June 2, 2021 — Meeting Transcript

Machine-generated transcript — may contain errors.

Okay, good evening. Adequate notice has been given, and we are going to get started. Nice to see everybody here tonight. We, Gary will be, Gary is on his way, and he will be here shortly, and we will go ahead and start by saying a bunch of allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, great. I think the first item on our agenda tonight is 2.01, recognizing our own. And we are going to be recognizing three seventh grade White Island Middle School students for all of their hard work and efforts this year.

Thank you, Amy. We're going to go ahead and thanks, Chris, for letting them in. So we do have three students from Y-Down Middle School who are going to be recognized tonight. And when we think about student recognition, we always are thinking about, like, who exemplifies our profile of the graduate?

Students who are collaborative, students that are creative, students who work hard, have integrity, you know, willing to contribute to the betterment of the community. Superexpensive, Board of Education, Proposition O, levy, agenda, motion carried. We had three students and one of them is Kara and then we had Rafael and then we also had, let me see, Nobly. Is that right?

Yeah, Nobly. And so I just want to make sure that I don't see them on the screen yet, but they're there. And so I want to first off and say thank you so much students for coming to YDOWN Each and every day doing your best. And so I want you to know that the adults in the school recognize that and also other students in the community recognize that.

And so we noticed that what I heard is that, Kira, you participate in the all-in coalition and that you also go the extra mile and participate in the musicals, you partake in track. But the other thing is that we hear that you give 110% every single day and work hard. And that's one of the most important things that we ask of our students is to put effort towards their learning. And then we had Rafael who also participates in the All In Coalition, but does math club and chess club.

And what I heard about you is that you have just a positive spirit. And you're someone who is always willing to contribute and someone who is always willing to collaborate with others and just a positive person. And then, Nobly, we had, what we heard about you is that you are a deeply compassionate student who is, has great integrity. And when we talk about a person who has integrity, that means you're always doing the right thing, even when no one's watching you.

And so, I wanted to say thank you to all those students because what you do is you serve as an example to other students and we appreciate everything that you do just to make our community a better place, but beyond just the community of Y-Down, just the world a better place. So, thank you so much. And we want to, on behalf of the Board of Education, we want to recognize you. So could you guys just introduce yourselves real quick so that way the board can see you?

So if you could turn off your microphone and introduce yourself. So Rafael, can you go first? Hello, I'm Rafael. I study at Wydown and I'm very happy to be here.

Thank you. I'm Joelma, Rafael's mom. Thanks. Kira?

Hi I Kira I go to YNAB and yeah like right by Elson I also happy to be here Excellent And Nobly Hi, I'm Nobly. I also go to YDAM and I'm happy to be here. Well, thank you so much. And so you don't have to stay on any longer after this.

We just wanted to recognize you at the beginning of this meeting and to thank you and also thank your parents for making this a priority to be here. Thank you. Thank you. Good luck, Dr.

Doherty, in the future. Thank you. Oh, thank you. Bye.

I just also wanted just to say a few other things because thinking about recognizing your own. And one of the things that I want to mention is that the month of May was Jewish American Heritage Month. Spervantage month. And when we looked back and a lot of when we try to look at we want every person in our district to feel seen and we want to make sure that our students and parents and staff members feel seen.

And one of the things that we neglected this year was to put that out there was that of the recognition of that month. And it's really important because Jewish Americans have contributed so much to our history and they have a rich history. And we need it. I just wanted to publicly say that.

And so there are many accomplishments of Jewish Americans, and we want to make sure that we are making that a priority in future years so that we can recognize during the month of May, Jewish American Heritage Month. And, you know, reading, just looking at media now, it's like even more important because we're looking at anti-Semitism being something that is on the rise. And we need to be cognizant of that so that way our students feel safe, our staff feel safe, our parents feel safe in the community. And so I just want to publicly say that and make sure that we, even though it's passed, I want to make sure I put that out there and recognize that.

So thank you. We appreciate that, Sean. Do you know what they say to that? Mazel tov.

You're welcome. Okay, we are on to number, we're going to go on to Superintendent Communications, which, Sean, I'll let you speak to that too, please. Thank you, Jeff. So, sorry about that.

I had my microphone off. And so I wanted to start with our data for our students, staff, COVID data. And so it's amazing to see what a change we're noticing and want to continue to see this trend. And looking forward to having a great start to the beginning of the next school year with full days and all of our students being able to have in-person learning.

So excited about that. And hopefully that data stays like that. So right now we are looking at a lot of different milestones happening within our district. And so last week our seniors graduated last Friday evening, which was a wonderful celebration.

And again, it goes to show how our students have adaptability. And, you know, we had, it wasn't really the graduation probably people had in their mind or mental model of what a graduation looks like. But I think the most important thing is in that moment, there was this true sense of happiness, and I could feel it amongst the students, and that's actually the most important thing, that present moment of that night. Spervantage, promotion, and And we also, but we also still have a focus on learning and that continues to be a priority for us.

When I walk through the schools, I, it does feel so alive. And I, you know, I'm so grateful that it feels that way in our schools, but wish we had more of that this year. And I think that we've had so many different adjustments to our schedules and different ways that our schools were feeling. I am really truly proud of our students because they have been very very flexible I ran into some students a few weeks ago and I just you know I couldn help but just say I sorry about how things went this year Like, you don't need to say you're sorry.

We were fine. We were able to do well. And so it's our students sometimes that need to be, they're the model for us in terms of adaptability, and we take on a lot of that. So I really appreciate the students and how they were flexible this year.

And, you know, this being the last day of school tomorrow, we're not going to be stopping our momentum in that our summer programs are starting next week. And so Clayton High School's Summer Academy is going to start June 7th. And so we are excited to have that in person. And then the other thing I want to mention is that the WSA, which is at Wiedown, and the Elementary Summer Academy are going to be starting on the 10th.

We have really thought differently about these programs, not just because of COVID, but really related to our strategic plan. They have both been reimagined, and so we're going to be focusing on project-based learning. Our middle school is going to be focused on civic engagement, public speaking, equity, and all while integrating literacy and math and all of that. And then our elementary is going to be focused on project-based learning as well as reading and literacy and math.

So our summer programs are really just an extension of the school year, but I also appreciate that, you know, Robin Weins, as well as the summer program leaders have been very thoughtful about making sure that we're including thinking about how we can approach this differently and really excited about what those are going to look like. So that will start next week. Tonight we are going to be bringing back the budget for approval and so hopefully you had that opportunity over the last two weeks. We brought the draft in a few weeks ago and so and now we are going to be bringing it forth for approval.

And then the last thing I wanted to share is that we're doing this. We're doing this. This has been the start of a lot of last times. And so I will say that, you know, tomorrow's the last day of school.

And every, you know, I go into buildings or I'm going to different events and I'm like, well, this is the last time I'm going to do this. And this is going to be the last time that I'm going to see this event or see these students. And so I will say that I have been truly grateful for the last 11 years as a member of this community and different roles. I know tonight is going to be the last official board meeting.

We have a few special meetings coming up for board election. But I will just want to say thank you to the board because you've been very supportive to me in the last five, six years, even when I was interim. Even this past year, especially these last two years, have been very difficult. I will say that not only just the encouragement that you provided, but also the support of Just keep moving forward even when it's difficult and we've been able to do that.

So I want to just say thank you publicly to the board for your support and I just I know this we're experiencing a lot of last times but there those last times are also gonna be indelible memories for me. So now I'm going to turn it over to Caitlin for the student report. Hello everyone so as this year comes to a close I just have I have two quick things to say regarding student communications. So as you all know, the last day of school is tomorrow, which I'm personally pretty excited for.

And we're also in the week of the third administration of APs. So, like, for example, I just got out from an AP about an hour ago, and I have one tomorrow. So I apologize in advance if I'm a little bit scatterbrained. And I just wanted to also give some personal remarks at this final official board meeting.

So I wrote out a bit of a script to say just to thank everyone for my time that I've had as student representative. So I just want to first start off by thanking everyone who has made this opportunity possible. I'm honored to have taken up the second year of the student representative position and am so grateful for the warm welcome that I've received since the very beginning of my tenure. The opportunity to represent student voice is really not one that I took lightly, and I hope that I was able to shed some valuable insight on the challenges students face in the district and amplify student voices on priority issues we have.

As for some notes on a personal level, I'm grateful for the personal growth that I've been able to take out of this experience, from learning to be a better communicator to the conversations that I've had with varying student perspectives that I wouldn't have had otherwise. I also learned so much from hearing from the board members and working with the administrators on different tasks and I all the more thankful for the behind work that goes into continuously making the district a better place for students Thank you to the teachers the administrators the board members assistants and more that make all of this possible As always, there's still much work to be done, but I'm proud of the progress that we've been able to make this year, and I will continue working on issues of racial justice, mental health, and more as I lead the District Advisory Council next year. I'm certainly leaving this position in really good hands with Itana for next year, but I will continue to be someone who would be more than happy to have a conversation, address any concerns regarding students, or help out wherever and whenever I can. Thank you to everyone here today, and thank you to the community listening at home.

Thank you, Caitlin. And I will say to you on behalf of the board that we are so proud of all of your hard work this year and dedication, especially in a year that was so unconventional. And I know that you're busy and you've got a lot of things going on with school and outside activities, but we really appreciate the time that you've spent here and all of your thoughts and Thank you. Can I just say one thing too?

Yes. It's like, Caitlin, again, thank you so much. It has been such a pleasure to work with you. I just, I think one of the things that this role has done for us is that it really has put in the forefront of our decisions what we need to always have that student perspective.

And it's interesting, even in our central office meetings sometimes, we're like, I wonder if we should run this by Caitlin. Like, or, you know, that's like, that's the kind of difference between the two of us. And I think that's what we're trying to do. And I think that's what we're trying to do.

And I think that's what we're trying to do. And I think that's what we're trying to do. And I think that's what we're trying to do. And then to Sean, I will say to you that, We are very sad to see you go.

The work that you have accomplished is truly remarkable, and you have made such an impact on the district. We thank you, and you will be deeply, deeply missed. Thank you, Amy. Okay, so we are going to move on to our wellness assessment, which is 5.01.

Spervantage, P.A.T.T.E.R. Tonight we do have Robin Weens and Mary Jo Gruber who are going to be presenting the wellness assessment. And so I think we're just waiting for Mary Jo to come down. Thank you.

Superintendent, Board of Education, Proposition O, levy, agenda, motion carried. Okay, can everybody see that? Hold on, it's coming up. Somehow it closed on my way down.

Okay, so as required by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, And because the district participates in the National School Lunch Program, the board adopted policy ADF, creating a district wellness program. So Robin and I are co-chairs of this committee, and in compliance with the policy, we have established a wellness committee that consists of six parents, one representing each school in the family center, one student from CHS who does graduate this year. She has been great. A nurse, which is our nurse coordinator.

A physical education teacher, which we currently have a PE and a health coordinator and a PE teacher on there. And our food service director, Stacy, is our board liaison. And we have three school administrators representing the family center, an elementary school and the high school, and other community members, which is primarily our recreation supervisor at the center and our all-in coordinator. So it is a fairly large committee.

And since this is a committee that's required by board policy, all the All the meetings are publicly posted. They all have a public comment period and they all have records that adhere to the requirements of Missouri Sunshine Law. So a few years ago the committee did adopt a mission statement to promote the health and wellness of our students, staff, and our community through education efforts that are to encourage habits of wellness, increase awareness of factors of resources that contribute to the well-being of students, Inspire and empower individuals to take responsibility for their own health and support a sense of community in which the health and overall well-being of our students is recognized as an essential element of their success. So another requirement of this Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act requires that schools evaluate the wellness policy and how successful they are in regards to this mission that they create and to the public on a tri-annual basis.

So 2020 last year was actually the year that We were required to do this assessment, but due to the pandemic, the federal government granted us a one-year extension. So the committee took data from two sources to perform this wellness assessment. So the one I was going to talk about is the Healthy Schools Assessment Guide, and then we also did a wellness survey that was made available to the community in April, and Robin's going to talk about that piece of it. So back in 2017, the Wellness Committee implemented the Healthy Schools Framework of Best Practices that was created by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

And this framework identifies six specific criteria that's listed on the PowerPoint that are to create a healthy school environment and then serves as a guide for policy and practice and change. So through a thoughtful analysis of the levels of completion of this document, which was provided to the board, it's a 45, I think it was like a 45-page document. We went through that and we made recommendations based on how we were assessed in there to ensure continuous quality improvement and strengthen the culture and health of the district. So within that policy environment, the one thing that the committee has been asking to do is to meet more frequently.

And in the past, we've met two years, so we're going to meet four times a year. Within the nutrition services, which was also evident in the piece Robin's going to talk about, is finding more feedback on the meal program from family members. Within the physical activity section, there was different things that we can communicate to the community We're going to look at implementing those different things. And then within the employee wellness, offering staff members accessibility to free health assessments.

So we talk about know your numbers. And so it would just be something that they could do to help them feel more healthy about themselves. Great. Thanks Mary Jo.

So the question I'm going to talk about are the highlights of the results from our district wellness survey. So back in April we distributed a wellness survey online. There were two versions of the survey. One was a public facing version that went to community, parents, employees and we received just over 550 responses to that.

More than half of the responses to that were Thank you. Thank you Okay. For those of you who are watching the live stream, we have a little technical issue, and so we are working on that right now and should be back in just a few moments. Thank you.

Thank you. Robin. Can you hear me now? Okay.

Yep. Okay. Great. Go ahead.

Thank you. Thanks, everybody. So one of the first things we learned is that a majority of our stakeholders have little knowledge of the The district's wellness policy and the feedback mechanisms. So more than 80% of the adults who responded said that they either didn't know that policy ADF existed or that they disagreed that they knew about it.

So clearly there are some next steps associated with that that we'll talk about in a few minutes. In addition, 85% of the adults reported either not having the opportunity or not knowing about the opportunity to provide feedback regarding school meal planning. And in the written comments, we had multiple people share that they didn't know that the district had a wellness policy until they received the survey, or they didn't know where to find the information, even though they were quite accustomed to using the district's website. One of the second major takeaways was that the awareness of the PE and health experiences and patterns of nutritional choices among our youth change over time.

So approximately 80% of the adults who responded agreed that their child's school encouraged physical education at all grade levels. And more than 70% of the adults also agreed that at the elementary level, recess games and activities often involved physical activity. And almost two-thirds of the adults felt like their child's school promoted an active lifestyle for students. And so we received several written comments that expressed a lot of gratitude for the elementary PE program, but there were also some comments that shared some concern about what happens at the middle school and high school level.

And based on the self-reporting on the student-facing survey, students' frequency of physical activity also decreased as their grade level increased. So, for example, more than 80% of the sixth graders reported participating in activities that increased their heart rate three to seven days a week, and at ninth grade that had decreased to 77%, and then at the 12th grade it had decreased to 45%. However, even though the amount of physical activity that our students reported changed with age, the pattern was a little bit different when it came to nutritional choices with fruits and vegetables. Overall, the students' frequency of eating fruits and vegetables was really similar at the 6th grade and 12th grade levels, but there was a drop at the 9th grade level.

So for example more than 60 of 6th graders reported eating two or more vegetables the previous day to taking the survey but among the 12th graders that was about 55 And then in contrast to that where the 9th graders were only 37 of them reported the same thing And so that also applied to the questions about fruit consumption as well. The third takeaway was that the stakeholders who completed our survey really weren't sure of the nutritional information outside of the school menus and would like to see options that are lower in sugar and appropriate to a variety of dietary lifestyles. We had really good results in terms of people knowing how to find our school menus, but based on the results, there was also a need to improve the publishing of the nutritional information and any of the allergen information, and also looked as though we needed to do better communication around connecting our school menu choices to the USDA requirements, Thank you. The survey, four out of five of them said they usually eat breakfast at home.

The written feedback also included some information about a desire for having more plant-based options and that some families were making a choice not to have their children participate in the school meal programs because they were looking for more plant-based diet options on the school menu. And then the last takeaway was that many respondents believe that mental health should have been a more prominent topic in the district-led wellness initiative. And so that came up in quite a few of the written comments that they felt that mental health was an important piece to caring for the whole child alongside the nutritional and physical wellness of our students. And that triangulated with, you know, some of the other information collected in the student survey, which was two out of five students reported feeling anxious three or more times in the last week.

And certainly aligns with some of the other data points that we've collected over time. So in terms of next steps, one very obvious one was that we need to build a clear communication plan related to the district wellness policy to make sure we're increasing its awareness across all of our stakeholder groups and across all of the school levels, and that this plan should also include some really intentional work to collect feedback from our stakeholders about school menu offerings. Another next step that we have planned is we want to continue to collaborate with our current food service provider to find opportunities to increase fresh food offerings and to align to more of the dietary lifestyles that are represented in the school district. Another step that we'd like to take is to create a subcommittee within the District Wellness Committee to focus on initiatives that address mental health and well-being of students and staff.

And so the Wellness Committee has already talked about other staff members or community members that would play an important role on that subcommittee. We also wanted to continue to collaborate with the Center of Clayton to leverage multi-purpose programming relevant to the district students and staff. So one example would be to look at kind of the flow of our school year and what might be opportunities for special offerings during certain times of the year that might help address de-stress moments or opportunities to offer special classes or special exercise opportunities that line up when students might be most stressed about finals or AP exams. And then I'll have Mary Jo talk about one of our next steps.

Yeah, which is the recommendations that were identified through that Alliance for Healthier Generations. So, and overlapping in the survey results and that was getting more feedback on the meal service. So, and kind of, as you can see, the main focus of this, because this is a requirement of the National School Lunch Program, is the PE and the food service. However, after the survey results and everything, bringing in that mental wellness piece, we feel like it's a good time to bring that in and fold it into the program.

And so we are definitely addressing that piece. Yeah. And we felt like, too, it would bring the work of this committee into alignment with our strategic plan. I do want to thank publicly all the people on the committee because there a lot of work that went into deciding how to assess this and how to make the recommendations And so we do appreciate all of their input Any questions from the board All right Thank you to both of you I will just go around the room and start with Joe and see if people have any comments or questions So I do.

I have one comment, one question. So my comment is I think it's fantastic that you're forming a subcommittee to look at the mental health element and wellness because I think that's so important. And my question is, it's a two-part question, is this survey anonymous? Do people do it anonymously?

Yes. Okay. So I guess my question overall is about wellness, and because we also do panorama anonymously, correct? So it feels like the wellness, social-emotional learning, and mental health is anonymous, but the academic piece is not anonymous.

And so it feels like if we're going to really wrap around students that need it, maybe we need to have some kinds of these surveys that are not anonymous. So I would just... Yes, so with the panorama data, the information that I share at the board table is obviously aggregated and not specific to any particular group of children. However, the service has refined some of the searching capabilities on the back end where we can search for students who have, in their aggregate responses, have lower ratings that might be considered more kind of at, I wouldn't use the terms at risk, but have reported lower ratings around specific topic areas and where then we can identify them by name.

We may not be able to know what did they answer to question number seven, but we can be able to identify, okay, this group of students had very poor ratings as it related to supportive relationships. And then we could develop programming at the building level to support those students. So I would just, so I appreciate that, and I would just end by saying I would recommend that we think about having things. I mean, you know, we are very, you know, map testing is by, you know, we know exactly how Joe Miller, ninth grader, did on his map test.

We know exactly how Joe Miller did on his various academic things. But we don't know if we're really going to get more serious about well-being and mental health and social emotional learning. I just think that we need more specific data on students. That's my opinion.

That's all. Thank you, Joe. Jason? This was a good job.

This was well put together and it was extremely informative for me as well. I don't have any questions, but just, Joe, I have a question for Joe. Joe, do you have an example of what you think, like what kind of data you would want to see, specific data? Well, sure, you could do panorama.

You could know how Joe Miller answered panorama, and so you could know exactly how Joe Miller is doing on emotion regulation, how Joe Miller is doing on grit, how Joe Miller is doing on growth mindset, whatever, self-efficacy. And I think when you're talking about, you know, a care team and talking about wrapping around a student, because, you know, lots of our students face anxiety. We know many students face mental health challenges. And I just think it could help to have more specific data.

That's all. I think you're spot on about that. I think he's got a good point there. So I just want to make sure we emphasize that.

Good job, Joe. Appreciate that. Okay, thanks, Jason. Caitlin?

Yeah, thank you. Something that I think is interesting about like the health and PE at Clayton High School and throughout the district is that not all students in every grade have to take like health or PE once they meet their requirements. So I guess just one comment on that, especially for like what the mental health subcommittee looks at in the future. It's just not only looking at like how you can promote health and wellness in the curriculum, but also like through additional initiatives, particularly in the grades that usually don't have it.

I don't think 7th grade has health, and usually people in 11th and 12th grade aren't taking health or PE if they've already met that requirement. My second comment is just something personal that I've experienced this year. I think while we were virtual, a lot of teachers encouraged flexible seating, encouraged us to go outside or move around the room. And that's something that I've noticed continue once we got back in person and like has increased from like my year in 10th grade to my year in 11th grade.

So I think especially as we're moving into the block schedule next year, just seeing in what ways teachers can emphasize like ways to move their classrooms outside or around the room or have some more flexible seating and things like that. To be able to refocus attention every so often. Thanks. Great suggestions, Caitlin.

Kim? I'm going to remember to turn on the mic this meeting. I was looking through the wellness assessment, and there were kind of just three areas that stood out that got like ones or kind of zeros that may be areas of opportunity to look at. So one is the partnership with local community organizations.

It seems like that might be something that parents and the focus groups and even student groups could look at. And then the policy on, I guess we don't have one, is using physical activity as a punishment. I think we probably should. And then the other is withholding recess.

We don't have a policy to withhold recess and I know that it is sometimes withheld. So that's something to think about as well. And then the health assessments, the annual health assessments are accessed to lower cost or free health assessments for staff. So those were the three things that stood out.

And then I agree with Joe on the wraparound and the specifics of students. And also to Caitlin's point on flexibility, you know, I think that there's a number of kids who participate in physical activities, whether they're extracurricular club sports offered by the school or sports offered outside the school. And as we think about flexibility and flexible scheduling and distribution of resources going forward, It might be helpful to, you know, I'm just wondering if it's possible that some of the flexibility, again, that we encourage families to take advantage of during COVID we could incorporate into a more traditional school environment as we all go back in the fall. And that would be, you know, for kids that are doing 20 hours of club sports outside of school because they take an extra art elective in middle school or in high school, you know, instead of PE.

So, and that, maybe that would be better for mental health and well-being for that kid that is doing so much sports activity outside of school. So, thinking about, you know, again, that kind of whole child and wraparound services and everything else. Spervantage, and if we had specific information about kids and families, that would move us further in that direction. I think those are really good suggestions.

That latter one, we've tried to do that in the past already, and the state will not allow us to forego that requirement. Even after COVID? I know. So, yeah, maybe that's a way to try to challenge it again.

But, no, I appreciate those suggestions, but I just want to put it out there that we have looked at doing that too I think the autonomy that kids have is the mental health that we're looking for. Is that what you're saying, essentially? I think Katelyn said that in 12th and 11th grade, kids don't I think that's a good idea, right? Yeah, I mean, I think that flexibility and student and family choice is an important element of, you know, that whole balance.

Yeah, that's a good point. All right, cool. I want to make sure it was clear. Stacy?

I'm on the committee, so I'm kind of privy to a lot of this before tonight. But I did want to mention something else we talked about at the last committee meeting, which I was going to say for board communications, but I guess I could share now, was that we talked about how during COVID a lot of our teachers were incorporating physical activity into their classes and not just PE teachers. So English teachers were having kids do 10 minutes of yoga at the beginning of class, or science teachers were asking their kids to do jumping jacks, you know, to get going. And we actually discussed that maybe that would be a good professional development session for teachers, how to incorporate physical activity into all of our classes to keep kids moving, especially, like we said, as they get into higher grade levels, you know, the physical education courses decrease.

So that is a good way not only to keep them physically moving, but, you know, as we talked about, it's also a way to relieve mental stress. And so I just want to mention that was one thing we talked about that might be good to have training for all of our teachers, you know, how to incorporate that. And I did want to also just say I hadn thought about this before but I totally do agree with you Joe about the anonymous testing because I think the first thing that popped in my head when you brought that up was if we see Joe Miller scored really low in math we intervene and help him in math And it would be just as important, if not more, to know that Joe Miller scored low on some social emotional testing so we knew to intervene with him. So I think that's a really, really good point.

So I wanted to thank you for bringing that up. That's all. Thank you, Stacy. All right, so I just have one short comment, and that is that I hope to see us.

I'm glad to see that we are going to have that subcommittee to help support the social and emotional growth of the kids. I really hope that we can see more and more discussion around this as, you know, A, most importantly to support our goal number three of the strategic plan and head and heart. And, you know, as we all know, the social-emotional component is probably the most important of all of our goals. As if a child is anxious or depressed, it's hard for them to learn, which is something that we should take a close look at.

So I appreciate your work on it. Okay, so we are going to move on to our action items and the first one is our reading, I'm sorry, the approval of our Educational Equity Policy ACB which I will ask Stacy to read, please. 6.01, I move that the Board of Education approve the updates on policy ACB educational equity as presented. Second.

Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Are there any discussion? Yep, it's a B.C. I might be overlooking it, but I remembered when we reviewed this last time, Joe made a point about where does it list that the board has some responsibility in this.

And I didn't see where that was added, but I might have just overlooked it, so I was just curious about that part. Yeah, in the third section under philosophy, we added in shared by the Board of Education, district staff, administrators, instructors, communities, and families. Oh, I see it. I'm sorry.

Thank you. Thank you for reminding us of that, Stacey. Any other comments? Okay, all in favor?

Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Great. I'm proud of our board for passing that policy. I just want to put that out there. I am too.

Thank you. I think it's pretty excellent that we have this policy in place now. Yeah, go ahead. No, I'm excited about passing this policy as well.

It's still a complicated process, but this is a step in the right direction. But I'm, you know, it's just I'm excited for you guys. So good job on passing this policy. Thanks, Jason.

All right. We are on 6.02 now, which is the adoption of the 2021-22 budget. Stacey, would you read a motion, please? 6.02.

I move that the Board of Education approve the 2021-2022 budget as presented. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion?

Go ahead, Kim. Kim Thompson I just want to thank Mary Jo for all the work that you put into that. And I want you to know that Mary Jo, even after she puts in this stuff, we had a discussion right before this meeting about, you know, Mary Jo is our chief financial officer. She is also fighting tax assessments.

She's finding ways to make sure that commercial properties I will definitely echo that. And over the last four years, we've done she has been able to do some things that has really protected the district. And we've gone with her some of these really difficult meetings. And she really fights and advocates.

And what happens is it not only impacts our district, but also impacts our district as a whole. And so I think it's really important that we have a strong relationship with her. And I think that's what we're trying to do. Next, neighboring districts.

And not to just add to the Mary Jo compliments, but I was genuinely thinking this before. I just appreciate the work that you put in. And also I remember the first time that you tried to explain our budget to me and sat down and went through that And I remember being very a feeling of realizing how naive I had been thinking that I understood it before I had that chance to talk to you. And so I just appreciate that you're willing to meet with people.

I know you talk with and meet with people all the time, and it's an important part of our financial transparency and accountability. So thanks for that. Superintendent, Board of Education, Proposition O, levy, agenda, motion carried. That's part of the consent agenda, but we pulled it out, so I need a separate motion now to approve the calendar, please.

6.03, I move that the Board of Education approve the 2022-2023 academic calendar. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion?

Go ahead. Yes, I thought that we were going to have more discussion about this before we move to approval. So I've been in communication with Dr. Doherty and I think you've been on that, Amy, just looking at the number of instructional days we have for students and the number of days that the teachers have for professional development and teacher comp days and how they're spread out throughout the calendar and if there's a better way to look at consolidating And then some of those for this 22-23 calendar year.

Eric Coyle, So, yes, I mean, so this was an action item that we were presenting. We usually try to have two calendars out in, you know, out there. So, Kim brought forth some concerns around being able to maybe have fewer early release days and maybe combining Spervantage of Education, Proposition O, levy, agenda, motion carried. But I also know that they're still, you know, brought forth the idea of the hardship for parents as well.

We've reduced the total amount of days that we have looked at for early release. And then the other question is about, you know, making sure that we're utilizing our days as much, as fast as possible. So like these last few days of school are, you know, if we didn't, if we were able to condense those, then are we able to then make those days more substantive up to the last day of school? Spervantage, I would say that we try to make sure that that's emphasized to all of our teachers.

But what I would say is that this calendar that we brought forth is one that we haven't actually been able to enact fully since we started from the subcommittee that met in 2019 because of COVID-19. And so we have been able to implement partial, but this calendar can be changed. Spervantage, and so even if we approve it tonight, that what Chris said last time is that at the end of this year coming up, because we just we still have another year, we are going to reevaluate and say, is there any changes that we need to make for the 22-23 school year based off what we're experiencing for the 21-22 school year? So I just want to put that out there.

The board can also decide, you know, they can table this and have us go back and look at it if there was enough concern about it. But, you know, we did I did present this that we were going to bring this forward as an action item. I did ask Amy if we could pull it out of consent so we could have a discussion about it during that so that way Kim's concerns could be addressed. But I just wanted to let the Board know where we are with that.

Well, and how often has the Board in the past gone and reviewed calendars that have already been approved? Is that a common Board practice? This is my novice as a Board member asking. So the board, you know, we've had a history in the past where the same types of questions have been brought up and not everyone has agreed with the way we've moved forward with the calendar.

We do try to make sure that the board gets to have input and I would suggest that in the future like when we looking at evaluating this next year that we haven implemented we haven lived through this calendar yet and we've also moved to block scheduling for the middle school and the high school next year which does change a lot. And because we usually approve two years at a We haven't lived through one of these new calendars yet. So I appreciate that you're saying after next year, if we see something didn't work, we could change it. That's actually good to know, I think, because I do think it should be approved, but knowing that after next year when it's our first year with block scheduling and some things have changed, if something didn't work that we could change it, I'm glad to hear that.

So I just wanted to thank you for that. Question for you. So I think what Kim is saying though is mutually exclusive from what we're talking about. I think she's talking about consolidating days, inefficiencies, and people who can't, where it's very tough in their personal day-to-day schedules.

I think that's what we're talking about, right, Kim? Correct? Yeah, well, and I just think that there's some other aspects of this that need to be holistically looked at. We have, you know, what I did is a comparison of Clayton, U City, and Ladue School Districts, and we have a lot more professional development days, but we have the exact same number of student teaching days.

Our teachers start a few days later than those other teachers. Just moving that teacher startup would free up that back end of the maybe not as productive days after Memorial Day. We also schedule our professional development half days and full days in a different way that they're not grouped as successfully as these other calendars have around holiday schedules that already exist, so long holiday weekends. So again, I'm trying to, what I'd like for us to do is kind of look at it holistically.

And if there's an opportunity to change calendars and that's been done in the past, then that's great. But what I heard from Joe or what I saw him shake his head is that usually that doesn't happen. You approve a calendar, that is the calendar for the year. So, I mean.

Well, we did say, and I think Chris mentioned that last time, is that we haven't been able to implement this calendar the way it has been. And so we have made tweaks to calendars Spervantage, I'm not sure that's true because the new teachers, I mean on the calendar that I looked at, for example, for LeDoux, they start their teachers, they have their new teachers added to those days earlier on. So, I don't know. I mean, I guess everybody can vote how they would like to vote if we're ready to vote.

I guess the other thing is, is there just an explanation on how we create this schedule? Like, what's the explanation on why we're doing it the way we're doing it? Not just, like, how we have the half days, how we have the full days, how we have these days for teachers. Is there an explanation for that, like, with brevity?

Yeah, so there was a calendar committee that helped put this calendar together. So it was community members who came together. And one of the thoughts is that the professional development, we don't want it just to be completely front-ended at the beginning of the year and then at the end of the year, like being the bookends. We want professional development to be something that happens continually and it goes on an ongoing basis throughout the school year.

So it's not just at the beginning and at the end. And so, but, you know, there are ways for us to, you know, re-look at that. Like, we did have more early release days previously. And this calendar committee said, no, we want there to be fewer.

So we did condense them and we have fewer brought forward. And so what I would say is that, you know, We used to have late starts on Wednesdays. And so that was a thing that was a calendar change where a couple of late starts on Wednesdays and that was some input that we got through the calendar committee and changed it to early release. And so those are some things that have happened over the years.

And so there is room for this to evolve and change, but I think that we haven't really fully implemented this change with the future. Spervantage, early release days. And I know that our central office committee and our central office staff knows that this is something that is a priority for us to look at, and we will continue to get input from people around how this schedule is working. I guess the other question is, Kim, is, you know, you looked at the do and you said you city as well, right?

Yeah, and they are spreading out their PD days as well. They're just doing it, I think, in maybe a more efficient manner than we are doing it. Now, we have more PD days than they do, but again, those PD days could be better distributed. We also have more half days.

We have a total number of more full-day PD days, and we have more half days. So, you know, it's also a question of looking at, you know, my sister's a teacher, my mother used to be a teacher, my mother-in-law used to be a teacher. Like, how many PD days is too many PD days before teachers start to suffer from teacher, like, overload, right? So, you know, I just think that there's an opportunity here to look at a calendar, not for this next school year.

I understand that's already approved and unlikely to change, but for the one after. I will not approve a calendar and then we get distracted with other stuff and we don't come back to it. So that's just how I feel about it. Jo, go ahead.

Yeah, so I do wonder, because I do think there is a danger of getting distracted, right? And so maybe we can agree to put a placeholder, right? I mean, literally, you know, that we're going to talk about this 22-23 school year. Yeah, I mean, you know, that we can agree, at least amongst us, that we're going to, you know, look at it again to see how the 21-22 school year is working because I do think, I think it's a great idea with kind of the four 60 minutes, not the seven shorter classes I'm not saying that they truly are blow off days, but the perception, I've used that word, is that of students and community members is that early release days aren't real school days.

Right? And so I think it's a great way to try it, right? And hopefully it helps, right? Because that was part of the, you know, the late start was a similar challenge, right?

And we took out late start because that didn't seem to work as well and put in early release and even put in things like pursuit days, right? You know, we tried to do it wide out and I can't speak to if that was successful or not. But I mean, that was another, right, thing that was a big challenge. That was, you know, that we were trying to do to help with it.

So it seems to me like, I mean, I guess I'd be willing to approve this calendar with an important caveat that says, okay, let's agree, at least if not informally, right, that we're going to look at it and just see how we're doing, right, with this kind of stuff, right, because that's what I would suggest. I think that's a good idea. And I think also, Kim, it would be possible if we could also, in the meantime, figure out what LADU and U City, what their philosophy was around making their schedule and figure out if there's any problems that they may be having also. I'm sure there's no perfect schedule out there.

But, and then also maybe tap into the teachers as well to see, based on what Kim's thinking, is their teacher overload? Is there too many days and just any other? So, you know, I think we'll do a little research as well. I mean, we can definitely look at that.

I will say that we do have a committee of teachers in the Professional Development Committee that actually help develop, like they give input to this, and I would say that they oftentimes they look at it and feel like we don't have enough professional learning time. And so I will say that, but I do think it's important for us to look at other, you know, exemplars and see which one, how people are, you know, are making those decisions and seeing whether or not they can influence change in our district. I want to get to Gary. Gary Genslerman, So I think maybe just one question and then follow that up.

Sean, is there a way that you can explain the timing ramifications around approving a calendar We June 2021 We approving a calendar that starts in August 2022 Are there timing issues as far as when we need to have certain things locked into the calendar that affect what can you just talk through that a little bit Obviously it a long ways away but what is the what the Yeah, I think that there, you know, we were able, we will be able, we could change those types of things that are, you know, assessment calendars or, you know, there's certain requirements that we have in terms of hours that we have to have are required by DESE and so we'll make sure that that's included. But I think what we hear from the community most importantly is like, when's the first day of school? When am I going to be able to plan for winter break? When am I planning for spring break?

And so those are the types of things that we often hear from the community. Spervantage, and then the other thing that we're working on is the community that are why we went the calendar out there early. And so, and we want to be respectful of that. And also just to get those early release days out as if whatever days are going to look like, so they can start planning ahead of time.

We were able to work around all those other requirements, you know, that we have in terms of state testing. Usually we get a window that we have to have state testing in, and we usually can fit that in at the end of the year. That's not a problem. But in terms of that timing issue that's for people's planning purposes rather than for events that we can't deviate from when they happen, is a year ahead of time, like, is there something about being more than a year ahead of time?

I think that if I was going to make a suggested time that you would reevaluate this is midyear. So like we have made changes midyear for the following year at this table. So if you were going to look at this in the fall and examine how things have gone in the fall and if you were going to get some input to make some changes, I would make that in January, by January of 2022 before the next school year. Gailen Marshall I would put it on December probably.

Gailen Marshall Yeah, if we do it in December, we'll have had a few months to see how the new block schedule is working and have that perspective I was just going to say I was on the calendar committee for a few years and it's a more difficult process than anyone would imagine, to put it lightly. And there are a lot of teachers on the committee that have a very strong voice, which is good. I was on the calendar committee when we went from late starts to early release days, and that was brought up by a lot of teachers because they felt more productive that way. When they had late starts, they had to rush and hurry up and get to school to teach, and they always felt like they needed more time.

So it is a difficult process, but there are many voices in the conversation. I also just did want to mention, this is something so little, but I want to caution us in not calling them half days. We really are in school more than, some of our neighboring districts really do have half days, but I think it's intentional we call them early release days because we are in school more than half a day on those early release days. So I think even that perception to parents makes it seem like, ah, it's a half a day.

So I think I do know in neighboring districts some of them are in school even less than half a day on some of those. So it's worth looking at those hours too. But I do like the plan we're discussing where we will put this on the agenda in December to look at the new calendar because it is hard to judge it and guess before we've lived it. So next year will be a good trial for this schedule.

I agree. So, yeah, go ahead, Joe. So just one other thing. If I remember correctly, and it was maybe last, maybe not even last year, maybe the year before, I think, Sean, you shared an article with us that said something to the effect that, you know, aside from maybe pay and benefits, that professional development is literally the single most treasured thing by teachers.

So I would just say that a lot of teachers really want a robust professional learning. And so, you know, so it's, so I'm not sure we have too much. That's all I'm saying. I mean, I just know that there's, you know.

Yeah. And I'm not suggesting that we cut professional development. I'm just suggesting that we look at the days in which professional development is scheduled and see if we can consolidate some of the early release days into a single professional development day that is around a holiday that already scheduled Because again when you think of dual working parents single working parents I mean this is really an equity issue So I just think you know again there an opportunity to look at it We should look at it I understand we going to block schedules That new I fine if we take a look at this midyear But I don want it to be you know we appreciate it I think that's probably what has happened in the past. So, yeah.

Okay. And we have the same number of student days as those other schools, early release or not. One day less, U City has one day less. We have the same number of days as we do.

And one thing Shawn pointed out too is prior to the legislation that had come in, we actually We had more student days in Clayton. So, you know, what is the shorter calendar with less student days? How is that going to affect, you know, the amount of learning time for the students? So, you know, should we be adding, should we be taking a couple of those PD days and adding a couple more student days, you know, to account for testing or some of these other things?

So, again, it's an opportunity to look at the calendar, and I know the calendar committee is challenged and it's challenging, but to look at it one more time. Yeah, I was just going to, oh, go ahead, Caitlin, sorry. Yeah, when we take a look back at this, I think it would also be interesting, especially if we're making, like, a lot of new changes regarding the block schedule and such, if we could survey students and see, like, how do you prefer block schedule versus, like, the more classes per day schedule? And also, if we're taking a look at things like productivity, looking at it from the student perspective, do students feel less productive on early release days and things like that?

So do students feel less productive on early release days? I mean, just personally, I think it depends on the teacher. I feel like the teacher's mindset really goes down to the student. So I've had teachers, even when we had those days on Mondays on the virtual schedule, where we had really, really short classes, I've had teachers be like, I really want this to be a productive day, so I'm going to compress a lot of material and see what I can do to make the most of this time.

So yeah, I think the mindset of the teacher really affects the way that students are going to then look at that day. The only thing I was going to say is I'm just going to say publicly Sandy Mancilla is our Board Secretary, our Secretary, excuse me, our Administrative Assistant Board Secretary for, and I'm going to tell her put it on the calendar right now for December of 21. So that sounds good. That sounds like a good plan.

We have a motion that's on the table, though, and I'm trying to decide if we need to all, I guess we need to vote on it, I guess. CHAIR BAILET. We want to approve this calendar subject to having it on the review calendar. Is that what we're saying?

MS. Yes. Yes. But I think we have to first vote on this, the motion that's on the table, and then you'll reread a new motion.

Okay? So all in favor? No. Okay, sorry.

Did I do that wrong? You can amend a motion and then vote on that amendment. Okay, so I'll... Okay, so we don't have to actually...

So I can offer an amendment? I would offer an amendment and then we vote on the amendment and then we vote on the amended motion. Okay. Okay.

So I would offer an amended motion that the Board of Education approve the 2022-2023 academic calendar with the caveat that this is placed on the December 2021 agenda. For reevaluation. Second. Okay, very good.

So it's been... So now we're voting in favor of amending the motion. Right. And then you vote on the amended motion.

Right. Is it a three-for-three or nine-way or two? This vote's a . Yeah Okay so So you voting right you voting you voting to change the motion Yes Yes So.

Okay, so all in favor. Aye. Aye. Any opposed?

Motion passes. Okay. So now Stacey's going to read the new motion. Oh, if I remember exactly how I said that.

Okay. I move that the Board of Education approve the 2022-2023 academic calendar with the caveat that this is placed on the agenda in December 2021 for reevaluation. Second. Great.

It's been moved and seconded. Is there any further discussion? Good. All in favor?

Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Thank you for the discussion.

Okay, so we are on to the consent. I'm sorry, my agenda is a little messed up here. Okay, can I get a motion, please? We're on 7, Section 7.

7.01, I move that the Board of Education approve all consent agenda items 7.02 through 7.15. Second. Then moved and seconded. Any discussion?

Is there a 7.15? Sorry, that's what my script said. No. I think it means to be 7.14.

Oh, because we took the calendar out. Yeah, 7.14. I move that the Board of Education approve all consent agenda items 7.02 through 7.14. Second.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes unanimously.

Any other comments? Okay. So we are on to public comments, if any. No, there is no public comment this evening.

Okay. Are there, so then we're going to move right on to any Board or We're going to move right on to any board reports. Go ahead, Kim. Kim Thompson, Board Member, Education, Proposition O, Levy, agenda, motion carried.

Amy, do you or Sean want to give an update on how many board candidates have applied for the open position so far and just remind the community of what that process looks like? Sure. So I believe as of this afternoon we have six applications in. Folks have until June 3rd, I believe, to get the application in, at which point the board will start reviewing the applications.

And we will take a vote on June 8th and announce the individual that will be joining this fine Board of Education. So the only thing I would add to that is we are going to do some agenda planning for next week. We're meeting tomorrow to finalize that. And so we will make sure that the Board knows what the final process is and be as transparent The public is possible about what this is going to be, what this is going to look like.

That's right. So Sean and I are meeting tomorrow, and Gary, and we're going to discuss the process. And so to the extent that there does need to be further communication, we will make sure and get that posted in the next couple days. Any other comments before we adjourn?

Okay. So we are going to adjourn into executive session. So I guess we need to, I guess I'm going to, we need to adjourn and then do a new motion to go into executive session. I move that the Board of Education adjourn.

Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye.

Any opposed? Go ahead. Okay, sorry. Well, now we're adjourned.

Now we're going to go. Joe, I've got a new program here, okay? There's a new way going on, new ways. Okay.

Now let's read a motion and...