Hello, Bloomington Public Schoolscommunity. I'm School Board Chair Tom Bennett. And I'm Superintendent Dr. Eric Melbye. We'd like to share a few highlightsfrom the February 23rd school board meeting, which includedan important report from Dr. Melbye. Yes. I spoke about the considerableimpacts of Operation Metro Surge on our students, familiesand schools. You can watch the board meetingto hear the full report. In short, our district has experiencedsignificant disruptions to attendanceand learning over the past few months. We anticipate there will be lastingimpacts on our students, and our staff have had to adapt to supportand teach. You also reviewed how the district is supporting students. Can you talk about thata little bit? Yes, happy to. Like many districts, we've been takingextra care to help support the needs of students and families,including regular communications, a board approved resolutionaffirming student safety, our social workers, Officeof Educational Equity, and support staff helping with transportation, foodand support at bus stops, and helping to make sure families in needand those wanting to help are connected with trusted and establishedresources in the community. I want to personally thank the Bloomington communityfor the incredible outpouring of support. Your desire to help is part ofwhat makes this city so special. Yes it is. And I also want tothank you for the update on everything BPS is doing for studentsand families during this time. Of course. The board also took actionon a small increase to some student fees for the 2026-27 school yearto cover rising costs. This includes athletic and activity feesand some event admission fees. Student parking and admissionto band, orchestra, choir, theater and musical productionswill not increase. Finally, a change to the 2026-27 schoolyear calendar was approved. Following the success of ninth grade only first days, sixth grade students will have one day to get oriented to middle schoolwithout other students in the building. August 31st will be the first dayof school for grades six and nine only. Grades K-5, 7-8, and 10-12 will follow on September 1st. The other change is that October2nd will be a professional learning day for elementary staff,which means no school for grades K-5,while 6-12 remains in session. That's great. I think the sixth gradersare going to really enjoy having the school to themselvesfor that day. So that's it for our February 23rdmeeting recap. We'll see you again in March.