[Laughter] It is 6:30. I call this regular meeting to order. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance 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. Good evening, fellow school board members, district staff, and community members. As a reminder once again, the mission of St. Francis area schools is to equip all students with the knowledge and skills to empower them to achieve their dreams and full potential while becoming responsible citizens in a dynamic world. Uh just a quick statement before we uh move on to the agenda item. Uh we are currently involved in active litigation and as a result will not be providing comments on the status of our policies or any potential next steps as it relates to library materials. We appreciate your understanding as we allow the legal process to take course. This does apply to email messages as well. Our first item for tonight's agenda is adoption of the agenda. Are there any questions prior to a motion being made on the agenda before you? See no questions. Is there a call to motion for the April 14th, 2025 meeting agenda? Sanderson. Thank you. A second. So Mr. Shrock, thank you. Any discussion on the motion? All right. All in favor of the motion signify by saying I and raising your hand. Motion passes 7 to zero. Thank you. Uh agenda item three, consideration of visitors. We have 19 uh individuals tonight requesting to speak. We will allow two minutes per speaker. Uh, I ask that each speaker that once your time is reached, so once you hear the the buzzer or Vanessa raises the phone, uh, that you make your final statements, summarize your final statements quickly to be respectful of everyone's time. Uh, we will also be uh, as a suggestion of one of our staff, I will let you know who's next to speak so you can prepare yourself to come up. Uh, so first will be Mike Stafel. Second will be Glenn Morehouse Olson. Thanks. So, uh, I'm here to talk about the LACE process and our curriculum adoption process. Um, so the LAC is our learning area committee and with the help of Miss and her leadership, we are in the process of adop adopting our curriculum. Um, it's been a really robust process that has involved curriculum affairs, getting input from staff and other stakeholders. Just to give you an idea of how long it's been since we've adopted a new curriculum in the ELA department. Last year, for the first time, I had the student of a former student. So, I taught the mother of a student in ninth grade. We are using the exact same textbook that she used when she was in school. That's why this curriculum adoption is so important. It brings us up to date. It aligns with our Minnesota standards. I've had the opportunity again in working with Miss through our curriculum affairs to answer questions that the public had, that schoolboard members had, and that anyone else had. Um, we had pretty good attendance on those for the most part. feel like I was able to answer those folks questions. This is a really important process and it's a really important first step in making sure we follow through on that nine-year curriculum adoption process. So, I'd really encourage all of our schoolboard members to uh make sure we adopt this curriculum and move us into the 21st century. Thank you. And Glenn, you're next. Chris B. follow. This is not going to take very long um because you already heard from me last week, but I um agree with Mr. Buff and I just want to say that I've been teaching here 22 years and we adopted the last curriculum when 22 years ago. So, it has been a really long time and we do thank you for all of it. Um it was a unanimous vote from language arts teachers in our in our building to adopt this curriculum. So, um I don't know if you've ever sat in a room with language arts teachers, but um it it's that's pretty phenomenal, although we all agree. Um the other thing I just wanted to mention is that Susical the Musical is coming to a theater near you and uh it's really so much fun and it does um it's fun for the whole family and each one of you have a free ticket if you don't know that already. Um, so we want to invite you to come and see what our theater department does. Uh, we put on great shows and um, so April 24th, 25th, 26 at 7. April 26th is um, Saturday at 2 o'clock. That is a relaxed, no hush performance. We're one of the first schools in Minnesota to start doing uh, performances that do theater for all. So that's a performance you can take small children to. You can take uh children who have special needs to not uh be shushed. Everybody should be able to enjoy um theater. And we also have a 2:00 performance on Sunday. So no excuses not to come and bring a kid because they'll love it. I promise you. Thank you. All right, Chris, please be followed by Alex H. I'm assuming I'm a Chris. Unless there's another Krispie here. Hello. Hello. So again, Krispy. Uh, you all heard me speak last time when we were here about the book review policy, and that's why I'm here again. You know, I'd rather be at home watching the new season of Black Mirror, but I'm still very, very concerned. So tonight I'm here um to talk about the review policy and the fact that this school board adopted a review policy that put us at serious risk um not just legally but financially. The cost of this policy could become a burden on every taxpayer in this community. Across the country, school districts that have adopted similar policies are facing major financial fallout. In some districts, legal battles related to book bans have already racked up hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in legal fees. For example, in Texas, where books have been especially widespread, book bands have been especially widespread, districts spend over $1.3 million in legal fees just defending themselves against challenges to their book review policies. And that doesn't even account for the cost of the staff time, community division, or the long-term impact on student learning. A 2023 report from the American Library Association found that book bands and reviews could cost taxpayers an estimated three million to $6 million annually. Money that could be better spent on improving education, supporting teachers, or addressing mental health needs in our schools. But it's not just the financial costs that concern me. Book bans also put our students at risk. When books that address critical topics like mental health, race, LGBTQ plus issues or trauma are banned, students who identify with those experiences can feel isolated, rejected, and invisible. Studies show that students in districts with active book bands report feeling less connected to their schools and more alienated from their peers. A 2023 survey from the National Coalition Against Censorship found that nearly 80% of students in these districts felt disconnected or discriminated against because they couldn't access books that reflected their own experiences or struggles. For many students, books are more than just stories. They're a tool for understanding themselves and the world around them. Denying access to those books was like denying them a lifeline and act serious consequences for their mental health. We already seeing a rise in anxiety and depression and policies like these could make things worse. The longer we ignore this issue, the more harm we risk doing, not just financially, but to the mental well-being of the students who will be paying the price for years to come. So, I really implore you to listen to a lot of the solutions that are presented tonight and find a sensible book review policy. Thank you. Followed by Nathaniel. Hi. Um, dear member of the school board and community, thank you for granting me the opportunity to speak tonight. I come before you as a student who has found love, understanding, and empowerment through literature. Books are more than just mere stories. They are vessels of truth, history, and diverse human experiences. They challenge us, comfort us, and most importantly, educate us. When we begin to remove certain books from our schools, we risk erasing important narratives that contribute to a vast understanding of the world. Historically, the act of banning books has been a preview to more severe forms of censorship and oppression. For example, in Nazi Germany, the Nazis orchestrated public book burnings, targeting works that didn't align their ideology. This wasn't about controlling young adults access to books. This was about controlling thoughts, silencing descent, and rewriting history to fit a singular narrative. By restricting access to books that discuss discuss topics like race and racial violence, gender and sexuality, we deny students to engage with the complexities of the world around them. Such actions can lead to singular worldview, stifling, stifling creative thinking and empathy. Many of the books being banned are based on real stories or memories, offering firsthand accounts of individual experiences. For instance, the absolute diary, the absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian by Sherman Alexi draws from the author's own life thriving insight into the challenges faced by Native American youth. The similarly, The Blue's Eye by Tony Morrison delts into the reality of life as an African-American child, addressing the issues of identity and social pressures. These narratives are not just stories. They are live experiences that offer valuable lessons to readers. When we fan these books, we are allowing things to happen again. As a student, I often turn to literature to find reflections of myself, to understand that I am not alone and to learn about the struggles and triumphs of those who came before me. Removing these narratives does not protect students. It harms them. It makes students want to seek information in other ways, many that are more harmful than books. I urge you to reconsider the implications of these book bands. Let's trust in the capacity of SF SFHS students to engage with challenging material to ask questions and to grow into informed compassionate individuals. By preserving the diversity of literature in our schools, we uphold the US values of education, freedom, and inclusivity. Thank you. [Applause] Nathaniel is up. Tyler J is on deck. Good evening, school board and guests. As many of you know, my name is Nathaniel Esold and I'm a senior at St. Francis High School. I'm the student council president, a member of NHS, a varsity baseball player, an actor, a musician, but most importantly, I'm a student. I was also the high school's AAA award winner, and for those of you who were at the last meeting, I was a recipient of the State Star Award. At that meeting, the schoolboard expressed how proud they were of the education and experience that I had received at St. Francis High School. One of the most impactful courses to my education was AP Literature and Composition. In that class, I was granted the opportunity to read books such as Fahrenheit 451, Slaughterhouse 5, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These books are deep and complex, making them necessary for the AP literature class and test. On top of this, they expanded my worldview further than I can imagine. Despite this, these three titles are some of the most banned books in history. These books have been criticized for their harsh nature, but to that I say, isn't the world harsh? Fahrenheit 451s was banned for its account of censorship. But aren't St. Francis students living in a world of censorship? What are students going to find in these books that they cannot find on the internet? The district website states that the mission of St. Francis area schools is to equip all students with the knowledge and skills to empower them to achieve their dreams and full potential while becoming responsible citizens in a dynamic world. These books teach all about the real and dynamic world. Racism, sexism, discrimination, suicide, and censorship are all real world issues. How can you say that St. Francis Area Schools is properly preparing their students to become responsible citizens in a dynamic world where these very real topics are being removed and hidden? Although I am a senior, I still care. I met so many new and unique students at St. Francis, many of which still have more years left here, and I care on behalf of them. I care because I do not want to have to tell them that the education and experience that I received and that the school board was so proud of that they gave me an award is no longer possible. I care because when I travel to college, I want to be proud of the high school I came from. So, I urge you to reconsider. Thank you for your time. [Applause] Uh, good evening. My name is Tyler and I do help support um our public schools with the tax dollars that I pay. Um I'm here because it seems you still haven't fixed the policy that is getting you sued. Um you've had opportunities, including a meeting that I'm told was supposed to happen before the last time that we met, and it seems that you're continuing to drag your feet. Um, I work 60 plus hours some weeks and the last thing that I want to do with my evening is come down here and tell you to remind you to do your job. But I am back here again uh because it seems that you haven't acted responsibly. From what I understand, the first round of these lawsuits affords you the opportunity to fix this policy in a way that doesn't burden taxpayers. that window will not be open forever and the burden of that cost falls on the shoulders of people like me. Um, you have a simple path forward. Enact a reasonable legal policy, something that every other district in the state has been able to manage. Please stop um gambling with public funds and stop forcing the community to clean up your mistakes. Put the books back in the library. That's where the books belong. I don't want to come back here. Thank you. [Applause] Next will be Chloe W after obviously I'm way outnumbered here tonight. Um thank you for letting me speak to the school board and all the people in the room. This is from uh the foundation against intolerance and racism. It is vital to recognize that the appropriateness of literature in school libraries should not be determined by the sexual orientation or gender identity of the characters involved. Literature has a responsibility to reflect society, but it should do so in a manner that is age appropriate and educational, not one that exploits a vulnerability of children. Books in school libraries need not illustrate or reflect every inner thought a child or adolescent might have, especially with regard to sexual desires or behaviors typically practiced in private. Paradoxically, the books in question perpetuate the most extreme stereotypes of groups they allege to protect and empower. Results not intended will matter when the content is presented in a public forum. Purported efforts to advocate for mental health do not justify the dramatic reduction in standards designed to shield minors from sexually explicit content. School officials should not make determinations about pornographic gratuitous content behind closed doors. The public school system should be the arbiter of mental health without input with should be the arbiter of mental health without input from parents and families. Especially when educators and administrators champion potentially harm potentially harmful content as vehicles for personal empowerment. The push for inclusivity and mental health awareness in schools, not must must not come at the expense of our children's innocence. What we should have been taught was how to have a a civil conversation about a biblical topic. And speaking of that, I talked with Barb before the meeting today and she said she's willing to meet with me, but I'll read what I wrote prior to this. At the February 24th schoolboard meeting, I talked about free speech in the classroom. Afterward, I spoke to Barb Anderson about the three others that spoke against her policy, book policy. After they were done speaking, I approached Barb Anderson and asked if she would arrange a meeting with herself and those other three speakers. I want to have a civil discussion about the difficult topic just myself and the four of them and where we can talk and discuss the book policy without the chaos that was at the March 24th meeting. Barb Anderson has indicated indicated to me also that there are books that are age inappropriate. So I'm still waiting for that meeting. Thank you. [Music] Bo followed by Dennis Hampton or is it Denise? Denise Denise. Community members of the school board. My name is Chloe Muta. I'm a 2021 graduate of St. Francis High School. Some of you might recognize me from the theater program or other things that I did, but I ended up pursuing education as a result of the well-rounded and lovingly crafted education that I received here. And I'm super grateful for it because no one impacted me here more than teachers of English. And no thing impacted me more than the books that I read in those classrooms that were powerful and real and they were sometimes difficult. I owe so much of my growth as an individual and as an educator to the comprehensive perspectives that I consumed through reading freely. But what I want to draw attention to is the way these bands and challenges hurt the future of education and the future of employment in this district. Um, my cohort of future English teachers at UMD started out as a spirited group of 20 in my first semester. And as I watched we all watched the climate kind of go up and down and get more divided around things like book bands and the general rights of teachers in classrooms, I saw 11 of 20 of the people I started with completely change course. And in talking with them, it was nearly always citing the increasingly hostile environment that they were entering as their reason for reconsideration of the field. And these are these were bright people who I knew were from all across the country who had political and social backgrounds varying wider than the sea. Um, and they gave up a huge passion of theirs, leaving empty positions in schools that could have been filled by capable educators. By the time I graduated, only four of my friends continued to the classroom, and I was not one of them. So, by contributing to the trend of challenging readers rights, by placing decisions on classroom content in the hands of people who don't even know your children, I would argue that you're contributing to the growing number of discontent and completely non-existent educators across the country. And more importantly, in this district that I grew up in and that I got the best education in. So I all I want to say other than that is that the level of awareness and dedication shown by these students that I've seen last meeting and this meeting makes me wish that I was comfortable entering a classroom at this time. And I think that that speaks volumes about their ability to advocate for themselves and the quality of the pre-existing education that they received in their time at St. Francis before this policy was enacted. [Music] [Applause] followed by Marilyn E. Hi, my name is Nice Hansen and I'm the pastor at St. Francis United Methodist Church here in town. I want to speak tonight to the people here who are in favor of the book band since many of you consider yourselves Christians. And I say this with love, but I want to start with what Jesus said in Matthew 23. Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees. You hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Jesus, as you know, was speaking to the keepers of the law, the judges of other people's sins, the self-righteous, who were very quick to point out other people's sins, but not so aware of their own. They looked good on the outside, but were dead on the inside because of their lack of compassion, love, and mercy. I wish that you who count every jot and tit of the language used in the band books and stand in judgment over the terrible things we're subjecting our young people to in these books understood that what is represented in these band books is the lived experience of a great many people in our country and world who look different than you, have different beliefs than you, practice a different religion than yours, have a different skin color or ethnicity or nationality than you, have a different sexual orientation or a different gender identity. And it seems that he might not be aware that throughout the gospels, Jesus went out of his way to hang out with people who were different from him. And he made a point of eating with all the people the good, self-righteous, religious folks wouldn't eat with. In fact, that's what got him crucified. His entire life was spent on the margins. In other words, he would have been hanging out with the very people represented in any one of these band books, sharing life with them, learning from them, and most of all, showing compassion and love. But it seems you all are just doing the opposite of that. We have a mental health crisis among young people right now. And it's not because we've taken God out of our schools as if God could be so limited. In fact, I feel like I'm looking at the face of God in every one of these young people here tonight. No, we have a mental health crisis among our young people because we, the so-called Christians, seem unable to enter into the reality of our young people's lives. We seem unable to get past the rigidity of our judgmental belief systems so that we can actually be with our young people in the incredibly challenging times they're trying to navigate. Sticking our head in the sand and pretending that the things written about in band books won't happen if our young people don't read about them might just be the highest level of willful ignorance and spiritual blindness I have ever witnessed. Instead of joining our young people in their struggles as Jesus did, we waste precious time and resources scrubbing the outside of the tombs with our list of banned books and banned words and banned people. We don't have any more time to waste. Please, let's move on so we can get to the real work of following Jesus. I'll see you on the margins where real life is happening. Thank you. My name is Marilyn Mstead and I live in the St. Francis school district and I am a member of the United Methodist Church at St. Francis. My concern with the pro uh proposed book banning is this the discriminatory, selective and hypocritical way that the books are being chosen. There are subjects, activities and issues that you find uncomfortable or offensive. So you feel our St. Francis students should not be allowed to read about them. These issues today, tomorrow, who knows what else you will decide. Students have told you that these stories and books have allowed them to read and discuss real life issues. These issues won't go away just because you choose to hide or ignore them. You say bad books, bad topics, but I want to focus on another book with many of the same, if not all of the same issues. And this book would probably be banned if it ran through the program that these books you're banning are being banned from. And yes, that book is the Bible. History. The Bible is history. All of it. the good, the bad, and the ugly. We'll start with Genesis chapter 4, murder. Cain killing Abel over jealousy. Genesis chapters 37-50. Joseph's brothers wanting to kill him, but then decided out of jealousy as well, but then they decided to sell him into slavery. Then luckily Joseph had power and in the future he forgave his brothers, his family. He loved them and he actually provided food for them during a famine. 2 Samuel 11 lust, adultery and again murder. The story of King David and his love lust for the married woman Bath Sheepa. She and uh she got pregnant and then David arranged to have her husband make sure that he was killed in battle. Matthew the chapter two asylum seekers. Joseph and Mary fleeing Bethlehem with Jesus because King Herod was going to kill all the babies under two years old or the boy babies anyway under two years old. What are many of our now illegal immigrants fleeing from in their countries? Leviticus and Deuteronomy, slavery, child abuse. Can you summarize your comments past your time in this? Um the book this book the Bible has so many of the issues and stories on the subjects that you are eager to ban from the schools and libraries this day but the book is also a good book because it also is a book about reflection understanding healing forgiveness and love and the St. Francis students are telling you that the books you are wanting to ban can also be about reflection, understanding, healing, forgiveness, and love. So I ask that you reject the proposed book ban, but I and also don't become those hypocritical people that are driving our young people from the church. followed by Evie D. Good evening. My name is Betsy Rolex and I'm here tonight to urge you to reverse the book policy which relies on a website for recommendations. I've been a St. Francis resident for 34 years. My children received an excellent education from St. Francis area schools and they are now responsible citizens in a d dynamic world. I taught in the district for 25 years and had some of your children actually as students, but I am now retired. Tonight, I would rather be traveling or playing pickle ball. So, you might ask, why does this issue of a book policy matter to me? I've got no skin in this game. Well, number one, I know that the legal expenses regarding the two lawsuits are being paid with my tax dollars. Number two, when I moved here in 1991, we asked around about the local schools, even though we hadn't had children yet. I would be hesitant to purchase a home in this district. Now, we should be known for our high achieving students, award-winning actors, and athletes, not for making headlines as a district that limits access to books. This impacts me as I will soon be downsizing and don't want future buyers to rule out our community. Number three, and this is most important, it is not okay for the district to use an anonymous outside source to be the sole reference regarding book collections. This should be done at the local level with input from professionals in the field of education. Parents are always welcome to make decisions about their own children's access to materials, but it is not okay to deny others the right to read. In America, we stand up for freedom, and that includes the freedom to read what we choose. We just made a pledge for liberty for all. Now, I know your intentions were good. It's overwhelming to research all the books out there, and letting a website do it for you was appealing. But it is a sign of a good leader to reconsider a decision when other factors come to light. I am hoping you have the courage to reverse this policy and return decision-making about library collections to educators and St. Francis families. Thank you followed by Ashley K. My name is Aid. I'm in fourth grade. I'm sad and I don't understand why people have to ban books because of religious beliefs. My favorite books are ban list other places. Where does it stop? Are you going to ban Are you going to take those books away, too? There's some books that my mom wants me to read when I'm older, and I think I will want to read them and learn from them, too. But you guys are taking them out of our school libraries. Please give this our books back. Ashley K followed by Jeff B. Good evening. I'm a Minnesota library specialist and the intellectual freedom chair elect of the Minnesota library association. I am here tonight on behalf of all students right to read. Let's start with things we can agree on. All students deserve an education in a safe learning environment led by caring and committed adults. Students come to school with their own unique perspectives and family experiences. And school is a community where we can learn from one another and from school materials. One of the main responsibilities of a library media specialist in curating a library collection is to set aside personal beliefs for professional responsibilities. So the library reflects our local and global communities. This means that among the thousands of books in a school library, there are many ideas representing a wide swath of experiences, families, and beliefs. There's variety and options, and each student aligned with their family's values gets to choose what's just right for them. In the library, there's room for everyone. Unfortunately, St. Francis area schools are attempting to represent only some, not all. This flies in the face of each student's first amendment rights, a cornerstone of American democracy. We urge the board to affirm its commitment to libraries and reading by one, ensuring adherence to Minnesota statute 134.51 by implementing clear and transparent procedures for book challenges in which decisions are made by qualified library professionals and a community of reviewers rather than through unilateral administrative action at odds with state law. Two, upholding professional standards by supporting the role of licensed library media specialists in curating collections that serve all students. And three, publicly committing to students right to read by ensuring that access to books is determined by their educational value and student interest rather than singular ideological pressures. Reading is a wonderful way to travel and experience the world as well as help all of us become who we want to be. Please don't put limits on students possibilities by limiting their access to books. Thank you. [Applause] [Music] Good evening. I'm Beher back again. Brian B will be next. Okay. Um I just I sent a letter to the board this afternoon and so I'm just going to summarize it quickly to say that I'm very concerned. I heard that you received a letter from the state about DEI and I see DEI is really entwined also with book bans and when we um try and whitewash history, tell people what they should believe or not allow them to read what um your curated books from our teachers. My kids graduated from here 15 years ago. They had amazing teachers. They've got the kiter runner. H they not ruined. One is a physician and one takes care of the elderly. And they name Glenn and Joel Olsen as some of their favorite teachers. Charlie King. Um, I I'm sorry because I'm old and I can't remember all the wonderful teachers, but they had many, many, many. And these teachers taught them critical thinking. They had these curated books that they, you know, allowed them to look at, analyze, discuss. And I remember about 20 years ago, I read a letter to Dear Abby and the person said that they were they were just they wanted to let beers know that their son had died by suicide. They had learned that he was thinking he was gay and he didn't feel loved or accepted. And I just want people to know that by reading something, they're going to learn empathy. And so anyway, we just can't whitewash history. We can't whitewash or try and tell kids what they can or can't read. And that's all. And thank you teachers that are here for all that you give and do every single day. Brian followed by Brock B. Uh, this is about the policy regarding removing books from the schools. In an attempt to keep this short and sweet, I'll forgo the research that shows the importance of numerous complex, wide-ranging, representative, and intellectually and emotionally challenging books available to students in schools. I'll forego detailing the experiential knowledge that shows how students who have access to these kind of books are far more likely to be successful in higher education and professions. That they are more likely to have healthy relationships. That they are more likely to make a positive impact in our communities and in our society as a whole. That they are far more likely to have empathy and caring for other people. Instead, I'll say this. Teachers and librarians are stewards of knowledge. They are ones we need to trust with our students education. Whether that is with the books they put in our students hands, the books they offer as options, or the alternatives they help parents navigate. And fellow parents and guardians, we have a role in this, too. Let's support these students in their learning and their connection to the big old world we share. Let's show them that we too are readers, that we too have empathy and care, that we too want our students, our children to make a positive difference in this world. Let's show them above all that we're listening to them and that we love them and we support them. Thank you. [Applause] As a reminder to all of us, the mission of St. Francis Area Schools is to equip all students with the knowledge and skills to empower them to achieve their dreams and full potential while becoming responsible citizens in a dynamic world. This is the statement that precedes each and every school board meeting. Yet, it seems that this message no longer has any meaning to it. My name is Brock Beers, the current NHS president, a member of the school board, artist, musician, reader, and student. As a student, I'm expected to search through various websites, articles, research papers, and more to put forward arguments and papers for my classes and activities. You, the school board, take advice from a single outside dubious source that is now shut down. Even at 15, I was doing more research than you, a school board of highly experienced adults. Is that not wrong? I understand that you wish to protect our students from harmful ideas. However, books are not where those harmful ideas come from. In fact, books are some of the safest ways to explore ideas and allow for our students to explore themselves and the world through the safety of pages and their world. For one, a book does not put a student's life into life threatening situations, which allows them to explore how they feel about difficult scenarios. An example comes from Kiterun, one of the removed books, where characters fail to act and people are horribly hurt because of it. As a reader, you can look into that scenario and understand where people come from, where they falter, and what you can do to prevent it in your life. And all without putting you in any actual danger. As a reader, if the story becomes too intense, you have the safety and be able to put down the book and come back another day or returning it to the shelf or library if it is not something you are ready to tackle. If we want to protect our students, then we should be promoting reading as it lets students experience the world from the safety of their room or classroom where they can have discussions and understand where they can improve in their own lives to better avoid danger. I assure you, if students want to find properly dangerous materials, they can do it from the phone that they all carry in their pockets with much less hassle than renting a book from the library. Are you the school board going to live up to your mission and make change? It's not too late to rethink and come back to the problem. We all deserve that grace, but we hope that you use that grace now before it's gone. [Applause] Hello everyone. I'm Isabelle Bongard and I'm a sophomore at St. Francis High School and I want to talk about the new vote policy. It's a really important topic that affects so many people, families, community members, and especially students. I spoke at the last school board meeting and here again because this really matters to me. This policy is not something that should be brushed off like it doesn't matter. I understand that there are people who have concerns about the books available at our schools and I'm not trying to discredit your beliefs, but banning books, preventing students from being able to read them is not the way to solve anything. Even before this policy was put into effect, librarians had control over what was available in our schools and they worked to make sure the books in the libraries were age appropriate. Not all books were in the libraries, just the ones that were thought to be appropriate by professionals. And knowing many librarians, these are kind people who care about giving knowledge to our children. Removing this policy is important. Reading and understanding books with characters just like us or completely different from us is very important for the students here. We need to see that it's okay to be ourselves and not just okay but fantastic to welcome and support others in all walks of life. Some people really need this and and it can affect us throughout our lives. Some books I've read have changed the way I've seen the world and that's such an exciting thing for kids to be able to do on their own. In these books that we are banning, there are incredible stories to be told of people who are suffering and people who are living. And it's crucial to accept that life's complicated. It's so easy to see how this affects students in these schools. What I saw three weeks ago at the last schoolboard meeting was incredible. There were so many people and especially students who came to share their thoughts. I was so happy. And even those of you out there who do believe in this policy should be able to see how incredible it is that my classmates have such strong beliefs and will do what it takes to be heard. We organized and participated in a walk out, showed support at the press conference, listened and spoke at the schoolboard meeting, and there are people who are back today to make sure we get a right to read. Yes, some things are complicated as can be seen in many of these books, but that's what life is. That's what kids should understand. The more people know, the more they can do to improve our world. Thank you. Hello, my name is Jack Sorl and I'm a senior from St. Francis High School. I am standing here today because something really important to me is being taken away. Not just for me, but from all my fellow students at in the St. Francis Area School District. One of my favorite books, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I still remember the first time I read it. It wasn't just a story. It was an awakening. It made me think about freedom, about women's rights, and what it means to have control over your own life and body. It challenged me, moved me, and honestly, it scared me in the best kind of way because it opened my eyes. Now, that book is banned in our schools. And I can't help but ask why. Because it's too real. Because it makes people uncomfortable. But isn't that the point of a powerful book? To make us uncomfortable enough to think differently, to grow? When we ban books like The Handmaidaiden's Tale, we're not protecting students. We're telling them that their curiosity is dangerous, that their questions don't matter, that truth is something we're supposed to be shielded from, and that truly breaks my heart. Because that book gave me a voice. It helps me understand the world and myself better. And I know I'm not the only one. There are so many stories being silenced right now. Stories from authors of color and stories of LGBTQ plus authors. Stories about trauma, injustice, love, survival, and resilience. All of these topics are things that I have personally dealt with. So seeing these being silenced is truly appalling. These aren't just books. They are someone's truth and they deserve to be heard. We can't build empathy by turning away from hard stuff. We build it by leaning in, by reading, listening, and each understanding each other even when it's hard. These stories can't be taken away from us. Don't take away the books that changed our lives. Trust us. Trust that we can handle the truth and trust us that are that we are stronger for reading it. Taking away these books is taking away our future. I know many of you have students of your own that are in the St. Francis area school district whose education is also in jeopardy. So, if you're not going to do it for all of us, do it for them. Thank you. [Applause] Hello, my name is Amelia Yang. I'm a sophomore at St. Francis High School. You may remember my face from the last school we're meeting as I spoke there too. I'm here again to speak because this matter is something that I value very heavily. When I moved here in the seventh grade, I was isolated, alone. There was really no one that I had who I could depend on. And this led me to reading books. When I had a book in my hands, reading each page so delicately, it was like I had been transported to a new place. A place where everything around me was peaceful and safe. A place where I wasn't alone. Books made me realize that there was so much more to life than what I was just experiencing. that someone from across the globe could have had a similar experience to mine. When nights were dim and I felt more lonely than ever, I turned to books. They supported me through all my hardships. They gave me something that told me I wasn't alone, that I had a friend who told me that I wasn't so different from everyone else. They made me feel cool, like I had a little bit of space that I took up in this world and that it mattered. Removing books from the St. Francis shelves won't change anything or benefit the students you claim to support and care about. What you're really doing is removing the outlets that those of us need. Those of us who depend on the books to support them. By removing the books, those who once had an escape from the realities are forced to face them. What the students here need isn't restrictions, but rather freedom. We need the freedom to know that we aren't alone and that there is someone in this world who is like us. We also just need love. We need love to be shared with each other. We need love to know that there is something that makes us a little less lonely in this world. when I was at my lowest, as many in this room have been. All I needed was support and love. And I think that and I think that's what students like myself need the most right now. My love of reading and books has allowed me to remember that I'm never alone, even when I feel like it. When I was lonely, the last thing that I wanted was a restriction on what I viewed my escape. It pains me that the books that protected me are being taken away for myself and others to truly value the freedom to read and have a space that protects them. After all of this, I hope you reconsider your decision because students like me truly just need love and support to know that they are alone rather than a restriction that limits one's ability to feel free and feel safe when they live in a time that may not be. I urge you to truly think about your decision and its effect on the students you claim to care about. Thank you for your time. [Applause] All right. Thank you to all those that spoke tonight and we appreciate the engagement. All right, moving on to the next agenda item for tonight's meeting is the consent agenda. Um, we have seven items currently on the short pause. [Music] Okay. Consent agenda. We have seven items currently on the consent agenda for tonight. Uh this will be a roll call vote just like we did last time. We'll do that going forward. Are there any questions or requests to remove an item from the consent agenda prior to a motion being made? I'd like to um 4.3. Okay. 4.3 will be pulled. Any other requests or questions? All right. Is there a call to motion to approve the consent agenda? Mr. Henderson, thank you. Is there a second? Second, Mr. Shrock. Thank you. Any discussion on that motion? Seeing none, uh, this will be a roll call vote. So, you're going to signify by saying I. If you oppose, signify by saying nay. Mr. Working. Hi, Mr. Humphrey. Hi. Mr. Shrock. Hi, Miss Anderson. Hi, Mans. Hi, Miss West. Hi. And I for myself. Motion passes 70. All right. Now, we will discuss 4.3 approval of routine personal items. Is there a any questions um before we have a motion? Okay. Is there a motion to approve the agenda item 4.3? Thank you, M. Is there a second? Second. Thank you, Mr. Shanrock. Any discussion? Yes, I sent an email because I have received a few um concerns from I I don't want to take it that way, but questions from stakeholders. Um, and those I sent to you in advance and I just want to review them here so that you can respond to them in the public forum and then come back with additional information as needed. Um, but some of the questions that were asked were what data supports. Okay, so this is in reference to so maybe we should go back to that into um a hiring or filling a position for technology lead um and the concern is that we have a lot of downtime on our technology and things aren't working well and it seems like we keep throwing money at it is what the impression is that I'm getting and so they're concerned what same questions were what data supports the increased spending um in regards to that employee and what are we currently spending towards technology and technology support and then what is the ceiling for spending on technology and when do we go um a different direction based on um non I don't it's non performance what I wrote but lack of results and improvement yeah and u if I could respond thank you for the email earlier today And as you said, you know, I'm planning to bring more information at the next board meeting. So, we have a little time to to review the questions and, you know, develop a comprehensive response. I will say that um the gentleman being hired tonight is a replacement for someone who is retiring at the end of this year. So, it's really a a onetoone position. Um and uh there is a slight overlap. will have a few months where they will be working at the same time. So there's some additional costs there, but we believe that's warranted so that the person can be adequately trained uh before the other individual, you know, retires. So we do that from time to time and it's been especially helpful with technology. Um so that's what we're doing with that. Um we've had some uh issues for several years in terms of uh technology infrastructure. There's no doubt about it. Um I think I can attribute that largely because we have not kept up with our technology infrastructure expenses due to budget reductions for many years. And uh we have a good plan moving forward. Uh we're going to be replacing much of our uh network equipment and switches, Wi-Fi, hotspots, and other things uh using a company that will charge us a subscription. So every month we'll pay something instead of us finding a million or $1.5 million in one shot to buy the equipment. Um and we're convinced that this new way of handling things will be cheaper in the long run and then also more effective. So we're actually aggressively looking at it and you know trying to solve the issues you know longer term. Uh we're also implementing things like multifactor authentication. Uh we're looking at our replacement plan for students computers, you know, K12. Um, so we're actually being really aggressive, you know, from technology department and all those things will take uh with at least the same level of staff is what we have now. But the short answer to your question is that the person we're hiring uh will be replacing a person retiring and you'll bring that answers to the next week. Yeah. Thank you. Any other discussion? Does the subscription come with support as well or the process? Yes, it does. We have more on that too. Yeah. Yeah, we can certainly present that. Awesome. And I'm not sure if it will be part of my report or separate presentation. Um, but uh yeah, the subscription service not only includes the equipment, but it includes all the support to maintain that equipment. So, if there's a a problem that happens at 8:00 at night, instead of calling one of our tech people to come in or wait till the morning to to try to fix it, you know, that's their responsibility. Uh they guarantee an ontime rate of something like 99.9 something%. And so that that's the metric that they will follow and uh they're obligated to fulfill that. Um otherwise they need to replace equipment or add equipment or do whatever is necessary to need it. The equipment still with the subscription. No, it'll be um uh the other company or the company will own the equipment and then we're uh essentially uh using it but they still own it. Yeah. So the the one potential negative is what if we're not happy or what if they decide to pull it then we will have to find a way to replace the equipment but we're very confident with this particular company and um so it's either you know the other alternative would be to replace a significant amount of equipment now uh but the subscription service should help uh right now as well that qualifies for funding so we'll get pretty significant reimbursement from the federal government and we expect that to continue despite you know some of the reductions at the federal level. Um you know you never know what might happen but if that continues and we think it will then it will be substantially cheaper than buying equipment. Can we know the name of the company publicly or is that Yes. Uh I've heard it's leader uh leader company. Is that the name current company is the Okay. M E N T E R I believe. Okay. Mr. is this uh looking comprehensively at all the tech issues at our district and how long do they think until we're expecting these results? Yeah, they're um they need to wait till July 1st before they actually install equipment in order to qualify for funding. And so the bulk of the work will start on that day. So um and you know they have an aggressive timeline. Uh they'll have things set up, whatever they can do in advance, but they can't install the equipment until July 1st. Uh and we can go in waves. Um, their goal is to get all of it or most of it done before the end of the summer, which blows me away. Um, but I think their model is that they would bring in equipment and it will work alongside our current equipment and so when they know that it's working for sure, they can disable the the new equipment. So, we don't expect there's always issues with technology, especially when you make switches, but yeah, I think they have a really good plan. Uh hopefully it'll be done this summer but um you know some of it may drag into the fall or winter uh because you know the way they do it they can do it in phases and then are have we compared um keeping it in house and going out for the service is it like a huge cost difference or just a reliability issue? So I I appreciate the question but we're talking about routine personal items right now. Um, sorry. Okay. Superintendent was going to or is going to provide a more detailed um response to the question at our next meeting either to be part of the admin report or an actual presentation um just because this is specific to routine personal items. So I appreciate the question. We're just so excited this is going to get up and running. Thank you. Any other discussion on as further understanding to it? Can we talk about and it's kind of it's next time, but do these sorts of things go in bid? Who looks at agreements on this? Is this reviewed by our legal team or is it just inside personnel? Some of those pieces and do they have goals that they need to meet at certain intervals from that start date to that finish? I can't say we will not forget. So um at least that part is insured and we do take um we have an irate expert um you know who's has a legal background I believe who reviews that kind of information before the the company was selected and the type of um method that we're following but I'll give more information. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Any other discussion? All right. Is there uh a motion? I know there's a motion on the floor. We're in discussion. So, all in favor of the motion, again, we're going to do a roll call vote because that's what we do with consent agenda. Signify by saying I. Mr. Orton. So, if I'm saying I, I'm pushing this through before you get the info. You're only approving the routine personal items. So, the the question that was in there was just about the uh individual hire. I Mr. Shonerson [Music] I as well motion passes 70. Thank you. All right. As we move uh forward in the information report. Uh again try to hold all your questions or comments to the end of the report for the information. Uh and then we'll get after them if you can. Uh our first item for tonight is St. Francis High School student council update. We have the privilege of Jack Humphrey once again. Jack, the floor is yours. Thank you, Chair Burn. Good afternoon, school board. Hi to Superintendent Anderson, cabinet, community members both here and online. We are very thankful for you to have St. Francis High School student council here again. As we're wrapping up within the last month and a half of this 202425 school year, there's only two main events that student council is still planning to hold. The first of which is on May 14th, which will be our annual St. Francis High School job fair. I'm the chair of this committee and I will send out an email later which will remind all of you about this and send out further information. And then on May 20th, we have our senior sunset which will be from around 6:00 to 9:00 and which I will also provide you with further information on at a later date. Other than this, the school year is starting to wrap up and with that we're starting to prepare for next year. So, I also have our new members of our executive board for student council for the 202526 school year. Treasurer will be student Jack Humphrey. Uh, secretary will be student Grace Suns. Vice President will be student Emma Sorenson. And then president will be student Ava Scandria. We're very excited to work throughout with the school board next year and work within our administration to have a great year next year. Also with that, we also see the spring sports season picking up along with some of our most most successful and most noteworthy items within our school district such as boys and girls golf, boys tennis, track and field, and both our baseball and softball programs. Otherwise, there's not much else I have to report for you. Does anyone have any questions? Mr. What about prom? Oh, prom. Well, that's through separate committee, but prom isn't held through student council, but there is prom coming up too as well. You going? I am going. I can't wait to see the picture. I'll make sure to Facebook you. Any other questions or comments? Jack, thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you all very much. Enjoy the rest of your night. All right. 5.2 is the first reading of policies 519, 613, 620, 701, and 721. Again, this is the first time that we'll be seeing those. There'll be one more before approval. Are there the changes or any updates that were made in the policy or in the um summary document in your board packet as you go forward? Are there any questions or comments on any of the policies? Um, policy 71 section 3 letter A states um I'm going to have to refer back to it something about using the fun [Music] balance policy 71 section 3 letter Okay. Section three. When projected, it's in the red. Um, when projected expenditures exceed projected revenues, the school board may consider use of an available fund balance if one exists. And I know that in policy 714, um, it is written that we're to strive to maintain a minimum of 12% of operating expenses. I want to make sure that, um, when we're doing this policy 701 that we keep that in mind. [Music] Any other questions or comments? All right, moving on to 53 administrative report. Anderson, really the only thing I'll highlight, well, two things. Uh, first of all, there is convert midweek and about the calendar for the 26 27 school year. and concluded that we'd like to wait until the fall uh to give a presentation to the board and ask for approval of that. So, it's still in the works. We had a good discussion, talked about a lot of things at the meeting, but there's still some discussion or debate about late starts and what they should look like in 2627. So, that's the reason for the delay. Rob and Jill are both part of that committee. Did you have any additional comments to make? No, I believe it starts as one of the sticking points. Yeah. And then the other part I'll uh just note is that I did include the latest discipline data for March in terms of majors and minors last year versus this year. So, it's it's in the report there for you to review. Feel free to ask any questions. You can give me a call or send an email. Any questions for superintendent? All right, moving on to our action items. Uh we have I believe it's five items tonight. Our first one is approval of curriculum purchase for grades 6 through 12 English language arts and grades K through 12 fine arts for the 2526 school year. Our director of curriculum Stacy Parker will provide a short overview of the process. Thank you. Hi Gord. Thank you for having me and new members. We haven't officially had our orientation so I'm kind of counting this as a mini portion of that. Um, I am here hoping that you will approve some curriculum purchases and so I thought I would just quickly hopefully have a chance to look through my slide deck already, but I wanted to say a couple items just so there was no confusion on any of the slides. So, just like was set out here, I too am trying to complete our mission and prepare students and by giving teachers the things they need and you've heard their items are 20 years old. Um, that is not an up-to-date curriculum. So, um, the process I go through is I have started a curriculum review. It's fairly new. I'm in my third year, and I believe this has only been going on for three years. So, it's a fairly new process. So, that's why there's a 9-year cycle, but it hasn't been going on. So, we're finally trying to get the updated materials so we can have what our students need and what our teachers need. So, in the red there, you saw where we are this year. I really focus right now on years one, two, and three in the cycle. Those are the most critical where we dig into um well, I'll go into that in just a minute. Um but I've also only been here three years, so I haven't quite gotten to all the other years of what we're going to do in those cycles. So, as I increase in my years, I'm moving through all the years of the cycle as well. So, these are the three critical years right now. Um in that first year we really spend that time digging into research best practices um and data and um looking at brand new standards. Almost all content has new standards which does affect the curriculum that we have being too old and not being matched up to some of the new requirements. Um in year two we do a little bit more around goal setting. And I consider this more of a program review than a curriculum review honestly because we're looking at a total program. What are the courses we're offering if that's part of it? Um what uh is the new legislation that we need to consider and how does that change things? What's the best practice in teaching now that we have to shift to and there are shifts that we have to make. Um, and then in year three, I'm just starting to get involved in summer study groups where they're going to embed the new standards into the curriculum and make sure we're we're covering everything that needs to be taught. All right. So, this slide is not meant to talk about data. We've done that already. This is the types of data that I use with staff that we use at the beginning to talk about where are we in our data. What do we need to what are we celebrating? Because there are celebrations. there has been growth in areas and then where are our growth opportunities and what are we going to do about it. So we start out with data um because we can't really move forward if we don't know where we're at. We also dig into like I said those new standards and legislation changes best practices and all of this is critical and they get up and they move and they're creating wallboards to learn and read about those new those best practices. Um eventually we get into goal setting and I'm going to use this throughout those years of the years in the cycle to come back and say how are we doing on the goals we did set and are we reaching those priorities um and part of those goals is we do have new American Indian standards that we are required to teach and so the state um and tribal nations are now coming out with resources so we've been digging in and finding the resources we need in order to teach those standards. um they help create rubrics so that we can dig in and look for the critical things we want in curriculum. And so now I'm to the actual items. Um I provided two viewing opportunities to the community and ACT or the district advisory uh March 3rd and there was a great turnout. I think there was roughly 15 to 20 people that came and then on March 20th nobody showed up. So I'm uh we did provide the feedback that was given from the first group and responses from teachers. So hopefully have a chance to read that. Finally, this would be what I'm asking for approval of uh those items for English language arts. Um and uh they dug through and they helped me dig into all these resources. So, uh, those teachers were here on one of those nights, March 3rd, and they were speaking to, uh, the viewers of the curriculum to give them more insight. So, that is one of my asks. And then fine arts, uh, again, they had community, uh, feedback and so I included that. Hopefully had a chance to preview that. And then this is the ask for them as far as curriculum goes. Um, I will say I hope that you see curriculum as an investment because really it's going to provide those new tools that students need and teachers need to be teaching that will meet those standards. Um, it's also going to provide new ways of learning that maybe wasn't in there 20 years ago like inquiry based learning and differentiating to the needs like providing intervention or extension for kids that wasn't always in the curriculum. Um, so I hope that uh you're going to see this as an investment. On top of I'd like to celebrate that I did not need all the funds that I was approved of. In fact, $250,000 I did not need. So I'm I'm happy to say I was able to do this really in a costefficient way. Questions for me? Any questions, Mr. Sh? Yeah, thank you for all the work you've done on this. And can you just touch on I mean I know it looks expensive but can you just touch on the wooden cover or is it that's not every year that this it's it's not an expenditure every year. No. So some of them are for example nine years. I try to purchase nine years worth of whatever and not all companies will offer a full nine years. So in some cases you might see six or eight. Um, and so I have to keep track of all that so that I can budget for that in the future when we get to year five, let's say, and make sure I've got funds for that uh to continue into their ninth year cycle. So my OP and I work real hard to keep that organized so that we are on top of that. So nine years is my goal and that's what we try to accomplish um and and get the needs that they need. Um my question is two twofold. We just got this information Thursday evening. It's a lot to look over and swallow and like you said, it's a huge investment. So, I feel like we might need a little bit more time. And my second question is we have some um AI AI American Indian um participation. How involved was our American Indian education coordinator? Um, I sent her the lists of what we were discussing to purchase to Haley that is. Um, and so she has not provided feedback back to me at this point. When did she receive that information? Might have to go look back and look at my email. Okay. Week and a half. Okay. Um, yeah, that's what I've done. I'm going to try to ask that we approve tonight. And the reason is a couple things. Uh financially, uh purchasing should be done right about now. On on top of that, teachers are hoping to have these materials in their hands for their study groups that start as soon as school's out. And I need time to barcode with my OP Whitney before they can even get the materials so that we can track our materials and not lose things. Um and so things don't arrive immediately. Can be up to six weeks. So, I'm also hoping we can approve it sooner than later. Mr. Sh. Yeah, I I agree that I think this needs to be approved tonight. It's been out there before. This numbers might have come in, but we already pre-approved the budget and she stayed underneath that. So, I feel I feel fine voting on this. Miss Anderson, I agree. We've talked about this multiple times. um just the selections have been changed a little bit. We have this conversation for well you've been talking about this for three years with us. So um I'm fine supporting this. Yeah. And I will say what I added was the indigenous text because I just met with them last Thursday and they created the list. So that's why that addition occurred. That's what I had to add. I wanted to make sure we got those purchases in. Mr. Yeah, I appreciate the money that you saved. Thank you very much. Um, I've served on this ACT committee and I went to the um, display that you guys had that was uh, staffed by a lot of the teachers. They explained and answered our questions. I really appreciate that as well. Um, I also want to say I appreciate your uh, realization that everything's not perfect and we need change. sat on me with an interview of some people uh with um uh teachers teaching teachers and I and I know that uh you're open to uh diagnosing problems and then finding solutions to that. I really appreciate it. We need a lot of people like you in this district. Um, a couple when we were talking about the bad scores at the middle school from two meetings ago and then last meeting, I've been getting a lot of calls and stuff and having a lot of conversations with people um, on what's going wrong with our district. And one thing that comes up a lot is that they're seeing that the disconnect between the MCAs and what we're being t what our kids are being taught. It's because uh, the what we're teaching isn't matching up with the standard. So this would bring us uh more into compliance with that. Uh one of the So that would be a positive to this. One of the negatives um um some some people were concerned that when we're constantly changing it's it's like a relearn. But um I'm a big fan of if something's not working, let's try something else. So I can certainly understand uh the need for this. I'm 20 years old. I mean, holy cow, we need I I appreciate getting back on track here. So, I mean, I I I see the need and I'm hearing it from a lot of lot of people. So, uh thank you for your work on this. Any other questions? Mr. I, uh I appreciate the work and the time that's gone into this as well. And maybe this is because I'm a naive new school board member, but I haven't heard any of this um up to this point. Like I said, we haven't even had orientation with this. Um and I do see it as an investment. I do see it as providing things to our students and our teachers that they desperately need 20 years is a ridiculous thing and the closest we closer we can get to um teaching what the MCAs are being tested on is is a huge benefit for me. But I personally would just like a little bit more time just to figure out the process and understand and I would love to complete the orientation and learn about the process if that's possible. What I'd love to offer is you to come to my office even this week and we meet so that we can still continue this moving forward. But I'm more than happy to fit people in if they want to come meet. I'm in agreeance with what she said what she said just more time to digest better understand it. We haven't updated for 20 years. Let's make sure we're moving into the right and you know I I you know respect your expertise but without understanding it I think it's hard to make a decision. I just want to clarify are you guys asking about the process or about the specific curriculum that we're talking right now? Okay. Okay. So, I know we get our board packets on Thursday and we all know that we have to research the topics before the meeting and I struggle if we as board members don't take the time to do the research when we know we're going to discuss something and it's listed as an action item. I I just struggle with that because our staff does all the research, gets it ready for us. has been something that's been on our on our plate for the last couple years. And I recognize we have new board members, but we have we have to do our own research. We we're not handheld and fed data through the whole process. We're tasked with researching things. Everybody's research topics that are near and dear to their hearts. We should have been researching this if we were uncomfortable with it before the meeting, not coming to the meeting and asking to the label on something or at least asking the question, what what impact would it be have if I didn't approve this tonight? What impact would that have? And she would have said to you, it'd be a significant impact on our district and you would have had to do the research. So, I think if we don't do our due diligence, we're failing our students and we're failing our staff. Mr. Courtney, what is the impact if we don't approve it? Well, like I said, it can take up to six weeks or longer to get curriculum. And they they start their uh study groups right when school's out. And before they can get it, my team, which is two of us, have to barcode everything, which does take time, and check it out to teachers because we're trying to track all of our materials so we don't lose them. So, my time crunch is really crunched already. That's the bottom line. I think it's unfair to categorize the fact that their new school board members haven't gone through on boarding yet as not doing their due diligence because they're asking for more time to do their due diligence. They haven't done the onboarding. They haven't they're not exposed to this. Give them time. We got it late on Thursday. Um, so I would make a motion that we table this until our next meeting. No. There's a motion uh on the floor to table. Is there a second? Second. And I I just want to be clear, a motion uh to table means that you're tableing it until the end of the meeting. So to bring it up again at the meeting to provide more information. So technically with Robert's rules, if you table an item, it's to be discussed. So we ask to get more information to be brought back, you can um we cannot approve it and bring it back onto it, but the table it from what my understanding the training that I went through with MSBA is just to table it to the end if we need to provide more information allows for more discussion. Okay, we'll move to the next meeting to allow some more time for information to reach out to Stacy and have a conversation. I'm just thinking through our right to make sure we're doing the right thing the right process here because we have a motion in a second right now. I mean, does it really matter? It sounds like we got the votes to bring it forward anyway. Yes. So, you you're really we're just going to you're going to have a motion to move it to the next meeting for an action item. So, that's your motion. Your second that. All right. Is there any discussion? As a board member who's been here for a few years and some of the other board members that have been here, there was never an orientation process for any board members. I don't even know if there was one for you, Nate. Um, this is something new in the last few years. So, I had to dig in, do the research, ask the questions on my own time without somebody guiding me through it all. And I succeeded. So, I I'm not sure what um orientation is going to do to help you make a decision on something that our staff needs, that our students need, because our curriculum is 20 years old. If you don't think that we should move forward on this and you're going to question the decisions of our professional staff that pick the curriculum that work with the professionals to pick it out and move this forward. I I don't know why people are here. I just don't understand. That's easy. Any other discussion? So, I have a response to that. Yes, the staff are the experts. The staff are meant to do their due diligence, but as a board, we have to also understand the details enough that we can make sure that we're providing good guide rails. If we need a little bit more time, I don't think that should be the end of the world for the scanning in. It doesn't have to be all the books, right? How many books have to get scanned in for the study groups for the summer session? It's not all of it, right? How many how many to do a study session or whatever it's called? I call it mixing up the words. I don't know that answer, but I would assume it's all of I mean 160 student texts right there just for Davis Art. Three sets of or 19 teacher resources need to be that's just Davis Art. Um, all the books I mine, if I go back, it's hundreds. Let's look at ELA. 50, 150, 50 teachers manuals. It's not a little task. And that's not all we do. We have a very packed job and we have many things we're buying. Not just that. This is some of what we're buying. And I have one op to do it all. Mr. Sean, yeah, I would be fine delaying the vote if there was questions prior to this that didn't get answered, but we're supposed to come to the board table prepared. And I know that we got new members, but this has been out since Thursday. We had she's been having Friday and Monday and probably over the weekend. So I don't like blame things just because we're not prepared to do our job. So I just was curious. Any other discussion? So this is crossing into the lines of things we're not supposed to talk about. But I is there any reservation on the on the content? because I know when I sat at this when I came to this meeting that was presented by you, one of the two, the second one no one went to, but the first one where there was a bunch of people, it seemed like a lot of people. Uh like there was there was concern brought up by the educators that were saying some of these books might be on a list that's no longer allowed to be here. Uh have we figured out a way to deal with that or is that a Well, there's there's one book with four pages of an excerpt. It's not the book, right? It's four pages and it's really about what's a memoir. Sure. That's not even about the content. And the content wasn't violent. It was a perspective of somebody, you know, at the camp in the Holocaust. Yeah, I was I was I heard that as well at the meeting. They seem to have dealt with it. And then I don't know if that is a concern at all, but it's it seemed like they have a plan for that as well. I think we always have an opt out from parents perhaps. Um uh I I just I really I don't know what two weeks is going is going to uh uh hurt us waiting. I also don't know what I mean I can understand it's a busy time. So um that's that's where where that decision comes on and I guess that's why I provided the community feedback time and I didn't get any. So, I feel frustrated that I provided that time and it wasn't used. I'll be honest. Right. I'm just going to address the schoolboard orientation as well. Uh the schoolboard orientation does not go through specific curriculum. It talks about the process and what our director of curriculum instruction does. So that that orientation is not going to uh give you any more information other than the process that we use um or other than what was already provided in the board packet about the rubrics uh the more than a year that teachers uh and staff have spent on um reviewing curriculum for us to purchase tonight. Um the other piece is uh it has been on upcoming meetings and agendas uh since January 27th. Yeah. Um, it has been on there as a item that was coming up in April for curriculum. Again, I sympathize with the understanding of, hey, I need more time to review, but as a board, we have set expectations. Uh, we have things that are published ahead of time to look. Uh, and I don't think there's been a single time that I've tried calling Stacy that she hasn't answered and provided feedback back. So um that that's my opinion on this as well. Mr. So could I ask anyone who's in descent um is it context and are we concerned and can that question be posed right now so we can address that because uh I didn't pose that question but someone from the community was sitting right next to me on the little group I was in listening to the stuff and uh uh Mr. Stafle clarified uh the same thing Stacy had just said. uh there's an option to opt out and uh we're dealing with old curriculum and then I'm hearing from a lot of people in the public that it's it's just what we're a big reason why we're not doing so well in the MC is because we're not really having the correct uh uh we're not the teachers don't have the tools to teach what a lot of what we're doing here in the class or they don't have they have they have the tools they just don't have the updated tools and so I I am confident in what we got going on I was confident with that answer But I I think like if if it is a context thing, I completely understand. Um but but I I went to the meeting. I don't I mean I there's been a lot of work that's going on to this so far. Um I I it does concern me to uh vote when a few people um don't feel they're ready to do it. And but I I don't I don't know about that. Um, I'm I'm having a hard time with that because it was it was something that's been out there in a lot of these different uh venues for us in front of us. So, I guess that's why I would support it. [Music] And I went through those manuals and those books are not in book looks if that's the concern. I'm not a believer in books. I'll say that right now. But I did go through for the purpose of this in case that is a concern. other than the one book with four pages from that book. That was it. Mr. Jordan, yeah, books was not any of my concern whatsoever. It It's more about process, understanding how you got there. Like I said, I I realize this is a process and I apologize if I seem naive, but this is all relatively new to me being on the board for three months. And that was my only concern was with the process and just kind of want some more information. So, Mr. Har, I do in this district, you know, really find a lot of power out of uh from people that are doing such great jobs. I mean, I I can't stress enough how awesome Brandon is in HR and Deb is and whatever you do. And uh Lindy Lindy is in the community ed and Stacy is one of these people that I'm every time I'm in a group with her, every time I'm working with her, I do believe and look at her. She came in under a budget and told us about it, you know, I mean, where does that happen in government? And it's I also I've worked with her in deciding about standards to be teaching teachers and who to choose to teach teachers. And I literally have heard um saying, "Hey, you know, we're looking possibly for some change." Not to out anyone's vote, but I I just I'm maybe kind of skirting something on that angle, but my point is is I really think I do believe in what Stacy's doing here. I do believe in what Stacy's doing here for our district. I believe if we had more employees like her and Lindy and probably Deb and uh uh Brandon, we'd be uh we we'd be doing very well for ourselves. I do have confidence for any of my friends that are carous. Um, so I don't have concerns about a book or anything along that line. My question is what why this couldn't come out a month prior. This this process come out a month a month prior like our policies do. we have the review knowing that it's gonna come up to vote. I mean, I I I don't understand why we don't have that timing in that process. So, how was March 3rd about a month earlier? We did not see this the breakdown of the pricing. We did not see the um the feedback from from everybody. We didn't get a time to look at it and and really digest all the information that you provided us. I mean, if we vote on this right now, what good was all this presentation you put together? But we're not voting on the budget because that was already approved. It's just approving curriculum. Correct. So, the process would be that like a policy that we would get it ahead of time, talk about it, ask questions, come back the next month, and take it home. I'll speak for myself. I had plenty of time to review the board packet that went out with the comments and provide questions back based off of what was presented. Uh it's not it's very few slides. Um the actual uh community comments was able to read through all of those uh and go through it. Um I too was able to attend uh one of the the viewing sessions uh with one of our new board members. uh at that time uh so we had the opportunity to review it. So if there were specific questions um that needed to go there for more time again the board table is not necessarily the time to ask those questions if you need clarifying information uh to hold up an action item. If we see it as an action item, we've got to reach out. We have to ask questions ahead of time based off of what we provided. Mr. you're hungry. I was just going to say, are there any actions we could ask right now? Is that a little bit of I mean, or do you need more time? And I I appreciate voting on things that people don't feel prepared for. Um I feel prepared for this vote. Um and I do trust uh I do trust our expert in this regard. So, um are there any questions? I mean, it's a good time to ask questions. I guess this is the discussion. That's right. I did ask a question about the um American Indian information. I understand that they only received the book list on Friday and that it was um they didn't have a chance to look through the book options to have any input on a program that they're supposed to have in. So that's my one of my big concerns. They did not they didn't feel they were involved necessarily in the process for their program. I sent it to Haley and I beyond that. Yeah. I'm not sure when she got it to who she was going to give it to. When was when was that sent? I have to go back and look at my email. Sorry. Friday. No, probably a week ago. All right, we have a motion on the table currently to postpone the purchasing of the curriculum uh to the 28th April meeting. Uh there is a second. We've had discussion. Uh we will be doing a vote. All in favor of the motion, you'll signify by saying I and raising your hand. Again, the motion is to postpone the purchasing of curriculum to April 28th. All in favor, signify by saying I and raise your hand. I All those opposed signify by saying nay and raising your hand. Motion fails. All right. Is there a called a motion for approval of the purchase of grades 6 to 12 English language arts and grades K12 fine arts as recommended by administration? Mr. Anderson. Thank you. There a second. Thank you, Mr. Shrock. Any discussion on the motion? Seeing no discussion, all in favor of the motion to approve uh the purchasing of those two curriculums uh signify by raising your hand and saying I. I. All those opposed, signify by raising your hand and saying nay. Motion prevails. Thank you. Next agenda item approval of policy 522. Uh, we saw this policy at our last two regular meetings and no changes were requested. We will need a motion to approve policy 522. Are there any questions prior to a motion being made? So, no questions, but you uh are moved for a motion to approve. Thank you. A second. Second, Mr. Shro. Thank you. Any discussion on the motion? Can you just um go over what policy 522 entails? Brandon, do you want [Music] to policy 522 is title 9 sex non-discrimination policy and it's the agreement procedure process. So, we're changing it from where it was last year and resetting it and kind of give a little history of it for our audience. Sure. Yeah. On on January, 2025, a federal court issued a decision vacating the federal 2024 final rule on Title 9. So there's final rule in 2024 that was put in place and that's what we based the last policy revision on but that was vacated. So the recommendation is to revert back to the prior policy that was in place before those final regulations. Thank you. Any other discussion? All right. Seeing none. Um all in favor of the motion signify by raising your hand and saying I. I. Motion prevails 7 to zero. Thank you. Agenda item 6.3 approval of employment of schoolboard member. Uh this resolution is to approve the additional addition of employment for myself as a track and field coach uh with the middle school. This will require a roll call vote as it is a resolution. We will need a motion to approve this employment addition. So move. Thank you, Miss Anderson. A second. Second. Thank you, Mr. Shra. Any discussion on the motion? Miss West, this is just over the track and field. Mr. Sh, we already approved this substitute teacher. Did we earlier? Yeah, that would have been a state last summer. Oh, okay. So, that shouldn't be on here. Oh, it just references it. It's referencing it because it's an addition. Okay. It's an additional appointment. So, we're ensuring that everyone is tracking that. Any other discussion? All right. Uh again, it's a roll call vote, so uh signify by saying I. If you oppose, signify by saying nay. Miss Hampton. Hi, Miss West. Hi. Hi, Mr. Working. Thank you, Mr. Humphrey. Hi, Mr. Shrock. Hi, Miss Sanderson. I as question. Yes. Why the roll call vote for some and not for others? Because it's a is it because it's a resolution. We're making it a roll call. So, I think we've done it in the past. We're trying to correct that moving forward um as a resolution. All right. Thank you. I have a question now that we've already voted. It says approval to continue employment school board member that was the substitute teacher piece. So, we should vote. So we can break that apart and not approve the sub substitute teacher but approve the coach. We we already approved substitute teach when January. No it was last fall because we start it's school year for the school year we do it every year. So so and is this for next year? The substitute teacher to continue. So in August we're going to vote again for the for the next school year. We will revote on employment. The substitute teacher was for the 2425 school year. The track and field is for the current spring score right now. Okay. So I'm not understanding why we're reapproving something that we're almost done with the year. It was just transparency to show that there was an appointment already. Well that I do appreciate the transparency. Thank you. All right. Next agenda item is 6.4 approval ofou under the teachers contract. Uh thisou has to do with teachers payment for reading act training. If there are any questions specific to theou Brandon will be our expert on that. Uh we will need a motion to approve theou. Are there any questions prior to motion being made? Seeing none, is there a call to motion for approval of as recommended by administration? So, thank you, Mr. Sha. Is there a second? Thank you, Miss Anderson. Any discussion on the motion? Seeing no discussion, all in favor of the motion, signify by raising your hand and saying, "I." Motion prevails 7 to zero. Thank you. Uh, agenda item 6.5, consideration of level three grievance. The level three grievance was heard on March 31st by the schoolboard committee. The committee has provided the board with its findings and facts and recommendations. This will require a roll call vote again as it is the resolution. We will need a motion to approve the recommendation of the committee to deny the grievance. Are there any questions prior to a motion being made? No questions. I call a motion for approval of the recommendation of the committee. Mr. Working, thank you. Is there a second? Sanderson. Thank you. Any discussion on the motion? Seeing no discussion. Again, roll call vote. Signify by saying I if you approve. Uh nay if you do not. Mr. Working. Hi. Mr. Humphrey. Hi. Mr. Shrock. Hi. Miss Anderson. Hi. Miss Hansen. Hi. Miss West. Hi. Mr. Bird. I seven. Motion prevails. Thank you. Agenda item seven, upcoming meetings and preliminary topics. Are there any questions or comments about the upcoming meetings or topics? Seeing none, uh we will be adding a closed session to the end of our next meeting, April 28th, to discuss labor negotiation strategies. Uh I do have upcoming work session topics that you'll be seeing popping up and we'll be discussing. Uh this is a list not specifically in order yet. We're working on prioritizing what that order looks like. Uh but just input that I've received from board members. Uh superintendent goal setting, student assessment data and district improvement plan, policy 506, student discipline, uh substitute teachers, district strategic plan, career readiness program and technology plan are all items that I have as upcoming work sessions that we will be working in. Uh again, if you have other topics, please reach out to me. uh let me know uh with specific specific details and we'll get it on the schedule. Uh school board member reports. Miss Anderson, nothing. Thank you. Miss Anderson. Um sorry. Um both of my meetings that I attended were covered during Mr. Humphrey. Uh I would like to uh say I'm excited for the work session in regards to uh writing the ship so to say. Um the community member that brought up the draconian scores and then we talked about what's going on. I got people coming to me at the grocery store calling me, texting me, emailing me and giving me all sorts of ideas from all sorts of angles. Uh and I I really think that this is a like all hands on deck sort of situation. Um, so I'm looking forward to getting that sooner than later. Uh, topics are like, you know, uh, of course, uh, funding, curriculum, uh, we need to be more stern and consistent in discipline. Uh, plenty of things that I'm getting, uh, information on brainstorming from all different groups, and I really appreciate that. And I would, uh, beg our public with great ideas to come forward. And uh also um what former board member Johnson used to always desire would be like kind of a public setting which I've seen online now a bunch of uh uh school districts across our nation doing kind of meeting in a town hall and and I know it's hard to get anyone to come anywhere but man we don't know the answer. we there's probably many answers and I think that it's all of concern to all of us of course um and so I'm really looking forward to hashing that out uh sooner than later and um both in a work session on the board and then also I I like I said I'm begging the public to bring forth their ideas share with your board members who are eager to listen and learn and we'll kind of bring that to the table and hopefully u move the needle whereas we haven't been recently um that's kind of the concerning note my posit positive note in this about to be beautiful weather. If you haven't seen the girls softball and the pitcher Sydney Borcher, holy cow. Um this she's amazing. Friend of my son, so I'm proud of that. But also just smoke, man. I mean throws the heat. It's insane. And uh also I hear the uh both teams are undefeated as of when I last heard. So, unless the boys won, that would change, but I'm thinking the boys baseball and the uh women's softball are undefeated. And it's it's a beautiful uh beautiful night. Grab yourself a chair or sit in the bleachers and uh take it in and support your uh community sports. It's definitely worth your while. That's all I have. Thanks. Thank you, Mr. Uh I got nothing but praise to I attended a couple events. Uh my committee meetings have already been discussed in our agenda here today, but I went to the um um engineering event at the East Bethl Elementary School that Miss Kitty put on. Shout out to her and her I think she had about seven maybe 10 staffers there that were volunteering her time. They partnered with the um works museum. So they had several events for these kids to participate in to learn in. was an awesome event for parents to come and engage and get to know each other as well as give these opport these kids an opportunity to kind of express their creativity and outside school settings. Um, and then I also participated in the um, bingo/silent auction fundraiser that the East Bethle PTO team put on. Again, Miss Kibby, she had some Miss Wayne was there. Um, awesome events, good community building and overall thank you for doing that. Really cool. I had a good time with both of them. So, thank you. Thank you. Oh, and the National Honor Society, that's what I forgot. Um, these students had to put up participation hours and at both of these events, the National Honor Society students were there choosing. They can choose where to do some of their um volunteer, but these kids were choosing to volunteer back into their own school. Awesome. Thank you, Jen, as well. That's all I got. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you, Jen. M. Um, yep. I attended the district advisory act committee meeting and um just wanted to go over they're discussing we're discussing gifted and talented categories and putting processes together um as we get gifted and talented students that want to come into the district or in the district and want to take advantage. Um, so we're looking at early entrance to kindergarten processes, K through five acceleration processes because we already have the AP um running and then um Stacy is putting on or coordinating three after her summer programs. Um, one's a math and you can probably share the other two. math and literacy camp for elementary and robotics second grade. So there'll be flyers and sign up coming soon. So that'll be good um for kids during the summer but and then that's all. Thank you. Uh I attend the ACT as well and uh she gave a great summary of what we talked about. Uh and then my only other comment, I didn't have any other committee meetings. Uh but we do have two teams from our econ challenge in the high school that made it to the state tournament. I have not heard the results. It was on Friday. I have not heard the results of how they did but we finished third according to the Facebook post that I saw. So congratulations to Mr. and all. Perfect. Thank you. They did they finished third. So that's great. But we had two classes. So, we actually qualified um students in the highest level of economics and the second highest level of economics and they both did very well and represented the district well. So, I was super excited. Uh I think we have that as a topic coming up uh for you guys to all see that program and how it grows. Uh it's it's a really awesome program in the high school. Uh that's all I have. Mr. B. Yes, Mr. Shrock. I know you kind of blend in but you skip right over. Mr. Shrock, I don't have much to report. Just kind of looked at Jake over there. My kids. All right. Um, the spring sports are in full like go check out these teams. A lot of them are free to get in. You can go watch baseball, softball, and track. Just walk in and see these great kids come competing. And also brought up the consideration of visitors. Susicle the musical is April 24th and 27th. Every play that I've seen in the auditorium is just go check it out. That's all I've done. Thank you, Mr. Shock. That's why we had you. All right. The final item uh before we go into our work session um is adjournment. Do I have a motion for German, Mr. Work? Thank you. Is there a second? Second. Thank you. A second. Any discussion? All in favor signify by saying I and raising your hand. I motion passes. Ug 8:24 p.m. We'll take a Let's be back in here at 8:35, please. 8:35. 10 minutes.