Those who are able, please stand for our pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America We will now have our land acknowledgment read by director Allen. On behalf of this board and the Cherry Creek School District, I would like to
acknowledge that this meeting is being held on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, and Oceti Sakowin people who stewarded it for generations. The Oceti Sakowin includes seven bands, so I would also like to recognize that over 40 additional tribal nations likely use this area for trade, ceremonies, and social gatherings. I'd like to call for a motion to approve the agenda for the 11/10/2025 regular
Board of Education meeting. So moved. Is there a second? Second. Roll call, please. Directors Allen. Aye. Bates. Aye. Egan. Aye. Futrell. Aye. Garland. Aye. Motion carries. I'd like to call for a motion to approve the minutes as listed on the 11/10/2025 agenda. So moved. Is there a second? Second. Call, please. Directors Allen. Aye. Bates. Aye. Egan. Aye. Futrell. Aye. Garland. Aye. Motion carries. At this time, we'll have communications from the members of our board beginning with director
Allen. Good evening. Thank you to principal Yamagishi and the Fox Ridge community for hosting us tonight. And as always, thank you to our security, set up, and technology teams. Your behind the scenes work allows us to hold our meetings and make our decisions which directly impact our schools in our schools. I'd also like to welcome my husband and daughter and son. Thank you guys for being here tonight. I'd like to take a few minutes to talk directly to our community. Tonight is my final board meeting. Recently, at a lunch with the principal at my daughter's high school, I learned that
all ninth graders write a letter to their senior selves. A letter they'll open at graduation to see who they've become and whether they've lived up to their intentions. That idea stayed with me because public service, like adolescence, is a journey that begins with conviction, faces challenges, and ends with the question, did I do what I said I would do? I didn't write that letter when I began my journey, but in preparation for tonight's meeting, I reflect on what I would have said. What I'm about to share is not a campaign speech or an attack on anyone.
It is my record, my intentions, concerns, and commitments, along with an explanation of one decision that has been questioned, my absence from the June board meeting where the budget was approved. Many of you have asked for that explanation to be part of the public record and tonight, I honor that request. If I had written this letter at the beginning of my term, I would have done so knowing two things. This work would be hard and context would matter. Dear Kristen, if I am writing this, I have reached the end of my service on the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education.
One of the board's most important responsibilities is adopting the annual budget. The June meeting is not just another business meeting. It's where we honor the trust the tax payers have placed in us, aligning values with 1,760,000,000.00 in resources, a million a million dollar interest free loan, and over $100,000,000 in expenditures. Our policies allow for virtual participation because we are parents, employees, and caregivers. Emergencies and family obligations happen. Virtual attendance exists so we can continue to serve our stakeholders even when life intervenes.
In the days leading up to that June meeting, I understood that one board member requested to attend virtually and was denied with the explanation that we had a quorum. Another was out of town for an extended period and did not request a virtual attendance. No meaningful effort was made to use a policy that would have allowed broader participation in a meeting of enormous financial and ethical significance. That left only three members voting on decisions of extraordinary scale, a pattern I had already raised concerns about. So, before that June meeting, I did something hard.
I communicated that under those circumstances, where virtual attendance was allowed but not supported, and where participation was unnecessarily limited, I would not attend and confer legitimacy on a process I believed was wrong. I urge that meeting be rescheduled or that virtual options be used so more members could be present to fulfill their responsibilities. In record.
That absence was described or assumed by some to be a political move maneuver or a power play. It was not. I have never wielded power that way. My decision was not about avoiding responsibility. It was about insisting that we live up to it. I understand sacrifice. I respect that all board members juggle personal and professional demands. But, when we take on this job, we accept that being present, physically or virtually, for the most critical decisions is the core of the work. The ceremonies and photo ops are optional. The fiduciary duty is not.
Quorum is the legal floor, not the ethical standard. I I chose the harder path to object, to withhold my participation under those specific circumstances, and to call for a process that includes more voices in line with our policies and obligations to the public. Context matters. I wish this explanation had been into the record in real time. If I am reading this now, I myself. I did not walk away from the work. I confronted a governance failure, the only way left available to me.
I ran for the board because I believe in serving a cause bigger than myself. Public education sustains both democracy and community. I wanted to bridge the gap between policy and practice to make sure transparency, fiscal responsibility, and access to education were more than words on paper. I promise to treat public trust as a duty, to listen, ask hard questions, stay transparent, and center students in every decision, even when no one was watching. Much of this work happens quietly. Late nights reading budgets, conversations with staff and families, understanding complex systems, and hard truths.
I did the work because it mattered. I also served alongside well meaning people. I believe my colleagues care deeply about kids and this community. But I have or I have always believed that good intentions are not enough. Training matters. Norms matter. Clarity about roles matter. If I could do one thing differently, it would be to ensure the board engaged in ongoing development, particularly through the Colorado Association of School Boards to strengthen governance, expectations, and collaboration. Had we committed to that, we would have expectations, and collaboration. Had we committed to that, we would have been better aligned around shared principles, especially
the importance of vision, alignment, and accountability in all that we do. As I finish this work, I hope the record shows that I fought for students, treated taxpayer dollars with respect, and stayed honest with my community even when it was uncomfortable. I own what I would do differently and I'm proud I showed up, did the work, told the truth, and served with integrity and care. Together and with resolve, honesty, and gratitude for the privilege of serving, Kristin Allen. Thank you. Thank you. Director Bates? Thank you. Good evening and thank you to Principal Yamagishi and Fox Ridge for hosting us.
And as always, thank you to everyone that makes it possible for us to have these meetings on the road. I appreciate all that you do for us. As I look back on my tenure on this board, I think about how it all started. I was an active volunteer in my children's schools for many years. I'm not sure at what point I thought the board might be my next step. What I didn't realize was just how much I did not know about CCSD. Joining this board had a steep learning curve. A curve that I think that many do not understand. Here are a few of the things that I had a lot to learn about,
about our students and our families, and how we improved our services. Mental health was a significant problem with both of our students and our staff. We authorized spending on more mental health staff in all of our schools. And thanks to our voters, we passed four a and four b to allow us to open the first school district run mental health school so that our most impacted students could still access their education while being treated. And thanks to grants, we were able to put fitness rooms or Zen Dens where
staff could take short breaks during the day as needed. We also partnered with Hazel Health to provide free counseling to our students. We also have students that cannot access health care. Our parent or their parents cannot take time off to get them to a doctor's appointment. We are fortunate to partner with Stride clinics to offer locations where route routine care for some of our most vulnerable students could be provided. During the pandemic, Stride provided no cost testing for our staff and students, as well as immunization clinics.
I am proud that CCSD was the leader in getting our students back into the classrooms as soon and as safely as possible. Thankfully, our community stepped up during How did we take care of that? We opened community pantries and How did we take care of that? We opened community pantries in several of our schools. And this project, Gus continues expanding and is now available in 20 plus locations.
And we partner with community partners such as C Corp Cares and for Aurora. Literacy for some students is still lagging. There are many reasons for this, but we cannot make excuses. So we authorize the implementation of a new reading curriculum and new testing with the expectation that all children will meet their meet their benchmarks in reading by 2030. CTE programs were minimal while my children were in high school.
I am proud to say that during my tenure on this board, that we were able to pass not one, but two bond issues so that we could open CCIC and now expand those facilities and offerings. I am thrilled to see more kids accessing these programs and either earning certifications or college credits for their future. Funding for education in the state of Colorado is disgusting. How can a destination state not take more pride in their education system?
It is disheartening to see that our legislators cannot figure out a way to get more funding into our schools. We should not be funding our schools like the nineteen eighties. We must all continue to lobby for additional funds for education. It takes all of us, not just a few. Please get involved so that we can continue to move our district forward. I am proud that CCSD continues to provide free breakfast and lunch for all students. The impact has been immense.
We have gone from serving about 24,000 meals to 35,000 meals per day. Our high school students are even staying in the building to eat lunch. This has also led to the stigma of having free lunch minimized amongst this age group. More kids are eating and the impact shows in our classrooms. So thank you to our community members for voting yes to continue the state wide free healthy meals program. I could go on and on about the positive changes that have occurred during my
tenure on the board. These changes could not have happened without the leadership of our superintendents, I served under three, and our district leadership team. While the board has a final decision to decide whether a change occurs, it is the educational experts that do the work and present the findings to the board. Experts that do the work and present the findings to the board. I would like to thank this group for always keeping the kids at the forefront of all decisions. Thank you to our community for supporting our teachers, with your recent vote for new board candidates. I truly believe that these candidates have our students' best interests at heart, and will
support all students and staff. Everyone within CCSD should feel valued and seen. No one should be ignored on their race based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or gender. And to this board, thank you for the collaborative working environment. We didn't always agree, but we always came to a decision based on what was best for all students. I am not yet sure what my next decision will be. What I do know is that I will have more time for what I enjoy
the most, giving back to the community. But first, I will be visiting my granddaughter more often. So, enjoy your bonbons tonight while we so, thank you again for the opportunity to serve our district. Thank you. Director Egan? Thank you. Good evening. Thank you to Fox Ridge Middle School and Principal Yamaguchi for hosting us here tonight. And as always, thanks to our security, safety, technology, and setup teams for making these meetings happen in our neighborhood schools. Congratulations to our recently elected board members, Terry Bates and Mike Hamrick.
I look forward to working with you both. And thanks again to directors Bates and Allen for your service to the students, staff, and community of this district. This is challenging and important work and we are grateful to those who step up to serve. It's Veterans Week. Many, many thanks to the veterans who have served or are currently serving our great country. Many veterans appreciation celebrations will be taking place across the district this week. Cherry Creek High School will be hosting a Veterans Day celebration and dinner this Friday,
November 14, prior to the home football game. If you or a member of your family is a veteran and you'd like to attend this RSVP by this Wednesday. And please check the district website for many more events and information about how you can get involved happening across the district this week. November is also Indigenous Peoples Month. At the Cherry Creek School District, we proudly recognize, celebrate, and honor the rich cultural heritage, diverse traditions, and significant contributions of Native American, Alaska Indigenous peoples to our community
and our nation. This observation of an important month reflects our commitment to fostering understanding, respect, and appreciation for the first inhabitants of this land. Learning from and about different viewpoints helps all of us grow, understand our world more deeply, and build stronger and more inclusive communities. Students in our construction pathway didn't just learn about building, they designed, measured, cut, framed, and finished an entire Habitat for Humanity home at the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus.
Friday's open house celebrated this accomplishment and again proves that learning is real, tangible and life changing. Thank you to our industry partners and educators for being in the trenches with our students, teaching and mentoring every step of the way. The Cherry Creek Schools Foundation recently awarded $200,232 to or 200,232 thousand dollars to 198 Cherry Creek School District educators to power possibilities at 56 schools as part of the
foundation's educator initiative grant program. This year, the grant applications were focused on projects aligned with district priorities, whole well-being, disproportionality, and literacy. Funded grants for educators across the district included creating spaces of belonging, providing materials for the visual and performing arts, and launching literacy projects. The foundation has been awarding classroom grants since its inception in 1993 to support educators
in bringing opportunities to students that otherwise would not be possible. Stay tuned to see how these grants will be making an impact in the classroom and mark your calendars for Colorado Gives Day on Tuesday, December 9, the largest day of philanthropy in the state. On this day, donations may be matched, letting your generosity go even further. The November donation drive has officially begun. For students in the Cherry Creek and Grandview Feeder areas, it's time to gather your shelf stable items, individually packaged be or make a monetary gift of any amount.
Donations will be accepted through November 25. With everyone's support, we are proud to be in the fifth year of supporting the Creek community. Thanks so much for your generosity as we enter this holiday season. November's District Accountability Committee meeting will be held this Wednesday, November 12, from 06:30 to eight p. M. At the instructional support facility or ISF. We encourage our community to attend these meetings to learn more about the important work of the district.
This month's meeting topic is district safety and security. Congratulations to the Cherry Creek High School girls field hockey team on an amazing win over Kent, Denver to clench the Chassa state championship. We are so proud of you on this back to back state championship victory. I look forward to seeing you at many of our District Veterans Day events this week. We thank our veterans for their service to our country. This concludes my comments. Thank you. Director Futrell. Thank you. I'd like to take a moment to, recognize Fox Ridge, for hosting us, the student
body, the staff, and the administrators. Thank you. I also want to acknowledge the powerful impact that voter participation has had on our neighborhood and across the district. Congratulations to Mike and Terry. I look forward to working with you in the future. Over the past few weeks, I've witnessed parents, educators, and neighbors coming together not only to cast ballots, but to engage in meaningful conversations and acts of empathy that extend
beyond what quality education and equity look like in Cherry Creek. That kind of civic energy is what strengthens the partnerships between our schools and the communities that they serve. We must continue to support the most vulnerable in our communities and support those who give support. Empathy is a superpower. I'm gonna say that one more time. Empathy is a superpower.
In North Cherry Creek, this engagement is showing up in real ways through stronger school to home communication, renewed interest in student body, and student mentorship, and local organizations stepping forward and supporting after school and wellness initiatives. Highline Community Elementary School is hosting their book fair on November 12 from 01:45 to 03:30. And they're also collaborating with Colorado Community Church and Food Bank of the Rockies for
food distribution. We know now more than ever that very the moment that we are living in right now is important to show the world who we are, that we leave no one behind and that everyone matters. These efforts remind us that democracy doesn't end at the ballot box. It continues in classrooms, on playgrounds, in every conversation where families and educators collaborate for
student success. As we move forward, I hope we keep building on this momentum, ensuring that every community in our district feels both heard and represented. Thank you for your continued commitment to everyone here, tonight and those that have spoken, especially, the young students, thank you so much, for all of your energy and your efforts. Happy Veterans Week. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you to the Fox Ridge community for hosting us tonight. It has been a joy to be out in the community these past few week few weeks attending events, connecting with families, and joining with many of our nonprofit partners
who work so hard to support our students and schools. I'm continually in collaboration and care that defines our Cherry Creek community. Our long range planning committee has also been meeting regularly to review updates on the bond projects happening across the district. We've been working diligently to discuss population trends and community needs across our community. Last week, I had the opportunity to to see our c c CCIC pathways in action. What an incredible experience. Seeing our students deeply engaged in hands on learning, preparing for careers and futures that excite them was really inspiring.
The creativity, the confidence, and the sense of purpose they showed reminded us reminded me of how how this work matters so much. For many students, college can be expensive and a frustrating experience. That's why public private partnerships are so vital. They help students discover their pathway to purpose by connecting education with real world career opportunities. Through career and technical education, students can earn valuable certifications and launch into upwardly mobile careers, building pathways to meaningful work and the middle class. My visit to CCIC was an example of when vision becomes reality.
High school students from across our district partner with teachers and industry leaders to build and design a beautiful new home for Habitat for Humanity, turning learning into lasting impact that helps others in our community. This weekend, while picking up one of my children from their fifty eleven activities, I had an experience that really touched my heart. As I waited for one this waited as I waited, one of the staff members asked if anyone I knew needed any food any food items and pointed to brightly colored reusable bags on a table. I was puzzled at first thinking maybe she had confused me with someone else.
After all, I didn't need any food. But then I noticed that she asked every adult who came to the door the same question with the same warmth. Her approach reminded me of the power of community care. She was normalizing compassion, removing the stigma for families who might be facing food insecurity, or even just busy parents trying to get through another hectic week. It was such a beautiful example of what it looks like to care for one another with love and dignity. Our needs may look different, but our shared humanity connects us all. I wanna take a special moment tonight to recognize a very important group, all the
first time voters in our district. To all the students in our community who cast their vote who cast their ballots for the first time last Tuesday, congratulations. All those years of social studies, civics, debates, and American government have prepared you not just to pass a test, but but to participate and be activist sit ins activist citizens. I hope this election marks the first of many of many more votes in your lifetime and that it becomes a doorway to a deeper civic and community engagement. I am so proud of all of you.
And speaking of engaged citizens, this is the part where I where I start seeing an end of the road, but I'll spare you that tonight. Being a public service is no small feat, and tonight marks the last board meeting for two of my colleagues, director Bates and director Allen. Thank you for all your years of service, and I'm sure I'll see you in a different capacity in our community. That concludes my remarks. I'll turn it over to superintendent Smith. Thank you, president Garland. Thank you, Fox Ridge. Thank you, Beth, for the opportunity to be here tonight.
Thanks for taking care of us and thank you for taking care of all of the Fox Ridge Middle School students. It's amazing to hear, your students speak about this school in such an amazing way. And I know she's not the only one. So thank you to your staff for making every student feel seen, valued and special. I truly, truly appreciate that. Happy Veterans Week for all of those who have sacrificed and those who continue to sacrifice for public education. I say this all the time, if it wasn't for the sacrifices of our people
in our armed forces, we wouldn't be here. And we have rights and responsibilities that many other countries don't. Many other countries don't even have the opportunity for education at all. So that all of our students have free access to public education is not something that I take lightly. So I'd like to thank them and I invite you to Cherry Creek Veterans Week. We do amazing things. I am very proud of this school district. I say it all the time. And being part of Veterans Week is so much fun. So much fun. We had the opportunity last Friday to wrap some of our veterans in quilts of
valor and speak to them about the importance of what they did. The emotion that comes through our veterans when they have that opportunity or they see students who look up to them and thank them is something that you can never get back. And to say welcome home to our Vietnam veterans who didn't hear that when they came home the first time is just something special to see. So I ask you to come celebrate with us, be part of it. And if you are a veteran here tonight, I'd like you to stand up so we could give you a round of applause. Mister Henderson, I see that you're already standing up.
So we'll just give you a round of applause. So we did have a board of election race and I would like to congratulate mister Terry Bates who's here tonight, who has been at previous board meetings before this evening, learning in his opportunity to become one of these board members. I'd also like to congratulate Mike Hamrick for his opportunity to be part of this board. It has been actually an honor to serve under five women, to serve under five strong women who give up their time from their families, who give up time from
their jobs to be here with us for an unpaid position that carries a ton of weight. So, Kristen Allen, director Allen, thank you for all that you've done for the Cherry Creek School District. You continue to drive literacy and you come from a place of passion, you come from a place of heart, and you come from a place where every student has to read. Even if there are obstacles that they have to overcome, it is imperative that they have the gift of literacy to move them through life. So thank you for that constant push on me to make sure that we do
this. Part of that push was the reason for 2030. And so I thank you for that, for pushing me to say there's got to be a line in the sand that we draw. At some point, enough is enough, and at some point, there needs to be an end to this. So thank you for pushing me in that way. Director Bates, former president Bates, thank you for all that you do. Your heart is as big as you are, and I just wanna say thank you. It's your entire body. And I say that because if you don't know Kelly, just follow her around for a day. She's out at schools giving food.
She's out at schools giving her warmth. She's out at schools hugging kids because that's what she does. That's how she's built. And she's done that for this board and she's done that for this district long before she was ever a board member. So I'm sure she's gonna continue to do that. And her family has moved on, except now her husband is going to sit in her shoes and he has some pretty big shoes to fill. So good luck, mister Bates. But I also wanna share something else. As I've watched these elections over the course of time, this is now currently my
third, and I needed to take a step back and say, wow, this is my third one as superintendent. I have watched them get meaner, I have watched them get nastier, and I have watched them lose sight of kids. And that is so not who we are. The Cherry Creek heartbeat is kids. That's what it is. The Cherry Creek heartbeat is staff. And what I've watched is cruel. Cruel. It is decision. It's expected. It's okay to question the superintendent. It's expected. What's not okay is to put things on social media that demean the human.
What director Bates has had to go through these past two election processes is sad, disappointing that adults would go to the level of body shaming, family shaming, and husband shaming while kids are watching. I hope that as we move into the future, we have conversations about what is important, kids, and the decisions that we make on this board.
Again, they are unpaid positions, and they are volunteer positions. And what I can say, we don't all get along all the time. That's human nature. But here's what I will say about all five of the people on this board. We respect the humanity of one another. We respect who we are. And that's the Cherry Creek way. And the voters came out with resounding fashion and said that's what we wanna see. People who respect one another, respect the staff that walks through the doors of these
schools every day, and respect the students, no matter how they show up, that they are welcomed in our school district. So I thank the voters for that. Our kids thank the voters for that. So they can show up in their whole selves and not have to hide who they are with fear of retribution from the Board of Education. So Kristen and Kelly, thank you. To the rest of the board, thank you. You drive me and my team and this school district to the best it possibly can, and I'm biased. But there is nobody in this state that holds a candle to the Cherry Creek
School District. I'm sorry. They just don't. And that comes from leadership. That comes from the board. So we have a couple of special gifts that I'd like to bring up with you so you don't forget us. So their your names are engraved in a crystal bowl that I hope you put on your dining room table. So as you're sitting with your family, you remember the Cherry Creek family, and I'm sure that you will. So we will continue the tradition. And, Kelly, again, thank you for showing class and grace in times that I don't know if I could've. So you're a model to me as well. So as we move toward the future, we will continue to innovate, we will continue
to graduate, and we will continue to put the right students in the right places on their pathway of purpose. Thank you, Director Garland, and I would like to introduce our presentation for this evening. Tonight we are going to discuss our PLC conversations inside of the district, the trainings that we've been doing across this district, and all of the hard work that's coming through. And while we tease, mister Aratola, you know, executive director of well, I forgot. Strategic initiatives. Strategic initiatives.
I'm sorry. It's a new position. So I'm sorry. Strategic initiatives. We tease because we care. That's what family does. And and Toby, Darla, thank you for for making a massive difference in this district around PLC work, regrounding ourselves in professional learning communities as we know and research says. If we get this right, 2030 is gonna happen. So thank you for all of your hard work, and we're looking forward to your presentation tonight. Yeah. Thank you, Chris. Good evening, President Garland, Board of Education. Thank you for having Darla and I tonight. We're excited to be up here to share with you some of our aligned efforts
around professional development, in support of our strategic plan. And so really talking about, as Chris mentioned, our PLC regrounding, which is happening, and then our amazing work of our instructional excellence race coaches that are helping support that work in schools and with teams. So under the leadership of doctor Perry, the one thing we're talking about in strategic planning is really making sure that we're getting aligned acts of improvement rather than random acts of improvement. So conversations are deep. Making sure, especially around literacy, are we moving in the right direction to support all
kids? And are we providing the right support to our schools to make sure that work happens? It's amazing work. I'm honored to be a part of it, and and see the direction we're headed. And so I'm gonna turn it over to Darla to share some of the amazing things that are happening with our instructional coaches. Good evening President Garland, Superintendent Smith, and all board members. I am so incredibly grateful to be here today to speak to what I believe has the greatest impact on shifting mindsets, improving practice, to increase student outcomes. My intention today for sharing the professional learning professional learning journey we have taken thus
far is to provide evidence of the strategic and systematic way in which we are aligning our professional learning efforts for teachers, instructional coaches, and principals. What you see on the slides right now is just where we've been in our journey in introducing the fifteen day challenge, and how it supports unit planning and service to collaborative teams. And so back in October 2024, just over a year, the Instructional Excellence Race coaches had the opportunity to engage in some professional learning with Maria The coaches were super
excited about that opportunity and a question they had at the time is, will our principals have this? Because they recognize the power in common language and communication. And so with Toby's leadership, we were able to have, principals and IERC sit alongside together and engage in learning with Maria Nelson. From there, the remaining of the school year fell upon the IERCs to begin the work, start bringing it to schools, get in teachers dabbling in it, raise some excitement and new energy about how we're gonna approach lesson or, I'm sorry, unit design centered
on essential standards. And so then, in the fall of this year, we, welcomed new IERCs and new principals while also onboarding them and orienting them to the the fifteen day challenge. And, we're continuing this journey with Maria Nelson working and doing an incredible job of serving all schools and all collaborative teams at all levels. Thank you, Kim. So just a quick reminder, the Instructional Excellence Race coaches are our instructional coaches. We have expanded this program to 65. We're almost at a one to one.
Wink, wink. We'd like to get there soon. And, oh, and then I'd like to share a little bit about how we design and determine what our outcomes are gonna be for our professional learning Pink Days. As of you remember, last year, I spoke to Pink Days. Really, the significance of that is it just was the color pink on a calendar and it stuck. But, the important part of it all is that it's the, result of interdepartmental collaboration. We would not have the professional learning that we are engaging in that is strategic and aligned if we didn't have the partnership of educational operations, human resources, performance improvement,
and CCEA. And as I shared earlier, I would love to uplift three names, the Talent Manner Partners, partners who supervise, coach, support our IERC's, and that is Marie Ulrich, Megan McCreesh, and Erin McLahatten. Without their wrap around support and alongside sitting of coaches, we would not have the program that we have today. So, what you see here are just a few shout outs of the feedback we are receiving from instructional coaches as they engage in professional learning. In addition to that, some of the things that they've noted is, as coaches, they
have an increased confidence in supporting the fifty day challenge. They have they feel like they're building up their toolkits and their toolbox of supporting the very needs of their teacher teams. They're excited about the opportunities to experience in differentiated learning. And really developing their coaching stances in the ways that they can propel grade level teams and collaborative teams forward. It's really helping them understand team dynamics and how to move them forward. So, this is where we began our journey this year. On July 28, we welcomed new IERCs and principals to engage in a full day
of the why behind the fifteen day challenge. Really helping them understand that the professional learning communities is a priority, and that's who we are, that's how we work. In that learning, they were able to learn about the seven steps of unit planning, which identifies essential standards, learning targets, how do we develop and maximize common formative assessments, and really the power of planning for tier two as we're working and planning alongside for tier one. Also, on no, you're fine. Thank you. Toby's kind of reading my mind here.
On July 29, all IRCs were welcomed. That was 65 of them. And they had their kickoff session. What we're also working on the Pink Days with the coaches is fostering that professional learning community among coaches. They are a learning community. They are collaborative. We want to build that sense of belonging. In addition, we help them work through some coaching identity and coaching practice, digging into beliefs, and then individual what is the difference in how we're serving individual and group coaching? As you know, we've had the opportunity and the privilege to work with several experts
in the system. Maria Nelson being one of them and Shannon Hobbs Beckley as well. Just a special note, Maria Nelson was also with New Educators at NEO. She had an opportunity to speak at the welcome kind of also offer a session. On September 26, we had the opportunity to bring coaches and principals together to engage in some professional learning community with doctor Mohammed. His book on transformational leadership has been integral in the ways that the coaches are, I would say, internalizing what it means to show up in support of PLCs and
collaborative teams, recognizing the power of collective efficacy and that belief in students and all students. In addition, let's see, we had continued development, building their capacity, not only doing the fifteen day challenge within literacy, but also supporting math and science. On October 24, so prior to the pink day on October 24, Toby had arranged for all schools to work with Maria. So by this date, all elementary school collaborative teams had engaged in professional learning with
Maria Nelson. So what we wanted to do is make sure that coaches had some continued professional learning to deepen their understanding of the fifteen day challenge so that they could help support collaborative teams, moving forward. And so it was really digging deep. That was centered really just elementary because secondary coaches have not yet. They're currently engaging in the learning with Maria Nelson, so they'll get the professional learning with Maria Nelson back in or upcoming in February. So their learning on October 31 was a little bit different.
This was designed and co facilitated by the talent management partners, And what they did is they helped dig into learning and how do we meet and support our first year teachers. What are the ways that we're gonna continue to leverage our values? How are we maximizing our coaching stances and service to our teacher teams? And you'll see those listed there. Really watching digging into what is the difference between a collaborative team and a group. We watched a video with Mike Maddos who really helped bring clarity to the characteristics and the ways that coaches can meet their teams where they're at so that we
can get them in collaborative teams, not just meeting in groups. And then really integral is how do we show up in those spaces in support of our teachers and offer meaningful feedback to help propel them forward. And that takes us to tomorrow. So, tomorrow, we have ADCO. IERCs will be joining principals to engage in some continued learning around PLCs, really focused on questions three and four. Then in February, we will be back with ADCO for some continued learning around questions three and four.
During that time, the secondary coaches will continue to work with their collaborative teams and Maria Nelson, implementing the fifteen day challenge. Then, when we're back in March, we are gonna wrap up our professional learning of PLCs, do some celebrating and recognizing with doctor and actually take some time to reflect and measure our growth and our progress in the PLC continuum. And then in May, we are going to kind of celebrate the end of the year and we're gonna get ready for a second year with Maria Nelson, really focused
on rigor and increased levels of engagement. From there, now Toby's gonna talk more about PLCs. So, again, as you can tell by the work of Darla and her team around the coaches, that alignment piece is starting to happen and it's impacting the system. So the work they're doing with collaborative teams each and every day is positively impacting the learning of each and every child within Cherry Creek. So as Chris stated, we started regrounding ourselves in professional learning communities last school year. Reason being was in 2015 when we started this work, it started to take off
and then died a little bit. And so we kinda went to PLC light and the movement now is to get the PLC right, to make sure we're doing the right work each and every day for our kiddos. So one thing I always wanna point out is the work of, by professional learning community is to ensure all students learn at high levels. We can't have teams of teachers saying, I believe in all kids except for, I believe all kids can learn at high levels. But it's gotta truly believe teachers truly have to believe that all students sitting in front of them are able to learn and learn at high levels.
So it's a mind shift that we have to start to help our teachers get to. So one way we do that is looking at research. I always like to point to doctor John Hattie's research for a couple reasons. Number one, it's over twenty five years of educational research, and it's also the world's largest evidence base for what works to improve teaching and learning within schools. When we look at the effect sizes he talks about, I will just point out, point four is framed as a year's worth of gross growth, which which is average. So any effect size above that has a meaningful impact on student learning.
So effect sizes that I just wanted to point out. There's there's two of them on this page. The top two, teacher estimates of student achievement, and these are his current, effect sizes. He just went and did more research around this to make sure it's current, and teacher estimates of student achievement, which is a 1.29 significant impact on student learning, became the new number one effect size. Collective teacher efficacy, which was number one for a while, fell down to one point o one, but still, again, it's over that point four by a significant amount. So truly impacting student, learning inside of our school buildings.
Why do I point those out? Because they both are belief systems that teachers walk into in our buildings each and every day. And so when we look at those pieces, again, do our teachers working with our students believe that all students can learn at high levels? And do they believe that they can impact student learning in a positive way each and every day? So when we start to frame frame the thinking around PLCs, that's where we start talking about the adaptive work. Right? A lot of the work we do in education, people are looking for quick technical
fix. We bought a curriculum. We have data management systems. We have this. We have that. The work of professional learning communities is very adaptive because it requires continued learning, lots of collaboration, and then continuous improvement. It's just not about implementation. And so really looking at what our collaborative teams are doing each and every day. And it also creates equity for our kiddos because it's taken away that educational lottery of what teacher they get and what experiences they're gonna have within the walls of those classrooms. So when doctor Mohaner was here, he talked about what we need to embrace as
a district. Some of the work he talked about was truly working in collaborative teams and taking collective responsibility for all kids. Historically, I know when I got into teaching, my classroom was my kids. We need to shift that to these are our kids. Right? And so it's a collective effort amongst everybody. We need guaranteed and viable curriculum. This is work, again, we started in 2015, but it's work we're currently doing and teachers need to What is a a guaranteed and viable curriculum? What are our standards asking of our students? How do we monitor student learning, with ongoing assessment?
I'm excited for Anissa and Eric to be here tomorrow, as Darla mentioned. They're really gonna dive into questions three and four and some of the MTSS RTI work to make sure we're building capacity of our, administrators and coaches as they go back to their buildings. How do we use our common assessments? CFAs are a powerful tool because they're giving us information during learning and not after. So we're able to maximize student learning and act on what are we seeing and how are kids performing on these common formative assessments. And then provide systematic interventions and extensions, making sure kids are getting what they need
around time and support if they need it around those learning targets, and then looking at extension more than just packets. Right? Kids need to be able to dive into this work in much different ways. So one thing we can't do, and I shared this with you last time I was up here, there's lots of hope. One thing we need to do is make sure that we're making the shift from compliance to commitment with our PLC work. And I will tell you as you work with different levels, I was just with the UVA schools this last week and then also middle and high school principals actually last week.
Sorry. It's only Monday. We we have receipts. You can see the change, within teams, and you can hear the the the shift in their language about how they're talking about what's happening in their school buildings, and it's it's refreshing to see. So what is a professional learning community in CCSD? A lot of people see the work as a PLC as a school. It's not. It's the entire district. And so what we're really seeing, as Darla pointed out, collaboration across departments is key. We have to make sure that we're all on the same page so we're able to provide the right support. And a couple district approaches that I wanna point out tomorrow, as you've heard, we
have ADCO with with Anissa and Eric on questions three and four under Brenda's leadership, in human resources. The operations side of the house is also going to get PD or in a leaders of leaders, cohort that they're working on, creating their own success plans. They're gonna look at vulnerability tomorrow, and then looking at measures and indicators of are what we're doing, is what we're doing making an impact? And so, again, it's that whole district approach. It's not just schools doing the work. Chris mentions DLT as a collaborative team.
Right? We're all collaborating to make sure we're doing the right work. And we have to move away from silos. Historically, we've always worked in silos. We have to make sure we're aligning our efforts to the strategic plan and that takes collaboration. So just a real quick reminder, three big ideas within the p PLC work is to focus on learning, ensuring all students are able to learn at grade level or higher. A collaborative culture, we must work collaboratively and take collective responsibility for our students. Focus on results. Do we have evidence that students are learning? That's the biggest thing. We can't leave learning to hope.
The four questions that teams work through, and this is where that fifteen day challenge and and unit planning really fits in. What do we want all students to know and be able to do? How will we know they have learned it? What are we going to do as the adults if they have not learned it? And what will they do if they have, what will we do if they already know it? Right? And so it's a collective cycle of collective inquiry, the teachers work through and that fifteen day challenge has really helped us make sure we're intentional with those seven steps. So to end this, I just wanted to share some celebrations that we're seeing through the system. Here's some pictures from the fifteen day challenge work.
You can see the work is not simple. The work looks simple, but it's not easy. Right? When you think about putting those stickies on those charts, they're there in a very intentional way to make sure teams, like I said, are on the same page and they have the same outcome, so all of our kiddos are getting high levels of access to to rigorous instruction each and every day. But I love the smiling faces because sometimes during professional development, you don't always get that. And just to share with you some of the the qualitative data we're getting, a lot of times people are like, where's the quantitative, the data to look at? What I wanna point out to you as I did on Wednesday, the bottom, right
corner is from a feeder group of principals that they sent us thanking us for investing in high quality professional development, for their students and for their staff. And so to get that was super powerful and super meaningful because it's showing the impact we're having with our aligned ever, efforts around professional, development for our our teachers. So that ends our presentation, and we'll open it up to any questions. Thank you. Director Allen, do you have any questions? I do. And thank you for the presentation. My first is with the IERC coaches, I know we talk about them all the
time, but I'd love to just hear what they what what does a typical day look like for a coach? Okay. Well, that's gonna be hard because they are so crazy crazy busy supporting our teachers. But I would say, all in all right now, the Bay focuses they're supporting new teachers with induction and mentoring. And then the big bulk of their work this year is professional learning in support of the fifteen day challenge. They're working in facilitating, helping build the capacity of teachers to facilitate collaborative teams that implement the fifteen day challenge. They are doing co planning.
They are co teaching. They are engaging in cycles of reflection and planning with teachers. I mean, there's just a bunch of incredible work that they're doing. Really trying their goal, we always tell them their goal is about building capacity. Let's help build capacity in our teachers so that they can be their best for our kids. It's always in service to students. They're always our that's where our eye is at. And then on, on the slide that talked about the biggest indicators of the effect size and that lowest one of the negative point three, That's hard to see.
And how how do the coaches help when you find a teacher that has that mentality? Because that's different than anything you can learn in a book. Yeah. For sure. Right? And it's definitely shifting mind mindsets. Making sure that our teachers number one, what the coaches are helping do is, like Darla said, build capacity around best best practice. And so the best thing we can do is they're our highest leverage points. Research shows it. Right? Because they're in front of our kiddos each and every day. How do we show them to shift practice?
Because once they feel success, they're gonna continue to wanna feel success. Right? And so, we do some of it, labeling of students unintentionally with without thinking about the impact, but it's really having coaches dive in and build capacity, and and call it out. Right? I know I live with the coach that when teams are labeling students, she has a hard time with that, but it's helping them navigate to to look at students differently to make sure that all all students are getting, access to to high levels of learning.
And I would just add to that. Director Allen, so again, the the principalship is way different than I was in it. But but, you know, having having the instructional coach at my building also gave me an opportunity because I was their evaluator along with the assistant principal and other evaluators inside of the system. So my conversation was the coach is aligned with me and aligned to the evaluation system. They're not evaluating you, but they're aligning you to what you're going to be evaluated on. So if there are talking points or coaching points that they are asking you to
build upon, I would listen. Because while they're not your evaluator, they are aligned to the evaluation. So if if you're not heeding their advice and you are one of those individuals who are looking at students and putting them in boxes that they shouldn't be in, that then becomes the evaluator's job to have conversations with that person and then it becomes something that is put into the evaluation and could make you lose your job. So, you know, when we say you need to see brilliance in all of our kids That is helpful for circling.
And then just since you brought that up, is, part of the coaches then job to actually write down what they're seeing to make sure that the teachers are when when it comes time for evaluation, those issues are addressed? So we wanna keep the coaching and, teacher relationship pretty trustworthy. So I wouldn't say that they're going back to their principal unless there's something egregious going back to their administrator and saying, this is what I'm seeing in mister Smith's classroom. It really is that constant back to the conversation. So yes, are they taking dynamic notes about is the teacher improving?
100%. Is that something we want them to bring back to the administrator every single time? Not necessarily Because I want the teacher who is who to Toby's point making mistakes out of ignorance, I don't want that person to be punished if they're learning and they're getting better. I think they become a conversation when the coaching isn't being received and there seems to be a disconnect between that coach and that teacher then I do think the administrators need to be aware of that conversation and how do they mediate that to make sure that the teacher's growing in the way they need to grow.
Thank you that was last minute but I appreciate it and do I was just going the only thing I was going to offer is that trust is at the core of a a relationship. And to your point around how we're preparing coaches, coaches, the stances that I shared, the four stances is knowing what your teacher needs and so being able to listen to paraphrase and to pose questions are the ways that they're going to help to uncover and peel the onion back on beliefs so that they can start shifting mindsets. So it really is that coaching conversation whether it's in a group or one on one that is going to make that difference And we're developing their skills to do
that. Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you for the whole presentation and your continued, your continued willingness to keep to keep us updated on, you know, what we have invested in as a district. Thank you. Thank you. Director Bates? Thank you guys again for this presentation. Heard it recently. So I do appreciate it. And I think, there's so much to be said about putting students in boxes. You know, we've seen I've seen families who have treated their children differently.
You know, kids who have special needs and they say you can't do that. And of course, they don't do it. But when you treat them like they can do things, they do do things. So so we know that it works with kids. And so in this situation, I'm I'm glad to see that those things are working well in our classrooms and teachers are looking at all of the kids in the positive light rather than what they cannot do. You keep talking about, 65 coaches. So we have two schools with no coaches or are we sharing coaches?
Is that yeah. So some coaches have more than some some schools have more than one coach. Especially at the elementary level when we think about title and the different needs and the different, you know, conversations we're having with students. So so I would say about two thirds of our schools have a one to one coach. The other one third do share. So what we're hoping and and we gotta be creative with this is is how do we get get that one to one opportunity so every school has the same coach because every school is unique to the to the needs of their staff as
well. So to try and pull a coach, you know, a couple days a week to shift their mindset, well now I'm at this school so I need to show up this way, now I'm at this school and I need to show up this way is hard. That's hard for any of us. So the more we can continue to prioritize getting every school a one to one coach is is our our goal and I will tell you it's it's this is one of those authentic you know grassroots conversation. Our principals know the power of a coach, a a good coach, and so they're
pushing us to make this happen. So that came from a groundswell of support and kind of push from the system to help us get this. Okay. Alright, thank you. I appreciate that we are pushing back again and really working toward PLCs in our school. I think it's so important. I know when it was first started and it was great and then it was so I'm happy to see it's really being first again and seeing good results. So thank you. Thank you. Director Egan? Hi. Thanks for being here tonight. It's good to see you both.
I wondered if you could talk a little bit more. I know I know we are trying to move away from, you know, things happening in silos, and we use that terminology a lot. I'm just wondering if you could explain a little bit more about kind of cross across schools and how this is working that way as well. I know to make it more scalable. So are you talking how departments are supporting schools? Yeah? Yes. Yeah. Okay. So I'll just give an example that happened today. Right? And so, with the work around professional learning communities and our literacy goal, 2030 goal,
working closely with Jen Hansen, our new director of MLs, because they're aligning some of their work with the fifteen day challenge. And so making sure that when our partners are out in schools, they're talking the same language. Because the last thing we wanna do is have them say two different things, and then it confuses teachers, and then the work dies. Right? And so, and that's happening across all departments. I think of, Norm. Where's Norm's back there? The assessment office, the work they're doing around assessments, and really taking assessment data and
turning it into information fits into those four questions. And so really aligning our efforts, especially with language in this regrounding to make sure we're all speaking the same language when we get up in schools and supporting teachers, because they need a clear, consistent message, while we deliver this PD. I would also add, you know, as we think through a couple of other aspects of this, the consistency around the strategic plan. So I really need to give doctor Perry credit because, you know, they meet every Monday whether they're meeting with a large group.
Every department is in is in this meeting, having conversations of what are we doing to hit literacy, to hit whole well-being, and hit disproportionality. Then, Doctor. Perry has worked with, a smaller district leadership team group to really talk about what are the subgroups then? How does discipline affect literacy? How does disproportionality in special education or, you know, the impacts of newcomers have on the system? So there are different departments in every single subgroup talking with one another on how
to do this. And to be quite honest with you, it hasn't always been that way. There's a strong protection of what my department's doing or what this department's doing. And what you've seen over the course of this last year and a half is, yes, I still want to advocate for my department and this is a much bigger thing than my department. So I have seen a lot of opportunity for people to say, okay, I realize that my priority might not be the priority yet, but I'm gonna help this priority be the best it possibly can be in every department across the district.
You know, I think it started when I changed the organizational chart. The organizational chart that we had prior was built for silos. There was lines going straight down and no lines connecting. Our organizational chart is a circle and it's kids in the middle. That's our job. I would tell you about a conversation we had today, really looking at some budget reductions we want to, you know, implement inside of the school district as we think of what the state's gonna do to us and the federal government may or may not do to us. Having every single department that isn't directly related to schools making decisions with the understanding
that every decision we make across this system has an impact on children and has an impact on staff. And every single department can articulate that. The the success plans that, our leader of leaders are creating, our our transportation director is building a success plan around literacy, around whole well-being, and around disproportionality, and how does transportation meet those goals? You know, I do believe there were aspects of that in the past, but I don't believe it is as purposeful as it is right now.
So you see the whole organization moving in one direction as Toby has shown with the arrows, and people are saying the same things and talking about students first which is extremely powerful. I think that's so encouraging, just generally. We have a lot to learn from each other and I think that that's such an important part of the PLC work. And I would like to ask another question on the slide with the four points, where we talk about what the students have learned, what we do if they haven't on point three.
Can you talk a little bit more, specifically about what do we do if they haven't learned the material? Yeah. So what what we really have to look at is what is the target? What is the standard they're working on? And then how do we provide time and support? Right? And so it's getting rid of the mentality of I taught it and you didn't get it and I'm moving on. To I taught it, you're struggling with this still a little bit. If I provide you time and support and give you an opportunity to learn the content in a different way, it's probably gonna click for you.
And so, you know, it's it's the mentality of, as adults, we get multiple opportunities to take exams. Right? Even think of your driving license exam. If you don't pass it the first time, you gotta go practice and do it again. We have to afford that opportunity for our students. Right? Because most kids have to have access to learning twice before they truly can master it. And so it's, again, really using data to and drive those decisions. Really knowing and targeting where that breakdown is occurring, and then providing time and support for those students in a meaningful way.
Yeah. One of the big things schools are doing, Chris just pointed out, is is it's a block of time called win time. Win time stands for what I need. If they double in it, it's what I need now. And it's a way for collaborative teams to really use data. And I'll I'll just use my personal example when I was principal of Buonton Vista. We leverage the opportunity to use win time for teachers to look at data, strategically group kids according to what they need, and then they share kids. Right? Two fold. Kids got a different experience from a different teacher, which I think is important when
we talk about sense of belonging. I think of my own daughter when she was in fourth grade, someone asked her who is her fourth grade teacher and she said which one. I think that's a powerful statement from coming from an elementary fourth grader. The second thing was that that teacher enables teachers to do is differentiate to to a certain, a certain target instead of trying to differentiate from maybe four or five different targets. Right? And so they were able to make sure that that time that they're giving kids is super intentional and they can dive into the right work.
And so, a lot of schools are doing it. You know, schools that are still struggling with it, we're we're providing help. I know coaches are really leaning into that conversation because it's gotta be purposeful work. Yeah. I I think that this is just such a great example. I'm really excited about the work of PLCs and our schools and district wide. I just it has so much potential. I know that you already believe this but just to, obviously, to have such great impact for our students in our schools.
So thank you so much for working on this and coming to the board again. So, I appreciate you. Thank you. Director Futrell. Thank you guys for being here again. Hi. It's fascinating work. I'm very excited about learning more. I I wanna know more, about what kind of obstacles, you're seeing, maybe your your top two as far as, district wide alignment, and how this really becomes ingrained, in all of our schools. I'll I'll just be honest. One of the the hardest obstacles we face is, when you think of doctor Mohammed's
work around fundamentalist, is the language of, but I've always done it this way. Right? And so really diving into that and seeing how we can shift that mindset again, that's why it is adaptive work. But when you think of those fundamentals, they've been teaching for for a long time. They have a lot to offer, but they get so set in their ways they can't see change as a positive thing. Right? Because it's gonna take effort. It might take work. And how dare a first or second year teacher offer advice to me on how to maybe do something different to reach kids in a more meaningful way. And so I would say that's probably one of the biggest one.
And then the second one is time. Right? There's a lot of front loading that goes into this learning with collaborative teams. And so, how are we making sure that that time is there? Where I think about the professional development we're doing, through Chris' support as a superintendent and your support as the board, bringing in experts who have done this work around the world, around The United States to build our capacity so we are making sure, that we understand the work that needs to take place. And so, you know, I would invite you, doctor Cruz will be here in March.
He will I guarantee you'll have a drop the mic moment. That's just who he is. He's a powerful speaker and he gets his work and he's very passionate about it. But I would say between mindset and time, those are those are two big barriers we face. Thanks. Now now I have a follow-up. Does that mean that, success that the way that you gauge it might end up living on a sliding scale? Or are you just going to set certain, you know, benchmarks and just stick to them regardless of alignment and how that looks, across the district? I think one thing that Daryl and I were working on was we have a
PLC continuum that, principals and coaches have filled out. And so working together and really dissecting what that information is telling us, it's in it's in it's infant stages. We just had Daniel go through and work on looking at what it looks like by feeders. But you start to see there's some discrepancies in their answers. Right? Like, my school has strong collaborative teams, but then when you get down to it, they don't talk about best practice. Well, is that really collaboration? Or as Mike Maddow says, or is that co collaboration? Right? We're talking about what happened on Monday Night Football or maybe The Bachelorette. Are they truly focused on that right work?
And so, yeah, it is kind of a sliding scale. And the one thing we wanna make sure we're doing is differentiating for what those schools need and that's why those arrows going in the same direction is so important. Because if it's random acts we're chasing the the shiny object, we can't do it. I think that's a great question. So I will tell you what I have learned over the experience of being superintendent of these past five years. There there every target is a flexible target because as you said it, you don't know the response and you don't know what might or might not be in the
system to get to that target. So while while we shoot high all the time, there there are always scaffolds that we didn't know that we were going to have to put in place to get us to that target. What I appreciate about the conversations with with, Carly Holliday, the union president, the association president, is she's close to teachers as well. So that opportunity that she and I have a really close relationship to say, hey, I know we're trying this, but there's a bubbling out here that's this is starting to to can can we have this conversation?
And and I am not above and nor is my team, and I think that's what makes a great team. That ability to shift and be flexible and be agile is what makes large organizations successful. And there was conversations that public education can't do that. That's not true. There has to be a want to do that, and this team and these and our staff is willing to do that. And while yes, we do have fundamentalists in the system, the more you explain the why, that's what they're waiting for. I do I'm working real hard and I'm getting decent results.
Why do I need to switch to this? If you can show them that actually if you go this this path, you'll be working smarter, you will actually maybe get some more free time, and you will be a better educator and you'll see better results. They'll move. They will. It just takes them a little bit longer and they need to hear the why seven, eight, 35 times. But they'll get there. And so every every staff member in this district is valuable. Yes, six or seven. But but, but, you know, I do I do think, you know, people don't come
into this profession just because. People come into the profession of education to change the lives of those that they serve. And, and again, it's all coming from positive presuppositions coming from a good place. We just have to show them the why. Thank you. Does a great teacher equate to a great coach? Not necessarily. And so, that's part of what we're providing as we're developing the IERC pathway, right? We're identifying that there are competencies that we want our coaches to hold and be able to demonstrate. And then with that, maybe, we can take, I'm hopeful always, we can take, a
fabulous teacher who has a passion for learning and instruction and help them develop the skills that they need to serve adult learners. Because learning is learning, and so, how is it that we are building their capacity to build the capacity of their teachers? And so, that pathway, I think, is going to be really teachers. And so, that pathway, I think, is gonna be really integral in developing skills, to lead and serve in a coaching, capacity. So I don't know if I answered your question or not, but everyone has potential. I hold that belief.
And it doesn't equal it doesn't equate to that, necessarily without some support and some professional learning and training. Yeah, no, that you did answer my question. That was part of, because I know that, you know, just because you're good at something doesn't mean you know how to teach other people how to do it. So, I always say that teaching is a ministry. And I mean ministry, because it is a gift. It's a true gift to be able to do that. So, but thank you, for all your work and, I think my other questions were answered at our study session, so I'm okay if you're okay.
Okay. Thank you. It is at this point in our meeting that we make time for members of the audience who have completed the online public comment form prior to twelve noon today to address the board of education. In order for everyone to be heard, please limit your comments to a maximum of two minutes. A buzzer will sound at the end of at the end of the two minutes and the microphone and audio will automatically be muted.
Each speaker may only speak once during public comment. Speaking time may not be shared between speakers. This is your opportunity to make comments to the board of education in accordance with board policy. It is not a question and answer session. Please confine your comments to matters that are germane to the business of the district. Further, please recognize that students attend most of these meetings. Any speaker whose statements or behavior are unrelated to the business of the district appear threatening or unsafe or inappropriate for k through 12 students may be interrupted or warned and their opportunity opportunity for comment terminated.
Audience members whose speaker asked to do so in a respectful manner and the audience is encouraged to listen respectfully. Any speaker or audience member who disrupts the good order of the board meeting including the speaking time of others may be asked to leave. We are interested in your feedback and will listen carefully. On behalf of the board, I want to thank you in advance for your comments and for taking time to come to tonight's meeting. Mister Konik, could you please call our speakers? Jessica Pricey. Can you start? Thank you for your service and for the opportunity to speak this evening. About a year ago, my freshman at CT came to me expressing discomfort with a
book assigned in her class. Since then, I have followed the formal review process to request that this book be removed, not banned, just removed, from the required reading list because I believe there are better options. A couple main reasons for this request. The main reason, the content. It includes multiple sexual references and normalizes a minor viewing pornography and it objectifies women. Second, to some concerns about how these topics are handled in classroom discussions. The building, district, and superintendent reviews have all voted to retain this book with some
suggesting that these illicit elements make the character more relatable. While I acknowledge that the book has some merit, the normalization of pornography to minors should be disqualifying. The final decision rests with this board. If the book is retained, at the very least, I would respectfully request that the district strengthen its policy to require schools to in advance of any sensitive or controversial material in required reading. To demonstrate community support for this change, I started a change.org
document. Search CCSD books. This includes my full thoughts about the topic. Again, change.org and search CCSD books. As affirmed in Mahmood versus Taylor, parents have the right to opt out their children of certain content, but this right is meaningless if parents are not informed beforehand. Parenting is so difficult. We're busy. Help us out by being transparent. There's no way for parents to read every single book. Book. I'm so grateful for the district and the board and all they continue to do,
and I think this would be a great change for students. So thank you so much. Thank you. Time is up. President Kronos, all we have for tonight? I'd like to call for a motion to approve the consent agenda, or are there any resolutions that the board would like to pull from the consent agenda? I would like to pull a resolution 25 dot 11 dot one. Can I have a motion to approve the balance of the consent agenda? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Roll call, please. Directors Allen. Aye. Bates. Aye. Eagan. Aye. Houtreel. Aye. Garland. Aye. Motion carries.
Can I have a motion on resolution 25 dot 11 dot one? I'm sorry. Okay. So I move to approve twenty five dot eleven dot one. Is there a second? Second. Is there a discussion? I'd like to add a comment before, voting. Go ahead. My vote tonight is not a reflection on Stride or the services provided, which I value. My concern is about financial stewardship. I don't believe we've clearly demonstrated why this specific project is the best and necessary
use of bond dollars at this time. Bond funds are taxpayer dollars, and I'm not yet comfortable that we fully justified I'd like I'd like to add that this, that the movement of strata was discussed earlier and the concern was just, brought to us tonight. Is there any other discussion? Roll call, please. Directors Allen. No.
Bates. Aye. Egan. Aye. Boutrel. Aye. Garland. Aye. Motion carries. Our next meeting is Monday, 12/08/2025 at 7PM at Horizon Community Middle School located at 3981 South Reservoir Road in Aurora, Colorado. I'd like to call for a motion to adjourn the 11/10/2025 meeting. Move to adjourn. Is there a second? Second. Roll call, please. Directors Allen. Aye. Bates. Aye. Eagan. Aye. Boutro. Aye. Garland. Aye. Motion carries. Our meeting is adjourned.