNTRY. I DO THINK IT'S SOMETHING WORTH FIGHTING FOR AND ADVOCATING FOR, UM, BECAUSE IF WE EVER ACTUALLY ACHIEVE IT, IT WILL BE HEAVEN ON EARTH, RIGHT? UM, SO IT, BUT THE THING IS, IS THAT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN JUST BECAUSE WE SAY WE WANT IT, IT HAPPENS WHEN WE PAY ATTENTION TO THE POLICIES AND THE COMPONENTS THAT ALLOW FOR IT. AND ONE OF THE KEY COMPONENTS IS A FAIR MAP. NOW, BASED ON MY RESEARCH AND INFORMATION THAT YOU CAN VERIFY FOR YOURSELF, I DON'T THINK THIS BOARD HAS EVER OPERATED UNDER A FAIR MAP. IT HAS BEEN RIGGED FROM THE BEGINNING OF ITS EXISTENCE. AND SO, BUT THAT RIGGING, UM, WAS MOST EGREGIOUS, UH, BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE ADVOCATING TO IN THIS BODY. AND, AND THE RESEARCH I'VE DONE, I WOULD SAY WAS THE 2014 MAP, WHICH WAS THE ONE THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WAS ELECTED UNDER. IT IS THE MOST RIGGED MAP. IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. UM, AND I THINK THAT IN ORDER TO DO SO, , WELL, BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE ATTEMPTING TO GET A FAIR MAP, UH, ADOPTED IN 2022, UM, ONE, IT'S UNLIKELY THAT A RIGGED, UM, BODY WILL UNR ITSELF BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE AND HISTORY. IT IS UNLIKELY IN THE WORDS OF HOWARD ZINN THAT THE COURTS WILL PROVIDE JUSTICE UNLESS THE PEOPLE DEMAND JUSTICE. AND THE ONLY WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN DEMAND JUSTICE IS IF THEY HAVE GOOD INFORMATION. AND OF COURSE, THAT SHOULD START WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. MR. RUST, AT THE LAST MEETING, IF I'D BEEN ALLOWED A SECOND THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK, I COULD HAVE LET YOU KNOW THAT YES, THERE IS INFORMATION OUT THERE ABOUT WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPONENTS TO FAIR MAPS AND YOU CAN RESEARCH THEM. AND I DO HOPE YOU WILL LOOK FOR THOSE INDEPENDENT SOURCES AND A VARIETY OF SOURCES AND NOT RELY SOLELY ON OUR LOCAL MEDIA, OR CERTAINLY NOT ON THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY OR THE SUPER PACS THAT OFTEN DOMINATE THE NARRATIVE. SO THERE ARE KEY COMPONENTS, AND IF WE CAN EVER GET THOSE KEY COMPONENTS IN ORDER TO ADOPT A FAIR MAP, THEN WE CAN ACTUALLY GET DOWN TO THE BUSINESS OF ALLOWING A COMMUNITY TO GENUINELY HAVE THE DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF ITS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND THEREFORE IT'D BE A GENUINE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM. AND I THINK IN THAT INSTANCE, YOU WILL SEE DRAMATIC [00:35:01] IMPROVEMENT IN THE EDUCATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. NIMAN. UM, DR. VINNY, YOU WANT TO COME ON? YOU CAN COME ON. JUST GIVE MS. SECRETARY THE CARD. THANK YOU. IN NOVEMBER OF 2023, SO THAT'S 21 MONTHS AGO, THIS BODY VOTED TO, UM, PUT OUT AN RFQQ TO FIND A DEMOGRAPHER TO HANDLE REDISTRICTING. IT'S NOW AUGUST OF 2025. QUALIFYING FOR THE NEXT ELECTION IS LESS THAN A YEAR AWAY. AND YOU WANNA START OVER. THE MESSAGE THAT SENDS IS YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION OF ADOPTING FAIR MAPS. YOU WOULD LIKE TO STALL THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE TO, UM, ADOPT SOMETHING IMPERFECT, UNFAIR, AND PROBABLY MISTAKE RIDDLED AT THE VERY LAST MINUTE. I WOULD URGE ONE OF YOU TO HAVE THE COURAGE TO PULL THIS ITEM AND HIRE ONE OF THE TWO FIRMS THAT REPLIED TO YOUR RFQQ, OR AT LEAST EXPLAIN WHY IT IS YOU BELIEVE THAT NEITHER OF THE FIRMS WAS QUALIFIED. AND YES, IN THE INTEREST OF FULL DISCLOSURE, I'M A SUBCONTRACTOR ON ONE OF THOSE PROPOSALS, AND I'M NOT ADVOCATING FOR WHICH ONE YOU CHOOSE, BUT I AM ADVOCATING TO QUIT STALLING. MR. MARTIN'S PREMISE THAT THIS IS AN ADULT ISSUE THAT IS SOMEHOW IRRELEVANT TO YOUR, UM, MAIN FUNCTION AS A GOVERNMENTAL BODY, I THINK IS INCORRECT. AND IMPROPER DEMOCRACY IS IMPORTANT. WE STILL, I THINK, STRIVE TO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY IN THIS COUNTRY THAT DEPENDS ON FAIR MAPS. IF YOU PUT THIS OFF, NUMBER ONE, YOU'RE SENDING THE MESSAGE THAT WE WILL ASK FOR QUOTES AND QUALIFICATIONS, BUT WE WON'T BE SERIOUS, AND THEN WE'LL REALLY HIRE SOMEBODY ELSE LATER. AND I THINK THAT'S A PROBLEM FROM A PURCHASING STANDPOINT. BUT IN TERMS OF THE GENERAL TOPIC, YOU ARE SAYING, DO YOU WANNA STALL? IT WAS MORE THAN FOUR YEARS AGO THAT YOU CHOSE A DEMOGRAPHER, UM, FOR THE 2022 MAPS, AND YOU WERE DOWN TO THE POSSIBILITY OF CORRECTING YOUR ILLEGALLY ADOPTED MAP ON THE VERY LAST DAY. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. AND NOW, NOW YOU'RE ALL IN OFFICE BASED ON A MAP THAT VIOLATES THE US CONSTITUTION. SO PLEASE PULL THIS ITEM AND PLEASE CHOOSE A DEMOGRAPHER AND GET THIS PROCESS MOVING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU DR. FINNEY. WE HAVE MR. JAMIE ROBINSON. GOOD EVENING. UM, I STAND BEFORE YOU ALL TODAY JUST ABOUT, UM, ITEM 10. I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT OUR SCHOOL BOARD OPERATES UNDER A FAIR MAP. YOU KNOW, I HEARD SOMEONE MENTION EARLIER, I WASN'T HERE FOR THE PREVIOUS MEETING WHERE SOMEONE SAID IT'S AN ADULT ISSUE, BUT CERTAINLY CHILDREN ARE AT THE CENTER OF WHY WE NEED FAIR MAPS. WHEN YOU HAVE A POPULATION THAT IS 84% OR MORE THAN 80% PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND YOU HAVE A BOARD THAT IS NOW REFLECTIVE OF THAT, THAT IS A PROBLEM. YOU CANNOT REPRESENT THE BEST INTEREST OF BLACK CHILDREN AND NOT UNDERSTAND THE BLACK STRUGGLE. AND YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO REENTER INTO YOUR MOTHER'S WOMB AND COME OUT BLACK. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO GROW UP IN A, IN A DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS BEEN RACIALLY AND SYSTEMATICALLY OPPRESSED FOR YEARS. AND ONE OF OUR MOST CURRENT FORMS OF THAT CONTINUED OPPRESSION IS REDISTRICTING AND REAPPORTIONMENT AS IT AS IT RELATES TO IT BEING COMPLETELY UNFAIR AND UNJUST. NOT ONLY DO YOU REPRESENT CHILDREN, BUT YOU REPRESENT STAFF. LOOK AT OUR STAFF, LOOK AT THE MAKEUP OF THE STAFF. LOOK AT THE MAKEUP OF THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE. AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY IS PEOPLE OF COLOR. OUR SCHOOL BOARD SHOULD LOOK JUST LIKE THAT. SO WE'RE NOT ONLY ASKING YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING, WE'RE ASKING YOU TO DO THE LEGAL THING. WE DIDN'T ASK YOU TO RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD. YOU MADE THE CONSCIOUS DECISION TO DO SO. SO WHILE YOU'RE HERE, DO WELL DO RIGHT BECAUSE JAMIE ROBINSON HAS NOTHING ELSE TO DO IN 2026. BUT I WILL COME IN EVERYBODY'S DISTRICT AND MAKE SURE THEY KNOW JUST HOW YOU PERFORMED WHEN IT WAS TIME TO DO THE RIGHT THING WHEN EVERYBODY, REGARDLESS OF RELIGION, CREED, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY RACE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. ROBINSON. WE HAVE EMILY SHADOWING. [00:40:06] GOOD EVENING. UM, EMILY SHADOWING. I KNOW THAT THIS IS JUST THE CONSENT AGENDA. MY ONLY, UM, VOICE HERE IS TO SAY THAT I THINK WHAT WE'RE FEEDING OUR KIDS AND THE CHILD NUTRITION BUDGET DESERVES A MUCH LONGER CONVERSATION AND IN DEPTH LOOK, UM, FROM THE BOARD, BUT ALSO THE COMMUNITY. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO JUST NOTE THAT YOU CANNOT REPAY A DEFICIT WITH THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM. SO THERE'S A 4.8 MILLION DEFICIT, WHICH IS A HUGE PROBLEM. BUT YOU, THEY CANNOT REPAY THE GENERAL FUND. AND I'VE SEEN THAT WRITTEN, THAT'S NOT ALLOWED. IT'S NOT ALLOWABLE COST. SO I WANTED TO BRING THAT UP AS A CONCERN, BUT EVEN DEEPER, WE, I REALLY THINK YOU GUYS NEED TO SPEND A LOT MORE TIME ON THIS AND THAT IT'S NOT JUST A, OH, OOPSIE, WE, WE, WE OVERSPENT BY $4.8 MILLION. 'CAUSE I ACTUALLY DOUBT THAT NUMBER IS EVEN REAL. YOU ALSO HAVE A REALLY WONDERFUL CHILD NUTRITION DEPARTMENT AND A CHILD NUTRITION DIRECTOR WHO NEEDS SUPPORT. AND I WOULD URGE YOU GUYS TO DIG INTO THIS HARD AND DEEP AND LOOK AT WHY THIS IS A PROBLEM. AND, UH, MY CONCERN IS THAT WE'RE NOW GONNA CUT THE QUALITY OF FOOD. WE'RE SERVING THESE KIDS. AND THAT'S A REALLY BIG CONCERN WHEN WE DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TRUE FOOD COST IS. AND THE TRUE LABOR COST IS WHEN WE'RE USING EXTREMELY ANTIQUATED SYSTEMS TO MANAGE OUR CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM. IT'S A $30 MILLION LINE ITEM IN YOUR BUDGET. IT SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN BANK ACCOUNT, IT SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN ACCOUNTANT, ITS OWN FINANCE DIRECTOR. IT IS AS BIG AS YOUR EQUIPMENT AND FACILITY CONTRACTS, YET IT GETS LIKE HALF THE ATTENTION. AND WE'RE FEEDING OUR KIDS. A LOT OF THESE KIDS COME TO SCHOOL AND THIS IS THE ONLY MEAL THEY HAVE. AND YOU GUYS KNOW THIS, AND YOU GUYS KNOW THIS TOO, THAT THEY ARE DEPENDENT ON THIS FOOD. SO WE SHOULDN'T BE LOOKING AT HOW CAN WE CUT COSTS AND THAT THIS IS COSTING US MONEY. KIDS CAN'T LEARN IF THEY'RE HUNGRY. WE'VE ALL KNOWN THAT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. YET WE CONTINUE TO NOT MAKE CHILD NUTRITION A PRIORITY IN OUR BUDGETING AND IN WHAT WE REPORT AND IN OUR SUPPORT OF THAT PROGRAM AND THAT DIRECTOR AND THAT ENTIRE DEPARTMENT. SO THAT'S MY ONLY KIND OF, UM, PLEA TO YOU GUYS, IS TO PLEASE PULL THIS AND LOOK AT THIS MORE IN DEPTH AND SIT DOWN WITH THE CHILD NUTRITION PEOPLE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT GOES INTO MAKING A HEALTHY PLATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, IS THAT ALL? APRIL DOES ALL THE CARDS THAT WE HAD. OKAY. WE HAVE SOME ONLINE COMMENTS. MIKE, WANNA READ THOSE? YES. UH, WE HAVE ON ITEM F TWO CHILD NUTRITION FROM LACEY GRIFFIN. WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE A FEDERALLY FUNDED FOOD PROGRAM. IT IS DISTURBING THAT THE GUARDIANS OF THE MONEY MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE STUDENT'S BEST INTEREST AT HEART. DOES THE MONEY HERE ACTUALLY GO TO FEED STUDENTS HIGH QUALITY EDIBLE FOOD OR PAYING CAFETERIA WORKERS? A LIVING WAGE IS EXTREMELY DISTURBING. WHEN THEY HAD TO MAKE CHANGES THAT THEIR FIRST GO-TO WAS TO CUT FOOD OFFERINGS AND CAFETERIA STAFF. WE HAVE 600 PLUS STUDENTS SCHOOLS WITH BABIES NOT GETTING FED UNTIL ALMOST ONE O'CLOCK WITH ONLY TWO, MAYBE THREE CAFETERIA WORKERS. HOW IS THAT? OKAY. EVEN SO, SEEMS TO BE RUNNING LOW ON FOOD AFTER PASSING OR NOT PASSING THIS ITEM. EVERY BOARD MEMBER SHOULD GO EAT A RANDOM BREAKFAST AND LUNCH AT A SCHOOL IN YOUR DISTRICT. SEE FOR YOURSELF. SEE FOR YOURSELF, ARE WE ACTUALLY OFFERING HIGH QUALITY EDIBLE FOOD SO THAT STUDENTS CAN SUCCEED, REGULATE THEIR EMOTIONS AND LEARN? COUNT HOW MANY CAFETERIA WORKERS YOU SEE. GO BREAK BREAD WITH OUR STUDENTS, PLEASE. UH, WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE ON ITEM F FOUR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT, HIGH DOSAGE TUTORING FROM ANGELA HATFIELD. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ENSURE ENOUGH TUTORS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE STUDENTS THAT QUALIFY? MANY STUDENTS IDENTIFIED FOR TUTORING IN THE PAST DIDN'T RECEIVE THOSE SUPPORTS DUE TO LACK OF ELIGIBLE SPOTS. AND I WILL REFRESH ONE MORE TIME VERY QUICKLY, AND THAT IS ALL OF THE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS. THANK YOU MR. GODDE. AND SO WE NOW HAVE SOME BOARD COMMENTS. AND SO MR. LEWIS? YEP. I ASKED TO PULL, UH, THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT WITH ALL AUGUST SCHOOLS. MM-HMM . I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA. THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNICAL STUFF INVOLVED IN THAT, A LOT OF TRAINING. BUT I GUESS WITH ME WHETHER RUBBER HITS THE ROAD IS WHO'S GOING TO DO ALL OF THIS? COACH. SO WE PULLED THAT. SO RIGHT NOW, OH, I'M SORRY. EXCUSE ME. . I GUESS I'M EXCITED. . [00:45:01] THAT'S OKAY. COACH MS. PAUL LEWIS . YES. THANK YOU. I'LL COME BACK TO YOU, COACH. NO, NO. TAKE, TAKE YOUR TIME, . I GOT NOWHERE TO GO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, UH, TWO, UH, OF THE ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA THAT, UM, UH, WERE ADDRESSED IN OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS, I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO, TO NUMBER ONE, UM, SHARE JUST A, A LITTLE BIT OF LIGHT. UM, MS. NIMAN, MS. MS. NIMAN, YOU GAVE US QUITE A BIT OF FACTUAL DATA. I FELT LIKE I WAS SITTING IN, IN A CLASS AT AT LSU OR SOUTHERN, AND I APPRECIATED YOU SHARING THAT IN, IN THREE MINUTES OF TIME. BUT TO ME, THAT'S WHAT SHOWS THAT WE NEED MORE TIME BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S CLEAR ACROSS THIS NINE MEMBER BOARD. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT PROCESS WOULD LOOK LIKE, MR. SHAMBLIN, YOU KNOW, FOR US TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY. I FEEL LIKE I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE TOO, UM, FOR US TO HAVE AN EDUCATIONAL SESSION. UH, OR MAYBE, MAYBE THAT'S TO YOU, UH, PRESIDENT, UH, STEWART, I DON'T KNOW. WE MIGHT NEED TO HAVE AN, AN EDUCATIONAL SESSION IN REGARDS TO REDISTRICTING AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND LOOKING AT THE DATA OURSELVES INSTEAD OF HEARING BITS AND PIECES FROM MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. BUT LOOKING AT WHAT HAS EXISTED IN THE PAST, I'VE HEARD ABOUT 2014, I'VE HEARD ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN WE HAD THIS VOTE THAT WENT BEFORE US 2023. YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO SO THAT WE CAN ALL SAY THAT WE HAVE THE EDUCATION THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE DECISIONS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE IN REGARDS TO REDISTRICTING? AND JUST TO, UM, PIGGY ON THAT, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT OF COURSE, COURSE AND HOLD MY TIME 'CAUSE I HAVE A SECOND PART OH, ALL YOUR TIME, UM, UH, ABOUT POSSIBLY HAVING A, INCORPORATING THAT INTO A WORKSHOP, UM, SO THAT WE CAN BE INFORMED MORE ABOUT THE INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO THE OTHER MAPS, UM, AND WHERE WE ARE NOW AND THE PROCESS AND PROCEDURE AND MOVING FORWARD. AND OF COURSE, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN, UM, REQUESTED. AND SO, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, I'M GONNA GET WITH, UM, ATTORNEY SHALIN AND IT'S PART ABOUT THE INCORPORATION OF THAT AS AN OPTION. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU THANK YOU. WHICH ALLOWS FOR US TO GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE CENSUS DATA AND, AND WHAT THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE FOR OUR DISTRICT. I MEAN, I'VE SHARED WITH YOU GUYS BEFORE. I THINK I MAY HAVE MAJORITY OF OUR SCHOOLS IN OUR DISTRICT. I KNOW I HAVE 17, UM, ROUGHLY INCLUDING OUR DISTRICT APPROVED CHARTERS THAT ARE IN, UH, MY DISTRICT ALONE. AND SO I KNOW THAT THOSE NUMBERS WILL CHANGE, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO. AND SO THAT MEANS THAT THERE'S A LEVEL OF EDUCATION THAT HAS TO TAKE PLACE ACROSS THE BOARD FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. UM, THE OTHER IS, UM, DR. MCKNIGHT, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE A DOCTOR OR NOT, BUT IF YOU CAN COME TO THE MIC PLEASE AND JUST KIND OF SHARE WITH US, UH, WHAT HAS LED US TO THIS DEFICIT. AND JUST A SUMMARY OF THE PLAN OF, OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN MOVING FORWARD. AND THIS IS FOR CHILD NUTRITION, YOU GUYS, I KNOW I'M CHANGING MY SUBJECTS. WELL, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS ELLEN HILL. I AM THE NEW DIRECTOR FOR CHILD NUTRITION AND THAT'S OKAY, DR. POWELL. AND SO, SO I'LL START, UM, WITH A LOT, A QUICK OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY. SO SCHOOL YEAR 24, 25, LET'S START THERE. SO WE HAD THE, THE DEFICIT BECAUSE WE STARTED THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH A ZERO FUND BALANCE. WE DID NOT HAVE FOR THE, FOR THE LAST FIVE OR 10 YEARS, WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD A FUN BALANCE. THE FUND BALANCE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEARS SERVES TO COVER THE STARTUP COST OF THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM. OKAY? SO EVERY YEAR THERE ARE STARTUP COSTS FOR THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM, UPWARDS OF 3 MILLION, $4 MILLION. BUT BECAUSE OF THE FUND BALANCE IN PLACE, IT'S ALWAYS COVERED. THIS PARTICULAR YEAR'S SCHOOL YEAR 20 WENT TO, EXCUSE ME, YES. SCHOOL YEAR 23, 24. THIS YEAR STARTED WITH A STRIKE IN THE CNP DEPARTMENT. SO THE BUS, THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STRUCK, STRUCK, AND SO DID THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM. SO THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, WHEN THAT, UM, STRIKE TOOK PLACE, THE SUPERINTENDENT AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP MET WITH THE CHILD NUTRITION STAFF. AND FROM THAT MEANING THEY CAME UP WITH A SOLUTION. UM, AND THAT SOLUTION WAS TO PROVIDE THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM, WHICH I BELIEVE AT THAT TIME WAS AROUND 469 STAFF MEMBERS WITH FIVE STEP RAISES INCREASES IN A $3,000 STIPEND. SO THAT DID TAKE PLACE, [00:50:01] THAT STIPEND WAS DISPERSED INTO INCREMENTS ONE, $2,000 AND ANOTHER $1,500 STIPEND. AT THAT SAME TIME. THERE WERE SEVERAL PART-TIME EMPLOYEES WITHIN THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM, LONGTIME PART-TIME EMPLOYEES WHO WERE IN A SUB FULL FOR THREE YEARS, FIVE YEARS, SEVEN YEARS. AND AT THAT TIME, AND THEY WERE NOT RECEIVING BENEFITS. AND AT THAT TIME THEY WERE OFFERED FULL-TIME POSITIONS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE WERE SEVERAL CHILD NUTRITION EMPLOYEES WHO WERE WORKING SIX HOURS OR FIVE HOURS, AND THEY WERE ALSO, UM, INVITED TO COME ON BOARD WITH, WITH SEVEN HOURS. SO WE HAD A LABOR INCREASE THAT YEAR IN ADDITION TO FIVE ADDITIONAL STEPS. AND IN ADDITION TO A $3,000 STIPEND FOR 469 EMPLOYEES, UM, BY THE END OF THAT YEAR, UM, THE PROGRAM'S EMPLOYEE COUNT ROSE FROM 469 TO EMPLOYEES TO 533 EMPLOYEES. NOW, AS THE LABORER WAS INCREASING, THE DISTRICT, UH, ENROLLMENT WAS DECREASING. SO WE HAD MORE STAFF AND FEWER STUDENTS. AND I BELIEVE THE DISTRICT ENROLLMENT HAS DECREASED AGAIN THIS YEAR. SO THOSE HIGH LEVEL, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE REASONS THAT THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM EXPERIENCED THAT DEFICIT THAT YEAR BEFORE. AND THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE STARTED WITH THE ZERO FUND BALANCE IN SCHOOL YEAR 24 25. YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. DR. MCKNIGHT HILL. THANK YOU, MS. KYLE, DR. HILL. ALL THOSE INCREASES. WHAT WAS THE, THE, THE BOTTOM LINE COST? BOTTOM LINE COST. YEAH. WHAT DID IT COST? ONE SECOND. TO ADD ALL THOSE PEOPLE, TO GIVE THEM BENEFITS, TO MAKE 'EM FULL TIME, TO GIVE STIPENDS. HOW MUCH DID ALL THAT COST? WHAT WAS THE BOTTOM LINE FOR THAT? I PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME ROUGH NUMBERS AND IF THE NUMBERS ARE TOO ROUGH, I'LL CALL ON CHIEF LOPEZ. MM. SO FOR THE STIPEND ALONE, THAT WAS $1.5 MILLION. THE STIPEND ALONE, THAT THE, THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FIVE STEP INCREASES THAT WERE PROVIDED TO EACH CHILD NUTRITION EMPLOYEE, NOT JUST THE KITCHEN STAFF, ALL CHILD NUTRITION EMPLOYEES, 1.5 MILLION. IT DIDN'T INCLUDE THE FIVE STEPS STEPS, BUT IF YOU NEED HARD NUMBERS WITH THE FIVE STEPS, I WOULD DEFER TO MS. LOPEZ REGARDING THE HARD NUMBERS AROUND THE FIVE STEPS AT THAT TIME. NOW ABOUT A HALF MILLION. HALF MILLION. THANK YOU. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 2 MILLION? YES, SIR. OKAY. TWO, 2 MILLION OUTTA 4.8. SO ROUGHLY TWO POINT MILLION OUTTA 4.8. NOW THOSE ARE STIPENDS AND FIVE STEP INCREASES, BUT THAT DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR PAYROLL AND BENEFIT COSTS. AS I MENTIONED, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE CHILD ATTRITION EMPLOYEES WERE PART-TIME WORKERS AND THEY HAD BEEN PART-TIME WORKERS FOR YEARS, UM, IN THE, IN SOMETHING CALLED A SUBPOOL. RIGHT? AND SO WHEN THOSE PART-TIME WORKERS WERE OFFERED FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT BENEFIT COST ACCRUED AS WELL. SO THE LABOR AND PAYROLL COSTS WENT UP AS WELL THAT YEAR. DR. HILL. SO DOES THAT, AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING THAT SUMMARY. SO, UM, DOES THAT DEFICIT IN ANY WAY REFLECT, UH, THE QUALITY OF FOOD ITEMS THAT ARE PROVIDED FOR OUR STUDENTS? SO YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE DEFICIT LAST SCHOOL YEAR. WHAT, WHAT SCHOOL YOU REFERRING TO? SURE. WHATEVER HAS, HAS BROUGHT US TO THIS POINT. OKAY. SO THE, THE QUALITY OF FOOD, I HEARD THAT A COUPLE OF TIMES, UM, WILL NOT DECREASE. SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED THIS SCHOOL YEAR? WHATEVER YOU DO LAST SCHOOL YEAR SETS YOU UP FINANCIALLY FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IN CHILD NUTRITION. UH, OUR PROCUREMENT BID WAS LAST YEAR, RIGHT? OUR STAFFING WAS LAST YEAR. SO LAST SCHOOL YEAR WHILE WE WERE GOING THROUGH WELL MANAGING THIS BUDGET CRISIS, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO DIVERSIFY OUR VENDORS. SO YEAR, FOR YEARS AND YEARS, WE HAD ABOUT TWO FOOD VENDORS. THIS YEAR WE HAD THREE. AND BECAUSE WE HAD THREE FOOD VENDORS, OUR, THE RAW COST OF OUR FOOD WENT DOWN FOR YEARS. WE HAD TWO PRODUCE VENDORS. AND THIS YEAR, BECAUSE WE HAD THREE OUT OF NEW ORLEANS, ONE OUT OF NEW ORLEANS, THE RAW COST OF OUR FOOD WENT DOWN. AND SO THE MAJOR DRIVERS ARE EXPENDITURES OF THE CHILD NUTRITION BUDGET ARE LABOR COSTS, FOOD COSTS, AND LARGE EQUIPMENT COSTS. AND WHEN I SAY LARGE EQUIPMENT COSTS, I'M REFERRING TO THE TRUCKS THAT WOULD DELIVER THE FOOD IN THE COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT AND THE $100,000 COOLER FREEZERS AND WALK-IN REFRIGERATORS IN THE PROGRAM. AND SO, UM, THE RAW COST OF OUR FOOD WILL BE GOING DOWN FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR. THANK YOU MS. HILL. UH, YOU'RE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB. BUT I WANT TO MAKE MENTION SO THE BOARD IS AWARE, UH, BECAUSE OFTENTIMES, [00:55:01] UH, OUR CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM EMPLOYEES, UH, ARE NOT AT OUR BOARD MEETINGS. YES. SO I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR, UH, YOU STARTED IN YOUR POSITION WHEN I STARTED SEPTEMBER, 2024. SO YOU WALKED INTO A SITUATION AND YOU BEGAN MANAGING WHAT WAS ALREADY A CRISIS. UH, YES SIR. BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER, 2024, THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM WAS ALREADY 4.52 MILLION IN THE DEFICIT. AND SO YOU WALKED IN AND WE BEGAN CONVERSING ABOUT WHERE WE WERE. AND YOU BEGIN MANAGING THIS, UH, AS BEST YOU COULD. AND I WANT TO SAY YOU'VE DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB. THANK YOU. AND THEN YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB TONIGHT IN SHARING THE INFORMATION WITH US. THANK YOU. UH, AND WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT YOU IN OUR EFFORTS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO TWO THINGS. ONE, UH, CONTINUE TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY FOOD FOR OUR, UH, STUDENTS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME SUPPORT YOU AS BEST WE CAN. UH, I, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST FOR THE RECORD, UH, WE ARE GONNA SIT, BECAUSE I'M OPEN TO LISTENING TO ANYONE WHO HAS SUGGESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE CAN IMPROVE. WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO GET BETTER. SO YOU AND I ARE GONNA SIT WITH MS. SHADOW LANE AND WE'RE GONNA TALK THROUGH SOME THINGS IN OUR EFFORTS TO GET BETTER. 'CAUSE WE ALWAYS WANT TO BE BETTER AT WHAT WE DO AND ALWAYS LOOKING FOR IDEAS TO BETTER SERVE OUR STUDENTS. BUT I WANTED TO MAKE CLEAR, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT ANYONE IN THIS ROOM TO WALK AWAY THINKING THIS HAPPENED UNDER YOUR WATCH, OR THIS WAS SOMETHING AS A RESULT OF YOUR NEGLECT, YOU CAME INTO A SITUATION, LOOKED AT IT, BEGAN MANAGING IT VERY QUIETLY AND PROFESSIONALLY, AND HAVE COME TO A POINT WHERE YOU HAVE A PLAN AND A CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN THAT IS GOING TO ADDRESS THE DEFICITS AND PUT US BACK IN THE BLACK. UH, SO THE CHILD NEW PUSHING PROGRAM CAN CONTINUE TO OPERATE AT HIGH AND EFFICIENT LEVEL. YES, SIR. AND I WANTED TO SAY THAT IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT YOU. OKAY. WELL, I APPRECIATE SUPERINTENDENT . ANYONE, ANYTHING ELSE? THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, MR. GODDE? YES. THANK YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM HAS BEEN PRETTY MUCH SELF-FUNDED. UH, BUT THAT IS NOT A REQUIREMENT. I THINK IN THE 2024 BUDGET, UH, I THINK IT WAS, IF MY NUMBERS ARE CORRECT, IT WAS $1.4 MILLION THAT WERE, UH, ALLOCATED OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND TO THE FOOD NUTRITION. AND I THINK THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, WE HAVE 2.4 MILLION OR SOME NUMBER LIKE THAT DEDICATED OUT OF THE GEN 2.4 MILLION, 4.9, 4.9, 4.9 MILLION OUTTA THE GENERAL FUND. COME TO THE MIC. I'M TALKING ABOUT IN THE BUDGET THAT WE PASSED, NOT THIS, NOT THIS EXTRA BUDGET. IN THE NORMAL BUDGET WE PASSED, I BELIEVE IT WAS 2.4 MILLION, UH, COMING OUTTA THE GENERAL FUND. NO. SO THEY GET THEIR FAIR SHARE OF THE MFP, WHICH IS BUDGETED BY, UM, LDOE. THEY TELL ME HOW MUCH TO GIVE THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM, WHICH IS A LITTLE OVER $300,000. OKAY. BUT THERE'S A LINE ITEM IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET THAT WAS LIKE 2.4 MILLION FOR CHILD NUTRITION. IT WASN'T FOR CHILD NUTRITION. I'LL HAVE TO LOOK AND SEE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. OKAY. BUT I GUESS THE ONLY POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE IS THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT THAT CHILD NUTRITION HAS TO BE TOTALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT. NO. AND YOU KNOW, I THINK WE AS A BOARD CERTAINLY SHARE THE DESIRE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, UH, CHILDREN ARE FED HIGH QUALITY FOOD AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THIS WORKS. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT WE'RE NOT JUST SAYING, OKAY, HERE IT IS. THAT'S ALL YOU GOT. IF THERE ARE VALID REASONS AND GOOD REASONS THAT WE NEED TO OPERATING AS EFFICIENTLY AS WE CAN, BECAUSE I THINK THE CONVERSATION HERE IS ABOUT EFFICIENCY, NOT ABOUT QUALITY. AND SO AFTER WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE'RE OPERATING AS EFFICIENTLY AS WE CAN, UH, IF THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME OTHER SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDS, I DON'T THINK ANYONE HERE ON THIS BOARD DOESN'T WANNA FEED CHILDREN. SURE. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY. YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. GODDE. ARE THERE ANY OTHER, UH, COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? ALL RIGHT. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA? I HAVE A MOTION BY MR. BALLOU, AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MR. UH, MARTIN. MADAM SECRETARY, CAN YOU CALL FOR THE, HUH? YEAH, WE DID. WE JUST, YEAH, WE FINISHED OFF. WE KNOW YOU PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. AND SO WE PULLED ITEM [F.3. Professional Services Contract: August Schools, INC.] THREE, THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT. AUGUST SCHOOLS INCORPORATED [01:00:02] CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, AND AUGUST SCHOOL, INCORPORATED IN THE AMOUNT UP TO $74,340 TO PROVIDE AN ELECTRONIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RECORD PLATFORM, FUNDING SOURCE ICARE. UH, HOW DO YOU WANT, AND SO, UM, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THAT ITEM NUMBER THREE. OKAY. THAT WE PULLED. OKAY. SO NO PUBLIC COMMENT. SO, UM, COACH LEWIS. OKAY. YOU KNOW, I, I READ OVER THE, UH, THE Q AND A AND, UM, IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE A REALLY GREAT CONTRACT. LOTS OF TRAINING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT. UM, AND IT'S WRITTEN, THE FIRST THING THEY TALK ABOUT IS, UH, TREATMENT PLANS AND SESSION NOTES FOR STUDENTS RECEIVING TIER ONE, TWO, AND THREE SERVICES. HOW MANY CURRENTLY, HOW MANY SOCIAL WORKERS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS, AND EYE CARE SPECIALISTS DO WE HAVE TO, TO DELIVER THESE SERVICES? AND THE THING THAT REALLY STRUCK ME WITH THIS, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 133 CHILDREN IN LONG-TERM, UH, ALTERNATIVE SETTINGS. LONG-TERM, I MEAN, MEANS THEY'RE GONNA BE THERE A YEAR FOR MY MONEY. THOSE KIDS, I JUST, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY WE SPEND ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF KIDS IN THAT SITUATION. MS. DO I DON'T, MS. MS. DUPREE JUST KIND OF, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS GREAT AND I KNOW ICARE DOES A GREAT JOB. YES, YES, SIR. BUT LET ME FINISH, PLEASE. NELSON MANDELA SAID THAT THE CHILDREN ARE OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCES, BUT THEY'RE ALSO OUR MOST VULNERABLE CITIZENS. THOSE 133 KIDS THAT I JUST MENTIONED IN MY BOOK ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE KIDS IN THIS DISTRICT. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO PASS OUT THESE SERVICES, LET'S START AT EBR READINESS, ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH. I'M SAYING, JUST EDUCATE ME, PLEASE. OKAY. YES, SIR. THE PLATFORM IS A PLATFORM THAT SOCIAL WORKERS AND MENTAL HEALTH PRO PROVIDERS NEED, BECAUSE THEIR CASE NOTES CANNOT BE PART OF THE STUDENT CUMULATIVE RECORD OR STUDENT RECORD. THEY HAVE TO BE SEPARATE. SO THIS IS HIPAA COMPLIANT. SO THE RECORDS, THE CASE NOTES ARE SEPARATE. THAT'S TO PROTECT US FROM HIPAA. UM, THE, IT'S ALSO REFERRAL PLATFORM WHERE THE SCHOOL COUNSELORS, THE ICARE SPECIALISTS, MAKE REFERRALS TO THE SOCIAL WORKERS AND LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS TO WORK WITH THE TIER FOUR STUDENTS. ICARE WORKS WITH TIER ONE, TWO, AND THREE, WHICH IS INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION. THE SOCIAL WORKERS WORK WITH THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE THE MOST AT RISK, THE TIER THREE, AND THEY NEED INTENSIVE SUPPORT. SO EBR READINESS, EACH EBR READINESS CAMPUS, EACH ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL HAS A SOCIAL WORKER ASSIGNED. SURE. WE DID NOT HAVE ONE AT EBR READINESS ELEMENTARY. WE JUST INTERVIEWED AND WE'LL BE HIRING THEM SHORTLY. SO EVERY EBR READINESS CAMPUS WILL HAVE A SOCIAL WORKER DEDICATED TO THEM. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, PREVENTIONS AND INTERVENTIONS, UM, FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE DRUG ISSUES. AND I'LL BE WORKING WITH LEADERSHIP TO LOOK AT THAT, HOW WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS THAT. UM, FOUR YEARS AGO, THE DISTRICT HAD 2021 SOCIAL WORKERS. THEY WERE NOT REGULAR EDUCATION SOCIAL WORKERS. THEY WERE ONLY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. UM, SO THE REGULAR EDUCATION STUDENTS WERE NOT BEING SERVED OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. WE BROUGHT IN 27 TO 30, DEPENDING ON OUR NUMBERS AND OUR STAFFING. SOCIAL WORKERS AND LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS, THEY'RE ASSIGNED AT EVERY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT, INCLUDING ALL THE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS. AND THEY ROTATE TO ALL THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THERE'S 110 SCHOOL COUNSELORS. I NO LONGER WORK DIRECTLY WITH THEM, BUT THAT'S THE NUMBER FROM LAST YEAR. AND THERE ARE 27 EYECARE SPECIALISTS. DO WE NEED MORE? YES, SIR. UM, WE'RE HOPING THE MEDICAID FUNDING, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF FOR IT TO COME IN. WE STARTED BILLING LAST YEAR, SO HOPEFULLY AS THE FUNDING COMES IN, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET MORE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, IF THE, UM, THAT'S THE WILL OF THE BOARD AND LEADERSHIP. AND THAT'S ABOUT 80% REIMBURSED. ABOUT 80% FOR 70 TO 80%. YES SIR. 70 TO 80%. BUT IT TAKES A YEAR TO A YEAR AND A [01:05:01] HALF. KELLY WOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT THAT FOR US TO GET THE FUNDING IN. SHE COMING WHERE? HERE SHE COMES. SHE COMING. YES. SO IN ORDER TO GET MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT, IT TAKES ABOUT 18 MONTHS BECAUSE ALL THESE THINGS ARE DONE THROUGH COST REPORTS. AND SO YOU, YOU HAVE TO WAIT THE FULL YEAR. YOU DO THE COST REPORTS IN NOVEMBER, THEN YOU SUBMIT THEM, THEN THEY'RE REVIEWED. SO IT'S MEDICAID IS NOT A FAST PAYOUT, BUT IT DOES EVENTUALLY PAY. EVENTUALLY IT COMES, EVENTUALLY DOES COME. YEAH. I JUST THINK THAT WE, WHENEVER YOU TALK TO, TO SCHOOL LEADERS, SOCIAL WORKERS IS ONE OF THE FIRST THING THEY SAY. THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T HAVE, BUT THEY NEED, UM, AND I JUST, I MEAN, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE IT. WELL, I MEAN, I CAN'T SEE EVERYTHING, BUT I, I JUST THINK IT'S A TRAGEDY THAT WE GOT SECOND GRADERS THAT ARE GONNA BE IN AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL FOR A YEAR. AND THE PRINCIPAL TELLS ME I DON'T HAVE A SOCIAL WORKER. WELL, YOU SAID WE JUST INTERVIEWED ONE. SO NEXT WEEK I EXPECT TO GO VISIT AS FAST AS HR CAN DO THEIR PROCESSING BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DO FINGERPRINTS, SIR, I KNOW WE HAVE TO DO ALL THAT STUFF AND I, BUT WE HAVE SOMEONE COVERING. I'LL MAKE SURE SOMEONE'S THERE COVERING UNTIL THEN. AND I, DR. SMOTHERS, GET THE SOCIAL WORKER HIGH AT ASAP BECAUSE I HAVE LITTLE AND NO PATIENCE FOR ADULT STUFF. I'LL GO TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH FOR A CHILD, BUT I HAVE VERY LITTLE PATIENCE AND I'M INCLUDED IN THAT WITH ADULT STUFF. I DON'T HAVE PATIENCE WITH MYSELF. YES, SIR. PLEASE ADDRESS THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN THIS DISTRICT, PLEASE. AND IF, IF, IF THIS ALL HELPS, THEN GREAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TALK ABOUT CRIME AND TRUANCY AND ALL THAT. WE HAVE A LOT OF THAT BECAUSE WHAT THEY REALLY NEEDED WAS NOT ADDRESSED IN THE CLASSROOMS. WE'RE TOO WORRYING ABOUT PASSING LEAP TESTS AND ALL THIS OTHER STUFF INSTEAD OF ATTENDING TO WHAT MAKES CHILDREN HOLD. IT'S EDUCATING THE WHOLE CHILD HOLISTICALLY. YES, SIR. AND YOU GO BACK AND YOU PULL THE RECORDS. I BET YOU I'VE SAID IT A HUNDRED TIMES IN THREE YEARS. WE GOTTA HOLISTICALLY EDUCATE THE CHILDREN IN THIS COMMUNITY. WE'VE GOT TO, AND I DON'T CARE MUCH ABOUT NOTHING ELSE BUT THAT. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. FINISH. OKAY, MA'AM. . THANK YOU. YOU WANNA DO A MOTION? YEAH. MOTION . OKAY. I HAVE MOTION BY COACH LEWIS. DO I HAVE A SECOND? MR. MARTIN? MADAME CRITERIA, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. UM, AND SO THAT CONCLUDES THE, UH, CONSENT AGENDA. MOVING ALONG [G.1. Bus Operator Recruitment Stipend] TO ITEM G, NEW BUSINESS NUMBER ONE BUS ITEM, I'M SORRY, BUS OPERATOR. RIGHT. BUS OPERATOR RECRUITMENT STIPEND. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A $500 STIPEND TO ANY EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM EMPLOYEE WHO RECRUITS A NEW SCHOOL? BUS DRIVER. BUS OPERATOR. I'M SORRY. BUS. YEAH, I'M SORRY. SCHOOL BUS OPERATOR. OKAY. HE'S CHECKING FOR THE COMMENTS. WE DO HAVE COMMENTS. OKAY. WE DO HAVE ONLINE COMMENTS. GO. WERE THERE ANY PUBLIC CARDS? APRIL. OKAY. SO ONLINE WE HAVE MARISSA SNO. THANK YOU BUS DRIVERS. YOU DESERVE BETTER. DISAPPOINTING DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS THAT THE LOWEST PAID EMPLOYEES WE'RE NOT PRIORITIZED FOR SERIOUS SALARY INCREASES. $500 STIPEND IS INSUFFICIENT. HOW ABOUT APPROVING BENEFITS? IT'S HARD TO SEE CENTRAL OFFICE WITH MORE SPECIAL PROJECT STAFF, ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, DIRECTORS, AND DIRECTORS. WHEN OUR BUS DRIVERS ARE PAID SO POORLY THAT IT IMPACTS SERVICE OVERALL. WHY ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH THE STUDENTS EVERY DAY THE MOST POORLY COMPENSATED? MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST DEPLOY SOME OF THE HIGHEST PAID PEOPLE TO GET ON THE BUS, GET THEIR LICENSE, AND GET DRIVING. NO [01:10:01] ONE WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT THOSE TRIPS AND CONFERENCES. IF THE DIRECTORS AND CHIEFS WERE DRIVING BUSES, BUS DRIVERS WILL WORK WITH STUDENTS IN A HIGH STRESS CAPACITY, SHOULD BE PAID RESPECTIVELY SO THAT THEY COME BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR AND CONTRIBUTE TO A POSITIVE CULTURE. $500 STIPEND IS NOT RESPECTABLE. TRY AGAIN FROM CAROL JONES. SEEMS TO BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO USE THE NETWORK OF EBR EMPLOYEES TO RECRUIT BUS DRIVERS. HOWEVER, EBR NEEDS TO MASSIVELY IMPROVE THE COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS OF BUS DRIVERS TO GET STAFF TO STAY. IT FEELS, IT REALLY FEELS LIKE IN THIS LAST BUDGET PROCESS THAT PARAPROFESSIONALS, CAFETERIA WORKERS AND BUS DRIVERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRIORITIZED BY SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER WAGES AND QUALITY BENEFITS. A TIME TO END THE COSTLY HIGH TURNOVER AND CREATE GOOD JOBS AS WE DARE TO BE GREAT. LESS DARE TO RAISE THE WAGES OF OUR LOWEST COMPENSATED WORKERS. THANK YOU. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU MR. GODDE. BUT WE DO HAVE, UM, A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD THAT I JUST RECEIVED. MS. TRITA WILLIAMS IS, UH, IN SUPPORT OF THE RECOMMENDATION. UH, IT DOESN'T INDICATE WHETHER THEY WISH TO SPEAK OR NOT, SO I'M NOT SURE. OKAY. UM, I SUPPORT THE INCREASE FOR BUS OPERATORS, BUT PLEASE SPEND MONEY TO GET PARAPROFESSIONAL AND CHILD SPECIFIC AIDES IN CLASSROOMS FOR KIDS WITH DISABILITIES. INCREASE PAY AND PROVIDE STIPENDS FOR PARENTS AS WELL. STUDENTS NEED MORE SUPPORT IN CLASSROOMS TO PROVIDE FAIR AND LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENTS. THANK YOU. OH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? NO. OKAY. UM, HOLD UP COACH. GO AHEAD. NO, YOU DON'T. OKAY. , DO I HAVE A MOTION? I HAVE A MOTION BY MS. PAUL LEWIS AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MS. SOLE AND MADAM SECRETARY PAUL LEWIS. AND SOLE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. MOVING ALONG TO, [G.2. Part-Time Bus Operator (Extra Routes) Rate] UH, ITEM G TWO, PART-TIME BUS OPERATOR. EXTRA ROUTES RATE. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF AN INCREASE IN AN HOURLY, IN THE HOURLY RATE FOR EXTRA ROUTES TAKEN BY CURRENT BUS OPERATORS FROM 1329 TO $18 PER HOUR. LEMME SEE. DO I HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS OR ONLINE? OKAY. I HAVE A ONLINE, UH, ONLINE COMMENTS. THIS IS FROM DARRYL JOHNSON. THE LIVING WAYS IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA VARY SIGNIFICANTLY BY HOUSEHOLD SIZE FOR A SINGLE ADULT WITH NO CHILDREN. THE ESTIMATED LIVING WAGE IS 2217 PER HOUR. DO BETTER FROM HEATHER CASEY. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESS ADDRESSED DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS. HAVE WE NOT SEEN THE LAST FEW YEARS WHERE WE WERE CHRONICALLY UNDERPAYING OUR BUS DRIVERS? LOOK AT THE HIGH TURNOVER AND HOW MUCH THAT COSTS. IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE. THE BOARD WAS DISTRACTED WITH ALL THE SCHOOL CLOSERS, WHICH HAS LEFT MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS CROWDED AND UNDERSTAFFED. BUT WHAT WE ARE. BUT WHY ARE WE HERE NOW? ALTHOUGH $18 AN HOUR, CERTAINLY BETTER THAN WHAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY PAYING IS STILL NOT GREAT CONSIDERING THE IMPART WORK THEY DO OF TRANSPORTING OUR BELOVED SCHOLARS FROM SCHOOL TO HOME. PLEASE TRY AGAIN. AND THAT CONCLUDES THE COMMENTS. THANK YOU MR. GODDY. DO I HAVE ANY OTHER BOARD, MR. YOU? THAT'S OLD. OKAY. OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION? MOTION BY MR. RUSS? SECOND BY MS. POWELL LEWIS AND MADAM SECRETARY. MS. STEWART, CAN I PLEASE SAY SOMETHING? YEAH, I DID. GO AHEAD. . YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE COMMENTS TALK ABOUT HOW BUS DRIVERS ARE BEING UNDERPAID THE WAY I FEEL ABOUT A BUS DRIVER AND THEY DESERVE TO BE PAID, BUT THE DAY DOESN'T START FOR OUR SCHOOL, FOR OUR CHILDREN, WHEN THEY STEP INTO THE BUILDING, WHEN THEY STEP ON THAT BUS, THAT'S WHEN THEIR DAY STARTS. MM-HMM . BUS DRIVERS NEED TO BE PAID, BUT THEY'RE NOT. I MEAN, WE, WE'VE GOT BUS DRIVERS THAT HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR US 10, 12, 13, 14 YEARS MM-HMM . SO EVERYBODY WANTS TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE THEY'RE RUNNING OFF BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT PAYING THEM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE FINDING OTHER JOBS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DO. [01:15:03] NOW I'VE GOT A, A, A REMEDY, UH, SUPERINTENDENT COLE, YOU MAY NOT LIKE IT. NO, YOU SHARED IT WITH ME. OKAY. . I, I YOU GOT IT. WHAT I'M SAYING DO I NEED TO SHARE? YOU? YOU WE'RE GOOD. OKAY. I, AND I, I SHARED IT WITH THE, THE GROUP YOU TOLD ME TO SHARE IT WITH ME. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND I COULD JUST ADD, I, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING TO THAT AS WELL. UM, FOR SOME INFORMATION THAT I'M PRIVY, I KNOW THERE HAS BEEN SOME COMPARISON WITH OUR BUS OPERATORS TO, UM, OTHER, UH, ENTITIES THAT PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION AND BUS OPERATORS AS WELL. BUT I CAN SAY COMPARED WITH SOME OF THOSE OTHER ENTITIES, WE DO OFFER BENEFITS AND INSURANCE AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AS WELL AS TRYING TO GIVE A COMPENSABLE, UH, WAGE AS FAR AS WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO NOW. SO ADDED WITH THAT ADDITION IN THE WAGE, WE DO OFFER BENEFITS. AND SO I HAVE, UH, FOUND OUT THAT SOME OF THOSE OTHER ENTITIES DON'T OFFER BENEFITS PAID TIME OFF, YOU KNOW, VACATION AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO WE DO OFFER THAT AS AN INCENTIVE TO FIVE BUS DRIVERS NOT TRYING TO TAKE AWAY, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING AS FAR AS THE PAYMENT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT IS SOMETHING IN ADDITION THAT WE DO OFFER. SO, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I DID FIND OUT WITH OTHER OPERATORS AND OTHER ENTITIES AND VENDORS THAT DO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION. MS. POWELL. OKAY. UH, SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, UM, YOU HAD SOMETHING TO SAY, OH, OH, OH, CAN MS UH, DID I GET A MOTION? YEAH. OKAY. UM, MADAME SECRETARY, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. MOVING ALONG. ITEM [G.3. Charter Policy] G THREE, CHARTER POLICY CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE REVISED DISTRICT CHARTER POLICY. AND I DO HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD. UH, JAMES FINNEY. THANK YOU. UH, FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT, CHARTER SCHOOLS GENERALLY SUCK, BUT DIRECTLY TO THIS POINT, UM, IT WAS ON THE COMMITTEE, THE WHOLE AGENDA, IT GOT PULLED FOR A REASON. IT'S NOT CLEAR WHAT THAT REASON IS. I THINK THE PUBLIC HAS THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT HAS CHANGED IN TWO WEEKS. SECOND, IF YOU ALL TURN TO PAGE 52 OF THAT PROPOSED, UM, POLICY, THERE'S A CITATION FOR LR 51 38. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANS. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, YOU SHOULDN'T VOTE FOR THIS UNTIL YOU GET MORE INFORMATION. THIRD, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT'S IN THE POLICY, IF IT'S NOT GONNA BE ENFORCED, AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO PROVIDE ACTUAL OVERSIGHT OVER THE CHARTER SCHOOLS. AND FINALLY, I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING IN THERE. HOPEFULLY I'M WRONG. BUT THERE HAS BEEN A PRACTICE IN THIS DISTRICT TO KEEP PAYING CHARTERS EVEN IF THERE IS NO CONTRACT IN PLACE, EITHER IF THE CONTRACT NEVER GOT SIGNED IN THE FIRST PLACE, OR IF IT'S EXPIRED. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH ONCE SOMEBODY GETS A CHARTER APPROVAL, THEY GET A BLANK CHECK FOREVER, UNLESS THE BOARD EXPLICITLY DOES SOMETHING AND THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE. AND I DOUBT IF THESE, UM, POLICY CHANGES ADDRESS THAT. SO THESE CHANGES MAY BE FINE. THEY MAY BE NECESSARY. THEY'RE ALMOST CERTAINLY NOT ENOUGH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND, UM, DR. FINNEY, I DON'T MIND ADDRESSING THE QUESTION THAT YOU POSED IN REGARDS TO BOARD MEMBERS. UH, HAD SOME QUESTIONS, UH, IN REGARDS. SO THAT'S WHY THAT WAS, UM, PULLED. UM, MS. UH, NIMAN. TANYA NIMAN. GOOD EVENING. TANYA NIMAN BACK AGAIN. UM, AS YOU CAN, AS YOU, WELL, MOST OF Y'ALL ARE AWARE THAT I'M NOT PARTICULARLY FOND OF THE CHARTER MODEL PARTICULARLY BECAUSE IT DOESN'T, UM, REALLY, UM, IT'S UNDERMINES THE INTEGRITY OF DEMOCRATIC, LOCAL DEMOCRATIC CONTROL. BUT I DO KNOW THAT AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR HANDS ARE, UM, HEAVILY TIED BY STATE POLICY. BUT THAT BEING SAID, THERE ARE THINGS THAT THE LOCALS CAN DO. AND QUITE FRANKLY, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL ATTEMPTED IT BECAUSE, UM, AS, UH, MR. DR. FINNEY POINTED OUT, UM, THIS WAS PULLED. AND SO, UH, I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO LOOK AT IT. IT WOULD BE LOVELY IF Y'ALL WOULD PULL IT. SO THERE WOULD BE SOME TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT CHARTERS ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH OR FREE LUNCH FOR CHILDREN AND ALSO TRANSPORTATION. THOSE ARE TWO PRACTICES THAT ARE COMMONLY USED BY CHARTER SCHOOLS IN ORDER TO AVOID, UM, PROVIDING, UM, AN EDUCATION TO THE MOST VULNERABLE STUDENTS. AND SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE SINCE I HAD, YOU KNOW, THREE MINUTES OR LESS. THANKS GUYS. THANK YOU MS. NIMAN. OKAY, SO THERE ARE NO ONLINE COMMENTS. JUST CHECKING. JUST CHECKING. OKAY. NO ONLINE COMMENTS, MR. GODDE? YES. THANK YOU. UM, [01:20:01] PART OF THE REASON WHY THE, THE THING WAS PULLED AT LAST MEETING AND THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. AND QUITE HONESTLY, I STILL HAVE A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AT THIS MOMENT. UH, AS A, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S A, UH, FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY SECTION IN THERE THAT, UH, THERE'S A TEMPLATE OR SOMETHING TO PUT IN THERE. AND WHEN I READ THROUGH THAT TEMPLATE, THAT SEEMS TO BE TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR A LOCAL CHARTER SCHOOL. 'CAUSE THAT TEMPLATE IS MADE BY BESSIE TO ACCOUNT FOR LEAS BEING SCHOOL DISTRICTS. UH, AND IT IS NOT REALLY APPLICABLE, UH, TO THE CHARTER POLICY. AND THERE ARE OTHER QUESTIONS IN THERE THAT I HAVE, AND I THINK THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POLICIES THAT WE DO. SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA OFFER A MOTION THAT WE DEFER THIS ITEM TO A DATE UNCERTAIN TO ALLOW THE BOARD AND, UH, OTHERS TO HAVE EITHER A WORKSHOP OR HAVE IT PART OF OUR, UM, RETREAT OR SOME OTHER METHOD WHERE WE AS A BOARD CAN GET TOGETHER AND HAVE AN OPEN DISCUSSION OF THIS WITH AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT ALL THE CHANGES ARE IN A PUBLIC FORUM SO THAT WE CAN ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON. SO WITH THAT, I'D MOVE TO MOVE THIS ITEM TO DATE, UNCERTAIN AT THIS MOMENT. THANK YOU. DO I HAVE A SECOND? OKAY. MOTION BY MR. GOE AND SECOND BY MR. LEWIS. BUT I DO HAVE MR. LEWIS NEXT IN THE QUEUE. AND I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING MR. GOEY SAID. BUT I WANT TO ADDRESS A COMMENT THAT WAS MADE BY DR. FINNEY. DR. FINNEY. I PERSONALLY WORKED AT A CHARTER SCHOOL FOR 11 YEARS. THAT WAS THE FOURTH HIGHEST PERFORMING CHARTER SCHOOL IN THIS CITY. YOU EVEN CAME DOWN AND APPLIED FOR A JOB SOME YEARS AGO. I GAVE YOU THE TOUR OF THE BUILDING. WELL, YOU CAME DOWN. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING YOU WERE APPLYING FOR A JOB. SO WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT GO TO WORK IN CHARTER SCHOOLS EVERY DAY THAT WORK TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY, EQUITABLE EDUCATIONS FOR PEOPLE, FOR CHILDREN. ARE ALL OF THEM GOOD? NO. ARE ALL OF THEM BAD? NO. SO FOR YOU, I TOOK IT PERSONALLY WHEN YOU SAID THEY GENERALLY SUCK. 'CAUSE I PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO MENTORSHIP STEAM ACADEMY FOR 11 YEARS, AND WE DID ONE HECK OF A JOB AND EDUCATING THE MOST VULNERABLE AND UNDERSERVED CHILDREN IN THIS DISTRICT. THANK YOU COACH MS. PAUL LEWIS. THANK YOU. UM, I, ON, ON A, ON A A BETTER NOTE, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO OUR DISTRICT STAFF. UM, THEY HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY HELPFUL IN ALLOWING US TO SHARE OUR DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES FROM THIS BOARD IN REGARDS TO THE CHARTER POLICY. AND OF COURSE, I, I AM IN AGREEMENT WITH, UM, MR. GODDE AND MR. LEWIS THAT WE MAY NEED ADDITIONAL TIME. OF COURSE, WE WILL COME BACK WITH THIS POLICY. UM, BUT JUST TO SHARE WITH YOU GUYS SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE, UH, POSED BEFORE AND, UM, THE STAFF HAS BEEN VERY, VERY HELPFUL WITH IS, UH, I ASKED ABOUT, UM, HOW DOES THIS POLICY ALIGN WITH OTHER COMPARABLE DISTRICTS, UH, IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA AND EVEN IN THE UNITED STATES, UH, WITH OUR SPECIFIC DEMOGRAPHICS AND OUR SAME OR SIMILAR AVERAGES OF, UM, OF PEOPLE WITHIN OUR DISTRICT, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, ASKING ABOUT REVISIONS AND THAT ARE REFLECTIVE OF EQUITABLE PRACTICES AND ALIGN TO OUR STATE LAWS AND REGULATIONS. AND THEN ALSO THAT ALLOW THERE TO BE GENERAL SUPPORT FOR OUR TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND EVEN OUR HOMEGROWN CHARTERS. SO WE'RE ASKING THE QUESTIONS, IT'S JUST GONNA TAKE A MINUTE FOR US TO GET IT RIGHT, MM-HMM . AND ONE THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF ALL NINE MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD AND NOT JUST TWO OR THREE. SO, UM, WITH THAT IN MIND, I'M IN FAVOR OF, UH, THE MOTION AS IT AS IT STANDS. THANK YOU, MS. POWELL LEWIS. MR. RUSS, THANK YOU. UM, I APPRECIATE ALL THE CONCERNS OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS. I KNOW THIS, UM, POLICY HAS BEEN EVOLVING A LOT SINCE IT'S BEEN PRESENTED BY MR. COLE. AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM AS MANY BOARD MEMBERS AS AS COULD. UM, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT TIMELINESS MAINLY BECAUSE OF ONE PARTICULAR ASPECT OF THE, UH, POLICY AS IT'S WRITTEN, WOULD HAVE SOME FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT, UM, I'VE EXPRESSED A MR. CLIFF ABOUT, UM, THE, IF, IF WE DECIDE TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES, [01:25:01] THAT THOSE SCHOOLS NEED AS MUCH OF A RUNWAY AS POSSIBLE, UM, TO PLAN FOR THAT. AND I'M JUST TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT TRANSPORTATION AND, UH, I SUPPORT THAT CHANGE. AND I DO BELIEVE THAT OUR CHARTER SCHOOLS DO NEED TO BE PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. UM, ONE DAY OR ANOTHER, WHETHER IT'S NEXT YEAR OR WHATEVER YEAR THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, I THINK IT, IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. UM, BUT IF IT IS GONNA HAPPEN, THEN I THINK WE OWE IT TO THOSE SCHOOLS TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS, UM, SWIFTLY. AND SO I, UM, I REALLY, I HEAR THE COMMENTS THAT MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS ARE MAKING, BUT I ALSO ENCOURAGE US TO THINK ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF DRAGGING THIS PROCESS OUT TOO FAR. UM, WHATEVER IT'LL TAKE FOR US AS A BOARD TO FIND CONSENSUS ON A POLICY THAT WE FEEL IS, UM, BEST GONNA SERVE OUR CHILDREN. I AGREE WITH, UM, BUT I DON'T WANT US TO WAIT TILL WORKSHOP IN NOVEMBER TO MAKE UP THOSE DECISIONS BECAUSE OF THE IMPLICATIONS THAT SOME OF THESE POLICIES WOULD HAVE. UM, SO I, I DON'T NECESSARILY AGREE WITH DELAYING IT. UM, BUT IF OUR BOARD ISN'T READY TO, TO VOTE ON IT IN THE STATE THAT IT'S IN, I UNDERSTAND THOSE VOTES. UM, I'M GONNA VOTE NO, BUT I HOPE THAT IF IT DOES PASS THAT WE'LL SEE THIS A LOT SOONER THAN WHAT WAS MENTIONED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MR. EXCUSE ME, RUSS. MR. MARTIN. UH, THANK YOU. UM, I SHARE MR. RUSS CON MR. RUSS'S THOUGHTS AND CONCERNS. UM, SO I ALSO OPPOSE THE MOTION TO DEFER. UM, I, I THINK THIS, THIS MAY NOT BE A PERFECT POLICY, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S GOOD. IT BRINGS US MUCH CLOSER TO BEING IN COMPLIANCE WITH LAW ON ISSUES LIKE TRANSPORTATION, UM, UH, THAT WE, YOU KNOW, THAT I DIDN'T FULLY REALIZE BEFORE WHAT THE LAW WAS REGARDING CHARTER SCHOOLS AND TRANSPORTATION. SO I THINK WE MAKE A LOT OF PROGRESS AND THAT THERE'S ROOM TO TINKER AROUND THE EDGES. BUT I THINK GIVEN THE TIMELINE IN WHICH CHARTER SCHOOLS HAVE TO MAKE THEIR DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER TO FILE FOR TYPE ONE OR TYPE TWO CHARTERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT, THAT WE NEED TO DO THIS SOONER THAN RATHER THAN LATER. UH, SO, SO I WOULD PERSONALLY PREFER THAT WE, UH, ADOPT THE POLICY TONIGHT AND CONTINUE WORK ON IT TO, TO MAKE CHANGES, UH, AS NECESSARY. BUT IF, IF WE DON'T HAVE THE VOTES TO, TO DO THAT, I, I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL, UM, NOVEMBER. WE NEED TO GET THIS DONE VERY QUICKLY. SO I, I'M GOING TO, AS I SAID, I'M GONNA OPPOSE THE MOTION, BUT I CERTAINLY, UH, UH, UNDERSTAND EVERYBODY'S CONCERNS IN THAT REGARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MARTIN. MR. BALLOU. THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT. JUST TWO QUICK QUESTIONS FOR GENERAL COUNSEL. I WANNA MAKE SURE, UH, IN TERMS OF TIMING, ARE THERE ANY COMPONENTS OF THE, UH, CHANGES THAT ARE REQUIRED BY LAW THAT ARE TIME SENSITIVE? IN MY OPINION, NOT NECESSARILY. A LOT OF THIS IS TO ALIGN, THE ATTEMPT IS TO ALIGN THIS POLICY WITH, WITH BESSIE POLICY. UM, I THINK WHAT MR. RUSS SAID IS ACCURATE THERE. WE DO WANT TO GIVE THE SCHOOLS THAT THERE'S A, THERE'S A SHIFT IN TRANSPORTATION REQUIREMENTS, WHICH WILL IMPACT THE BUDGETS OF THOSE SCHOOLS. SO HE'S RIGHT IN THAT WE WANNA BE CONSIDERED OF, OF GIVING THEM SOME TIME TO ADJUST. UM, THAT WOULD BE ONE CONSIDERATION, BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY OTHER SPECIFIC CRITICAL DELAYS, UM, NEEDED. WE COULD, WE COULD TALK ABOUT IT AFTERWARDS. SO, AND JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUE, AS FAR AS REQUIRING, UH, THE CHARTERS HAVE BUSES, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT TYPE ONE CHARTERS ARE NOT, UM, REQUIRED. IT'S UP TO THE DISTRICT TO DETERMINE, UH, IF THERE'S, IF THEY'RE GONNA REQUIRE TRANSPORTATION, IT'S UP TO THE BOARD TO, TO CONSIDER ADOPTING A POLICY TO MAKE THAT REQUIREMENT. YES. BUT TYPE TWO AND TYPE YES. FIVE, UH, ARE REQUIRED. BESSI POLICY APPLIES TO TYPE TWOS AND TYPE FIVES. OKAY. THAT'S CORRECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. BALLOU. MS. SOLE. YES. I, UM, THIS HAS BEEN SUCH AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION TO HAVE OVER THE PAST WEEK, AND I APPRECIATE ALL THAT STAFF HAS DONE TO EDUCATE AND INFORM US. AND, AND EVEN AS I SIT HERE TONIGHT, I'M LIKE, THAT'S A GREAT POINT. THAT'S A GREAT POINT. UM, AND I DO FEEL LIKE WE STILL HAVE A LOT THAT WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE THIS. UM, BUT AT THIS POINT I AGREE THAT WE NEED TO GET, GET IT GOING, GET THE BALL ROLLING AND GET IT PASSED, UM, IF WE CAN, AND THEN, UM, CONTINUE TO MAKE CHANGES GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU THAT ALL THE COMMENTS IT, NO ONLINE COMMENTS. OKAY. SO I HAD A MOTION. UH, MADAM SECRETARY, CAN YOU CALL FOR THE VOTE ON THAT MOTION PLEASE? VOTE YES. A SUBSTITUTE. IT'S NOT SUBSTITUTE. NO, I MEAN IT'S JUST A MOTION, NOT A SUBSTITUTE. IT'S THE MOTION. CAN YOU READ IT? IT'S JUST, IT'S BASICALLY JUST TO DEFER WITHOUT A DATE. TO A DATE. NOT CERTAIN. TO UNCERTAIN. YEAH. [01:30:13] THE MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. MOVING ALONG. OH, SORRY. BOARD MEMBERS, I LIKE TO MOVE WITH ALL DELIVERY SPEED TO HOST A WORKSHOP OVER THE NEXT 30 DAYS. WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS, UH, THAT ARE UP FOR RENEWAL. UH, AND WE DO HAVE APPLICATIONS COMING TO US. AND IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE CHANGES, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE, UH, WE INFORM THOSE SCHOOLS OF WHAT THE CHANGES ARE, UH, SO THAT AS THEY MAKE THEIR PRESENTATIONS FOR RENEWAL, THEY CAN INCLUDE ALL OF WHAT WE ARE ASKING THEM. SO I WILL HAVE, UH, MS. ARMAND SENT OUT AN EMAIL TO ALL OF YOU, UH, LOOKING FOR SOME APPROPRIATE DAYS TO HOST A WORKSHOP SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. THANK YOU. GOOD. APPRECIATE THAT. UH, SUPERINTENDENT, UH, ITEM [G.4. Grade Review Appeal] G FOUR GRADE REVIEW APPEAL. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO HEAR AN APPEAL TO REQUEST A GRADE CHANGE. AND THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THERE WILL BE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. UM, SO THERE, YEAH, THERE WILL BE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO I'M GO AHEAD AND DO IT. SO YOU WANNA CALL FOR A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION? THAT REQUIRES A VOTE OF TWO THIRDS OF THE, THE BOARD. OKAY. CALL POWER LEWIS. MOVE AND GO. THEY SECOND . WE GOTTA DO THE VOTE RIGHT TO PUBLIC FIRST. YOU CAN COME ON. MR. FINN. I, LOOK, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WAS TRYING TO COMMENT ON THIS, BUT JUST MAKE SURE YOU GIVE APRIL A CALL. I DO NOT HAVE A COMMENT. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU INVITED COMMENTS. THANK YOU. . ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY. ARE THERE ANY BOARD COMMENTS? NO. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA GO INTO, WELL, WE DID THE MOTION, I, I MOVE THAT WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THE GRADE. PAULA DID THE MOTION. YEAH. OH, I'M SORRY. I MISSED THAT. AND THOUGH THEY DID IT, WE WAS JUST DOING THE PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. DO WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO VOTE ON THE MOTION, CORRECT? OH YEAH. PLEASE VOTE. OH YEAH, GO AHEAD Y'ALL. 'CAUSE I WAS GONE . AND WHAT'S THE LOCATION IN THE, IN THE BACK, IN THE DOOR. IN THE, IN THE ROOM? YEAH, IN THE, OH, THE MOTION CARRIES. SO I NEED TO SAY, OH, YOU'RE FINE. OKAY. SO WE ARE NOW, UH, RECONVENING AND SO I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. MADAM PRESIDENT, I MOVE THAT WE UPHOLD THE GRADE AS ADMINISTERED. DO I HAVE A SEC? SO I HAVE A MOTION TO UPHOLD THE RECOMMENDATION AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MS. POWELL. LEWIS, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? NOPE. BOY. COMMENTS. MR. MARTIN? THANK YOU. UM, BEFORE WE VOTE ON THIS, UM, ABIGAIL, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT IT IS CLEAR. YOU ARE AN EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT STUDENT, AND BATON ROUGE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE A STUDENT OF YOUR CALIBER IN OUR SYSTEM. YOU CLEARLY HAVE AN INCREDIBLE FUTURE AHEAD OF YOU AND ARE GOING TO DO EXTREMELY WELL IN LIFE. THE DECISION THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE BASED ON THE LAW THAT LIMITS OUR DISCRETION TO JUST DO WHATEVER WE WANT, ONE HAS TO BE BOUND BY THAT LAW. AND THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY A REFLECTION ON, ON, ON ANY OF THE OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPEN. IT IS OUR REVIEW AND DETERMINATION BASED ON THE LAW THAT APPLIES TO US AND WHAT TO DO. BUT YOU CLEARLY HAVE A VERY BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD OF YOU, AND I CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO FAR AND YOU'RE GOING TO DO VERY, VERY WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SORRY. THANK YOU, MR. MARTIN. UM, MADAM SECRETARY, CAN YOU CALL FOR A VOTE? PLEASE VOTE. THE MOTION CARRIES. [H.1. Announcement of Meetings] NEXT ITEM, H ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS. ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETINGS. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2025 AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE. BOARDROOM. REGULAR MEETING TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2025 AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL BOARDROOM. COACH, BEFORE WE ADJOURN, UH, FOR EVERYONE OUT THERE WHO'S STILL WATCHING ON SATURDAY, UH, WE ARE PROUD, UH, TO BE SPONSORS, SILVER [01:35:01] SPONSORS OF THE LOVE IMPACT COALITION FREE CLINIC THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE AT THE NEW CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL ON SATURDAY. THERE'S FREE VISION, UM, DENTAL AND MEDICAL SCREENINGS. NO INSURANCE, NO IDS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. WE ARE ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.