I got the rules. I I feel I can't Alright. Thank you, Frank. Shoot. Good evening, everybody. Thank you for joining us tonight for our board meeting. The time is now six o'clock PM and we are going to call this meeting to order. Trustee Gross wrote Copley. VP Bowman. Present. Trustee Dooley. Prison. I'm present. Um President Hannah. Present. Trustee Miller. Present. And treasure Terry.
Present. Madam chair, you have a quorum. Thank you. If we can all stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to republic for which it stands. One nation under indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all. Can I get a motion to amend the agenda to add under item information from the superintendent and administration for discussion and action. The Pontiac School District, Oakland County Project
Presentation. So move. Support. Okay, it's been moved by Treasurer Terry supported by VP Bowman to amend the agenda to add under information from the superintendent and administration for discussion and action. The Pontiac School District, Oakland County, Prox Project Presentation. Any questions? Roll call please. Trustee Dooley? Yes. I'm voting yes. President Hannah? Yes. Justine Miller? Yes. Treasurer Terry? Yes.
And VP Bowman? Yes. Madam chair that passed six oh. Thank you. If I can get a motion to accept the amended agenda. So move. Support. Spend more by VP Bowman. Supported by Treasurer Terry to accept the amended agenda. Any questions? Roll call Trustee Dooley? Yes. I'm voting yes. President Hannah? Yes. Trustee Miller? Yes. Treasurer Terry? Yes. VP Bowman? Yes. Madam chair that passed six oh. Thank you. Any awards
and recognitions? And none I would like to greet any elected officials. I see we have state representative Brenda Carter here. I don't see any other State Representative Carter. We want to give comments. Good evening board, board president, superintendent, my colleagues out here in the audience Got good to be back. I am bringing you a snapshot of what we're going through in Lansing and Washington. I know there's a lot of uncertainty
about what's going to happen. And there's a lot of uncertainty in Lansing as well. I can't tell you what's going on in Washington. But I put together this PowerPoint presentation and I gave you guys a summary of what I'm going to present and occasionally I will have my chief of staff who's also my policy director to come up if I get stuck. Okay. Next slide. This presentation is a snapshot as I said. It it talks about the current funding that the school district is getting. It's
also going to talk about what happens to the at-risk funding. It's going to talk about the impact on teacher staff, busing, families, etcetera. And my personal goal and I've been working on this for a while with not only the board president and the superintendent but I've been working with it with the PEA as well. The PEA has been kept informed of these changes. This is I'm not here to get into what happens in local government because I can't or what I can do is tell you what's going on in
Lansing and this is what this presentation is about. Next slide. The section you going to talk see next is going to talk about current budget items. School meals, mental health, school safety, early literacy, CTE programs, Yay First Robotics, and Miss First. Next slide. Okay, currently and Jonathan, correct me if I'm wrong. These are categoricals that we are looking at to lose or we have in place. Uh they are in place but slated to go
away. Okay, I want you. Okay. So, what Jonathan clarified that these are in place but they're slated to go away if the house budget passes in the law. Okay. And the hundred and eighty-six thousand zero six eight that is currently in place. We go away. And what my office is doing is working with the school board, the school president, the PEA, and various other entities in this district to make sure that I keep you on point and up to date as these
changes occur. Next slide. Okay, out of district form of Pontiac School District is another district bornless school. And this is something that slated to go away to 500 and $8, 000 Uh if the budget passes as is. This is the omnibus budget. Those of you guys who are on my Facebook page, I talk about it all the time. This is what you could lose if it goes in place. We're pushing and lansing our colleagues on my side of
the aisle is pushing real hard and in the senate, you need to know that as well because the senate is our wall, okay? Right now, the senators pushing back on this madness. Make sure we keep these fundings, fundings in place. Next slide mental health services. I had the opportunity to visit the school-based clinic over there at the high school and at the middle school. I saw first hand what these services provide for our community and being a former school board
member for 8 years. I know some of the challenges we face in our community. This is funding that we cannot afford to lose. It's four and 29, 632. So, what I've been doing is going around, talking to teachers, talking to school-based Honor Community Health, going out in the community. I was over at Carrick Circle talking to people about this. To see how this would impact them if we lost this funding. Next slide. Early literacy program, 73thousand.
That's another pot of money that could be lost, okay? And Imma make sure that superintendent and the board press and the board of education get a copy of this presentation so they can keep and provide to you if they so choose, hopefully they do. Next one. CTE programs and this is one that I've taken on myself because I realized that you know, even though we've been working with Oak Tech and we've been working with various initiatives in our city, we still need to provide
something that our kids can develop their soft skills to get into skilled trades. So, what we about three months ago is we created a pre apprenticeship program called Access Pathways to Progress, Access For All, and what we're doing is going to be working with not only the Pontiac School District but the Waterford School District as well because both of those school districts are in my district and they believe it or not, when I learned that 60% of our Waterford students are free and reduced lunch. Hello. Mm
hmm. So, they're going to get hit too and they're worried, okay? So this is one of the initiatives that's coming out of my office to help offset some of the unemployment that we have in our city. And just to digress just a little bit. One of the things that's going to where people going to lose their health insurance, possibly their Snap is if they don't comply with the new work requirements that require you to either work 20 hours a week or volunteer 20 hours a week or you'll lose your healthcare. Boy,
they did a good job with this one. Next slide. Okay, first robotics. This would hurt me because this is a program that I was personally involved with and when we won the 2thousand3 international championships, I know what our kids can do if they are given the opportunity and they're given the resources to do it. So, instead of cutting resources from districts like ours, they should be providing more. Unfortunately, if the budget passed as is, that's gone too. Next. Miss Prince, everybody knows about misfits, right? We're just the just
Yes. So, what we're doing is just working to make sure that we maintain the money that's allocated to mispers but unfortunately, once again, if the budget passes out of the House of Representatives in in his current state, that will be gone too. I hope you guys are hearing me. Okay, next slide. So, here's a high level of overview of what's happening. Okay, overall, full compliance and this is where Imma have my chief of staff come up because when he started telling me
what would make you fall out of compliance, I was like, well. So, if we, if a district, any district in Michigan is fully compliant, this is the amount of money that Pontiac School District will get. Jonathan, if you come up and explain some of the things about the compliance, listen, very carefully. I can definitely do an overview and would be happy to follow up with these the fullest because it's it's a little complex in the way this budget
was written and the different pitfalls that are involved. So, of course, everyone's familiar with the foundation allowance. Um there's ways to lose up to 20 percent of your foundation allowance. There are and then in addition to the foundation allowance, this budget created a new concept which is a per pupil payment that is separate from your foundation allowance. There is a way to lose the entirety of your per pupil payment and then, there's a third way that would mean you just lose all funding in its entirety. And it ranges from things like, if you
allowed a transgender student to participate in sports, if you offered a non-gender-specific restroom that had more than one stall in it. Uh, that's another one that I found interesting. Um, there's all sorts of little pitfalls throughout the budget. I'd be happy to follow up with you on the, the full list there. Um, but that's the central concern is that there's little way it's, it sounds, on the overall, looking at 5. 5 million. That would be over last year. So, it sounds fine. But when you
really look into it, you're losing your categoricals with the exception of special ed and then, there's a ton of pitfalls that would just take anywhere from a small amount of the money away to literally every dollar you receive in like, its entirely including like grant funding from the department. That's the way it was worded in the budget. So, I'd be happy to follow up with you on the particulars there though. One of the things I found particularly interesting and Jonathan correct me
if I'm wrong, is that if you have a certain dye in your food which you serve your children, you, yeah, you can lose your, you can lose your funding. So, how do we know what's in the book? Okay, but if they come in here and do an inspection, they see out whatever goes in food, they don't like it, they can mix your, your funding. So, keep in mind, even though you're getting this pot of money that seems extremely generous, where they striking you at is any way you fall out of line. I think
it was one that if you incentivize your kids to come to school, I know we used to have a program. Yeah, for count day. We used to have one with the guy that owned the car, okay? You can you can lose your funding. Okay? Okay. Next slide. Okay. But it will cut downs. Okay. Another thing. Oh, this is a big one. Jonathan, you may want to talk about how they they're not going to, this is how this is what the one big, beautiful bill. They no longer going to find immigrants.
So, I we have a large Latinest population, don't we? Yeah. Hello. Yeah now that's coming from the Feds at HR one and talk about so some of these things will cross over from what's going on in Lansing with the Alaminos budget and what's going on in Washington which is the same animal on a different level. So what we're doing once again is coming in and talking to our community, talking to our schools and telling them you gotta prepare for this. If you have that large Latinness population, I know you do. You know, maybe you can work with Central
Multicultural La Familia or some of these other organization I feel I need to do a presentation to them so they can fully understand what's truly coming down from Washington. Next slide. My grandkids are Latinx. Anyway, state shutdown with with halt payments. Uh if the if the state shuts down, October 1st because that's the deadline. Uh September 30th is the deadline. October 1st, if it shuts down, this is what can happen
to schools. Schools, schools unable to meet payroll or continue normal operations. Districts may be forced to take high-interest loans. Programs like arts athletes, athletics, and bus routes, face cuts, staff layoff, increased class sizes, and disrupt learning. That's if the shutdown occurs. We're working once again with school districts to help keep things on track. I'm up in Lansing, looking to see what alternative funding we have. Some of the things that the other side of the all recommended is
that yeah, they would hold school districts exempt if and only if they give up all the categoricals. Can we give up our categoricals? No, we can't. We have too many programs that assist our babies. Next slide. Okay. So, we just talked about all of that right there. So, that's just putting it all into one basket to let you know what the pitfalls are if the budget passes and or we go into a shutdown. If the budget doesn't pass and we go into a shutdown. Next slide.
Okay. This says, I we just talked about it funding can be denied if certain food dies are used. Students fail to complete the nutrition, education benefits package, financial incentive are provided to complete Fafsa. Okay. Incentives are driven for students to attend day count. We talked about that. District survey students, survey students, and failed to make public questions and results.
Parent approval required. Okay, next y'all y'all seeing what this this is doing? Okay. Okay. We can you can lose funding if you include race or general gender stereotyping funds are used for DEI programs, gender transgender girls are allowed to play in girls sports or use girls bathrooms. School provides multi-stall unisex bathrooms. So, if you get this one package of money, that is more than what you're getting
right now, okay? But you hit any of those bullets that we talked about, you can leave lose some or all of your funding. At 20% of the foundation allowance. Next slide. teachers, risk of layoffs or reduce hours due to loss of categorical funding, increased class size, and fewer resources to support student learning. Para professionals, potential, potential cuts to
prepare a professional positions that support special education and literacy programs. Greater workloads for remaining staff. Staffing, hiring freezes of difficulty filling critical roles such as mental health providers and resources. Okay, pressure on district to meet new staffing mandates with fewer funds. Next slide busing. Possible route reductions and longer travel times for students increase cost if emergency loans are required to maintain services. For our
families, loss of universal and that's the one that hurts the most. Because sometimes that's might be the only meal they get. Mhm. I had to pause on that one. That one hurts. This is this what keeps me up at night. Uncertainty about school closures and shorter shortened schedules during funding gaps. Reduce access to after-school programs and support services. We don't have any community centers in Pontiac right now. So, let's let's get rid of the after-school programs
for our babies. That's really smart. Next one. So, my what I'm trying to get everybody to to do is not to go in shock because HR one is here. It's not coming. It's here. It's the law. It was passed July 4th 2025. So, what they're doing in Washington is happening right now. Now, what what we haven't resolved is what's going on in Lansing and that's going to keep the legislators including myself up there, on call,
all night trying to get this budget passed and we're going to try to get it passed with this little catastrophic or punitive results as we can but this is what the other side of the aisle is proposing. This is what they want to do. They want to cut, they want to gu public education. What's new? We know that. We've been fighting that for a long time. But now with this with the pen in their hands, that's what they're trying to do. So what I'm asking the school district to do is to prepare the school district. Prepare them.
Thank you for inviting us here tonight. So we can give you the truth. The unbiased truth. And anytime that anything changes in Lansing, I will let you know. And not only let the superintendent know. I let the board president know. She can communicate to the board and I let the president of the PEA know. That's right. Because this is Pontiac School District And we all have to stick together to get through this one. Okay? So prepare
financially. Identify essential expenses and conserve cash to cover payroll and basic operations. The Calvary is not going to come to if the government shuts down. Okay? Mm hmm. We on our own. Communicate early, inform staff, families, and the community about potential, potential service disruptions because once again, we're doing everything we can up in Lansing to avoid the shutdown, okay? But in the event that we are not successful, we
need to communicate this and prepare. Not shocking all. Don't get everybody else scared but prepare everybody. Develop contingency plans. Plan for possible school closures, transportation cuts, and reduced hours. Seek short time term solutions, explore temporary borrowing options while monitoring long-term impacts. You don't have to worry about engaging your legislator, okay? At the eight years
of being on the school board, I'm always going to be engaged, okay? So, but I'm going to keep you informed. I don't know if I put that one thing that I talked about when I was over to senior place Oakland Woods. But I told them and this is what I need to tell you guys too. Please listen to this. Start stocking up some non-perishable foods Okay? Because if we go into this do one two punch I call it. Lansing
Washington shutdown. Cuz Washington's has the same mandate. They have to have a budget done by September 30th. If they don't the the programs is going to be cut. It's it's it's unbelievable. Start. Putting food away now. If you know families that are hungry, work in the community with a Dave Coleman or Gleaners or somebody. So we could have some reserved food for people because the if you got people hungry
now, imagine the is going to be when these cuts come in. okay? So, please, I know we got babies. We gotta take care of our babies. Is there anything else? And I think that's it. Okay, I'm going to, I don't know Superintendent Board President. Do you want to open it up for any type of question? Jonathan, you can join me so you can help me answer questions. Yes. Trustee Gross. Appreciate you. Appreciate you, state rep. Thank you. And you have been extremely
informative about us to us here as well on social media. I have a question for you. Uh huh. We only know what we see on TV. You're there. Mm hmm. Now, now, you can say to me, trustee Gross. You know, I don't want to discuss that but I want your personal feelings. You said there was a wall that the Senate was actually a wall for you. Is that because the senate is majority of Democrats? That's exactly. The House is majority Republican. That's exactly correct. And the house already approved a budget
but it has not been passed through the senate court. That's correct. Now, my question to you, be in there and I want you to be, you've always been honest. Mm hmm. What is your actual feelings about the deadline? If you want to, you can. If you don't want to say anything, I don't want you to put fear. I'm not trying to do that. It's not fear, it's pain. Yes. Okay, it's a difference. It's pain. You're there. Because I don't understand how people can do this. Okay? My actual feelings are will will we have a resolution on this budget by October first. I'm not
optimistic. It's a process that goes on and lands where you the house passed the budget, the senate passed a budget, The two leaders of both chamber get together in what they call a conference and they go back and forth to decide what they can give and take from each budget and then pass it forward. To my knowledge, we have not gone to conference. Is that correct, Jonathan? That's unheard of. Wow. So, when I say not fear, I say pain. Because already we have a lot of people in this community that's
hungry. A lot of people in this community that's sick. A lot of people in this community that's homeless. You know. We don't need this. Thank you for that and my last question is and you gave us a plan on what we should do but I'm asking you, what is your feeling that we should do from day one if the government shuts down? Besides, go by this plan or. Make sure that you if the government shuts down on either level, Lansing
or Washington. Yes. Communicate that to your to your community. You're doing it now because if I remember correctly, this is live streamed. Yeah. So, the community is hearing me now. They know me long enough to know that I wouldn't get up and on this microphone with tears in my eyes unless I see something really really frightening is about to happen. Communic if you have ways and identify the people, your your children, your families, and your in your district that really need help. You know who they are. We
don't have you don't have to Google extra work. We we know who's in that community needs help. And then just be prepared to help them. And work as a team. Okay that's one thing that we need to do is and if you ever need my office down here you know former city councilman Randy Carter. We are here to help. And we will we'll put our boots on the ground to help you. And and I'm glad you're saying this because you said something extremely important that this, we're all one team. We have to be on one team because we can't give what we
don't have And what we have, we have to give to the children. Mm hmm. And I need people to understand that. I mean, this is not, I'm not trying to sit at this table and to negotiate but people need to understand. These are dire straits now. Things can be totally different within the next week and a half. 8 days. 8 days. People need to understand that. This is not a fight against each other. Please listen to what he's saying because I said the same thing to Waterford. I said the same thing to
the seniors. You know, now we have to be a team. To get through this. Do I think we're going to have a shutdown? I'm pretty sure we will. Okay. Okay. I just need to hear. Prepare. I just need the community here. Trustee Dooley. Thank you Representative Carter by presenting this information. It certainly my move. That is imperative for us to have an investigative forensic audit. Why
do we need an audit? Based on what you've just said, we need to prepare financially. How can we not prepare, how can we prepare if we don't have an audit to know what we already have? Um so, I appreciate you because you help validate the point that I'm trying to drive home to this board that is imperative that we have an investigative forensic audit. So, The suggested cuts that may come down the pipe will be prepared for em. We'll be able to have a plan in place
and not be reactive but proactive to the situation if we know where we stand financially. It would also support the teachers. And the bus drivers. And everything else that we need. But we must have a bottom line number of the finances that we have in this district. Thank you. Any other questions, trustees? State Representative, thank you. I
appreciate the opportunity to address the school district and at any time, like I said, it's going to be any changes that happen in Lansing particularly. I'm on my way to the to Lansing tomorrow or in Washington if we get it from Congresswoman Stevens or Senator Slotkin. I will convey that information to you. Thank you for this opportunity. We appreciate you. Thank you. Alright, next on the agenda is consent agenda items. Can I get a motion to accept the consent
agenda items? Some move. Support. It's been moved by Treasurer Terry and supported by Trustee Gross to accept the consent agenda items. Any questions? Roll call please. I'm voting yes. President Hannah. Yes. Trustee Miller. Yes. Treasure Terry. Yes. EP Bowman? Yes. And Trustee Dooley? Yes. Madam chair that passed six oh. Thank you. Next on the agenda is information from the
superintendent and administration, Doctor Laborette. Thank you, Doctor Hannah. Trustees, good evening, everyone. At this time, we'll have a SEC presentation. Uh Jason Russell, SEC founder and president. Through Grant's Pontiac School District has partnered with Jason Russell and Team from SEC which allows our district to receive a comprehensive on-site and event security assessment at no cost. These assessments are designed to identify potential gaps and vulnerabilities across school
buildings and athletic facilities, helping us create a safer environment for students, staff, and the community. Secure environmental consultants has worked with districts across Michigan in delivery in the delivery of practical, actionable assessments that lead to stronger, safety practices. Point of clarity, can you restate who this gentleman is representing? Secure, environmental consultants, SEC. Good evening. Thank you for Doctor
Leverett. Thank you to the board for having us. Um excited to talk to you about the process that Pontiac Schools has gone through as Doctor Leverett pointed out. A few years ago, the state of Michigan passed some funding. Uh it was about two years ago passed some funding to allow for every public school in the state of Michigan to have comprehensive safety and security assessments completed. Uh you all took advantage of that grant and we
completed your assessments with over the summer or actually this fall. Uh worked on assessments for the district. So, next slide. Just quick history on the company. Um I started this company after a career in the US Secret Service. Uh we work with about 75% of the public school districts in Michigan as well as schools across the US. Uh we have a professional group of consultants that are trained in school safety and security assessments. So, we do
comprehensive assessments, physical security, policy procedure and we had a really excellent consultant do the assessments here in Pontiac. Go ahead and next slide. So, our assessments are really designed to look at everything within a district that touches safety and security. So, we're not just looking at the the locks and the cameras we're actually watching the schools as they operate watching, you know, the watching arrivals departures. We are looking at the physical security but we're
also looking at processes that relate to security so that might include how your entries operate. Uh we're looking at any emergency procedures that you have in place. Uh we're watching your security personnel work. We're looking at equipment. Uh and we're also speaking with a lot of people. So the the purpose of these assessments is to really get a good picture of what the safety and security of the district looks like in a comprehensive picture. Uh not just the physical security but all the things that kind of support safety and security. So, as our assessors,
we actually had, I'm just one person work in the district as they're going through the district. They're meeting with administrators. They're meeting with staff. They're asking a lot of questions about safety and security and using our assessment process to really develop hopefully some actionable recommendations. What we're trying to do with an assessment isn't to just give you a list of things to do. We're trying to learn what's possible within the district So, we try to not make recommendations that are not going to be possible and some of the
things that cause a recommendation to not be possible are the very real budget issues that you deal with in a school district. Uh as a representative pointed out, there's a significant amount of safety and security funding that is kind of up in the air. Um so, we try to really make sure that the recommendations that we make will fit within the possibilities. Not only from budget perspective but also from an operations and a cultural perspective. We want to make sure that our recommendations are respectful of all the different things that to be here in Pontiac and
and and educating students and not just putting a bunch of physical security stuff in place. So, that's kind of what the process looks like. The assessor will spend about a half day at each school. So, they're they're meeting as I said with principal, they're meeting with administrators and staff and just asking a ton of questions and then, they're observing and we're using our assessment tool to create a report that we then provide to the district. The district has been provided with the report. I'm going to discuss some kind of high findings. We never want to share the
the complete report. Uh obviously in an open setting. I never want to share any potential weaknesses that you might have but we're we're going to talk about some kind of larger, bigger picture things. You want to go ahead and change the slides. Some of the things that we're looking at though obviously is the physical security. So, that's all the stuff that's obvious, right? The locks, the whatever, you know, all the all the different kinds of things you think about cameras, things like that. We're also looking at communication capability, not only within the schools but also you know, external communication capability. If you had an emergency,
what would that look like? We spent a lot of time looking at policy and procedures. So, what are your emergency procedures look like? What are your policies related to, you know, controlling your entry, what are your training policies and procedures. We're looking at equipment and technology. So, emergency supplies, cameras, all those types of things. Not only do you have them but how do they function and are they being used properly? One of the issues we often see with schools is they have the right stuff. They're just not using it. They're not leveraging it to the maximum and then
we look at training. So, what training is being provided. Specifically, training as it relates to safety and security. So, that could be anything from CPR, first aid, to actually emergency response training for staff and we we take that even to other elements of the district. So, we look at bus drivers and we look at kind of really trying to get that general, that really broad picture of the district as a whole to see kind of what training is available. Uh and then Obviously, as we're doing these assessments, we're really trying to
pick out big picture things. So, what I call strategic safety. So, strategic safety is policies, procedures, planning, right? And then, we're also looking at tactical safety. So, tactical safety is things like door number three was the lock was broken or there was a rock sitting outside that we would want to move. So, somebody couldn't break it. So, we're looking at kind of both levels of safety strategic and then tactical and and really trying to provide recommendations. So, the report is broken into what we call common findings. So, those will be
things that we might have seen across the district. Maybe not necessarily at every school but they were more strategic findings, right? Emergency procedures that were maybe not clear or or unavailable. Uh those might be things related to Howard Security operated within the district and our observations of how your your safety and security personnel were operating. Uh you know, bigger picture things and then, we also provide specific findings for each school when they exist. Those tend to be more tactical. Door number three didn't
have a number or you know, the kind of more detailed things. So, I'm going to go ahead to the next slide So, just some of the highlights, you know, we try to to find positives and you know, not just look at the bad things. Uh we did find a really good engagement of key leadership. You know, Doctor Doctor Leverette reached out to us proactively about these assessments and we really engage throughout the process as we're those administrators within the individual schools, engaged
with making sure that that we got this done. Um you know, like I said, the state of Michigan provided for these. So, there was zero out of pocket for the district for these assessments and it also allowed for assessments of of athletic events which I think is a kind of a missing piece. Um you know, football games and and sporting events to make sure that there's some kind of safety and security assessment of those. We did those as well. Uh and and really, you know, just making sure that there was a level of compliance. So, some
schools had really good established kind of procedures and protocols. We we saw some missing areas that were going to kind of some areas for improvement. Um one area think this is something that we see in in a lot of districts especially to have the security personnel. It's just really professionalizing school security. Um you know, making sure that they're trained on things that are specific to schools. Examples of that may be how to deal with special needs students, de-escalation strategies, CPI, crisis prevention intervention, behavioral threat assessment. So, not only are they
able to check doors and all the things that we want them to do from a tactical perspective but they also trained on relationship building and and you know, some of the more school specific elements of security. One of the big ones is that behavioral threat assessment. Are we looking for kids? Are we engaging kids in creating that safe school climate? So we did recognize, I think, that there's some opportunities for the district to really focus on some professionalization of that. Uh building security personnel and
really focusing them on on elements that impact school safety. Uh also some emergency operations plans. The state of Michigan has passed a piece of legislation that actually you have another year till it goes into effect but it it mandates specific terminology in the school emergency plans. It's called the standard response protocols. Uh so, you know, you'll have until essentially a year from now to be in compliance with that but what's important about that is not only developing that plan but also how do we train that plan? Uh you know, an
emergency plan is that's just a book that sits on a shelf isn't really doing anybody any good if people don't know how to actually respond So, we saw some opportunities not only to to update that plan but to also consider some ways to train staff on what those protocols are, what that protocol means for them as a teacher, as a bus driver, whatever it might be and then, also with leadership to conduct what we call tabletop exercises which are a little bit more in-depth, you know, training. They really allow you to test your emergency plans. So, in those
tabletop exercises, we ask local law enforcement. We ask emergency responders to come in and actually participate with the school, kind of run through a scenario to see how that emergency would would out in this in this real environment. Um planning, you know, training for all staff, I think it's important that when I have kids at attend public schools, I want everybody, anybody who might have responsibility for my kids, I want them trained on how to respond to an emergency and that
would include a maintenance person that would include a lunch, you know, person that would include a bus driver. So, and not to mention their teachers, right? So, making sure that everybody's trained on that and also some after school and athletic event training and a lot of these trainings are provided free. That's okay. A lot of these trainings are provided free. Um for instance, the athletic training Um my company was was contracted by MHSAA to develop an athletic volunteer training and an athletic director training and both
those are available free. Uh as are the event assessment. So, you can go ahead to the next slide. Uh so, you know, some just best practices and physical security, some of the things that that we look at, obviously, access control, how are people allowed in? How are alert systems work? So, if there's an emergency, how know that there's an emergency. What does that look like? Cameras, locks. Uh I mentioned the standard language protocols. Um there's some really good free resources on that. The districts can take advantage of to improve their emergency procedures. Command and control is who's in charge in an
emergency, right? Some bad happens, who's in charge? Uh and then how do we communicate? Um we're a big proponent of broad form training. So, one of the things that we've seen in the last probably 10 years in schools is a big focus on a single emergency. So, most of the training, if you get any professional development time for for safety and it's very much focused on kind of the worst situation, an active shooter situation as opposed to you probably face an emergency in your schools
every week that isn't that emergency. So, a more broad form training that would include that but also include other things. We mentioned tabletop exercises and we really think that de-escalation strategies training is a really excellent training for quite frankly, every human being. As we see, we don't always communicate well with with people and and that can often lead to issues. So, de-escalation strategies, training is another one we recommended. Now, I do think that in, in a school district of this size, You need somebody that owns safety and security as their primary job. It
shouldn't be a side job. In my opinion, and and I think a Director of Safety and security, you know, I know the representative talked about Waterford. We just we do directors of safety and security. We just put a director of safety and security in Waterford that owns safety and security in that district. So, I think it's an important piece. Making sure that your security staff are getting training. Uh you know, Skills are perishable. So, if you're not focusing on training, you're not focused on things that impacts school safety, you know, a lot of
times, you know, people get get complacent and and those things can happen. So, and then, obviously, you're focusing on mental health professionals. I was appointed by Governor Whitmer to the school safety and mental health commission and that's one of the main focuses we've had there is to try to really develop a pipeline for school mental health professionals 'cuz we see that. You a lot more money in private practice than you can in a school as a mental health professional. So, we really focus on programs, you know, tuition reimbursement programs and
incentivizing programs to get mental health professionals in the schools to make sure the kids have those important elements and another reason that truthfully, you know, I was appreciative of the the budget presentation because all the things that the representative said are extremely true. Um losing some of those individual pieces of of funding can be hugely impactful on on schools We're already way awful on our ratios for mental health
professionals per student in the state of Michigan. We're not doing very well. Most states aren't but we're doing not great. So, making sure that we're thinking about those things. And then I think just one more slide there. And I think it's just questions. Um as I said, you know, my my Email address is there and I'm certainly happy but for to to take any Questions from for many of you on the board that may have some. Trustee. Trustee. Trustee Dooley, did you have a question? Yes, I have a couple of things. Oh, wait. So, when was the
district provided with your report? You mentioned the report. When did you submit that? Because I haven't seen it. Yeah, so we submitted the report about four weeks after we we just did the report review. I think it's about last two weeks ago, I believe. Two weeks ago. Um and what we do with that report review is actually finalize the report until we've had the discussion with the district to make sure that the findings make sense to them. But you did submit a report. Okay. The other question. You talked about tactical
common findings. Is that not something that mister Beasley and his team could provide? Go around and look at the and that's not for you. I'm I'm I'm sorry. I'm going to read the break this too. Superintendent Loverette. Um go around and look at the words and see what's broke without bringing another company in. And finally again, this is to Doctor Leverette. Was this not the same thing that Chief Gross talked about, these trainings that needed
to be done, and I guess I'm I'm in a quandary as to how we're looking at a company to bring in for something that Chief Gross could have retained his job for. And because he haven't been a chief police. I'm sure he has all security training. And then lastly this goes back to you Mister Russell. How much or just give me an estimation of how much these services would cost if you
were to provide them to the district. Because I know they're not all free. Yeah assessments are free. Um we haven't provided a proposal to provide any services, additional services. So hypothetically, if you were to facilitate and move forward with what you have discussed with the superintendent and I would imagine the board president as well. What what's something like this cost? If we were to develop your emergency procedures and do trainings, we're probably looking at $25, 000
somewhere in that ballpark and I'm guessing because I'm not really 1hundred percent. So, then, if you were to refer on what something like this has already cost another district, can you give me a high and a low end? So, if we have a, well, yeah, we charge $2, 000 per building to develop an emergency procedure for the for the at two thousand? 2000 per building, yeah. Um trainings are 1500 to $2000 for a three-hour session. And how many sessions
normally would a group? Some schools, districts do just one, put everybody in one session if they can do that before professional development. Some might do two or three depending on the district and and what their particular needs are. And I will say that to your point These were grant funded assessments. If if they're not grant funded, we would never recommend that a school if they already have somebody internal that can do assessments. One of the reasons you bring in outside people to do assessments is because sometimes
you can't see the problems that are happening or it's it's you're too close to it. So, an independent outside expert often can be good at giving you kind of an additional perspective that maybe you're too close to see. Um and once again, because it's grant funded, the district can bring in anybody that they want to do that. And lastly, mister Russell, what professional security training do you come with? Uh as I said, so I was a police officer for 5 years. I was a secret service agent for more than a decade. So, I did
both presidential protection, visiting heads of state, two presidential campaigns. I did multiple also worked on the safe school initiative with the Secret Service which was a research project on behavioral threat assessment and we assess. Personally, I've assessed over 1 thousand schools and my company assesses between 1, 500 to 3000 organizations a year. And in that thousand schools, how much time have you spent in schools? Dealing
with the kids, staff Hundreds of hours? Every time I'm doing an assessment, I'm in the schools talking to staff, talking to kids, talking to administrators. So, we're not just peaking in and writing recommendations. We're actually engaging with the people in that environment to get the best amount of information that we can and as I mentioned, I was also on the school safety and mental health commission in the state of Michigan. And just to be clear, you said, the district could bring in anyone and if they had in-house, that would
probably go to an in-house personnel that's qualified to provide the same services as your company am I correct? No, what I said was the district in terms of this grant was allowed to pick any vendor that they wanted to pick for the grant and another recommend, another requirement of the grant was we set the price. So, there was no to make sure that the districts were all charged a consistent price for these assessments across the state. Thank you. Sure. Thank you, Trustee Gross
and Trustee Miller. Let's be transparent here. You guys were in the district last school year when you did these assessments, correct? No, it was a school year. Sec came in last school, didn't you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. You came in last school, didn't you? Yeah. Right. Because I received phone calls at SEC was in the building. Yeah. And you didn't have contact with the Chief of Security at the time. We didn't have contact. We didn't. Chief of Security? You did not. Yeah, the consultant did reach out to the judge. No, that's not true. Chief of Security was my brother. Was
he still in the district? He was in the district last. Uh sir, I know where we're going with this. Everything that you just discussed, everything is in place. He provided the training for the staff. Training even went out of state. He had a documentation of a secured plan in case of emergencies. and you guys were in the district without the board's knowledge. Because I received the phone call. And you never and you never had contact with the staff. That's not true. That is true. Now my question to you. When you came into the district
last year were you paid to do so? The company was paid, yeah. The company was paid and it was never presented to the board on the amount that you would pay. Um I'm done. It was a grant funded so. It don't matter. Didn't come to the pool. I understand. I'm not trying to be combative towards you. Yeah. Because I'm familiar with SEC and what you were doing. And my question and then you said something highly important that districts need a director and this district removed the director and they have
two co managers. I'm done. Trustee Miller Hi, thank you for your presentation. Um a few thing, I want to give you a little background before I I ask my question. Um in my previous work experience, my company sent me to get the certification to be an Alice trainer. So, my, it was my responsibility to train all of our offices monthly on protection for a active shooter. In
addition to that, so I have that certification. In addition to that, I was a parent my son was a student. He's a student here now. but at that time, my student was my son wasn't a student at Oxford High School and I know statistically, and according to the data, though we, though there were unfortunately loss of life, the prevention for more, for even more loss of life, was the fact that every month, that school district had, Alice Training,
drills, like when we do fire drills, tornado drills, things like that, they have those monthly, so that the, our students and our staff were here on how to respond. My question, with all that being said, so being that I'm a parent and an Alice certified trainer, that is, that is something that I am very familiar with extensively. My concern is, is when you said that you, the training that you provide is like a one-time training, a one-time training does not give the repetitiveness for our
students and staff to be responsive in the event of an emergency. IE an active shooter. So, supports can you provide or what is your recommendation so that being the climate that we're in. And I lived through it firsthand. The climate that we're in. If we have to respond to an active shooter and if they've had that training one time and there's no repetitiveness. What is the expectation that our students and staff are able to to be prepared? That's a good question. Uh first of
all I don't think you should just do the training one time. I think I was what I was referencing is an initial training, right? I think you should figure out a way that works within the district to you know to keep a cadence for that. Whether that is bringing in your local police department to do that training or at your Alice trained staff or whatever it might be. Um you know and then practicing the drills. You're mandated to do some drills for the state requirements. I don't know that it's accurate that Oxford did monthly drills. I don't know. It's accurate.
Okay. The SRO that was in Oxford works for us. Um I could confirm that with him. Uh but certainly you want to practice when it's appropriate, right? I I think you you want to balance the the fear of of too much with making sure that people are prepared. So, I think drills are appropriate. The cadence of your drills, I think obviously, schools are required to do a certain amount for the state but yeah, training is perishable. So, whatever your train, if you did CPR training when you were a senior in high school, you probably just, you know, you don't
remember it now. So, I think that applies to everything, right? You want to make sure that you're have some cadence of of regular training. So, Any other questions? Mister Russell, I do want to just clarify something Um from my understanding, we brought in SEC because we were allocated funds to bring in an outside company to assess the school safety. Having another set of eyes to come in and look at what's already in place. We're not here or you're not
here to solicit additional business or to ask for a contract but what you're saying is a outside company came in to look at the secure the school safety plan that we already have in place and to help us to see what we're doing well and where we can use some improvements. Period. Correct. Okay. I I just wanted to understand because I'm listening to my trustees and they have valid questions. Yeah. But I just wanted to
make sure I understood what the purpose of your presentation. That's correct. Okay. I'm sorry. And and VP Bowman has a question. With your company when you come in and work with a local school district. Do you automatically work with the police or sheriff department that is within that community or you are independent. If there's a school resource officer we often try to get school resource officer to participate in the assessment. Um so Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it just,
they're not able to do it or they're, they're. Was our school resource officer? Uh, I I did one of our consultants did the assessment and I, I, I do think he made contact with anyone. He was able to make contact with related to security or law enforcement. Cuz he is a retired law enforcement officer so. Thank you. Okay. Wanna clear? Any other questions? Trustee Dooley? So, In light of getting rid of Chief Gross and then we promoted, I would like to thank Officer Cunningham and
Officer Whitaker. Does those two persons have substantial training, adequate training at this point in time, right now? I guess that would be to either Doctor Leverette or President Hannah to answer that. Trustee Dooley, we can we can get that information but since that's not part of Mister Russell's presentation, we don't want to be labor in question whether our staff
has the training needed for the roles that carry. So, I guess I should rephrase it. Did they participate with you, mister Russell? Did anyone from PSD, security department work with you. Yeah, the consultant did reach out to safety and security firms. So, did they work with you? I'm not asking, did you reach out to talk? I don't I'm not sure. Okay. Okay. Any other questions for mister Russell? Alright, thank you, Senator. Alright, Doctor Laborette, the Oakland County
Project Presentation. Yes, thank you. At this time, we'll have John Noyes. This is for discussion and action. Pontiac School District Partnership by colocating Oakland County Parks and Recreation Program facilities, a park sheriff unit presence, a communal sheriff coordination area, the Sheriff Pal program, and a range of public outreach services at Frost. We can help create a transformational presence for the surrounding community. Future partner ships
could include for example literacy programs in English as a second language, job training programs, literacy access and computer library, and safe refuge from abuse. The funding source is in A and it is the recommendation of administration that Pontiac School District partner with Oakland County Parks and the Sheriff's Office to provide space for programs at peace school that will provide outreach services and support to the community. Trustees, any questions? And we do have representation here from Oakland County Parks. I do. They're
not. Do you have another presentation or we're just, this is just for questions. If anybody have any questions, the presentation is. Yes. That's an overview. I I I'm not sure if you even know this. A board meeting we were told that that building was in repairable. How much was spent to repair it to get it up to operating? I want to hear from them. I saw, I read it. I want to see if we going to correspond with the numbers. Um we would have no idea to the agenda topic.
And also trustee Julie, that's school district information that the outsiders wouldn't have that information in terms of what the district paid. But are there any questions for miss is there point of clarity? Did he not state at our last meeting that he was a part of that that did the getting the building up to par. He was a part of that or did I misunderstand what he's presented? I apologize if I gave that impression trustee. We are very new to the
conversation about the condition in the building. We really have not looked at any assessments. Okay. Uh so just I think there was some conversation about the boiler being repaired at the last meeting. Um but we're you know just kind of coming to this with an open mind and open heart. Yeah. Hopefully, finding a way for this to be a success. Uh we're hoping to get this facility activated as soon as possible, show results and action while on the longer term basis, we work towards more long-term plan but if we have this
chance to move forward like an MOU and a license to utilize the building, we want to get Sheriff Pal in there ASAP. Uh it starts showing results. Um so, if we can, you know, if there's support on your end, we are here to try to help make this happen. Alright, thank you mister trustees. Are there any questions? One more. Yes. Trustee Gross. And let me restate the question then. You've had the opportunity to visit and see these sites itself inside, right? Mm hmm. You believe based on what you see and your team has been in there that the
building is up to code for you utilization. Uh I have absolutely no way to make that judgement. But it's enough to our feeling is is it certainly. So you to ask partnership. Right. Well it it did operate as a school until just recently right? So it had to meet certain standards for that but if, you know, I think our idea is to do this pilot trades for about a year and then, concurrently, we're going to do those types of things like. Oh, absolutely. Have a full assessment of the conditions and understand. And about the commitments are. Yeah. On completed the assessment, you can
provide this board with you know, information that you have and cost and and and who would fray those costs. Absolutely. Thank you, sir. Yeah. Thank you, madam chair. Thank you. Uh VP Bowman. Good evening. It's great to see you all as always. With this potential partnership. this will be another partnership with Oakland County and the Pontiac School District. As far as the continued use of space.
Currently, with this, I know the county past the Park Millage. Mm hmm. With this space being potentially used also as playground space with some of those dollars be to work with this area here in Pontiac with the school district. Very likely in the short term, we do have some skilled labor force folks that we can bring in to do any minor upgrades to make the space accessible and you know,
easily utilize especially for Sheriff Bell programs. Um I think in the longer term, as we come up with a long-term agreement, and we've had some conversations with the city regarding the future of Murphy Park and I think those things are somewhat tied to other. Um we would certainly be open to that and we want to make sure that dollars are reinvested back here in Pontiac and we do appreciate your partnership because that's open the door at former Hawthorne Park and then has now opened the door to this
conversation. So, just sort of shows what happens when we're talking to each other and working together. Mm hmm. Thank you. Thank you very much. Any other questions, trustees? Hi. Nice to see you again. I was present for the presentation that you did for board governance and thank you for that. Absolutely. Mike and I understand that this district has had partnerships with Oakland County in the past. This is my first term. My first year in my six-year term as a school board trustee. So,
I'm not familiar with and nor have I received any literature to read in regards like a MOU or something and I I've heard you say that Correct me if I'm wrong. It's almost like we'll it's like a trial run. We'll see how it goes like the the first, is that correct? That's I think the concept we're talking up. My concern is is that being that I'm not familiar with the previous partnerships and so this to me is new. Sure. And with no MOU or anything that I can reference to
know exactly where the district is going and how the partnership is structured. I don't know how this will look. Yeah. So can you expand on that a little bit? Absolutely. So our our first partnership is a long term agreement that allows us to operate in the former Hawthorne Elementary School property that is adjacent to the former Hawthorne Park. It's now Pontiac Oaks. Uh we are in the early stages of coming up with a vision for what that could look like and
actually it was our meeting with Doctor Hannah and Vice President Bowman that led to the conversation about the Frost Elementary School. Uh you know, I don't have what the MOU exactly would look like right now but I would imagine the most difficult which more going to be lawyers to work out are low liability for anything that happens in the building during this period and perhaps some discussion about, you know, dividing utility and
operating costs and I'm sure that we will find a good solution to that. Uh beyond that, we're just talking about a license to operate license to utilize the building in this one-year period of time. Um and I it would be great if we could have an ongoing committee to coordinate with membership from the board and Oakland County Parks, Sheriff Powell. Uh there's always the opportunity. Other partners can come to the table. Uh they can provide
something of value in the building there and I think we would all want to see the chance to pursue that if it's positive but again, this is your your building and we respect that and want to make sure whatever we're doing here is long term sustainable. Yeah. Uh you know, we don't want to build this on hopes and dreams. We want to show some action. Uh that's certainly what we learned with the Pontiac Oaks Project was the city gave us the keys and said, please take over and we went in there and just
started making change as soon as we could and that's how I feel. We're most likely going to build trust in the community and support for this over the long haul. And I appreciate that. I am I am very excited to utilize that building in the capacity that can benefit our our community. Being that as as a board, we are responsible to to our community, our students, and our staff to be able to justify how we're moving and why
we're moving in that direction. Um respectfully for me it's just a level of uncertainty because I am unsure as to what contributions are required or suggested from the district. Mm hmm. It feels like that we're just going into a partnership blindly and everything will be ironed out and discussed at a later date after we've already secured the partnership. I'm excited about the partnership but it's just the technical details, the fine line item things that I have
to, I'm entitled to be able to regurgitate that to my community and say, this is why I supported this because the district is responsible for this, this is this, and financially, it won't be a strain. That's understandable. I was elected official before the turn of the century a long time ago. Um and understand as a you know irresponsibility here. If you'd like us to come back with a complete MOU. Uh you know we're happy to do whatever the the district is comfortable with. We were asked to come back here. Uh I've asked our
attorneys to help start working on the draft but you know they they aren't as eager to get it done as I am apparently. So I'm going to keep the heat on them. And I understand if you want us to come back we're happy to come back at a different date. Um whatever you know, works best for, for you and your comfort level. And it's not, I, I, I want to make sure that people understand, I'm speaking as an individual, as a board collectively, that would have to be a decision that the board makes. I'm just saying that I am excited about this program. I'm excited about a
partnership but for me, unless I know the details, I feel like I'm not doing my due diligence to the community to be able to substantiate why I vote a certain way. Sure. Or why I support the project that I support, but I have to be able to tell community and give them information on what this project is about and give them some details. But that's just me speaking and if they if the board would if if the board collectively would like for you to come back or if they want to proceed that's not up to me. I'm just speaking stressing my
concern. But thank you though. Trustee Dooley. So this is basically to support our children and I'm glad about it. The recreational portion. My question to you is did you do in your community engagement or involvement? Did you do a report on security? And what I mean by that? That particular area was supposedly allegedly reported as not as being unsafe. So if it's unsafe for the school, I'm I'm
kind of thinking it would be unsafe recreational programs. So, have you done any research as to the crime rate that that area has to see if this is this will be a sustainable project? Yeah so I guess I'm looking at it from the other side of the coin that this is an opportunity for outsized impact. This is a area that has a high degree of public housing, a lower than average income levels, higher than average,
poverty levels, I believe. I was just looking at the statistics. The demographic. The subsidized lunch levels for when the school was open very high. Um it the Sheriff Powell program was one of the most effective that I've ever seen in terms of action in you know building relationships and you know, there are those situations where there is, you know, greater crime and I don't know if that is the case here but I think the only way we're going to get ahead of it is
if we start to, you know, have presence in the community and engage directly with the residents in the area. So, you know, these are all questions I'm getting from the board I answer to as well. Mm-hmm. And they're all good questions. I just, sometimes, I think the best thing we could do is just go in there and start showing what we can get done but I understand wanting some answers to some basic questions and I'm happy to keep pushing it forward and coming back at future meetings. You know, I
am generally hearing that it's something that you are all open to. So, that is you know enough to keep moving forward from my perspective Um John, do you want to add anything to that? Thank you so very much for the opportunity and and again, like what Chris had said, we're just looking for opportunities to partner with you all. Um see, it's a unique opportunity. It's it's an awesome, it's an awesome place. It's really hard to say no to this guy. Thank you, Lee. Well, no, I appreciate you. Um
your presentation before and you being here today but part of our understanding and and even having this conversation was to discuss going into partnership as relates to the school. We understand that as of today, there is no signed MOU in place. But that is something that will come once we agree and it has been approved by the board to say, yes, we would like to partner with Oakland County Parks as well as Oakland County Sheriff. So, once that's established that yes, we are
interested in partnering, then, each other entities will sit down and will have a discussion as to what that looks like. That this property is newly vacant and there has been a lot of ideas that were just thrown out in terms of what it could look like and even the interest from the Sheriff's Department about that space because of the high security issue that is over there. Why they thought that this would be ideal for them to have space in that area. So, I I think the
point of you all being here today again is once for the board to decide, yes, we would like to partner with these two entities and then the Next step is representation from this board along with your representation from the county as well as the sheriff's office or the city would then sit down and talk about what this plan is and what this project will look like in its entirety and then that will be the specifics of the details. We've none of from my understanding and based on
the conversations that we've had, you've shared. We've not discussed any of that and it's totality Everybody has just thrown out ideas and the excitement about the possibility of utilizing that space as a opportunity hub for our community. So, I just wanted to say that for the board so they understand why you're here is to so we can decide if yes, we want to move forward and partner and that agreement will then set and place the motion for each of the entities to begin discussing
what this partnership, the details of this partnership. So, as a board, we can, we can move forward or if it is the pleasure of this board to say no, you don't want to move forward in that regard but you would like for representation of the board, the city, and the county to come together first to again talk about what it potentially could be. Yeah. If I can, Doctor and so, the Ogle County Parks Commission voted to they vote in
favor of exploring the partnership. Mm hmm. And it seems like that's what we're talking about here today. Nice. That way, we I'm I'm an appointed person and we as staff are not freelancing and you know, we didn't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. This is always the challenge with these things. We want to bring everybody into the conversation but then people want the answers. Mm hmm. That we have to have the conversation about first. So, it's a little bit of a chicken and the egg situation so. Yeah. If you're comfortable with just something along the lines of exploring the
partnership and I'm which we can come back with a legal document and some answers to trustees Questions? Yes. Um more than happy to keep moving it forward. Alright. Uh what is the potential cost for the district to enter into this partnership? Well, you know, again, I think just. We will encourage some cost though. Well, I, you know, you have cost that you're going to continue to have if the building is sitting there, right?
So, it's hard for me to see how the school district will have more costs than they're having right now but I hate to give you a definitive answer without really vetting all of it. Absolutely. Yet, you know, so, maybe that is something we can report back to you when we're back again with the legal agreement. Okay. Alright. So, we'll move on down to action item. If I can get a motion on the floor for the approval of the Pontiac School District partnership with Oakland
County Parks Project. So move. Support. It's been moved by VP Bowman and supported by Treasurer Terry for the approval of the Pontiac School District Partnership with Oakland County Parks Project. Any questions? Yes. How is it expected that I am supposed to vote on something? Blindly. I don't I've read any documentation of the MOU Partnership or any partnership with Oakland County. Um though I am
supportive of it, is it unrealistic or unreasonable for me to do my due diligence to this community by asking for, hey, give me some potential language so I can know what are this district obligation is. We are, in my opinion, though yes, it had, it is important that we utilize that space with doesn't sit idle but it went from us talking about me asking for a timeline in April of when we were going to make a decision about it to one presentation and now
we're voting on it with no documentation. Is it unreasonable for me to ask for a project that I support to have something to read so I can communicate that to to the community? Chris and John, would you mind coming back up to the mic for just a second to answer this question and it may potentially ease the discomfort of my trustee? Okay, and Marvin and Bill, you may have to chime in and answering this question as well but
right now, Pontiac School District burdens 1 00% of the cost and repair and anything that happens to that building because it's our property, correct? Correct. I believe that's the case. Um I I don't know if it's appropriate but just suggesting and saying explore the partnership versus enter into the partnership may provide some more comfort level because I understand where you're coming from. Are you so and and I know as far as the
conversation, the four viewer in the room, community engagement with ex community expectations. Are you all willing to help? Absolutely. Engage the community so that they can chime in. Mm hmm. With future potential uses of the building. Absolutely. So, I kind of look at that as the longer term plan that we're going to come up with while we're doing this first year pilot but again, without some sort of motion that indicates an
early commitment or interest or about tying ourselves down to an legal agreement. It's hard for us to have a public engagement session with. Understandable. And then the last part of my question. So Oakland County in some regard is willing to we don't know what regard. But in some regard Oakland County is willing to lift some of the burden of cost with the building or management to to help the district in some regard I believe
that's the case although I also answer to a board of commissioners and a parks commission and they're asking the very same questions you're asking here tonight. So, you know, I think we do need to do all of our due diligence and give the answers that everybody will be looking for. Um I certainly see the the the potential here. I'm excited about it and I know you are. Uh I I don't have a vote in the matter though. I understand. So, you know, I think this is really, I can be very frank. This is very outside the box. This is
not nothing we any precedent for. However, you know, I think this is actually, you know, a great example of how we shouldn't think outside the box and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves but I, you know, we're going to need our elected officials to really be behind this pushing it forward because it is it isn't the normal course of business. Thank you. Idiot. Yes, this is for you, Doctor Hannah and Doctor Levert. With the approval
of this item on the agenda. Is this approval of an MOU? No, this is not an MOU. This is just a proof of us going into a partnership, exploring a partnership with Oakland County Parks. So that is that leads me to my next question. If we approve this tonight, will this partnership allow OCP to actually go into the building? No. And that's that's I think that's the
concern because we don't want to make a move until we have an MOU approved. And the MOU once it's approved that's when people start taking their positions in the building. Correct? Correct. So this is just for a partnership. Yes. Exploring. Not utilization of the building and going inside and everybody doing what they need to do. I just need to vote to have understanding of what we're doing on this vote. Yes. That that is what we. Okay and lastly also Remember, a building is sitting empty and a empty building attracts
negative things that we don't want. Correct. So, all I'm saying, tonight is just for partnership. We will then explore what we need to do to put everything together to go into an MOU for this program to start. Yes. Yes. Correct. And that's what I want us to understand. Point of clarity. Trustee Julie. With that explanation trustee Gross just gave then this pretty much seals the deal. Without the logistics, am I correct? No. No. We still are asking. Well,
wait. Wait. I I can't remember your name. Chris. Chris. Chris just stated that it would, we will go into an agreement. This this vote tonight would give us an agreement to proceed and we would work out the kinks with a MOU. Yeah. Memorandum of understanding. Am I correct? No. Just adding a word explore to your motion. May alleviate a lot of concern and if you would like to sorry, this is not my
business. No, no, go ahead. Motion but just to say, you know, that. That we all do exploration. Yeah, a legal agreement would have to come back to the board. Right. Uh then, I think we're all talking the same thing. I just want to be clear on what I'm voting on because I too support bringing this type of program to our children and in the neighborhood can only put us in a better position. However, I don't want us to be legally binding at this time. Thank you. Um again, we're just
agreeing to that we want to partner with these entities. That is it. That's it. The operative word. Any other questions or comments? Yeah, point of clarity. Are we exploring or are we entering to a partnership? Is is that that that word? It means has two different means. Are we exploring the partnership? Are we entering into a partnership? Jesus said your emotion but perhaps just adding that word exploring to your motive. That would be helpful. Alleviate your concerns because you could interpret entering into a partnership to mean that we're
entering into a league agreement. Absolutely. The word explore think would be absolutely crucial for me to be able to proceed with this. Thank you. I remove the motion. That was previously made stating that we will approve the partnership So, the correct verbiage that we'll use for this action item is to explore the approval to explore a partnership with Oakland County Parks project with Pontiac School
District. Can I get a motion, please? So, move. Support. It's been moved by Trustee Dooley supported by BP Bowman for the approval of exploring a partnership with Oakland County Parks Project and Pontiac School District. Any additional questions? Ro call please. President Hannah. Yes. Trustee Miller. Yes. Treasurer Terry? Yes. EP Bowman? Yes. Rusty Dooley. Yes. And I'm voting yes. Madam chair that passed six
vote. Thank you very much. Thank you, guys. Thank you all. Okay, thank you. Next on the agenda General Council in Human Resource Items, Doctor Leverette. Yes, thank you Doctor Hannah. This evening, we are excited to present the candidate for executive director of Human Resources, Doctor Susan Kavanaugh. Her relevant skills and experiences are participating in selection of personnel for position from director down to building helper. Completing annual goal setting and
review of colleague performance at all levels. Ensuring at to board policies, school code, and employee non-negotiables. Trainer, the district trainer, and building administrator of the School Advanced Administrator Evaluation System. participating in greeters meetings and conflict resolution, leading restorative sessions, organizational management, working to maintain a positive culture and climate, inclusive of all stakeholders, implementing and overseeing the budget for state and federal grant programs, plan and
presented staff development in school district improvement activities, district implement of professional learning communities created administrator salary table, and work calendar for the administrator's union, educational law and compliance, meet with school police liaison officer to ensure school safety and compliance with Title nine, Service Pontiac Association of School Administrators Union, President for 5 years, review and negotiate collective bargaining agreements to ensure compliance with law. Doctor Kavanaugh has been a employee
of Pontiac School District for the last 14 years in various capacities. Most recently, she is the principal at Owen Elementary School. She also worked at Pontiac High School as the principal as well as International Technology Academy. She was the principal at International Technology Academy for eight years where student enrollment increased from 210 students to over 950. As the administrator. She was also responsible for staff oversight,
K-12 curriculum, and budgeting for general fund and grant moneys for four different educational programs. As a building level administrator and union president, she has participated in the hiring for at the building level, building administrator, district level, directors, and as the union president has continued to lead the collective bargaining process for the Pasa Union contract. She's a member of the District Blueprint installation team, adaptive schools trainer, school advanced administrator evaluation system.
Ashley. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. It is the recommendation of administration that Doctor Suzanne Kavanaugh be appointed as the executive director of Human Resources. The proposed twenty twenty-5 twenty twenty-six contract will secure Doctor Susan Kavanaugh's services at the rate of one hundred thirty-four thousand 5 hundred seventy-one dollars and five cents. Step one the nine-year administrator, executive director salary table. This position is not
covered by a collective bargaining agreement. It is a recommendation of administration that the Board of Education discuss and move to action. The contract of Doctor Suzanne Kavanaugh as executive director of human resources, effective September 23rd, 2025 through June 30th, 2026. At the rate of $134, 000, sorry, let me say that one hundred thirty-four thousand five hundred seventy-one dollars and five cents.
Thank you very much. Trustees. Yeah, Any questions? Yes. June 9th 2025, we voted for a contract for our interim superintendent. That's valid for 1 year. To my understanding, correct me if I'm wrong. There is not a clause in that contract that I read or was presented that states that the interim superintendent will go back to the previous salary upon hiring a
director. My concern with that is is that correct me if I'm wrong. Essentially, we'll be paying two people in the upwards of 2 hundred and 000. No. I just did the math So, I'll be returning to my HR journalist role at that rate. It is a clause I believe in there. I can't remember which exact that I'll be returning back to my role based on the decision that's made here as a journalist at the rate that I would have been making had I stayed in
that role. Okay. Well, thank you. I I I didn't I don't have it. I'll I can I'll get it. Okay. Doctor Leverette to share with you. Okay, thank you. Any, yes, treasurer Terry? Uh for this particular position, I got actually two questions. Um how many people actually apply for the position? There were a number of of applicants. I can get the exact number of who apply. Um but number. Okay. Maybe 50 people is but not
would have necessarily qualified for the role but we did have a number of applicants. Okay and how many were interviewed out of the fifty? I believe we did interview of five. Uh believe it was five candidates that we interviewed. And then how many people participated in that interview? Oh I wouldn't want to say maybe six was on the interview committee. Maybe seven. Mhm. Okay. Do both for interviews. All five interviews. We had about six people on those interviews. Okay.
Vp bombing. So five people interview fiftyish applications. How long was the window opportunity How long was this posted? Um I believe it's been posted since June or July perhaps. I'll have to look online for the actual data posting. Okay. Thank you. I do have. Trustee Dooley, you have a
question? Okay. Thank you. I do have a question. Um this is a a very key position for our school district. As we know, dealing with human resources. So, I I do see the extensive experience that Doctor Kavanaugh has and her commitment after being here for 14 years. One of the things that I'm wondering if and this could maybe with some of the other candidates. It's important that the candidates have extensive human resources experience as their
primary work. So, I'm just curious to know of maybe the five other candidates that may have been interviewed and you may not remember but how many were actually human resource professionals? They the candidates we interview at Human Resources Experience. Okay. Any other questions? Yes. What I didn't hear anything about training in the laws. From the candidate. What when you read off whoever read it off, her
experience So, what training does she have in the laws that regard the accreditation and certification Where is that coming from? Was it completed? From I believe she has a a certification from Michigan State University and Human Resources. That was complete. That was completed. So it's it's it's to be completed. Am I correct? It's not completed. I believe it is
complete. It was completed in July of 2025. It was oh she just completed it in July. And there was additional trainings and stuff that can be offered with anyone that's coming into this human resources in the educational field. There is a gap. A learning curve. Whether you're coming from manufacturing or whichever division that you would have to learn when coming into education. There are resources available. We have MSBO who does a human resources program. We have SHRM that does a human resources program. So, with any candidate that
comes in, that training opportunity is available. Point information. The documentation that was submitted in the board packet for the with the resume and the credentials. It says specifically anticipated completion of July of twenty twenty-five. Even though yes, this is September but I would assume that the most current information would have been submitted to this board. So, it is to my belief and understanding that it was initially anticipated that it would be done in
July of twenty twenty-five but it doesn't say completed with the completion date. Um and if if if it has been completed successfully, why was this the board not notified with the most accurate and updated information for the candidate. I I it's just a error on my end. I'll be happy to provide that information if requested. Do you have a question? Mm hmm. And I and the resume was given to us and it was noted in the resume that
someone that was on the interview team was also utilized as a reference. Isn't that a conflict of interest? Certainly on the resume, a reference of an individual that work in the district is also on the interviewing team. I got an issue with that. And we didn't look at that. We did. I know I did. And that's a level of concern. Yes. Because again we Let me clear. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I
trust you girls. I I I interrupted you. Any other questions? Yes. To piggyback on what? I I so rudely interrupt the trusty girls' statement. Um this is why it is imperative. Imperative that we we have to have someone that is well versed and knowledged as it relates to HR policy and law. We have a substantial amount of miss risk in this district And we don't have
time for missteps or uncertainty. What trusty growth says. I'm not an HR professional but based on my research, I believe it is a constant interest but what do I know? I'm not an HR professional. I'm not going to pretend to be but there is a level of concern as I and I agree with trusty girls. Any other questions? Alright. Moving on down to action items. Can I get a motion for the approval of candidate recommendation for hire, Doctor Suban Kavanaugh, executive director of Human Resources. We can just call for the vote. Call for
the vote. Trustee Gross. Can you cough? Um can you do the roll call please? It has to be a motion, an official motion and support. Yes, I can. If not, then the matter does not vary. The matter does not pass. Okay, I'll ask again. Can I get a motion for the approval of candidate recommendation for hire, Doctor Susan Kavanaugh, executive director of Human Resources. Okay? I make a motion metaphor. Yes. I make a motion that we reopen the position of human executive
director of human resources and not only within the district as well as outside. Support. Has been moved by Trustee Gross and second by Trustee Dooley to reopen the position of executive director of human resources for internal and external candidates. Any questions? Treasurer Terry. Um not so much as a question Um but more or less as a recommendation. I'm not for sure who's all on this team. I'm not sure how long they've been on this
team. But I am recommending that we Place that team with new people. Actually, we we can make a motion upon the completion of voting of this motion and that we change in interviewing. I mean, interviewing team. Mm hmm. Once this motion is is is made and voted on. Okay, so the first motion is still on the floor. Any other comments regarding the first motion which is to reopen the executive director of human
resource position for internal and external candidates. Yes, I have a question. Does that mean that our candidate that was set for approval will go and retain their previous position? They should do. Uh nothing shot. They were never given the position so that her position was. I was going to say for the for the record. Position. Yeah. She's not there then her position was not changed. I got you. Yes. Any other comments, questions? Roll call please. Oh, you need a motion to support? We we did a motion. Oh, okay.
Me and. Dooley. Dooley. Dooley. She dooley. Thank you. Roll call please. Justin Miller. You said Miller? Yes. To reopen? Yes. Treasure Terry? Yes. VP Bowman? Yes. Trustee Dooley? Yes. I'm voting yes. And President Hannah? Yes. At past six oh. Now, Mark. Okay. Mm hmm. Make your emotional reliever. The changes to interviewing committee. What makes that decision, miss Mike said? Doctor Laverette at Sulo in this
interviewing committee. Who makes the decision. Makes the decision for those who are placed on interviewing committee. Check policy. It changes from, it changes depending on who's available. So, your motion very well, it could be different people on the committee. Point, point of clarity. Recommendation. Check the policy. We're recommending. I'm recommending that you replace the team. Are you placing as official motion, treasurer Terry? Cuz I will second that. Is that a motion? No,
it's not a motion. Not a motion. Okay, it's not a motion. But Doctor Leverette was responding to trusty question and I think she said that the the interviewing team changes. It's not consistent. Is that what you were saying? That is correct. And the reason why I asked the question is how is it that a candidate who uses a person on the interviewing team as a reference to be interviewed by that reference person. Right. That's a mistake that the interviewing team should have seen and it was not
stopped, was not seen in the interview commit continue and this person through the interview It was actually fit. Hit by that interviewing that's an embarrassment to this district and it also is an embarrassment to that candidate. If this would have been caught in the beginning, we wouldn't be here voting on this candidate. That's an issue. Mister Terry made this same type of comment two years ago in a board meeting as his concern as it pertains to the interviewing
team in this process. In addition to what we need. Something has to change. So we don't need to put a motion to change the interviewing team because the interviewing team changes. So we're saying that the next time a candidate is up for an interview, it will not be the same team that that conducted the interviews this time. Is that correct? That is correct. It can't be madam maker. The same candidate. Point of order. I understand it can't be but I'm just I'm asking for clarification so that we know if we
need to move forward with the motion that Treasurer Terry lifted the first time. But it sounds like that motion is not necessary. Because there will not be the same team of viewers as we move forward because Doctor Leverette has said that the team changes. So, there is not always the same people doing the interviews. If I understand correctly. Point of order, President Hannah, can you show me that in policy? Or Superintendent Leverette, there has to be a policy. Somewhere in place that dictates and
governs how this procedure is to be implemented, executed So, I too agree with Trustee Gross. We wouldn't be here and and it would not be and hopefully, it's not an embarrassment to you Principal Kavanaugh, we're we're trying to write this board to follow policy. So, that was a direct violation, contradiction, and anybody that's
sitting here under the sound of my voice, no. That you cannot have a person on the committee that's going to do the hiring and recommendation and there, they have been used as your reference. It doesn't go like that. So, that's the real issue. In addition to some other things but again, we need policy to dictate to ensure that we don't find ourselves in the same position again. Question. Trustee Gross. Uh to Doctor Liberette. What is the
possibility or probability of actually having someone from the outside be part of the interviewing committee? And don't be a good idea. Yep. I think a community person would be a good idea. I'm just asking. And that ought to be fair. It's a recommendation. Alright, moving down. A nope. Nope. Nope. I have a I also have a statement. I raised my hand. Um I also support what the recommendation from both Treasurer Terry and Trustee Gross. Um There should be, I understand that
you're that we're being told that there is a rotation but if I can have internet, I'll be able to, I would have pulled up the policy by now to see what we are supposed to be doing. We can't just continue to do what we want to do. We are governed by policy and law. Right. So, if there is if, if, if we are supposed to be doing this someway, and we're not, or if there's not anything written in policy, then Treasure Terry's trustee, Treasurer Terry recommendation would be valid because it would be
recommended as a director of this board of education that we give the directive to our one employee to our our superintendent that we desire to change the committee, the current interview committee. Motion is valid. Is there a policy in place that says how the how the interviews are conducted and the the persons. Point of order. Was selected. Excuse me. If
there's if there is a policy in place. Okay. Doctor Leverett will review and see if there is a policy that specifically speaks to the interviewing process and the selection of candidates that sit on that policy. I mean, on that interviewing. Okay, thank you. Doctor excuse me. President Hannah, will we not go to our own policy committee to find that and not put that on Doctor Leverette? Absolutely. We have a policy committee. We do have a policy committee and unless someone here
from the policy committee wants to speak to that, I will. If I had internet, I'm trying to pull it up. I can't access the the the I can't access the policies in this building. I apologize. If I could, I would have done that but my other question in regards to that is, we're steamrolling head. Treasure Terry, Trustee Miller. I don't want to speak on behalf of my other trustees. We all have a valid concern. Is that until we determine if there is a written policy and procedure? As of
right now, Treasure Terry, if he shows sell, shall proceeds. Needs to be recognized for his motion because many of us have a concern about who is on the committee interviewing. We cannot steamroll past this. There's a valid concern. And if Treasurer Terry is not comfortable or would not like to make his motion, I'm going to. VP Bowman. I will will considering the access to
the internet to pull up policies but post taste once we have availability for internet. We need to find that policy and if Trustee Terry's motion would like to carry, continue his motion. I would definitely support. If I make. Treasurer Terry. So, board policy P zero four one two zero. Um within paragraphs. It specifically states the superintendent shall prepare procedures for the recruitment and
selection of all staff, support staff. So, we need to be reviewing that procedure. That's correct. That was my statement. And that, if I may matter, listen, if that's mister Terry's thing. So, yeah, I'm going to, I yield. Yeah. Mine is, am I, mine, that's exactly my concern is that this matter be reviewed in the policy committee and bring to the board, to the board of governors, informational, as well as a possible vote to move forward as it pertains to
the interviewing process. I am waiting. It's been going on for quite some time now. When I was back on the board in nineteen ninety-nine, it's been the same process. Nothing has changed. Okay, BP we're waiting on the attorneys to update us with some more Neola policies. I'm waiting to get back with Susan to give us a date for the policy committee. I sent out that correspondents earlier this week. So, upon Susan getting back with me with the attorney Will Sabbath. A policy meeting post haste and have
this discussion so we can bring it up at the governance meeting. Okay thank you. Trustee Miller. Yes thank you. I'll make this my last one for the subject. Um being that BP Bowman is the chair of the policy committee and I understand that we we get our downloads from Neola. I will commit myself with her permission to to compare our policy with the state law which is what Neola does and I will have an answer for you by tomorrow. At least an answer for the board that can be reviewed and brought forth as a
vote with your permission. Any other questions or comments regarding this matter. Okay. thank you very much. Oh, I do, excuse me. So, when do we expect to reput this job out there? Okay. Okay, thank you very much. Curriculum and instruction. Okay, Doctor Leverette. Yes, thank you Doctor Hannah. At this time, we'll have Jennifer T, Jennifer Teen, Jennifer Dean present our 2025 state testing results, curriculum and instruction will present the 2025
state testing results for the district and this is a report only. Jennifer. Thank you, Doctor Levert. Good evening, board members. Good evening, staff and community member Tonight's presentation will be somewhat lengthy as I do have talking points for every slide. Um my hope is to tell the full story of the district as well as some next step recommendations. But I would ask that you please hold all questions until the end. As I may address something as I go progress throughout the presentation.
So I will start with Wita Data. I always like to give a reminder of how we score, how we the is scored, and we have a scale of one to six. One starting with students with little to no English background, and six moving into the ability for students to use both social and academic language at the highest level. Students are exited from the test. Once they reach a four. 8, and they are exited from the ELSL program
with monitoring as needed. Achieving this level of English language proficiency typically takes five to seven years. Next slide. Thank you. So, this slide we are looking at cohort students. So, meaning students that were with us in both the spring of 20 twenty-four and the spring of twenty twenty5 and we're looking at the composite proficiency level. Excuse me. Can we ask questions while you go? So we can look at the pertinent data. opposed to waiting to the end and then we have to go back through
slides. So my question is what did you do for predata? What what's your baseline data? What did you use and where is that baseline data showed so I can see the progress? So, for this comparison, the baseline data would be the spring of 20 twenty-four compared against the spring of twenty twenty-five. Kindergarten, we're looking at spring of 20 twenty-four. The mean composite proficiency level was one point three two. That same group of students as first graders in the spring of twenty twenty-five
increased to 2 point23. So, what happened to kindergarteners that were they were one point three two in twenty-four. There's a black space. Am I not seeing the numbers because this is comparing cohort students in the spring of 20 twenty-four, those kindergarteners would have been preschoolers that they didn't take the way to test then. So, we have no comparative data yet for those spring of 2025 kindergarteners. Next year, when this is presented again, we'll have spring of 2025
kindergarten data and what it looks like in spring of 20 2six when they're first graders. Again, that spring of twenty twenty-six section will be blank because there's nothing previous to hair too. And this particular slide is comparing proficiency levels among students that are in a cohort. Moving across from grade level to grade level and if we color follow the color coding, we see consistent increases and that mean composite proficiency level with the exception of students going from fifth grade. So, we're looking at the
blue under fifth grade and the blue under 6th grade. We go from 2. 7 to 2point7 -3. So, barely any growth. Um we will see this trend throughout our data with sixth grade students and I will speak more that as I proceed through the slides. Um see. Make sure I didn't miss anything there. Okay, this next slide is we to growth. So, starting in spring of
twenty twenty-two through the spring of 2025, students that were with us for that entire time. So, you'll you'll see in parenthesis there, I put four hundred one. So, this is not all of the students that were tested across the district. This is just students that were with us from spring of twenty twenty-two to spring of 2025. That's 401 students. That group Students started in spring of 2022 with 20% being at that level one. That's the lowest level. Progressing through spring of twenty twenty-five, we're now at 4%. And we see the increases in
the levels moving into three to four. And we're at 32% that are at that level for or higher. Remembering that it takes five to seven years to attain proficiency, English language proficiency. We expect to see the majority of this cohort exiting in the next three years. And the slide is looking at we to growth. The state assigns a growth score to each student that if attained, indicate the student is making adequate progress to reach
English proficiency in the expected time. So, we're looking at the average growth score of all students at each school over a three-year period and to put a little bit more behind this, looking at that first column, the twenty twenty-2, 23 school year, the State Mean was forty-nine point nine, and the county mean was 5-three point seven. When we look at the spring of 20 twenty-four, the state mean again,
was 4nine point nine and the county mean was 5-four point nine. 20twenty-four, twenty-5, student growth data has not yet been released in my school data so I don't have those numbers for you. I want to stop here and also address that Doctor Alicea and his team have been working with an MDE consultant over the last two years as part of a program review. One of the recommendations was made that based on our increasing ESL population, we need to hire more ESL
teachers. This year, we increased the number of ESL teachers at Pontiac Middle School by one. We three new ESL teachers at Pontiac High School and when I say ESL, it could be that they are ESL designated ESL teachers or that they are teaching the ELD, the English language development program and they are certified to teach that program. And then we also have three new ESL teachers at ITA and you'll see a little bit more about our
demographic data, numbers, and you'll see where the priority was put at these schools based on the needs at the time. There are further recommendations to hire more certified ESL staff across all schools. But these were working with the MDE or the consultant, the schools that were prioritized to be of need first. And next we'll move into math and we're looking at this data by school. I want to give a little bit more information behind this. Because I want to really put into
terms what this means. Right now, on this slide, you're looking at percent proficient or above. But I want to give some numbers to that. At Alcad Elementary, 123 students were tested. 14 of those 123 students are proficient or above. That leaves 109 students that still need support. At Whitman, 165 students were tested. Out of that one hundred and sixty-five, 12 were proficient. At
Harrington, 113 students were tested. Five were proficient. At Owen, one hundred and forty-two were tested, 13 are proficient. At Rogers, 111 were tested, twenty-four are proficient. At ITA, 55 were tested, 203 are proficient. And at ILA, 14 were tested, 125 were proficient. At Pontiac Middle School, 352 students are tested, and
four person, four of those students. I think you inverted the numbers, because you said 14 were tested. I'm sorry, an ILA? Yes. Yes. Is that the only one I inverted? It it, it was. So, go back like two schools. Thank you. Oh, thank you. ITA, 203 students were tested, 55 of those students were proficient. At ILA, 125 students were tested, 14 of those students were proficient. At Pontiac Middle School, 352 students were tested,
four students were proficient, and I'm going to get into more demographic data, and more background behind some of this. Why was Pontiac High School omitted from this? This is the M step test and this is given for the students in grades three through seven. ITA, Lauren. Ita has K through 12. Yeah. Thank you. Yes. Thank you. Yes. Um so, this is for grades three through seven for ELA and Math, MStep. We'll
look at PSAT and SAT which will get into our eighth grade at the middle school as well as our 11th grade of the high school. Looking at MStep Math by grade So, overall, we do see that the district increased by 2 percent and then again, following some of that I don't want to say cohort data because it's not a true cohort But if we look at the dark blue purple graph under third grade, We see 14% of the students were proficient. If you follow that to the fourth grade, Gray
Barr, we see 14% of students are proficient. Not an entire cohort but all of the students tested and I can to give some context to that as well. I can say in fourth grade, 284 students were tested. 197 of those students were part of that third grade group. So, as we look at the state, I kind of want to draw attention to the dark purple bar from one grade to the gray bar of the next grade. So, when we look at fourth grade, we see 11%. For
of 20 twenty-four and that group is now 9% in spring of 2025 as fifth graders. For sixth grade, we see 5%. for the spring of 20 twenty-four. Moving to seventh grade, we see 6% for the spring of 2020 or I'm sorry, 8% for the spring of 2025. I skipped one because I want to again, I said I was going to complete, continue to draw attention to this. Look at fifth grade. Purple bar. Spring of 20
twenty-four 16% proficient. Now look at sixth grade. The grey bar. Spring of 2025. 5%. That is a drastic decrease. We need to provide more wraparound services to our students moving out of elementary school into middle school. And just to give some numbers behind that group as well. Um and sixth grade 232's total students were tested. One hundred and
seventy7 of those were the fifth graders that had part of that 16percent. So still a very significant number moving forward. And then we have our M Step Math by Demographic. Here, I'm going to call attention to our ESL and special education populations and put some story behind that, not to offer excuses but to offer what our reality is and what we need to plan for and how we need to service our students better. So,
we've seen the decreases over the last two to three years Here with both the ELL and the special ed, the two at the end. Um we have also seen an increase of ELL students coming into the country, coming into our district, who came from a country where they didn't they lived in a remote area. They didn't have a local school. They have no formal schooling. But when they come here, whatever age they are, we have to place them into the correct. grade
appropriate it or age level appropriate grade. We can't just start everybody at kindergarten We've seen some of that same, some of the same things happening with our Gened population and some of those students that came in as special ed or were quickly referred to special ed students coming at age seven, eight, nine, even older that due to COVID and circumstances, they have not been in school. Can I, can I ask a question?
Yes. It might be, you have mentioned special ad. What percentage what percentage of Pontiac School District students are special ed students? The last count that I saw was about 700 of the students, Doctor Jameson, yeah, about 700 and out of our total Yeah, yeah. Thank you. You're welcome. So, those two things and then with our ELL students, we usually say
that Matthew is universal. If we provide this the test to them in Spanish, then they should be successful on the math test but again, if they're coming in with no formal schooling, that changes the narrative and again, not to make excuses but to identify that we have to strive to educate these students as well. Yes. I do have one question. Um listening to everything. Sorry. Listening to everything you just said and provided. Um regarding
these details. I'm questioning now because I know a lot of us have issues with a lot of these low numbers. Mm hmm. And when we compare ourselves to other districts as well, we want to see our numbers up there flourishing with every other district as well. Listening to some of the things you just mentioned and and I'm sure you probably heard this before but the way you're breaking it down, how accurate is this data then? In regards to, I guess you want to say our students as far as comparing what
we're seeing to if our program is actually working. Cuz what you're telling me now is that we got variables. Because of the English learner students coming in. They're having changes. They're they're having difficulties. They're there's a communication barrier. Right. But at the same time we get stuck with that and that affects our numbers. Overall if I'm correct. So the reality is yes, these are our students. I know this isn't every
student in here. This is, I want to say an average taken, whatever. I'm assuming. You so many students or just all represent all students. Which are you, are you referring to the. Go back a slide. Back a slide. Yes, so this slide is all students that were tested. Students. They were tested. Yes. So, there's 537 ELL students. Not all five, 30, hundred, five hundred and thirty-seven have that circumstance but that is a new circumstance that has come to us in the last couple of years. As well as
students that are local students who due to COVID and terribly awful situations have not been in school and are coming in later without schooling. Again, that not. A large majority but it's another factor to bring in. And again, I want to tell our full school district story when I stand up here tonight. Okay. No, I'm just trying to. So, I think the next slide might give a little bit more background. This is the three-year cohort data.
So, if we look at the top box, we are looking at all the students that we tested in the spring of 2025 for MST. In grades three through seven. The district level proficiency and each grade level proficiency. If we go down to the bottom box, we are looking at students who have been here for three consecutive years. And that's where we start looking at is what we're doing working. We're not it we can look at these numbers. We're not seeing a big difference. We we see a some change.
Um that fourth grade cohort group is actually less proficient than the all student group. The group is 2% more proficient. The third grade group is 2%. The fifth grade cohort group is 3%. The sixth grade is one percent and the seventh grade, we see a difference of 5percent. Does that help give a little bit more? Yeah, I think that helps a little bit more. Okay. And I also want to point out that this all students tested is around 1400 by the time we get to that three-year cohort, we have less than
900 students. So, the it's a big difference in the number of students. Or the the number of students that we retain for that three consistent three year. Why is that Jennifer Day? Why is there a difference Um so, students that if we're looking at students that are with us for three consecutive years, part of it is as they leave seventh grade, they go on to eighth grade, they're not, they're no longer part of that three-year cohort. Yeah. Or but even
just they were with us for two years but they weren't with us for that third year so that removes them from that three-year cohort. So, again, we tested 1400 students but when we look at the number of students that have been with us for three years or more, that number goes down to less than nine00. Okay. Next slide. Now, we're moving into the PSAT and SAT. So, we're getting into the eighth graders at the middle school as well as the 11th grade students. Um this is not, this is not something
that I can give a whole lot of across the grade level comparisons because the state state mandates that we take it at PSAT and eighth grade, SAT, and 11th grade. So, we don't have a cross-grade level data necessarily to look at here. I will still do that three three year cohort as we get to it. Um I want to lift here. Um middle school and high school teachers have cited that students don't have quick and accurate recall of basic facts. So, addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division. Going back to our report that Doctor Krantz gave us after the listening circles were done throughout the district. One recommendation that she lifted was that the elementary teachers provide opportunity for students to use the math games that are part of the everyday math resource that we use. Those math are research based to support students learning of those facts so that they can recall them quickly and accurately.
And then looking at our PSAT math demographic groups. Again, PSAT starts in 8th grade. So, we don't have that comparison data to look at but we do have a demographic breakdown to look at again and I'm going to speak more in a few minutes to English language learners and Hispanic students and the difference between the two but how the English language learner population does affect the Hispanic population. And then the SAT math demographics. And then, going back to MStep but now,
we're looking at ELA. So, again, grades three through seven, ELA, I want to stop here and talk a little bit about the impact of ITA having its own building code moving forward. Up to the spring of twenty twenty-five, I have always presented the data as ITA and ILA as stand-alone schools because that's how we're looking at the effectiveness of what's happening in each school and what schools need support but the data
from those students goes back to their neighborhood schools for accountability. So, and here's what I want to talk about some of that demographic data as well. Ila is now being combined with ITA and they have one building. They are they are now one building and they have a building code. So, in the spring of twenty twenty-six, we're going to see it reported that way by the state. The state has never identified ITA or ILA. 83% of the students tested at ILA were Hispanic
students. And a portion of those students were English language learners. The ILA students, 77% of students at ILA were await a level of one or two. 83% of the English language learners at ITA and ITA has 49% of their students tested being Hispanic. 83% of those English language learner students are away to level 3 or 4. One IT and ILA are reported together next year, We're looking to see
somewhere between that 31 and 13% because we know we now have we had a level one and two and level 3 and four. We have we have the full. and again, that's again my ITA was identified for additional ESL teachers knowing that we have that large population from ILA as long as well as they already have their own population. So, we hope to see towards the higher end of that 31 given that support of the ESL teachers put in place but I wanted to Yeah Additionally,
ITA has a higher percentage of Hispanic students who are proficient in ELA. So, 30% of the Hispanic students are proficient in ELA in sixth and seventh grade at IT. So, just think about sixth and seventh grade right now. 30% of those sixth and seventh graders at ITA are proficient. And annealing. 4% of those Hispanic students in grades six and seven at Pontiac Middle School are proficient. Again, the Wheel level
three and four are at ITA, the newcomer, Wita level one and 2, are at Pontiac Middle School and that same impact goes to Pontiac High School. So, I've talked a lot about Pontiac Middle School and Pontiac High School because that is where we're going to see the greatest impact next year when 2026 scores come out and I'm just making sure everybody's aware that's that's the reality that we're looking at and we're we know that moving forward. Um but elementary students also go back to Elcott, Harrington, Whitman, Owen Rogers that will also impact those
schools as well. Looking at MStep ELA by grade again, looking at those dark purple bars In third grade, we're at 12%. When we look at the fourth grade gray bar, we're at 13%. The 20 twenty-fourfourth grade, dark purple bar, 10%, the fifth grade bar, 13%. So, we're seeing those increases. Again, fifth grade. The middle bar, dark purple, 16%, the gray bar is sixth graders dropped to
twelve percent. Again, we see that drop as students move from elementary to middle school. In sixth grade we were at 12% in 20 twenty-four as seventh graders. Um they're at 10% in 2025. So, some drop there too and I will lift that that seventh grade classroom did not have a certified teacher for the full year last year. Is there any correlation? I'm sorry. No question. Go ahead. Is there any correlation between the fifth grade going to the sixth grade regarding the curriculum is the
material that much different. For math, they are to different curriculums. There's everyday math, four K five, and if there's anybody in middle school out it can remind me with the middle school math curriculum is. Envision. Yes. So, for math it is. For ELA, Witten Wisdom was adopted first K through five and then brought into sixth grade as well. So, there is consistency in the curriculum resource for ELA. Are we looking at changing that? To get some more consistency across the board.
So, we're in the process right now of reviewing and making some adoptions and as it relate to the adoption, you have to do piloting and there's a process that you have to do. You can't just say, we're going to use this curriculum and purchase it because it's the same curriculum. We have to pilot and then make a decision from there. We piloting that this year or? Yes. Trusty growth. Yeah, now miss Dean, if I recall Let's be transparent here. This time last year
One of the things we discussed was when our students are when they start falling behind. You indicated and you stated quote unquote that we see a discrepancy with children's with their that they're with them learning from fifth to sixth grade was an issue when the kids were falling behind. Now we're right back the next year with the same thing. Right? You did tell us last year that was your issue. You told us your concern was when kids start falling behind academically is between the
fifth and the sixth grade a year ago. And you're not and here's what I'm saying and and I don't and I'm and listen, I'm not trying to shoot the messenger. Okay and and and I'm saying this and I don't want to sound like negative gross but I really didn't want to sit through this again because it's the same old same old. And the questions that I raised 4 years ago, three years ago, two years ago. What can we do differently
to receive different results? And this is going to go with the next agenda item with these materials because I am getting very want to be professional with this. Stay professionals. I am getting very disappointed, frustrated, with us always approving certain things. We don't get any type of feedback on how they're working. If they're working
What is it doing to improve proficiency and you come to us again this year with the same numbers. I stayed over and over and over again. Our job is to provide the the the best education we can for our students. That board's role is to that the superintendent comes to us with various ideas, programmings to improve our kids proficiency. We make that
decision and we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mm hmm. And we're getting the same results. One of the things that I do want to lift in into the room is and it is it has been ongoing. So, I agree. It's very frustrating for everyone especially when you consider year after year the challenges of the difference in teacher salary We do offer a stipend. It's 2500. Other districts may offer 5000. So, that becomes a challenge
when we're fighting to get highly qualified teachers. If you have a sub in a position as Jennifer Dean has said, a substitute teacher does not have the same qualifications, skill set, longevity, credentials that a classroom teacher has. That sub would have to come into this district if we're talking about envision math and have a huge learning curve for a math curriculum such as Envision. I've worked with Envision Math
previously. I know what the content is. I know what to reach. It is. I highly qualified research based curriculum. We have to be careful when we start saying is the the curriculum. I think that we've made good financial decisions as it relates to the curriculum but there are other factors and barriers that impede our way in terms of moving the needle the way that we want it to be moved as a district. The other thing. Doctor Clifford, if I if I may I mean,
you cut me off. So, I'm I apologize for cutting you off. But if I may, I I hear what you're saying. I hear what you're saying. Well, you've been saying this for the last two, three years. So, What's plan B, C, and D? So. We know, we, hold on now. We know we have substitute teachers. We know we're going to have substitute teachers. We know this. We know this. We know this. So, if we know this, what is our planning? It's been going on too long. So, you've been, you told me
this last year? You told me this the year before that and you've not given me the plan B, C, and D because we know we don't have certified teachers. We know the country is in trouble with this. So, so as a board member. I'm not speaking for the rest of my board members but am I from as a board member to continue to accept this low-functioning proficiency of our students because of the same reasons we've been having every year. That's frustrating. So, if we know we're going to have this, why don't we create some sort of different type of
plan and do something differently to show some improvement. That's all I'm asking. You told me this last year and you told me this the year before. So, what can we do differently? Now, what is your plan B, C, and D? Because we know we have subs. What are you going to do now Cuz I can't continue to accept what I'm receiving is imagining it. So, in response to that, trustee growth and if I cut you off, I do apologize because that was not my intention to cut you off but we have to stay the course. These are
tough times. People are tired of hearing it. We're all frustrated but we still have to show up for children. We have performance management system in place. We have the interventionist in place. And we still have to make sure that we're showing up providing the best quality instruction that we have. One of the things that I believe that also poses a challenge and it is our reality is the fact that is the curriculum being implemented with
fidelity. So, that's where we've instituted the performance management system and the walk throughs, checking and inspecting what we want those outcomes to be. So, it is a collective responsibility as we partner with the teachers. We have the data meetings. We are constantly talking about this cohort of students and we can do to pivot and move forward. But I think that we need to again I will say that be careful about the same or overhaul of the
curriculum because these are universal research-based best practices. And they are not, we are not getting the outcomes that we want but there are a number of things. Last year, five years ago, 10 years ago, we're still telling this story and we're all very frustrated but in, we have to collectively as a team, come up with a plan. So, I'm committed to continue to have the the tough conversations to continue to look at
what we can do collectively together because we're all responsible for moving the needle for academic achievement. Before you. Can I ask? I'm sorry, Doctor Jefferson before you go. Trustee Miller. Yes, thank you so much, President Hannah. I understand what you're saying Doctor Leverit but according to miss Dean, you made my heart excited when you referenced Doctor Krant's report because I read it in his entirety. That's what I did. And we paid her and she gave us a very
extensive, very extensive, and detailed report. Much of it was based on our curriculum. So, it is our curriculum. According to the consultant that we hired to review our curriculum. And I understand that we've been having the same frustrations for the past five, 10 years, and if we've been having those conversations according to my analyzation of the report. We are five and 10 years behind the rest of the district a surrounding district in this ISD. My concern is
at minimum, we paid somebody that gave us a thorough explanation, even had suggestions of what we needed to do so that our students will learn and retain. Why are we not utilizing that data and those recommendations? Because what we're doing now is not working. The data supports, that's at least since 20twenty-3, it's not working. So, we paid for this consultant. Why are we not at minimum trying to do something different or
start to engage in the conversations to implement at least one thing that the consultant provided us? Is it unrealistic to expect that if we paid for a service, that we utilize that service? We don't have to figure it out according to the data and the statistics, we are behind. We are not educating our kids in the capacity that they're retaining and can they can be the equals to even people who live across the street from the right
right across the road in Waterford or or or or a surrounding neighborhoods. We are doing our kids a disservice and it's I understand about our educators. I'm not an educator. But I looked at the data on and I'm just going to leave it at that. I firmly believe that our educators, staff, whomever touch our students are here because most of genuinely care about our kids. What are we doing to give them the
resources so that they can teach our kids. Read the report. It said where we were insufficient. Where we where we were where we were not doing. That lady was here for Doctor Kranz was here for months. So this is not my word. This is not. Amen. A personal opinion. This is data and fact. We have to change something immediately. It's time out for talking. Trusty Dooley. I wanted to Just make a suggestion pretty much. So, when you're developing
professional development for the teachers, it probably would behoove us to teach them how the delivery of instruction is directly correlated to learning. In addition to that, we know we're having subs. Let's carve out some time for those subs to be trained in pedagogical implementation. Which brings me to my final point that
I remain in a quandary how principles because they did it, did not evaluate 1 21 teachers and we are a failing district. I would like to think moving forward that will never be allowed again. Because it's no way a person can claim, you can be a good teacher But in this climate educational climate that we're dealing with. It's no way
you cannot evaluate them. Because our kids are not learning. The data clearly states and it has been that way based on what you guys presented. Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-5. I retired in twenty-one. We were Starting to be on the decline then. So, now, as one of my trustees stated, you have not put in constraints in place to catch the learning. So, I would like to just suggest and and Imma go one step
further to say we need to realign the salaries at the top. So, we can give our teachers more money. So, we can get some teachers in here that would love to be a part of this district. So, the money. Let's read let's look at realigning the top heaviness because I'm going to say this, when when it's brought up that you did comparative data to how we should pay our superintendent, you did not
compare the right data. You have to look at how many students professionals that are under the supervisory the superintendent. That's how you reach and that's based on going to Q, the urban district conference you guys sent me to along with my colleagues. Uh that was brought up. You you must deal with the number of students and your staff that you're dealing with. That's how you do a comparable. It's not because we're
by Southfield, Troy, Avondale. That's not how. So, we have less than I keep wanting to say 5000 but it's four Thousand. 500. We're at 4500 students. 4, 500. I go with still under five students. So we need to relook at these salaries and readjust them so some of that money can be funneled into hiring teachers and giving teachers the
raises that they deserve. And it it can even trickle down to the bus drivers and the other vital persons in the kitchen. Give back to the agenda item. I'm sorry. I just had to say that because it all entails. It encompasses what's best for our students. And that is learning. So, again, my suggestion would be to take those long-term subs that you know you have, you've had for five or six years. Let's make sure they get into a
program. Let's get partnerships with some colleges that will come in and teach those persons so they can get their degree and teach and have the background for for delivering instruction. I yield the floor. Doctor Devison, you are going to say that. Was there any other comments before we had them continue? Doctor Devison. So, I just wanted to add that we are utilizing Yes. We are working on utilizing a program evaluation tool. So, the curriculum and instruction has been
looking at three different models to to do a program evaluation. So, we are working on getting a program evaluation tool. Okay, thank you. Christine, if you can continue, please? Yes. So, part of my talking points for this slide, before the questions came up. Doctor Krantz also reported that we look at a new ELA program to replace Witten Wisdom if possible. With the current state of education, a new ELA resource adoption is a large
fiscal undertaking. Additionally, it will take three to five years to implement a new resource and see growth. In that time in between, there will be more decreases before we see growth. We are just now at the fifth year of implementation in Witten Wisdom for the K 5 group. And I also want to remind everybody that that was implemented in the fall of 20 20 when teachers and students were both at home due to the COVID lockdown. Before we throw this out completely. That program
evaluation needs to happen and we really need to dig deep and look at what we are doing and then and I'm going to say this again in the end but I'll say it now. All of the adults that are the stakeholders here need to come together and look at what we have and how we can use what we have without taking on another huge fiscal responsibility and make it work for our students. All of the time I spent building the story of our students was to come to this statement. So.
There's that. Right. Moving on to PSAT, ELA, and SAT, ELA by school and grade. Oh, I'm sorry. The demographic groups? I think my notes got a little out of order here. Yup, the MStep ELA demographic groups, okay? We were on the three-year cohort date. Okay, the demographic groups. Okay. Um again, that same
narrative that I gave around the math with the demographic groups. We apply here as we look at our ELL students and how they apply to that Hispanic population as well. We do see that decrease in the Hispanic population but we also know that we had a big influx of newcomers coming into the district over the last couple of years. Next slide please. Mstep three year cohort data. Okay. Uh same story as we had with math when we looked at this data. The top box is looking at all students that were tested. The bottom box is looking at
students that have been with us for three consecutive years. The we do see an increase in the district, three-year cohort group of 2%, third grade sees one%, fourth grade sees 1%, 5th grade sees 2%, 6th grade, no increase, and seventh grade 4%. Again, not the type of narrative that we would hope to be able to give around students that have been with us for three years. Again, we need to look at our programs and truly evaluate what's working and what's not and make decisions moving forward about
what we will keep in that keep. And then the PSAT SAT ELA by school and grade. This again, paints that picture of what twenty twenty-six is going to look like because we've got the district right now at the 28% for grade eight, ITA at 58% for grade eight. And Pontiac Middle School at 18 percent. Also, when we look at numbers, we're looking at about 60 students at ITA as opposed to Pontiac
Middle School around 170 students. So, a lot more students at Pontiac Middle School and the same pattern moving forward with the 11th grade SAT test. Satela demographic groups. Again, we're we don't have grade levels to compare. We just had and again, it's a totally different group of students every year but these through the three-year history is what we're looking at with our demographics. And the SAT ELA demographics. And then going into our PSAT eight and SAT through your cohort data. So,
this top box is all PSAT eight. The orange bing math, 243 total students were tested, 5% were proficient, one hundred 44 of those 243 have been with us for three consecutive years and 8percent of those students are proficient. For ELA, 243 students were tested. Altogether, they've been with us three months or five years. 243 students, 28% proficient. When we look at the 144
students that have been with us for three consecutive years, we've seen increase of 7%. Moving down to SAT for math, whether we're looking at all students or the three-year cohort, we are looking at one person of students being proficient. And for ELA, we're looking at all students tested twenty-four percent proficient and an increase to 29% when we look at the three-year cohort. We have work to do with the curriculum at the high school. That was also identified in Doctor Krant's report
and we are following that and we are listening to it. Doctor Devison has scheduled weekly meetings for the Pontiac High School Administration and the curriculum and instruction department to meet at the high school and have dialogue around what they need, what they have, what they don't have, and what we need to change and plan for the future at Pontiac High School. We also offer CTE tracks for our high school students and Doctor Leverette has committed a focus to getting our students on that track. We have the computer programming,
the early childhood, engineering technology, JROTC, protective services with the OCC Fire Academy, Aviation, you know what all the programs are but I'm saying to the students, if we have any students or parents listening, if there is a student that is not on this track that wants to be, talk to your counselors, we have room in our CTE classes. We need to make those schedules work for those students. And as I close, I want to lift that our data clearly shows that we need something
different to influence positive change. While the state of education faces many unknowns, we as adults, can come together, look at our current curriculum resources, our current systems, and our current structures to determine how they can be utilized to create equity, and to set all students up for success. Any further questions? Trustee Miller. Miss Dean, thank you for putting up with the lashings. It's
not directed towards you. I know. I've put the data on the table and I don't climb up there with it. I I deliver the data. I don't create. I I analyze the data and I bring it to you. I have suggestions. I appreciate you and I do have a question. Okay. What would be your recommendation? Uh for curriculum that we can implement immediately. Cuz I know statistically, if If we don't put anything in place prior to a student gets to the eighth grade they probably won't graduate
from high school. That's that's statistically what the data says. So, ideally, our focus should be K through seven. What is your what it will be your recommendation? Cuz we both read Doctor Kran's report. We'll be your recommendation. That's something we can implement. Where can we, what would you recommend that we start? So, I I can actually speak to that and plans that are in place for professional development to support that. Cited in that report was teachers feeling that there wasn't enough time for small group instruction and
delivering interventions whether not just delivering interventions but providing time for students to have that independent reading time. Um there was also a misconception about I already having to be done for 45 minutes in each content area which takes away from small group time but honestly that should be supporting small group time. Well that teachers working with a small group of students. Those students aren't sitting in front of a teacher could be completing that. So clearing up some misconceptions but also providing training about how we look at our data and how we plan for small groups and
reinforcing schedules that have been put out with pacing guides that were set up to allow for daily small group instruction. So, reading in that report that there's not time for small group instruction when I know the core content area supervisors and the coaches have set out pacing guides, have set out timing to include small group time, we need to talk to the teacher and find out what is not working with that still and what further changes need to be made. So, again, evaluate what we
currently have and see how we can make it work better for our students. Thank you, miss Dean. You're welcome. VP Bowman. As far as our current curriculum and what we have and to evaluate A part of this, is there something where our children can be a little more engaged, hands on, not just specifically sitting at a desk with a book but ways to learn not the same way sitting at a desk. Do
we have things in place for potential avenues for our children to learn differently? Is any of that coming through the pipeline? So a lot of our resources do provide that. We aren't seeing it implemented as much. So, again, further support that's needed on how to make that successful in the classroom. Thank you. I will also say and this is a much longer process because this doesn't happen overnight but we have started training teachers on the private project-based learning that gives teachers more
autonomy and the design of their lesson and is designed to be hands on and engage the students in more critical thinking but again, that is not an overnight process. That is, I can't say that's happening across the district. We started with ITA and the plan is to continue adding whether we have by grade level or school but adding on year by year. Thank you. Welcome. Trustee Gross. Thank you. Um during this last visit that we made out in LA. We had the
opportunity to to visit Compton schools. I'm sorry. Compton. Okay. Middle and High. Considered one of the worst areas in the United States. But they have a 98 percent graduation rate in high school. One of the things that I specifically did was talk to the teachers. As pertains to what they're how they're teaching their children. And what are they the programs that they use? They have the students with pens and paper and writing. But they also use virtual in the classroom with them. With the goggles and the things. It was a math
class. When they finished, I asked a few of the students, what is it about this class that you like? He used two words. It's fun. It's fun. We have to beat the children where they are. To get them to where we want them to be. And they're utilizing programs that meet the children where they are. They have six graders who are are are creating the the the
the the the you know when you strap a on your step yeah on your ankle. Sixth graders. Through computer learning. They meet the children where they are And I've been pushing for our kids. We need to start doing things that are fun. I had a conversation with superintendent. Two of the things that I know for a fact that our fund for the students in this district, our children is athletics and CTE. People say, oh, what sports?
No. Athletics and CTE gets the kids here. Now, once you get em here, you can teach them. And why is it that athletics and CTE that children like because it's fun I can count on one hand from kindergarten through my 12th grade year, how many days I missed in school? Because it was fun. The teachers made it fun. The academics was fun. The sports was
fun. It kept that interest here. And I wanted to go to school and I didn't want to miss. I'm not seeing that here. When are we going to start taking a look at things and wake up? These are the children that we have. Meet our children where they are. Survey our kids and ask them, what is it that you like about school? What would you change? What do you want to see different? What are we going to do that? Because and I'm going to
stop ranting. But I say this every meeting. Without students, everybody in this room wouldn't have a job. We tend to forget that. Because we're on this adult high horse. They're going to do what we want them to do. You don't act up in my classroom. Teacher, that's not your classroom. It's classroom with students. You just a teacher of that classroom. But when you have that that mentality and make our children the second or third or fourth choice. Right? Then we lose. Meet the kids
where they are. If you have a curriculum that it appears that every year, since I've been here since two thousand and20, it ain't working. We're not meeting them where they are. Give them something that they understand and build from that. That's what Compton did. It ain't about the money. You about to bring me item on here. What I read is $408, 000 for materials that we don't even know going to work. That I'm voting noone.
When are we going to wake up and see? We we know what we have here. We have 4500 students. We had over 200 some odd students come back because last year was at forty-two seventy-five. And why? Make school fun. Come on, everybody. Wake up. Make school fun. Make school fun. Get em here in the seats because I had a principal tell me when I was a kid, you can't teach an empty chair. It ain't that hard. Trustee Miller. Thank you. Present
Hannah In addition to what trustee growth said last four mean I believe. Um mister Upton came and presented about how he sent home these projects. And the so like what trustee girls are saying about making it fun or meeting the students where they at. The important part of it is that they're gaining the concepts. Wherever however they get to the solution, it don't matter if they use a pen and paper, if they put together a project like Mister Upton said that he sent his students home
with. As long as they're gaining the concepts and can retain it. And we can also utilize, like you said, CTE. If you're not a big math student, why not consider putting introducing CTE in the middle school level? Cuz once again, data says, if you don't implement at-risk students before eighth grade, they won't graduate. So, why don't we introduce those so they'll still gain those if they're those math concepts if they're struggling with math but they're going to do it in a way that makes sense to them. We can't do what makes
sense for us. We need to do what? Make sense for our students. Thank you. Any of the comments? I have one. I would just like to say please don't take this like a bashing type of thing. We're just trying to offer solutions and one of the solutions I would like to, having been a former teacher in the classroom. So, I know what I'm talking about. Let's be clear. Let's stop having the teachers where they, they're so caught up in delivering the curriculum. So, they're not
teaching and they're not doing total foundational skills because many of the teachers can do an assessment just on how a kid will respond to them. That that you can do several types of assessment. So, one of the things I would suggest is that as you look at those pacing guides, that what needs to be covered, that they have the autonomy not to move on if at least 75% of their students have not taught those have not grasped the skills.
Because what we see here is the repetitiveness of passing kids socially. We pass them on and then, ironically at 12th grade, this kid can't read. We're not talking about fluency, calling words, reading for the comprehension. So, that's one big area I would say. If we could remove Just a little barrier and then be a little more vigilant in what they
are doing actually so that means principals have to be up and walking that building all the time and also principals probably need to get a little training themselves so they'll be able to go into the classroom and help or they can just stand at the door and know what good instruction is. So, I would just like to say, if we could kind of cut that pacing guide in there given some wiggle room until the kids get the skill they're not going to continue. Alright, thank you very much. Thank
you, miss Dean. You have something else to say? Go ahead. Part of what's got us to the point that we're at when we look at kindergarten, first grade, second grade, we hold back too much and we don't teach all the standards to the level that they need to be taught and we assume, oh, they'll get it in first grade. Then, no, they're not going to get kindergarten standards in first grade. They're not going to get second grade standards and third grade. So, we are curriculum supervisors have
done that work and facing, have worked with the coaches, have talked to teachers, and we will continue those conversations to see how we can support the students without going too quickly but going quickly enough to make sure we get it all in. If we don't get it all in in kindergarten, they go to first grade with gaps that don't get completed. They go to second grade gaps that don't get, they continue to move on with gaps that don't get completed. So, we can't cut down we have looked at where we can go down and where we can slow down. We have to instead and and there
are many places that this is provided where we can look at, okay, this is coming up going to teach. This is what the students need to know in order to learn this and if they don't know this, these are things that I can do in my small group to work with them to get them ready for what I'm coming up to. So, I hear what you're saying that how do we go on when 75% of the students still aren't getting it but if we don't go on, we continue creating a bigger gap and that's where we have to come together teachers and administration and listen to each other and figure out what is best for
our students. So, Jennifer, I I appreciate that let's look at backward design. Let's look at backward design curriculum to help facilitate this this gap. Looking at what students need to know. Where we before I teach it. Let let's let's do that and possibly I'm going to, I gotta get you the guy's dates when you meet. So, I can come and try to give some suggestions as I listen to your plans to do my due diligence having been in the classroom, retired 30. 5 years.
Thank you. We're going to move on. I appreciate the presentation and we knew it was going to be lengthy but I think it was worth it. Um next, Doctor Leverette, we have on the agenda. Was there another? No. No. Um next on the agenda is our twenty twenty-five, 2026 leadership academy. Yes, Doctor Devison, this is a just a report on our leadership academy 2025 curriculum and instruction would like to present our leadership academy. Good afternoon or good evening actually I'm waiting on Cynthia and
So, we have the Leadership Academy which we started last year. And so if you can go to the next slide, the purpose of the Leadership Academy is to build leaders within our district and to also collaborate with leaders, also to build the leadership team by providing professional development, addressing challenges, building relationships, and giving them the skill set to be leaders and also ultimately to maintain the blueprint principles which will
assist with making sure that we're being collaborative around curriculum and Action. Next side please. So you have a content which talks about what's in the leadership academy. Next slide. So, of course, we have our board of directors who governs the district. And then we have the organizational chart which just talks about the superintendent. She reports to the board. And then we have the executive assistants which are all of us. And just kind of gives you an
organizational chart. Next slide and so we have gave a building directory and also departments Next slide. And then what services we offer. Next slide. So then these are the departments under the curriculum and instruction. And also within our district. So we have athletics. the bilingual department, business services, curriculum, and instruction. Next slide, CTE, energy and technology, facilities,
food service, and grants. Good. Human resources, marketing and communication, Project Excel, and then security. Special services, student services, and then the office of superintendent. So, what we do in the leadership academy, we try to make sure that we put all documents in one central location so that people won't have to search for it as it relates to leaders within our district. So, we have the article fourteen. We also have the payroll information. We have the volunteer
registration form. So, if you're new in our district, we try to have all of the documents in one central location. So, if you're new in our district, if you're a guest principal, you have this information at your in. Next slide. So, of course, we're doing the blueprint model and we're encouraging all of our staff to understand the blueprint model. We're doing the blueprint model from where it came from and we're working our way through all of the different drivers. Next slide. So
we have guest principals just in case we have someone that may be out for long term so that the building is just not empty without a person to relieve. We've had a number of challenges. We're maybe someone family member might have passed or that person might be ill. So that the building just doesn't go empty. It has someone to be able to assist. And please note we that these people we make sure that they have the competencies. In addition to the
guest principles we train them in our blueprint model. We train them in our principal's institute. We also at times allow them to come to the principal workshops but we try to vet them. We try to give them all the knowledge that we have in the building. So that they will be prepared to start the school year or wherever the gap is needed. We try to fill with these people. These are retiree retired principals from other districts that have shown some success in those districts.
With new principles. We give mentorship in addition to Oakland schools have a first year and a second and third year training that we allow the new principals to go to and in addition to that, we do mentorship within our district. So, we have the Central Office Partnerships and with the Central Office Partnerships, we do building walk throughs. We do collaboration on just areas in which we need what they need. So, we try to be very intentional. So, for example,
Alcot received a new special education room. So, we tried to be very intentional and make sure that we had someone to support that person in that area. Um as it relates to even at ITA, we try to be intentional by knowing that we were going to do the project-based learning. So, mister Upton, myself, we participated in the project-based learning in addition to Doctor Alicea but not only that, there's a high population of the ESL population. So, again, we
had Doctor Alicea be a part of that. Same thing with Miss Shields. She was a new principal in special education. So, the partnership was to have Doctor Jameson as the special ed director here with that person. So, all of the partnerships were gentle and making sure that we put people in best spaces. Um this partnership is different from what it was last year when we learned things from last year that we just needed to improve or to make a change
out. So at Pontiac High School like Jennifer Dean had made mention. There was a need for us to be in the in the building. So we have been going to the high school to have meetings from the curriculum standpoint. But now we have Miss Jeter paired with the high school so that we're being like I said very intentional at the middle school. Um there was a concern. So, with the middle school, I am now paired with the middle school principal. So, again, being very intentional in our central office
partnership and making sure that we are doing the HQI walk throughs. Um we did some non-negotiables this year such as you know, making sure that they have Google Classroom, making sure that they're posting their agendas, making that they're putting their objectives up. So, just just last week, I did my partnership visit with Doctor Robinson and all out of the five classes that we visited, four out of five did everything that we expected of them as it related to some of our non negotiables. So, I was very proud to
see that and the one classroom where we did not see some of those things that gave the opportunity of the building administrator to speak to that teacher about things that we did not see. In addition to that relationship, there were things that the building administrator needed, that I was able to resolve immediately. So, when we go to the buildings, they give us that feedback and the goal is, is that we make that change immediately so that they, that the buildings feel that their needs are being met because
they're seeing us directly. Yes, we people. As far as the follow-up time, so now that the corrections have been implemented. How long before you follow up again to make sure that So the partnership meetings are weekly. Okay. Yup. So, I go we go to the different buildings weekly. We document that. We document it in our HQI walk through form which we're updating our HQI walk through form but we are still meeting and making sure that we make those changes but specifically at the high school,
we're doing another level. So, we have these partnership visits but not only that, we are meeting with the high school weekly for an hour and a half as a whole department to just make sure that the needs are being met for whatever they desire or things that they are asking for and so we just met this last week and we talked about like maybe next time the MTSS coordinator did not need to come. So, we have an action plan when we leave. Then, we come back and report to that
information from that weekly meeting. Um. So, the so the that was on this correct. I don't want to call it quite a corrective measure but when you come in weekly, you all double check to make sure that this teacher is implementing those. So, the bill didn't administrate. The bill didn't administrator will go back and make sure that the the correction. So, an example of something that was that needed to be corrected. They did not post their objectives. So, the building administrator will go back and say, please make sure you post your
building objectives. Then, the building administrator will make that they follow up with that teacher ongoing. And that's a way and we have a way to document or track that that. Absolutely. And we do that through the HQ HQI walk throughs. Okay, thank you. Next slide. So, as it relates to the district turnaround network and the Build to Turnaround Network, we are doing performance management and and the performance management. We have the
dates here listed on when we're going to have those performance management. So, going back to some of the things that Trustee Grows and also Trustee Dooley and also Trustee Miller that you have brought up about. How are we monitoring data? These are the opportunities where we're monitoring that and so even when you think about something fun, I just want to lift that. Then in the summer school, that was the one thing that they talked about that there was no fun. So, to your point, I heard Trustee Miller talk about mister
Upton providing the fund. That was a collective decision that we would provide fund for summer school. So, remember, we we reported before that at the middle school, we offered the code three one3. We offered Dap said, so we are making those changes. We are making fun and I just want to remind you all and I know we don't have time. We don't have time but research does say it takes three to five years to make some major
changes and to your point, we are monitoring it. Um even in the when you think about the article 14 calendar, we are doing some early release. So, we're giving time for professional learning communities during school day so that we give teachers time to look at the data that we're presenting here. So, as it relates to the leadership development, we do have aspiring principles. So, what we did was we asked building administrators. Are
there people that you think would be ready to be a principal? So, at Oakland Schools, they offer an aspiring principal training and with those aspiring principals, these are teachers. that are in the building and then, people who have obtained their masters educational leadership. So, we have a list and they are going to Oakland Schools for the aspiring principalship. Again, mister Mickens and Miss Park Franklin, this is this is their second year. So, they are in their mentorship. Um last
year, they were in the year one but if you notice, there's noone there because these principles have now moved to the two to three-year cohort and we always want to live, you know, that we are still getting people trained in MSBO certification. So, this concludes the portion of the Leadership Academy Thank you. Any more questions, Trustee Miller, minus click. Thank you for the presentation. Um in the future, being that the board is not directly involved with the day-to-day I would
I would appreciate a report that that's updated like there were some several inaccuracies. Um our former CFO is still listed under there in the in the or orgart orgart and there was some other so just so I can have the the most accurate data and presentation for for the board of education. Um I would just like those discrepancies to be to be fixed. Thank you. And and this document I did make the corrections and thank you for assisting us with
that. Any other comments or questions for Doctor Debbison? Hey. Thank you very much. Next is our twenty twenty-5, 2026 school year math and science materials after. Yes, Doctor Devison. This is for the 2526 School of Math and Science Materials, Doctor Davidson. So, again, just wanted to give some preliminaries because I do know that there is concerns about ordering the math materials. So, we did have the
team to go to the field center and check out the items that are at the fail center to make sure that we were not ordering things that we already had. So, there was a that did go to the Fail Center to check the inventory and we wanted to make sure that we were not over purchasing. Um what we did realize is that at the Fail Center that volume two was the items that were there. So this time instead of ordering both volume 1 and two this
time we are only ordering volume one because we did not want to order more volume twos when we already had that as an opportunity. Also, we are purchase in these items because when we're talking about planning the curriculum and adoption, we want to make sure that we have the materials that we need to complete this adoption and we don't want staff to be teaching without the materials that they need currently. So, we didn't overpurchase. We made sure that we checked the inventory and that we
were able to work with the vendor because normally, they don't want you to break the volumes but they did give us an opportunity to do that this time. So, I'm going to read the bear. This beer is for the 2025 school year math and science materials. The background rationale PSD administration is looking to purchase curriculum resource materials for the twenty-five, 26th school year for Savvy's Math curriculum six through eight. This is a digital license. And consumable
consumables. And the total is 412 and 38 Senegate, math, and science curriculum, digital license, 35, 70 dollars and forty-seven cents. And online, math, curriculum, materials, digital license, and consumables, 14, 518, 000 and then McGraw Hill math curriculum, digital license, and consumables, 49000. I'm sorry, 49000, $57, and 23 cents, a
total of a hundred and thirty-nine thousand, 9 and80 dollars and 70 cents, and the funding source, we have a portion of it, 31 A grant for agile mind and then the remaining would be the general fund four and thousand 4 00 and 65 dollars and seventy cents. It is a recommendation of the Board of Education to approve the 2526 school year math and science materials in the amount of a hundred and 139,
thousand9 8-3 dollars and seventy cents. Okay. Question. Uh VP Bowman. Yes. So, if you are just recently went to the Fail Center to make sure that we're not ordering double books but none of the changed in the amounts that you just specified So, where is the cost savings and when did we take off? Volume two or was this preemptively done prior to this conversation and but it still this was before the conversation.
So, we did try to be intentional by going to the fail center way before the conversation about there were extra things. So, the math supervisor was already intentional about going to the fail center and getting those items inventory. So, would there be a way to see the cost? So, whatever breakdown with the the cost difference with the volume 1 and 2. Mm hmm. So, we would just know the the difference. I don't have that right now but I definitely can get that. Okay, thank you. Oh. trusty
gross. Um. Why are we approving this now that school has started? Same question asked. I didn't hear you. I'm sorry. Why are we proving something the school has already started? Couldn't we have gone over to the Fell Center in July? Brought this to the board on July 14th board meeting. Saying we need these things for school to start so the teachers, principals will have these materials in their presence. At the time school started on September 2nd or third. This is the third time that I've asked this question about materials as it pertains to a timeline. Why are we approving something on September 22nd and
schools started two to three weeks ago? For this particular situation, unfortunately, we did have some illnesses and so we we were behind One of the things that was discussed last year was that we would have someone in a position if a certain person in that department is absent that you have a second person to be able to do what that first person can do. Again, with the excuses and the unnecessary excuses to doing things and then people wonder why our
children are behind. We are looking at ordering material in school has already started over three weeks ago. I have a with this and I made it clear at the last meeting and it appears that I'm sitting on the island and noone is listening because 2 weeks later, you're doing the same thing. I yield. So, my question would be Doctor Davidson He's correct. Probably back around July meeting.
We I asked did someone go and check? You agreed that there were several boxes, unopened boxes of textbooks all over because I share with you, I had gotten calls that said, let's look at the stuff that we have. Did you and you said you would check that out? Did you do that? Give us a report and I missed it. I did not personally check it. Did anyone do it under your staff. They did. So, where's that report? Um
I don't have the report but they did go check and they did not do that in July. Well, so, if they did that report and we didn't get a report, how do we know what materials could be used? As I stated, any good teacher can spiral up or down as needed. So, I'm going to go on a record standing in in agreement with my colleague I will vote no. Because this is excessive waste. Yeah. The way I see it. Trustee
Miller. Let me give some facts. I asked in April that we get an inventory of the Fail Center. In preparation for this school year. Yup. Because what the last thing that I want to happen is having a back and forth conversation that I had in February of twenty twenty-five. Advocating and having to prove that our students did not have access to online learning materials or physical books in their hand. I had to
send a video for my child's district issue tablet to prove that there were no online learning materials available for our students. So now we at this pivotal moment again. Our students have been in this in learning. So we hoped for 20 days. So how have we equipped our teachers with the materials that they need if we're just now from my understanding orbiting them 20 days into the
district the school year. We've had these conversations. I know I asked about the Fail Center in April. And I also made a comment about the excessive purchasing of materials that weren't delivered to our children's, our children in February and March. This is becoming a pattern. Doctor Davidson, I do have a question for you. So, help me understand So, the materials that we're asking for now, digital license and
consumables. The consumables are these additional books? Yes. Okay and so, you're also saying that we've already checked the Fell Center to make sure that the books that are housed there are not books that could be used for this school year it does not contain this material that we're asking for now. Correct. Okay. I also heard you say that the reason why we're behind in in ordering these
materials is because there was a staff person that had experienced some health challenges and they didn't provide this order in a timely manner obviously because now you're having to request it at this point, right? Correct. So, I I do understand Everything my trustees are saying. But what I want to know is if we don't order this material how will this, how do we proceed, or how will this impact the teachers if we say that we are not approving the ordering of
this material, what happens? So the staff would not have the digital license to do the instruction for math at these levels. So, does that mean that they don't, they can't use the license that they've had from last year or the materials that they had last year. They can't use that. Thank you. Thank you. They cannot. Madam's here for me. Yes. Okay. I I need to to to get a clear understanding of this because if this was if these materials or this
license was so important and we knew that we needed it. Did we utilize this type of programming last year? We did. We did? So, we knew. Hear what I'm saying. And I'm directing this to Doctor Leverhead if this is something that we've been doing and you come to me at a later time and ask for something that we've been doing and we know we needed to do it but the reasoning or I say excuses, it was in
order because someone was sick and then you say to me today, how important it is to have this because if not, the teachers won't be prepared to do what they need to do but it wasn't important three weeks ago to say, hey, we may need to look at this because Jenny was sick and we gotta order this but now it's just of importance now but it wasn't three weeks ago. It wasn't two months ago. I just need to get a clear understanding on what I'm doing here because this makes no sense to me.
Now, I'm going to have to vote on it because the teachers can't teach it because they won't have the materials. But you doing it three weeks later when school is out. Which should have been done because the process is done every year. Every year we know we gotta do this. So why wasn't in research in on July and if Jenny was sick get somebody else on it. You know why? Because it wasn't as important then. Because whatever was important at the time what you guys were doing was more important to
get this information to the board to approve. That's my one board member's feelings. We, listen, we are failing our children because of adult stuff. This has got to stop because now my kids are losing out on three weeks of material that they shoulda had because somebody didn't go in because Jenny was sick. Does that make sense? Nope. Asking this board, does that make sense? I'm not
trying to put on the show. I love my children. Now, you coming to me saying, this is important. We got a vote on it because if they don't, and madam chair, you stated, if we don't get this done, what will happen? And now, it's important we have to. But it wasn't important 3 weeks ago. It wasn't important two months ago. It wasn't important last year. Because we know we do this process every year. When are we going to stop? My question is, just what have the students been doing from the start of school? What are they using? Okay. Or
has the license not expired and you need to extend it? and then, this this is not personal as you as a person but it is directed at the position that you hold. So, I will say that. I'm not finished. Oh, I'm sorry. Everything goes back to you as being curriculum and then we going to hold her feet to the fire too because she's our one employee. Everybody falls under her. And a heras, I'm sorry, being disrespectful. That was not
disrespectful. Superintendent Leverette, not her. Superintendent Leverette. So, when we look at these kinds of things and Jenny or was sick and hopefully, Jenny's well now. Uh just. But it falls, I mean, Jenny, whoever, doesn't it matter? Karen. Poetical man. I'm just saying. Doctor Devison, it's your responsibility. To have facilitated, to ensure. And then next level goes to superintendent Leverette and you've been around the
district for a few years now, quite a few. To kind of know and you you were, you're in administrative. Do you understand what I'm trying to get at? Like, it's no logical justification for our kids to be without. It's not. You you want to and you came to us because you wanted materials for summer school. At that point, we should have been preparing for the start of school. So, moving forward We need to become proactive and not
reactive because what that sets, what that says for me is the due diligence has not been done and it will place me in a opposition. I still say the materials that you agreed exist can be pulled and with our fun teachers such as my Christian brother right there, my science and and others in the in the audience that that teach, they can take this materials that we already have and utilize it especially Representative Carter gave us the
big picture that we may not receive the moneys so we need to curtail our spending and save what we can to to ensure that our children, our students of this district get the best possible education. I yield the floor. Alright Trustee Miller. Yup, thank you very much President Hannah. Imma remind everybody in this room that I'm a parent, a very active parent in my in my student's life that goes to Pontiac High School. What y'all present to us
versus what is going on and I can't speak for all schools but at Pontiac High School, it's not accurate. So, I'm calling for some accountability immediately and it's not our teacher's fault. It's it's it's not our students' fault. What y'all stand up here and present to us? I can guarantee you and show you proof. Like I sent you that video on my son's tablet. It said they don't have no online books. You said they do. I said, no, they don't. Y'all continues to sit up here to this board and misrepresent what's going on in this district and I'm speaking as a parent and I know that to be fact. I
yield. I know this is already been a long meeting but in the event that this doesn't pass, then what what are we doing? Cuz we, whatever we've been doing so what, I'm talking about this past, how long we've been in school? 20 days. 20 days. It's a big thing. So, the instruction that we're being asked to vote on this evening. So, what's been happening this past 20 days? What have these students been doing in regards to the man inside
because these are the materials being asked of us to to approve. So, what have we been doing in the the tips, checks and Yeah. I'm just trying to get another. So, specifically, I was under the impression because when I look, there was online available. So, if Trustee Miller is saying that it's not, when I look, it was available. The vendor was able to, they indicated that would allow us to have
it until we did pay. So, I would have to fact bind but I did go over and what I saw, it was available When I said it wasn't available, I was talking about in March. That was what, six months into the school year. That was twenty twenty-3, 20twenty-four. It was twenty-four, twenty-5, school year. Um that's what I was referencing. I haven't looked this year because most of our students, they just got sent the the the information for the parents to sign 20 days into the school year for Chromebooks. I don't know from my
understanding. They're not even distributed in the classrooms. So, again, for 20 days. I can say my peace as a parent, that's thoroughly involved but Imma leave that alone for 20 days. What have our kids been doing? And they're already behind. I yield. One last movement, Doctor, Doctor. Come on. Trustee Gross. Imma speak my mind. I am asking Doctor because when we had a discussion as it
was pertaining to the I can't hear you. And the superintendent is valuation. One of the categories was evaluating staff. And I'm asking that I'm at one board member. I'd like to see midterm evaluations of your staff and the end of the year evaluations of your staff. So, I can determine if the job is being done because I'm I can no longer accept excuses that someone was sick and something to get done and it affects our children. That's unacceptable. To me, and I'm asking that you provide
an evaluation as it pertains the job that your staff is doing midterm as well as the end. Now, that's just and I'm I'm asking the board accept that. I mean, I'm one board member can't request something for all the entire board but I think that should be important to all of the board members sitting in this diocese. If you're willing to accept that someone was sick and didn't get done, then, we need to to to decide what it is that we're doing as a board because that affects our children a year. Alright, we're going to move forward with the action item of the
approval of the twenty twenty-five, 2026 school year math and science materials. Can I get a motion, please? So, move. Support. It's been moved by Treasurer Terry and supported by VP Bowman for the approval of the twenty twenty-five, 2026 school year for math and science materials. Any question or comments? Yes. It's again, I would never, never, ever punish our students or put our teachers at a deficit that they don't have the tools that they need to teach
but this is ridiculous and being that there has been no report given. So, there's no real account of what's in the fail center if it's accurate or not. I'm not with spending more our general fund to purchase new materials. Thank you. I do have a comment too as it relates to this. When we talk about the reason for the materials not being being ordered or requested at a certain time. I understand that stuff happens. And two I'm not going to say
we need to punish our kids for the mistake or the lack thereof of of the adults. But I also want to say as we've heard as we've heard from the board that we definitely have to do a better job of checks and balances And I understand that maybe because this person that was responsible for doing placing this order, maybe you didn't realize that the order wasn't placed until you realized that the orders were in place. But nonetheless, we have to we have to do a better job. I I understand because
for us to say, as if this things like this don't happen, meaning people don't get sick. We know people get sick. And just as we talked about before, making sure we have backup in place when things like this happen. This is a good example of why that's necessary. So again, just reiterating why and how we need to put some things in place so that we don't have to have these type of conversations or these type of things don't happen again. It's definitely necessary because again, at the end of the day, it's our students that suffer and so, I just
want to say that completely understand and we'll move forward with the vote, please. Before we go say that, when when I realized that there was some challenges, I did offer assistance. So, once I found out that there was some problems, I did offer some assistance. Okay. Is there a rationale or what is the rationale for us not utilizing the material that the materials that have been previously purchased because your supervisors should be competent enough
to provide assistance to either spiral it up or bring it down because that is wasteful spending if we don't utilize the supplies, the textbooks, whatever we already have and by your own admission, you said these items exist. So, what's the rationale for wanting to continue to spend and we're not
utilizing the materials already in our possession? On the floor. Trustee Gross, can you please go ahead with the phone? Because. Calling for the question? Yes, please. Thank you. Yes. Ep Bowman. Trustee Dooley? No. I'm voting yes. President Hannah? Yes. Trustee Miller? No. That passed forward to. Okay, thank you very much. Continuing down the agenda, communications, petitions, and delegations, VP Bowman. We have two and I believe
they're coming up at the same time. Miss Katisha Terry and Crystal Mullen. Oh, and before you all come, I apologize. Uh your request to address the Pontiac Board of Education is granted for 3 minutes. With the commitment that your comments will be delivered with courtesy and civility. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of your allotted time. Um good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Um Doctor Leverette and President Hannah
board members. Open it. I'll do it. Okay. We would like to say a big thank you to the City of Pontiac. We would like to say a special thank you to the community picnics around the city of Pontiac that allowed us to share information with the community. Number one, Isha Branner, Ecommunity Outreach, number two, Brilliant Pontiac, number three, Promisome. Four, Kennedy Center, Miss Chauncey.
Doctor Leverette, Miss Cynthia, Human Research Department for Running Our Copies, to administer our flyers. Library, Miss Marion for setting up tables at the library for us. Our community churches, all the businesses that allowed us to put flyers in their businesses. And number nine, all the school, all the schools in the district. Which allowed us, which allowed us to help us meet our enrollment goals. We are
currently enrolling students to reach our full max of enrollment. Peace Academy is part of Pontiac School District. We offer high-quality preschool for eligible four year olds through the trusted GSRP program. Serving our community for over 15 years. At Peace Academy, we believe every child deserves the best possible start. That's why our program is led by highly qualified educators and
proudly holds a five-star quality rating. One of only a few programs in Oakland County to achieve this distinction. We are in our new home at WHRC. In words of Maddie Hatchett, a good education is a foundation for a better future. Yes. Uh this is buenas noches. Um Pontiac
Comp Pontiac volantes asÃ­ como de todas las escuelas del distrito de Parea estos nos permitieron alcanzar nuestra meta de matrÃ­cula seguimos matriculando estudiantes para alcanzar nuestro cupo mÃ¡ximo. La academia preescultural the beace forme parte del distrito escolar de Paniac. Ofrecemos preescolar gratuita de la alta calidad para nuestros niÃ±os de cuatro aÃ±os que cumplan las requisitos a travÃ©s del
programa que lleva mÃ¡s de quince aÃ±os sirviendo a nuestra comunidad. En la academia Pis creemos que cada niÃ±o merece el mejor comienzo posible, por eso nuestro programa estÃ¡ dirigido por educaciÃ³n alta, calificados y estamos orgullosos de tener un calificaciÃ³n de cinco estrellas. Somos uno de los pocos programas condado de Pania que logra esta distinciÃ³n. La academia de Peace Academy ahora estÃ¡ en edificio de y
de la palabra es de una buena educaciÃ³n de la base para un futuro mejor. Gracias. Thank you. Thank you a right good presentates. It incluyer a right now mow me down abour comence no we'll start with trusty growth. No, no, no, can I go first, please? I'm good. I have no report. No comments, no. No comment or report. Thank I just want to you know so
this was a great meeting Um we had a lot of conversation and dialogue and I'm glad that us as a district will continue to move forward. I'm a little emotional because my aunt was a district employee. Hm. She was my teacher. She was my fourth grade teacher. But she's passed on. Um this Saturday. Dolores Pat Humphrey. Sorry about that. Being a product of Pontiac And having a family member as your
teacher to help grow you and to and to sit here as a board trustee and I'm grateful that my aunt was able to express that she was proud of me. I want us to continue to work together and I ask that everybody just keep my family in prayer. I know that there's been a lot of loss in this community. We have to get to a place of healing because tomorrow isn't promised to
anyone of us. And those who have spent their lives championing on Pontiac School District I owe Pontiac My life, you know, being born and raised here. I just hope that we can continue to move forward collectively because we have to do this together. We saw what state rep Carter stood up here and showed us what our potential future is. The way
the seats were filled for every other thing that we want to fuss and murmur about, they should be filled today. So know that we sit up here and we make the decisions to move this district forward. Not out of self preservation but out of the love for our community. So, I just ask that we be mindful on how we treat each
other and just continue to push this district forward. I'm going to step out now but thank you all and let's just continue to be good of this district and move forward ahead. Thank you everybody and have a good evening. Thank you, VP. Trustee Dooley. Tonight's meeting was very informative. I've taken the position as Board Trustee very seriously to be a voice of reason
and to make sound best practices, decisions that will benefit all educational stakeholders. Certainly, my trustee and the daughter April Humphrey has my condolences as well as expressing con to Glenn McIntosh family who I worked with at Oakland University. I was able to get back. I had an awesome time at the council of
Urban Board of Educators. We had a conference in LA. It was filled with valuable information Uh one class in particular that definitely caught my attention is the it was the audit class and as the presentation we heard from Representative Brenda Carter is certainly supports the necessity of us to have an investigative, a forensic investigative audit. We can know where we are Had the opportunity to support Owen, their
open house, Elcott open house as well as Walt Whitman's open house and I have pictures I will post. Well, I'll get em to Frank to see if he'll post them on the website. And again, we must, I I agree, we all must work together in concert to reach the goal of producing and producing students that will be productive citizens when they leave this educational institution. As
well as support those teachers that are required to deliver instruction that will yield a measurable outcome. I want to thank each and every one of you because I certainly represent all of you but as always, I provide a special thank you to the seven thousand six hundred and seventeen people that put me in the seat. Have a great evening. May god bless and keep you. That's my prayer. I see
you Miller. I just want to say my heart's in my thoughts and prayers go out to VP Moment and her family. I have nothing else of value to add. Have a good night. Treasure Jerry? I'm good. Have a good night. Alright. Thank you. I I do want to share my condolences with VP Bowman and her family but I also want to share my condolences with Glenn McIntosh's family. He has been a tremendous support of this school district. He has been a tremendous support to this
community and he's definitely been a tremendous value of tremendous value to Oakland University. So, I do want to just share my condolences again to his family and to all those that know him personally, up close and personal. It was a huge loss for us but I think we can stand on the principles that Glenn himself lived by and as we carry on his legacy, we walk in the same truth that he did and that we continue to be an example just
as the one that he led us by. Um I want to say to Oakland County Parks and Recreation, again, thank you for coming. Thank you for the consideration of partnering with the school district. Um we look forward to further conversations to talking about what that looks like in addition to the partner with the City of Pontiac. Um a lot was said tonight. Uh a lot of heavy information was shared tonight but I hope everyone is taking heed to the information that State Representative Brenda Carter has shared because this future of
this school district just as the future of other school districts across the state, across this country. Is in jeopardy. And so the conversations that we had tonight If anything happens, if the state shuts down, then none of these conversations that we've had will be abuse because a lot of the things that are pending this school district lies in the hand of not those that are sitting across this table, but it lies in the hand of the
administration of these United States, and with the legislation, and those persons and parties in charge at the state capital. So, I just want everybody to understand that, again, all of these things are adult matters, adults making and at the end of the day, our students, our children, our future are the ones that will be jeopardized by the decisions that are being made. So, again, I just hope everybody is taking heed to that and yes, we all
need to work together for the betterment of our community, for the betterment of our students. It's just a lot. So, I I just want to say thank everybody for tuning in. Thank you for continuing to listen and support the Pontiac School District and with that, I would like to ask for a motion for adjournment, please. I'll move. Support. It's been moved by Trustee Dooley and supported by Treasurer Terry to adjourn the meeting. Any questions? Roll call please. Trustee Dooley. Yes. I'm voting yes. Uh President
Hannah. Yes. Trustee Miller. Yes. And treasurer chair Yes. Adam Cherry, they passed five oh. Thank you. The time is now 9: forty5 PM. This meeting is adjourned. Thank you and have a good night.