Good afternoon everybody. Uh I'd like to take a moment to just wish everybody a very uh happy end of August and uh this is our first meeting of a couple months. So I'd like to call our Tuesday, August 26 meeting to order. U would everybody
please rise for the pledge. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mus, can you do a roll call, please?
Yes. Mrs. Van Horn here. Mr. Sergio is absent. Mr. Jess here. Mr. Carlson is absent. Mrs. Sherwin here. Mrs. Krasa here. Mrs. Dale here.
Mr. Kemick here. Mr. Garcia is absent. And Mrs. Shaw here. Okay, we have a quorum. Public notice. Adequate notice of this meeting in compliance with chapter 231 of the public laws of 1975 entitled the open
public meetings act has been provided by action of the board of education that it regular meeting on January 7, 2025. Notices to the corer news and star ledger circulated in the school district and the posted notice to this effect on the board of education website and building bolder board administrative
headquarters 51 West Cliff Street Somerville, New Jersey. Okay. Public comment. This time comment is invited on agenda items and non-aggenda items or any matter related to the school district.
Would anybody like to make a public comment? I have a motion to close public comment. Mr. Jess, I have a second. Second. Mr. Sherwin. All in favor? All opposed. Public comment is closed.
All right. So, uh, the structure of tonight's meeting is a little bit unusual. We are going to take um about an hour and a half to have a discussion really about just the board self-evaluation and um kind of a precursor to development of our goals.
And just if anybody is on uh the feed right now, we are going to go into an executive session around 6:00 and anticipate coming out of executive session uh close to 7 o'clock. Uh at which time we will do our regular meeting and address all the business of
the board at that point. Uh so the board retreat uh for members who are present right now and we do expect a couple other members to be joining us um in just a few minutes. Um I think it's important for everybody to recognize you have the board self-evaluation in the
folder that's on your table in front of you. Uh you could see in that there's two documents that were provided to you earlier in the summer. There is the chart which is the summary of the evaluation responses and then there is the actual detailed uh set of responses that are just compiled and they're
anonymous and and you know you know what your comments were but you don't know what anybody else's comments were. Uh the intent of this I think is not to evaluate administration. I just remind everybody that nobody has been right so we cannot speak about any staff member any administrator by name or by title. I
think what we are talking about is really the board itself. So when we think about the self-reflection, the self-reflection is focused on us, not on the administration and not on staff or anybody else. And I think it's important to just keep that uh context in mind as we think about board goals because the
board goals apply to us and they apply to our function as a governance body and the district goals really are goals that the administration puts together working with staff and that is the charge of the administration, not the board of education. Um, so I just just wanted to
just set that context for everybody. But, um, last time we did this when I was president few years ago, uh, it was just a very open discussion about people's impressions of the evaluation itself. Um, conclusions that people maybe saw or questions that people had. So, um, I'm going to kind of throw it
out to just members right now that this is the opportunity for a very open discussion for the next hour, hour and a half or so, right? As long as we want that to go on. All right. So, does anybody want to start? When do we want to do? Well, before we
start, when do we want to do? I'd be best if we go first. We'll give a little context, give our district goals, and we have the discussion and your goals. Yeah, I forgot about that. I apologize. All right. So, our curriculum department representatives are here to just provide an overview of district goals. And I
think that may be helpful context for us to have. I was wondering why you're looking at me. Um but I think it's also important for us to kind of recognize uh there was a few things that um superintendent and I talked about in terms of areas of focus
that the board felt last year were were important as well and that that was um you know just the way that the district has been building up um the ability to kind of look at data, collect data and ways that the board might want to consider that data as well. So I think that's important for us to to have those contexts as well before we go forward.
So I'm going to turn that over to you J.R. apologize for that. No problem. Uh so first of all, excited to be here. Uh I have two very special guests to help us with this presentation. We want to do a brief overview and discussion really uh Harvard on a couple different things. First of all, we want to recognize about
a year ago we were delivered the district audit curriculum audit and that provided a roadmap for a lot of the actions we took in year one. So, a real quick look at some of the important things that uh maybe you didn't see in the uh audit uh dashboard or in some of
the reminders in in the newsletter. Just some really important things that are going on that are going to really impact what goes on in the classroom. That's a real quick uh slide, but more importantly, I'm going to turn things over to Mary Kane, our curriculum director, to talk about some very important things and our curriculum
supervisor uh Gina to talk about uh you know, some important tier one changes that are happening all related to to um the usage of data here in Somerville. As you know, that was a really big part of the audit and a lot of our work grant work in year one. And I think it's important for everyone to know that. So,
if you look at the agenda very quickly, we're going to uh talk about our district goals. We're going to revisit uh a couple data points that were in the audit just real quick so you can see something. It's two quick slides. Then uh schedule for academic progress. In other words, how are we going to communicate with you? What type of data
is going to be communicated? What kind of context is going to be uh necessary to understand that data that's shared with you? And that's really our goal and what we want to bring out of today. uh and that requires talking about the a couple important data sources and then finally that targeted instruction that
comes out of those data sources. Um so with that said um my team and I actually one quick note um one of the main reasons we're doing this is there were two important recommendations out of the audit that I want to point out to everyone and remind them the board should receive reports on academic
progress and growth towards goals at least two times annually and secondly uh the board should be trained on understanding the metrics associated with the goals in order to increase accountability so that's really the overall arching um point and uh direction that I want to uh provide
for you today. So with that said, uh my team and I went into a retreat in July and the purpose of that retreat amongst other things was to set a course for our district. Now these district goals are ones that are communicated to everyone
uh on the staff, everyone in the school community and of course the board right now. you're receiving these first and uh these goals then are reflected in the goals in each of the buildings and every staff member here is going to be working and pulling and rolling in the same direction towards those goals. So first
one being academic achievement by the end of the school year we want to increase student proficiency in meeting or exceeding by 3%. Tier one database decision-making. By the end of the school year, all staff will build their capacity to implement high quality tier one framework and
culture and climate to implement an empirically supported third-party assessment that will provide information leading to continuous enhancement of school climate and culture. All of these feed to better academic opportunities for our students. All of these provide them a better learning environment and
opportunity to be successful. uh and that is the number one goal we have here uh as an administrative team. Question. Yes. Uh the 3% is very specific but just very just curious how we got to that number. Uh reflecting on the past years the type of growth that was seen and also the
idea that if we can continue to grow 3% as a whole. Now remember we we're not going to um say that this is the end all be all. This is one metric, right? We're not chasing scores. We're looking to strengthen what's going on in the classroom. But we do have to have some type of milestone to really
evaluate whether that that is uh moving us in the right direction. The building goals are drilling down to the student individually. So each and every student's going to be met where they are and not just lumped into some bigger, you know, uh data point. So we don't want uh the board to think that's what's
going on. Uh but we do need an overarching milestone for us to aim towards. Um, and as we work to raise overall proficiency, what we really want to look at is making sure every student's moving in that same direction. We have some students that are multiple grade levels behind, and we want to meet them where they are. And that's part of
why we have Gina here to talk about how the tier one, how every student is going to get that high quality instruction on a daily basis. If they need to be pulled out for tier two and three, if they need that more rigorous opportunity, it's going to be provided for them. And that's that one slide I have for uh you know some audit moves that were made
that are really important for everyone to understand that we strengthen the infrastructure to be able to do that. Um so that that tier one instruction I'm going to leave to Gina so you're not hearing it you know multiple times. Um and I think it's really important for for you to hear that part of it because
that's how we're going to be able to reach all our students on a regular basis. So the reason these exist is very simple. In last year's audit, the fall 24 numbers were shared with you. All I wanted to show you was where we are one year from now. There's a million other
data points we could give you. And when we go and show our data uh calendar to you, we're going to have to provide and share with you our access and NJ GPA scores. We're going to have to provide our NJSLA scores. We're going to have a mid-year check-in and an end of the year check-in. But what I just thought was
important here is last year these numbers were presented and these are where those numbers are this year, one year after. So last year in the fall entering grade three two and five this year two and five with a slightly higher percentage entering grade six one and
two last year two and three this year going in and entering high school two and five last year one and two this year so there was incremental progress in how students were performing in this very first year uh in ELA
math same thing we did these were the data points that were on that presentation last year. I think they were just written out, not in a graph. I thought it was easier to see in the graph. That's why it's presented this way. So, one and four to three and 10, entering grade five, one and three, four
and 10. Entering grade 8, one and four, two and five, and entering high school 1 and four to three and 10. So, just wanted to show you a quick glance at what we looked at looked like last year entering the school year and this year. So this is the one point I wanted to
bring up about the audit that I thought was really important for everyone to see. And if you look at some essential audit work that happened immediately and is happening to set up a more successful school year so that our students can be met where they are and get the rigorous instruction they need on a day in and day uh out basis. We have to look at
data in action. I've talked about this many times but our data teams at each of the buildings on the district level are fully formed. those work uh constantly at interpreting the data and providing it for teachers so they can make real-time uh you know impact on our
students instruction. All right. Um that's better data warehousing as well. So, we're making sure that that data is rigorously checked and it's accurate and it represents where our students are. And a smarter assessment schedule, meaning we're constantly looking at when are we assessing them, what are we
assessing uh with, and is it accurately giving us data that uh is helpful to understanding the entirety of what our students are doing. There's a system shift that happened immediately and is continuing and that's an expansion and realignment of our intervention system. So um as uh you know when this was
presented last year that wasn't coherent in nature. Um we really spent a lot of time getting the training and a coherence amongst that in all of our buildings and obviously that work will continue. Um but that led uh and was done through staff training, stronger practices and prioritizing core
instruction which again we'll be talking about briefly on tier one smart scheduling. This started lightly last year and in a more intense fashion this year. Making sure that stu uh students are are scheduled strategically so that there isn't as wide of array of students
in each and every classroom so that our teachers can really focus in and hone in on where our students are in a realistic way. At Vandervir instructional coaches, you'll see one on the agenda. We have another one in the works to get uh our teachers that real time instruction uh
with real-time support with coaches at SMS expanding uh expanding before and during the day interventions which was really important. They didn't have enough uh intervention help. They had a interesting schedule that we're trying to work through and to provide as much as we possibly can and get more
students. We're doubling the amount of students that are going to be able to get those tier 2 and threes. And then in the high school new math and ELA lab periods, those are students that are multiple grade levels behind that in addition to their ELA and math class, they're going to have a lab class that's
paired with that. And that's going to be able to help accelerate them and catch them up in real time. We're not just going to throw them to the wolves into a classroom and expect them to miraculously raise multiple grade levels. They'll have that normal instruction in their ELA and math class, but they'll also have this lab class. We
thought that was absolutely essential to get our students uh the help they needed and that hadn't been happening. So, those are just some really important audit uh points that I wanted to make to you um just to show some things that are going to be able to help our students with added boots on the ground, added
intervention services, added coaching, all the things that they need to be more successful. With that said, we do want to report this out to you. We need to be held accountable. We need metrics that can be understood and we need to provide that for not only the board but the public and that's what this is about here. So
as you know we need in September to report out on GPA and access in October and November depending on when we get to SLA reports we'll provide that for you as well. Again those are just two data points but then January and June mid year and end of the year a lot of that is going to really dig into our
localized data uh systems which will be talked about by Mary. Um so those are important and those are be those are utilized constantly. uh by our team. In addition, our curriculum team will also be receiving those updates regularly um using those local data sources. So, with
all that said, I'm going to turn things over to Mary, the Clicker Works as well. Um and Mary King, our curriculum director. Good evening, everybody. So, I'm going to work us through the next part of this conversation where we're talking about reporting our data. I wanted to bring
like a common understanding to us about um the data points that we use in district. um and also the state expectations of state standardized testing and kind of um what we use to kind of help us uh prepare students to
support them in meeting their academic goals. So um the NJE requires us to um administer the New Jersey student learning assessment. Um and this year there is a a nuance to it. There's something new that they announced, but
I'm going to get to that next. But just so give you the purpose of that assessment measures where students progress is towards meeting end of year expectations on the New Jersey student learning standards um in math, English language arts um and in science for
grades three um and and nine. No, three and eight. Science five and eight. Five and eight. Thank you. Um but the other the other grades are three through nine. So ELA is 3 through nine and math is 3 through nine. So science is just
five and nine. Thank you. Um the other state requirement is for the New Jersey graduation proficiency assessment which is just for grade 11 and the state requires that so that students are assessed in math and English language arts um for the purpose of meeting um
the state graduation requirement. Um so those are the two things that we're required to administer through NJUA. With that being said, this year on August uh 13th, I believe they sent out a new um broadcast message saying that there is going to be new testing coming
out. It's NJSLA adaptive and NJ GPA adaptive. So, it's a computer adaptive assessment which is different from what we had in the past. Um and the computer adaptive assessment will just be for math and ELA for um the MJSLA. For
science, it will be using the previous platform where they just tested for end of year uh meeting standards. The new computer adaptive test is personalized experience. So, it's giving students questions based on the responses to the previous questions.
Um and then their outcomes will be closer to where their current working level of skills is. Um and then this format is actually less stressful for kids because they're getting questions they're able to is continually adapting further.
All right. So the district local assessments that we use, the benchmark assessments that we use, we use I Ready and we use Lincoln. So I Ready is used K through 8 um in math and English language arts.
The it's a diagnostic assessment which is also um computer adaptive. So it responds again just like the the new NISLA will it responds to students responses as they answer each question it adapts the next question it gives to students um so it gives us the results
are it pinpoints their exact skill level which is important and then teachers are able to use that data to inform their instruction. It also shows students growth over a year's time as well as student stretch growth which means if a
student is not as working below grade level it shows us where they are at meet at at meeting um becoming grade level. So they may uh over a year's time that if they are two grade levels below that's how far they have to get to become grade level and it shows their
growth towards that progress on grade level. So not just um their growth over a year's time but their growth towards becoming on grade level. So again the teachers use this to inform their instruction. It's administered three times a year. Um and it focuses on
reading and math. So you can see here the skills that are assessed in reading is funological awareness, phonics, high frequency words, vocabulary and comprehension. And for math it's numbers and operations, algebra, algebra and algebraic thinking, measurement and data and geometry.
So we also use um linkit and linkit is kind of like our data warehousing. So it does house all of our data as far as our universal screening data. Um it houses our i ready data um but it also is a diagnostic. So we are last year we kind
of explored it a little bit and did a soft launch where the the high school um math department kind of uh gave their assessments were able to see their progress over over time. This year we're going to be administering it in both math and ELA at the high school. Um and
it measures endofear expectations towards their standards. So again this will be given um three times a year beginning, middle and end. Um and then all students will are encountering those you know grade level standard questions throughout the assessment.
Um the teachers also use this to um inform their instruction on where the students are and how they can get them to further meet you know the standards towards the end of the year goals. The beginning of year kind of just um when it's given it is assessing their end of
year expectations. So there are different benchmark scores that it has. So it's the beginning of year score is not what they would expect to have. the cuto off scores are different for each time of the year to allow for students growth. So the beginning covers the standards from the entire grade level
but um it even standards that they have not yet been exposed to because it's of year. So it gives us kind of like a benchmark of where we want to go and what students know already coming in. And then the middle of year checks their growth towards that and the end of year kind of checks where what do they know
over the time and what have they done to finally meet grade level expectations as far as New Jersey student learning standards go. So the teachers are looking are going to be able to look at this data and respond to it and it'll inform their instruction moving forward.
All right, I'm going to turn it over to Gina. Just keeping in mind our goal of using the data to inform instruction is to kind of close the gap for students and bridge those gaps so that there's there's not as much learning that needs
to be that we're not as much growth that needs to happen. So we're looking to grow them. With that being said is we want to make sure that there are our instruction and we're using our data to meet the majority of the class. the kids who do need extra who are two or three
levels below grade level. They're the students who may need to have tier two or tier three instruction. And Gina is going to talk a little bit about the MTSS process and tier one instruction and how we're going to be able to develop that structure to support that. Turn that over.
Thank you. Okay. So, all this talk about data, which is great. Um, and it's really best optimized within a datadriven framework, which MTSS or multi-tered system of supports is. Um, it's built on a public health model where there's universal prevention,
which is really those things that you do for everybody that can be reasonably implemented that mitigate risk. In education, we refer to that as tier one. So, you're thinking about that as the core instruction that everybody is receiving um to meet those grade level standards. And then students for whom
tier one is not sufficient to meet those needs. More intensive supports are provided to them. Um so in education again within a multi-tered system we refer to those as tier 2 and tier three. Now this is New Jerseyy's model of MTSS.
They refer to it as New Jersey tier system of supports. Um you can see that there are a continuum of supports provided to students. Every student is receiving tier one. That's the universal support. And then based on need, students may be receiving supplemental
supports through tier 2 and tier three intervention. NJTSS is supported by district and school leadership, family community engagement, and positive school culture and climate. So those are those things that are sort of informing and undercutting the process as well. So
when we talk about system of supports, I just thought it was important to understand really what it is versus what it is not. Um MTSS as the name indicates it's a systems change initiative and when we think about systems MTSS really
locates the need within the system not individual teachers or students. So it's really looking at how the system itself needs to be adjusted. It's a continuum of supports meaning these tiers of support tier one tier two and tier three they're aligned and they're an extension
of one another. Things are not happening in isolation. So I some of the important tenants of MTSS are alignment and coherence and we want to think about those when students are moving between those tiers and fundamentally really
MTSS is a allocation of resources and it's using data to really match resources and instruction to students need and it gets more intensified as the students need um grows.
So tier one, it really starts here when we think about MTSS. So there's a sort of a sometimes a misconception that MTSS is about intervention. Um it really most importantly is about prevention and tier one is the prevention tier. Um it's that
high quality evidence-based core instruction that every student is receiving every day. It is the universal prevention and it's our most powerful tool. Now when tier one is is you know we think about the strength of tier one um we can measure that by thinking about
at least 80% of students needs being met for tier one instruction. That's a goal right that you um you have and you put in place you know incremental sort of goals to get to there. But that is really something that we're looking at um to make sure it's happening. Now why
do we have that 80%? Um it's because you really want to have the majority that actually more than the majority right at least 80% of students needs being met through tier one so that you have a reduced need for students requiring tier 2 and tier three and that's important not only for the individual benefits
that you know academic proficiency brings to a student to a school system the district but there's organizational benefits as well. Um, tier two and tier three supplemental intervention is really resource intensive, time intensive. Um, and for it to be
effective and to be really intensified relative to need, if it's, you know, being asked to be uh provided to too many students, it just cannot be intensified enough to meet the need. So sometimes we say in MTSS that you cannot
intervene out of a tier one problem. So it's really important to focus efforts on tier one. So that's why that's the goal of um the district. When we think about high quality tier one, there are some characteristics of high quality tier one. Um that includes
evidence-based scientific learning principles like direct and explicit instruction, gradual release models where there's some modeling and practice and feedback. Um it's facilitated through both whole group and datadriven differentiation. So every student's
needs are being met and that they are um uh being supported to achieve grade level um standards and proficiencies. Um there's also classwide intervention and um if there are a high proportion of students in a class who might need
support um classwide intervention can be developed in that case as well. Um standards aligned and there's also enrichments for students exceeding benchmarks. It's not just a framework for students who are um striving towards those proficiencies. When we think about
the characteristics of instruction, that's sort of like what's happening in the classroom. And then there's these systems that are really supporting that to be successful. So those are the things that you see here, things like scheduling, planning, uh, curriculum resources, alignment, assessment, professional development.
So MTSS, as I said before, it is a datadriven framework. Within MTSS, um, we really think about there being four primary assessment types that drive decisions. um each of them having a unique function but complimentary function. So there's universal
screening. Universal screening has a unique function of just quickly predicting um risk. Um so those are things like I Ready. Mary had talked about I Ready. Diagnostics serve another function which is to really pinpoint student specific skill needs and that's
where you're really um able to match instruction. So, I ready and then there's other sort of localized or um sort of curriculum based diagnostics that you can use as well like the core fondant survey and then there's the assessments that teachers are giving every time that they're engaged in tier
one which are those curriculum embedded mastery measures. Those are used to guide daily weekly instructional planning. And then there's progress monitoring for students who are receiving tier two and tier three intervention to make sure that students that we are um constantly monitoring
progress to determine their response to that intervention and making adjustments as needed. So that was a lot to distill down when we think about MTSS into a few slides, but I think some key takeaways is that when we're thinking about systems change, it is highly complex and it can
take up into research um has indicated this that it can take up to five years to implement as part of routine practice with fidelity. It's a continuum of supports. It's a framework. It's not a program. It's not a schedule with meetings. It's really being strategic
and intentional about the way that we use data. And again, it's an allocation of resources where we first start with prevention, prevention, prevention. And that is tier one. So, as a curriculum department, you know, we're really thinking about how to support teachers
um in using data to make those decisions, those timely decisions before discrepancies really begin to grow. Um and then J.R. talked about coaching and really thinking about how to leverage instructional coaches to support teachers in building their capacity to
use data and make decisions. So, thank you. Okay. Thank you. So, we we tackled those three items because we thought it needed to be, you know, kind of a baseline for future presentations that are going to take place that are much more data specific and providing, you know, cold hard
facts. That will start with our NJ GPA, our access, our NJSLA, and then, you know, our local benchmarks of which will be continuously talked about during our curriculum committee meetings and reported out on a regular basis. So, um I hope that was helpful in providing
what type of data uh we're utilizing, how we're utilizing it, and then the real purpose behind it all with those district goals that we put out there. Questions? Thank this was great. Thank you so much. Um it's awesome to see how much progress
has been made in a year and just the database framework is so critical. So, thank you for going through that. Absolutely. Just uh just a few questions. So, what the academic rate is for high schools, great to see that improvement. So, again, one year is not a lot of time,
but moving in a great direction. Have we we talked about it, we touched on it last year, the ability to see, especially entering nth grade, the branch kids versus kids, we make sure that we're really understanding if there's critical gaps within either district that we're able to address that. So, are we able to get to that
level of data? Are you able to see it? So, we uh have been able to form a a tight partnership with Bransburg and they are sharing regularly that those data points. Yes. Not only for eighth grade uh but for middle school itself. So, we've been able to bring that in and that is now also being digested and utilized by our
data team and was utilized in placement of students this year and they're looking at the big picture. So, yes, we're making good progress there. Perfect. Includes an update. They do have different types of assessments but yes, they are sharing. Okay. Perfect. Yeah, we have a a quartly meeting with
them if I'm not mistaken, but at the very least it's an open line of communication. It's great. Yeah, just so that we're we're able to really pinpoint if there's there's absolutely issues. The MTSS, thank you for taking uh the time to go through that. I appreciate
trying to make sure we're trying to cover the gaps, right? Bring kids up to where they need to be. I'm also thinking about on the other end for those kids that are in high school, right? And honors and AP and do we do we should we expect that we'll have
that level of assessment with the instruction with the resources and the curriculum especially for those harder subjects where sometimes kids could fall behind or maybe the the teacher isn't seeing that there's gaps potentially within the classroom. So, do you see
this being adapted for those more rigorous courses in the high school? Absolutely. And that's the beauty of it. It should be able to service all of our kids. And that's when we looked at the systems model of change, it was really to adapt and to address it that way. Your INRS, your RTI or other, you know,
frameworks that people talk about, they're all encompassed in the MTSS. So, we're making sure that we are rigorous in finding and meeting kids where they are if they're behind, but we're also making sure we accelerate and meet those advanced kids as well. Okay. Great. Thank you. Sure. Yes.
Is it too soon to ask uh what's how what are the steps that are going to be put in place to um enhance the tier one instruction? So like what how how is that groundwork being laid just
so that I know we've talked about it during curriculum and instruction but also just kind of it's a perfect time to connect it now for the public um and to discuss that. Well, we talked a little bit J.R. referenced that we are um you know bringing on coaches which is a big
piece of that to help the teachers kind of understand the data and that the focus of the coach um model that we're using is based on um analyzing student data and support with that and then making all um decisions on how the coach
will support the teacher based on what the students need. Um so that's a big piece of it and then also just um you know creating the structure or ensuring that we're doing uh tier one
preventative um work with the with the students like using again using the data to decide you know what are we seeing that most of the students need where are the gaps and then making a plan a targeted plan to address that classroomwide or small groups within the
classroom and and the amount of students eventually who will need those tier 2 and tier three interventions that population will kind of become smaller and we'll hopefully be meeting the you know 80% of the population.
Yeah. Um through that work um so it's really a very data driven. Thank you. And utilizing and maximizing our meetings. That's that was going to be a followup question. So, how frequently will they be meeting with the coaches and and
and also um for curriculum department meetings, we meet with the teachers um and we're always, you know, forefronting talking about data, analyzing data um and letting that kind of lead our discussions on where we need to go next. um analyzing the data to see what where
the students are, goal setting um and then you know bringing in um professional learning to say like what are the instructional goals we need to make right um and then progress monitoring and then looking continually looking at the data. Can I just clarify too? I
mean, Gina's role as a K5 or Vander supervisor for the most part. So, I think that also in terms of just curricular support for that. Well, I just want I want to clarify that to make sure understand. So, I just wanted to kind of piggyback
off of what Biden do asked um about the accelerate program. I know that we had talked last spring about, you know, work being done this year on identifying students and if you could maybe go through like what that would look like this year, especially I feel like high
school has the honors classes, but more vaner and middle school. Um how I'm not sure what work is done on that this summer, but if you could explain that. Um well Ariel Dendendrick is is working on on that piece and um I know with
these um students being uh tested this year. They're going to be identifying um students strengths in different um domains and there'll be cycles so that um students may um you know the cycles that she identifies they're at. Maybe
there's like um a math cycle um that's focused on um I don't know geometry. I'm just going to give you an example. Um the students who are strong in that area will get pulled for that cycle. Um but if there's like an engineering cycle, the students
who scored, you know, well in the engineering cycle will go there. If there's a writing cycle, it would be that. So um Ariel's going to be sending more detailed information about that, but it will be addressed based on the students individual needs. um and they could go to multiple cycles depending on
um their strengths, but I think it's um allowing opportunities for um more students to participate and allow their strengths to shine. Wonderful. And that'll be starting this year. Absolutely. Great. Thank you.
Sure. Okay. Um thank you for that. I think that that's just good background. I I you know when when JR and I spoke about this accountability for student achievement was an area in the board self-evaluation that was a bit lower than other areas. So we thought it was
important to just give some context to work that took place. I think um since the team's been together and you know the way that's going to look going into this school year so the board has that just as a backdrop as well. Um so I do appreciate you taking the time to put that together to to present that information to the board. Um, so I
think when we're talking about just our own self-evaluation and some of those steps that we might want to take, uh, when we think about, you know, the regularity in terms of reports that would be coming to the board and the way that we can interact with that, uh, it's important to realize that those are
being scheduled out, you know, I think by the administration. So some of that is available to us as we go through the Europe. Absolutely. Um, so I don't know what we want to do right now. Do we want to do you want to stay or do you want to be excused? I mean, I think I think we're good. Unless you
have more questions for Gina and Mary. No, I do. I know you have other things to do right now. And yeah, ready for the school year. All right. Thank you so much. Thanks so much for your time. Have a good evening. And they've had a great first day with our new staff, right? So glad to hear.
We have a fantastic new group. Yes. Very exciting today. Thank you. All right. So, thank you for that. And you know I think at this point we have some time right now just to again look at the self-evaluation documents just talk through a little bit about what
thoughts are that individual board members have um reflection points that you had and then you know I think our discussion should help us shape and I would say we don't want to have any more than two or three goals at the most. I think it gets very hard to kind of
manage any more goals than that as a board. Uh but I think kind of thinking about those high priority areas that we want to be able to uh put forth as a potential board goals going into September and that we would approve formally in September. So I'll put it out to board members in terms of
comments that people want to make or observations that people have. I know that we have uh vision slashmission slashgoals and I know that we do a lot of uh we talk a lot about our mission and our goals but I think we haven't really discussed thoroughly what
our vision is. I think it's been alluded to and I think we all kind of have a sense of it, but I feel like that needs to be clearly put in place because that vision then will drive our mission and our goals. Um I I just you
know doing this evaluation I don't think that I've ever heard us really talk about that vision um what we foresee and I know and I understand that that is tied to the goals and to uh the mission statement. So, um I just am curious about like what what does everybody hope
for and you know envision for the district as a whole. I'm not going to talk much you It's okay if what I said didn't make sense. I I mean I don't know if anybody wants to clear it.
I'm just thinking in terms of like procedure like um starting whenever like before I guess in January just making sure like we have all of our dates on the calendar all of
like the process in place of how the communities are going to work communicate. There's a lot of talk about that this past year, but wasn't put into action. So, I think like tightening up our committee structure, putting that into effect
is a goal. I just put that under like board procedure, like little things. Um, and then I think maybe under that I'd also just put like um adhering to like a good communication style for purpose.
I know that there's concerns about like using cell phones versus like board issued laptops and stuff. just stay consistent. I'm going to talk through the email text if that some more like norms or procedures.
Uh yeah, just like because I like I'm seeing like a lot of like I think like the one that stood out to me like something about like the policy committee wanting to meet more regularly. Um and I think that's like important for like any committee, right? to have like dates already on the
calendar that way people know and as issues come up it can be addressed. I'd also add to that like committee meetings like having agendas circulated prepared and then meeting notes afterwards
feel like consistency with um expectations from the committees. I feel like some committees will do minutes do notes whereas others do not. So I feel like there should be some consistency with that.
I I guess my my initial comment was about just like what is our you know our vision for our district's future. Um and just wanting to discuss with everyone what what they what they envision. I mean, I have ideas myself
about like my hopes and dreams for the students of this district. Um, and I'm just curious to hear what that looks like for all of you based upon what our constituents and stakeholders have approached us in the
uh community um and and also just some of the discussions that we've had here around this table. So, uh I just don't want to of that at some point. But I agree with the procedures and I feel like things are becoming more streamlined and I'm very grateful that you're here to help
us with that because there's there's consistency and uh stability that I I don't want to speak for everyone, but having been on the board and not been on the board and then coming back on the board, it's just there's there's a lot of consistency
right now. Um, and I think that there's a lot of great work that is is being done. Um, but I think part of that comes from us having this open discussion about what is our vision for our district's future. Um, so I was just like the same thing that
now we have consistency like I just everything kind of going keep going in the right direction rather than like it has been. So, so you know, one of the things about like vision statements and mission statements is those usually come out of,
you know, more of a strategic planning process where there's a very comprehensive approach that gathers input from all stakeholders and is able to be uh synthesized into statements that you know are going to drive the work of a district. I I think um we've
had some discussions about that process. If the board some point this year feels strongly about that, kind of moving forward with that as a goal, then that can be a goal that the board establishes for itself. I you know, I guess I would caution everybody that, you know, it's
it's also that type of thing that we do have some things in place that we're currently also working on right now. you know, in terms of year two of the audit and, you know, making sure that some of these things that are already happening don't get kind of lost in a process that
becomes very wide in scope. Um, so there's value to that. It's just a more matter of when and is it this year that we do something like that or is it we say that we're going to prepare this year to kind of enter into a process next year and those are, you know, those are very different approaches on that.
So, um, you know, I I think that something like a vision statement to me should should come from the community, right? And should be something that while we all have an opinion, our job, as you said, is to represent stakeholders and, you know, that the vision should be
something that is coming from a much broader group than us. Um, you know, our mission statement is fairly old. It's been on the agenda this way for quite a while. I mean, there's opportunities going forward to revisit all of those things, but um yeah, I think for for JR
is, you know, finishing up his first year, you know, those are the things that we could talk about how to position well for the board, you know, to be able to kind of have a process going forward that we feel comfortable with. I like that you said that, Bill, because I think it pro we we have these uh systems set in place now with collecting data,
making sure that we have a good understanding of what are we actually looking at here. Um and so yeah, I I I agree with you that that that should be something that we should consider maybe as we get through this audit and making
sure things are set in place. So to that point, Bill and I have had many conversations about this and it was, you know, what's the right time? Um, you know, some of this stuff that we have out there, you know, the mission statements and others are are from years past and, you know, doesn't make them good, better, and different. It just
makes them they're they're a little older. But tackling them, I agree with Bill, has to come through a process in which we're we have students, we have staff, we have community members, we have board members. We're hearing from everyone. and to just arbitrarily replace this, you know, with a small
committee or something. I don't think it's the right way to go about it. And I agree with Bill two. We've had that talk about there's still a decent amount of of groundwork that needs to be laid. We're in a good we're in a much better place, but we're we need a little bit more time to be settled to then go down
that path because that is that can be anywhere from the uh the three meeting session that uh school boards does to a 10 meeting session that other places do. there's a wide array of going down strategic planning route. Um so I I do agree that we need a little you know
maybe this year at least to kind of knock off more of that uh those high well most of the high priority items have been tackled but more of those audit items get in a really good place where we feel our systems are solid um and predictable and then that might be
the right time. Couldn't agree more. I appreciate everybody's perspective. Does it make sense to talk about three board goals, but I mean I think it's super important of course to have a vision and mission because it's almost like now this district is at a really good inflection point which is awesome.
So then we're striving for more through that process. So does it make sense that however many we come to that we tack that on as something to address in the future years so that we don't lose sight of it because I appreciate that you brought it up. I think it's something we want to tackle to your point not this
year because there's so much work going on but we don't want to decide that event. Well, we might what we might decide as a board and there are multiple ways to do this. You could, you know, you could go out with an RFP and actually ask for providers, you know, and companies to actually submit proposals and, you know,
that's something that we could ask the administration to do where we, you know, we make a decision on who's going to be helping us this year going into next year and not necessarily commit, you know, to going through a process starting in January. Uh the other thing
I would add is is and maybe you could talk a little bit about New Jersey Sky in terms of you know how that might also be helpful in that process because we had a discussion about that as well. New Jersey Sky that might also help with that. So uh New Jersey Sky is something we're
going to be undertaking. So the the third goal was to find that third party um vendor. Uh in this case it's Ruckers. It's a free survey um that we're going to be utilizing to uh do that culture and climate survey that has been happening year after year after year. I want to say the original that was sent
out that is now happening through removal forms. Correct me if I'm wrong, Bill, but that has to be 8 to 10 years old, right? Government again. That that one was when it initially came out as a um you know a a a goal for school districts to gather that
information regularly from staff, students and the community and then reflect and utilize it in your um your quarterly climate and culture committees. Um with that said, they have a much better version. Now, it is uh going to provide us with, you know, very
up-to-date and more nuanced information about that culture and climate that's going on here. And that'll be administered uh in the fall. And that will then be able to we'll be able to look at that data, reflect on it, set goals off of it to continue to to improve our culture and climate because
you have anecdotal evidence, what you hear from people, what you may have an impression on. Uh and we have those data points from those surveys that we administer every year religiously. Um but you know you could see people just plugging it in and and on their phone
answering those Google forms very quickly. This is going to be a new process. Hopefully give us a fresh look at how people are interacting, how people feel about the community, how they feel about the academic supports, how they feel about how their students are achieving and I think it'll be really important. And so that will help us then, you know, gather, you know,
that baseline of information to then take those next steps. And the thing I the thing I like about it too is that it it gives you information from students in grades 3 through 12. It gives you information from staff and it gives you information from parents. So there's an opportunity
for three stakeholder groups to provide and they'll disagregate that data in multiple ways for you. So, it's it's something again that um you know it'll be a first time doing that as a district, but that information could be helpful for the board in terms of even when we talk about where should our
areas of focus be and I'm very curious about student voice on that as well. I mean, what do the students think about certain things and you know being able to kind of get that information from them at different levels could also be helpful. Will this be the first time that that's okay? That's great.
So, all right. So maybe not a goal for this year but something that we should you know set up as a task administration with the idea of you know maybe an RFP in the second half of the year that you know and we'll decide what committee that should live with in terms of
providing feedback that type of thing but um you know in terms of development criteria that we just so Amanda there's a very good point oh thank you very good point that you brought up with regards to the the vision um we just went through a strategic plan we started started in
October and now we're putting the final touches on our action plans. When you say we, my district, I just wanted to clarify and um the very first session was a session of administrators, teachers, parents, members of the community who had no kids in the district and students
and then from there it broke out. Then we had just a u a meeting with only parents and we got feedback from them and then we broke down into core groups. There were five core groups and each core group then just it was like verbal
diarrhea. Everybody just threw out at our moderator what they felt their vision and their goals were. And I think we started with 18 and then we just weeded them down until we came up with five. And then every group was in charge
of one specific goal. And through that though they developed what their um how they wanted to see that goal live in the district and in the community. And through all that we came up with a vision statement. And now we're taking an action the action plans for each of
those goals. And now we're assigning it like Miss Kraa is going to be in char you know she's going to be one of the team members that's going to work on X. And it just has timelines and it goes not only for a year but it's multiple years. And the good thing about the strategic plan is that even though you
have a timeline, the timeline can move as you get more information for your goals. And so, like I said, from October to now, you know, we've we've come at to a really good place. And now the document is living document is going to continue to go. And the company we're with was great. But I mean, I think that's something that if we work through this
year, we can have it in place say for September one of next year when we can start with all the groups in the meetings and get everybody on board. So that by the time the summer of 2027 rolls around, yes, it'll be in place and ready to go.
Just based on your energy, it sounds like I mean like I can feel that it was it was I thought it's the first time I'd ever done one and I thought it was a very worthwhile task. Our superintendent brought it in and it was just really great. Um you know the the people that did it um work in school districts and so they had the you know they they were
dynamic as well. They knew hey this was good. what works in one district may not work in another district. It depends on what you know it depends on where your current success level is because the higher your achievement level. If you're a district that performs at like 95% you only have 5% that you're trying to
improve upon where if you're at a district that's at 60% you've got more to look forward to and more to improve upon. So I think it was a great process and I look forward to doing it here. May I ask you um and then I'm going to be quiet so other people can talk but um do
you feel like going through that process that starting with this climate survey is a good launching point? Okay. Absolutely. Yeah. We we did a couple of surveys. We did a survey for only students. We did a survey for staff. We did a survey for the whole entire community together. And that was part of
the very first step in the strategic plan. They helped us with the questions for the survey and then it went out and it was anonymous responses and everything. Sounds awesome. The it was a it was a separate it was a company that we worked for and I'll tell
you the cost for us to do the whole thing because we added additional sessions. Uh the initial cost was about $25,000 and it was about another $5,7500 for three or four additional sessions as well. Yeah. I think the the planning of that because I've done like three of these you know
as administrator. I mean, the planning on that requires going into the year knowing you're doing this, you know, because you have to schedule time to get staff input and you have to schedule time for meetings and, you know, there's a commitment on the board's part as well because we're very
involved in that process. um you know as board members um you know as we go through that what I what I would ask is that um the identification process you know for um whoever a facilitator might be would would live with the board you
know in terms of here are the recommendations and that should be a board approval that we make with respect to yeah we we endorse that facilitator based on the RFP so you know there are ways to do that with an ad hoc committee there are ways to do that and and you know I think that gets that this idea of
community leadership when we think about you know some of the the categories that we talk about with you know self-evaluation and it gets at vision mission and goals and I think what you're feeling is is very real in the sense of like you know we haven't talked about that in my time at the board um
and it's something again I think um we are much in a much better position to be able to even have these discussions now than we were you know just a few years ago so um that's I'm glad and I think that's I I feel so enthusiastic about it and that's why I brought it up because I I am feeling
that we are in moving in that trajectory based on Thank you for listening and for JR Bill and Derek because you guys have been through it running the district. What do you feel the timeline would be to a start and b finish?
I talk about my experience. I mean the leadup on this you know in identifying a facilitator is is months you know so it's like we would probably need to start that process in the winter and then you know look to have I think a decision made by late spring early to
late spring I think you know Brian would need to budget for this you know and anticipate what the cost of that would be um I think once a facilitator is identified there's a lot of backend work that the administration has to do uh to actually make this work well in the district And you know we have to involve
you know stakeholder groups within the district as well. So that takes communication that takes trust that takes that takes a lot of steps that have to be in place. I think the process itself in my experience if we were to do this it would be very fall early winter heavy next year with the idea that at
the end of as Derek said at the end of spring next year we have a plan that we can approve as a board as a strategic plan. So you know I I think the process itself from identifying a facilitator They're going through the entire data
collection, you know, really working with the facilitators to develop the plan and and get recommendations from them to actually finalizing a plan does take, you know, the better part of a year. JR, is this something that you think we
can take on like we're talking about winter this year? So I believe from my own experience I did um it took about seven to eight months to do the process uh in my previous district and it was uh
rigorous like you're saying not as many meetings as you you did Derek with your vendor um but those sessions were intense they were well attended and they took a lot of planning to get to them. So that uh that that uh runup that
runway is the most important part. So, I do agree with all the timelines that Bill gave that you're going to need that amount of time to prepare. So, to answer your question then, I do think we would we wouldn't be ready to do it until next school year, but we should start the process so that we have that proper
runway and we get all the stakeholder groups on board. We have all the folks um and the dates in place so that we are kicking it off uh you know with a process fully realized. Um, so I do think um, the RFP process is valid and not just locking into one, right? You
know, we've all had different uh, companies and experiences. It's worth sometimes even talking to them. They'll come out and present it because there's different styles that fit uh, communities differently. A lot of them will adapt and change, you know, here and there and tweak here and there, but they have a basic format and you want to
see if that format represents what we want and what we need. Um, some are more labor intensive. Um some are three four sessions you know but then after that is a long process with the vendor and the administrative team to lay out what that action plan looks like and then you have
to regularly look back at it and see where you are and adjust those goals and those those metrics if necessary. I mean you know I think we've essentially said for the last for last year and this year that we had gone down the road of you know the curriculum audit and results audit and that was
what we were using to kind of guide the work of the board. Um, and I think it's been guiding the administration as well. Absolutely. I think um, you know, we we've already said, you know, that at the end of this year, we we would like to revisit, you know, the audit itself just to, you
know, kind of, you know, do a check-in with regard to where we are, you know, the levels of success that the district has had with that. But I think that would also serve to launch well, you know, the process that we might need to use in terms of strategic planning. Um so so
you know what I'm hearing is that you know there's a goal somewhere in here kind of around community data collection you know with New Jersey Sky potentially and you know perhaps board report outs with that to kind of publicly you know suggest like what were the strengths in that data collection what were the areas
that you know kind of rose as potential areas that that the district would want to address and then also you know this this idea that we want to identify a facilitator by the end of this year to kind of move the district forward with strateic. So that that could be that
could be a board goal. I mean I think it's a good one. You would have as a result of that you would create your mission statements that would that would come out of strategic plan that that all is something because you know that vision should be a community effort and that you know that mission statement should
be a community that shouldn't be us saying we're looking to get that done by September 2027. We would look to have it I I you know my mind we would want to have it approved in the at the end of the school year 2027 the board would
want to formally approve and adopt a strategic plan and all of that would be a part so the the goals of the plan you know the mission the vision the goals and the steps that we're going to take to actually get to that you know that that would be a part of that so you have a goal there
probably I mean quantitative quality the the whole process takes about a year from start to finish and then as we said it's like a living document just keeps moving and moving but the most important thing to start is you need board right so the
entire board has to buy in to wanting to do this strategic plan and when you buy in to say you're going to do it then you have to buy in to work with fidelity in order to get your goals and your vision statement and then you have to work with
the administration with fidelity in order to make sure that it's carried out because if you don't then you're just throwing your money away. So if everybody can do that then I think that's going to be a hell of a goal to move forward with and I think the district will be all the better for it if we do that.
So awesome time to do it. We have a lot of young families moving in and it's really exciting. Agreed. So how does that goal uh what does that sound like? the goal is like to use this year to start preparing for this year. I think we we would have a goal of identifying
uh a facilitator that would guide the district's work in developing a strategic plan in the during the what year would that be 26 27 school
years. Um, so I I think we can wordsmith I think what our what we I don't I don't want to we can wordsmith something Jr. could share that in our updates you know that he puts out and then I think what we're looking to do is approve something in September. So we can put something
together and then people can have the opportunity to make comment or you know make suggestions in terms of how to refine that. But um you know I think well but then I that that's the intent of that is is to identify a vendor and
you know a facilitator to guide the district. Um you said two to three goals right? I'm sorry. Set two to three goals. Sure. I mean I don't know if there's room for one more. It's not like we have plenty but also I don't know if you want to tackle us as a board just as individuals
learning more about AI and its impact in the education field. um whether as a board you can get like a speaker or some type of presentation on it or read a book collectively or share information or start just like a brainstorming session about it. But I think it's a
pretty big technology that we don't want to just understand. Um and it's changing things pretty rapidly. I know like in my workplace setting we've adopted it. It's being used. I don't know about anyone
else's personal experience, but if we're going to be leaders in education, I think that um it's good for those at the top to also understand AI to know how what it is and how it works. I don't know if that's something that
I mean, I think we have an awesome resource in Ariel like having having gotten you know, having worked so hard to get that grant for our district put us um ahead of the curve even though the curve keeps curving. very quickly for AI and and and that but
she might be a wonderful resource for us. Um if you because I if I'm listening to you correctly, you're stating that we as individuals need to learn more about AI and you know if our students are definitely receiving that now based upon
using this grant and the funds starting yeah right you know but also like how can we as individual board members use it at all to any extent? It sounds like there's going to be a lot of, you know, we have a lot of committee meetings. Could we use that to help draft an agenda, you know, for the committee meeting or whatever or just
help us in the day-to-day? It doesn't have to be like a big thing, but we could just use like the next months just to learn more about AI. It just But one of the things I want to focus on is governance. So, you know, so I think
our goals should be related to governance. Um I'm having a hard time connecting the AI. I don't disagree with you that AI is present here. It's just something again where does that fit into so I think in terms of governance coming
up with uh an AI policy that we're comfortable with in the district. But we have an AI policy right now. Okay. Maybe uh all right. I mean that's true. Um perhaps it's I don't disagree actually. There's a really good tech talk by the
guy who founded Khan Academy about AI. I use all type of work and use AI rel in relation to education because I try to get my high school kids to use it as its own uh as it own to your point. It's not necessarily tied to governance, but we
do have this awesome AI grant money. And so perhaps that's something that's maybe more within JR's realm versus board of not not say this correctly. Um, but how do we ensure that our our kids and our
staff are are staying on top of the curve when it comes to technologies like AI so that they are using it for their benefit because if they're not figuring out now they are screwed when they go to college to your point it's not governance but it's something that I know you have your eyes on. So maybe it's more of how do we stay
how do we stay informed of what that looks like. I I or to the end goal of governance also like um like what is our understanding about AI and it's I don't know like how is it being integrated in education and would
there be any like academic issues that arise out of this you know are students now using AI to generate answers and we don't know are they just taking a photo of their math problems and it gives them the answer you know and and and it's probably all true so if we know that how
do we engage with that right like and how does that play into governance I mean I'm sure we'll disciplinary issues. I mean, we've seen in the news certain districts having to deal with um AI generated images of people that get circulated, right? And I think that we
don't want to be a poor that's underinformed about the technology and how it works. I mean, I feel like Ariel has like really set the precedence for that and tried to get ahead of the curve by helping us to create this policy. Um, that although it is moving and I don't want to speak for every I don't want to
speak for you're saying right and the guidelines and the guidelines that are there and of course just kind of like what you were saying Derek like it's going to have to be a living breathing policy because this is changing so rapidly. So, it does need to be part of our discussion as a
board and with your guidance, you know, um and letting us know whatever you're learning and how and and us re reading and and being aware of what's happening in other districts to educate ourselves so that we're trying our best. Um because there's even like a video out
there of like, you know, AI now of a teacher creating her lesson plans using AI and then the kids uh going, "Oh, my teacher asked me this question and how do I answer it?" And it's, you know, how do we get that authentic learning where where students are are having to problem
solve and and engage and get more of this facetime so that we create leaders and uh using it in the manner that you were saying that just I hope has has some some things on that. I mean that would be
we have to take it upon ourselves to take the time to educate to attend the um the the educational offerings that are being offered through the I'm going to totally forget the acronym because my brain has been working all day. Thank you.
So, um, you know, I try to attend as many as I can, you know, within the time limit that that I have with being a professional and all of that. But I think a lot of what you're saying, Matteo, falls upon us as individuals to be interested and to to educate ourselves and then that allows us to be
in governance with our superintendent. But it's incumbent upon the superintendent and his team. So, Superintendent and Gina and Mary and everybody else to put the parameters in place and to monitor AI within the district because that's an
administrative function. So, it's up to them to ensure that the students and the staff are utilizing it the correct way. It's up to the parents to understand it a little bit as well and it's up to us as board members to understand it. But as far as governance, I don't think it's
the board to govern. What the what the board does is we approve the policy and we ensure that JR has the tools with the policy to run the district as he needs it to be run, giving our staff and our students what they need. And part of that is the AI policy. And with the
grant that Ariel got and with the work that Jay and his team are doing, I think we're moving towards that. And as Amanda said, AI changes every day. It's probably changed 15 times since we've been sitting here already, right? So that's incumbent upon J.R. and the district and the team to do that and
bring us the information. But I would say if if we want them to report on that either through the curriculum committee or to do a presentation on, you know, they there's been a lot of work that's been done around AI
guidelines for student use, AI guidelines for staff use. I think if the board wants to be informed about what's happening in the district and how that's unfolding, then that's a presentation and we can ask we can ask the administration or direct administration to arrange to have
a presentation done and you know that can fuel a discussion that board members want to have with that. I I think I make a distinction between that being like a long-term goal versus you know that's an item that we can we can request presentation on. Um, you know, I think, you know, like you
what you said at the beginning of the meeting around committee and communication expectations, I think that's that's that's a governance goal. Like that's something we can look and say like we we have to continue to improve our communication structures through committees and you know the the
idea of scheduling committees and having that set for a year and knowing that those are when and everybody knows and having agendas shared ahead of time so other board members can actually comment. uh or ask a question about an agenda before a meeting takes place. I think those are all good things for us
to consider and and that's something that I think is very actionable for JR, but it's also something that we can measure for ourselves in terms of like, yeah, we did a you know, we did a better job that type thing. Um other thoughts and I don't mean to I I understand what you're saying about ideas. Yeah.
Yeah. And I appreciate the ideas, too. I do think it's they're good topics for us to explore. Yeah. And just to close that part out, um, having the presentation will be great because yes, there's policy for me. I'm always interested on how as as a parent can I correctly
encourage the kids to use it. So policy is one thing, but I mean chip and I use it every day. So how do we understand how are they using it? How are the teachers using it, right? So that they're continually getting better. So I would definitely love to hear that. I'm sure the community would as well. So
if we add it to agenda topics, that' be great. Okay. Other thoughts from other members. I think you know I'll just throw this one there. Policy was the other area that was in a summary weakest for us. Um
the policy committee pretty much only meets when needed. Right now, I'm trying to understand if board members and some of their comments were suggesting that the policy committee should meet more regularly with the idea of
discussing hot topics or issues that are out there in terms of you know opinions that board members have relative to polic. We we adopted you know basically a whole suite of policies for stress estate. So those policies are ones that are recommended,
you know, by stress estate or mandated by the state and, you know, we're covered in terms of our our our policy provider. Strauss ESM puts out fairly regular updates about changes to policy or recommendations about regulations. We've talked about how that has to
unfold. I don't know exactly how often that happens though. Is it regular? Yeah, it usually comes out it comes out if not if not every if not bi-weekly, then it comes out once a month. But then typically what the policy committee would do is once the superintendent gets those updates, they would convene a
meeting and say, "Hey, we just got seven policy updates mandated for policy and regulation. Let's discuss them." Um, and that's after the superintendent had the opportunity to take those policies and provide them to the appropriate staff members so that they can review them and agree or disagree with the changes. Then
they come before the policy committee. The policy committee then has a really good debate on them and then it goes out for first reading and then second reading. So, uh, here's a great example. I just received one, I want to say whenever I emailed you guys two weeks ago. U, the majority of the policy
alerts actually reflected Brian's job and his department. Correct. Uh, I think all of them except one were directly related to there. So, his, uh, group are making recommendations to us. We had set a date. Um, but those, uh, policy alerts, if you will, come in in
in bulk usually. So, they're not trickling out one at a time. it's an efficient a more efficient way to do it. Um, so it's hard for we had decided it's hard to just set a monthly on that, but we can say within a certain couple weeks of
receiving them, we have that uh meeting or as soon as physically possible. Um, it also depends. Some of them are like mandated immediately, right? For instance, when we had the COVID crisis, right? those policies had to immediately be adopted because some of them had
public health you know implications but generally some of the others you have a little bit more leeway as to how much time and we just try to set the policy data a meeting as soon as possible. So, um, you know, just want to follow up what Bill said, you know, just an expectation of where we want to go with
that. So, we can have quarterly on the calendar and then add in others as needed because I think stress thought they were doing quarterly on the big drops of them. Um, and then they'll send anything that's immediately necessary
in, you know, subsequent policy alerts. Um, there's different ways of doing it. So I can I can do quarterly on the calendar and then add as needed. Maybe that's the best way to go. Yeah, I mean you can Yeah, I think that's fine. Okay. And that's the procedure that you stated
that that happens. Okay. I I was never aware of like how that how that happens and well because in years past whenever there were policy updates that were that were sent to the district, they were never shared with the board. Okay. So we are moving in the right
direction. Okay. Thank you. So I will set quarterly and then uh as needed after that for any type of immediate alerts and I'll see if I can get a calendar. They have to be at least vague understandings of when they're going to release them. So I will contact
stress. Okay. Any other comments? you know that was that was good discussion so far and I think we we we've you know gotten some direction in terms of what areas of focus might be um but I feel like we
also address the areas that were weakest in the self evaluation um just one observation because we talk a lot about getting stakeholders involved um which is very important but I think
we need to realize that majority majority of the stakeholders be teachers, parents, students don't realize what is and is not a function of the board. So when you're creating your vision, always keep that in mind. Well, and that'll that's a good point,
Dan, and and that's something that when we start the strategic plan process that will be discussed there as well. And but that's also something that between the superintendent, the board president, we can inform the public of that as well.
But that's a good point. I just wanted to remark on the governance team relationships and accountability. I I it to me I think it was a really good reflection on how to
see to see how we scored on that. I I feel like overall um our board is uh very healthy in in listening and and that really reflected it. It was nice that I wasn't the only
one who was feeling that way to see what everyone else was feeling because now that JR is here and we have this stability. Um, I feel like we are we're really at this point to evolve in in such a wonderful way. And a lot of
that means that we have to listen to each other and we have to be open to not being rigid in our thinking and to learn from one another. And I I think that's the thing that I appreciate most about being on this board with all of you. Um, and I think that that really reflected
that and it was nice to see that other people were were feeling that way as well. So, um, I just to take a moment to say thank you to all of you because I feel like it's um it's the key to our success.
Absolutely. Okay. So, I think we have direction on I'm reading possibly three goals. um one around accountability and student achievement and just being able to um
educate ourselves and to receive regular updates to you know focus on just the progress being made within the audit and continuing that work. Uh I think we have a goal around um identifying a strategic planning
facilitator with the idea bless you um that we would look to launch uh an RFP in the second half of the year uh to um engage in that process going into next year. And then I
view this also in terms of we have a goal around committee and communication expectations in terms of our own governance processes um and tightening up some of our committee work. I think we made some good strides with that this year. I think it's much better than it was. Um I think JR is instrumental in
this because you know he has to with his admin administrative team really um facilitate that process because it's something again that um for all of us to receive information in certain order there's got to be somebody that's actually pushing that to to us. Um I
even think in terms of you know the the weekly updates that JR provides us um you know he's made a lot of steps this year in terms of telling us when committees are meeting. So, we know that already. Maybe the next step is like let's have the agendas linked in there
ahead of the meeting taking place so everybody knows what the topics are that are going to be discussed, that type of thing. Um, so those are little tweaks that I think build on work that we did this year. Um, those committee meetings are really important like we only meet once a month as a board with the idea
that committees are meeting in the second half of the month or in the other parts of the month and really, you know, giving us time to do that. Um, so I think it's just important that we, you know, kind of double down on that process and make sure that we're we're comfortable with that. Um, but those
three goals, is that capture what everybody agrees with that? Yes. Okay. What's an RFP request for proposal? Yes. I was going to ask for him to uh the alphabet of education.
Sorry, too many. That's that's not just education. I know more so than So, but I think um our process would be to um we'll we'll we'll tighten up goal statements that we can use as a board.
Looks like we'll have three. Um you know, I'll talk with JR about that. We'll kind of work smith that a little bit. Uh we can run it through AI a couple times if we want to and see what it spits out for us. You never know. You know, it makes it smarter. I use it. I use it all the time. I know
what you're saying. Um, for my vision, my mission for my company like over and over again. Yeah. I mean, I'm not I'm not disputing the legitimacy of it's here. And it's and and people always say like AI today is the worst it's going to be.
So, it's just going to keep on either getting dumber or getting smarter, but it's going to do something for us. Um, so robots are coming too. So, we'll have that as well. You know, maybe maybe they'll come to the board meeting. Hey public. Uh so process-wise though we would look
to approve those in September. So we'll we'll have them on the board agenda for approval. We'll go through the formal process of approving them as a board and then you know those will be placed on the agendas going forward. All right. Okay. Great. All right. Um are they here?
No they are not here. No. Well, yes. But so I see one of our I recommend that we continue board business. He's the only one I saw. So we are not going to enter into executive session just yet. We'll now
move on to approval of the minutes. Uh so what's the motion? The motion to approve the minutes. Resolved that the board of education approve the minutes of the board of education meetings as follows. June 10, 2025 regular meeting June 10, 2025.
Derek made a motion. Mr. Carson seconded. Um, all in favor? I abain. So, we have two abstensions. I think I smells good in here. If we have three abstensions.
Yep. Can we Okay. Three extensions and then one. You got that? Okay. All right. Board President's report. Um, I am not going to make too much of a present, but to welcome staff back uh for the school
year. I I know a lot of work goes on in the summertime to get classrooms set up. I know we have teachers on our board of education that are also setting their rooms up and doing all that work ahead of that. Um, so I just wish everybody uh a really great start to the school year and uh you know, we have a meeting in
September, so we'll revisit all that as we get through that. All right. Superintendent's report. I also have a very short report. I can uh speak to a very exciting meeting today of our new teacher orientation. Uh we had some tremendous uh conversations in day one. It's a three-day affair put
together by Dr. Squentes and uh Mary Kaine uh to support our new teacher and their transition in all of our administrators participate. Various important topics are touched upon uh and supported and then we get our teachers into their classroom as soon as possible. And a very special thank you
to Denise who's going to be helping us on our bus tour on Thursday around Somerville to show the town off to all of our new uh staff members. There's a bus tour of Somerville to welcome Julie the cruise director
downtown. This be the start of something. Thank you. Thank you. Are you going to be throwing out bracelets? So, very very good things coming. So, uh it's a great mix of folks uh some alumni
uh many folks from uh you know other you know locations and and different backgrounds. um just and we were able to fill uh as you see with the late addition there the open positions and the lead replacements that we're struggling with. So I do apologize that
I had to throw that in the last second, but we need to get those in so our classroom and our positions are filled. Uh so that's a really positive one. Um also want to echo what Bill said and welcome all of our staff members back. Very excited. I've been seeing many of them in the hallways getting their rooms
ready. It's always an exciting time as you get to refresh and restart. Um, so I'm excited uh to welcome them back officially on Tuesday. And then on Wednesday, we get to welcome our students and our families back, which is the best day of the year. So, can't wait for that. Um, hopefully the weather's
good. It's been good. And, uh, good things to come and, uh, everybody is geared up and ready and excited to welcome our students back. Great. All right. I don't believe we have any committee meetings that we need to report on. No. So, no, the only thing I did attend the
public safety meeting as our rep and also the library board as our rep. And of course, everyone's heard about our library is now closed um till the repairs are made, right? They knew that was coming. There is a
brand new library director for the whole county system. And uh as far as public safety, they just said if we hear of any concerns um traffic-wise or parking wise to bring it to their attention.
Yeah. And I know um they since reszoned right out in front of the middle school as well. They took away two of those parking spots to improve the visibility in terms of street crossings, that type of thing. So we appreciate your work that's taking place there. Yeah. Just just to make sure it's safer
for crosswalks. That's great. Okay. All right. Thank you for doing it. Yeah. And you know, that's something again I appreciate you bringing those up because we don't always get those. Yeah. Well, that's they they don't meet every month, so whenever they do, I will report back. Whatever happens.
I also just wanted to thank um Gina, Mary, and J.R. for the thorough report earlier in regards to curriculum. I feel like that was very useful and helpful. And I also, as somebody stated, really like the way that um you explained the
RTI and for people who may not understand that. So, thank you. Excellent. Super. Thank you. All right. Why don't we uh move forward with the preschool through 8th grade motion? Do you want to read that, Derek, please? Sure. I would like to make a motion to
approve items 1 through 54 under preschool through 8th grade. Uh and that they're moved upon the recommendation superintendent and appointment and salaries are contingent upon verified documentation. A second there second. Okay. Any discussion?
Where's Mr. Boyce? He's doing I'll take the role. Can I take the role? Okay. Uh Mr. Jess, please take the role. Mrs. Van Horn, yes. Mr. Yes. Is a yes. Mr. Carlson,
yes. Miss Sherwin, yes. Miss Kra, yes. Miss Dale, yes. Mr. Kimick, yes. Mr. Garcia, yes. All right. Motion carries. Okay. And moving on to page 23. I think Mr. She the voice is back.
Um, our 9th through 12th grade and districtwide motions. I would like to make a motion to approve items 55 through 104 inclusive of item 75 on the updated uh for the agenda for grades 9 through 12. They be moved upon the
recommendations to item number 75 20 uh an appointment of salaries contingent upon and verified documentation. Is there a second? Second. M Sherwood. Uh discussion. Mr. Boyce, you do a roll, please. Yes.
Mrs. Van Horn. Yes. Mr. Jess. Yes. Mr. Carlson. Uh, yes. Recuse myself from 102. Okay. Abstain from 102. Mrs. Sherwin. Yes. Mrs. Kra. Yes. Mrs. Dale. Yes.
Mr. Kim. Yes. Mr. Garcia. Yes. Mrs. Shaw? Yes. Okay. Motion passes. Um, moving on. Old business. Are there any old business items? Seeing none, can I have a motion to close all business?
Mr. D, a second. Second. Mr. Carlson. All in favor? Opposed? All business is now closed. Moving on to new business. Is any new business items? I have one thing. Um, the Somerville Environmental
Commission is having looking for volunteers tomorrow to help with the high school rain garden for planting. Great. I don't this is not old business. I mean new business. I mean it is I just wanted to make a comment that didn't really fit
under comment for it. It it was it I have no words anymore because I've been talking about educational information all day. Um number 29 and 20 or 85 that we voted on about the change in salary guide placement. I just wanted to
commend uh the educators in our district for continuing to um enhance their education and I think it speaks volumes that that that we have so many who are continuing to despite their busy uh schedules and I'm sure many of them
are parents they're they're continuing to um model what it takes to be a lifelong learner. So I just wanted to make sure that all of them know that we see them and and appreciate what they're doing. You got a comment? Sorry, I didn't know if that fell into
the right area to bring that up, but it's all good. Okay. Um, any other new business items? Okay. Can I have a motion to close new business? Mr. Jess, second. Miss Van Horn, a second. Any discussion?
All in favor? All opposed? May I make a suggestion? Mr. Jess, would you like to make a suggestion? I would like to I I would since the only order of business we have left is executive session. I would like to say that we make the motion to go into executive session. We second it.
We vote to go in and then we vote to adjourn so that we don't have to come back since we're not going to take any action. Correct. Yes. Right. So that being said, I'd like to make a motion to go into executive session for the purposes of pending and anticipate litigation and attorney client privilege. Second.
Okay. We have a second on the executive session. M Sherwin. Any discussion? Okay. All in favor? All oppose. Okay. Uh, can we have a motion to adjurnn? Okay. Mr. Carlson made a motion to
adjurnn. Is there a second? Second. Miss Sherwin. Any discussion? All in favor? All opposed. Okay. We are going into executive session at 6:06 and we will adjourn the meeting at this point and then we will not be coming out of executive session.
So, we wish everybody a wonderful start to the school year. Thank you. Thank you.