superintendent now which is in Oak Park, Illinois at that time. And then the head of the state finance authority came to me a second time and said, "Connie, I really need you to take a look at Round Lake." I said, "No, not going to Round Lake. You know, I'm going to stay where
I am." Then he came to me a third time and he said, "Connie, I really need you to take a look at Round Lake." And I said, "Tell me why should I go to Round Lake?" And he said, "Because the
children there need you." And I said, "I will apply for Round Lake." That's why any superintendent should be doing a job is because the children need you and you believe that you can have an impact or make a difference with the children
there in the school district. when I went to that district and there were a lot of things that needed to be fixed meaning that there were not systems in place, there were not curriculum in place, a lot of work needed to be done. When I went to the district, my goal was
to stay for six years. When we got close to the six years, I said to the board, I said, "You know what? We still have more work to do. I want to stay another two years." and the board unanimously decided that I would stay another two years. So I was
superintendent in that district for eight years, superintendent in the district before for five years and superintendent in my first district when I came to Illinois from Michigan for three years. And I will tell you two of the three districts where I was
superintendent, there was a lot of work that needed to be done because the students were not achieving. Uh there was a lot that needed to be done with facilities etc. in uh Oak Park. There was is an upper middle class uh district and I was superintendent there for five
years and so just grateful that they saw something in me and in the work that I had done that they wanted me as superintendent there. I will tell this must be a sor right here too. Okay. Very good. Wonderful. Wonderful. Pink and green is the giveaway. Uh okay. So
therefore, I have experience as a superintendent. I used to visit Benton Harbor many times when I was growing up. Even though I grew up in Giri, Indiana, my mother had a sister. I don't know if you knew the Frasers. If any of you some
of the older knew the You didn't No. No. She was a Frasier by marriage, brunette Frasier. And then uh she had two children, Artha Frasier and Gloria Frasier. Oh my goodness. Okay. Well,
those are my cousins. And uh so therefore, I came here many times and visited uh would go pick blueberries here in the area. And then uh my aunt would take us to uh what's the name? It was um amusement
park, not silver beach, deer force. Was it deer park or something like that? Okay, that's what Yep. You're absolutely right. So, we go there and have lots of fond memories of being in
Benton Harbor. And as I said, growing up in Gary, a lot of similarities between Gary and Benton Harbor. So therefore, I'm familiar with the area and I know what can be done because I've gone and been superintendent in districts where
there was a not a lot of work that needed to be done and the work was done but it was only done because we worked together and the board and the superintendent is like a marriage. So there should be a team. They should be working together in order to focus on
the kids. This is not about adults. This is about kids. And if we take care of the children, which is the role of the school district, we will be doing the right work that needs to be done. Okay, we're going to get started because I want to be respectful of your time and see that we accomplish what we need to.
I ask that everybody come in with an open mind and that you really focus on the kids. This isn't about uh adults, but like I said, it's about the kids. And you know what? Whenever and I've lived in different places around the country. Whenever I've gone to whether I
was in Pennsylvania, whether I was in Nashville, whether I was in Houston, the first thing I wanted to know was how are the schools in whatever area I was going to move into. And I did my research. I went online to see how the schools were
performing, just what it was like as far as safety was concerned, etc. Those are the places where people look at when they're moving into an area and seeing how everybody is working together to make it happen. I know it's possible because I've been in districts where it
happened. My last district was primarily Hispanic. It was uh 79% Hispanic, uh 7% black, but you know, I also spoke Spanish. So therefore, uh I had had Spanish from seventh grade through my sophomore year of college. In fact, when
I left Gary Roosevelt, I took the advanced placement test and placed out of 10 college credits of Spanish. So, I started college with 10 college credits before I stepped foot into a Spanish classroom at Indiana University. I know
that when you have a strong education, when you have people who are working together, believe in the possibilities, great things can happen. And so we have to ask ourselves, you know, why hasn't it happened here in recent years, etc.
And you know what, and we've got to say, as I told the focus groups that I was working with, I said, we're not focused on problems. Let's focus on solutions because all the problems do is to drag us down and we glorify the problems.
Let's focus on solutions and what needs to be done to turn things around and make things happen for this school district. So, I believe in you. I believe in the young people who are attending school because like I said, I know what kind of districts I went into
and all the work that needed to be done. And I knew that when we worked together that it turned things around. I remember going into my last school district. Well, you know, I never went in the boy's restroom. So, I had no idea of what things looked like in the boys' restroom. And so, they were the kids
were telling me, "Dr. Collins, you know, I we don't want to use the restrooms because they're in such bad shape." And so, therefore, on a day when the kids were not in school, I said to one of the custodians, "Can you take me into the boys's restroom?" I almost cried when I
saw the condition of the boy's restroom. And I said, "We're changing this now. something needs to be done. It has an impact when you know that things are clean, when people are concerned, when people are doing what they can to make the schools the very best that they can
be. And it is possible. So, we can't say we can't do it here. We can't say things can't be done. All things are possible and it can happen if everybody works together and supports each other. So the superintendent as well as the board,
they are the leaders of the district and they have to work together as a team or it will never happen. Okay. So let's uh what I want you to do on page three of the uh information that you have. I want you and I'm so glad that we have as many
people here as we do. On page three at the top you will see that's the uh third sheet. I want you to take some time and I want you to sort of get together in like three or four people
talking. I want you to define what is the definition of insanity. Uhuh. Nope. Nope. Nope. I said it. And we're going to do it. We're going to do it in in groups so that you can discuss. We're going to do it in groups. Then when you hear the phrase,
nobody rises to low expectations. What does that mean? And is when you ask the question decisions that are being made, is this in the best interest of students? What does that say
to you? And then the last point, what is the role of the board versus the role of the superintendent? So it's on the third sheet at the top. If you could get just sort of turn your chairs around, talk in groups of about four and take a few
minutes, somebody record and write the answers down that your group comes up with and let's answer these questions. So definition of insanity and how when you think about the definition of insanity, has there been anything here in the district that contributes to that
insanity? When you take a look or ask the question, nobody rises to low expectations and that's a phrase from a motivational speaker who is African-American who uh basically that was his theme. In fact, even in some of
our schools, we had that posted in the school. Nobody rises to low expect. What does that mean when we think in terms of the school district, the kids, etsw put down what you can with the answers to those questions. Yes.
One person take some notes. As we're having this discussion, everybody, we have we're all equals. So, we're not separating the board members from everybody else. We're all equals. We want to hear what everybody has to say. Okay. Mhm.
Don't forget about our friend of this is the most important person in the room. Okay? So, be sure you hear from him and know what he has to say. Come on. You have something to share. 10 minutes all together then we're
moving on. Anything that I left. I'm so sorry. That's okay. I'm sorry. impact. There's [Music] We have everything. They
are not in high demand. So you have to always I don't expect you. I got 10 minutes. Five more minutes.
Yeah. Yes. But now that Let's say Yeah. That's right. And that's where Oh, I'm sorry.
Yes, I do. I think I have some with me. expectation. We got about six Yes. See you. That's for I don't understand. problem. Guess what? Yeah, just by the idea that
I'm getting Can you take pictures of our groups working? Okay, we're going to uh I want to hear one statement from each group regarding each of the points is there just one statement because so we can get around
to everybody. Okay. And then we're going to move on. Okay. Let's What group wants to go first? Any group that wants to go first and don't all volunteer at the same time because if you don't volunteer, I'm going to call on somebody. Okay. Oh. Oh, I thought you
were saying you ready to talk. Talk right now. Okay. Okay. Right here. Okay. Let's hear. There's the mic. Start with the give me an answer to each one of those points. Yes. You want all four? Yes. Okay. Definition of insanity
is doing something over and over and uh getting the same result or expecting a different result. Uh number two, nobody rises to low expectations means that individuals tend to perform at the level they are expected to and setting low low
expectations can hinder their potential. Is this best in the best interest of students? Meaning uh considering whether a decision, a policy or action will ultimately benefit students well-being, development and
learning. The role of the board versus the role of the superintendent. The school board sets the overall vision, direction, and policies for the district while the superintendent implements those policies and manages the day-to-day operations of the schools. Thank you so much. Next
group right here. This group, who's the spokesperson? Morning everyone. um that Ben Harbor has never been good enough. And so um we talked about Insanity doing the same thing and
expecting different results. And one of our um team members said that um she worked in the district and she had 17 administrators in her 30 years. And so um in doing all of that, we just talked about people from Ben Harbor has never
been good enough. There are educators up and down 94 and all over the map in this country that have been here and been harbored put in the work and we have never been good enough not to be the superintendent but to just be an employee even that means being a custodian right and so um nothing
against custodians but so just Ben Harbor is not good enough and so when are we going to start looking you know at our own people that understands the culture that has a love for the district unconditionally and um that's willing to do the work and and being a fighter.
Oh, and then a couple other things, low expectations. Um, one thing, um, one of my team members wanted to stress is humanity and, um, in humanity. No human should have to accept the lifestyle of not being enough. And then, um, you know,
the next one is like, who is this? What is your why? And um but when it's all said and done, we're here today to work together to get a good leader. And so um I think that's important in understanding that nobody rises to low
expectations. And then I'm sorry, I skipped over the best interest of students. And the last one, board versus um superintendent. Superintendent is the person well what we're looking for. So we were thinking application. So we're past the defining, right? We're trying
to move up to Blooms and get into application. And so as part of our application, we're like, we need someone that's a fighter that makes good trouble that um can um provide creativity, develop a guy and implement it. That's
from the superintendent seat and then from the board seats, provide the governance, the policies and procedures and and having those high expectations for that leader is okay. Uh those of you who are sharing, can you
be sure that uh Natalie gets a copy of your notes so that we have a record of what has been shared. So if you could just uh make sure that you either give her your notes or a copy of it so that we can have everybody's information. Thank you so much.
Oh, okay. Great. Okay. Right here. Okay. Uh can everybody hear me? Okay. All right. So, we agreed on the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting
a different result and and not um what we said was not getting intervention when you see that something isn't working. So, yeah, that's what I said when one of one of the folks here said that. Um they also said on the next
question like why why would anybody rise to low expectations? You must have standards and goals. If you don't have expectations, how do you rise? Um our children are the consumers and so they should be able to ask questions. We
talked about, you know, having an opportunity for the candidates to come to the school, meet the kids, meet the students where they are and allow them to ask questions of them and making sure the students know the role of the superintendent. Um, we talked about, you
know, the best interest of the students. It needs to be included. We have to have, you know, resources outside of the classroom. the uh we want a superintendent who's making sure that there are wraparound services uh for our children. Um understand that they need
to involve the children, the community and the parents. They need to get out and get to know the community. Um listen to the community, listen to the community's expectations of them. Um and then also have communications with all
the staff. uh someone who's looking to have some type of monthly staff meeting so that they can hear um the concerns and collaborate with all of the staff. And then in regards to the role of the board, um what came up was whether you agree with them or not, whether you
agree with the superintendent or not, respect them. Um try to have a a good relationship where it's not a board versus superintendent, superintendent versus the board. Uh don't be the type of person that if it's not your idea, you block it just because it's not
yours. Uh don't belittle them. Um respect has to be on all levels. But we also have to make sure that he's qualified. They he or she we have to make sure that they are qualified to be there. The board has to make sure that
that the superintendent is doing their best and the board has a responsibility to the community and understanding that their efforts to dismantle public schools and so the board also must defend its assets. Okay, that was Did I get that? Did I miss anything? Okay,
good deal. Thank you so much. Okay, which group? Right here. Good morning everyone. My name is Dedra Fields. I think nobody said our name. We didn't do a icebreaker. We should have found out who everybody is, but this is the icebreaker. Okay. And so I'm
actually more or less mimicking um Angel in regards to we don't want to be repetitive. What has already been stated has been stated is clear what insanity is. I do want to say that that's an aspect of faith too, right? So you can do the same things expecting different results but you're doing different
things so that your um prayers would be um surfaced. So again everybody understands what that is in regards to the insanity on the second piece in referencing nobody rises to low expectations. We wanted to be inclusive
of our student and we have Lonnie here and Lonnie actually stated you don't mind right Lonnie? Okay. Because he didn't really want to speak, but he said that there's low expectations of him them of Benson Harvey area schools from inside and externally. So there's not an
expectation necessarily from teachers for them to graduate, to perform well, to be a good person, so on and so forth. Um, not all his words. I think I added some, but he he really didn't have a problem stating that. And so I really wanted to just expound on that. And I
asked him like how so and things of that nature. And that's how he shared in regards to that it's not only inside, it's external as well. And that um one of the things that my stated in response to that is to
actually reach children how they learn. So if it's via a song, via a rap, how do you incorporate them and have them feel that they're rising or that they're performing at levels that are are good? We don't have to we we don't want to be
in comparison in every aspect because we have to be culturally conscious, right? Everything or every student doesn't behave the same way as another district, right? We have more arts and talent than any district um if not ex even farther.
And so I really wanted to highlight our youth statement. And then in reference to we actually asked doctor what was number three. And so it was when decisions are being made by the board, is it inclusive or is it for the students? And so I wanted to mimic
others that have stated to have student inclusion. And so that brings about the role versus of the board versus the superintendent. Is everyone working together? Which is what everybody has said. Does every voice count? Are
students genuinely involved? I know there's um some sort of a student board, but are they at the meetings? Are they included? Are they a part of think tanks, not just, you know, a group that's stated to be in existence? How
are they performing? Do they present? Do they have topic time? And so I again wanted to reference my of course we're going to have a superintendent or we would expect to have a superintendent that has experiences that would reflect that they're able to make decisions and
but again are they in aligned with our area and are they working with the entire community not just themselves or isolated board members. Hello, my name is Dylan Barnes. Um, the first uh question,
definition of insanity. Again, doing the same thing, expecting different expecting different results. That's the true definition of insanity. Um, Miss Martin also added, "Expecting better results." I say, "Ain't no better." And you know what I'm saying? When you doing the same thing, you going to get what
you get. Uh the next thing um nobody rises to low expectations. Um when you got your expectations set low, how could you rise? That's that's just in me and the
nut. Your expectations are set low, what what how can you expect that organization or that group of individual to rise? And you know and just to uh go a little further with that you know our customers in this Ben Harberry schools is the students at the end of the
day not the staffs not the superintendent not the board the customers is the students and when are we going to give our customers the best uh uh that we can give them is what we need to be looking for in our next
superintendent. It's about the customers just like in city government that customers is the constituents. Do do we as constituent because I'm a resident of Ben Har. Do we deserve better? Is is our city government giving us the best we
deserve? Is Benbury schools giving us our students the best they deserve? The big question I've asked the last four superintendent, what are you going to do to get our kids back? I haven't got an answer.
I think the last answer I got was, would you send your students to this school and board members threatening to kill each other? Well, my grandkids are in this district and I did I am a product of this district. So, yes, I would. Um,
it's simple. It's very simple. And it's called zero tolerance because I came up in the same district where certain things weren't allowed. And when you done something out of the that that
handbook, that superintendent brought you before the board to be expelled and and that board supported that superintendent. Not oh, that's my cousin. Let's give him a break. It's real simple. We got and I'm just going to share a little story. I'm a licensed
contractor and I build all over the county, Baron County, and the bar. and to go. I was doing a a a rehab in Buchanan and I'm a I'm a veteran. I'm a military veteran. So, if anybody got any
military experience in here, you remember getting off a cattle truck when they when you first go to the army basic train, they put us all on the truck like pigs and they take us and then they all five, six doors open. We all get out and drill sergeants go to drillers making us
do exercises basically dancing to their drum beat. And so I was riding uh me and my crew was heading to Buchanan. And this was the um the middle and high school age group of students.
And I tell you all we passed five bus loads of Ben Harbor kids going to B Springs. Five. I said look at our kids. They getting busted out our community like cattle. like cattle trucks. And the only reason
why our our parents can't afford to take them, they didn't send cattle trucks, buses to get our kids and take them out our community. And guess what? Them parents just waiting on a learning environment that's safe and conducive to learning. So when we
start focusing on our customers, the students, that's all this community waiting on. And we as parents, I bleed orange and black. But I was taught a long time ago, you got to give your student, your kid, the best education you can deserve. And I was a teacher
teacher construction up here and saw a kid drop a kid on his head uh right on the second floor. He had his first seizure ever. Still having seizure to this day. That's not safe. Um so, thank you so much. Did you go
through all four? Yep, I did. I think I did. Okay. You know, we have some people who And you know what? Listen, it's like he's got the mic and so he's ready to go. So, but thank you so much. Love you. Love you. Love you. But,
and I know you would have kept going. So, uh this group right here. Okay. Who's the spokesperson here? Hello. Good morning. I would say I've heard pretty much a lot of similarities of what we've talked
about. Uh but more importantly, I said after working for the justice department and dealing with offenders and then substitute teaching, there's a lot of similarities. The first of the thing we talked about was having a vision. A
vision where everybody understands the mission. So they go hand in hand. the vision and then your community, your school, your students and they move in that direction and that's important. If without it the word even tells us when
we don't have one we perish pretty much. Okay. So we have to be a person that wants to be on the same accord and we have to be okay with constructive criticism no matter where you're sitting. I had a hard time, but my
workers taught me how to because it's interesting. They can remove you in a subtle way. I had that happen to me in Memphis, but it was my biggest learning lesson. So, we have to be okay with constructive criticism. Nobody rises to
low expectations. I was listening to my sorro talk about a student that came from another district to come to Benton Harbor. They looked around and saw the clock wasn't working. That spoke volumes just that
what does your outside look like and you want me to step inside your world. So we have to be careful what we're presenting. So that's important. Our students, they want it. I was coming here every month to work with some dynamic students. I didn't care where
they came from. They had a story. And if we don't listen, we get rebellion. oftentimes that's what happens. And then is this in the best interest of the students? Do you talk to the students? Do you understand what they're
going through? Often times these kids I they had me crying in sessions when you tell their stories from their homes. It would crush me leaving out of here. So we have to get an understanding and they will understand and respect you for listening. That's what they want. They
want listening and then they rise. We got to remove the personal vendettas. We have to I want this term to come out. Would you do it for me, Dr. Strathers? On hide the law, African-American literature here at the
high school. Um, one of the things that I learned in law, one of the things I saw in law school that people would do things that we we called hide the law where I don't know if you've ever worked in a legal setting or not, but laws change constantly and frequently. Just just you can look up one morning and
what you thought yesterday has changed. But the problem was going on that I see here, someone coming in and looking looking um looks looking in from the outside. I see people are hiding the law. the board will will have this going on for them. The superintendent will
have this going on for him. The principal is trying to do this and nobody's communicating. So, everybody's hiding the law, which means nobody has what's what the law really is. So, we're we're so busy hiding and and making sure that we come our group comes out on top that nobody's being benefited for
anything in the end. And and that's what I see happening here. And I and again, I I say I'm an outsider. Um but it's the biggest thing. I I've been here for 10 years. And just so y'all know, in 10 years, we're now electing my eighth superintendent. Something's not right.
Something's not. Thank you, Dr. St. And then the role of the board versus the role uh the board versus the role of the superintendent. One, checking balances. You know, if there's no check and balances and just like Dr. Sus just
said, you know, where are we heading? you know, one person doing it this way, that's very destructive in the long end, in the long run. That's why we keep coming back here, this table. No check and balances. Uh, and we have to bring real talk. We can't put on facades like
it's all good. When it's bad, we need to speak on it. And then we have to bring programs where our students can go out and be engaged. Ann Arbor. I'm just amazed at the type of programs our stu
the students are engaged in. We can do it here. We've had them. Cosmetology programs, things of that nature. If it just starts off with one or two and then I'm going to let Mr. uh Galisby, who is the coach, do the closing comment. And that closing comment is back to
nobody rises. Being a coach, you care about our situation. All you can do is step and then you accept your situation of not trying to do better. So if no one is influencing you to just make one step
forward, you just sitting where you are. And that's even worse than the U definition of insanity cuz if you're not climbing, you staying in place as everybody passes you by. And then you
accept that and your friends accept that and you have a whole school district that's striving to do nothing. I'm I'm everybody. We had some excellent comments and one of the most important
things is being able to see this through the lens of reality. See, if you cannot see this through the lens of reality, you will not be able to move this district forward. And I stated in my opening comment, in order to know where we going, we got to know how we got
here. See, we got to know how we got here. And we have to be willing to face the truth and the facts, okay? In order to rise. Uh that young lady said something deep. She said she been here 10 years and all the people we didn't been through. Over the years, I have
noticed how every year is something different. They changing people up. They moving people out. I've saw a lot of great educators come through this building. And soon as they try to do something to improve, they let them go because they helping. You understand what I'm saying? I'm talking about I'm
dealing with facts, not something that's an illusion. Because I'm dealing with this district for 20 years. I remember when we had all of those things going on. I graduated from Ben Harour High School. I remember when we had counselors that when you come in they would make sure that you needed what you
need. Remember when Mr. BB still in the tech center because these were the CTE programs that raised this district throughout the time they they began to be eradicated because we were number one in each and everything
that we wanted to do. But at that point it was collective individuals. My teachers stayed right here in the district. I used to go to their houses every day because they stayed within the district. Mrs. Irby still stay there. She my teach and I say that to say this. We can
move this district forward but we have to be you know how they say one sound and one beat. A lot of times we get caught up on see for years it ain't been about Marvin Haywood. It ain't about me because if it's about me I can't get nothing done. But I've also learned that
when we're dealing with our adversary, we must know those tricks that they will put forward in order to bring you down. Because I've seen it, like I said, I've been in the room with some, you know, I play behind the scenes because I got to deal with reality. I can't come to the meet and at end of the meeting, we ain't
putting no action forward. We ain't accomplishing nothing at the end of the meet. I've been to a lot of meet. I'm trying a lot of them and as soon as they see the solutions come in the door, they gonna push the solutions out. And as I said, I'm only dealing with facts. I love everybody in this room
because love is the greatest gift of all of a healing. You have to love one another. In order for me to love you, I got to love me. And they say when you see through the lens of reality, you see it for what it is. I ain't putting no sugar coat on. I got to see it for what it is. Because if I couldn't, I couldn't get up every day knowing that I'm
hurting somebody, knowing that I'm strategically working against you. You understand what I'm saying? That's not love. That's not real love, you know. And I know sometime it's about finances. And I understand that because for years I was black ballalled in this town. Couldn't get a job nowhere. But it was
through the grace of God that I'm still here. And I say that for one reason because I've seen it. I've seen and I've talked to some of the the biggest players in the in here. And I remember when they had this meeting right in this room and they had Whitw and all of them here. They removed it off the thing
because I called that brother about that video. You remember when I called you about it, right? They removed because I told the truth. I'm talking about you had all the players that said they had a stake, but the stake is not maturity. That's all I'm saying. And I ain't never, you know, I'm just being honest
with you, man. That's what we want. We want to move forward. We have right we have the right people. We have some smart people with degrees. You understand what I'm saying? I mean, I'm being honest. that can move this district forward and hold it down
without any problem, but we can't allow others to come in and tell us how to do what's necessary for us unless you've been where we've been at and walk in our shoes. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we're going I know we could
probably go Yeah. and because we're going to have to move on because we still have a lot we got to cover. Okay, that's okay. I think as a group we're doing what's right. We're going to hold the new superintendent accountable, but if we're the search committee, we also
have to hold each other accountable. And with that statement, I want to piggyback on what Dr. Regina Stroker stated. We have not had 10 uh in 10 years, we have not had eight superintendent. Okay. Uh, let's and I know we could
probably debate some of this, but I know we got a lot to do and I want to keep us focused because I can see that there are a lot of heartfelt emotions and that people based on what they're saying, you want to see the district improve and you want to see it move forward and that's
the most important thing. Thank you for this opportunity. I have to say this. All my family went to Benton Harour area schools and we're all doing well. A lot of things you got to do at home. But when I walked up to this building and came to this door and I'm
thinking this is a pigeon wing piece of a feather, another feather trash. When we do things and we enter a place, my mother always said, "We may not be rich, but you could be clean and and you have staff. If I had a I would have swept if
you're having company and you know you are. You done asked us to come. I got up and came. I I don't want to walk through trash and stuff. We got to do something with our own self and our own things and take care of it first. Do that. Thank
and that is true, you know, and I here again, I can identify with what you're saying. It may be that your clothes are raggedy or whatever, but they don't have to be dirty. And so therefore, uh, you know, we do. And that's, as I said, when the students at my high school told me
what the boys I never would have gone in the boys' restroom when they told me what it looked like, like I said, I could have cried. And I said, I wouldn't have a dog come in here using this restroom the way that it looks. And so I worked with our uh department, custodial
department, and I said, "This has got to be changed, that our kids deserve more than this." And so therefore, you're absolutely right. And there is and I will tell you and I'm going to share information from the focus groups so that you can hear what they had to say
when they came together as to what they're looking for. I appreciate everything that everybody has said because uh it's all important. And if we're all able to come together and if we have and as I said a board and a superintendent, that's supposed to be a
marriage. It's supposed to be that we're working together, that we know what the values are, etc., and that we're working to move our students forward and see that they're the best that they could possibly be. And I, in fact, even after uh I became a superintendent, I went
around and I met with every community group there in Round Lake. I had five mayors that had students that fed into my district. I met with all of the other community groups, etc. And this is how I started when I I did a presentation to
uh all of their boards and I said there are those who say can any good thing come from Gary Indiana and I said here's one. So therefore people need to know but they only know through what our
actions are and how we handle things and how we present ourselves. So that's definitely possible. I want to share with you before we go over the focus group information. This is one of the young men I met at one of the focus groups. So therefore, we became uh good
buddies as a result of that. But I want to share this. When I first became a superintendent, when I came from Michigan and uh went to uh my first district, Zion, which was a student a district with 3,000 students, I said, "How do I greet the
new staff who are coming into the district? What is the message that I want to give them?" And I will tell you, I was a superintendent for 16 years. I gave the same message to every group. I spoke at the new teachers orientation every year. So they were hearing from me
what the expectations were and what was to be done. So I want to just share this with you. the focus groups all heard that and I wrote this I mean and it just flowed when I started writing and it's called if you believe then I believe and
this was written in 2002 when I first became a superintendent and I said if you don't believe that parents are sending us the best that they have then I don't believe that you truly
understand what our families and students are experiencing just to make it day by day. If you don't believe that it is the educator who must change to meet the needs of today's child, then I
don't believe that you are aware of how children have changed over the last 20 to 30 years. If you don't believe in the need for adults to continuously learn and grow, then I don't believe that you
are equipped to educate the precious jewels which are placed in our care each and every day. However, if you believe that you are truly called to teach, then I believe
that you can really help children to learn. If you believe that a mind is a terrible thing to waste, then I believe that you will look into the eye of each and every child who steps foot into your
room and say, "On this day, I'm going to experience the thrill of watching a child have an aha moment." If you believe that you're not truly teaching unless children are truly learning, then
I believe that you will not be satisfied if a child in June is where he was when he came in August. If you believe that you have been called to this profession, to this district, to this school, then I
believe that you will speak highly of this district, of the school, its students, and its parents. If you believe in children, then they will believe in you. For you see, you are
their heroes. They depend on you for love, for respect, for hope, for optimism, for encouragement, and last but not least, for a positive attitude. A new year, a new opportunity. Let's
begin each day with a determination to make a difference in the life of at least one child and really become the genuine heroes that they are all searching for on behalf of the children.
I thank you for becoming their everyday heroes and that's what we should be their everyday hero. They deserve nothing less and if we don't make it happen because of adult issues, shame on us because the children
are the ones who are going to lose uh through all of this. So let me move on. I really want to thank all of you for what you shared but we have some other work we need to do. Okay. So but thank you so much for sharing and uh
let's move on. And I want to share with you. I did a summary. You've got information on the focus group comments. The numbers were not large in the focus groups. We were hoping that more would have been here. But you know what? The words that they said and the sentiments
that were shared were mighty. And so therefore, it's not always about uh the quantity, but the quality of what was said. So I want to let you know what they said. You've got the verbatim, you've got the
uh profile report which the board uh created a couple of years and updated this year but let's see okay when I talked to the focus groups
and there was a group of students and also community members together there was also So your elementary staff members who came and there were the secondary staff members and like I said the numbers were not
large but what they had to share they spoke from the heart and that's what we want people to do and we want people to feel that they're in a safe environment to speak from the heart and not that they're going to be cut down or criticized if they say what's on their mind. They want a fearless leader who
will take risks. And you have to be willing to take risks. If you're not gonna uh, you know, keep doing the same thing over and over, you have to be willing to take risks. But, however, they should be risk that have been calculated and that you have data to
support the success of what you're doing. It may not be successful, but you have to surround yourself with people who understand that if you don't make it on this, that there are other opportunities and you want to be move forward in whatever way you can. They
want someone who's knowledgeable, someone who admits when they're wrong and makes corrections. Nobody is perfect, so you're not going to find a perfect individual to be the superintendent. But then if that person
makes an error, are they willing to say, you know what, I made a mistake, but this is what we're going to do to correct it. And I told all three groups when we met, this is not about talking about the problems. This is about focusing
on solutions because we can magnify and just get bogged down in what the problems are. The question is what are we going to do about it? And so therefore, this is an opportunity as you take a look at identifying a superintendent to focus on a solution.
This is not about friends. This is not about uh who you know. And I will tell you, a school district is not an employment agency. It's a place to teach kids and to see that kids are performing at a high
level. So we're not here to hire friends and to see that they have jobs. We are here to see that we're putting the very best in front of our students. And that's at the end of the day, that's the only way you're going to see any change
is that you hire the very best to be in front of your students. That they want someone who is firm in their beliefs. They want someone who somebody talked about mission and vision being aligned with benchmarks so that you're not just
you know a lot of times we put stuff on paper and nothing happens with it and we say oh we have a mission statement we have a vision statement well what has uh how have we moved forward how are we assessing the success that we're having
and that things are changing you have to have benchmarks and so they want someone with benchmarks and I always came back to the board every quarter and said this is the progress we have made. this is what we've done and you can see the differences because when you do that
then people know you're serious because you know what words can come out of our mouths and we can say anything but if we don't see actions to support the words it means nothing okay they want to see that someone is prioritizing community
outreach I will tell you no matter what when I went to my last district and I said as I indicated to you is primarily Hispanic they when I went and met with the we had a BPAC bilingual parent advisory committee. When I went to go meet with them, boy, I thought they were
going to shoot me down cuz they said they had never had a superintendent come meet with them and to listen to what their concerns were. Now, here we are, a district that's mostly Hispanic, yet we were not doing a Hispanic Heritage Festival and there were a lot of other things that we weren't doing. I said,
"Okay, those days are over." And I it had to be more than me just saying something. I had to show them. Do you know when I got ready to pass in Michigan you call it a millillage there we called it a referendum. Those parents
came out 110% and supported the money to make that high school better than what it was. And also a lot of those parents didn't necessarily believe in sending their kids away to college etc because they like to keep their kids close. Guess what? I put parents on a school
bus, took them to colleges there in the area so they could see what it was like, etc., so we could build trust and they knew. Yes. And guess what? All of a sudden, we had kids who were going to My son graduated from Notre Dame. We had
kids going to Notre Dame. We had kids who were going to Princeton. We had kids who were being successful where the fact that people didn't believe in them before and didn't believe that they could do it. They weren't doing this. And so it totally we pull the parents
in, as I said, to be a part of the solution. Pull the community in. And like I said, I I had five mayors I was working with. I went to every one of their board meetings and let them know what I was about and what I wanted to do with the students in that district. and
they supported the work and went to other uh community groups. They want uh a commitment to the district. They want someone who's going to be here at least 3 years or more. Okay? Probably a more
emphasis on the more. Okay? But you know what I will tell you and I work with a lot of districts across the country. It's not always the superintendent. Sometimes it's the board and that's where the problem is in some instances. So therefore, we have the board has got
number one, I'm hoping that the board when a superintendent is identified, even though it may not be your personal preference as to who that superintendent is, that you're going to step out there and support the person who is being elect, that person cannot be successful
unless they have the support of the board. So that's going to be really important. Give that person a chance. Hold that person accountable. If they said they were going to do things, if they said they were going to be meeting with students, if they said they were going to be meeting with community members, etc., hold them accountable.
See that they do it, but give them an opportunity to do the work that needs to be done. That superintendent should be the expert in getting this work done. And so, uh, we do have a number of applicants for the position, but it doesn't mean that every applicant is the
right applicant. So therefore uh we have to take a look at that treatment for all. They want equal treatment for all. Now you have this information in your packet. They're feeling that not everybody is treated in the same way. And it should be that everybody is being
treated the same. If we say these are our priorities, if we say this is the way that uh we expect people to be treated, you know, I've always said and I've told people who work for me, I'm going to always treat people with dignity and respect because you know
what? I want the same from you. And so I told uh central office administrators when I would hear that they were yelling or screaming at somebody in their department, "Oh, I want I want to talk to you." I said, 'I don't yell and scream at you, and I don't expect you to
yell and scream at anybody in this district, whether they're parents or if they are working in your department. Treat everybody with dignity and respect. There's no excuse for not doing that. And it all starts at the board
table and with the superintendent and it should go through the organization that that is occurring. uh they talked about uh high expectations for all and I will tell you there were some staff who said they're not high expectations for us as
a staff and so therefore when we talk about that's why the statement came up came up nobody rises to low expectations and they said the expectations need to be high for all staff and that we shouldn't be that some people get away with some things and don't have to do
some things and others have to do it. They talked about no favoritism. This is not about favoritism. This is about taking care of kids. And if we really say that this is why we're here, we've got to see that our kids are successful.
If they're not successful, if they can't go out and compete, because they have to get beyond the walls of Benton Harbor, they got to compete with kids from other districts. and if they can't compete and if we don't know what's going on because I will tell you I have put uh
administrators when I heard that something good was going on in another school district we need to go see what's going on there and what they're doing and so let's go visit and see what strategies they have in place that we can benefit from so that we can move forward. So we've got to be willing to
step out of our comfort zone and see what's going on and how it's working. They want someone who has students as a priority. And that's what we've been talking about all along. It's got to be about the kids. You know, it's not about adults. We have to have the best
qualified people in front of our kids, whether it's in the classroom, whether it's at the superintendent table, whether it's at the board table, no matter what they're doing. And we have to have high expectations about the performance of each and every person. as someone talked about whether it's a
custodian or whether it's a food service employee cuz I wasn't and I would go in a building and if I saw that the floor wasn't clean or if uh things needed to be attended to then I was going to say something about it if I went in the custodian's office I remember when I
became a principal in Kentwood Michigan and uh I looked and the custodian had his feet up on the table in his office and uh I said oh no that's you're not being paid paid to sit in your office and not attend to the needs of this
school. I always wanted my school. I believe in cleanliness is next to godliness. So there is no excuse for things not to be clean. And so there but you know what? People will only do it if we have that expectation from them. If we don't have the expectation, then
guess what? They're going to maintain and continue business as usual. Uh students are the priority. you know, they talked about they want to see and know who the superintendent is. The students said that and others said that
and I always had a um a group that I met with of students from the middle school and the high school. I wanted to hear what they had to say as superintendent and I wanted them to talk to their friends and others at the school and
bring that information to me so that we could put together a plan to really focus on the student needs and then I can share with the board that uh this is what our students are wanting and this is what we have like I said not just focusing on the problem focusing on
solutions and this is what we're doing about it. There's nothing wrong with having a student sitting at the board table so that uh you can have a report from a student on a monthly basis etc. Lots of things can be done. These are just some ideas but lots of things can
be done to get uh a voice from the students because students have a voice and believe me if we don't listen to them we're all going to pay the price. Staff it was brought up and here again this came from staff members. They said, "Hire qualified staff." So, it shouldn't
be if somebody's not qualified that they're in the position. They need to be qualified. Care about staff. You have to care about people. You have to go out to the schools and visit and let them know that you care. Hold staff accountable.
There are people who said that there are staff members who are not being held accountable. And so therefore, they do enough to get by, but they're not really uh assisting the students and working with them at the level they should. ID staff weaknesses and support. So don't
just ID the weaknesses of staff and then push them out the door. But what are we doing to support them to see that they are successful? Number one, we shouldn't be hiring anybody who can't do the job. But if we're hiring you, then if you are
struggling, we should be supporting you. And then I always say if in in spite of everything else I do, because you know what I have to look at myself in the mirror as a superintendent and I have to say am did I do before I have to let somebody go, did I do everything I
should have done to see that that person was successful? Yes, ma'am. No, we didn't talk about that. But I think that here again uh that needs to be something that uh even as candidates are being interviewed, you know, just
how is that done? Because and we have to realize if somebody's not doing the job, we can't say, well, we're keeping them in the job because then shame on us and we're not doing we're not putting our kids first. They talked about
um uniform teacher practices. So they said that in every you can go in different classrooms and different teachers are doing different things and it's not uniform in those areas where it should be uniform. And they were saying that they would like to see the superintendent attend staff professional
development. And I would always go in and sit down because I wanted to hear what they were hearing. How can a principal or anybody else evaluate a teacher if you don't know what they're expected to do? So that becomes important. Then board superintendent relationships. Separate personal
relationships from the work of the district and of the board. So they express that as being a concern. This is not personal. This has always got to be focused on kids. Allow the superintendent to do the job. I think we've heard that from some others. And
become a team. They want to see the board and the superintendent become a team. These things are these are areas that can be accomplished. It they can be accomplished. It's nothing that is not possible, but it has to be that we
believe and we want to see the district because when you take a look at districts that are functioning at a high level, these pieces are in place. And so therefore, and it has to be, and I always said, not only did the superintendent have to have goals, the board had to have goals also. And the
board had to hold itself accountable for the goals that were determined. And they had to do a review of those goals throughout the year to say, are we doing what we said we were going to do? And if we're not doing it, then we have a concerned. Yes.
I think that we've also been challenged with the hiring process of just trying to fulfill subjects that were missing. And so you got subjects that are not being taught that are that's needed. And so
how do you then get the best educators? Well, I was talking to somebody about that earlier. Yep. And uh so therefore there are ways. So here again we know we have a problem and we know that there may be a number of
problems. There are solutions and so we need to find what works for one district may not work for here but there are solutions and there are ways there are internships. There are other things that can be done but you have to partner with colleges or universities and then uh
like I said and with businesses etc. I mean, we would send our students, as you talked about CTE or whatever, we would send our students into those businesses, have those the people who did that type of work come into our schools and do
training. So, yes, but we have to prepare them in order to have them hired. So, you know what? We could listen, we could try to solve all the problems of the world while we're here. We can't do it all today. And I appreciate you're bringing it up because
like I said, there's a lot of work that needs to be done. But you know what? When I interviewed for Round Lake and I looked at what was in their strategic plan and I looked at what they said, I said, "Everything is here in the
strategic plan and all the all the materials. You got the materials and everything here." I said, "I know what the problem is. You're not doing what you said you were going to do." And so therefore, if you don't do the work and you don't put the systems in place, it's
not going to happen. And so some of it is an easy solution, but you got to put it in place. And we're going to move on because like I said, you guys have me on my soap box now cuz when it comes to kids, I don't stand for people not taking care of kids because uh it's got
to be and if anything is that's why I said I had behind each in my first district where I was superintendent behind each name plate of the board members I had written on there is this decision in the best interest of our students and if you couldn't say that
that's what this decision was based on we're making the wrong decision. So, we've got to do it, but we have to work together. One more comment and then we need to move on. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you all for the invitation. you know um I do have to leave and go into a charity walk but um
I just want to say I think it's important to always read the room and then to also understand um I think a good way to look at it if you think of a navigation system you put in your address and then you get in your vehicle and the idea is that you'll follow those
directions right and along the way you may get off and it'll reroute you but I think it's important to keep your mind on the goal and um I've been a student here Um, I've been a teacher here. Again, I've been an employee, an administrator, and a board member, and I'm a taxpayer my entire life. So, um, I
think it's important though to understand that when we get our next leader, um, we can blame it on the students. We can blame it on the parents. We blame it on all of that. You know, I've sat on the board table. It's not what people think, right? We had a good board. No matter how much they thought we fought, you know, we got some
stuff done. And that's why we sitting here today. All right. we're looking for a superintendent because everybody wants accountability until they held accountable. So I've been a teacher why at where I had to administer evaluations and those that like me in a staff meeting no longer like me after that
evaluation. So just keep that in mind that like leadership is not likership. though it's important that no matter what we do that we stay focused on the destination that we're trying to um reach and that's to get a good superintendent that loves our community
that knows our community that can handle the fights right and leave out and what they say mow the lawn right so once you're up from that seat we're not enemies right we just disagreed but through that conversation and through
that fight right you can always you can always always count on people from Ben Harbor to not stick together when we're in the room together when we get on the outside is you versus us and you from Gary, right? So, always understand that.
And so, as we sitting here, let's make sure that we keep our mind on our destination and no matter how we reroute, no matter how, you know, it might seem, it's all good, right? And the and the bottom line is I have two children that I want to graduate and
have this experience that I had, right? And again, it ain't all good, but it ain't all bad. And so to your last 22, we have doctors, we have lawyers, we have educators, we have superintendent, we have business owners, we have all of
that from Ben Harbor. And we're not talking had we have right now currently. And so there are people that's willing to donate and put in the work, but again, we have to figure out how we want to get there. And the only way we can get there is working together. So I love you all. Thank you all. And I have to
go. Okay. Thank you so much. So as I as she just indicated, we have to focus on solutions and how are we going to get there. But right now the uh what we're pulling together and I want to take a look at a timeline which uh everybody has a copy of and it should be on in
order for us to move forward. You know your current superintendent the last day is June 30th. So there is not a superintendent that has been identified. We can get this work done to have a superintendent identified by July 1st,
but the board is going to have to do a lot of work between now and then, meaning some meetings, some interviews. I will tell you at this point, we've got about 14 to 16 uh applicants. Not to say that they're all strong applicants. And
the search firm will bring the names of the applicants to the board. uh we're not putting that out in the public. The hiring of a superintendent is a board decision. The board is to be held accountable for the person they hire and
the board should be supporting the person that they hire. It's my understanding that this will be the first time that this board has been able to hire a superintendent. The board as it exists right now. I'm sorry. We hired the previous superintendent. We came to
a meeting. Two of U two board members did not, but we came to a meeting and it was a Ebra Cadra. They selected that superintendent. So, we have hired and so I'm but I meant the seven board members. Yeah. Seven. Yes. I'm talking about the
seven board members. So really, we need to try to get the board to a point where they agree that whoever they identify as the superintendent that they're willing to support that person to come in and take care of the children within the
district. So yes, so that's that's what I meant. I meant the seven uh board members. Okay. We already have uh when you take a look at the sheet that you have, we have someone who's been identified as the board liaison and that's the president, board president uh
Desanna Robinson, uh Natalie and Shantel. We have been working closely with to set up the focus groups as well as to set up this meeting. And I want to thank all of you for being here today because it's like wow. And I knew that
you guys were not shy. So I had already been told that. But as I said, the important thing is dignity and respect. Even though we share and we don't all agree with everything. So, thank you so much for that. Uh it's important at this point that we're keeping the names of
the candidates confidential. Not everybody's going to get this job. And so, do we want to put names out there and some of these people are already sitting superintendent? Some are central office administrators. And so therefore
there are concerns that if their names then they will withdraw and not want to be considered. So therefore we're wanting to be respectful of the people who apply for the position etc. Okay. Uh then
what? Pardon? Well, but I'll tell let me tell you this. Let me tell you this. You should I if they have applied and they're calling you, you need to say no comment because uh that is not fair to
every that's why that's how we start losing people. And so people may call you may say whatever. Say no comment that if you are part of this committee and if you are taking sides or advocating for someone when you have not
even seen all of the candidates and you don't you want the strongest person possible to lead this district. And if you are letting someone lobby you to uh be the next superintendent, you can't do that. It's not going to work. is you
we're gonna we talk pardon that. Thank you. Thank you. So, you know what it means? You got to step out of your comfort zone. That's right. And do the right thing for these children. And not let people come to you
and say, "I applied. I want you to hire me." Please don't do that. Please don't even comment. You don't want to make promises you can't keep. It's the board who has to um elect the superintendent. That's the
board's responsibility. Even though the board may involve other people, but at the end of the day, if you look at any hiring of superintendent around this country, I was a part of hiring for Fort Worth school district, part of hiring
for uh Atlanta public schools, for some districts out east, etc. Guess what? At the end of the day, nobody makes the decision but the board. They can invite community input regarding into the process, but at the end of the day, the
board should assume responsibility for making the decision, the best decision on behalf of these kids. And it's not about who my friend is. It's not about who my relative is. It's not about anything else. If we really want to take this district to another level, it's got
to be who is the most qualified person to do the job. Okay. Yes. Yes. Thank you. Um so I just want to make sure we're not um making people feel like it's
unethical. Um I think it's normal if you're looking for a job to ask for references and recommendations when you're looking for that job. You said the board members. I'm talking about applicants,
right? So, it's normal for applicants. Okay. Okay. Maybe I misunderstood you. Okay. I don't know what the conversation was, but no, it's nothing wrong with asking for a letter of recommendation. Okay. But it shouldn't be that people should
be advocating for themselves and trying to get Oh, boy. for themselves. Oh, okay. Yeah. Oh, okay. Here you go. I didn't know that. That's what you were saying. Wow. Okay. Okay. So, uh, so therefore, I just really want people to know I don't want
us to give anybody any false hope that because you call me or whatever that you're going to get the job. No, this board is a body of seven and they need to operate as a body of seven and identify someone that they can support and move forward with and that they've
done all the homework that they need to do so that we're getting the very best person. Sometimes the very best person is not my friend or my relative or whatever. It's who is the best person for this point in time to move our
students forward. So thank you so much for the clarity. Definitely. Yes. Okay. Now we are going to screen meaning hya. We will screen the candidates and so we already have interviews set up to screen those candidates and based on their
ability to answer the questions. We will make a recommendation of approximately uh seven five to seven individuals that we want to bring before the board. And here the board will have seen all of the applications but we will say based on
what the district is looking for these are the five to seven who we believe you should take through the first round of interviews. After the first round then we will ask the board to narrow the number of candidates down to two or
three candidates. Keep in mind, we have a short time span here because this process started late and even this meeting was to have taken place a few weeks ago and we're just getting to it today. So, we can't put anything off. I need the board members to agree and I
have some suggested dates that the board could meet and uh interview candidates. So, but that's really important that we're moving along or we won't have somebody identified by July 1st. Okay. So, yes.
background check before you start pitching. Right. Right. We start doing some work on background checks because everybody I want to let you know what it is we asked them to provide to us and so therefore they had to give us some letters of reference. Uh they also had
to write two letters that address some of what you have brought up which has to do with how would you increase enrollment? What exp not only how would you but what experience have you had working successful experience working in that area and uh there was one other
question we asked them to write a letter oh successful strategies to address academic and opportunity gaps. So they have to submit those letters to us and so we have that information and uh we can share that with the board. Okay. So,
uh, we're serious about this, but we Go ahead. Let me let me We're going to get to that. I know because we're not doing that on 14 or 16 people, right? When after the board has done the first
round, we will do make telephone calls. We'll take a look at the references that are listed, etc. Then after the board decides who moves on to the second round etc. and after they get down to the final two or three, we have a company
that does independent recall it due diligence. Uh there's a cost involved. It's $1,900 for And here again, uh hopefully they only have to do that on one person. That I mean that goes deep deep. Yes. Into That's right.
It goes deep. It goes Yep. It goes into It goes Yep. It goes into um just, you know, what your If you have a record, it goes into uh any driving violations. It goes deep. So, I mean, you're really getting into that. So,
therefore, uh therefore, you know, I know. I know. I know. Okay. So, you know, you understand. Yes. Yep. 1900. It it goes it goes deep. Yes. But but we don't want to do that on everybody. We just want to
say, "Okay, what are the one to two people?" Okay, folks. Okay. Okay. You guys have been doing so well. I know you're getting antsy right now. Okay. Yes. So it's paramount that
we sometimes individual and they have done a lot of time and then other issues you have to have I say not just one
but Yes. Yes. I know. I'm a caregiver, too. I have my husband. Yes, definitely. Yep. I understand. But thank you so much. Okay, let's move on. Yes. That's a good question.
such thing as expungement. And the reason I'm saying that because you can find out Yeah, I know you can find out. So now it's not showing up. Would they go into a one check to
make sure nothing has been Yes. And I will definitely uh verify that. But what I'm hearing from our resident expert that there is no Yes. Yes. Definitely. Yes. Okay. Wait a minute. We got too much chatter going on
and we want everybody to be heard. Nothing ever. an employer and someone [Music] don't ever fall off. Right. Right. Yes. Yes.
When it comes to child matter whatever. Right. Right. Right. You're right. You're right. Thank you for answering that. Thank you for uh assisting us. Okay, folks. Listen. What I need is the
board needs to schedule a date for the first round interviews that we are suggesting. Yes. Pardon? Yes. Yes. We need to have a date. What I am proposing is June 7th. We will have
finished doing all the screening of all of the candidates. I'd like to have the board come together on uh that date which is a uh Saturday. That would be a closed session because interviews would be taking place. May I already uh be intending to say
this but I noticed that some people may have other um ar uh appointments. Is it possible to share what the responsibilities or expectations of this group is? Is it just this one meeting? Will they be asked to attend other things? Like what are the rhythms and
expectations for them? I think that there's an opportunity and different districts handle it in different ways. There's an opportunity after uh the board has done the second round interviews because they have narrowed down the number of candidates if the
board wants to bring this group together to have a presentation done to this group by the candidates uh to be able to ask questions. What I had suggested was the possibility of there um getting some
questions perhaps in advance that they could answer and then if there's some depending on how much time because we have to be sure that we're being fair with all the finalists and that they have the same amount of time and so therefore but a presentation could be done where they're addressing what they
believe they can do for this district and what uh the concerns are. So that could take place and then I think like I said that's after the board has narrow gotten to the second round interviews and is down to uh one, two or three candidates and then you can have
feedback. People please please respect the confidentiality. We're talking about people's lives. We're talking about jobs that they're in and so therefore you would not want anybody going out and sharing information about you if you
were in that position. So we're asking that you respect the information. So I'm asking the board to come on uh Saturday, June 7th, then for the board to come again on Saturday, June 14th to do the second round interviews. Uh, I'll be
working with the board to develop the questions for those interviews and uh, but I really need folks I need 100% of the board. This is a board decision and so I really need 100% of the board at those meetings so that you have input
and that it's not that a few board members are making decision without uh, feedback from everybody. This is the what what is this committee called? Uh, superintendent search. It's work group, stakeholder work. Yes.
Yes. Well, it amounts to the same thing. Yep. Uhhuh. Okay. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Oh, I didn't know we had the police here. Good. Huh? Pardon?
Okay. Well, you know what? But I am so happy. I am so happy that everybody is here, but you know what it has to be. Everybody may not get Okay, folks. Everybody may not get your first choice
or whatever, but can you support and get behind? And then is the message the same as we go out and uh say the name of who this person is going to be? So, and let's move right on. So June June 7th and June 14th are the two dates that I
need the board to be present so that we can interview these candidates. Okay. Hya is doing a lot of the other work behind the scenes, but that's board work that needs to be done. Any questions anybody has? I mean burning questions because I got to let folks go because
we're losing our audience. Yes. Yes. Oh, yes. June 7th is when right now we're estimating that we'll have five to seven for that June 7th that we'll be bringing the names to the board and the board to interview. Then June 14th, it should be that the board
has interviewed those five to seven and narrowed them down. Yes. Okay. So, that's what we're looking at. Thought you were talking to me. Okay. Anybody else? Yes. that close session. What about the 14th?
That's close session also. Yeah, cuz we're really getting serious at that point. I mean, cuz somebody hopefully is going to be identified as the top runner for superintendent. So, here again, as I said, a lot of these folks are working other jobs and so we don't want their
superintendent or their board to hear that's right and then they don't get the job. So, yes. Yeah. Okay. Let's let's listen. We can't all talk at the same time. Let's have a um hold on one second. Probably several of
us that's been doing our winter cleanup and the yard work. And I know that's what I've been doing. I'm really like hurting in my hips real bad. But um it's just been reminding me of the the yard work and the dirt and the soil and trying to prepare and and clean up and
make sure that the environment of what I want to come out of my garden. Of course, the the students, the children are the the garden and everything that's being said, what we need to do is almost like as if you're working the garden that there's life in those seeds. The seed itself, we didn't have
to we didn't put that there. God did that. And so it's our job just to make the environment and the soil right and it'll take off on its own. So this has just been kind of um a nature just holistic kind of thing that to just to get that garden right so that whatever
we're trying to pull from it comes up healthy. Thank you. Thank you. And there's nothing as I said uh families are sending us the best that they have and that is their children. And we have a responsibility. We are the educators. We are the keeper of those kids. School
districts are. And so we can't just put anybody in front of our kids or anybody leading our kids. And the same thing with board members. We need the best and the brightest. And we need decisions that are made based on what's in the best interest of kids. So without
further ado, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out here today. Oh, my pleasure. My pleasure. Thank you so much. Oh, my pleasure. Definitely. Yeah. Thank you so much. We're going to go to the next section of
our meeting. Definitely. We're still in the meeting though. So, we have now reviewed the superintendent review from Dr. Collins with HYA. Um, she did state that we had a robust discussion. I am going to leave
it to give it to the board member comments after. Now, if you have any comments that you would like to state that you did and then we'll go to our next levels of the agenda. Comments regarding the
Oh, are these our closing comments? Oh, just regarding that. Um, hi everybody. We're still meeting. We're still meeting. I'll just wait a couple seconds. Um, I want to thank those of you who are
still here and those who had to leave. I want to thank you um for coming. This is a new experience um for us as a board. It's a very exciting experience and it is an opportunity to make sure that
whoever is in charge of this multi-million dollar 30 plus million dollar budget, we have the responsibility of making sure that that person is doing what's in the best interest of our children. And so this is a very
important room, powerful room, and we have a space to really create new and exciting opportunities for our kids. And what I'm hoping is that when we narrow down that search that this room, I don't know if it's possible, but if this room
can somehow have a scorecard or some way of providing input that really informs our decision. And even though I don't know if it'll ever be like public, like when we narrow it down, a certain number will of names will be available to the
public. But I do think that it is important for this committee at some point to be in communication with the public and finding out what's important to you all. What are the what are the concerns that you have? What things are you excited about, you know, in
candidates? because we can't talk to everybody but the more of you who are you know in a confidential way respecting the applicants but really getting insights so that when you come to the table you are also representing um your constituency and you have a say
come up with some type of score system so that we know what it is that you know who you are impressed with and I think that is the best way to really make this search committee um most powerfully impactful in our next decision will have at that meeting you will have like
feedback signific um interview date Is it then like that's a good question when would we meet with this committee so that they can back to the finalist? Okay. And
then all together so also an opportunity to have that feedback card that that board. Okay. Thank you. And I just want to say I do care about your input. You don't have to agree with everything, see
everything the way I see it, but I do want to hear your input, your insights, your questions, and your concerns throughout this process. Thank you, Trusty Gavin. Trusty Watette, do you have any comments? I'd like to piggy back on Mrs. Gavin. Miss Gavin, I I do
treasure your feedback and your input. We need that. We need that. That that helps to guide our work. I also would like to say that whatever we put out, I intend for it to be factual, to be the absolute truth, not made up, not
perceived by anybody else, but the absolute truth of what's going on. So know that that I'm going to be honest with you and that what you receive from me will be the truth and nothing but the truth. So with that being said, I thank
uh Miss Dr. Collins for this focus meeting for this group and uh I look forward to moving forward because we do have to have a superintendent in place. It is a must. Without a superintendent, we have no district. So, we need our
superintendent put in place and and I also would like to encourage all of us to be positive. We are a great school district. We are going places. Our kids are making gains regardless to what you hear out there. Our test scores are
going up. The buildings are being redone. We are doing some positive things in Benton Harbor. And so, um, and I want everybody to know that that we're just not standing still. We haven't been going backwards. We have been going
forward. We've created some programs and put some things in place so that kids can be successful and get things done and and have a uh opportunities so when they no longer are in Bitten Harbor, wherever they go, they can be
successful. So, um, with that being said, thank you all for coming and I look forward to working with you further, even if it's like a town hall meeting or something again where we can all get together, not just this group, but the two groups that you've already
met with to further put their input in on this topic. Thank you, Trustee Joy. Yes. I just um would like to piggyback on Trusty Gavin. You your input, your
thoughts, your concerns, your wants are so very important. Who else could give us an outlook on what the children need besides the parents and the staff, the people that are really putting in time with these kids. And it's so important
that we get the right person for this. and I'm grateful for this group and I feel like we gonna make this happen. Thank you. Um I just want to say thank you all for coming out. I you know I don't want us to get caught up in that
single story because sometimes that single story is not always the truth and we continue to tell that single story. Um the primary role for the Bitten Harbor Board of Education is to provide governance and ensure
accountability. Our job is to set policies, oversee the effective operation of schools, and ensure that every student receives a quality education. It's about leadership, responsibility, and making sure that our resources are used wisely to serve the best interests of our children and
community. That means holding people accountable. That means asking the tough questions. So sometimes when we ask the tough questions, it may be considered that we're being hostile or vindictive or we're hard to work with. So I am glad
that we got to do this. What I will recommend because I'm only vice president that the president does at least quarterly meetings with this stakeholder group because seven of us alone are not going to fix the issues that we do. Um it's going to take all of
us. So earlier this today during this meeting I stepped out and I did an impromptu visit on the first and second floor and I got to see the reality of what our kids go through. Lockers have names of
kids that when I went to school in that was over a decade ago. I feel awkward saying that but it was a decade ago. Our kids deserve the better. And if we're practicing and saying our kids deserve the better, let's talk it like we walk it. Let's preach it. So, I am excited
that we'll be able to get a qualified world-class superintendent that will put children first and we can no longer focus on the past, but move forward. Um, decades ago, I got to set in on a superintendent search and we were in the
lunchroom and they had two of the candidates and the public got to ask questions to the superintendent candidates and they got to interact. I would even like to see if the superintendent could do a presentation to the public on their vision and
everything because it's one thing to talk it and like we say let's make Bitten Harbor great again and it's one thing to see the reality what is making Bitton Harbor great again um Bitten Harbor area school. So I will make those recommendations and I just want to say thank you as I end that comment. We do
need to go to the next level of Oh, I'm sorry. Is there any The next level of on our agenda is open public comment. Do any of you guys have any public comments? Therefore, do I need to read this stick
uh public comment statement to you or It's only three minutes now. It's a little different. So, go ahead. It's three minutes though. Oh, I see. No, I just want to say that um when you think about if your children
live out of state like mines do and we have missed our children greatly, our granddaughter, I think about can I really invite them to come and and consider to relocate from California to be closer to us and I look at the school
and I know what she's getting pretty much in the school district for out of, you know, in Seami Valley, California and I don't want to have to have this consideration of uh something low and where she's getting something higher in in a in another state
somewhere. I want to be able any family that they're considering to bring the family together or some part of the family has to relocate. I want to be able to think where I'm at that I have something to offer my grandchildren. you know that not you know I'm not saying
it's okay for my hometown kids to be here but yet I wouldn't bring my grandkids that no I don't want that kind of I don't want that at all and I say that to piggyback on this I'm asking our educators if you are teaching if you are
an administrator and please I'm sorry I don't really want to hear that your child is going to another school district and outside of the one that you're teaching in because that means you telling me that you have great awareness and should be a stakeholder in where you work, but yet something's up
that your child got to go to another school district. I just want to just say that. I I I just want us to get this thing right and not pretend like we're doing better and we got quality, but yet you won't bring your grandkids or have your own children go to the school district. Thank you for your comment. Is
there any additional comments? For those that don't For those who don't know, my name is Derek Bishop. Uh I'm a local parent, activist, podcast, a youth mentor, community outreach. I'm
uh I'm basically what some of the young boys say. Uh, I'm out here in the trenches with our young people and our women. And Miss uh, Miss Rocket, you and Mr. Bones don't know, but Miss Doyle and Miss Gavin know my
last two board meetings I was at when I spoke at I was uh, volunteer basketball coach at the middle school. And the brother was here too on security that day and uh, Mr. Apprentice was here
too. I spoke up basically said I was dissatisfied with the condition and direction of the school and I felt like the people in Ben Harbor wasn't getting their money's worth. And at that time it was well known due to me applying for a job and a volunteer application that I'm a convicted felon. I just got home last
year from doing 11 years for armed robbery and uh HR and Kelvin Buts was fine with that until I spoke up at the school board meeting. And after that Mr. but directly and somebody else sent emails around to the school and said I
wouldn't allow to work nor volunteer no more. So that's why I stopped coming to the board meetings. So I'm saying that to say Mr. Gillespie know he he just walked out but apprentice know too the brother right here. I'm going at the schools here and at the middle school two or three times a week sometimes
more. I spend more time at the schools than some of the parents and some of the teachers do and I never asked to be paid for it. And I say that to say I got a lot of influence with the with the parents, the teachers, the coaches, staff, everything. And me
participating in this is not just because I care. I'm actually putting faith and trust back into the school board because I honestly feel like I couldn't trust the school board until I started meeting some of the members outside the school board meeting. I don't know who all else played a role and was responsible, but when Miss
Collins brought up the community outreach and treating everybody equal, that was me specifically because I spent years as being part of the problem. So when I got home, I decided to be a part of the solutions. But my solutions was ignored, thrown out, and they was reciprocated until I chose to speak up
against the condition of the people here in Ben Harbor. And I feel like that's a problem. And I don't want to be a part of something that's going to keep doing the same thing because my time is limited. I'm 35. I'm fighting stage four colon cancer. I've been fighting it for 5 years. My son to be 13. I don't have
no time to be wasted. And I started working and building my own thing adjacent and directly in opposition to Ben Harour area schools. But but here in Ben Harour to benefit our kids. I would love to work with the city and work with the district, but I do not have a problem with working against it if it's going to benefit the kids of Ben Harour
even. Thank you. Mr. Bishop, can you make sure you fill out a form and get it to Natalie for us of what happened and everything and one of us will get will get to you. One of the emails was sent directly to Lisha Phelis McNe, the
principal of the middle school. Yes. And I apologize. Can you send that for us? Thank you. I I I'm always on call for the school. I don't even work for the school, but anytime you guys call me, I am here for being on the expulsion board to help it
out in the community, probably even selling dinners. I don't have a problem with it. And I really think that at this point, we got to stop with all these check marks and start working with the parents like this young man who has been through the system and has the experience instead of getting someone
because they have a college degree and have never been through the system. How can I say I know how it feel to be in prison when I've never been there. But because I have a college degree, I know everything. That's not It's all about experience and grandfathering these people in who know and who could walk
the walk to may save a child. We we dealing with a different community. I have been in a lot of different schools throughout the state because I work in the state and Ben Harbor is not the worst school. I'm just going to put it out there. We are not the worst school. The problem is we allow everybody to come in and dictate and write our book
to make it look like we're the worst, but we're not. And I just want to make that clear. Um, but stop writing books based on somebody else because somebody else has a different presentation of their school because their school is not good, but they just got good actors. And
I'm going say that they have great actors because I didn't been as far as the UP and I've seen the worst of the worst. I placed worst of the worst. So stop working even if due to state regulations and funding he may not can help but maybe developing a program
outside the school where you make it get some of these kids that who's on a who's on the road to prison expulsion or anything else to start working with some of these individuals onetoone because I work with a lot of single moms. I'm a single mom but I have two college graduates. Stop using that oh they come
from bad household because some of these kids got more money than us. Some of these kids rich. They buy same clothes and shoes than me and I work every day with a master's degree, but I can't afford what they wearing. So, stop using their circumstances as a crutch and start saying, "Look at here. This is
what we going to do and start holding these parents accountable. Stop holding everybody else. Stop holding these parents accountable. They not sending their kids to school. Then go out there and see what the problem is." Because it may be because they don't have clean clothes. But if you get them those resources, they may have CPS or foster care. Call those workers. let them know
this child is behave misbehaving and get and take up responsibility and stop telling this school it's a school responsibility because know it starts at home because I don't play and anybody who know me know Illinois know me I don't play with mine and mine is doing awesome and every every teacher in this building know me because I I email every
teacher every Friday what is my son doing so that's stop putting that responsibility back on the parents and stop putting it on everybody else put it on the parents it's their fault yes thank you next comment and it's three minutes um I just first of all wanted to say
thanks for the invite um from a couple board members and I just wanted to say ultimately that transparency is huge. I am purposely not speaking as much as I
would or could right because anybody that knows me especially teachers knows about a problem of mine. However, I don't my goal isn't to be controversial. is to be honest and accountable and advocacy. So, one of one of my gripes to
to try to try to pick a nicer word is that during school board election time, everybody every school board member is visible with what they will do, right? And so that honed or you or really
touched me when we referenced that phrase of are you doing what you said you were going to do, right? Transparency is always one of the first words that everybody says, but are you transparent? And I know this may not be what some people want to hear. Like an example being Anita Burden. I feel like
I'm a Bearcat at this point. She's in Battle Creek. I see more transparent information about her school district, about what is going on than I do from my own. And that's a problem because if elected officials are not sharing that whether it is something else they're
doing in the community but what we elected you for was a school district. What's going on with that? What about meetings like this or what the agenda or some possible topics? We know how to be intriguing when we are marketing for events or something we want someone to attend. We need to market our school
district involvement via the community with transparency. And I feel that if that door is open and if individuals feel invited and that they'll be heard because we sit at behind tables and have a different demeanor than in the
streets. And so I feel when people reference that and say, "Well, hey, I have a relationship outside and it's still about conversation in regards to how we can help our community and kids." Where's my timer? I thought he was giving me them. So I
just transparency, integral. We have to be integral and that means being honest and inclusive of the community that you elect you were elected by to serve. Thank you. We'll go to the next um
sorry. Is there anybody else with comments? Therefore being none, we'll go to the next order of business. This agenda looks Yeah, it says board member announcements and comments. Is there any announcements or comments?
I do. Yes. Um Gavin, I just want to encourage everyone to attend peace day. It is June 5th. Um it is an opportunity for us to come together. It is um the
students are going um on a civil rights tour and in that tour 40 students will be helping to plan this event and they are going to be bringing their knowledge of what they learned on that tour into this event and they are going to be
promoting peace. They want it just as much as we do. And so to see the community come out and support them and encourage them and inspire them. We get thousands of likes and shares when there's a fight, right? Can we do that
when they are calling for peace and they are being awarded uh for doing the right things. Um and then we're also asking folks right now to take the 90-day uh peace for life challenge. Meaning what is one habit that's not serving you that
you would like to change and what will you what positive habit will you replace that with and how will you check in with each other and encourage each other to do the same. We're asking the students to do it. We're asking the parents to do it as well and just imagine what's possible you know if a thousand folks uh
make those types of commitments for over the next 90 days and hold each other accountable and celebrate the positive. how that can change our school community. And so it is a positive solution if we show up. If we show up. And so also just want to thank everybody
again for coming out. Think about what's possible uh with this new beginning. I do not look at the truth as a negative. I look at it as a mirror and an opportunity for us to look at what's wrong, look at what's not working, and
come together and collaborate on how we can correct it. That's the way I look at that. And so I'm hoping that we can look at it too in that way. Come together. It's a new season. It's a new opportunity for us to just take Ben Harbor to the next level. Not what it was before, but even better. So that's
what I see. That's how I'm feeling. And so yeah, thank you all for coming out. Let's spread the word in that way. Thank you. Trusty Watette, do you have any comments? Not really, but just that. Not really. Chicago. Our MD classes are open
uh for the spring semester. So, uh that's our our our we also go to classes so that we are not ignorant when we get in front of you. So, um it's open August 11th and 12th, I think, and Mrs. Singer will make the arrangements for you if you need them. Also, I would encourage
you to visit your children's school. Uh they have a lot of little activities going on that are so nice and that you can be a part of in the evening. Um and and to visit our website, Benton Harour Area Schools has a website and pretty much everything that's happening in our
district. It is on our website, so you can certainly um look at it ahead of time and plan where you want to go and where you want to be. So hats off to MLK. They did a parent reading workshop. Were you there? Yeah. And and it was like a little carnival. It was so nice.
So I know Fairplane East is going to have things. And so is the high school and and graduation is coming up. So um look in on the website. They keep it updated. It is beautifully done. Um and and and if you want information, good
information, the website. Okay. Thank you, Trusty Doyle. I just would really like to thank everyone who who's watching. Did we record this? Yes, it is. And everybody that came out. It was amazing the feel
in the room, the the the just the care and the concern about picking the best person for the job. I am so elated, happy that we're going to get it done. We're going to get it done.
You guys have a wonderful weekend on purpose. Thank you. Okay. Um, thank you all for coming. We have prom tonight. So wishing our young people um the best and the brightest um in a safe prom.
Um so yes, that's it. And our next item on the Oh, one thing I will say um we do operate off of policies and sometimes our policies and procedures we cannot do certain things. So it may come off that
we're not being transparent or integral, but we operate as a district of guidelines and policies and procedures, and that's why we have to do what we have to do. Um, our next order of business is a special meeting. It was
two dates that were requested. Um, June 7th and June 14th on Saturday at 9:00. Is there I know I can't call a meeting myself. Yes, sir. Is there a motion to call for a special
meeting for June 7th and 14th? I make a motion that we have a special meeting June 7th and June 14th. A motion was made by Trustee Gavin. Is there a second? I second. And it's been check second by Trusty Rakette. Is there any
questions or concerns or comments? Sorry. These dates work for me and not all dates do, but this is a these are some good dates uh far enough in advance and I believe this will be great if we can support this this
request. Thank you, Madame Secretary, can you please call for the vote? Vice President Bowen, yes. Trusty Rockets Mark, yes. Trusty Gavin, yes. Trusty Doyle, yes. Motion carries. Thank
you. The next order on our agenda is new bearing new businesses bearing visa bienial election candidate list. Have you guys got to review the two candidates that we would be voting on for the burying visa
seat that is Daniel Buckmeer and Ann Nancy Morset Kernan. Uh I I actually I did not uh honestly I thought we were just coming here for the superintendent search and I did not have an opportunity to really
view this. So we do have to have a vote done before June 2nd. June. Can we take a few minutes? Yes, you can take a few minutes. Um, I believe they did email us, if you
have your schoolboard email, some of them did email us letters. It was months ago. So, we have to check through our phones. We don't have our computers. Yes. I do need to It's not even a really contested an
election. It looks like it's to serve on the board. Yes. And it's two people applied in two seats. So they they automatically have I just Yes. I just like to take a couple minutes just to review again. I I know.
I just want to look at it real quick. Are they incumbents? They've already been on there. Well, I that's a good question. I think that's a question for you because you're on the board, right? for your representative. No, please. Okay. This is the Bian County.
Okay. Well, there's no test. And I'm sorry, this is just a review. It's actually not a vote. The vote is at the work session. Okay, perfect. Thank you. So, we do have a
work session coming up. Um on the 27th, Vice President B. Yes. Bren, if um if it's possible, I don't know, you know, is it possible to request them submit information to us? Yes, Madam Secretary.
Is it possible that we send an email to or a correspondence to John Pros asking for him to have a bio or something information on why they're wanting
to serve on the board for the regional education? I'll reach out to um the one that information. Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much. Therefore, being that you guys are aware
at the next minute at the work session, we will be voting on that. We'll be getting information to them. And again, this is an uncontested election, but it's still sometimes we can support people that do not support public education
in the way that we support it or that's equitable. Um being therefore, is there any questions or comments on that? Therefore, being none, um our next item on the agenda is adjournment. Can I
have a motion to adjurnn? I make a motion that we adjourn the special board meeting. A motion was made by Trustee Rat. Second. And second by Trusty Joy. Madam Secretary, can you please call the vote?
Vice President Bowen. Yes. Trustee Rocket Martin. Yes. Trustee Gavin. Yes. Trusty Yes. The meeting has been adjourned at 11:26.