* 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. [00:00:02] GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, [ A. Meeting Opening] AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT OUR REGULAR MEETING FOR SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2026. THE INVOCATION WILL BE LED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER EMILY SOLE, AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WILL BE LED BY CADET PRIVATE, JUSTINE MARTINES OF NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL, ACCOMPANIED BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL SHIRLEY SUTTON, SENIOR ARMY INSTRUCTOR. WILL YOU ALL PLEASE STAND? LET'S PRAY. HEAVENLY FATHER, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GATHER TOGETHER TONIGHT AND SERVICE FOR STUDENTS, FAMILIES, TEACHERS, AND COMMUNITY. WE ASK FOR YOUR WISDOM AND GUIDANCE IN THE DECISIONS BEFORE US. HELP US TO LISTEN WELL, TO USE GOOD JUDGMENT, GIVE OUR TEACHERS STRENGTH AND OUR STAFF STRENGTH. ENCOURAGE OUR FAMILIES AND WATCH OVER EVERY STUDENT, STUDENT ENTRUSTED TO OUR CARE. MAY THE WORK WE DO TONIGHT BE THOUGHTFUL, PRODUCTIVE, AND FOCUS WHAT IS BEST FOR KIDS. IN YOUR NAME, AMEN. AMEN. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. BOARD PRESIDENT MS. STEWART, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT MR. SMITH, EMPLOYEE, CITIZENS AND FRIENDS OF EAST BATON ROU PARISH SCHOOL DISTRICT. I'M LIEUTENANT COLONEL, RETIRED SHIRLEY SUTTON, AND I'M THE SENIOR ARMY INSTRUCTOR AT NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL WHERE I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SERVING UNDER OUR HEAD, VIKING. DR. JOHN JENKINS. I'M ELATED TO INTRODUCE ONE OF OUR TOP JOTC TWO CADETS. OUR CADET IS THE DAUGHTER OF MR. AND MRS. JEFFREY MARTINEZ. DURING THE TWO YEARS I'VE KNOWN HER, THIS CADET HAS DISTINGUISHED HERSELF AS A DEDICATED LEADER WITH A POSITIVE AND CAN-DO ATTITUDE ACADEMICALLY. SHE HAS DISTINGUISHED HERSELF BY ACHIEVING A 3.5 GRADE POINT AVERAGE. THIS YOUNG CADET EXEMPLIFIES THE HIGHEST VALUES AND SHE CAN ALWAYS BE COUNTED. ON THIS PAST YEAR, SHE SERVED AT THE, AS A MEMBER OF THE NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TEAM. AND YES, I SAID BASKETBALL TEAM, AND SHE ALSO SERVED ON THE DRILL TEAM. THIS YEAR, SHE'S A ME MEMBER OF THE NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL CHEER SQUAD, AND SHE STILL LOVES THE DRILL TEAM. HER FAVORITE VOLUNTEER SERVICE IS AT THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA FOOD BANK. HER FUTURE PLANS ARE TO GRADUATE WITH A, WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN TEACHING AND EDUCATION. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT IS WITH GREAT PRIDE THAT I INTRODUCE CADET PRIVATE, JUSTINE ANGEL, MAY MARTINEZ, OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD IN THE VISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. OKAY, TO MS. MARTINEZ, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LEADING US IN THE PLEDGE TODAY. AND ON BEHALF OF MR. LANIS, WHO IS THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, UH, FOR YOUR AREA, UH, I PRESENT THIS IN HIS HONOR AND IN HIS ABSENCE. AND THEN ON BEHALF OF ALL OF EBR SCHOOL BOARD, WE SAY THANK YOU AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AS A TEACHER IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH. . WOOHOO. OH, THERE YOU GO. MADAM SECRETARY, CAN YOU CALL A ROLL CALL DISTRICT FOUR PRESIDENT STEWART. PRESENT. DISTRICT FIVE, VICE PRESIDENT LEWIS. PRESENT DISTRICT ONE. MR. BLUE? HERE. DISTRICT TWO. MR. LANIS? DISTRICT THREE. MS. POWELL LEWIS. PRESENT. DISTRICT SIX. MR. RUSS? PRESENT. DISTRICT SEVEN. MR. GODDE. GO TIGERS. DISTRICT EIGHT. MS. SOLE HERE. DISTRICT NINE. MR. MARTIN. PRESENT. WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU. MOVING. MOVING [ B. Minutes] ALONG TO ITEM B, MEETING MINUTES, APPROVAL OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 6TH, 2026 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING AND THE AUGUST 20TH, 2026 REGULAR BOARD MEETING AS PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL. [00:05:02] DO I HAVE A MOTION? HAVE A MOTION BY MR. GODDE. AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MR. MARTIN. I KNOW YOU WAS COME, YOU HAD SOMETHING TO SAY. OH, NO COMMENTS. NO. NO PUBLIC, NO CARDS. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MINUTES? SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE IN OPPOSITION MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE VOTE. MR. MARTIN, DID IT COME UP FOR YOU? WANNA DO A, UH, YOU COULD DO A ROLL CALL IF YOU WANT TO WANNA DO A ROLL CALL. WE COULD DO A ROLL CALL IF YOU WANT TO. DO WE NEED TO? WE CAN DO A ROLL CALL. CONDUCT A ROLL CALL. MR. BLUE? YES. MS. POWELL LEWIS? YES. PRESIDENT STEWART? YES. VICE PRESIDENT LEWIS? YES. MR. RUSS? AYE. MR. GODA? YES. MS. SOLE? YES. MR. MARTIN? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. MOVING ALONG TO ITEM [ C. Information Only] C, INFORMATION ONLY. NUMBER ONE, MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT AND NUMBER TWO, PERSONNEL CHANGES. MOVING ALONG TO ITEM D. COMMENT. OH, I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T SEE IT. I'M SORRY I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO PRESS. OH, YEAH, LET ME KNOW. UH, I DON'T KNOW. ARE, ARE YOU GONNA REVIEW THE VACANCY IN THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT? NO, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE CAN CERTAINLY ANSWER 'EM. UH, I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AND I WANTED TO THANK DR. SMOTHERS FOR, FOR KEEPING UP WITH THIS IN THE REPORT. UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, WE ARE DOWN, UH, AS OF SEPTEMBER 1ST, AND I ASSUME IT'S HOPEFULLY LOWER THAN THAT BY TODAY. BUT, UH, DOWN TO 78 VACANCIES, WHICH IS AN IMPROVEMENT OF 10 SINCE AUGUST 1ST. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, UH, IT IS DOWN FROM LAST YEAR, UH, A GREAT DEAL. SO HOPEFULLY THAT MEANS OUR SALARY INCREASES ARE HAVING AN IMPACT PLUS THE, UH, ADDED ATTENTION, UH, THAT IS GETTING FROM THE, UH, ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN HR AND ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN THE DISTRICT TO ONBOARDING NEW STUDENTS. SO I JUST WANTED TO CONGRATULATE THEM FOR THAT. AND, UH, IT'S A GREAT JOB, BUT YOU GOT A LONG WAY TO GO YET, SO DON'T STOP. . THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DR. THANK YOU, DR. SMOTHERS AND YOUR TEAM. OKAY. UM, AND THANK YOU MR. GODDE FOR ACKNOWLEDGING AND EVEN REQUESTING THIS. UM, AND WE MOVING ALONG [D.1. Update from the Superintendent ] TO DEE RECEIVE HIS INFORMATION. DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT SMITH. THANK YOU, UH, MADAM PRESIDENT. GOOD EVENING. BOARD MEMBERS AND AND GUESTS ON BEHALF OF SUPERINTENDENT COLE. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO SHARE A FEW BRIEF UPDATES THIS EVENING. TODAY ACTUALLY MARKS THE 30TH DAY OF SCHOOL, AND WE'D LIKE TO EXTEND OUR SINCERE APPRECIATION TO OUR STUDENTS, OUR EMPLOYEES, OUR FAMILIES, FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP IN CREATING SUCH A POSITIVE AND SUCCESSFUL START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUE WORKING TOGETHER TO SUPPORT EVERY SCHOOL AS WE GROW, ACHIEVE, AND THRIVE THROUGH OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. NEW ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. PILLAR ONE, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. THE 30TH DAY OF SCHOOL MARKS THE CONCLUSION OF THE STATE REQUIRED K THREE LITERACY AND NUMERACY ASSESSMENTS. THE RESULTS WILL PROVIDE VIABLE BASELINE DATA TO ESTABLISH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT GOALS AND GUIDE INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING AS WE CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN OUR FOUNDATION SKILLS ACROSS OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. SEPTEMBER, I THINK THAT WAS A EARTH, WIND AND FIRE TITLE OF A SONG. YOU REMEMBER SEPTEMBER? YOU REMEMBER THAT? YEAH. SEPTEMBER IS ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH. AND, AND OUR CHILD WELFARE AND ATTENDANCE DEPARTMENT IS PROMOTING THEIR THIS YEAR'S THEME. MS. DUPREE, YOUR PRESENCE MATTERS. YOUR PRESENCE MATTERS. THE CAMPAIGN EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF DAILY ATTENDANCE AND ENCOURAGED FAMILIES, STUDENTS, AND SCHOOLS TO WORK TOGETHER TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENT SUCCESS. WE ARE ALSO PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE LOUISIANA CENTER FOR SAFE SCHOOLS HAS AWARDED TWO $50,000 SAFE SCHOOL GRANTS FOR BATON ROUGE FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACADEMIC EMERGING MAGNET BR FLAME BEL AIR MONTESSORI MAGNET SCHOOLS. OVER THE PAST [00:10:01] THREE YEARS, OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, WE HAVE RECEIVED MORE THAN $3 MILLION IN SAFE, SAFE SCHOOL GRANT FUNDING. FURTHER SUPPORT IN OUR COMMITMENT. YOU CAN CAP THAT FURTHER SUPPORT IN OUR COMMITMENT, PROVIDING SAFE, SECURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR ALL STUDENTS. WE EXTEND OUR SINCERE APPRECIATION TO MRS. NAVO AND MS. CHENEY KENT FOR THE LEADERSHIP AND DEDICATION FOR SECUR THESE COMPETITIVE GRANTS. IN ADDITION, MR. MCCANN RECENTLY COMPLETED SCHOOL SECURITY AND SAFETY AUDITS FOR BROADMOOR HIGH SCHOOL, BAYLOR HIGH SCHOOL, GLEN OAKS HIGH SCHOOL, SCOTLANDVILLE MAGNAN HIGH SCHOOL, TARA HIGH SCHOOL, WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL, SHERWOOD ACADEMIC MAGNET SCHOOL, AND WOODLAWN MIDDLE. THESE ARTISTS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO ASSESS, STRENGTHEN, AND MAINTAIN A SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ACROSS THE DISTRICT. EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT. PILLAR TWO, FROM OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, AS PART OF OUR ONGOING COMMITMENT TO EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT AND SCHOOL SAFETY, THE DISTRICT IS OFFERING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, SROS, SCHOOL SECURITY AND SAFETY AWARENESS WORKSHOP. THE TITLE OF THE WORKSHOP IS BUILDING A SECURE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT FOR THE 26TH 27 SCHOOL YEAR. THESE WORKSHOPS ARE THE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS WITH RESOURCES, GUIDANCE, AND BEST PRACTICE TO STRENGTHEN SECURITY AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS ACROSS OUR CAMPUSES. NEXT WEEK, THE DISTRICT WILL HOST PRINCIPAL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS MEETINGS, FOCUS ON ANALYZING ACCOUNTABILITY SCORECARD DATA TO DRIVE PROACTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DECISIONS AND IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES. SCHOOL LEADERS WILL ALSO PARTICIPATE IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO STRENGTHEN CLASSROOM OBSERVATION PRACTICES WITHIN AN ESSENTIAL EMPHASIS ON GUARANTEE GUARANTEEING A VIABLE CURRICULUM AND A CONSISTENT ENVIRONMENT ACROSS ALL SCHOOLS STRUCTURES. THE DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS CURRENTLY PLANNING A DISTRICT FALL WIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY, AND THAT DAY IS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9TH. THIS EVENT WILL PROVIDE TARGETED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS, INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS, AND INSTRUCTIONAL AND ACADEMIC STAFF WITH A FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING INSTRUCTION PRACTICES, DEEPENING CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, AND ADVANCING DISTRICT WIDE INSTRUCTIONAL ALIGNMENT IMPROVEMENT ACROSS ALL OUR DISTRICT. TONIGHT. TONIGHT WE HAVE THE BEARS IN THE HOUSE. YOU SEE 'EM LINED UP BACK THERE. AT THIS TIME, I'M PLEASED TO INVITE MISS JOSANNA WILLIAMS, PRINCIPAL OF MAGNOLIA WOODS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO THE PODIUM. SHE'S HERE THIS EVENING TO SHARE A FEW OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT MAGNOLIA WOODS AND HOW HER TEAM IS CREATING MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR EACH STUDENT EVERY DAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION. IT'S QUITE AN HONOR TO GET THE CALL TO PRESENT AT THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, SO THANK YOU. MY NAME IS SHAWNA WILLIAMS. I DO SERVE AS THE PROUD PRINCIPAL OF MAGNOLIA WOODS ELEMENTARY. AND WE'RE JUST GONNA SPOTLIGHT A FEW THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON AT MAGNOLIA WOODS. JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR DEMOGRAPHICS. OUR CURRENT ENROLLMENT IS 355 STUDENTS, AND WE SERVICE STUDENTS IN GRADES PRE-K THROUGH FIVE. SOME OF OUR SPECIAL PROGRAMS INCLUDE GIFTED RESOURCE, SCHOLASTIC ACADEMY, E-L-L-E-S-S, PRE-K, AND 21ST CENTURY. WE'RE PROUD TO SAY THAT WE ARE ONE OF THE ONLY THREE SCHOOLS IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH WHO HAS THE 21ST CENTURY PROGRAM. OUR SUBGROUP PERCENTAGES ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN 74 AND NINE TENTHS PERCENT HISPANIC 17 AND TWO TENTHS PERCENT WHITE FIVE AND SIX TENTHS PERCENT ASIAN ONE AND SEVEN TENTHS PERCENT. AND WE HAVE NATIVE AMERICAN, ALASKAN NATIVE AT THREE TENTHS OF A PERCENT. THIS IS JUST A YEAR OF, OF DATA REVIEW. UM, OF OUR 25 26 DATA, LITTLE BACKGROUND. IN 2023, MAGNOLIA WOODS WAS A 73.8 C. IN 2024, MAGNOLIA WOODS DID GROW A TWO, A 75.5 B IN 25, MAGNOLIA WAS DEAD DROP TO A 57.6 D ON THE OLD SCALE, WHICH WAS A 37 C ON THE NEW SCALE. AT THAT POINT, I KNEW THAT WE HAD WORK TO DO, SO THAT'S WHERE OUR THEME MISSION POSSIBLE CAME ABOUT. WITH THAT BEING SAID, OUR PROJECTED, UM, SPS FOR THE 25 26 SCHOOL YEAR IS A 43.1 C, A BREAKDOWN OF OUR ACCOUNTABILITY SCORECARD. UH, WE HAVE A 2025 AND 2026 COMPARISON. I'M PLEASED TO SAY THAT OUR MATH GROWTH INCREASED FROM 30.3 TO 49.2. SO WE [00:15:01] DID GROW 18.9 POINTS IN MATH. THANK YOU. OUR ELA GROWTH WAS 50. WELL, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY GROWTH. WE ACTUALLY DECLINED 1.2 FROM 50.4 TO 49.2. WE DID DECLINE 1.2. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT WE DID ADD, UM, DIBBLES TO OUR LITERACY AND OUR ELA. SO THAT IS A PART OF THE SBS THAT WAS NOT CALCULATED IN OUR 2025 SCORE. OUR MATH GROWTH FOR OUR LOWEST 25% INCREASED FROM 60 TO 71%, WHICH WAS 11.1 POINTS. GOTTA GIVE IT UP, GOTTA GIVE IT UP. OUR ELA GROWTH FOR OUR LOWEST 25% INCREASED FROM 52.6 TO 58.1, WHICH WAS A 5.5 POINT GROWTH. OUR ELL DID INCREASE FROM 45 TO 47.6, WHICH A, WHICH WAS A 2.6 GROWTH. OUR MATH MASTERY, THAT IS STUDENTS WHO SCORED MASTERY OR ADVANCED ON THE LEAP TEST INCREASED FROM 18.5 TO 28.8, WHICH WAS A 10.3 POINT GROWTH. AWESOME ACHIEVE FOR ELA INCREASED FROM 42 TO 42.2, WHICH WAS A TWO TENTHS OF A POINT GROWTH. OUR SCIENCE MASTERY DID INCREASE FROM 16.5 TO 19.2, WHICH WAS A 2.7 GROWTH. AND OUR SOCIAL STUDIES ALSO INCREASED FROM 17.5 TO 22.6, WHICH WAS A 5.1 GROWTH. AS FAR AS OUR DIBBLES AT OR ABOVE, AT THE END OF THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, THIS IS 2025, 2026, OUR BEGINNING OF THE YEAR DATA REFLECTED. 38% OF OUR STUDENTS WERE AT OR ABOVE. BY END OF THE YEAR, 57% OF OUR STUDENT STUDENTS SCORED AT OR ABOVE ON DIBELS. I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT OUR THIRD GRADE AT, THEY WERE AT OR ABOVE AT 90 39%, EXCUSE ME, AT BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. BY THE END OF THE YEAR, THEY INCREASED 23% TO A 62%. AWESOME. THAT'S AWESOME. AND IN MY OPINION, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS ONE OF THE INITIATIVES THAT WE HAD IN PLACE AT MAGNOLIA WOODS. IT IS CALLED OUR BEAR ASSESSMENTS. OUR BEAR ASSESSMENTS ARE QUICK TEACHER MADE FIVE QUESTION ASSESSMENTS THAT ALIGN WITH THE STANDARDS THAT WERE TAUGHT THE PREVIOUS WEEK. SO WE TAKE BEAR ASSESSMENTS EVERY WEDNESDAY. SO THE STANDARDS TAUGHT FROM THURSDAY TO TUESDAY IS WHAT THE TEACHERS TAUGHT, AND THESE ARE SELF-MADE TEACHER ASSESSMENTS. WE BEGIN OUR BARE ASSESSMENTS EVERY WEDNESDAY AFTER LABOR DAY. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? WELL, I HAVE TO USE THE ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY SCORECARD. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE ACCOUNTABILITY SCORECARD, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO DO GROWTH RIGHT NOW ON A EVERYDAY TEST. SO WE, WE DON'T DO THE GROWTH COLUMN, BUT IF YOU KNOW, YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT IF WE ACHIEVE PROFICIENT MASTER OR ABOVE, THEN WE'RE GONNA AUTOMATICALLY GET THOSE GROWTH POINTS. SO WE DO FOCUS ON THE STUDENTS WHO ARE PROFICIENT. OUR VERY FIRST BEAR ASSESSMENT, WE HAD 47.8 STUDENTS SCORE MASTER OR ABOVE 47.8%. I'M SORRY FOR MATH. WE HAD 58.3% OF OUR STUDENTS SCORED MASTER OR ABOVE SCIENCE. WE HAVE 52.9% OF OUR STUDENTS SCORED MASTER OR ABOVE. AND FOR SOCIAL STUDIES, WE HAVE 57 POINT 56.7% OF OUR STUDENTS SCORED MASTER OR ABOVE. THIS DATA IS SHOWN TO OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF EVERY WEDNESDAY BEFORE THEY TAKE THE ASSESSMENT FOR THAT DAY. THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF EACH GRADE LEVEL, EACH SUBJECT FOR GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE FOR ELA. AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR THIRD GRADE WE'RE AT 50%, OUR FOURTH GRADE WERE AT 70, AND OUR FIFTH GRADE WERE AT 23%. LET ME TALK ABOUT THE 23% FOR A MINUTE AND TELL YOU WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT INFORMATION. THE TEACHER WHO CONDUCTED THE INITIAL INSTRUCTION WORKED WITH STRUGGLING STUDENTS IN A SMALL GROUP SETTING WHILE PROVIDING TARGETED EXPLICIT TEACHING FOCUS ON IDENTIFY SKILLS AND OR STANDARDS THAT WERE TAUGHT THAT DAY. THE INTERVENTION INCLUDED DIRECT INSTRUCTION, GUIDED PRACTICE, AND IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK. WORKING WITH THE SMALLER GROUP ALLOWED THE TEACHER TO PROVIDE INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT, MONITOR STUDENT UNDERSTANDING, CLOSELY ADDRESS MISCONCEPTIONS, AND ADJUST INSTRUCTION BASED ON INDIVIDUAL STUDENT NEEDS. IN ADDITION, WE HAD TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHER AS WELL. THIS IS A FIRST YEAR TEACHER. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, OUR INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST, SPECIALIST AND LITERACY COACH ASSISTED THAT TEACHER BY MODELING, COACHING, CO-TEACHING, CONDUCTING OBSERVATIONS AND FEEDBACK. WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE TEACHER AND STUDENTS TO ENSURE ACADEMIC SUCCESS. I'M NOT GONNA GO OVER EACH SUBJECT IN EACH, UH, GRADE LEVEL, BUT I DO WANNA SAY FOR OUR VERY FIRST BEAR ASSESSMENT, WE SCORED A 53.9 A, UM, LAST YEAR WE WERE CONSISTENTLY IN THE BC RANGE. SO THAT DATA ALLOWED US TO KIND OF GET A, A GLIMPSE OF WHAT OUR LETTER GRADE MIGHT MAY BE. AND IT WAS TRUE, WE DID, UM, END UP WITH A C SO THIS REALLY WORKS, THIS REALLY HELPS. AND I'M GONNA BE HONEST, I DID SERVE AS A TEACHER UNDER OUR SUPERINTENDENT, LAMAR COLE, WHO EMPHASIZED THIS AT CSAW ELEMENT MIDDLE MIDDLE SCHOOL, [00:20:01] AND I BOUGHT IT TO EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH WHEN I CAME IN. IT IS SOMETHING THAT I FEEL THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT, UM, AND STUDENTS AND TEACHERS HAVE TO OWN THEIR DATA. SO WE WILL NOT STOP THIS INITIATIVE. ANOTHER THING THAT I AM PROUD OF IS OUR DAILY ATTENDANCE. UM, RIGHT NOW WE ARE, WELL, OUR GOAL IS 98%. SO IF THE SCHOOL HAS A 98% ATTENDANCE, THEY GET SOMETHING FROM ME ON FRIDAY. EVERY SINGLE STUDENT, IT'S PROBABLY A POPSICLE, BUT THEY GET SOMETHING, ANYTHING IS FINE WITH THEM. ON WEDNESDAY, BECAUSE I DID DO THIS PRESENTATION IN ADVANCE, OUR SCHOOL WAS AT A 95%. AND WHAT WE DO IS THE PREVIOUS DAY, WE TELL THEM IF THE PERCENTAGE OF ATTENDANCE INCREASE OR DECREASE. SO THERE WAS A 3% INCREASE FROM TUESDAY TO WEDNESDAY. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE REWARD OUR STUDENTS WEEKLY BY GRADE LEVEL. AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR FIRST GRADER ARE CURRENTLY AT 97 POINT 58% ATTENDANCE THIS WEEK. AND OUR THIRD GRADERS ARE AT 94 POINT 44% ATTENDANCE. THIS WEEK. THEY GET A FREE DRESS PASS ON MONDAYS AND THEY'RE ALLOWED TO HAVE FREE DRESS ON TUESDAYS OF EACH WEEK. AS FAR AS OUR PROGRAMS, WE DO HAVE THE 21ST AFTER SCHOOL. 21ST CENTURY IS THE AFTERSCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM. AS I STATED EARLIER, WE ARE ONE OF THREE IN THE DISTRICT, ONE OF EIGHT IN THE STATE. IT'S A FEDERALLY FUNDED PROGRAM, AND WE DO HAVE SUMMER ENRICHMENT AS WELL, GIFTED RESOURCES. ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT THAT WE HAVE AT OUR SCHOOL IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GIFTED PROGRAM IS TO AID IN THE OPTIMUM DEVELOPMENT OF GIFTED STUDENTS, INTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SOCIAL ABILITIES. MS. MARIE SERVES AS THE GIFTED COORDINATOR, AS WELL AS OUR 21ST CENTURY COORDINATOR. WE'LL NOW HAVE MS. ANGEL HARRIS, OUR STEM COORDINATOR, COME TO THE MIC BECAUSE WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT INTRODUCING STEM BACK INTO MAGNOLIA WOODS. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS MRS. HARRIS. I'M THE STEM LAB COORDINATOR AT MAGNOLIA WOODS. I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU GUYS. EBR HAS, UM, CHOSEN, UH, MAGNOLIA WOODS TO SERVE AS ONE OF THOSE, UM, SCHOOLS TO INTRODUCE STEAM. AND I'D LIKE TO THANK DR. MORRIS AND HER TEAM FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT AND TO GIVE US TRAINING TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM. SO WE HAVE OUR WELCOME TO MISSION CONTROL. IT'S CALLED MISSION STEAM POSSIBLE LAB. IT IS A INNOVATIVE FIVE THROUGH FIFTH GRADE, UM, ANCILLARY STEM PROGRAM. BUT WE ALSO WILL ALSO INCORPORATE PRE-K BY PUSHING INTO THOSE CLASSROOMS. IT'S DESIGNED TO INSPIRE CURIOSITY FOR OUR STUDENTS', CREATIVITY, CREATIVE THINKING, AND ALSO PROBLEM SOLVING. THIS IS NOT ONLY JUST A FREE BUILDING, UM, UH, PROGRAM. IT IS THROUGH WHAT WE CALL, YOU CALL, CALL KIDS SPORT EDUCATION PROVIDED CURRICULUM THROUGH EBR. AND IT IS NOT ONLY A STEM BUILDING, UM, PROJECT, BUT IT ALSO IS HAS LEARNING TARGETS. IT ALSO HAS EXTENSIVE VOCABULARY, ALSO HAS ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS. AND AT THE END OF THE ACTUAL CHALLENGE THAT THEY HAVE EVERY UM, WEEK, THEY ALSO HAVE TO EXPLAIN WITH CRITICAL THINKING. SO WITH UH, MAGNOLIA WOODS, WE HAVE A MODEL WHERE EXCELLENCE IS EXPECTATION. AND OUR STEM LAB, THE MISSION IS POSSIBLE. SO OUR MISSION ENGINEERS, THEY ARE NOT CALLED STUDENTS AS THEY ENTER THE ROOM. WE ARE CALLED MISSION ENGINEERS. THEY COME IN THE ROOM AND THEY HAVE TO SAY THEIR MODEL. SO THE MODEL GOES LIKE THIS. MS. HARRIS SAYS, MISSION ENGINEERS, WE ARE READY. WHAT DO WE DO? WE THINK, WHAT DO WE DO? WE BUILD, WHAT DO WE DO WE SOLVE AND WHAT DO WE DO? WE MAKE AN IMPACT. SO IN THE 30 DAYS OF SCHOOLS THAT WE'VE HAD SO FAR, IT HAS MADE AN IMPACT. STUDENTS ARE ENJOYING IT AND I'M GLAD TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERY STUDENT AT MAGNOLIA WOODS TO BE EXPOSED TO OUR STEM LAB. WE'RE ALSO THE PROUD DISTRICT CHAMPS OF THE FLAG FOOTBALL FOR ELEMENTARY SPORTS LAST YEAR. WE DO HAVE A FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM, VOLLEYBALL, BASKETBALL, TRACK AND FIELD SOCCER AND CHEERLEADING. OUR ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, MS. SANDRA WILLIAMS, IS IN THE BACK AND SHE'S AN EXCEPTIONAL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR. WE, UM, ARE BIG ON PBIS AS WELL. I THINK THAT'S MAYBE ONE OF THE REASONS WHY OUR ATTENDANCE IS LIKE IT IS. BUT FOR PBIS, WE DO MAKE SURE THAT OUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE EXPECTATIONS. THEY ARE CLEAR. THEY KNOW THAT, UM, THEIR BEHAVIOR IS IMPORTANT. THEY KNOW TO BE RESPECTFUL, BE RESPONSIBLE, AND BE READY. WE DO USE THAT DATA TO DETERMINE WHO ATTENDS OUR END OF THE MONTH PBIS ACTIVITIES. THESE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES WE HAVE COMING UP FOR THIS MONTH. WE'RE GONNA HAVE POPPING GOOD BEHAVIOR PARTY. OUR COUNSELOR BUOYS IN THE BACK AS WELL. SHE SPEARHEADS OUR PBIS, UM, EVENTS. THEY WILL HAVE A POPCORN PARTY AND A DANCE. FOR THIS MONTH IN OCTOBER, WE WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR PBS TRUNK OR TREAT. WE'D LIKE TO THANK MS. SOLE FOR COMING TO OUR, UH, TRUNK OR TREAT ON LAST YEAR. HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN. THAT'S GONNA BE ON OCTOBER 30TH AND NOVEMBER. WE'RE GONNA HAVE [00:25:01] OUR SOUL TRAIN SOCK HOP AND IN DECEMBER, LSU ARE SO KIND TO INVITE US TO THEIR EVENTS. SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE OUR P-B-S-P-B-I-S STUDENTS TO THE LSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAME. AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST SOME PICTURES IN ACTION. THE SWIMMING ONE IS ONE OF THE MOST RECENT. I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT OUR SECOND, ALL OF OUR SECOND GRADERS ARE GOING TO THE YMCA. WE'VE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THAT INITIATIVE AS WELL. SO WE DO HAVE OUR YOUNG BABY SECOND GRADE GOING TO SWIMMING LESSONS AT THE Y UH, THE NEXT PICTURE IS OUR KINDERGARTEN CLASS. THEN WE HAVE OUR FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM WITH THEIR FIRST GAME THAT THEY WON ON LAST WEEK. BOTTOM LEFT IS MR. BURTON, OUR MATH TEACHER, TEACHING SMALL GROUP. YOU CAN GET A GLIMPSE OF OUR STEM LAB. WE HAVE OUR KINDERGARTEN KIDS IN OUR STEM LAB. THEN WE HAVE, I THINK THAT'S SECOND GRADE. AND THEN THE LAST PITCHER EVERY YEAR WE HAVE A BALL, A SNEAKER BALL. SO THE LAST PITCH IS OUR SNEAKER BALL FROM LAST YEAR. WE HAD A MASQUERADE BALL WITH THE MARDI GRAS THING. YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON ALL OUR SOCIALS. WE HAVE CLASS DOJO, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM. WE HAVE THE EBR SCHOOL APP AND YOUTUBE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. DON'T GO ANYWHERE. DON'T GO BACK. HOLD BACK. COME ON BACK. UH, MISS SOLE. YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I LOVE, UM, HAVING MAGNOLIA WOODS AS ONE OF MY SCHOOLS. ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS YOU GUYS, I WAS OVER THERE LAST SCHOOL YEAR AND THE WAY THAT MS. WILLIAMS DOES MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS. I JUST HAPPEN TO BE IN HER OFFICE AND SHE CAN SEE THAT SOME OF THE CLASSROOMS ON THE SCREEN AND YOU JUST DO SUCH A GOOD JOB INSPIRING 'EM IN THE MORNINGS AND DOING THOSE CALLBACKS WHERE THEY, UM, CAN REPEAT THINGS. AND THEY'VE JUST REALLY BOUGHT INTO THE MOTTO OF THE SCHOOL. YES, MA'AM. UNFORTUNATELY, I'VE BEEN SUMMONED TO REPORT THAT AT THE PRINCIPAL'S MEETING IN OCTOBER, SO OH, GOOD. YES. WE'LL SEE THAT AGAIN. OKAY, GOOD. AND IT'LL BE LIKE, IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS. AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THE STEM LAB. HOW MANY DO ALL THE KIDS GET TO GO HOW MANY TIMES A WEEK? HOW DOES THAT WORK? ALL, ALL STUDENTS GET TO GO UNLESS OUR FOURTH, WE HAVE A LOT OF ELECTIVES. IT'S NOT EVEN ANCILLARY ANYMORE NOW. OKAY. SO SOME OF OUR FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADERS DO NOT GO BECAUSE WE DO HAVE ART. WE HAVE SPANISH AND WE HAVE DRAMA, AND WE HAVE MUSIC. SO OUR STUDENTS IN K FIVE, MOST OF OUR STUDENTS DO GO TO THE STEM LAB AT LEAST ONCE, MAYBE TWICE A WEEK. AND ALL STUDENTS ARE GRADED AT THAT CLASS AS WELL. OKAY, COOL. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. MS. CARLA PAUL LEWIS. SO I GUESS I HAVE TO BE GROWN UP TODAY AND SAY, HI, MS. WILLIAMS. HI. INSTEAD OF SAYING HI , YOU ALL, WE GREW UP TOGETHER, BUT I WANNA TELL YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS INFORMATION AND, AND YOU ALL, SHE IS CORRECT IN SAYING THAT SHE'S ON ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS BECAUSE I FOLLOW THEIR SCHOOL AND Y'ALL ARE ALWAYS DOING AMAZING WORK AND I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE THOUGH IS ABOUT, UH, I COULD TELL THAT YOU GUYS LEAN HEAVY ON REWARDING YOUR STUDENTS. YES MA'AM. AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE WITH, UM, PROVIDING THOSE REWARDS? WHERE DO YOU GENERALLY PULL FROM FOR THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST WITH THAT? WE HAVE DONATIONS. WE HAVE FUNDRAISERS. OUR STUDENTS LOVE PIZZA AND CAPRIC SAUCE. THEY PAY FOR THEIR OWN REWARDS, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, , UM, THE ONE FRIDAY, SINCE IT IS ONE GRADE LEVEL, AND I'M SO PROUD OF THAT. ONE DAY THEY HAVE 100%. I'LL PROVIDE IT OUT MY POCKET, BUT HOWEVER WE NEED TO GET IT. BUT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DONATE AND LIKE I SAID, THE KIDS CONCESSIONS, HOWEVER WE CAN GET THE MONEY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU MR. LEWIS. THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION. YOU'RE WELCOME. UM, YOU GUYS ARE DOING A, A FANTASTIC JOB. THANK YOU. UM, I WAS REALLY, I KINDA LIKED THE MATH SCORES. I WAS INTERESTED IN MATH, YOUR GROWTH IN MATH, AND I THINK, UM, MS. KOSKI HAS COME UP AND SHE'S TALKED ABOUT HOW SINCE COVID, THE MATH SCORES HAVE REALLY GONE UP A LOT MORE CONSISTENT AND SCIENCE HAS KIND OF LAGGING BEHIND, BUT YOU GUYS ARE GROWING IN SCIENCES AS WELL, SO THAT'S NOT ISOLATED. IT'S IT'S HAPPENING ALL OVER THE DISTRICT. UM, I'M NOT SURPRISED THAT YOU HAVE THE 95%, UM, ATTENDANCE BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE SCHOOL IS FUN. YES, SIR. AT MAG WOODS, WE TRY TO MAKE IT FUN AND IF IF KIDS HAVE FUN, THEY DON'T MIND COMING TO SCHOOL. CORRECT. WORK HARD. PLAY HARD IS OUR MOTTO. YEAH. AND JUST FROM YOU TALKING, I CAN ALMOST FEEL THE LOVE THAT YOU GUYS SHOW, YOU KNOW, THESE YOUNG PEOPLE. THANK YOU. SO PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND JUST, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO TURNING BACK. AND THE STEM PROGRAM IS FANTASTIC. YEAH. [00:30:01] HOPEFULLY THAT STEM PROGRAM WILL INCREASE OUR SCIENCE SCORES AS WELL. THEY GO TOGETHER AND YOU TALK ABOUT THE MAP, YOU TALK ABOUT THE DRAMA. CORRECT. THE DANCE, ALL THOSE THINGS CORRELATE BACK TO A ACADEMIC SUBJECT. RIGHT? SO THERE'S, THERE'S, IT'S NOT A MISTAKE THAT YOU'RE GROWING THE WAY THAT YOU'RE GROWING. AND I'M GONNA REPEAT MYSELF FROM A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. WOULDN'T IT BE AMAZING IF ALL OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WOULD LOOK LIKE MAG WOODS? IT WOULD BE AMAZING. YEAH. . AND IT'S POSSIBLE. IT'S, I MADE THE SAME COMMENT ABOUT V-R-C-P-A-A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. YES. I'M GONNA MAKE THE SAME COMMENT ABOUT MAG WOODS TODAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S THE WAY YOU MOVE THE NEEDLE. THAT'S THE WAY YOU CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THE TOUR, UH, EARLIER THIS SCHOOL YEAR. IT WAS AMAZING, ACTUALLY. THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME VISITING. AND SO, UH, TO KNOW HAND IN HAND WHAT YOU'RE DOING ON PAPER AND TO SEE IN ACTION IS AMAZING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. WILLIAMS. I, I NORMALLY WOULDN'T SPEAK FOR MR. COLE, BUT BOTH OF US, WE ARE EXTREMELY PROUD OF YOU AND YOUR TEAM THIS YEAR. THANK YOU. UM, YOU REMEMBER THE BEGINNING OF LAST YEAR WE WERE IN A CLOSET. YES, SIR. AND, UH, WE WERE, WE WERE IN A CLOSET TOGETHER AND UH, YOU WERE VERY DISAPPOINTED. YOU WERE NOT THIS YEAR FOR ME. NO, NO, NO. YOU'RE CELEBRATING THIS YEAR, . AND SO I WOULD JUST LIKE YOU TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ANNOUNCE, RECOGNIZE THE TEAM MEMBERS THAT YOU HAVE WITH YOU. PROUDLY. PROUDLY. PLEASE STAND IN THE BACK. WE HAVE MS. SANDRA WILLIAMS, OUR ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, MS. TASHA JACKSON. OUR FAVORITE AP, ONE OF THEM. I HAVE TWO APS. WE HAVE MS. CANDACE MACKLIN THOMAS, OUR DRAMA TEACHER WHO JOINED US THIS YEAR, THE DRAMA TEACHER. WE HAVE MS. MICHELLE BOWIE, WHO SERVES AS OUR ESTEEM SCHOOL COUNSELOR. WE HAVE MS. LISA LANGSTER, WHO SERVES AS OUR RESET ROOM MODERATOR. AND MSS ANGEL HARRIS IS OUR STEM COORDINATOR. STC MENTOR TEACHER. EVERYTHING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. NOW BOARD MEMBERS, IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE THIS EVENING TO WELCOME MR. MICHAEL DOER FROM COPAY VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC SECTORS. MICHAEL HAS BEEN, AND HIS TEAM HAS BEEN A VALUABLE PARTNER TO OUR DISTRICT AS WE CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR INNOVATIVE WAYS TO MAXIMIZE OUR RESOURCES, TO ENSURE MORE DOLLARS ARE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS. MICHAEL? ABSOLUTELY. UH, SORRY, CAN Y'ALL LET ME ADJUST THIS UP THE TEAM BIT THERE. THERE WE GO. UH, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, ADAM SMITH, UH, MADAM, UH, BOARD PRESIDENT STEWARD, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME HERE TODAY. UH, AS THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT MENTIONED, MY NAME IS MIKE DOM WITH A COMPANY CALLED CORE PAY. WE'RE PUBLICLY TRADED ORGANIZATION ON THE S AND P 500. UH, WE'RE A FORTUNE 1000 COMPANY. AND WHAT WE DO IS WE HELP ORGANIZATIONS MANAGE THEIR CORPORATE PAYMENTS. SO IF THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S ABOUT TIME TO TAKE A SNOOZE AND WAIT FOR THE NEXT AMAZING UPDATE, UH, ABOUT A PHENOMENAL ELEMENTARY OR MIDDLE SCHOOL, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND, BUT HEAR ME OUT FOR TWO SECONDS 'CAUSE I PROMISE THAT THERE'S A REALLY GOOD ENDING TO THIS STORY AND I'LL BE QUICK. UH, SO WE STARTED PARTNERING WITH THE, UH, SCHOOL DIVISION, UH, IN FEBRUARY TO HELP YOU ALL PAY YOUR VENDORS AND SUPPLIERS ELECTRONICALLY AS PART OF AN EFFORT TO GET RID OF SO MUCH OF THE PAPER THAT PLAGUES OUR BACK OFFICES. AND, UH, THAT'S RIGHT. I'M GLAD THAT GOT A LITTLE BIT OF AN APPLAUSE. UH, AND SO, UH, BUT WHAT I WANNA SAY IS SINCE FEBRUARY WE HAVE PAID ABOUT $25 MILLION WORTH OF THE DISTRICT'S, UH, AP VENDOR PAYMENTS. 8.8 MILLION OF THAT HAS GONE ON WHAT WE CALL AN AP VIRTUAL CARD. THAT'S A NETWORK THAT WE HAVE WITH MASTERCARD WHERE WE CAN PAY YOUR VENDORS INSTEAD OF ACCEPTING A CHECK, THEY'LL ACTUALLY ACCEPT A, UH, MASTERCARD FOR PAYMENT. IT'S SINGLE USE. THEY GET ALL THE REMITTANCE INFORMATION THAT THEY'RE USED TO AND THEN THE DISTRICT ACTUALLY, UH, IS ABLE TO EARN A REBATE. AND SO INSTEAD OF THIS BEING SOMETHING THAT COSTS YOU ALL MONEY, LIKE MOST VENDORS YOU WORK WITH, I ACTUALLY PAY YOU GUYS MONEY TO WORK WITH US FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF PAYING YOUR VENDORS, UH, AND SUPPLIERS. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY TWO QUICK THINGS BEFORE I, UH, SHOW THE, UH, THE, THE RESULTS OF OUR PROGRAM SO FAR AND WHAT THAT'S MEANT FINANCIALLY TO YOU ALL. I JUST WANT TO SAY TWO THINGS. ONE, I JUST WANT TO THANK THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS TEAM. UH, USUALLY YOU PRESENT TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS LIKE THIS SIZE AND THEY SAY, HEY, COME BACK WHEN YOU GOT 40 OR 50 OTHERS THAT ARE OUR SIZE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS IS A TEAM THAT UNDERSTANDS THAT [00:35:01] YOU DON'T GET EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS DOING THINGS THE WAY EVERYBODY ELSE DOES. AND THAT WAS VERY APPARENT TO ME ON DAY ONE. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU, SIR, AND I WANT TO THANK, UH, YOUR FINANCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TEAMS, UH, AMY AND UH, THANK YOU GUYS AND AL COOGAN AS WELL. WE'VE HAD A GREAT TIME WORKING WITH YOU ALL. UH, AND ALSO I'LL JUST, YOU KNOW, ON A PERSONAL NOTE BEFORE I SET, SHOW YOU ALL YOUR REBATE CHECK WITH WHAT YOU ALL HAVE EARNED SO FAR. UH, MY WIFE ACTUALLY SERVED ON THE RICHMOND CITY. I LIVE IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA ON OUR SCHOOL BOARD FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS. SO SHE JUST FINISHED HER SERVICE IN 2024 THROUGH COVID AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO AS AN HONOR OF MY LIFE TO SUPPORT HER IN THAT ROLE. SO I HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT YOU ALL DO AND THIS IS A REALLY, UH, IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP TO ME. IT'S AN IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP TO COPAY. AND THAT BEING SAID, UH, AL DO YOU MIND, UH, HELPING ME, UH, PRESENT THE CHECK TO YOU ALL, WHICH I THINK IS, IS WHAT YOU ALL WANT TO SEE? YES. SO, SO, SO FAR, UH, YEAR TO DATE YOU ALL HAVE EARNED $44,000, 550, 40 $4,556. HERE WE GO. WE'LL SHOW THIS AROUND TO YOU GUYS AS WELL. AND, UH, ABOUT $20,000 FROM LAST MONTH ALL. SO THIS PROGRAM IS REALLY RAMPED AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO EVEN MORE RESULTS. BOARD MEMBERS. CAN YOU GO BOARD MEMBERS, COME OUT HERE, TAKE A PICTURE WITH THE GUY, CHECK THAT. NO, WE'RE POLITICS. WE DON'T LIKE TO BE SEEN. THAT'S RIGHT, . THAT'S RIGHT. THEY DON'T HATE THAT. AND THE MEMO NEXT TIME. THAT'S ALL. ALRIGHT, MR. CAN'T SEE IT. 1, 2, 3. OH SURE. CERTAINLY. THANK YOU. AND SO WE ARE, UH, AND SORRY, THE, UH, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT ASKED ME TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, SOME PROJECTIONS IF THE PROGRAM CONTINUES AS IS. UH, SO LIKE I I SAID A MINUTE AGO, YOU KNOW, LAST MONTH AND IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT TO KIND OF RAMP THIS PROGRAM UP. WE'VE ENROLLED HUNDREDS OF VENDORS ON Y'ALL'S BEHALF. AND SO LAST MONTH WE PROCESSED ABOUT $3.6 MILLION ON THE CARD PROGRAM. THE BIGGEST MONTH THAT WE'VE HAD SO FAR THAT IS GONNA GENERATE ABOUT $22,000 OF THE 45 THAT WE SAW THERE. AND SO WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING IS AROUND TWO TO THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS PER MONTH WITH SCHOOLS. IT IS VERY SEASONAL, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE SUMMER MONTHS ARE ALWAYS A LITTLE LOWER. YOU GO INTO THE START A YEAR, THERE'S ALWAYS A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPENDITURES AS YOU GET YOUR SCHOOL BUILDINGS READY, YOU KNOW, FOR THE NEW YEAR AND WHATNOT. BUT, UH, I'M PROJECTING THAT WE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO DO AROUND 15 TO $20,000, UH, PER MONTH. AND I'M HOPING WE CAN CROSS THAT THRESHOLD TO WHERE YOU ALL ARE EARNING AT LEAST $200,000 PER YEAR OFF THE PROGRAM. THAT'S WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT GET TO. AND SO WE ARE, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT WE HAVE TO DO WHERE WE'RE CONTINUALLY ENROLLING NEW VENDORS AND WORKING WITH YOU GUYS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR AP TEAMS ARE REALLY MAXIMIZING THE PROGRAM. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU MICHAEL. YEAH, THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT. OH, OH, SORRY. SORRY. UH, YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO, UH, MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS A SUBJECT THAT I NEVER TOOK ANY INTEREST IN AT ALL. THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS. BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY MANY, MANY TIMES IS THAT RUNNING A SCHOOL IS NOT LIKE RUNNING A BUSINESS, BUT THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RUNNING A BUSINESS AND RUNNING A SCHOOL. MM-HMM . AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE AREAS AND YES, THE CHECKS ARE NICE MM-HMM . BUT EVEN BEYOND THAT, WE GET MUCH BETTER SERVICE FROM VENDORS WHO ARE PAID ON TIME AND PAID CORRECTLY. WE HAVE MUCH LESS OF OUR STAFF INVOLVED OF THE PAYMENT OF CHECKS AND THE, THE CORRECTION OF CHECKS THAT WENT OUT WRONG. WE HAVE MUCH LESS OF OUR IT TIME TAKING UP ON CHECK RUNS MM-HMM . AND DOING ALL THESE SORTS OF THINGS. 'CAUSE ALL THOSE THINGS COST MONEY. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE LESS THINGS THAT WE SPEND TIME, EFFORT, AND RESOURCES ON DOING THOSE TYPES OF DETAILS, WHICH ARE IMPORTANT DETAILS. YES. BUT THE LESS TIME WE SPEND DOING THOSE TYPE OF DETAILS IS THE MORE TIME, MONEY AND RESOURCES WE CAN PUT INTO THE CLASSROOMS, WHICH WE ARE HERE. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE HERE ALL ABOUT. YEAH. ABSOLUTELY. AND SO IT IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF US TO BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH, [00:40:01] UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN A STRONG PROPONENT OF CITY SUITES. I'VE BEEN A STRONG PROPONENT OF GETTING ALL THIS DONE. LITTLE DISAPPOINTED IT TOOK US THIS LONG TO GET THERE, BUT HEY, WE'RE THERE. AND UH, AGAIN, LIKE I SAID EARLIER TO DR. SMOTHERS, GREAT JOB. WE STILL GOT A WAY TO GO. . THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANK THE IT TEAM AND THANK THE FINANCE TEAM AND THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE TEAM. 'CAUSE I KNOW, UH, FROM PAST EXPERIENCE, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING ONE DEPARTMENT DOES ALONE 'CAUSE IT TOUCHES SO MANY DIFFERENT PLACES. SO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR WORK IN MAKING THIS HAPPEN. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP. MADAM PRESIDENT. THAT CONCLUDES SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT AND THANK YOU SO KINDLY. AND NOW THAT'S FINE. MOVING ALONG TO ITEM [E. Reports from Board Appointees to Committees/Agencies ] E REPORTS FROM BOARD APPOINTEES TO COMMITTEES OR AGENCIES. ARE THERE ANY REPORTS THAT NEED TO BE SPOKEN ABOUT ANY? ALL RIGHT. SO MOVING ALONG [F. Consent Agenda ] TO THE CONSENT AGENDA AND WE HAVE MS. SOLE. THANK YOU. I I GOT IT. THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE TO 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 SOW 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 ONE GRANT, FEDERAL DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO ACCEPT THE FEDERAL DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $625,000 FOR A FIVE YEAR PERIOD TO SUPPORT PREVENTION INITIATIVES AND RELATED PROGRAM ACTIVITIES. TWO RFP FISCAL AGENT CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FISCAL AGENT RFP AND TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT AND SUPERINTENDENT TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM AND CAPITAL ONE AS THE FISCAL AGENT FOR THE PERIOD OF THREE YEARS BEGINNING OCTOBER 1ST, 2026 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2029 WITH A TWO YEAR EXTENSION PROVISION INCLUDING ALL CURRENT PROVISIONS AND RATES. THREE MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING DUAL ENROLLMENT. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY TO PROVIDE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES FOR THE 20 26 20 27 SCHOOL YEAR FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND. FOUR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT IMAGINE LEARNING LLC. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT RENEWAL BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND IMAGINE LEARNING LLC AND THE AMOUNT OF $408,879 AND 55 CENTS TO PROVIDE ONLINE CURRICULUM FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND. FIVE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT HIGH DOSAGE TUTORING CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT RENEWAL BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND EIGHT DISTRICT SELECTED LDOW APPROVED HIGH DOSAGE TUTORING VENDORS NOT TO EXCEED $1,470,538 PUPIL PROGRESSION PLAN. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE 20 26 20 27 SCHOOL YEAR DISTRICT PUPIL PROGRESSION. PLAN SEVEN. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION FROM GWEN SHALIN, GENERAL COUNSEL E-B-R-P-S-B AND THE MATTER OF NH AND THE INTEREST AND ON BEHALF OF THE MINOR CHILD VERSUS EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, ETAL, SUITE NUMBER 24 DASH 180 7 DASH B AJ DASH EWD LOUISIANA DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT AND RELATED MATTERS. NUMBER EIGHT, LITIGATION CONSIDERATION OF A RE APPROVAL. OH MY GOSH, CONSIDERATION OF A APPROVAL FOR THE RECOMMENDATION FROM GWEN SHALIN, GENERAL COUNSEL E-B-R-P-S-B IN THE MANNER OF BARBARA WEST VERSUS EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD SUITE NUMBER SUIT NUMBER TWO FIVE DASH 5 4 2 1. AND RELATED MATTERS. I SO MOVE BOARD MEMBERS. ARE THERE ANY ITEMS THAT ANY BOARD MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE? OKAY. DO I HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? HOLD ON. [00:45:01] NOPE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE BOARD. OKAY. I MEAN, ONLINE COMMENTS. OKAY. OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION? I HAVE A MOTION BY MS. CARLA POWELL. BE A SECOND. OH, I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T SEE. OKAY. AND I HAVE A SECOND. SO I HAVE A, A MOTION BY MS. SOLE AND THEN I HAVE A SECOND BY MS. CARLA POWELL LEWIS. NO COMMENTS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE IN OPPOSITION PLEASE VOTE. THEY SHE OWN IT. SHE OWN IT. . NONE. Y'ALL HAVE IT. IT AIN'T POP. OH, THERE YOU GO. IT JUST POPPED UP. THE MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. MOVING ALONG TO [G.1. Professional Services Contract: Eisner Advisory Group LLC ] ITEM G, NEW BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT EISNER ADVISORY GROUP, LLC. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND HEISER ADVISORY GROUP LLC NOT TO EXCEED $125,000 TO DEVELOP A FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST. MS. LOPEZ PRESENTATION, YOU GOT A PRESENTATION? SURE. TONIGHT WE HAVE WITH US MS. MR. FREDDY SMITH AND, UH, HE CAN ASK ANY QUESTIONS. I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF YOU GUYS PRIOR TO THE MEETING, BUT ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD, MR. SMITH? NO. UH, I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH SEVERAL OF YOU AS WELL AS, UH, YOUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, KELLY LOPEZ. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SERVE AS THE BOARD'S AUDIT FIRM AND WE THOUGHT, UH, AS A, AS A GOOD EXTENSION OF THOSE SERVICES WE'D OFFER TO PROVIDE YOU GUYS AND, UH, SOME LONGER RANGE FINANCIAL PLANNING GIVEN THAT YOU GUYS HAVE, HAVE PROVIDED YOUR, YOUR WORKFORCE WITH, UH, PRETTY GOOD COMPENSATION ADJUSTMENTS, BRINGING YOU TO, UH, YOU KNOW, AMONG THE LEADERS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN LOUISIANA. UM, THAT INCLUDED WITH THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL OF YOUR TAXES WILL ARE SET TO EXPIRE, UH, WITHIN THE NEXT, UH, FIVE YEARS. WE THOUGHT AT A GOOD TIME TO, UH, DO SOME LONGER RANGE FINANCIAL PLANNING WITH YOU GUYS, OR AT LEAST DO SOME PROJECTIONS OF YOUR NUMBERS OF WHERE YOU MAY STAND SO THAT YOU CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, DO SOME GOOD FINANCIAL PLANNING AHEAD OF TIME AND NOT JUST, UH, IN, ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, UH, AS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW AS YOU ADOPT YOUR BUDGET. SO THAT'S SORT OF A SUMMARY OF, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SERVICES THAT WE OFFER TO PROVIDE, UH, WITHIN THAT CONTRACT. AND WE APPRECIATE THAT AND SEEMS LIKE WE DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS THUS FAR. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR THIS ITEM? I HAVE A MOTION BY MR. GODDE. AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MR. MARTIN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE IN OPPOSITION, MADAME SECRETARY? YEP. NOBODY, NOBODY HAD NOTHING. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. FORWARD TO SERVING YOU. THANK YOU. MOVING ALONG, [H.1. Announcement of Meetings ] ITEM H, ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS. MS. PAUL LEWIS. ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETINGS, MILES FOR SMILES. RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2026 AT BROWNSVILLE ELEMENTARY. SOME OR ALL BOARD MEMBERS MAY ATTEND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2026 AT 5:00 PM AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM. A, SOME OR ALL BOARD MEMBERS MAY ATTEND COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING TO BE HELD ON OCTOBER 1ST, 2026 AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE. BOARDROOM, REGULAR MEETING TO BE HELD ON OCTOBER 15TH, 2026 AT 5:00 PM IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE. BOARDROOM. MR. MR. MARTIN, THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT. I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE MY MOTHER. UH, SHE'S COMING TOWN THIS WEEK TO CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY. SO THANK YOU MOM FOR BEING HERE. APPRECIATE IT. AND BEFORE [00:50:01] WE LEAVE, WE ARE GOING TOGETHER. SING A LITTLE HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR MR. MARTIN. ALL ON ONE, TWO, THREE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. MARTIN. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU AND MANY MORE. AND SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR JOINING US. THAT CONCLUDES OUR MEETING. 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.