Yeah, that's his entity. Yes. Alright. Thank you, Frank. Good evening, everybody and welcome to our April 28th regular board meeting. The time is now 6: 38 PM and we are going to get started, madam secretary. If we can have roll call, please. VP Bowman, present. I'm here. Trustee Dooley. President. Trustee Gross. Present. President Hannah. Present. Trustee Miller. Present. And Treasury Terry. Present. We have a form. Thank you. We can all stand the Pledge of
Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Can I get a motion to amend the agenda to add under General Counseling Human Resource item for discussion and action. Item B for discussion and then action. So move. It's been moved. Support. Thank you. It's been moved by Trustee Gross and
supported by VP Bowman to amend the agenda to add under General Council Human Resource items. Item B for discussion and and action item. Any question? You just pay right. Yes, A. You know nothing under there. Dude. Roll call please. Hold on. Yes. Yes. You have a question? Yes. I do. Um there were two items we discussed. One was not put on it. Is the other one on the agenda already? Yes, you are right. We are going to
along with this motion to add an item, we also need to. And what's the item we call? Remove an item. The item is on there. About. Yes. It's on here. It's on there. Good. Yes. To take. Yep to table it. Thank you. Thank you. Any other questions? Roll call, please. Voting yes. Trusty duties. Yes. President Harry? Yes. Trustee Yes. Treasurer? Yes. Yes. Thank you. If I can get in a a
motion to approve the amended agenda, please. Support. Spend move by trustee Dooley and supported by Trustee Gross to amend to approve the amended agenda. Any questions? Question? Yes. Uh from our last meeting, we tabled the budget from last meeting so and I know that potentially you'll be mad to tell it again. So, how long do we have to put it on this meeting? Cuz I know it's a certain time frame once you table something before it automatically doesn't doesn't move. So, do do we, are we still within
that time frame? Was it under the consent? No, it was the budget. Oh. Yes. Yeah. It was it was a budget. Yes. Was it just a presentation? I don't remember. I don't. Yeah, we don't have it on the agenda to vote or anything. That's correct. So. Yes. Yep, that's correct. Okay. Any other questions? No point. Hey, roll call please. Trusty Dooley? Trusty Grove? Yes. President Hanna? Yes. Trustee Miller? Yes. Treasurer Terry? Yes.
VP Bowman? Yes. And I'm voting yes. That passes seven oh. Alright. Thank you very much. Awards and recognition, Doctor Leverette. Thank you. Alright, good evening everyone. Good evening. It's very exciting to see you all here as we celebrate our students with their special skills and unique characteristics. We are just very fortunate to have them with us in the district. So, I will start with the first certificate of distinction. This certificate is
proudly presented to Claudia Avalez in recognition of your achievements and in celebration of autism, acceptance, and awareness month twenty twenty-five. The unique we are proud of you and your accomplishments. Congratulations, Claudia. This certificate of distinction is proudly presented to Amari Bentley in recognition of your achievements and in celebration of autism acceptance and awareness month twenty twenty-five, the unique child. We are proud of you and your
accomplishments, Amari. Whoo Alright. Congratulations. Stand right here. Yep. This certificate of distinction is in recognition of Jaheem Gibson. In recognition of your achievements and in celebration of autism, acceptance, and awareness month twenty twenty-five, the unique child Jaheem. We are proud of you and your accomplishments. The certificate. They're so beautifully written. It's making me emotional. It's so beautiful. Yes. Thank you. Just stand here for a
second. Certificate of Distinction. This certificate is proudly presented to Noah Hudson in recognition of your achievements and in celebration of autism, acceptance, and awareness month twenty twenty-five. The unique child. We are proud of you and your accomplishments. Yes. Somebody's going to have to take charge with me. I'm starting to cry. It's so beautiful. I love it. This certificate of distinction is proudly presented to Pharrell Humphrey in recognition of your achievements and in celebration of autism, acceptance, and awareness
month twenty twenty-five. the unique child. We are proud of you and your accomplishments for real. Here we go. So right here. Yeah. Whatever you want. Thank you. Certificate of distinction. This certificate is proudly presented to Demarion Norton in recognition of your achievements and in celebration of Autism Acceptance and Awareness Month twenty twenty-five. The unique child. We are proud of you and your accomplishments, Demarion. Noah Ortiz, in recognition of your achievements and in celebration of
autism acceptance and awareness month twenty twenty-five, the unique child, we are proud of you and your accomplishments. Noah. Congratulations, Noah. It's right there. Here you go. You're welcome. Jeremy Pacillo LaBoy in recognition of your achievements and in celebration of autism and acceptance and awareness month. The unique child. We are proud of you and your accomplishments. Thank you. Alexia Rios. Alexia, in recognition of your achievements and in
celebration of autism acceptance and awareness Month twenty twenty-five, the unique child, we are proud of you and your accomplishments. Yay. Congratulations. Christopher Smith. Put it in there. There you go. Christopher Smith in recognition of your achievements and in celebration of autism, acceptance, and awareness month twenty twenty-five. The unique child, we are proud of you and your accomplishments. We have to give our students another round of applause to our parents, to our community, to our staff, to our
teacher staff, our support staff, the unique child. We love you, we celebrate you. We honor you. Congratulations. Congratulations. It's been a while but I'm glad to see you. I'm so proud of you. Alright. I do. Alright, this next set certificate of distinction is for Anthony Crimes in recognition of your creativity, leadership, and dedication to promoting a healthier school environment. We are proud of you and your achievements. Anthony. Thank you.
One more. That will assist this time. It Certificate of distinction. This certificate is proudly presented to Harmony Merkskin Jeter in recognition of your creativity, leadership, and dedication to promoting a healthier school environment. We are proud of you, Harmony. And not to brag but she has on the best jacket she has. And this next young lady, we would like to honor is a Pontiac School District Outstanding Person in education. The 16th annual Outstanding Person in Education and
Friend of Education Awards Banquet honors individuals who go above and beyond to create exceptional learning environments for students. It's a special evening dedicated to recognizing those who make a lasting impression in our schools. This year, the award was extended and announced the award winner Miss Esperanza Harrington from the Pontiac Education Association, we honor you. We thank you for all the work that you do. Alright. In recognition of your receipt of the 2025 outstanding
person and education award from the Michigan Education Association honoring you, miss Harrington for going above and beyond to create exceptional learning environments for students. Congratulations. Thank you. Yes. Yep. How about we take a quick picture? We'll meet in the middle. Real quick yet. Hold the comments after the picture because they have to go. You want to do? No, we're going to meet in the village so everybody can go right in the middle with their with their children and we're going to
take pictures right there real quick. You guys want to stay here all night. Thank you sir. Thank you. The text John to tell you. I know. I saw it after. I know. I want one. I want to Alright, thank you very much again for your patience with us this evening. Board of Trustees, I want to give you opportunity still to even though everybody has left, we'll just thank them during our board comments tonight unless
someone has something that they wanted to share right now. Dope. Okay. Alright. we'll continue on with our agenda. Recognition of elected officials. Again, good evening trustees. It's good to see you all. I don't see any elected officials in the audience. So, good evening again everybody. Alright. Moving down. Can I get a motion to accept the consent agenda items? So, move. Support. It's been moved by trustee growth, supported by VP
Bowman to accept the consent agenda items. Any questions? Yes. Okay. Let me just Make sure I'm clear. So, we are accepting the eliminations and the layoffs as written. We're we're voting to accept this, correct? Yes, if that's under the consent agenda. It is under the consent agenda. Okay. Um okay, just just want to make sure. Okay. Any other questions?
Yes. Okay. I am not comfortable voting on elimination and layoffs as I they're just has not been any discussion. I have a a few questions as it relates to what what process was used, how did it determine who how why these positions are being eliminated and or laid off. I have some questions about how we going to replace these people, some of these people are coaches, and they're there on the front line with our kids
and that concern me a bit and even down to the security. So, I I just have a lot of questions and I'm not comfortable with voting on eliminations or layoffs until at least where I can get some clarity on what's going on. Question. Okay. Question. If I may. Yes. Uh I too have a concern with that without having discussion with the board first. Um if we were given this, if we are giving a specific timeline where we need to make this decision as because of
where we are as it pertains to these layoffs is what we need to do to to ensure that we turn in a balanced budget. That's what this is. A balanced budget does not have to be turned in until June thirtieth. This gives that would give us the opportunity to take a look at and decide and determine if there's any alternative plans which will be not discussed and I too agree. We have not had this discussion and what we can take a look at. Again, if something is
made clear to me that this is detrimental, we have to we have to do this immediately for this, this, and this. I'd at least need to be explained why. Okay. And so, point of order if I can. As it pertains to that portion of the consent agenda. If I can make a motion to table that discussion until we have a complete board review of the budget. I'm sorry. Specific it is. One of the specific items on here right? Yes. Right. I'm just asking. Um
not that it has to be seconded. Until we have a complete board review of the specific layoffs, rationales, plan A, B, C, and D. And once we come to that conclusion, then we bring it back for a vote. That's just a recommendation. Okay, in addition, President Hannah, I would, I'm not sure if this goes, but that $500, 000 that was voted on to increase consultants. I would like that some kind of way hooked back because that
money could be used to preserve some jobs. That are on the cutting block 00, 000. That was allocated for consulting fees, additional consultant fees. I'd like us to look at that as well to rescind that $500, 000 to go back to support some of these people not being laid off. So, I would ask that I remove my motion to accept the consent agenda and and submit a motion to table this consent agenda
until we have the opportunity to have this review by the entire board and the board study session. Okay. Trustee Gross removed his his motion to accept the consent agenda and VP Bowman rescinded her support. I make a motion that we this consent agenda, items, until completion of a board review Um and a board study session and then we'll return. Support. Yup.
Okay, question. Treasurer Terry. Yes. Oh. Point and clarity. You you don't necessarily have to remove all the items. I believe your specifically referring to item number A. So, not necessarily all the items. We, you do have the option to remove item number A, personnel action items. Yeah. Then, I make a recommendation. I resend, I make a recommendation that we table the consent agenda. Item A. Item A.
Until, Nana. Please add. Until a board study session is completed. Okay? And. Treasure Terry. And just to add for your clarity because I think there's two sections within there. So I'm assuming you're referring to the the second section. I know it's under item number A as well but if you want to we can remove that and discuss those but I know there's additional items on there as well that needed approval.
That's fine. So, for clarity purposes and so we understand emotion has been made to table. Item A, under consent agenda. Is that correct? That is correct. Okay, so there was a motion made. And a second. Is there a second? There was a second. Trustee. Trustee Dooley second. Okay. Any questions? Any additional questions rather? When do we need to bring this back? That's the next question. Yes. Yeah. When is it coming back on the next meeting? No, that's why that was my next question to madam chair is that A meeting will
have to be scheduled. We can set up a special meeting for board study session to review these items and and and it's clarity that the administration bring this information to us and if we can take a look at it and maybe alternative plans for not laying off whatever it may be. At least we have the opportunity to discuss it. Okay. So, I don't know if there's going to, if we can do that within a week. We will have to look at the calendar so I can't give a set date today as to when but we can say within our in May. Because I
reiterate, it's the intentions to ensure that we pass a balanced budget by June 30th. Okay, so we will table this. Right. So, that gives us from now until June twenty-ninth. That's all I'm saying. Okay. So roll call please to table action item. I mean personnel action item under consent agenda. Broker. Trustee Gross? Yes. President Hannah? Yes. Trustee Miller? Yes. Trustee Terry? Yes. VP Bowman? Yes. I'm voting yes and
Trustee Dooley. Yes. That passes seven oh. Alright, thank you. Now, if we can get a motion to approve consent agenda items, B, C, D, and E. Support. Support. It's been moved by VP Bowman, supported by Treasurer Terry to approve consent agenda items. B, C, D, and E. Any questions? Roll call. President Hannah? Yes. Trustee Miller? Yes. Treasurer Terry? Yes. VP Bowman? Yes. I'm voting yes.
Trustee Dooley. Point of charity. I was just voting that the the menace will take it. Just a minutes. Yeah, just a minute. I understand. Trusty growth? Yes. That passes 7 on. Alright, thank you. Moving down the agenda to information from the superintendent and administration. Doctor Liberette. Thank you, Doctor Hanna, board of trustees. Good evening, everyone. At this time, we would like to have a discussion in action from Peace Academy and Doctor Devison
regarding the preschool extended days. These are conversations that are going to be required from the state and the district has been proactive. We've been having these conversations for some time now and would like to present our presentation to you this evening and seeking action to extend peace to a five-day program Good afternoon to everyone. I'm going to allow Nicole to present and I'm going to stand and
be her partner in this. Good evening, everyone. Um the Michigan Department of Education has started a program or a roll out of preschool for all and so this started about 2 years ago and the idea is to have more students enrolled in a GSRP location statewide and so with that roll out came different phases
And so we're here tonight to ask for Peace Academy to take on phase one which would be expanding their days from four days a week to five days a week. So, the pre K for all program again started at the state level. All four-year-old children who turn 4 between September 1st or by September 1st but definitely before December 1st are eligible for free preschool in
standalone child care centers and also school district preschool programs. Um so, currently, Peace Academy can enroll two hundred and seventy-two students and we are Monday through Thursday from 940 to 411 and we're here to ask for consideration to transition the program to five days which means we would go Monday through Friday Um we would follow the
Pontiac School District calendar and the amount of days. So, we would be aligned with the K12 population at that point and we would take half days when the the K-12 population does. Um the GSRP implementation manual allows us to have select days embedded in the calendar where we do home visits. So, they're allowing us up to four days a year to conduct the home visits which is a requirement as
well as a third day for parent-teacher conferences. So, the district does two half days and we would have to add a third day because it's a timed piece. So, we have to meet with families for at least a half an hour. So, other than those slight changes to the calendar, we would follow the Pontiac School District Calendar which would help the parents. Some benefits to the five
days would be working families not having to find daycare on Friday the same calendar like I just said, an increase of the fifth day to for instructional time as well as the social emotional peace and then hopefully, a potential increase in enrollment. Um we have not yet reached two hundred and seventy students in the past few years. Um probably since COVID. This year when
you add together the current enrollment which is 236 and the students we've had who've dropped since September were at almost two eighty. Um so we did reach it but we've had students very transient this year. So, they only are looking now currently at what the current enrollment is. Um some concerns that the staff have for transitioning to five days would be their professional development time, the preschool teachers are
required to have at least a minimum of 16 hours of training in addition to any teachers who are new to the program, who have not had the full high scope training. Typically, those were done on Fridays whether we did them in house or whether the teachers went to Oakland schools. So, there is concern around professional development time. Schools is trying to manipulate their calendars as far as when these
trainings are offered because this is not just happening here. This is happening statewide and countywide. So, Oakland Schools is our sub are we are the sub recipient from Oakland Schools so they have to modify their calendar as well and then, an additional concern which I think I've pretty much taken care of was time for home visits. It is a that the families meet with us twice a year, once in the beginning, once at the end of the year for the home
visit, it's taken, it does take place at their homes. So, it's kind of a relationship building piece but if that we do go ahead with the 5 days, we can embed those in the calendar and they would still count as a student connection day. Um financially There really isn't a change in the salaries for the teaching staff per se because they are already working on day on day five which is Friday. Um
we're just working, doing meetings, and paperwork and stuff. Um the increase in the fifth day for buses would require an increase in the financial peace for the monitors, and the bus drivers. Um the increase for the fifth-day salary for the lead or cook or cafeteria person is also there. So, it's just a she,
they do already work on Fridays. It's just converting the Friday from a half-day to a full day. Um all of these monies come from the GSRP grant. The per pupil for 2526 has not been finalized at the state level for GSRP yet but potentially would go from the ten thousand, 500 we got this year to about twelve thousand two hundred. If we add the fifth day to the program.
Um and then if we then decide to increase student enrollment we can start by adding kids to the current classrooms. Uh the GSRP implementation manual and the state of Michigan Child Care Licensing changed that ratio. So right now the ratio is one to eight but because of pre K for all and pushing to get more students in classrooms. The licensing peace changed from one
adult to 10 students. So, potentially we could go from having 16 students in a classroom to 20 and that would that we would do slowly as we transition into this extended program. Are there any questions? Trustee. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you and and this information is is incorporate the possibility of the movement within the building. WHRC. Correct. That's what we're discussing. So, we outside of peace, we also have
preschool, pre K. This is preschool. That is. I mean, we have another pre pre K and WHRC? No. No. This is our only pre K program? Yeah. Correct. Okay. Okay, so you, okay. In the past, Ulsha had rented space at WHRC but that's been years ago. They rented two classrooms where they had a preschool already there. Um, but Ulsha does not have as many classrooms operating right now. So,
they're not, they haven't been over there in a while. So, ILA is K through five? Correct. Okay. Yes. Pre pre K is okay. Good. Last year, we did have Ulsa at Rogers Two classes. Um but I think they were head start. I don't think they were the four year old. Okay. How does the change from one school from where you are now to WHRC? How does that affect your transportation timing as it
pertains to kids relocating to another school, pickups, and things like that? Does that change us to your time significantly? Do you think? I don't think so because WHRC is still centrally located. I I agree. Um the bell time would stay the same which is 9 935 to 410. Right. I see miss Dixon is here and I know that's her her her area and and we had a discussion as pertains to transportation. How it affect if it
would change anything as far as the routing goes. So, right now, they have more. The same amount of routes from that you had at peace. Yeah. Excellent. How many more they may add? And it does not affect the routing times based on the the location of where the kids are going now. Right. They have their own does that affect the amount of kids All preschool kids are bust. Yes. There is no like so at a certain age you can walk but that's not breaking.
Well we do have parents who transport right now. Currently, there's probably 10% of the parents who drop off and pick up every day but they're not, they don't walk personally. No, no, no, I want to make sure because change is difficult for some people. Yes. That's why I'm bringing it out we can get it all out in the atmosphere. So, every preschool student is offered bus transportation. They're all routed. We usually try at enrollment to ask the families so
we're not routing everybody for unnecessary reasons. Would you like a bus to pick up and drop off? Right. If they say yes, then, we go ahead and submit it. If they say no, then, we tell them, you can change your mind and do this later if you want to but until you fill out the proper forms, you're responsible for dropping off and picking up. And and you're saying that so people can hear it and they can go back and look at this video because it's extremely important, right? Because we don't want people to be
surprised. Right. If the, if the, if the agreement is that we're making a change, we want to make sure that people are aware and then they can start making adjustments, just not changes but adjustments and I think that's extremely important for the parents to know for your teachers to know, right? You're building personnel to know because things are changing. Yes. And some people have difficult with that but we want to make sure that everything is in place before the actual move is made. And these questions need to be asked But most importantly answered. Right.
And so we internally we have been having these discussions. I know. At the school level. Um for over a year. With the changes coming right. I've been trying to get them we haven't said anything to the current parents we have this year because they're moving on. Yes. So we haven't really started enrolling for twenty-five, 26 because we're waiting for the changes. For the changes, right? I appreciate. Thank you. Thank you, doc. Thank you, thank
what any other questions? Oh no, thank you. I have a couple questions. I have a couple questions. Yeah. So, thank you for being here. As we look at the move, you're proposing to do. Has anyone looked at the configuration of those classrooms as it relates to movement of learning. They have to have space because you're moving in and then the other thing, what has been done to look at climate and culture because we're going to disrupt that climate and culture transitioning over to WHRC. Trustee
Dooley, can I just ask a question real quick or give an offering? So, right now, we are standing just for the proposal of four to 5 days. The reimagining is a net is another part of it. So, this is. Yeah. Just right now is the discussion around are we wanting peace to go from four to five days. Yeah. Not not anything else. Not even in with the increasing enrollment. Does this include the increase in enrollment for Peace
Academy? Somewhere along the line, I wrote two hundredand thirty-six and then 272 can for the enrollment. Two hundred and thirty is our current enrollment as of today. Two hundred and seventy-two is the allotted amount from Oakland schools that I can ask for right now based on 17 class of 16 students each classroom. Okay. That's a potential. That's
fine. I mix I mixed the two programs. My questions are really for the reimagine I imagine. Any pun intended. Okay. Trustee. Trustee Melan. Thank you for the presentation. I just had two quick questions. Now I know back in the day when I was on the board. GSRP is his own funded program from the state. Is it still like that? Yes that's correct. Okay. So the funds that you guys are allocated. It will support the five day program. Yes. And once the five-day program has been approved.
Mm hmm. Um the and then the state signs off on the early childhood budget. We would call we would fall then under an extended program. So, the per people amount would go from ten thousand 500. I'm guessing because I don't have the right numbers with me to twelve thousand two 00. So, there would be a significant increase if it passes and is accepted. Okay. Thank you. I have one more bullet.
I do. Would that align us change into a five-day program without align us with the other GSRP programs in the county, in the state, how are we? Yes. So, Every month I go to the director's meeting and we are not the last but we are at the tail end of because I wanted to try and do it slowly. Um there are several school districts who have already transitioned but not 100% of Oakland schools or Oakland County
School Districts. A lot of the CBOs which is the community-based organization which would be like your stand-alone daycares. They already have done the five day but that's because their daycare runs 5 day. Already. So, it was something their parents were used to and accustomed to. Um but district affiliated I would say that half have already done that transition. But there is a deadline. So, by the school year 2627, everybody in the county
and state has to transition. Okay, thank you so much. Um miss Harris, what input came from the parents? Yeah. What their position on this warning. I guess to go up to the five day and also, I guess it wouldn't matter what your staff wanted. Did the parents, were they good for this? So. Did you involve with the community? I have done just a little bit of asking in the community. Um because the the it doesn't affect
this year's group but I have contacted or spoken to people and families who have called to enroll. And I said, what would you feel, how would you feel if we extended to 5 days? Most of them were fine with it. Um there were only two of maybe twenty that I talked to that said they weren't quite sure because their four-year-old hadn't been in a program before and they were worried about the length A, the length of day,
and B, then, the fifth day. Um but for the most part, everybody in the the parent base has been great with about it. Alright. Any other questions, Trustee Dooley? No. No? Okay. Alright. Thank you very much. Thank you. Alright, Doctor Leverett, back to you. This next presentation is from our MTSS coordinator, miss Yvette Williams, our district multi-tiered system of support, and
student support network, overview, and update presentation. Miss Williams. Good evening, madam president. Trustee Hannah. Hi. And our trustees and Doctor Leverette community. My name is Yvette Williams. I am the multi-tier support system coordinator for Pontiac School District and I'm here to speak with you about our multi-tier support system. I come tonight presenting to you information regarding Pontiac School District's Multi Tier
Support System. As I open, I would like to paint a picture to help you see the importance of the system and help our school board, our school district, administrators, educational staff, parents, and community stakeholders, collectively understand the importance of your role in supporting this system. And the need for us to positively and effectively and efficiently collaborate in efforts to ensure our students at
Pontiac School District have access to opportunities that support the with becoming successfully educated, culturally competent, empathetic, and productive citizens in this world. Over the last two decades, there has been an increase in mental and behavioral health concerns but most importantly, over the last 5 years, these concerns have had a huge impact on our educational system, our students, and our Pontiac
community. Let us consider the impact of trauma, our community families and students have faced during the following, during, and following, I'm sorry, the COVID pandemic along with the current political climate that has influenced our nation and is directly affecting our community. As I speak, our nation has faced a surge in economic disparity, homelessness, racism, micro microaggressions, adultifying
African-American males, deportation, abandonment, neglect, different types of abuse such as substance and domestic, etcetera. Molestation, rape, human trafficking, murder, death, and loss just to name a fluke, a few. A lot this is due to our federal cuts in financial and educational programming, the rise in inflation, antisemitism, deportation, mass and public shootings across our
nation. The impact and pressures of social media, cyber bullying, and the list goes on and on. These traumatic events are not only happening throughout our nation but right here within the confines of our own community. The city of Pontiac which I hold dear to my heart as a dedicated central office administrator and previous teacher in this district for the last 28 years and as a native citizen of Pontiac,
born and raised, attending Pontiac School District starting at Bagley Elementary all the way through high school at Pontiac Central High which afforded me a four-year full tuition room and board scholarship through our district's partnership with Oakland University. With that being said, as the district's multi-tiered support system, section 5 four coordinator and hearing officer. I have a vested interest in seeing the students and families in this community and
school districts succeed and have the same opportunities I once experienced as a student in this district. So, I am soliciting your support with our district's programming initiatives found within our multi-tiered support system. So, let us venture into the CDC framework designed for supporting the whole school, whole community, and whole child. If you take a look at the WCSS model, the CDC developed this framework for addressing health in schools. The
framework includes ten components, you see in this diagram. School leaders and staff incorporate this framework in these ten components as they see fit into our educational system known as our Pontiac School District Multi-tiered Support System. In effort to ensure integration between education leaders and health sectors. To improve each cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development. So, what is MTSS and how does it align
with WSCC? I'll give you a moment to take a look this at this slide. I I think I'll go ahead and read it for our viewers on television The multi-tiered support system is a framework that helps educators identify students academic, behavioral, and social, emotional strengths, and challenges and provide differentiated support for students based on their needs. MTSS grew out of the integration of two other intervention-based frameworks. Response to and
positive behavior intervention and supports. Uh MTSS was originally known as response to intervention as it relates to special education. There was a need for a data-driven process to identify students with learning disabilities. Then in two thousand four, reauthorization of the IDEA which is individuals with disabilities act. RTI was named as a way of for districts to use data to identify students who might have
learning disabilities based upon their lack of growth when provided with high-quality evidence-based instruction and interventions. RTI did not, however, address the larger district system whereas MTSS does address the larger district system and it includes the RTI process. So, within our MTSS system, we have a comprehensive framework which is comprised of a collection of research-based strategies designed to meet the individual needs and the assets of our students
of whole child. It intentionally interconnects the education, the health, and human service systems in support of successful learners, schools, centers, and community outcomes. It has five essential interrelated components and it is efficiently organized. It helps to efficiently organize schools and districts resources to support educators in the implementation of effective practices with fidelity for success of all of learners.
So, the key purposes of MTSS is we focus a tiered approach to support where students receive different levels of support based on their individual needs. Not just about academics but non-academic needs as well. It addresses social emotional needs, behavioral well being, recognizing that these areas are interconnected and they do impact learning. With that being said this
system promotes data-driven decision making This presentation will emphasize the importance of using data to identify student needs, monitor progress, and adjust interventions as needed. Best practices that are used, MTSS promotes the use of evidence-based strategies and interventions that have been shown to be effective in improving student outcomes. Benefits of MT is increased student achievement improved school
climate, and reduce special education referrals which have all been mentioned in our previous board meetings. Another benefit is to create a more supportive and effective learning environment for all students. There are five components of our MTSS framework. It is team-based leadership. Number two, tier delivery system. Number three, selection and implementation of instruction interventions, and supports. It has comprehensive screening and assessment systems and it is
continuous database decision making. If you take a look at this pyramid, at the bottom in the green where it says 75 to 85%, that's where our universal interventions occur. Universal interventions is our core curriculum that is given to all students. These interventions are available to 100% of our students special education and general education students. This is the area where we want the majority of our students to fall. This is where we're
doing preventive and proactive things to ensure success in their learning. At Tier 2 is which where you which is where you see the yellow. That's ten to that's where 10 to 15% of our students may fall where they need additional support. Uh additional to what's being offered at our tier one level to all students. That targeted group intervention can be anywhere from one to three days per week. It has some students that are at
risk is high efficiency and we have a rapid response to those students. At tier three, whereas where you see the red at the peak. Five to 10% of our students should would fall normally in that category. That's where intensive support begins. Intensive where intervention is given to individual students and that intervention is done three to 5 days per week. Assessments are given to determine whether or not students
qualify for that level of support. and there's high density and possibly a longer duration of of support at the tier three. As we've seen in our educational data in the city of Pontiac, our triangle right now at the state we're in is sort of upside down. Compared to this. So, the multi-tier support system that we have in place is to help flip it back
to its normal state and so that's our goal. So, our district has multi-tiered support system requirements. Each school has to establish, has established a school student support network that meets weekly or by weekly and I'll go into more detail about that. Each school follows a multi-tier support system process and keeps appropriate records for each phase within the process. There's documentation of classroom interventions. The
minimum of the documentation that's occurring at the teacher level at classroom interventions is six to 8 weeks. Sometimes, we shorten it to four weeks depending on the needs of the students. We also have student academic and behavior plans including evidence of progress monitoring and documented record of implementation. So, here's our six-step multi-tiered process that support that we have in place. Now, phase one is communication with the stakeholders. Every year, at the
beginning of our school, we're year in August or the beginning of September. We send out a letter announcing to our community that we offer a multi-tiered support system program and we give some details about what that program encompasses. And then at phase two, one school has began, Students are participating in our tier one core curriculum and supports If a teacher notices or a parent notices or other staff member notices that a student
may be experiencing some challenges and need an additional support after tier one has been incorporated. A referral to the student support network can be administered. And then at phase three once the referral is received from the student support network. It is then parents are notified and then there becomes they they have meetings to determine what supports are in place and then they develop an action plan at phase four At phase 5, the action plan has and
that's considered a tier two when they do an action plan. Tier 2 supports come into play. In addition to tier one, they still get tier one and they get tier 2 supports and then, once that plan has been put in place, they review the plan to determine if it's effective, if it's not effective, then, they make, they can make modifications or advance the student to tier three assessment and that's at phase six and all of that is located in our MTSS manual.
So next, the Student Support Network which I've been referencing. The purpose of the Student Support Network is to respond to our students' needs. The collective effort of all adults in the organization utilizes the structures, the supports, and processes we have in place to skillfully and effectively address the non-academic needs of all of our students served by the district. Our district students support network references Joseph Murphy's
work on pastoral care. Normally, when we assess our students, we are assessing our students' non-academic needs. In this case, and these are the four categories, the norms of the pastoral care are the four categories where our students needs may fall. Our instructional staff need to determine which of these norms the students may need support with. And we, our students support network, help our teachers
with determining how to do that. And also how to support our students with strategies. So, who's on our Student Support Network teams? Reminder, every building, every school in our district has a student support network team. On that team, our our principals, our teachers, like for elementary school, we have teacher representation for grades K two, band, representation for grades three five and then at the middle school level, representation of each core content
for grades six through eight. We have an SSN team lead, that person facilitates and lead all of the meetings. We have members of the special education department depending on the need of the student. We determine which special education members we need to invite. If a student may have some speech concerns, then we're going to invite a speech pathologist. And so always we have representation from the special education department.
We have our reading and math interventionist participate on those teams. We have school counselors, behavior intervention specialist, and education social workers. General education, social workers in Pontiac School District, our social workers who service 100% of our students. They don't only when we look at general education students, we're also counting our special education students in that genetic population. Special education students are general education first and then they receive
additional special education services. With that being said, our generalist social workers provide services to students to enhance their emotional well being, improve their academic performance, they address any issues such as substance abuse issues, sexuality issues, and higher grade levels. They they support families when they have needs. They give wrap around. They give connections for wraparound support services internally as well
as externally in our district. They also handle students whether it be through a functional behavioral assessment or referrals for psychological test. They do observations and interviews with students and families. They set goals for our students and they they are definitely used in our crisis situations. I don't know what we do without them. Behavior intervention specialist. Our
behavior interventionist, I'm sorry, behavior intervention specialist serve at the tier 2 level and they offer similar supports as the social worker except for they will make recommendations to the social worker for students to go to the tier three level for those additional external wraparound support services and other types of assessments that social workers can do that are BIS or behavior intervention specialist may not be able to do. Behavior intervention
specialist and social workers are able to be called during urgent situations to assist with de-escalation support. They're able to push into the classrooms to observe a student on their caseload. They do not manage classes but they do push in to do observations and for de-escalation purposes. They do model strategies. Uh share it with the instructional staff to support our instructional staff with implementing the social behavioral strategies that we like
to incorporate in our district. Principals must ensure that documentation is completed by our general education social workers and behavior interventionist. I'll leave this for the school board to read over the specifics of this are not necessarily applicable for our community. So, what is social emotional learning? Social emotional learning is used to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities. It manages, it helps
to manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals. It helps students to feel and show empathy for others. It helps to establish and maintain supportive relationships and make responsible and caring decisions. When we take a look at this diagram in the center here, We have the five Castle Social Emotional Competencies where we want our students to learn. Number one, self awareness, knowing how they feel
what impacts them, and then, once they know how they feel and what's impacting them, they can look at self management. How do I manage my emotions when I'm feeling certain ways? Once they move on from self management, they learn how to make responsible decisions. After that, they learn how to develop relationship skills and interact with others. Social awareness comes in where they become involved in
other social activities as they're able to manage themselves, make positive decisions, and build relationships. With all that, that falls under the social, emotional learning and then that happens in the classrooms with supports from their teachers and classroom climate and classroom instruction. The schools have programming to support those five competencies and then information is sent home for family and caregivers to support as well and
within our large community with other agencies. So, that's where we look at wholeschool, whole community, whole child. Which takes me to our next slide where we talk about our multi-tiered support system and student support network initiatives at Pontiac School District. These are few things that we do to support this. We have Universal Screeners, the Universal Screener that we use
currently is Renaissance Saber for K grades K twelve. We just switched over from SRSS and also from Macy two for our secondary. We use SRSS for our elementary. We wanted consistency across the district in alignment with how we were screening our students. So, we switched over to one that was K-12 and more compatible with our district's information system. We also have student check
ins. Student check ins, done weekly, twice a week with our middle school students and our set high school students and they're done daily with our elementary students. Those elementary student check ins are using like the zones of regulation curriculum to help our students identify their emotions and then they have them color coded and then we have different strategies that we use with them to help them deal with each of those
emotions within those color codes and that and it also gives our teachers a daily way of checking to see exactly where our students are and if there are any urgent needs that need to be addressed each day with our elementary students and each week with our middle school students. Mindfulness is another initiative in our district that helps with elementary and secondary well being. We have district mindfulness requirements. Um a part of our mindfulness initiative is every
classroom should have a calming corner where our students spend no more than five to 8 minutes. Sometimes, we as adults even need time out to gather our thoughts, deescalate ourselves, self management, that's done within those five to eight minutes in those calming corners within the classroom so they don't have to leave the room. Go over in their common corner, check in with themselves. deescalate, Come and rejoin the group. We have PBIS rooms and calming rooms where we have tactile and
sensory activities that students can do that are also ways to help with mindfulness and calming, calming ourselves down. I want to lift that we would love to incorporate more adult calming corners so that our staff can show that. I'm sure. Staff well being is important. It's essential to modeling and teaching student well being. I agree. And it exhibits to our staff that they matter too. So just want to lift that to the school board. Financial reasons. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay and then next we have our second step curriculum which is our social emotional curriculum that is now currently K12. It started out as a elementary social emotional learning curriculum that occurs 4040 to 50 minutes per week. Um where teachers are have intentional lessons around social, emotional learning skills. They have thematic units that deal with grief, that deal with bullying, that deal with
substance abuse and different things like that that they may face at different ages. Um and then the schools can develop activities and events and programming around those thematic units to support the social emotional learning. So, this curriculum is new to the high school this year. So, I'm excited that we are now K-12 with our social emotional learning curriculum. Additionally, our district has trained our general education
social workers, behavior interventionist, administration, administrator I'm sorry. That means school administrators as well as central office administrators and restorative practices. Restorative practices has five principles. The purpose of the restorative practices is to help students to develop connections with relationships. Not just students but staff and administrators too. And then learn to value each other's opinions. That's respect. Learn responsibility. Being accountable for their actions. And how they
impact others and how they impact their school, climate, and culture They also, the another principle of restorative practices is repair. Repairing the harm that they may have committed towards others or the school climate and culture or towards staff or or their peers. But also as they're repairing, allowing them to remain included in that environment. Right. Ruling out suspensions. Right. Explosions. That's right. And teaching them how
to correct the behaviors and move forward being a part of that community And then reintegration is consistent invitation to be in the community. Constantly reminding them that we want them here. And when things occur and they have to step out whether it be in a calming corner or in another room. For a few minutes that they're welcome and invited to come back with a plan in place. And this is a whole school teaching approach.
Teaching and learning and it encourages supportive and respectful behavior. Puts the owners on individuals to be truly accountable. For their behavior and cause students to repair any harm caused to others as a result of their actions. This is a continuum of restorative practices. It starts at the classroom managed level and can move up or escalate to the office managed level. I'm not going to go into detail about this because this
is some intense training on that and then I put in here in in your PowerPoint presentation. You can click on the links and watch the videos for the school board members. Typical and effective statements. I'll just touch on this briefly. This this aligns with our positive behavior incentive system, intervention system, I'm sorry. Effective statements are a way to communicate how you feel and how someone has affected you by their behavior whether it's positively or negatively. In typical statements
is asserting a fact or an idea that can be evaluated as true or false. What we're trying to teach our students how to do in Pioneer School District utilize effective statements. We want our staff to use them too. An effective statements, for example, as you see, instead of saying typically, instead of saying, stop teasing, Sandy, take ownership of how that's making that, how that, how you teasing Sandy is making me feel. So, I'll say, it makes me uncomfortable when I hear
you teasing Sandy. It makes it personal. And then person can they can't argue about how they're making you feel. That's how you feel. And then you guys can come to a solution on how to resolve the issue. So we're trying to teach our students to use effective statements to support self awareness and give other people involved the opportunity to develop empathy. And possibly restore the relationship. And that's really
important in today's day and age. Uh huh. Critical component of our positive behavior intervention system. So, our district currently is working on our PBIS system and at tier one, we define expected behavior. We we created a district acronym called Soar to align with our district Phoenix mascot. So, Soar S O A R is our district acronym for our district wide behavioral expectations and so, we
challenge each school to develop behavioral expectations, utilizing that acronym as possibly for success, O, optimism, A, affirmations, just giving an example and so, the each school developed their school-wide behavior system and created matrixes to post throughout their building and they have to develop procedures around ensuring that those behaviors are happening in every location in their building and
it includes classroom rules. They directly teaching each building, staff, and administrator directly teach and model the expected behavior, recognize students following the expected behavior, positively, positively, positively redirect, inappropriate behavior, and then there's data decision making around it. So, our district has trained has had each school's PBIS team, leadership team members come to
training at our monthly principal's meetings this year and we have incorporated PBIS. We started with the middle school last year and we added our other partnership schools this year and it'll expand into all of the other buildings in our district. Although we've focused on those schools for the schools I just named for the last 2 years. All of our schools actually have come on board and started doing this without us necessarily requiring it and we are
supporting them in the in those endeavors. All have an established PBIS team. Um those teams are sometimes combined with their student support network and their section 504 team. All buildings have at least three to five main school wide behavioral expectations. They have established incentives for positive behaviors like some schools have I don't want to call em beaver bucks anymore. We call em sore bucks. So, Whitman has sore bucks. Rogers has sore bucks Um Alcott Owen,
they all have Sorbucks where students can use those sore bucks to get prizes and other things in their school. All buildings administer tier fidelity inventory twice a year in October and April and that tiered fidelity inventory for PBIS helps them to evaluate where they are with PBIS with Fidelity where they're succeeding and where they are where they need supports. I am happy to say that at the tier 2 and 3
levels, we are over 85% with our tier fidelity and the goal is at at least 70%. In that tier one, we're around 70% or 72% across the board and some schools have higher percentage at tier one and so now, principals are ready to compete, compete for next year because no, they don't, none of them want to be at 70%. They want to exceed that anyway but they're competing to see who's going to have the the highest percentage for next year. So, I'm excited about that. So, just went over our PBIS
requirements. Um after the tier three level with with our multi-tier system. If students need additional support after they're receiving tiers one, two, and three. We have to look at them to determine if they would qualify for an IEP or a section 504 plan. So, that's the next phase in our process and just knowing the difference between a IEP and a five oh four. I'm not going to go over all of the details as it relates to that. Just
knowing that our IEPs are covered under IDA education laws and then by specialized instructions, focuses on what the student is learning and states receive additional funding for eligible students under IEPs whereas in section 504, that's required because of the rehabilitation acts and it and it provides accommodations for general education students that have qualified disabilities and it focuses on their learning and but
there's no additional funding for students that are on section 504. In our school district student code of conduct, we have these steps for intervention and I want to be clear with these school-level interventions that you will see in our student code of conduct. The purpose of these interventions are positive intervent, positively intervening, not punitive. The intent of these interventions are positive, not punitive. The goal is
to keep our students in school. Not get out of school. So, I want to lift that parents when you see that in our student code of conduct. Next, we have our academic supports and I'll go through this quickly because I believe Jennifer Dean, Stacey Jackson, and Felicia Jeter did an amazing job. Our curriculum supervisors and data and assessments coordinator but I I'm just bringing this in so you can all see that multi the multi-tier support system is academic and non academic supports. So, at our tier
one, for elementary it's for all students. We use everyday math as our curriculum and that's used by the classroom teachers tier two. Some in some intervention support one to three times a week. Iready is used and they use teacher toolbox lessons from iReady and that's done by the classroom teacher at tier two level at tier three level, three to five times a week, intense intervention is occurring, and the core content specialist support with that in grades 1 and two and we're using the number world curriculum. Tier three
mathematics for elementary, I share the selection process for how students qualify for tier three. We have our screener which is I Ready first and second grade which gives us a diagnostics and then under the diagnosis is based on spring I ready score. Students will be given the number world's knowledge test to determine number world's placement level and then primary grades will take numerical identification counting and sequence parts of the forefront test. Our focus on grades one and two right now is to ensure
that we get, we're trying to get to a point where we don't have to have so much intervention when students are getting older, if we catch them at the lower grade level. So, that's why we're focused at the lower grade levels right now and we have limited number of interventionist. Academic supports at the secondary, secondary level, tier one, we use Sabas Envision curriculum done by the classroom teacher. Tier 2, we use iReady personalized lessons, and service, envision, intervention
resources, done by the classroom teacher in tier 3 which is daily intervention. We have an intervention teacher. Students go to that course every hour every day for one hour per day. For utilizing Sabbath Envision curriculum. For great high school, grades nine through twelve, we use big ideas for tiers one and two by the classroom teacher and in tier three, we have an intervention teacher. They see every day for an hour using agile minds. How we select our students at the
secondary level. It's very similar to how we select them at our elementary level. So, I won't go over that because I went over it before. Just know at tier two, the the at the secondary level, they're supported in class by the classroom teacher and then at tier three, they have a critical thinking elective course and then academic supports for literacy. Tier one, they get Hegarty for grades K through one, Phonix First for K through three, and Witten Wisdom for through eight. At tier
two, we use iReady and the teacher toolbox and they have hands to mind, phenomic and awareness. I'm sorry, phenomic awareness and phonics kits for grades K two, hands to mind, phonics, and vocabulary kits for grades three five. At tier three, the core content specialist deliver this support and its leveled literacy intervention. It's called LLI and phonics first by layers for grades K through five. That's what the intervention with them. Academic supports
for entrance processes for elementary. They're assessed twice a year using iReady. Students are placed on a pathway with phonics or comprehension and then receive they receive intervention 30 minutes a day for four to five days a week and progress is monitored every two to four weeks. Know that our intervention groups are fluid. Students can come in and out as needed. School for exiting is at the twenty-five fifth percentile or above in or if students reach grade
level proficiency, they are exited to back to tier one. Tier one for middle school and high school I'm sorry. I'm not clicking with my conversation. Okay, we're on middle school and high school literacy. Classroom teachers administered tier one with wisdom K 8. My perspectives grades nine through twelve and tier two intervention teacher support is using advanced adolescent reading initiative AARI.
Here's the criteria for selection at the middle school and high school level. Students are assessed twice a year. Students are placed in AARI. They receive intervention, eight to 10 students In middle school, 55 minutes daily, 20 weeks, or one semester. So, they're in that class for a semester. High school students. 10 to 15 students per class, 35 minutes once a week, and 90 minutes two times a week in 20 weeks or one semester. Exiting process, after a
semester, they looked to see if they're above the 30th percentile. We've had lots of training and I just want to briefly lift lift that through support from Oakland Schools with PBIS, trauma and foreign strategies, social, emotional learning, and restorative practices. We do have some train a trainer certified, restorative practice trainers in our district. Some of our general education social workers and our behavior interventionist and one of our community and schools coordinator. Support resources. We have local
resources Um just to name a few common grounds, CNS Healthcare, Easterseals, Honor Community Health Oakland Family Services, New Oakland Family Centers, Oakland Community Health Network, Nurse On Call. These are just to name a few in a and for our community in our partners, please know that there's no intent on leaving anyone out. We have so many partners that I mean it's a wonderful thing. Pontiac has a lot of partners. Like for example, our
Honors Community Health, we clinics in Pontiac Middle School and Pontiac High School, Whitman Elementary has a behavioral health clinician and so does Owen and that's open to all community members. I'm not going to go into details with what New Oakland Family Center's office. Yes, I am because I want our community to know. Youth Mobile Crisis Team, Suicidal Thoughts, Threatening Behaviors, Loss of coping skills, social isolation, self harm, aggression, property destruction, dangerous or impulsive making. They support us.
If you need any help with that, we can reference you to them. Refer you to them. We have additional state and nationwide services, support services that we use, and have access to as well as social, emotional learning, and well well being, wellness websites that we can refer you to and lastly, Pontiac School District Partnerships, just to name a few, community and schools, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, United Way, Honors
Health, Communities and Schools. The links incorporated of Oakland County, Kensington Church, Oakland University, and the list goes on and on. So, I just want to lift that to our community we have a lot to offer you in the school district of Pontiac as far as intervention services, as far as opportunities are concerned to our multi-tiered support system. So, I thank you Doctor Laverette and Doctor Hannah for allowing me to opportunity to present on behalf of our department and if you all have any
questions, I would like to hear them. Thank you. Okay. Yeah. Trusty Gross, we'll start with you. You gave us a plethora of information that we should have done this at a board retreat. That's just my recommendation because we can't decipher all of this just in this. I know you try to do your best to get through this. And I did have a few questions but I just only want want one. Yeah, you showed at the end how It is evaluated and determined how a child can move forward. He showed
that already. But my question to you and I need you to be as frank as possible. What have been some of your barriers? Seeing our kids not advancing. What have been some of the barriers? Give me one or two. Barriers that have prevented them from advancing. Your opinion. I know what your professional opinion is but I want to know what it is. We've had this discussion before and I'm very interested in this because of what I what I do with you in reemittance. We see a lot of things and what I've done in my past with the juvenile court and
we see some things and things have been changing. But what have been some of your barriers? For you to get your maximum improvement in what you need to see. We need a lot more support from home. We need a lot more support from home in the sense that when we're sending things home for parents to work with students on reading, writing, math. We need that support. We need support from home when it relates to. We have all of these services but we cannot require our students to go. It has to
be the parent's decision for them to participate in these supports. So, we can offer all of these things but if they don't participate or take advantage of them. It's not going to help. And so one of our issues is getting a sign off on allowing us to utilize some of these services within the school hours. And then the supports once we get them acclimated and get them the support that they need. Ensuring consistency. Over
time. And another barrier is professional development. Um we don't have enough time in the school days throughout the year to provide for special professional development for our staff and our administrators and then human resources. Not enough people based on the needs of our our students. Hm. So those are the main things. And and and I want to make it clear to our parents. And and I know it's difficult. Sometimes it's embarrassing when you may have to
discuss some things that maybe a concern within your home that you consider private. Right? And some people don't you know And be transparent. It's been a history or tradition that in the African-American family, we don't do therapy. Well, times have changed. Right? It is better and I and I'm telling you this, as a 40-year worker in the juvenile system, it is better for you to deal with your issues as they're being known when
you see it in school with your child because the assistance is there instead of having to visit someone and talk to them through a glass window or bars. Want it. Not saying all kids were in that way and I'm not saying that. So, I want that to be misconstrued or misunderstood. Mine is, if the assistance is there to help, utilize it to prevent what could happen and these were some of the things that Judge Mester bless him that the discussion we had when
the Pontiac Alumni Foundation was created because he was seeing some of the kids. People in in Pontiac that would come to his courtroom that has some issues concerns. With specifically a lot of these things that you're dealing with in the school now. So his was to create a program, right? To give people information and knowledge to understand what is out there. So, he wouldn't have that happen. Now, again, I've seen some changes right? But here's the thing, it's not about
telling on somebody. It's about obtaining the information you need to help somebody. That's a important and we have to stop this because there are too many kids in a certain tier that shouldn't be there. But it's because of those three things you said is why it's going on. So parents, don't be afraid. Ask for help if it's needed. Because it's there. And one of the things I really want to lift and I know for and I'm speaking to parents in our community who have already
worked with me. We are here to help. Yes. We are here to support and I look to any opportunity I get to work collaboratively with you parents on determining what's best. You know what's good for your kid. And then we want to support you with helping them get what they need and helping them to be successful. So I really want us to really work hard on. Thank you, Donna. The collaborative idea of supporting our students as we move forward. So, I thank you all for your
time tonight. Thank you. Trustees, were there any other questions? Are you that? I don't have a question miss Williams but I did want to just tell you, yeah. It was a lot, it was thorough information and it just shows me that the district is doing our part to make sure that we have the services and support we need for our students and as you just stated, we can't do it by ourselves. So, it don't matter how much information we have, how many resources we have, we need
our parents, we need our families to work with us in order for us to produce a successful, stellar student. So, thank you for to you and your team for all the work that you do to try to help and make sure that our students have what they need so that they can be successful. And Doctor Anna, I know, I know the presentation was long but I really wanted our community to see what we offer because a lot of other districts in Oakland County don't have the partnership some of the partnerships that we have and some of the supports that we have. So, I really wanted to lift that so that
when our community is talking about Pontiac Yup. They have some facts and they can go back and rewatch this video. If you need some more information and please feel free to call me. I'm I'm at the board office. Feel free to call me. If you have any questions on what other what supports we have in place. And sometimes they're not even just restricted. Like I said with Honors Community Health. It's not even just restricted to Pontiac students. It's it's school district students. It's it's open to the community. So we offer so much more than some other
communities offer we need to give ourselves credit for that and our community needs to start supporting that as well. Thank you. Thank you. Treasurer Terry. Real quick. Um do we have any data reflecting like the number of students' results accomplishments, ones that have moved on. Um I guess which tier they in or I know you mentioned it. This is included in all of the schools and all of the students and it sounds like
almost all of the staff is impacted as well. It seemed like it's a lot going on. Um at some point when some people get overwhelmed, things fall to the crack but I guess I'm looking for any data that that reflects. It reflects the the benefits and the accomplishments of improvements. Mm hmm. In the reading, math, whatever subject that might be. And then I guess the number of students that actually participate or take
full advantage of these opportunities. Just some numbers. Can do Okay. Okay. Alright, thank you. Alright, continuing on with our agenda, Doctor Leverette. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, miss Williams. Thank you, Stacey Jackson. Thank you, Felicia Jeter. You guys do a fantastic job. We wanted to be clear that we share with the community that we do have a comprehensive plan of support for academics as well as social emotional learning. I hope that we all are better informed because of
your presentation and your collective work on this. So, thanks again. At this time, I'll turn it over to mister Connor Bentley. He is the band and choir and theater director and he's going to give us a presentation on the State of Fine Arts. Connor. Oh, there he is. Connor taken away. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Members of the board. Uh it's nice to see you again. Um I know it's been a few months since the last time I was here and I I but I do know
there are few new faces here so I just wanted to briefly introduce myself as Doctor Levert said, my name is Connor Bentley. I'm the current director of band, choir, and theater at Pontiac High School. Um where I also serve as the electives department head. Uh I'm on the BTN team. Uh I'm also on disciplinary literacy team. So, many hats that we wear. Um I am here today to give you an overview of the fine arts program in the Pontiac School District. Uh the programs that we are currently running, the new initiatives that are underway, and the goals that we
have laid out for ourselves and our mission to improve the standards of the arts within our district. Oh. One too many. Uh first off, I would like to introduce our current leadership team. Um obviously, there is myself. I've already introduced myself. Uh we have Vince DeLuca who is our music lead teacher who also serves as the band and orchestra director at ITA. Uh we have Kristen Vandermark who is our lead art teacher. We have Felicia Jeter who is the fine arts curriculum lead and we also have Ainsley Langrich who
is our Oakland Schools Fine Arts Coordinator. Uh obviously, we have more wonderful, dedicated, and passionate staff throughout the district. Uh this year, we had an art and music teacher at every single building at all grade levels which is a first-time I don't know when the last time that was. I know it's been a couple of years. Um these incredible teachers and faculty are for many students. The reason that they come to school every day. Uh the arts provide an outlet for those who would otherwise fall through the cracks.
With that being said, our goals are very wide ranging. Uh short term, we're talking about things like recruitment and retention, development of core curriculum, repair and maintenance, material, acquisition, and budgeting for the future. Um obviously, this could be as something as simple as making sure we have repair, money if a trumpet gets knocked over, or if a kiln breaks down, we want to make sure we we are budgeting properly to make sure we can maintain our current infrastructure. Uh midterm goals.
We're talking about varied performance opportunities, expanding course offerings, and we're talking about fostering community partnerships, some of which you will see in the slides I have prepared and then more long-term goals, things we're talking about maybe, you know, a year or two down the line performing at higher levels, partnering with our neighboring schools and programs, creating an arts education pipeline, allowing our students who are currently in our programs to if they want to pursue a band theater that we have a pipelines. That way they can achieve
that after they graduate from Pontiac High School in ITA. And then finally something that I as a pet project building a legacy program. An alumni network. Um former students who still want to interact and be a part of our program. Um in support of our vision and what we are planning in the future. But what does it mean? Performing arts in Pontiac School District. Uh my students made this don't yell at me please. Um they were like, no, we have to conclude it. I'm like, I, okay, that's fine. Um
these kids. These are the people that we do this for everyday. Um I have been in my position now. This is my third year. Um going on fourth year next year. Um and the programs that we have built For them they're the reason why I can maybe not have a good night the night before. Maybe I go to sleep at one o'clock in the morning but I'm still waking up at five thirty, putting my shoes on, going out the door, and finding my way into my band room, into my choir room. So that way I
can, I can provide them the education that they deserve. Performing in visual arts are the key reason why many of these kids behind me come to school everyday. And not only are they coming to school but they are happy and fulfilled while they are there. I don't want to get too bogged down in the data. I know how much we we love our data here. Um at Pontiac High School, the data that we have collected over the last four years is
clear. In mixed choir, we have had an increase of 38. 8% participation. And our band program has increased by eighty-five point 7 percent. Wow. That's almost double. In just the four years. Three of which I have been here and then I also have data points from the year prior to my arrival. Uh clearly since 202022, we have seen an explosion in numbers. Currently at Pontiac High School, 86 students or 11. 6% of the student body is currently in a performing arts
program. Just a graph. I like graphs. We also have data for ITA. Um the data is actually relatively similar to Pontiac High School. Um student participation and orchestra has increased 38. 5 percent while band participation has increased by thirty-eight point nine. You'll see that 38 number coming back. Um we're seeing a very steady growth. Uh obviously, the ban program for Pontiac High School is the odd one out right now but we think that's simply just due to the fact that when I walked in the door, the program, I don't
want to say it was non exist but it was very much languishing. So, it's just been a a process of bringing people back into the fold who maybe hadn't been in band for a couple of years. You know, yeah, I've had a couple of clarinets and trumpets who maybe skipped band for two years and they rejoined their junior year. So, it's been a lot of that recently. Um currently at ITA, 118 students or 27. 2% of their student population per is in the performing arts. Um we are also working on getting data
points for the middle school and the elementary schools but I do want to make sure that you know that this is just something we are tracking and monitoring because we do think it's important for the growth and health of our programs. Mister Brantley. Okay. Yes. Real quick. I'm sorry. Um go just go on to your data. Is there one location for all of the students or are you commuting back and forth from one building to another? Good question. So, I am the performing arts director for Pontiac High School. So, I teach two bands, choir,
and theater at Pontiac High School. Uh my my partner Vince DeLuca is the director at ITA. He currently teaches two bands and two orchestra at ITA. Um we do not go back and forth. We have one director at each school. Um obviously, I teach some classes that he doesn't teach. He teaches some classes that I do not teach. Um currently, just due to the quite frankly, lack of manpower. Um if I was to add an orchestra class on top of everything, that would be like six curriculums and I'm already a little
a little over the five. So, I would prefer not to do that at least at this point but no, we are not going back and forth. I don't think there's any current teacher who is traveling between schools although that had made the elementaries, it's a little bit harder to say. Uh as far as my knowledge, no teacher is going back and forth between schools. So, like for the the student activities and events like that are both of you guys maybe teaching the same things. So, when they do come together, say like for a football game or a soccer game
and they all out and they, you know, performing together. I'm assuming that those are taught. In both locations. Yes, so we have a very solid partnership not just between PHS and ITA but also with the middle school program. Um next year, we're looking to expand our marching band into the middle school for some eighth graders. Um I know miss Cracknell at the middle school has been working with them. They're really really good and we want to have more opportunities for them to partner with us. So, I know next year
that is something we are talking about. Um this year, I spend some time arranging I arranged twenty songs for our marching bands. Specifically, I'm going to use that as an example since you brought it up. Um I have a copy of that music. Mister DeLuke has a copy of that music and miss Cracknell has a copy of that music. So, next year, when we decide, hey, we're going to do these, let's say, nine of the twenty, that will be clearly communicated between three of us. We'll start working on that music. Day one, when we walk in the building for the next school year.
So, yes, we do collaborate. And then graduation, yes. That's where ITA and PHS come together. Okay, thank you. I just find out. So, I I've talked a lot about sort of where we're at right now. Um I do want to talk a little bit about what we are planning for the future. Um we have a lot of very exciting things going on at the end of this year moving into next year. So, I just wanted to talk a little bit about each one of those. First off is the Pontiac Art Showcase. This is something that was formed basically out of necessity.
My first year here, our program was not strong enough to sustain a concert on its own. It just wasn't and when I realized that, it was the next logical step to be like, hey, Vince, Sarah, can you help me out? And thankfully, their answer was yes and that began the process of creating what is now known as the Pontiac Art Showcase. Uh basically, we together all the different schools. This year, it's going to be Pontiac High School, Pontiac Middle School, ITA, Accent Pontiac, the after-school
program, and the new Pontiac Theatre Department. We'll all be performing at the Pontiac Art Showcase. This year, we will also be featuring a full art show which is something that the district has not done to my understanding in many years. So, we will have an art show featuring artwork from every school. So, elementary up to the high school and also because I like having things to give people. I have invitations for all of you. Oh, okay. Um the the showcase is on May fourteenth. So, it's about two and a half weeks from
now, give or take. Um please come out, support our programs. We have a lot of really cool stuff. We're going to be showcasing. We would love to see you all there. So, I'll I'll just hand this to whoever's at the end of the table and you can just pass em all the way down. I'll grab em at the end. Okay. This just gives you a little bit of an idea of what our schedule is going to look like for that day. Um the show will open at 330 in the afternoon. We'll have about an hour so you can check out the artwork, see some of the beautiful displays. We're going to have up. At four thirty, we're going to have the performances
begin starting with the Pontiac Drama Department where we have actually written our our own skit. It's a 15-minute skit. I am also in it. Um I'm I'm I'm living out my truth, thespian, calling. But I want to make sure you guys understand it's a it's a murder mystery which is pretty fun and me and the students we wrote it collaboratively. So they came up with the idea. I would throw we would bounce it back together. Hey what if we do this? How about this? And we ended up with a 15 minute skit that we
think is very very fun, very lighthearted, and we hope you guys will enjoy that when you guys come out and see it. Love it. Followed by Accent Pontiac. Uh Pontiac Middle, ITA, and then lastly, Pontiac High School. Gotta save the best for last. Sorry, Vince. Ou Pontiac Partnership. For those of you who do not know what this is, this is a a long-term initiative. It's been going on for about 10 years now between the City of Pontiac and Oakland University. I recently, this past October, was asked to join that partnership as a member of its
arts and culture pillar. Up until that point, we had not really had someone from the district who was like an active member of this organization. So, what that actually allowed me is once a month, I meet with many of the people you see on the slide behind me and we discuss basically OU can come into the classroom, help us with our initiatives, planning basically what can they do to help support the arts at our schools. What we've done this year is I know that they have
partnered with Accent Pontiac, their after-school program. They have many former and current OU students who are on the staff there and I know they've had several guest clinicians who've come out and worked with those kids over the course of the year. Um we've been having theater workshops with Professor Oscar Kierez. Basically, he kind of an assistant director at this point. He comes to every rehearsal. He's present. He works with the kids and we have done so much great work with him. You know, I I do a lot, I think, but having someone with his knowledge base coming in and
working directly with them on their level has been just amazing treat to see and he he's determined. He said next year, we're looking at other further options of maybe having OU students coming in and working with them as well. Things you talk about for the future. We've talked about doing a concert series at PHS, bringing OU ensembles to come play for our kids. We've talked about having student, teachers, and observers coming in and seeing whether it's choir, band, orchestra, what have you, guest
clinicians, private lessons, all sorts of really cool stuff. So, there's a lot of, that's coming out that we're getting from this partnership for, quite frankly, I mean, I offer opinions, I give advice, but really, it's this is kindness. We're not paying professor Caras at all. He's coming in simply due to the fact that he wants to help us which is kind of an amazing, beautiful thing. So, we really appreciate that. One of the things we're looking to start is doing, this is not for this year but we are working for next year about doing our own version of solo
and ensemble. This is not my child. This is not my baby. This was put to me by Doctor Tia Harvey who is the director of Accent Pontiac. This is something that she's been wanting to do for quite a while. Um I had a very long phone call with her about two weeks ago where we sort of ironed out. What would our role be because obviously we want to support it if that's what they want to do. Um obviously PSD is not a member of MSBOA currently and we even though we are
not a member of MSBOA, we do still value that solo and ensemble aspect of music but as of right now, I don't want to say it's not done entirely but it's definitely been emphasized in recent years and we're hoping to change that starting in the next school year. How many of you in this room have been to the DIA? Many moons ago. How many of you have been to Cranbrook? Anyone that the art experience in Pontiac, anyone? So, there are a lot of really awesome institutions in and around our area
and quite frankly, we are doing a disservice to ourselves, not reaching out and trying to partner with these institutions. So, one of the things that I have been talking about not just with miss Chen who is the art teacher at Pontiac High School but also with Creston Vander Market ITA is how can we partner with these organizations with these groups? One of the benefits of that OU Pontiac Partnership is Audra Pietric, the director of the Art Experience is one of the heads of it. So, have an inn where I can reach out to
her to say, hey, we want to send some students to you when are you available? And it's just as simple as, oh, we're available on this date, cool. Let's make it happen. DIA, obviously, as many of you know, it's free for anyone within Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb County. So, the only cost to us would be busing. Which it, that's nothing. You know, for an amazing experience, maybe for some of these kids, a once-in-a-lifetime experience where we can go and experience arts on a more tangible hands-on level.
We're still in the process of talking to them. Um I've reached out to the DIA in Cranbrook. I've had a a not lengthy Email a chain but a couple Emails back and forth and we are working on plans for next year. Um planning whether it's trips or more detailed workshops for not just the high school but also ITA and the middle school as well. I also want to showcase some of our student artwork. Um this currently is up and on display at Oakland Schools in their main lobby. Um in about two and a half weeks, it'll be on display at Pontiac High School. So,
if you like to see this and many more that I unfortunately could not fit on this slide, please come out to the high school for the showcase and you can see some of this amazing artwork in person. Yes, trusting god. Yes. Mister Bentley? Yes. I have thoroughly enjoyed this presentation heart is beating fast because I was a I was a choir student in high school and college. Mm hmm. Um have you considered doing like the Michigan Soul and Ensemble Festivals? Like where you go? Mm hmm. Compete against other schools? Yeah. So, that's something we have
definitely looked into. Um I can't speak for Vince or my other colleagues but I know that's something I have been doing some research on Um basically, it's just where for each of our programs what it makes sense to add that on because you have to understand with the many of our programs mind specifically They're brand new. Right. In a lot of ways. So, I want to make sure that we set ourselves up for success and that we scaffold everything in a way where when we are ready for that, that I want to make sure the kids have a a well-meaning, amazing, fun
experience that they will remember fondly and hopefully not negatively. Um you know, because I was that kid once. I was, when I was in high school, I did MSBOA, so on ensemble, you know, I had some really great moments. I had some really not great moments sometimes, you know? We've all had those moments where you you know, you you front of the judge and suddenly music becomes a foreign language. So, definitely that is something we have looked into. Um I hopefully will have some more information for you in the next one or
two school years for sure but that is definitely something that has been on my mind. Okay. Thank you. How many of you like jazz? So currently, the only jazz band in the district is at ITA. Um which is amazing. Obviously, mister DeLuca has done a really fantastic job with fostering that program. I'm I hope many of you have gone out and see them perform. Um really great stuff. Really good. They performed here. Yeah. Oh. Very good. I did not know that. That's cool. Uh huh. Vince
didn't invite me so it's fine. Boo. Um we are looking to bring jazz band back to Pontiac High School. Excellent. So, this is something that has been a long time coming. Um I again, like many things, I didn't want to just walk in day one and be like, okay, cool. This is what we're doing because the student buy in wouldn't have been there. Now, that we've had the program going on three years. We're at a position where I think it makes sense to start adding jazz band and what we're actually doing which is very exciting for me is we're going to be partnering with
the middle school to do this. So, Miss Cracknell who is the band director at Pontiac Middle. Um she actually has a minor in jazz studies. So, as she said to me on the phone, I can finally use my jazz degree. Um so, she will be the director of the new jazz band. It will be hosted at Pontiac High School. It will be made up of grades 8 through twelve. So, we'll have some eighth graders and then nine through twelve that will also serve as a bridge program for those eighth graders. They'd be able to meet me. They'll be in our space. They'll be more accustomed to that sort of high
school way of doing things so the hope is that when they eventually come to the high school in 9th grade, maybe we won't see some of those behaviors we sometimes see with that initial transition from eighth to 9th grade. She does a lot of really good work in the middle school. I want to make sure I shout her out because she, I could not do her job. Frankly, like, I think I'm a good teacher but it takes a really strong teacher to be in that position and she is doing a really amazing job at that program. So, I'm really excited to be collaborating with her on that. I will be her assistants. I am very much looking
forward to. Um basically just fill me in. I'll play whatever you want. I'll just, you know, be in the background, playing my instrument. Um last night, I did want to also mention we are looking at having guest artists and clinicians coming into the district. Um some of the images you'll see behind me are of people who have already said they would like to. They've expressed interest in coming here. Some of which already have. I know Doctor Clena has been to ITA several times. I know the director of CMU was here this year. So, we are already starting to do that at IITA. We're looking to expand that to the middle school and
the high school as well. Go ahead. In terms of extracurriculars, obviously, I just wanted to point out. Marching Band is collaborative. So, it's PHS and ITA. Um so, we're we that we always look forward to that at the beginning of every year. Well, I look forward to it more than Vince does because I'm the one who plans it but it's always a really fun experience working with those kids. Um it it also helps foster camaraderie like his kids know me. I know them. So, it's not like, oh, I'm the scary band director at Pontiac High School. No, I'm just mister Bentley at this point. Obviously,
Jazz Band currently only at ITA. Next year, that will change and then, also, we have the after-school program with Accent Pontiac which is K through twelve. I believe we have every grid represented from K up to 11th grade. We don't have any seniors but next year, that will change. We have one of my seniors who will be in that program basically for the entirety of her performing career. With that being said, I look forward to answering any of your questions. If you have any, any of your concerns, I'm happy to to answer them. Alright. Trustee Miller and then Trustee
Dewey. How much of a barrier would it be to have the band at I won't say all most of the home games for football. So, here's the thing about that. Um this year, I think we missed the first one which I think it was like right, it was before the school year started. There was no way for us to make it happen. Yeah. So, we missed first one but this year, I believe we were at every home game. Now, we weren't, we, we, we were, we're not at the level yet where we can put a show on the field. We're working on it. We're getting
there but we were at every home game. We were in the stands. Again, I wrote a whole book of 20 songs. Um some standards, you know, you got your, you know, let's go blues, your eat 'em ups, and I also arrange some modern songs like Blinding Lights by the weekend. I know the kids really like that one. Um there's an anime song I arrange that literally noone else understands about the kids but it's like they're in on the joke so it makes sense. Um but yeah, no. So, we we we have been every football game and we hope to continue to be at every football game and on top of that, we
were at the homecoming parade and the Pontiac Christmas Parade as well. So, we did both parades this year. Fussy dooley. I am excited about this program Um quite a few things came out of it for me. Uh I'm I'm interested in that art showcase but the student centered learning piece where you allowed the students to help create, develop the curriculum or the piece you did. Mm hmm. The other thing I heard that was very outstanding on, I'll give to all
three of you. I've worked with mister DeLuca Um the student teacher piece. I don't even know if you heard that. Oh yeah. But you are doing something to help even HR because you're going to create some theater. Yes. Teachers for your department. So, this department this program won't fall. Uh huh. Um it it's given the kids their creativity back and it will allow there's something about when students utilize part of the brain for music. It allows them to be a
little more advanced than many of us that did not take the music piece. So, I'm excited. Um I wish you well. If there's anything that Trustee Dooley can do to help make this program successful, please let me know and I want to give a shout out to some people that used to work in the district, Doctor Gilbert Jackson. I'm sure if he's listening, he's excited as well as mister Clifford Sykes. Uh huh. That you would continue these type programs. Mm hmm. My first year here, I had a very
long phone call with Doctor Sykes. Yeah. Um I believe it was the counselor at at PHS put me in touch with him and I explained, you know, who I was and he was nothing but helpful. He had all these resources. He was willing to share with me, experiences. Here's kind of what I did. You don't have to do it that way but this kind of helped me navigate this situation and that very helpful. Absolutely. And and and touching on the the student teacher part at Accent Pontiac right now I have I believe two of my students and I believe there's one at ITA who are
actually paid instructors who work for Accent Pontiac now. Um I believe one of my tenth graders, one of my 11th graders, and I believe one of his tenth graders as well, are, are now paid employees. They get paid to help teach the younger kids to play on their instrument. And, and that's just an amazing thing for them. Because that shows them that hey, maybe if I want to do this music thing, they're some money in it too. Absolutely. Um so, really great stuff coming from that. The other thing is the the fact that you have
projections. You're you're not. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? You're you're planning to build this program. So that that gives me hope that we're not closing our schools and we'll have nowhere for our students to come. Because once these programs get up and running and word of mouth are we will get our students back to our district. Yeah and I I I agree. I think it's one of those things where we are constantly growing. Now that we're at a point where as I mentioned before we have a
teacher at every level in every building That is huge for us because what that does is theoretically, one school fees, the next school fees the next school, feasts the next school. So, hopefully, we won't we won't see those results for, you know, five, 7, 10 years. Yup. But, you know, hopefully by school year 2035, we might have a a band program at the high school that exceeds 100 kids or we might have a choir program that's going to compete at a at a at a state or a
national level When I walked in on day one, I had a five-year plan. Here's where I want to see me in this program that I'm building in five years. Obviously, we're in my third year now. We have not reached all of my goals yet. We will find out in two years whether that happens but we are very much on track to build the program at least that I want to see that I envision because Pontiac deserves nothing less than the best. You know, we're surrounded by so many districts that, you know, oh man, we
have this, we have this, we have this, and I look at that, I'm like, I want that. Uh huh. I I want to want to compete. I want to perform. I I I was in the Oakland Schools Fine Arts Council meeting. Um some on the fine arts council and I would I heard one of the band directors. I think it was in Troy saying, oh yeah, my band got invited to play in Rome. Rome. Like, like Italy, Rome. I'm like, that is so cool. I want to do that. Mm hmm. Now, obviously, are we there yet? Of course not but there's no reason why
we can't be there. We just have to take the steps necessary to get there. Mm hmm. I think between myself, with Vince, with miss Cracknell at the middle school, and with the many amazing teachers we have in the elementary level. I think we can get there. It's just a matter of time. We will get back there. Once back in the day. Absolutely. We Pontiac was known for their choirs. Uh huh. Their art producing. So, and I've been out of school over 45 years. The marching band, definitely. So, again, commend all three of you. Job
well done. Continue. Be encouraged. Don't let anything stop you. Get us back there. And we're hoping to be more visible as well. Um that's something that we have discussed as a as a department. The fact that for many years we have kind of been invisible. You haven't really heard a lot from us. And we're hoping this is the start of what will be a pattern where we can come back to you a year from now. Two years from now and say hey remember when we where we were in twenty twenty-five? Well here's now what we're doing in twenty twenty-six. Here's what we're doing
in 2027. And you can see data points grow and grow and grow. Mm hmm. Thank you. VP Balmer. I thank you. This was a great presentation and in school, I didn't really do much music. That's not my my lane but the art, the the combination with the music and the art. I really love it and and that is one of the driving things kids love to come to school for, you know, may not be to read a book but I get to paint a picture or play instrument So, thank
you because these are one of the things that that gets bodies in buildings. So, this is a fantastic approach and I'm and I'm glad that we have this here in Pontiac. So, keep up the good work all of you. It's appreciated. I always say fine arts. We're all in the same boat together. Yeah. So, whether it's visual arts, whether it's performing arts, multimedia, whatever. We're all in the same boat. We're all striving for the same success. Yup. Thank you so much, mister Bentley. Good. Thank you. Alright. Continuing on for
discussion items, Doctor Leverette. Thank you, Doctor Hannah. This is for discussion and action communities and schools of Michigan Agreement. Communities and Schools of Michigan Agreement, the Pontiac School District is committed to fostering academic excellence, student well-being, and community engagement. However, many students face challenges that extend beyond the classroom including economic hardships, food and security, mental health struggles, and a lack of access to essential resources. These barriers often hinder students'
ability to focus on their education, leading to lower rates, academic under performance, and increased dropout risk. Communities and schools of Michigan is a proven evidence-based organization dedicated to eliminating barriers to student success by embedding site coordinators within schools, communities, and schools of Michigan provides wraparound services tailored to the unique needs of each student. These services include academic support, mentorship, mental health counseling, basic needs assistance, and family engagement programs, all of which contribute to
a more supportive instead learning environment. CISM will provide integrated student support of three Pontiac School District Schools, Pontiac High School, Pontiac Middle School, and Whitman Elementary. The partnership between PSD and CIS. Excuse me, CISM would be a transformative step towards ensuring every student in the school listed has the opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally by leveraging CISM's expertise and resources. PSD can enhance its student support system. Reduce drop out rates and
create a more inclusive, thriving, and educational environment. This collaboration will reaffirm PSD's commitment to addressing the whole child's need ultimately leading to stronger school and a brighter future for Pontiac's youth. Funding source. Recommendation. It is the recommendation of administration that the Board of Education approved the agreement with community schools in Michigan for it. Not for an amount not to exceed 37, 500, which is 7500 each for 2 full time sites. Pontiac High School and Pontiac
Middle School in twenty-two thousand five hundred for one full time site at Walt Whitman which all of these programs are currently in place at those schools. In a previous presentation was shared with the Board of Education on the data as it relates to services that are provided to students in Pontiac School District from communities in school. Okay. Alright. We have a couple more items for discussion so we can cover that and then we'll move down to action items,
okay? For discussion and action, tonight, we would like to discuss the Peace Academy relocation to WHRC and for that, I will turn it over to Bill Holcomb and Marvin Beasley. Thank you, Doctor Leverent. Good evening, President Hannah, board, community. Good evening. We have three bears for you to consider for discussion and action. I will start with Peace Academy relocation to WHRC. It has been determined by the
district that the current location of Peace Academy is not adequate due to safety concerns, lack of air conditioning, and a failing boiler system to provide adequate heat. The district has done internal reviews to determine if a better location is available. After months of on-site inspections and reviews, it was determined that space could be made available at the WHRC complex by internally shuffling existing programs and classrooms. The major cost categories associated with
this relocation are as follows. IDS design and compliance review, 9540, That has already been completed Uh full classroom furniture from Lakeshore Learnings, four hundred one thousand 1 hundred fifty-two dollars and seventy-four cents. That's replacing existing furniture from Peace Academy. Um we've learned through multiple moves so far. As we start moving this classroom furniture, that's multiple years old. Uh the majority of it collapses during these moves.
So, desks, chairs, arm wires, that that type of stuff. Uh really all need to be replaced at this. Once we do a move of this sort. Uh this also includes $80, 000 for packing supplies and relocations to have a moving company come in and assist with moving that. $150, hundred and 50 thousand dollars a year marked for new playground equipment to be installed and inspected. Uh childcare center license and inspections are $1, 000 and building
modifications such as putting in some windows. There's two classrooms that we need to put in egress windows. Uh there may be some doors that need to be addressed. Handles that sort of thing. Uh totaling seven hundred forty-one thousand six hundred ninety-two dollars and seventy-four cents. The funding source for that on my copy is different than what's on your copy. We had to modify the comp that they out of. Uh Cynthia will address those after and give you new copies of that
but it's a bond fund four two three four five six zero zero zero zero nine five zero zero six six five six two two zero zero It is the recommendation of the administration that the Board of Education authorized design, bidding, and pending bid awards, subsequent moves within WHRC and from current Peace Academy location to WHRC. Pending bids, the project is estimated to cost seven hundred forty-one thousand six hundred
ninety-two dollars and seventy-four cents. Okay thing. We read through each of them and then. And then do questions. Do questions. The next set of documents. Uh this is for the transportation center relocation to to PHS, excuse me. Sorry, I'm sorry. Yes, how come. We do have a question. We want to ask questions for each one. Yup. Trustee Miller, did you have a question now? I would just wonder if can we have, can we like doing individually because if I have a question in regards specifically to peace, I don't want to wait til the end of the
presentation have to come back. So, if word approved, I will help. Yes, you can go can we just just split it up please. Yeah. Uh my question for the relocation to WHRC. I understand the concern for safety. I went over there and spent some time. I was able to talk to the principal and some of the teachers so I I completely support that. If it enhances the environment that our children and our educators will be in. My my concern is this is this is though it is
definitely needed. It's a lot of money with some variables. Like we don't know how one of the unexpected costs. Like when you get them into WHRC and my biggest concern is I don't want the the kids our students to be disrupted. Um you know like when ITA was moved when you guys redid WHRC and I heard some of the students say hey we just moved back into our building. Why do we have to move back out? That is my concern for this entire project is that our key our our students be
disrupted. And like what's a a real ideal timeline that this will be completed. So it happened over the summer. So it wouldn't impact students during the school year. Uh we begin packing up June 13th. So the twelfth is the last day. The the 13th we'd start packing up. Uh and have it completed for school at the beginning of September. That's very doable. This this is not a this is not a complicated move for us. Actually a small move actually. I
have a question. Does this move have to be complete? I want to make sure she was done. I thought she shook her head when I looked. Okay. Okay. I didn't see it. Go ahead. Um for this move, why is it so imperative that it be done right now? Um my memory is probably not as sharp as many of yours but I thought you mentioned the real problem over there was the boiler and now we are at, did you mention a price tag of 700 something dollars just a minute ago? 700
dollars. For the entire move, yes. And then, how much did you say that boiler could use? And then the other question I would like answered and you may not have the answer and that's okay. We talk about security. What problems have been happening that I'm not aware of. Also, when we talk about lockdowns and things or things that happen in a particular community, all schools within a certain radius will be locked down and it doesn't even have
to be in the Pontiac District. It could be Pontiac and Troy and Auburn Hills simultaneously. So, I'd like to know some of those security concerns because what I checked out, I couldn't find anything that would make me vote to the school based on what I'm hearing about the security issues Um so, those are my questions. So, to address your first comment, the boiler system that's there is not included in this cost. At this cost.
That's $400, 000. Exactly. On top of this, if we are to replace the. Wait, I was just asking what was, I wanted to kind of do a comparative for me. Everything, the price tag for you now and and correct me. It's over $700, 000 to just make the transfer and it's under that amount to stay in that building especially when we're projecting or at least looking at bringing students back to the district. Also, when we talk about
the move over to WHRC, many of my colleagues that have teaching degrees, certificates, what have you. They know we took a class in classroom and it makes a difference just because you have, you can't put em in the space and then don't have space for the movement for learning. So, I'm I'm wondering what information, what Well, studies went into that. Did anyone look at that? Also, when we talk about the total child, what went
into that whole move? Did anyone do those kinds of studies for me? Well, far as space go, we we we walk to space many many times but far as a child, I didn't do that part. So, so would it be clear that there's been but they're pre K so they not. They can't answer that. I can't answer that background. I don't know what I was about to say. So, how can you say what they get answered? It's about studies. They can't answer this. Right, but I'm just saying, even even with us with our cabinet. He cannot return to the students with all these new students. I'm not. No. We're
we're talking about moving this district forward. We have to have a projection of school students coming back. Uh let's just we we can't stay but then on the other hand, we talked about possibly having a district with no no buildings. Remember I was brought up too. No. So I want to make sure that we're not going. Wait a minute. That way. No, but trust me, do it. Wait a minute. Uh Treasury Terry, I think let's give mister Holcomb, mister Beasley, a chance to answer the question. I think miss Harris was going to answer one of your questions too. So,
let's answer the questions that were asked first. So, one of the safe as far as safety goes. We've had maybe five lockdowns just this school year where we've been locked down for 45 minutes or longer. We have because we're positioned in in the apartment complex over there. The driveway and traffic pattern is supposed to be one way but we have cars
coming from both directions during drop off and dismissal at the end of the day. Um we're Out there usually directing traffic, trying to make people slow down and turn around. We also because the yard, the playground is not completely fenced while our kids are outside playing, we get kids and students or not necessarily students but visitors per se from the surrounding apartment complexes throughout the
day where either myself or the PAO has to go out and ask them to leave until school hours Um those are really, that really is that one itself having people on the playground while our kids are trying to play outside is the most concerning especially during the times when our little kids should be outside. They're required to go outside but Rod and I usually do a daily sweep to get the
neighborhood students to leave the playground. And Sarah, how long has this? How long has this been a concern to the school with these five lockdowns? How long have you had security issues? Um so, we've had security issues every year since I've been in the building as a teacher and as the principal and I've been there for 12 years now. Um in they are getting increasingly
more excessive every year. Are these police documented issues? Um that, I am not sure. I do get the calls from Chief Gross and from the SRO officers. So, I would imagine that they are documented, yes. Alright, thank you. Any other questions, Miss Dooley, Trusty Dooley? Well, as far as the the studies question, I'll turn that over to Doctor Levert and Doctor Deveson. Great. Right.
So in regards to the question Trustee Dooley, I don't know if there were any studies but just best practices that we looked at in terms of why it was important for us collectively to, as you stated, move the district forward, and to consider the safety needs of our youngest learners at peace, as well as our staff, looking at what those incidents are, and how it impacts their social and emotional and their sense of security, and safety, was of urge
importance for all of us to have a collective conversation about what would be in the best interest of the students and staff at peace. So, can I get a copy of that report, you? Compile. I didn't say that I compiled a report but I can put. I just had a conversation. We've had a conversation that I've referenced several documents that I've already shared with you that I'd be happy to get to you and the entire board again, absolutely. Yup, I have those. I didn't see anything in that reading about what I'm talking about. It's
not a a indictment against you. Oh, I understand. Questions, I'm asking. Because I have been inundated with phone calls with people. They're not necessarily happy with the move but as we know, we won't please everyone. We we know that but I I'm obligated to at least present. To you, the board their concerns haven't been elected with 7, 617 votes. I have to represent not only those persons but also all the
constituents. So, I'm getting calls and and that's all I'm doing. They should be watching. So, they'll know that I'm asking their questions. Absolutely understood. Any other questions, trust Dooley. Any other questions from the board regarding this relocation for WHRC? Thank you. We're moving on to the next one. Okay. thank you. Uh transportation center relocation to Pontiac High School. This is for discussion and action this evening. Excuse me, have an itch in my eye. Um in the summer of 2017, the
Fell Center underwent a concrete slab renovation and space modification to support separate areas for landscaping, transportation operations, and out. This lab renovation was due to cracks and separations in the floor caused by voids under the building. Since that time, additional cracks and separations continue to appear at an uncomfortable rate. Initial estimates to remediate all of the issues were discussed and came in at approximately four to $5 million dollars. Taking into consideration
the weight of new EV buses and and infrastructure and the continued deterioration of the building and parking lot. The district began looking at alternative location if you recall at our he was the last board meeting or the last the specialist session we shared pictures of the the dilapidation of that building as well. After review of existing properties, it was determined that a suitable location exist between Pontiac High School, Pontiac Middle School, and the Oakland Schools Campus. Pending
architectural design which will take approximately six weeks. It costs a 55, 840. The estimated cost for new parking lot and transportation is three million 5 hundred thousand dollars. The funding source is a bond fund. four two three four five six zero zero zero, zero, zero, nine, five, zero, zero, six, six, five, six, two, two, zero, zero, zero, zero. It is the recommendation of the administration that the Board of Accation that the Board of Education
authorized design, bidding, and pending bid awards, subsequent construction of a new bus lot in transportation center at Pontiac High School. Penn Deacon Bids, the project is estimated to cost three million $554000, 800, excuse me three million five hundred fifty-four thousand 8 forty dollars. Trustees, any questions? Yes. Yes. Trustee Gross? Thank you. Um yeah, I'm an advocate of this but my
question is, what happens with for a student? Or any other contractual transportation company that we use where they go into the new facility? They would be relocated to the new facility. What happened to the usage of the Fell Center? That's yet to be determined by the board. Okay. Um if if it's for sale, for lease, for whatever. I mean, I with the condition of the building. So, I guess my question is, fail center will be totally empty. Eventually, yes. Totally empty. I mean, so you you
move your crew to the new facility. Awesome. So, we have enough room to house the the the transportation like we're doing now. Yes. Um With the new EV buses. The biggest, one of the biggest concerns was the parking lot because of the holes and things like that. Correct. This area where we're looking at placing the new buses which we need will fit more. Yes. You'll be a new a new paved law. New pavement. Now. Also, the implementation of
electric dockings. That that's also going to correct. Okay. Alright. Cuz everything is moved there. We'll be fine. Oh, yeah. Are we looking at this making his move by when? Complete it? Possibly? Well, design work is six weeks. Uh bid work beyond that is another 2 weeks. So, sometime, hopefully this. So, by the next school year, it'll be, they'll be in there. By next year, by next school year, you'll be there. Yes. Not for seeing any issues with tariffs and delaying. Oh, yeah. Yeah, we we can't
control that. Right. Yeah. And and then my my next question is, with these new moves, potential new move right? With peace in in this here. How does that affect the moving, the completion of Harrington or does it at all? Doesn't affect it at all? Does it at all? It's a lot. Very well. Okay. Alright. Lot of manpower. Now, as it pertains to I don't know how this would work, Bill. Maybe you can help
me. I know in the Fail Center, these buses can only go so far on a, on a, on a electric charge. On a charge. Correct. Does this location affect not significantly so. You know what I'm saying? An average charge for the bus is about 1 and twenty-five miles that it can do on on a single charge. Our longest route for the entire day is 105 miles. Right. So, the buses come back after the morning drop off. They have the opportunity to charge midday. It's called dwelling. Yes. Um they have four hours to dwell. It
takes three hours to completely charge a bus. From zero to 100%. So, we have plenty of because the the routing amount time is different to the locations, the pickups for the kids from the fail center that it is in the location at the high school. So, it's either be a less or more based on. Our initial our initial estimates are it's basically wash, Um. So wash. Okay. Honestly, we haven't done every single route. We just haven't
had. No, you're good. I just want to make sure because I don't I wouldn't say the fail center was central located but it was close. In case of a taste, the the the the routings where the buses leave from to get to the routes. Yeah, it's one point8 miles from the Fell Center to the high school. So nice. It sounds not a huge difference. That's what I'm, that's what I wanted to hear. Thank you. Okay, Trustee Miller. Yes, though I haven't been inside the Fellow Center, I've listened to you guys state that is is a lot of stuff in there. Yeah. Um my concern is what are
we going to do with like, I know that the pool parts are in there. It's some trailers that are those are trailers? No, they're rented trailers. Okay. Um most of those hold the furniture and stuff for Harrington. They could be moved. Okay. Okay. And I did read it but I'm not good with the graphs and all of that stuff. So, just I'm just going to ask you. Is it going to be a structure or just like a paved lot? Are you going to have like a built? Like a. it would be a parking lot and a garage with office space in it? At at
the new location. Okay. When I rode past the Philistine, I see that it was equipped to deliver like larger like dock. It has like a bay door. Did you do you feel that you where the the larger deliveries going to go being that they won't go to the fail center? Where would they go? Will they go to school to the high school or middle school or to that one bill? And also build a shed over there. Okay. At the high school library at. So does we also have the A eleven room? Our mains home. Which has a garage door in there. A eleven. Space. Yes. Seven
space in high school already. We use the storage. So the intent would also be that Lee Industrial who has about a quarter of the Fell Center, they would relocate to their facilities on Cesar Chavez. Any other questions? So, we anticipate if everything happen without delay, this could probably be completed by, you said, the school year, do you mean the twenty twenty-five, 2026? School year or?
Depending on when everything gets done. Um definitely by the 26th school year. Um hopefully, by next spring. So, we already have the buses. Mm hmm. 25 of the buses. We already have the charge equipment. So, we're not going to run in any tariff issues or shipping like that. That stuff's already stored currently in the in the cell center. Uh huh. So, that's just waiting to be installed. We've been holding off on that pending this decision. Okay. Alright, thank you. And I think we got one more. One more.
Uh this is for the Natatorium conversion to a multi-purpose room over at the high school for discussion in action. In June of twenty twenty-3, a project was started to reinvigorate the existing auditorium under a different board of education and different project leadership. Subsequent to that work being started. It was determined by current leadership that the amount approved of one million one hundred forty3 thousand five hundred and sixty-four dollars was not adequate. Upon further review and
design consultations, the actual cost is projected to increase to approximately 4 million $526, thousand five hundred sixty-four dollars and forty cents. With an addition annual operating cost of approximately $500, 000 dollars. Uh that operating cost will cover things like lifeguards, maintaining the water, it has to be tested daily three times a day actually. Um items like like that. So, in in lieu of the increased construction and
operational costs, the district has taken a different approach to utilizing the space. Crazy. We feel the space would be best to utilize as a multi-function, multi-purpose room that could host events such as robotics competitions to support our world championship wings of fire robotics team or events such as dance competitions or community and student presentations in any number of events that can utilize a large open space with bleacher-style seating for 400 people and a state-of-the-art video and
soundboard which is already been installed under the previous allocated funds. Funding for funding source for this is again a bond account four two three four five six zero zero zero zero seven one zero zero six six five six two two zero zero. It is the recommendation of administration at the Board of Vacation, authorized design, bidding, and pending bid awards in subsequent construction of about, excuse me, and the subsequent
construction of a multi-purpose room in the non-functioning auditorium space at Pontiac High School. Pending bids, the project is estimated cost. One million five hundred fifteen thousand 3 14 dollars and forty cents. That's on top of the million dollars that has already been allocated in there. To convert to a multi-purpose room. Okay, trustees VP bombing. And you said with the feeling of the the pool,
your use of materials that won't damage anything if we need to take it out and decide to renovate that space again to actual use. That will still be available? No. No. The pool will be filled in. Right. Period. The existing pool that's there would be filled in and made non-functioning. Thank you. Indian. Yup. Trustee Gross. Um we know we purchased some equipment. Yeah. Mm hmm. Yeah. And I know that our last discussion we had, we were looking at possibly recouping some
money with the sale of that equipment, correct? Correct. Um if we were to recoup funds that goes where? Back? They go back into the into the bonds. To the bond? Not general fund. And when will we start that process? As soon as you we get it approved, we can start. We get approved and start to sell. Okay and I need to say this. I know I received the Email. I don't know if you guys about, you know, scrapping the pool and not to do so and this is something
that was discussed before I came back on this board in two thousand and twenty. And we saw some things and and based on some things that didn't come to fruition. It was be very difficult and expensive for us to look at putting in a pool. Correct. My hopes are. As we continue because we're going to continue and to make improvements and adjustments within the district and we start seeing things get better, right? And we go out and seek some form of
another bond or something and possibly even a bond to replace our high school or you know, rebuild or or build a new school. We can cover that during that time. And the reason I'm saying this, I don't want the community to think that we're actually scrapping the ideal of a pool. Right? Because it's all about planning and how we roll it out. Correct. You understand what I'm saying? And I don't want people to, you know, throw darts or you know,
knives at us because they're thinking, oh, if we do this, we're never going to have a pool. That's not the case with this. Yeah, absolutely. So, I think one of the, the misconceptions is. Right. The pool that's there. It's not yours. It three foot and goes to 10 and a half foot. It's not you. It's not a community pool that that people have in their minds where you have a zero entry. You just kind of walk in with your toddler. Um it's it's not a you know whatever it is. Wolf Lodge or Bavarian Inn. That's that's not what this was. This was a high school
swimming pool. Right, exactly and thank you for saying that because it's it's not. And I just want the community to know that. Right now. The time when we did the bond, we looked at doing the community pool and it came in like sixteen, $17 million dollars. 16, 17 million. It went from eight to 16 to 17 million. That's when we first started when I came home. Correct. Yup. So, I I need to let the community know. That's just where I'm at with this and that we're not scrapping it. It's just that we have some unused space that we
need to utilize and this gives us a better opportunity and option and it benefits children. It does. This is going to be nice. It is. Great robot. A lot of things indoors and we can even look at as we go through possibly having graduations in there. It it's a great space. And don't have to spend $250, 000 hopefully. You know I'm just kidding doc. Doc I'm just kidding. Doctor looked at me. Miss Rosso say that. But we can look at utilizing our own space
indoors that we have. Uh if we do things like this. That's all I'm saying. And that's my idea. Yeah and it's different than the gymnasium. It's a different. Very different. You know it's not the hardwood. It's. Acoustics are better. Yeah. It's yeah. It's very different. It's entirely better. So any Thank you, Trusty Girls. Any other questions? Yes, Trusty Miller. Thank you. I have a question. Uh I see here that this was this project was started in June of twenty twenty-three. So, now we're in, well, April 2025. Um and from what 20
twenty-four, I believe. It say twenty twenty-three. Right here. Okay. In June the 20th on the bear. It say twenty twenty. Okay. So now, we're in 2025. So, it's been sitting for almost 2 years. So, why now is it has it? This project put on holes. Yes. When the when the monetary value of it started exceeding what the board had authorized to spend. Okay. Uh and we saw as a collective group that it was going to far exceed that amount. That there weren't things that were taken into consideration
like the $500, 000 operating cost. Okay. Is for me and I know that you guys are more are experts at this but for me, this seems like a lot of construction that we're we're attempting to do in one summer. If is there a way to prioritize is so we don't have so many projects going on at one time because I I foresee it. I'm concerned that it will be disruptive to the learning to our students, our staff, That is my concern. So, they're very different
areas. Sorry, Marvin. Uh they're very different areas and different trades that are associated with with that. So, the group that would be doing the pool area is very different than the asphalt companies and the masons that would be doing the transportation area. They're not, they're just different trades. Um both of those areas, there aren't students adjacent to those areas. So, where the pool currently is in the athletic wing, there's there's no classrooms right within there. That's already a done box. So, keep
it's we're just filling in the pool So, a lot of filter will be brought in. Um nothing really has to be constructed there. It's just filling it in and and putting in a flooring on top of that The construction area for the the transportation lots. Okay. Again, we would do it as as much as we can during the summer but again, that's far enough away. There are six acres there. We're taking up about four acres of that for the the parking lot away from the school the high school and the middle school. If that helps.
Doesn't affect learning and we don't have to move any kids out like we did in the middle school night. We don't have to do that. That's that's why I asked that question how long it would take her. how it affect Harrington because but they're utilizing different people to complete Harrington. Which will affect learning? Because it's a school. But that's why I asked that question too. Yes. Exactly. It's a good point. Any other question? No. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you for your time. Alright. Moving down action items? Um don't cheat. Oh. Oh general
council. We haven't gotten any. Nope. We haven't had. So, action item A. If I can get a motion for the approval of the communities and schools of Michigan came in and support agreement with PSD. Samu. Support has been moved by Trustee Grow, supported by VP Bowman for the approval of the communities and schools of Michigan Payment and Support Agreement with PSD. Any questions? Yes. I want to guess. Yes. Trust this is a program that we currently have in place right now? Yes. My concern is that I know we're
going to renew this and they did come and they did speak at one of the board meetings. I just as a from a parental standpoint, I don't see I really don't see any any not to minimize the program. I would like to see something that supports us renewing the program considering that they are it is already in place. I would like to see the success rate for this before we decide to renew it to make sure that we're if we're going to pay for a program that we're actually utilizing and they're doing what they supposed to do. That's what I
would I would appreciate because I don't want to just keep renewing vendors and programs that are not being utilized appropriately for our students. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions or comments? Um I concur with Trustee Miller on the uses of the money and also as I've stated in previous meetings, I will be voting no on all issues of money until we have that true budget that I've requested the
check registries, all financial institutions that we bank with. Okay. Trustee Gross? Yes. Yes. I understand the the the your reason, any rights now behind. And I'm just speaking for myself. We have one employee and that's the superintendent right now, the interim superintendent and she has provided us with this information that we need to actually vote on. Giving this to us. Bringing it forward to us and I entrusting her that the programs have been evaluated. Um that she has done her
due diligence to ensure and if there was any issues or concerns. This is just my opinion and if there was any issues or concerns, I don't think she would presented to us to come to and vote. This how we have done so and and and before because I'm a one I'm one board member. I don't get involved in the day to day. Um that tends to have some issues. They don't pay me enough to do that. At least at least they think they do. The Oakland Press say they do. But and come on please. Thank
you. Thank you. I'm not wishy washy. I'm being truthful. This is my opinion. And I respect the fact that this information is given to us by the superintendent. So I trust that evaluation and the process has been done completely in order for her to bring this to us because it's already an implemented program. So, this is how I feel on why I vote the way I vote with things because I entrusted the fact that it's being done. So, okay. That's all. Sorry. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. So, Doctor Leverette will
send out. She did just receive another updated report from CIS on Friday. She'll make sure that she shares it forward it to us tonight just so that you can take a look at it but thank you. And thank you. And Doctor Leverett, let me let me be, let me provide some clarity. This is not to second guess you or question your abilities to do what's best for our students. Let me be very clear. It's just for me. I am still a new trustee. And you guys are familiar with a lot of these programs. I have to, I will not stop until I become comfortable. I
need to read it. I need to see some data because now I'm in a position that I was voted into to spend the district money for kids. So, I am going to ask every single time. What are we giving this money for? I agree with you. But it's not to insult her or this board or anybody else but Imma ask. Imma ask what have they done for us? No, I agree with you. Since they've been here. And you should. But I'm saying because we've done this before and we've seen this before. We've been through this before. We monitor them before. You have not. Y'all did. Right. That's not true. You have not. Yeah. I I respected yourself. And you're right. Yeah. Yeah. So as you
give yours up in your opinion and right Janelle. So this is I guess. I gave mine because of what I've seen before with this program and how I felt. So, that's why I say what I. Well, hopefully in in ten, 15 more years, I'll be legacy like you on the board. You know. Just 13. Just 13. You know what I mean? So, right now. Just nowhere behind the ears. So, you know. Just 13. Thank you. Treasurer Terry. Treasurer Terry. I'm sorry. Um for me, I guess my question would be What role is this playing with the the
MTSS presentation that we received earlier that that provides those services for all of the students in the district. Also I believe in their presentation, they have them listed as a partner Um so, I'm I'm trying to see what role are they playing with each other in regards to often the services to the to the kids in the district. They're they're two
separate programs although what they do compliment each other but remember communities and schools they can only take 30 of our students but again when we hear the when we heard the presentation from miss Williams, there there is certainly a need like although we have this comprehensive program, we have the behavior interventionist, the at-risk social worker. It is still not enough and so, communities and schools is one of those touchpoints that's more intentional with a
their case load can hold 30 students and it and it is by design. So, they're not necessarily reaching the the larger population of of students within these three schools that we serve especially when we talk. Well, not especially but but all of the schools, there's a need for these services and the data has shown that it has certainly increased student proficiency in certain areas and decrease them in in others where we want to see more more favorable behavior from our Thank you. Did you have another one
here? Yeah and then I just want to be clear with the amounts that that was being proposed if I'm correct. That's annually. The was it? A little over $7, 000 or $7, 000? Okay. 500. 5000. Is that that's annually? That's annually. And they're they're planning on being there full time 40 hours a week. The the coordinators, I believe they're only part time. I don't think those coordinators are full time.
Are they, Ashley? I can check but I don't think there. Mister Sanders is one of the coordinators. I would I could check and get back to you on that. Nope. Nope. I was just making sure. Okay. That number was correct. Um because I'm assuming it's maybe grant funded or something else. If they're going to be there that much time. Yeah. I know it's I don't think it's 40 hours that he's specifically at the middle school. If you want to know. It is. That's what I was looking for. Yup. It's 37,
which is 7, 000 five 00 each for two full-time sites. Pontiac High and Pontiac Middle in twenty-two thousand five 00 for one full-time site which is Walt Living. So, it doesn't say that they are. I will assume that 7000 not full-time employees. Right. Uh but it it doesn't specify that. It would just be an assumption for that. But it it is $37, 500. But a whole year. Hm. For the whole year? Yeah.
That will be yes. Any other questions, Treasurer Terry? No, I do say. Any other. It's like full time though but just wanted to make sure the numbers is right but okay, we're good. Thank you. And yes, any other question, Julie? Alright. Can I get a motion for the already dead roll call please? Mm hmm. Trustee Miller. Which one is this? The store communities and schools. Community of schools. Uh no. Trustee Terry. Yes. Trustee Bowman. Yes.
I'm voting yes. Trustee Dooley? No. Trustee Gross? Yes. And trustee Hammond? Yes. That passes five to Thank you. Alright, moving down to action item B, approval of reimagine phase one plan recommendations which includes Peace Academy relocation to WHRC, Transportation Center, Relocation to PHS, and the Natatorium Conversion to multi-purpose room. Can I get a
motion, please? So move. Support. It's been moved by trustee growth, supported by VP Bowman for the approval of Reimagined Phase One Plan Recommendations. Any questions? Yes, Trustee Mo let me be very clear. Doctor Laverette, I know that you, your team, your cabinet have worked extensively to produce this for us. I'm not questioning your abilities or your team's abilities. It's just for me, this is a lot to do. It's a lot of moving parts in one summer. I would like to see, I would,
it, if it was me, I would have liked to seen it more spread out. Um, so we can focus on one project at a time. Even though all of these projects are pressing, like, peace needs to move because of safety issues, definitely. I support that. I support all of it. I just, I feel like. A lot at once I'm just one, one time. So, that's what it is for me. Okay, thank you. Any other comments or questions? Roll call please. Treasurer Terry. Yes. Trustee Bowman. Yes. I'm sorry. VP
Bowman. My voting, yes. Trustee Dooley. No. Trusty Grove? Yes. And President Hannah? Yes. And Trustee Miller. No. That passes five to 2. Alright, thank you very much. Continuing on with our agenda moving to General Council Human Resource items. Attorney Seagers. Oh, sorry. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. I just wanted to provide a report in regards to our teacher observations that occurred
in March. So, just a brief review. We had 121 student, 121 teachers that was exempt this school year. Um they could have been highly effective or effective the last three school years which would deem them to be exempt from having an observation this school year. There were 87 effective teachers, 11 teachers. Give me those numbers again, just a minute. Oh, sorry. 1 21 were exempt.
Right. 87 teachers were effective. 11 teachers were rated as developing And two teachers were rated as needing support. And then for the March observations we had three teachers that were on leave of absence. The two teachers that are on needing support, they will be placed on a plan of assistance. That's my question. Yep. And then should those teachers not the developing teachers not become effective than
for the upcoming school year we would place them on a plan of assistance also. The staff are not included in these numbers. They get their final evaluation at the end of the school year and we'll be able to report on that which is our counselors, social workers, PTOT, and then a long-term substitute teachers, they'll also have evaluation ratings that will be reported at the end of the school year also. Okay. Any questions? Yes. Ashley, can you tell me what you said about the one21 teachers being
exempt? Why were they exempt? Because they've either been effective or highly effective the last three school years. So, that would qualify them to be exempt for observation. When did they change, Ashley, if you know off the top of your head, when did they get rid of the highly affected their school year? Just this July one. Uh huh. And Again, this is, when I say stuff, it's not personal. I'm I'm just going to make a a blanket statement. It's not personal. My concern is, if we are failing district, how are we going to exempt teachers from being
when there's a from being evaluated because there's a direct correlation between learning and the delivery of instruction. So, for us to still be in the negative, how did you guys or whomever the building administrators think that was a good idea. So that. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. I'm just saying, when we when we talk about trying to move the district forward in accountability from the instructional side, can't afford
not, I mean, that's that's just like, I can't even say that part. Okay. So, the exemption status is not. Let me say something. Oh, the exemption status is not new. That's something that's been occurring. Um. No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying and this is not, this is not even for you, Ashley. It's just a statement. Just a statement, baby. That I'm saying, we're in a critical juncture right here in education, especially in our district. We are not turning out the students the the level and the
quality of students that we would want. Am I correct? Am I or am I by myself? Correct. With that being said, the person that's responsible in getting that student, there has to be some accountability. That by not a by not evaluating them. It allowed them to stay in silo and isolation. And it's given it's it's just not a good practice for for oversight not to be on the teachers. That's
responsible for delivering instruction. Because that's who's going to fuel our being able to see and measure academic achievement, the measurable goals, and to have the outcomes produced. That's just my from being an educator, I would never not evaluate. That's just for free. Any other questions or comments, Trusty Dooley? No,
no. Did anyone else has have any questions or comments for miss Ashley? Yes. Trustee is gross. Um when do we obtain information as pertains to the evaluation of our principles and assistance? The end of the school year, you'll have evaluation ratings for the administration administration staff also. Okay. Uh huh. Alright. Thank you. Ashley, is that a state date that it come at the end of the year? Or is that just something we did as a district? I'm not sure what you said. For the evals to you said at the
end of the school year because that even that's. Like puts me in a quandary as to why would we wait to the end of the year and again, you know, zing and see. Why would we wait til the end of the year to get an evaluation of an administrator and we don't have time to put a plan of assistance in. So, no, they still get evaluated throughout the year. I just report on it at the end of the school year to you. So, Doctor. That's my point. Why would we, is there, is that a state thing or is that just something we did
that we only get the final documentation of what they did, their successes or failures at the end of the year. Is that an internal? Past practice? Just past practice. I think it's just been passed. That's cool. Thank you. That's all I was just trying to get clarity. Any any other questions or comments for Ashley? Thank you. Thank you, Ashley. Alright, moving on down. To item B. Resignation agreement with employee number E six zero one six
three eight. Attorney Seagers. Yes, employee E six zero one 6 has announced their resignation effect of April 28 2025. The attached resignation agreement governs the terms of their separation from the district. It is a recommendation of administration at the Board of Education to prove the attached presentation agreement with employee E six zero one six three eight. Alright, any thank you Attorney Seagers. Any questions from trustees? Yes. Trustee Miller,
thank you. This is just a discussion item. I I wish I would have had more of an opportunity to be able to evaluate all the documents that were presented. Um other than that. Yeah. So, that's the only reason why I'm not comfortable voting supporting this because I didn't have and I wasn't given the opportunity to be able to thoroughly read through the documents. Thank you. Any other questions or comments? Alright, for action item, can I get a motion for the
approval of the resignation agreement with employee number E six zero one six three eight. So move. Support. It's been moved by VP Bowman, supported by Trustee Gross for the approval to accept the resignation agreement with employee number E six zero, one, six, three, eight. Any questions? Roll call please. Uh VP Bowman? Yes. I'm voting as Trusty Dooley? No. Trustee Gross? Yes. President
Hannah? Yes. Trustee Miller? No. And Treasurer Terry? Yes. That passes five to 2. Alright, thank you very much. Under curriculum and instruction, discussion items A, Pontiac Middle School STEM, with the Twist Girls Club overnight field trip to Kansas City, Missouri. Doctor Laverette, Doctor Davidson Okay, thank you. So, this is the Pontiac Middle School field trip. Um if you know, they went just recently
and this is the follow-up trip. So, these students will have an opportunity to engage in challenge and steam experiences. This will empower students to develop skills and innovative problem solving and creative thinking. The funding sources is not needed from the school. Um they will be all donated but already my Stem has already donated five thousand five hundred dollars. It is the recommendation of the administration that the Board of Education approved the Pontiac Middle stem with a twist, girl club to
go to the destination, imagination, global tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. Alright, trustees, any questions? Doctor Dobson. You're in need of donating. Um so, it was donated 5 thousand, 5hundred and five hundred dollars in the total. If I'm not mistaken, just because I don't have that pieces in the pocket, I think it was 14, 000 and $400. So, you're in need of 9, 000 from the district? No. No. They they will be getting these
don't donations. So, Oakland University is already in the making. Um but what I to date is that MyStem is donating $5, 500 and that's from Oakland Schools. This is just to approve them going on a trip. They're not requesting. Yeah, they're not requesting any funds from the district. So, any questions, comments? I guess by by them going to this level that tells us that they did well at the previous one because they were just here. So, they play sixth
place and the one thing that Tara Ford wanted to know is that all the other schools started in August and we started in January. So, the mere fact that we placed in sixth place that was a positive so that hence why Oakland schools decided to give us the 5, 500. Awesome. Alright. Alright, any questions? Alright, hearing none. action item, approval of the Pontiac Middle School stem with the Twist Girls Club overnight field trip to
Kansas City, Missouri. Can I get a motion? Support has been moved by Trustee Dooley, supported by VP Bowman for the approval of the Pontiac Middle School Stem with a twist girls club, overnight field trip Kansas City, Missouri. Any questions? Roll call please. I'm voting yes. Trustee Dooley. Yes. Trustee Grove? Yes. President Hannah? Yes. Trustee Miller? Yes. Treasurer Terry? Yes. VP Bowman. Yes. That passes seven oh. Alright.
Thank you. Alright. Moving down. Communications, petitions, and delegations. Do we have any VP? There are none. Alright. Alright, board, comments, and announcements. I'm going to start over to my left with miss Trustee Dooley. Certainly, this district is faced with many challenges. I want to remind everyone that our goal has been mandated, that we provide oversight and all roads should support academic achievement for our for our students and sustain that
success. With that being said, as we look at the reimagined and the moves proposed to move frost and reconfigure the ITA, ILA programs. I have not heard any plans shared how this move supports academic achievement and its sustaining support of literacy. In addition, as I enter my fifth month of being a board member, a true budget check registry, and a list of financial institutions has yet to be provided to me. The board has been
given this mandate to oversight our financial obligations. I solicit help from those that are watching in the persons of my state rep, Brenda Carter, Oakland County Commissioner Angela Powell, perhaps Jeremy Moss, and even Attorney General Dana Nester. Please assist me with this matter Uh last week, we were provided a budget overview presentation and based on my experience with both MEA,
Michigan Education Association, and the NEA National Education Association. I'm not satisfied. Please help. We must pass a balanced budget by June 30th. What budgets? There's quite a few. It could be a quality budget. Tax budget. Statutory budget. Internal budget. External. Compliance. Operational. And financial. Whichever budget it is, I would like to see, let me give this analogy and I'll be through. If you just
inherited your family business, are you just going to take the word of what's supposed to be in the books, on the books, in the bank, you would want proof. You would not just take somebody's statement to say, oh, we're good. It's okay. Well, I'm not good and I'm not okay and again, I will not be voting on any financial matter until I'm satisfied that I see the condition and the financial state
that Pontiac is in. With that, we had a great presentation. I am excited about that art program. However, there's a concern about a art room being just a closet over at WHRC. I don't know. However, again, I endeavor to put your comments, your concerns, out here where I am transparent and will give full accountability to those persons that voted for me. With that, have a
great evening. God bless you. Alright, thank you very much. Trustee Gross. Thank you. Good his past evening. Good night. No. Uh what a what a very educational meeting this evening and I'm so glad that we're able to discuss some very important things that are going on in the district. Just a couple of highlights. He had the opportunity on last I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday. Um on behalf of the Welcome Missionary Baptist Church.
Um the school district Alcott Elementary receives much of donated socks. So I was a part of that initiative being on that committee as a member at Welcome and I was able to go over and take a picture take pictures with our kids and with the principal over there and I send you guys I send Doctor Hannah and Doctor Leverett who I was hoping we send it to Heidi so we can get him posted have a few to give to you that we took with our children and we're so happy and I mean
it it was just wonderful to be able to see those those faces and it seem like every we have so many every kid can get a pair of socks over there so that was just one initiative and I'm I'm so happy about that. Um on Saturday, I was with the the gentleman of the most famous fraternity there is in the world, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, the Man of Purple and Gold where we were over at Richardson Park where we have took
initiative within the city to help out and I'm and I'm saying this because the park is now beautiful. And is the area where our kids can go over there and feel safe because now I mean, I grew up in that area and it's it has not been this this oh it's pretty. It's pretty and they're going to name the pavilion after my chapter, Omar Crown Alfa. Uh because we've been doing our initiative there cleaning up. So, I want to give kudos to the men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated. May is a
real busy month. Uh we have commencements on the twenty-first. 22nd. 22nd. Okay, I'm looking right at it too. I need to ask when I have my glasses on. This is the twenty-2nd. It's going to be fun. We have the concert on the same day. We have the retreat on the 14th and then we have a retreat on the fifteenth, correct? Fill 14 and 15? Yes. Uh Well, part, yeah, only couple
hours on the sixteenth. Um I'm involved on decision day on the first. And I had to correct them. Uh I saw the rundown. They had me as DP growth which I was last year when I did it. But it's just trust but I'm still there and myself and Doctor Levert who I get to introduce and then they're asking me to give a you know, motivational speech to our children and and that's going to be fun. So, I'm looking forward to that. That starts at eight thirty. 830. 8: 30 AM.
Um at the Pontiac High School and lastly, Doctor Hannah, I received information from Oakland schools. That they are going to present me with my 12 year or more plaque that they overlooked and they apolog to me and they'll have it in June and so I just wanted to I told them thank you and I appreciate them and to have them overlooking. I guess when they saw my picture in Oakley Presley knew I was mad. That's my last time saying that
about the press. But I am so glad that it's being recognized and represent that in June. So listen. That's what we need to do to make the district better. For the ghetto we stand divided we fall. And we have agreed to disagree. But we still respectful when we do. Absolutely. So let's continue to do what we need to do. For the betterment of our children. It ain't all about always about us. But it's always about them.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Trustee Miller. Good evening, everyone. First and foremost, congratulations to all the awardees tonight. Um everyone and their families that were here. I really appreciate hearing about the arts program. I look forward to participating in that. If Doctor Leveretta give me permission to Permission to volunteer, you know. Um I had the pleasure this week of going to Parent Teacher Conferences at Pontiac High School. I hear the
same thing I've been hearing for like 10 years. He talked too much. He's the I I hear the same thing. Class clown, you know, same thing but for my my experience overall from transferring my son to this district, he has excelled academically. Um Social. Yes, there we go. Socially and athletically. So, I will forever be indebted to Pontiac Schools School District for what it did for my son but I will say, we gotta we have to really start having some serious conversations about our children. I
happen to be in there in school. This lady, this parent did not even know that I was a board member and she was distressed and I asked her, I said, are you okay? And she said, she threw this paper at me and she said, would you be okay with this? Geometry, E, economics E, art design, E, English eleven, E, health, E, English, E, biology, E, and Spanish E. Okay. I know that there may be some factors like, hey, how many days did she hit or miss? How how many days did she have? But this parent who did not
know that I was a board member, looked at me and said, obviously, I care about my child because I'm here. I've been trying to call all year and I get bounced around and she started naming names. Somebody in there bounced me to this person, somebody bounced me to this person and I had to come here today to get this. And looked at her and I said, I'm sorry. I said, and I asked, I said, the most impactful thing she said to me and now here I am bragging. I'm like, yeah, my son's doing great at Pontiac. He, you know, he's selling.
You know, it crushed my soul when that parent said to me, I brought my daughter back to set her up for failure and that's a quote. I asked her if I could quote her. She said, I took my daughter, I brought my daughter back to Pontiac Schools. I took her out when she was younger. I brought her back so she can have the opportunities with like the chromosome and things of that sort. But when that woman looked at me from one mother to another almost about to cry and say, I brought my daughter back to Pontiac to set her for
failure. That hit that it hit a little bit different. I've been on this board since January y'all. We done talked about lawsuits. We done talked about moving people. We didn't talk about we didn't talk about a whole lot of stuff. There really is irrelevant. It's completely irrelevant. I am excited for an opportunity to talk about our kids, their education are the board of education There's no reason why this mother and I know she wouldn't
lie. I took a picture of it Straight ease. And she was never notified had called her to the school, and named off the peoples who was blew her off. That is completely unacceptable. That's completely unacceptable. Absolutely. We have to do better you guys and I I encourage and invite everybody to join with me to do better because our kids are our future and if we give up on them, who who else is going to pick em up? So, just please y'all. Let's start talking about something that's for real. Let's
start making some decisions about curriculum or whatever our kids need. I'm begging y'all as this board of education. Please, let's start making a difference in our kids' lives. We don't want, we don't want to send them out there in the streets like this. Thank you Alright, thank you. Secretary Davis Smith. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. I I want to say congratulations to our students that got awarded today and miss Harrington. That was very nice and emotional Um I really
love miss Williams presentation and when she spoke about the thing that that's impacting our children that why they're not learning was partly because of home, that is something that I speak about. Almost every board meeting and so all I can say is reach one, teach one. Please, like, We really need to to help at home. Maybe if we can figure out a a
tutoring program throughout for all of us. I mean the I think the library has one. I know the city has free tutoring. If we can all come together to collaborate so that our kids all over the city will be able to utilize it. I think that'll be great. Um trustee Miller one of the reasons I was excited that Doctor was our interim was because she comes from curriculum and she's excited about it and that's her
passion and I feel the way you do because I've been on this board six years and we have not had a chance yet to deal with our children because it's always the adult issues that we're dealing with and it seems like around the city completely like next door even the library like it seems like we're always dealing with adult issues and we need a serious conversation like you said about how
do we get to that point where we are talking about our kids and our kids come first. Because I'm excited that Carlos is doing good here. And he, you know, he's liking it because those are, he's coming from a totally different space. I I love this district because it taught me to be the person I am and it, my kids are, are well, and this is the, this is the, school district that they graduated
from and they're doing well but they're doing well because I was in their life and I was there and I'm and I know that's how you are with your child and that's how my mom was even even though she was a teenager when she had me education met everything to her but to me just you know, newly being a teacher, it seems like it but I've been a bus driver for a long time and I noticed it years ago. That our our parents are busy with
work and things like that and they don't always had a time to do the extracurricular activities with their kids. They don't have the way to get their kids to and from tutoring and places like that. So, I just think we all need to come together collectively in order to make sure that our kids are getting the the support they need at home as well as in the classrooms because our teachers can't do it by themselves. It starts at home. I'm teaching
four and five year olds who who's coming to school not knowing how to read. Yeah, I mean not not well my kids was reading but they're little sight words and things like that but they can't spell their name. They some of them don't know their name. Well, that's what we're teaching them in school. So, to me, they already are behind because we're teaching them something that they should have known before they got to So, I think we need a towel hall meeting but have a great night
everybody. Be safe. Thank you very much. Treasurer Terry. Uh good evening. Good evening, sir. Um first, I just want to say congratulations to all of the awards and recognitions that was handed out today. Uh always good to see accomplishments and people doing good things within the district. So, keep up the good work. Um second, I just want to say good job on all the reports and presentations that we received today. I know it was a lot but it's always good to have that
information from each other apartments and areas as well. In addition, I think if I'm correct, what was his name? Connor. I believe Connor Bentley. Yeah, I think he mentioned that as well but just real quick with Accent Pontiac. Um they're they will be doing that end of the year showcase at the Oakland History Center out on Cesar E. Chavez. That's Thursday, May 29th. Uh the administration free.
Admission is free. Uh they will have some light refreshments and a little concert as well and then they are also starting off their Birdies and Beats. Um the charity golf outing as well with Accent Pontiac as well. Registration is now open as well. It's one 25 for nine hose of golf and lunch or if you just coming out to support it's $75 for the lunch only. So, go out there. Um sign up for all those first is that time of the season again. Um maybe good good charity and
donations also for our students as well this year in the Pontiac District. Um outside of that, I just want to say thank you everyone for a good meeting, good conversation, good dialogue, and I know there's changes coming but I'm staying positive and and the mindset that we're do for some changes. Um obviously, a lot of stuff we've been doing just have not been working and I'm be honest, I'm expecting more changes to come. So, for those that are true die-hard Pontiac fans and
in all of this community and about all of our students. Um let's put together on this one. Um let's make some things change and let's make some things happen. Thank you. Alright, thank you very much. VP Bowman. I'll be brief considering late hour. Um this was a very informative meeting and I hope that collectively as a district and as a body that we continue to move forward and educate our children in the right way and I'm glad to that we have plenty
of opportunities that continues within the Pontiac School District to make it an engaging space for our youth. So, I hope that we continue to press forward and I look forward to great things happening here in Pontiac School District. Thank you very much and have a good night. Alright, thank you VP. Uh Doctor Leverette, I want to just thank you and your team for the presentations that we've been receiving. Not only are they beneficial for us as a board to understand what your staff, what they're doing within the district
but I think it's very important for our community to understand especially with the information that miss Williams presented tonight about the resources that are being offered to our students here in the Pontiac School District. So, again, I just want to thank you for helping us and helping community to see the work that is being put in and invested in our students here in the Pontiac School District. Also, want to thank miss Harrington. Uh she does an awesome job. Mm hmm. Going above and beyond all the time. It's truly her passion. Even though she
might say, you know what, I'm not doing this anymore but it's just her love for the students that keep her going and keep her giving. So, miss Harrington again, congratulations to you and thank you. I also want to say thank you for acknowledging our our unique kids. Yes. That means a lot to them and and whether they and and more importantly, it means a lot to their families, their family, their parents to to see that we see their kids. So, I just want to commend again the district, the team that works with them for doing that, for
being so thoughtful. I want to reiterate again, decision day is on May 1st. So, I'm looking forward to seeing and celebrating and sharing this special time with our high school seniors, the class of 2025. Um as well as graduation day which is again on May 22nd. So, we look forward to that. I want to offer my condolences to the family of miss Joyce Byrd, miss Bird was my fourth grade teacher at Herring Elementary School and her funeral services were
last week. So, I was there only because she was special to me. That was the first teacher I think that really became family where she interacted with my family outside the school. So, I got to know her as a person and not just miss Campbell as my teacher. So, she's watched me grow over the years. So, I was able to share those words with her family at the at the ceremony but wanted to say again, it's teachers like that that you remember for a lifetime and it's not
again, I don't remember what all we did in fourth grade but I remember how she made me feel and so for that, I want to again send condolences to missus Joyce Byrd's family and again, I want to reiterate and remind families that summer school will be in session. I know it's always looked at probably negatively that summer school teachers, students try to avoid it. We need to look at it as a way of getting ahead. Mm hmm. A way of preparing for the next school year. So, that is in session. I don't have
the dates in front of me right now. I did have my announcement sheet but again, just reminding families that summer school will take place again for the district this summer and again, I I I just want to piggyback on what Trusty Miller said about being about the students. That's why we're here and for a long time now, we've gotten caught up in the adult issues and it has distracted us from talking about and dealing with what's most important and that is the
students. So, as adults, we need to hold ourselves accountable and remind ourselves while we why we are here, not just on the board but also for all of our administrators and and teachers and staff that work in the district. We are here to help these students and that's why I it bring warmed my heart when I see these kids here in our audience because it reminds me of why we're here and so again, we need to remind ourselves, check ourselves when we get caught up
in these conversations. Don't that don't necessarily need to be had. Um why we're here and so, we are here again for the students. We are here to make sure that the next generation has what they need so that they can be successful. So, Trustee Miller, I thank you for bringing that back up again because we have do a better job with that. Not getting caught up and distracted by all of the adult issues but remaining focused on the issues and the matters that pertain to our
students most. So, thank everybody for their time tonight. I have he didn't forget about our teachers. Cuz they think we just wouldn't want him. Okay. Yeah. So, there are certain information that didn't get shared tonight that will be shared at our upcoming meeting. Um so, again, we we are doing our best. Our, we are doing our due diligence to make sure that all the information that we share and provide that it is accurate and it is timely. So, we will be addressing other things that may
not have been heard tonight at tonight's meeting. It will take place at the upcoming meeting. So, I would like to get a motion to adjourn. Support. It's been moved by BP Bowman supported by Trustee Dooley to adjourn our meeting. Any questions, roll call. Trustee Dooley? Yes. Trustee Gross? Yes. President Hannah? Yes. Trustee Miller? Yes. Treasurer Terry? Yes. VP Bowman? Yes. And I'm voting yes. That passes
seven oh. Alright, the time is now 100 9 PM. Our meeting is adjourned. Thank you for sticking in there with us and have a good night. I'm sorry. I said I'm sorry.