Coraggio Consulting
Chesterfield County School Board Business Meeting, Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Place: Chesterfield County School Board, Virginia
Length: 1h 57m (video)
Official meeting video (Swagit): https://chesterfieldschoolsva.new.swagit.com/videos/335972
Official minutes (BoardDocs, on the Mar 11, 2025 agenda for approval): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/chesterfield/Board.nsf/pfiles/DENQJ7696AA9/$file/DRAFT%20MINUTES%20-%202025.02.25%20Business%20Meeting.pdf

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-25. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:00] Aye. Lisa Hudgens. Aye. Ann Coker. Aye. The motion carries. Good evening, everyone. I'd like to call the February 25th, 2025 School Board Business Meeting to order. Board members, Dot Heffron has requested to participate in this business meeting via Google Meet.

[00:00:19] She is unable to attend due to a work commitment. She is participating via Google Meet at her hotel in Miami, Florida. Do I have a motion to approve Ms. Heffron's participation via Google Meet? So moved. Is there a second? Second.

[00:00:34] Board members, is there any discussion? There has been a motion and a second. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The motion is approved. Before we begin the meeting this evening, I would like to thank everyone for attending the February 25th School Board Business Meeting and to remind the audience that comments to this board may only be made at the podium during the public comment period.

[00:01:02] Comments from the audience are prohibited and are in violation of Section 18.2-4. 415 of the Code of Virginia, Disorderly Conduct in Public Places, and School Board Policy 6141. I appreciate everyone's patience and understanding so that we can conduct the business meeting in an orderly fashion. I would also like to take a moment to recognize that this is Black History Month. Black history is American history. It is more important than ever to ensure that black history remains an integral part of our curriculum. Black History Month is a time for all Chesterfield

[00:01:41] County Public School students to learn about and be inspired by black heroes. Chesterfield County Public Schools honors diversity and the contribution of our black students, teachers, employees, and families in our school communities past, present, and future.

[00:01:57] Tonight's agenda includes a school board resolution in honor of Black History Month and the significant contributions of black Americans to our nation's advancement. Also, I don't want to miss the opportunity to mention that Virginia Kindness Week was February 9th through February 15th. One of my favorite quotes is, in a world where you can be anything, be kind. I hope that everyone carries the spirit of Virginia Kindness Week forward to the rest of the year. Additionally, February 12th was Crossing Guard Appreciation Day,

[00:02:32] and February 15th was School Resource Officer Appreciation Day in Virginia. Our schools that have crossing guards and school resource officers made sure they feel appreciated. Now we will have invocation by Ms. Chatters, followed by the flag salute led by Mrs. Hudgens. Before tonight's invocation, I would like to recognize with a moment of silence the passing of Anthony Bates,

[00:03:01] a bus driver in Area 5 Transportation, who joined CCPS on September 21st, 2021. Thank you for that moment of silence as my as is customary for me i have an inspirational poem to read for you it um it has helped me as we're going through some unforeseen times right now and i hope that it comforts you as well it's called new day's lyric may this be the day we come together

[00:03:39] morning we come to mend withered we come to weather torn we come to tend battered we come to better tethered by this year of yearning we are learning that though we weren't ready for this We have been readied by it. We steadily vow that no matter how we are weighed down, we must always pave a way forward. This hope is our door and our portal. Even if we never get back to normal, someday we can venture beyond it to leave the known and take the first steps. So let us not return to what was normal, but reach toward what is next. What was cursed, we will cure. What was

[00:04:18] plagued, we will prove pure. Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree. Those fortunes we foresaw now the futures we foresee where we weren't awake we're now awake aware those moments we missed and now these moments we make the moments we meet and our hearts once altogether beaten now altogether beat come look up with kindness yet for even solace can be sourced from sorrow we remember not just for the sake of yesterday but to take on tomorrow we heed this

[00:04:54] old spirit in a new day's lyric in our hearts we hear it for au lang syne my dear for au lang syne be bold sang time this year be bold sang time for when you honor yesterday tomorrow you will find know what we fought need not forgot nor for none it defines us binds us as one come over join this

[00:05:21] day just begun for wherever we come together we will forever overcome amanda gorman please join

[00:05:36] us in the pledge of allegiance tonight's consent agenda includes agenda adoption approval of the

[00:06:09] minutes from december 10th 2024 business meeting january 15th 2025 business meeting january 16th 2025 special meeting january 23rd 2025 budget work session february 4th 2025 budget work session memo number 008-25 recommended personnel actions memo number 009-25 FY 2025 acceptance of new grants

[00:06:39] resolution recognizing February 25th as Black History Month memo number 010-25 2024-25 school calendar updates appointment of duty agent resolution of bond i'm sorry read that one again appointment of deputy agent resolution of bond deputy agent memo number 011-25 fy 2025 transfer across appropriations and revenue categories memo number 012-25 early learning

[00:07:18] program transition memo number 023-25 appointment of members to school board advisory committees and memo number 024-25 updated ccps 2025-26 year-round school calendar for bellwood elementary are there any additions or corrections to the consent agenda madam chair there are no additions or corrections to the consent agenda are there any requests from a school board member to separate an item from the consent agenda for discussion or individual action. Hearing none, may I have a

[00:07:55] motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. Make a motion to accept the agenda as presented. Is there a second? Second. Madam Clerk, would you please call roll on the motion. Dr. Hepron? Aye. Dominique Chatters? Aye. Stephen Pronto? Aye. Lisa Hudgens? Aye. Anne Coker? Aye.

[00:08:19] The motion carries. Mr. Smith, will you please announce our new administrators? If I could ask Drs. Lisa Hyde, Monique Booth, and Karen DeBeal to come forward this time.

[00:08:48] Board members, with your action this evening, Lisa Hyde was approved as Deputy Superintendent effective January 27, 2025. She received her Doctor of Education, Educational Administration and Leadership from Walden University. She previously served as Chief of Schools for Central County Public Schools.

[00:09:05] Monique Booth was approved as Chief of Schools effective March 3, 2025. She received her Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Virginia Tech. She is currently serving as the Director of Curriculum Development and Support Elementary. And Karen DeBeal was approved as the Director of Elementary School Leadership effective February 18, 2025.

[00:09:25] Karen received her Doctor of Education and Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Virginia Tech, currently serving as a principal at Moseley Elementary School. Please join me in congratulating these administrators.

[00:09:54] I have two public hearings scheduled for this evening.

[00:10:16] The first will be held for the superintendent's proposed FY2026 operating budget. this will be followed by the public hearing for the proposed fy 2026 capital improvement plan we are very interested in hearing your comments about both proposed plans the school board will take action to approve the budget in the cip at the february 27th special meeting of the school board for both public hearings this evening citizens were given the option of submitting their comments online or in person comments submitted via the online form were sent to the board prior to the start of tonight's meeting posted to the board doc site and will be included

[00:10:56] in full as an addendum to the meeting minutes in-person comments will be summarized by the board clerk and included in the official meeting minutes documents submitted along with in-person comments will upon request be distributed to the board but not included as part of the board's official minutes we will now open the public hearing for comments related to the superintendent's proposed FY 2026 operating budget. Madam Clerk would you please announce the speakers. Madam Chair we have two speakers that signed up in advance for the public hearing. As I call your names please

[00:11:34] come forward and be ready to speak in the order that you are called. May we have River Olson and Wendy Little. Each speaker will have four minutes to address the board. There's a timer set up on top of the podium that will turn green when you begin speaking, yellow when you have 30 seconds remaining and read when your time has expired as a reminder no personal belongings other than a cell phone and speaker notes are allowed at the podium please have your materials organized in the manner that as you arrive at the podium you are prepared to start speaking please note that comments equivalent to campaigning for any public office or a violation of school board policy 1110

[00:12:09] are prohibited we have river olson wendy little madam chair we don't have any more speakers thank you madam clerk tonight's public hearing for the superintendent's proposed fy 2026 operating budget is closed next we will have we will open the public hearing for comment on the

[00:12:46] superintendent's proposed fy 2026 capital improvement plan madam clerk would you please call tonight's speakers um madam chair we had one speaker that signed up in advance for this public hearing and that was wendy little but i believe um she's not here so that would um that's no more speakers that signed up in advance thank you thank you madam clerk tonight's public hearing for the superintendent's proposed fy 2026 capital improvement plan is closed thank you all for

[00:13:26] coming to uh speak for our public hearings just a reminder uh the board will take action to approve the FY2026 budget and the FY2026 CIP at the February 27th special meeting to the school board.

[00:13:44] Next, we have awards and recognitions. Mr. Smith. If I could ask Kate Jager to come forward this time. Melothian High sophomore Kate Jager won the VHSL Class 5 State Cross Country Championships on November 16, leading the Melothian Trojans to fifth place finish. Additionally, Kate was the

[00:14:21] Region 5C champion and Dominion District champion, leading the Melothian Trojans to second place finishes the both meets. She's had her personal best at the Virginia Cross Country Showcase in October, a time that ranks third all-time at Malithian High School, and she was recognized this year with all county, all region, all state, and all American honors, in addition to being named All Metro Runner of the Year. Please show me and congratulate you, Kate. This is apparently the goat, right? I mean, I don't know what else to say. It was just that sentence, all state, all

[00:15:00] probably just I don't know world maybe unbelievable she is a an amazing runner I also found out that she is a swimmer as well and you're going to compete in states so swimming and running so you can probably bicycle too right so we can triathlon it up anyway congratulations you are following in the footsteps I know Midlothian High School has a very deep and rich and long cross-country history and so also I don't know if y'all caught this she's a not a senior she's

[00:15:36] a sophomore so it's unbelievable so well done you and I just have one question I want to know what got you into running to you in elementary school I went to mileage club before school and I used to always get these little foot like they're like little foot charms and they just like made me really competitive about it so kind of got me going I never really stopped from there So, Mom, we got to get the foot charms, right?

[00:16:04] So, I don't know. I wish maybe there's a foot charm in the back. I don't know. Anyway, congratulations. I'm so proud of you. Congratulations. If I could ask our Midlithian High School Latin students to come forward this time.

[00:16:39] Midlithian High students are being heard around the world. Latin students from Midlithian High are creating an audio book that is being used by Latin learners on every continent except Antarctica. More than 30 students have volunteered as voice actors over the past year to record the online Latin storybook, which is a compilation of 57 individual stories written by Latin teacher Amy Peterson.

[00:16:59] The recordings are a valuable learning tool not just for Latin students within Chesterfield County Public Schools, but also for Latin learners around the world. Please join me in congratulating these students. So you have written, I just want to make sure I have this story right.

[00:17:18] So you have written a book and they are animating it. How is, like verbally, so can you tell the story? Yeah, so I started writing these stories back when we went textbookless, and we needed something.

[00:17:34] So I just took it from there, and the students were responding really well to them, kept going, and 57 stories later, we've got a book. So they were getting really into it. It was so fun to work with them, and one day, a few students were like, we should make a movie or something, and I was like, well, how about an audio book?

[00:17:52] That might be a little easier. So we had some student leaders, Elizabeth here is one of them, that got the project going. And they really took charge. And they showed me how to use all the audio equipment. And a year and a half later, we're still working on it.

[00:18:07] We're in unit 8 out of 12. So it keeps going. And they've just been so wonderful to work with. They're talented. They're responsible. They're intelligent. They're super fun. So it's been really, really a fun process. So I saw that you have a YouTube channel and there's a website.

[00:18:26] So, guys, for some fun times, go to the YouTube channel. We've got some emerging actors. So do you guys want to say a little something about how cool and fun and 100% if you're...

[00:18:43] Okay. So to really starting off this, I would have to praise these two, first of all. They did much more than I did. And I was really coming here to support both my teacher and my fellow students who put in the work for this.

[00:19:00] And I just want, even if it is something small, I want people around the world to be able to see that we have been making an impact with this. And really, I can't be more proud, especially of these two and Sophie, which unfortunately could not be here due to some health issues.

[00:19:18] So I hope that she's doing well, and I hope that she recovers as well. But for these two here, I hope that they can be proud of what they have managed to do. and I hope they realize the impact they have had to people around the world. Well done.

[00:19:39] Okay, yeah, please. He's downplaying himself. He had a major role, too, in the project. And there are over 30 students that are a part of this, so it's not just the people here. They've got busy lives, and they've got a lot going on, sickness and theater and stuff like that. So I thank you for coming out to show off this project.

[00:19:57] Good things are happening at CCPS. So really appreciate all their efforts and everybody else that's been part of it, including also our new Latin teacher this year has stepped right in and Mr. Wilkins has jumped in. He's also in the audio book and has helped do the recording.

[00:20:13] He learned it so much faster than I did how to do that. So it's been and our librarian, Heather Murphy, who came out to support us and taking pictures and everything. And she got the equipment going for us and set up the whole media lab in the library. So the whole library staff has been fantastic. So it really is a group effort.

[00:20:30] and it's really cool. Thank you. Thank you again. Making Midlow proud. Thanks. If I could ask our

[00:20:47] school counselors of the year to come forward this time, February 3rd through 7th was National School Counseling Week, an annual recognition designed to focus public attention on the contribution of school counselors within the United States. As Cheshire County continues to grow and change, so do the needs of our students in schools. As a result, the role of the school

[00:21:27] counselor has also changed. Today's school counselors help meet the wide-ranging academic, social, and mental needs of our students. Each year, Cheshire County Public Schools recognizes outstanding school counselors who go above and beyond in order to maximize student success, promote access and opportunity for all students.

[00:21:45] Congratulations to these school counselor leaders who are all in for all of our students. Outstanding First Year Counselor of the Year, Sarah DeVue of Hopkins Elementary. Outstanding Elementary School Counselor of the Year, Ila Cartwright of Benza Elementary.

[00:22:02] Outstanding Middle School Counselor of the Year, Dr. Eshaw Lee of Carver Middle. And Outstanding High School Counselor of the Year, Catherine Garice of Meadowbrook High. Please join me in recognizing these counselors. A few words. Hold on one second.

[00:22:30] Yeah, I would like to indulge me for one second. So we have amazing counselors throughout CCPS, but you guys are the cream of the crop. And so thank you for all that you do for our students. It is not just the academic support that you provide, but also the social, just that safe space for our students to go to when they need it.

[00:22:53] So thank you so much for what you give back to our kids every day, each and every day. If you wouldn't mind, I do have one quick question. Just what drew you to counseling? So, hello, everyone.

[00:23:10] As a Chesterfield graduate in high school, I had an amazing school counselor. Her name was Kristen Snyder. And she is one of the reasons why I'm a counselor, just seeing her work in, at that time it was Byrd High School.

[00:23:26] Seeing her work at Byrd High School and really support me through a lot of the things that I was going through was super impactful and helpful. And I had a music teacher, her name was Margaret Gregory. She passed away in my first year in college, but I was her aide for my first block.

[00:23:45] And we had some very intentional conversations, and she really shifted what I wanted to be when I grew up. So that is why I'm a counselor. Hi, everyone. My name is Sarah DeVue.

[00:24:03] I was drawn to the field of school counseling because I actually attended school overseas. I didn't grow up in Chesterfield or anything like that. But at the school that I attended overseas, I actually found out some really sad news that some abuse had occurred several years before I had attended, before a school counselor had ever set foot into the building before they had any child safety policies.

[00:24:27] So it was really just reflecting on that that made me realize that school counselors are very integral to a child's physical safety as well as their mental health and safety. And so I just want to thank the Chesterfield School Board for recognizing the importance of school counselors and continuing to support them in the future.

[00:24:47] So thank you. - My name is Dr. Lee. So what drew me to school counseling was I grew up in Chester, graduated from Thomasdale. And when I left Thomasdale, I wanted to be a teacher. So I did the most logical thing ever and became a cop instead.

[00:25:06] So after that transition, my wonderful wife, Dr. Lee, supported me in transition to a different career. And when I wanted to leave law enforcement, I went to go talk to a career coach at VCU. And she was like, well, why don't you go to grad school? And I said, well, I always wanted to be a teacher. She's like, no, your skill set's different.

[00:25:22] Try school counseling. And I was like, you know what, I'll try that. So I went to Virginia State in 2017, graduated, and I've been here ever since. Hi, I am Catherine Garrice. I'm at Meadowbrook High School.

[00:25:39] I got into school counseling. I wanted to be a teacher growing up, and people said, don't do it, don't do it. Silly. I respect teachers so much. And so I got to college, and I'm like, I really think teaching is it. And I ended up going with a justice studies and sociology path instead, finished that in undergrad and decided that the most logical solution to all the inequity and all the issues that I see is education.

[00:26:10] So grad school it is. I will be going to education, but for school counseling, because it is maybe more my skill set. And also, I just love high schoolers a lot. So I need to be with them. Thank you very much for all that you do and for sharing your story.

[00:26:31] Really, really appreciate it. Thank you. If I could ask M.J. Rodney to come forward at this time.

[00:27:00] The Virginia Association of School Librarians bestowed its Administrator of the Year Award on Providence Middle School Principal M.J. Rodney. The annual award recognizes support for the development of the exemplary school library program as well as making an outstanding and sustained contribution to advancing the role of the school library program as an agency for the improvement of education.

[00:27:19] Please join me on congratulating M.J. Rodney. so mr rodney is um he's a middle school principal and if you uh providence middle school you walk through the halls and you are accosted by everyone with him if you by myself nothing but with him it's like hey mr rodney mr i mean you just it's amazing how much they love him and i heard about this this award and it's for libraries the librarians the virginia association of librarians

[00:27:54] have given this middle school principal an award it sounded like huh so I needed to ask I went to ask why well his uh two librarians have come out tonight to support this man um meanwhile they just found about it out about it at two o'clock okay but they're here and so I was like I'm gonna get the story so I go over to them and I say tell me what what's special about your library why does this man have this great library she goes well they both couldn't talk enough about how great he was not their library okay I still don't know I'm I gotta figure this out but the every idea

[00:28:30] they have he says yes to apparently what I walked away with he is an incredible leader and then everyone around him flourishes and so also teacher of the years just pop out of your school like magic I don't even understand but you are a treat and a pleasure and I am not shocked and congratulations do you have anything you want to add to that about how great your library is well i just want to i just well uh it's a team effort right and it's the synergy and the energy that make these kinds of awards possible and my librarians kim royal and laura ivy are here

[00:29:04] tonight to support me and uh they just do amazing wonderful things it's so easy uh to say yes to what they're doing and to the great work that they're doing in in our school and so uh this this award really is a team award. So thank you. Thank you so much. Congrats. Well done.

[00:29:24] If I could ask Chad Macklin to come aboard this time. Chad Macklin, Director of Career and Technical Education for Texas County Public Schools, has been named the 2026 Administrator of the Year for Virginia. The award recognizes members of the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education who have made extraordinary contributions to career and technical education and embody innovation, dedication, commitment, and leadership. The next step of the award

[00:30:04] competitions regional, which covers Virginia and seven other states. Please show me congratulating Chad Macklin. No, he just said this is lies altogether because I said I'm going to embarrass him. Listen, I had to write this down. There are so many great things about you. When I was researching you, I thought, oh, I'll remember these few things. I don't think I can remember these few things. First of all, ODU grad, George Mason grad, Masters of Science, admin, And Fairfax County Schools, 19 years, came to Chesterfield County seven years ago.

[00:30:44] Administrator of the Year for 2025. CTE Admin of the Year 2024. Hall of Honor Skills USA Virginia 2018. Educator of the Year 2010 Skills USA Virginia. Outstanding Career and Technical Education Leader 2008.

[00:31:03] I'll stop. Absolutely. If you know Chad, which I've had the pleasure of last year and a half now almost getting to know him, he doesn't like the limelight. He wants that to be on the students and the education that's provided through the CTE. However, if you know anything about CTE in Chesterfield County, the first person that you should be thinking of or the face that comes to mind is Chats.

[00:31:28] Without his leadership, without his drive and his vision, we would not be the state-of-the-art facility that we have here in Chesterfield County. We have outside school districts. We have outside dignitaries that come to Chesterfield County to see why we are so successful and how we do what we do.

[00:31:50] And the answer is our students 100%, but the driving force behind that is Chad Macklin. So for him to receive this award tonight is no surprise to me, and I hope you soak this in and hang that proudly on your wall. And I know you'll give the credit to your staff and the kids, and rightfully so, But they would not be where they are, and they would not be doing what they're doing if it wasn't for your leadership here in Jacksonville County Public Schools.

[00:32:15] So thank you so much, and just the mic's yours. Thanks. It really is. It's about the teachers and the passion that they give to students on a daily basis. Kids come ready. The teachers just bring it out of them. But we're remiss if I didn't say the thousands of businesses that we work with that embrace our students and our programs is where the rubber meets the road.

[00:32:35] This is the best school division in Commonwealth, Virginia. I came here knowing that, and it's proven itself right from school board support, leadership support, parent support, student support, and the amazing teachers we had. Make it all a Grand Slam home run. So it's a fantastic environment and opportunity for our kids.

[00:32:54] Thank you. Can we give them another round of applause, please? Let me turn my mic on. If I can invite Katie Stokes to come up as well and any other CTE folks that might be in the audience.

[00:33:23] Madam Clerk, would you please read the resolution recognizing the importance of career and technical education? Recognizing February 2025 as career and technical education month, whereas the Association for Career and Technical Education has designated February 2025 as career and technical education month, and whereas Cheshawil County Public Schools has offered CTE courses for over a century and whereas CTE offers pathways for students to prepare for careers in high wage

[00:34:00] high demand careers and whereas Chesterfield County Public Schools offers instruction in 16 career clusters 41 career pathways and 58 career fields with 214 CTE courses available for CCPS students to explore. And whereas during the 23-24 school year, CTE students earned 8,816 career credentials. And whereas the CTC Early Childhood Education Program at CECLA and HVAC Advisory Committee were recognized with a Creating Excellence Award for Region 1 by the Virginia

[00:34:38] Department of Education in 2024 and the State for HVAC Advisory Committee. Whereas the CTE work-based learning program supported 28,036 students with a variety of work-based learning experiences in the community during the 23-24 school year, and whereas the 2024 student job fair helped 112 students acquire full-time employment upon high school graduation, three-year total 621 and whereas CTE is an integral part of the school division's curriculum now therefore

[00:35:17] be it resolved that the Chesterville County School Board recognizes February 2025 as Career and Technical Education Month acknowledges the importance of CTE and thanks the hard-working CTE teachers and administrators of Chesterville County for their work in ensuring that the school division CTE programs remain best in class thank you madam clerk board members may I have a motion to adopt the resolution as presented so moved is there a second second board members is there any

[00:35:56] discussion Ms. Chatters I just want to say that I've been inside CTC courthouse and it's amazing if you haven't had an opportunity to go through an open house to see all the I grew up in New York in the Bronx and we didn't have those options I would have loved to have a hands-on experience to figure out if that's what I really wanted to do with my life.

[00:36:16] And it is amazing things like building the house inside the building and then take it down and build it up again. Like amazing stuff. The pharmacy tech section. It's just really cool that our children get an opportunity to test out the waters before they have to commit to it.

[00:36:34] And then they also have an opportunity for our Spanish-speaking families to have an opportunity just to themselves to go through the building and understand what's going on. So I love what you're doing. Keep up the great work. I'm just really happy to be part of this one. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[00:36:54] Not so fast. Not so fast. For those that may not know. I'm sorry. Yes, we do. Sorry about that. Thank you. There has been a motion in a second. Madam Clerk, please call the roll on the motion. Dot Hefron.

[00:37:12] Aye. Dominique Chatters. Aye. Stephen Pronto. Aye. Lisa Hudgens. Aye. Ann Coker. Aye. the resolution has been adopted thank you so um first of all we don't hand out resolutions right this is this is a pretty big deal uh and we're making it a big deal for a reason and we hope that um when you go back to uh cte both at hall and courthouse we're sharing this and we're telling everybody about it right um one of the things that i thought was so impactful with the

[00:37:49] CTE program, is that we recognize, right, not every child wants to or has the desire to initially go to college. And so we have very talented kids that can work with their hands, for example, or they want to go into cosmetology or fill in the blank, right, that doesn't necessarily require a four-year degree, but does require some skill set before going into the workforce.

[00:38:16] And working with the area businesses in and around Chesterfield County, our students have the opportunity to graduate high school, start a job. And the starting base salary is requirement, right, for them to offer a base salary?

[00:38:32] For the job fair. For the $35,000 salary plus benefits, so dental, health, and what have you. What a start to life for our kids, regardless of the path that they choose. And so I do want to give you all an opportunity to talk a little bit about your passion for CTE.

[00:38:52] Out of all the things you could do in Chesterfield County, right, this has been what you have honed in on. And we're so grateful you have because the program is successful. But I want to hear why you do what you do. Our work-based learning program in Chesterfield that I really head is so strong because of all of the stakeholders' commitments.

[00:39:12] We cannot do this alone. It is not just our students that are leading this drive. It is our families. It is our teachers. It is our school administrators. It is our entire school staff and our business community. We have 536 business partners last year alone that came and supported our students through anything from a career fair all the way up to apprenticeships for our kids.

[00:39:30] And it really is that every single one of our stakeholders finds value in this. They know that this is important. They know this gives our students a chance to really affirm their career pathways, whether this is totally right for them or that it's not, which is just as important for our kids to have this opportunity while they're in school. And we don't just work with high school students with our business partners.

[00:39:46] They even come down to middle school. We want our students to have opportunities to start affirming what is it they think they're interested in and have a real aligned pathway to help them as they transition through high school and then out of high school into their next steps. So it really is a collaborative effort by all people to make this work. And while our tech center programs are amazing in CTE, but we have so many great CTE programs throughout all of the high schools as well and our middle schools too.

[00:40:07] So it really helps that foundation for our students to really help figure out what it is that they want to do and have these great teachers to connect them in and bring these opportunities to their door. And we have an amazing teacher here with us who does this the most with her kids. Good evening. My name is Shante Pelham, and I teach medical assisting at the courthouse campus.

[00:40:26] I absolutely fell in love with CTE when I started teaching. I say all the time if I would have known I would have loved teaching when I graduated high school. I would have went a different direction. But I get to wake up every day and go to a job that I love. Because I teach medical assisting, I have a 14-year background in medical assisting, And it is a pleasure to watch my students go from having no idea what they want to do to actually being skilled at treating patients and helping doctors in their clinic.

[00:40:54] We partner with so many different clinics all throughout Chesterfield County. And the staff there, they go above and beyond to help our students, even our students where English is their second language. We currently have students working at clinics where they've graduated from our program and now they're training my students at the clinic.

[00:41:15] So it's an amazing opportunity to see them transition from not knowing anything and then working in Trestville County. I'll add one last thing. Critical education is for all students, whether you are direct to employment or a two- or four-year college or even opportunities for students that are in the service.

[00:41:33] So we try to find students where they develop their craft and their skills, hone their passions to find their career future. So thank you, everybody, for your support. Next, we have recognition of outstanding driver performance with Ms. Drew.

[00:42:04] Good evening, Madam Chair and school board members. As you all know, I'm Tasha Drew. I'm the Assistant Director of Transportation. And it is my pleasure to present our January 2025 Drivers of the Month that are being recognized for outstanding driver performance.

[00:42:22] Our staff has the heart task of choosing just one driver every single month, though many are deserving. but I would like to introduce those candidates for you now. Jedediah Self, nominated by Area 1, Bus 773, with three years of service.

[00:42:40] Jed started with transportation in November of 2021 and joined the training team in June of 2024. When he is not training new drivers how to safely drive the bus, he is switching gears to cover routes in any area office where he is needed.

[00:42:56] Monica Turman, Area 2, bus 330 with one year of service. When Monica was notified she had been chosen as driver of the month, she shared, I'm not just driving a bus.

[00:43:17] I'm part of a team that helps ensure students get where they need to be and that their families can go out about their day with peace of mind. I cherish the connections I build with students I serve daily, knowing that my consistency makes a difference in their routine and safety.

[00:43:32] Area 3, Charles, sorry, Barrero, bus 613 with one and a half years of service. When Charles was notified he had been chosen as driver of the month, he stated school bus drivers are the people who transport children to their future.

[00:43:50] Thank you, Charles. Todd Collins, Area 4, bus 896 with 18 years of dedicated service. Ms. Kistner from Scott Elementary School shared that, and Jennifer Davis is here to accept for Todd.

[00:44:07] I didn't realize that. I'm so sorry. Ms. Kistner from Scott Elementary School shared that Mr. Todd has been working hard all year with his students on exhibiting their expectations. He added a little extra motivation and told them if they got bus of the month, he would get off the bus and on the red carpet with them.

[00:44:26] And guess what? It worked. His bus won. Ms. Kistner expressed that their job is so much easier with such great bus drivers like Todd. And last but not least, in representing Michelle Shelly Quesada, Bus 495 from Area 5, is Scott Howell, our Area 5 assistant manager.

[00:44:50] And Shelly has two years of service. Shelly shared that what she loves most about the job is the children. She has found true happiness in being able to work with the students in Area 5, which is our special needs department, and they make her job truly rewarding.

[00:45:09] And she said, let's face it, it's also really fun driving big vehicles too. Again, I'd like to present CCPS Transportation's representatives and Drivers of the Month. Okay, I'm good now.

[00:45:35] So I just want to say thank you to all the bus drivers, because I have four children that have to ride the bus, and I know that they can be challenging on occasion, more so than not. And I appreciate the fact that they know you, and you know them when they get on the bus.

[00:45:51] Like, you know which ones are going to give you all of the business that's going on at home, which comes from my 10-year-old. Then you're going to find out about what happened yesterday from little Johnny got something from Sarah. you're going to hear all the business and you keep it to yourselves trusted space i'm i'm grateful that we have such reliable bus drivers when the weather is not the best the training they get makes you makes me feel more comfortable and i hope you're comfortable when you're driving on those roads with our precious commodity and i'm just grateful that you guys are still here because

[00:46:27] bus drivers are hard to come by so we really really appreciate you and i heard why you did what you do. So if you want to add to that, I'm going to give you an opportunity, but don't feel forced. He said no already. Okay. Anybody want to share something good about being? Okay. So this year, Elizabeth Scott Elementary started a new incentive program for all of their students that if they had zero bus referrals for the week, that they would get to walk down the red carpet

[00:47:03] with music. Mr. Todd's bus is one of the most difficult out of the school. Miss Kistner just never even thought we would get this far and it has taken Todd a lot of work not just on the bus but off the bus. He shows up, he helps out and those kids know who he is and I think it's really important that that's known out there. It's not just driving a bus but sometimes you have to show up a little so that's makes todd very very special and i'm going to share a few words on the behalf of shelly um she says she's sorry to have missed tonight's recognition she absolutely loves the

[00:47:42] rewarding job of getting our special friends to and from school safely and the children are such a special part of her so thank you next we have our recognition of outstanding food service employees mr dunbrack madam chair board members dr murray and mr roberts thank you as always for the

[00:48:20] opportunity to recognize some of our outstanding food nutrition services team members As you can imagine, I get quite a bit of feedback about our program from a lot of different sources. The most informative and, frankly, the most opinionated are our students. While recently at a school for service, I got some phenomenal feedback from some fourth-grade students.

[00:48:40] Amongst many things I was told, I was told grapes were a thumbs up, chickpeas were a thumbs down, and the majority of the other items we served landed somewhere in the middle. It's always interesting to get that feedback, and I feel it's vital as we continue to evolve our program.

[00:48:57] Part of this evolution is thanks that we give not only for our customer input, but for the outstanding food nutrition services staff who are committed to growing along with us as we continue to move forward. Unfortunately, due to rescheduling, several of our folks were unable to join us this evening, but we wanted to make sure that we were able to recognize all of them this evening.

[00:49:18] First, we have Ariana Deal. So, Ms. Deal is interesting. Ms. Deal worked with us for a few months and recently transitioned to a new role as an ESL teacher in the county. So she is currently an ESL teacher at Ettrick Elementary School.

[00:49:34] Her former supervisor with us, Jerome McMiller, wanted to ensure that her exceptional contributions to our team did not go unrecognized. She's been with the county for five months now, and she says, I love seeing the faces and being able to make a difference in their days. Next, we have Laura Moist.

[00:49:51] Ms. Moist is a food service associate at Salem Church Elementary and has been with us for three years. She said, the best part is when you're having one of those days and a young person says something so innocently it puts a smile on your face that lasts for the rest of the day. Next, we have Maria Munoz.

[00:50:08] Ms. Munoz is a food service associate at Providence Elementary School, and she's been with the county for six years. She says, I've been waiting six years for this. Interesting. Next, we have Vanessa Quill. Ms. Quill is our cafeteria manager at Chocolate Elementary School, and she's been employed with us for six years.

[00:50:27] She says, I feel the best part of my job is how rewarding it is. While some may say we're just lunch ladies, we're not only feeding students, but we're educating them at the same time. Our students had the opportunity to try our new foods that they might not get to try at home. I love hearing students come in after they try something new and say they loved it.

[00:50:45] And finally, we have Jasmine Pennington. Ms. Pennington is our assistant manager at Old 100 Elementary School, and she's been with us for eight years. She says, what I love most about my job is my wonderful team. Without these ladies' help in the kitchen, I wouldn't be able to get all the kids fed. I love to see all the kids' smiling faces and hear what they have to say about their day.

[00:51:11] Normally, this is lined up with folks, so, I mean, you must be really special, really special. You know, as a parent with kids in Chesterfield County Public Schools, my kids come home and I ask them, how was your day? Oh, it was okay. What was your favorite part of the day?

[00:51:29] And gym sometimes comes in first, sometimes comes in second. Lunch sometimes comes in first and sometimes comes in second. But when lunch comes in first, I've learned to ask another question, which is why was lunch before gym?

[00:51:45] And nine times out of ten, it's not because of who they sat with. It's they got to see whoever their favorite lunch food worker is. What you're doing on a daily basis, the team that you're leading, day in and day out may not seem as though you're making an impact.

[00:52:04] I can tell you from a parental point of view, when my kids come home and they're talking about lunch and, you know, the fact that they had something to eat, it was provided for them, and the fact that they feel at home when they're going through the lunch line. And I don't know how y'all learn every kid's name that come in there.

[00:52:23] I mean, that's amazing. But working here for eight years, I think, right? So you've had that opportunity to polish that skill and learn some names. And so we greatly appreciate you and all of your colleagues day in and day out that show up and make such an impactful moment for our students because I don't know about y'all, I don't learn very well on an empty stomach.

[00:52:47] I got to have a little something to eat, right, and I feel better about what's going on. But with that being said, we'd love to just hear from you what is it about what you're doing, if it's okay, to just continue coming back each day and giving it your best for Chesterfield County Public Schools?

[00:53:05] Well, I will tell you the reason I started working in food service is my daughter passed away in 2015, and I had nothing to do. And my daughter always said when I asked her, like, what's your favorite subject?

[00:53:26] And she's like, lunch. It's not a subject, but whatever. So I started at Spring Run Elementary. My daughter went there. All my kids went there. And then I moved over to Old Hundred. I just love being with the kids.

[00:53:44] The funny things that children will say to you, and they'll tell you everything about their home life. Some things you don't want to know, but they tell you anyway. So I just love the kids. I love having fun.

[00:54:01] It's just good to me. I don't know. Well, on behalf of the Cheshire County School Board, congratulations and thank you so much.

[00:54:15] Next, we have recognition of School Board Appreciation Month and School Board Clerk Appreciation Week.

[00:54:43] Mr. Smith. Public service of more than 800 school board members across Virginia is celebrated throughout February as part of Virginia School Board Association's Annual School Board Appreciation Month.

[00:55:16] Cheshire County Public Schools joins Hyatt, trying to, Ms. Heffron's, a lot of hearts going on there. Cheshul County Public Schools joins school divisions across Virginia in thanking school board members who contribute hundreds of hours each year leading our school division.

[00:55:33] Whether it's working on policy, collaborating with staff, listening to staff and family concerns, or recognizing outstanding programs, school board members always keep their eyes on the goals of student achievement, equitable programs and solutions, safe schools, and healthy learning environments. We recognize and celebrate the contributions of these Cheshul County leaders.

[00:55:52] Chair Ann Coker, Bermuda District, Vice Chair Lisa Hudgens, Melothian District, Dot Heffron, Clever Hill District, Dominique Chatters, Dale District, and Stephen Paranto, Matoica District. In addition, the Virginia School Board Association designates the third week in February as VSBA School Board Clerk Appreciation Week, with a goal of building awareness for the role that school board clerks play in helping school board members, superintendents, and schools.

[00:56:22] Even showing appreciation should be a year-round process. Taking advantage of designated School Board Clerk Appreciation Week assures that these vital employees receive some of the thanks they deserve. We recognize and celebrate the service of Cheshire County Public Schools Executive Assistant and Clerk of the School Board, Elke Namola.

[00:56:40] Dr. Murray? Still a work in progress on some of them.

[00:56:58] Well, I just want to say, I mean, y'all know this, so I'll say it to the room. For 14 months almost, this group has come together, really wrestled with a lot of tough topics and come through them with wise decision-making because the compass, the true north for them, is our students, our greatest investment, and they realize that.

[00:57:28] But I also want to say thank you for taking on a second full-time job. This doesn't pay a whole lot. It is an act of service to the community because you're compelled to do right and better for our children. And that is appreciated by hopefully many, but certainly by me.

[00:57:48] So thank you for the time that you spend away from your own families. I know that strains your work-life balance. And then to throw this hobby on top of that is truly remarkable. Thank you, Dot. So, I mean, this really is symbolic of how committed they are to be in Miami in a hotel room tuning in to participate in a board meeting.

[00:58:15] That's powerful. So thank you, Dot, for really embodying for this room what all of you are. So thank you, and I would be remiss not to say thank you for your appointment of me.

[00:58:30] I look forward to continuing to partner and lock arms in this work as we make Chesterfield better than how we found it. So now I will turn the microphone with some caution and hesitation over to the four board members present.

[00:58:48] Hey, I thought I was doing Elkie. I was celebrating Elkie. Okay, okay. Or I could roast you. I will not roast you. Elkie is our school board clerk, and you see her sitting in this chair and she reads everything but you don't know behind the scenes I can't I don't have all night we don't have all night so she is the embodiment of efficiency intelligence and this is the biggest thing she's kind like I asked her a stupid question today

[00:59:28] something I should know and she there was no judgment no oh my gosh um and she said and i and then i said oh i should have known that she goes girl you've got too much on your plate you do not need to know that i am here to help you and that is elkie it's just i love her so much and if you know if i pass this around which i guess i will i don't know it's not that yeah so everyone would have a ton to say also here's one thing uh so she has five of us we have one of her for this we gave her flowers they were beautiful but we gave her flowers

[01:00:05] um and she gave us five of us out of her own yeah these are names on them pins inside really cool and uh a cookie ccps cookie beautiful anyway we love her so much elki you're the best we we can't say enough you keep us on the on the on the ball thank you was that okay and i just want to say thank you to elki that was miss hudgen's responsibility to dote on you to the public just so we're clear, but I echo all of that.

[01:00:41] Also, the floral arrangements for the board members, thank you. Your pens were very nice. I went with an edible arrangement. Hopefully, you enjoyed that, so, all right. But thank you all. All right.

[01:01:02] Thank you, and congratulations to all of tonight's honorees.

[01:01:31] Next, we have public comment. For this meeting, citizens were given the option of submitting their comments online or in person. Comments submitted via the online form were sent to the board prior to the start of tonight's meeting, posted to board doc site, and will be included in full as an addendum to the meeting minutes.

[01:01:49] In-person comments will be summarized by the board clerk and included in the official meeting minutes. Documents submitted along with in-person comments will, upon request, be distributed to the board but not included as a part of the board's official minutes. Madam Clerk, would you please announce this evening's in-person speakers?

[01:02:08] Madam Chair, we have four speakers this evening. They are Ron Spencer, Kay Kidd, Wendy Little, and Michael Karabinos. Each speaker will have four minutes to address the board. There's a timer set up on top of the podium that will turn green when you begin speaking, yellow when you have 30 seconds remaining, and red when your time has expired.

[01:02:29] As a reminder, no personal belongings other than a cell phone and speaker notes are allowed at the podium. Please have your materials organized in a manner that, as you arrive at the podium, you are prepared to start speaking. Please note that comments equivalent to campaigning for any public office are in violation of School Board Policy 1110 and are prohibited.

[01:02:47] May we have Ron Spencer.

[01:03:00] Kay Kidd.

[01:03:13] Wendy Little.

[01:03:24] I am Wendy Little, Aaron's mom, from the notorious Cloverhill District whose child still is without education.

[01:03:55] No pathway forward. He's supposed to graduate next year. I noticed that you passed a very woefully outdated, inadequate special education handbook, and I noted that, and then you oath in Mr. Murray the day after.

[01:04:14] So that's very curious. Your special education handbook is this, and this, and especially this.

[01:04:30] At this class, I've taken it twice, taken it again. So this is what you have to follow. The U.S. Constitution that you oath, you have to follow.

[01:04:47] Your reports have to follow. You have to know the law. You have to follow it. Aaron Little was denied a full year's worth of education. In the beginning of 2023, you already owed him a year then. Then they played tricks and stunts and refused to give him attendance intervention measures that he needed, that I documented daily. It was even proposed by the school division and rejected and still rejected, still rejected. My son is supposed to graduate next year. He has never failed a class, but he

[01:05:26] has been deprived of all of his rights and mine and his massive resistance against an innocent child and everybody maybe not everybody but there are a lot of people who take every effort to blame him this is not okay i came to you last year i said there are things going on this is not who you are this is not who is supposed to be representing you going on in your school division now let's

[01:05:58] talk about something else were you even aware that merv was charged with multiple special education violations and including racketeering were y'all even aware of that and really that goes to the prior school board dot and ms coker because there's a lot of things that go on with your legal group that they don't tell you about you're supposed to know what they're doing and there's a lot of bad actors underneath your command a lot so i'm here in red to celebrate

[01:06:38] the trifecta at the federal level how are we liking that i'm liking it because i like to see those fraudulent grants go gone I'm loving it because we've had an administration prior administrations that have not taken children with disabilities rights seriously now we do and once you lose your grants you cannot get them back until you're fully compliant you do have a

[01:07:14] constituent within your county of Chesterfield who has done the work who knows that every department must be special education compliant and you are letting your friends who advise you but then you hire them to fight me keep us forever in court and they're they're destroying your your school division they're absolutely destroying your school division thank you i might see you on thursday

[01:07:48] michael carabinos typically i try to get the last spot at these meetings in case there's anything i need to refute from previous commenters tonight. So it's a pleasure to actually address some real

[01:08:27] day-to-day school issues rather than the usual manufactured drama. First of all, Village Square Parkway, I brought to the school board's attention last year, is an unsafe situation behind Cosby High School. It is dark. Last time I did a drive-through count, it was 138 student cars parked there during the school day. When extracurriculars go into the evening hours, into the into the night hours there's no illumination back there it is still pitch dark that is where my daughter was struck by a car last year walking out of theater rehearsal

[01:09:04] secondly there was so much drama in december because we covered so many issues that nobody commented really on the phone policy in 2018 my wife and i went ahead of schedule and got my daughter a cell phone because of the little tornado situation we had. We had some chaos students on buses back to the schools in shelter, and we couldn't get a hold of our daughter. For that reason, she had a cell phone. We gave her a cell phone so we could keep in touch with her in

[01:09:40] situations, in emergency situations. My one concern, well, not one, but one of my concerns about bell-to-bell cell phones off is if you have a situation like we've seen in this country, like in Ovalde, Texas. You cannot turn a cell phone on without it making a noise. And if you are hiding and you need to turn your phone on, that is a break of cover. We're coming to a new budget, new capital improvement plans, new construction of high schools. I do want to ask this as a Cosby

[01:10:16] parent and as a former theater kid. Please talk with whoever's doing the floor plans to your schools to make sure that the high schools have sufficient performance theaters, not presentation theaters. The Cosby Auditorium is great for doing an assembly, but it is missing a number of things in the wings and along the crossover in the back that a performance theater should have. And lastly, I just ask this school board to remember your independence, remember your loyalty. Your loyalty

[01:10:53] is to the students, not to any individual, regardless of what they claim. Your loyalty the Constitution in Article 1 of the Constitution. Article 1 states that the power of the purse lies in one branch, not another. So if any order says otherwise, it is an illegal order. And as anyone who has sworn an oath has a duty to disobey illegal orders. That's really all I have to say

[01:11:28] today. Slava Ukraine. Madam Chair, that concludes this evening's public comment. Thank you, Madam clerk next we have this evening superintendent's report from dr murray thank you madam chair tonight's presentation is a fantastic story on ettrick elementary's principal dr randy smith and how she used a twenty thousand dollar grant to create a support center for families that includes a food pantry hair salon and laundry services designed to eliminate attendance road

[01:12:06] blocks and strengthen connections with families everything in the support center is free enjoy this

[01:12:13] meaningful moment that's offered for administrators and one that's offered for teachers you have to

[01:12:47] be nominated in order to earn that reb award and with the award you get recognized for leadership but you're also given a grant in this case it's a twenty thousand dollar grant you submit a proposal with that grant on how you would spend the money to better serve your school community and so i was the recipient last year and used the twenty thousand dollars to start like an etrick family support center a hair salon a food pantry and a laundering service for our community members we are very blessed to have a cis site coordinator in our building but

[01:13:26] the previous site coordinator i shared the idea with her and she said oh well we've got community partners in the area that might be interested in joining us. Let me put out a couple feelers and find out if they could offer the service here. So she reached out to Jazz. Jazz said, absolutely, we're on board. And we were able to partner with them. They have to earn a certain number of hours in order to get their certificate and license. So we're giving them the live heads to work on, and we're getting the benefit of students being able to be in school, getting

[01:14:02] their hair done, and then they get back to class so they don't miss any instruction. Amazing. Phenomenal. The parents are just elated that we have these opportunities. Originally, so like the idea stemmed from hearing our community members talk about the things that were barriers for them at home and were impacting, potentially impacting the attendance of their kids.

[01:14:29] So it started off as kind of a project to address just those basic needs to get kids in the building. But what it has turned into, it's really bigger than that. We've had families share that having the hair salon in place means that they don't have to take off work to take their child to get a hair appointment so they're saving work hours they don't get doc pay for that then they don't have to pay for the salon services so that's another you know 30 40 dollars that they're saving and then they don't have to pay for gas

[01:15:04] so the impact has been far greater than what we expected with the laundry facility the idea behind it is that the parents will be able to come in and use the laundry facility for free we're providing the detergent and the fabric softener but while they're waiting we're able to get the parents to come and volunteer in the classrooms you know whether it's a book buddy sitting at lunch and having lunch with some kids to just talk to them and have help our children make adult connections but that is bringing families into the school where traditionally

[01:15:41] sometimes families aren't, they don't see how they could fit. This gives us the opportunity to show them that parents belong in our building just as much as the teachers and the kids belong in the building. So this is how you can fit in. And while you're here, you can get your laundry done too.

[01:15:58] So it's been phenomenal the way that it has actually grown into something much bigger than what we anticipated. Teachers have been more supportive than anybody because they actually have seen the idea become more than an idea and actually a reality so i think they're pretty excited that it's happening in the school that they come to every day

[01:16:20] that is so awesome thank you dr murray board members is there any discussion mr parante thank you madam chair etrich elementaries in the motolka district and we are just so proud of Dr. Smith and her staff. This was a lot of credit goes to her, but she will not take the credit as a true leader. And you heard, I think in the video, she mentioned, well, this was an idea that came

[01:16:58] from, and then it just blossomed and it went from there. So in visiting Ettrick and having a conversation, I had asked, well, how is it going? Things tend to start up and then they might die out um this is not dying out at all um the line there's a wait list for students to get haircuts there's a wait list for parents to come in families to come in and do laundry there's a wait list um for the uh i believe for the food pantry as well and they do their best to to work with the community and keep that stocked um and we greatly appreciate the partnership um in the

[01:17:35] Matoka District with the supervisor Kevin Carroll who makes sure that the county is supporting that as much as possible and if it was not for the REB and this idea we would not see the success that we see at Ettrick Elementary and Dr. Smith is not the only CCPS principal to to have received this award however when you see firsthand what's actually happening that parents were saying well I'm not sending my my child to school because I can't get them a haircut and so meeting the

[01:18:10] needs of the community and solving them as best as possible to a certain extent is the idea and Dr. Smith and her team down in Ettrick are knocking it out of the park and so just I'm so glad we put that video out there and the community gets to see what's going on and hopefully we can take this idea and wherever practical apply that for the benefit of our students and parents and teachers so I greatly appreciate that and just wanted to highlight my two cents on it so thank

[01:18:42] you wonderful next we have action items Mr. Carson good evening madam chair members of the board Dr. Murray you have before you this evening CCPS memorandum number 021-25 with respect to the

[01:19:19] roof replacement at Falling Creek Elementary School. Just by way of background, on December 25th, 2024, we issued a competitive solicitation for full roof restoration at Falling Creek Elementary School. And on January 9th, we were very fortunate to receive five competitive bids for this project, the lowest of which was just over $1.8 million to Roof Systems of Virginia.

[01:19:50] This is a company that we have worked with on many roof projects in the past. This price of just over $1.8 million is reflective of current market conditions for roof reconstruction efforts of this comparable scope, time constraints, summer work, and labor burden.

[01:20:12] There is no fiscal impact to this bid amount. There are ample funds within our roof project key within the major maintenance budget to undertake this planned project.

[01:20:28] And if the board approves this evening, we will shortly issue a notice to proceed to roof systems of Virginia and get to work as soon as possible for a full summer of roof work at Falling Creek Elementary. So our recommended action is that the school board authorize the procurement director to enter into this construction agreement with Roof Systems of Virginia for the roof replacement at Falling Creek Elementary School and to approve any necessary change orders up to the full budgeted amount for this project.

[01:21:01] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Carson. Board members, may I have a motion to approve memo number 021-25 as presented? So moved. Is there a second? Second. board members is there any discussion there has been a motion in a second madam clerk please call roll on the motion dot heffron aye dominique chatters aye see them parato aye lisa hudgens

[01:21:32] aye and cooker aye the memo is approved next we have the discussion agenda mr smith sorry mr meister okay mr meister i thought that was a little odd i mean i think mr smith could do it I get you're tired of hearing from me.

[01:22:02] I totally. Thank you, Madam Chair, Madam Vice Chair, members of the board, Dr. Murray. Back here today to talk one more time before we approve on the school board's proposed budget. The superintendent came to you in January.

[01:22:20] We've had a series of discussions here in work sessions, in town halls. I'd say we had a public hearing only in name only. Unfortunately, today we'll blame the snow, but we are at a point where we are able to come to you on Thursday with a revised proposal for our budget that we will then turn over to the Board of Supervisors on or by March 1st, so essentially Friday, and that will kick off their process.

[01:22:49] They have their first budget work session on the 12th, and they'll go through their process. From there, all of this as we wait for the state process to play out, as we discussed a little bit this afternoon. So what I will do today is give you a quick refresh of that superintendent proposed budget.

[01:23:05] We'll talk a little bit about what the state general assembly has approved and how that impacts what this proposal is. and then we'll leave it open to the floor for comments and considerations before I come back to you on Thursday with your opportunity to approve this budget. So the state budget update, we talked a little bit about this this afternoon. The General Assembly has come through and has approved some amendments to their budget. This is on top of what the governor has recently approved or put forth in December. Reminder that governor put forward about a $12 million

[01:23:44] increase to CCPS. That's the number we've been walking around with over the course of the last month. From the General Assembly, there was really three big pieces to what they approved over the weekend. The first is the long-awaited removal of the support cap. This is a pretty massive and important piece of legislation and budget amendment should it go through. That's an estimated impact of just north of $12 million. They've also enhanced special education funding to the tune about three million to chesterfield county and they've also proposed a thousand dollar bonus for

[01:24:19] soq positions to be paid uh by june one all of this is said with the uh big giant asterisk that we still need to wait for the governor's uh signature on the bottom of the budget and it's subject to uh ongoing discussions and negotiations from there he has uh 30 days from the 24th to uh or a couple days ago so on the 24th of uh march to uh to approve so we'll anxiously await to hear what comes out of his office. So what does that all mean to the superintendent's proposed budget and the school board budget that we'll propose? We've had that. We've also had some additional

[01:24:55] conversations over the course of the month. So here are some of the changes that staff will recommend to amend to the superintendent's proposed budget. First and foremost, we'd like to recommend incorporating $15.4 million in additional state revenue. This is the amounts from the support cap and the special ed funding that the general assembly has recently approved we're going to keep our fingers crossed that the governor also approves that should things change and that be amended we do this seemingly every year for the last several years we'll come back and make amendments after the fact but for now we feel reasonably confident that those two particular

[01:25:35] pieces of the budget are certain enough that we're going to roll those into our recommendation That's about $15.4 million of additional revenue for Jesterfield County. If you remember, we were working off of an unfunded gap of $16.8 million, so it doesn't quite close all that gap.

[01:25:54] We were able to talk to the county and work with them on an additional $1 million in adjustments from the county. You see that here as an additional $600,000 in one-time funding and a $400,000 reduction in shared service costs, having the net impact of a million dollars of gap closure from the county.

[01:26:16] We appreciate them stepping forward before their budget process really kicks off in March to help us meaningfully close the remaining gap. So what that leads to, if you take those two items, yes, one of them is an expense item, but it looks like we closed $16.4 million of the $16.8 million gap we've been talking about over the course of the month.

[01:26:39] So that requires us to make decisions on the other $400,000, and I'm proposing to you today is that we will assume alternate funding for the Recovery Academy. If you remember, that was just under $300,000, whether that comes from other sources to be identified that we'll need to work forward, whether that's scrubbing other pieces of our budget or other portions, we'll come to a conclusion on that.

[01:27:02] The costs did not go away. They are still very real, and we still need to come up with that funding. And the remaining just under $100,000, we've seen some good news in our transportation fuel costs recently, and we feel comfortable lowering our inflation expectation for transportation fuel by about $100,000.

[01:27:18] $400,000 to close that $400,000 gap to allow the school board to present a balanced budget to the Board of Supervisors should they so choose as we go through the course of this adjustment. We're also incorporating one other technical adjustment in here, which is really important in that you've heard some discussions about our pre-K program where we're moving from Head Start seats to VPI or state-funded preschool seats, not changing enrollment, not changing teachers, et cetera, really just a change in funding source.

[01:27:53] That'll have the impact of shifting money out of our grant funding, our federal grant funding, into state-funded as well. That's about a $1.2 million shift. No real change to business operations other than to shift that funding source and be able to take advantage of some of that state funding that's available for our pre-K program.

[01:28:13] As I conclude this program, I look forward to hearing other changes that the school board may have, should they so choose, before we go into Thursday's discussion. So what that all looks like in my good old-fashioned nerdy finance charts, couldn't be a presentation without them. You can see here $25.6 million was the anticipated revenue that we had talked about from the superintendent's proposal.

[01:28:35] We roll in those other items that we talked about. It moves it to $42.8 million. You can see that shows up as $16.6 million in additional state revenue. That's the $15.4 million from the general assembly changes plus the grant swap for the pre-K funding.

[01:28:54] And the other piece is about $600,000 of an increase in the use of reserves from the county as they contributed an additional $600,000 to help fill that need. That leaves you with an additional $17 million in funding. 1.2 of those came with the same expense on the other side that we needed to shift in as well.

[01:29:12] So looking at our budget summary revised, $42.8 on the left, you can see how that all adds up. Expenses on the right, our proposed adjustments are now up to $42.0 million and add in the pre-K funding and the shared service adjustment I mentioned for a total of $42.8 million of an increase in the FY26 proposal.

[01:29:34] I won't present these in nauseam again, but just a reminder, a big piece of what was originally labeled the afforded adjustments was the compensation adjustment. You can see that $20.2 million stays intact. Those other required inflationary items stay as well.

[01:29:51] And we've made adjustments on this slide to reflect some of those adjustments. I mentioned before, this used to read $16.8 million. You can see where I've put a line through the recovery school. It's not that those expenses go away. It's that we're going to be on a search for alternate funding for those, as well as the adjustment on the other needs side for the fuel to lower that adjustment down by the hundred thousand i also mentioned earlier so you put that all together this is a refresh from the earlier slide this is what your superintendent's proposed budget would have looked like without

[01:30:26] any other changes about a 4.5 percent increase in operating and a three percent change in grants keep in mind we made an adjustment to the grant funding for the pre-k adjustment so we flip to the next slide which reflects what i would put forward as the proposed school board approval there you can see the operating increase increases a little bit 4.54 million uh the grant fund actually decreases because of this shift and it all adds up to about a 4.35 or 4.33 if you include the governor's school increase in fy26 so with that uh i will now leave it to the board to

[01:31:05] provide any additional comments, feedback. We thank all of the participants in town halls, public hearings, the CBAC group who came this afternoon to provide their opinions and we look forward to further discussions this evening and ultimately approval of the operating budget in two days. Thank you, Mr. Meister. Board members, is there any discussion? Ms. Chatters.

[01:31:30] I had a question regarding the Recovery School. So correct me if I'm wrong, we service more than than just Chesterfield County students at our recovery school?

[01:31:45] Yeah, we serve all of Region 1. And so does Region 1 pour into the pot to help us maintain the school? And if so, what percentage of contribution is that if they give any? Currently, they are not contributing to the pot. Okay.

[01:32:02] We need a conversation. Okay, then. Okay. That was my only question regarding the recovery school. Ms. Chatters, if I may, that's the way that the initial application or really agreement was established with the state, the General Assembly gives half a million dollars to support the regional recovery effort.

[01:32:28] 2021 dollars or cost, as Bob would tell you, are not due to inflation of 2026 fiscal year costs. Okay, so with that information, my question would be to Sean. Have you heard anything during legislative session regarding them increasing what they give to match inflation?

[01:32:52] Not at this time. I mean, right now the discussion in the General Assembly has been around actually other regional efforts to have recovery high schools, and their funding to do those is consistent with the money they give us and has given to us. I think that what we have seen is sort of the cost of being first.

[01:33:11] We put out there certainly a concept years ago that was embraced, and Justin Savoy has done a wonderful job in establishing that piece. We're starting to see more students come online for that piece, too. There is a partnership with the county government. We look for ways to enhance that partnership financially as well.

[01:33:29] So I think there's opportunities across the board. Okay, thank you. There was one more question. You probably answered this in the several iterations of giving this brief, but I might have missed it in my notes.

[01:33:47] The megatrailers, where are they going? Do we know where megatrailers are going? They were in previous documents. They don't have it with me, unfortunately. So this is not new mega trailers. This is to sustain the ones we already have. This is correct. So if you recall the previous conversations, there was a lot, no harm.

[01:34:05] But there were two sources of funding for the current mega trailers that we have on lease, one of which is about half a million of ongoing operating expense, another half million. We've played a little bit of find and seek with one-time funding to find the other, give or take half million.

[01:34:22] this would put that other half million in the operating fund going forward so we can maintain the current megas that we have as you said that i had another question i'm sorry so to um we we had talked about our school parking lots we had like the it was a couple of briefings ago someone was talking about the solar help me out the solar operated you know i'm talking about the electric i thought it was for lights was it for cameras so my question is are we doing something about

[01:34:59] lighting in the parking lots of our schools but i thought i saw a picture of someone showing like a solar panel next to a light pole i thought that was us trying to be energy efficient and using solar it was for cameras a camera i'm sorry well then my question is is that would be for josh i guess are we do we have money in the major maintenance i don't know if that's major maintenance or not but to do the lighting properly in our parking lots uh sorry josh you're all the way you're all the way back there i don't want to misspeak so i'll wait for mr no and that's fine i

[01:35:39] just i saw a picture i thought that was madam chair um miss chatters has sent me an email regarding i believe the constituents comments um if be clear his daughter parked on a public street behind cosby high school um so we yes we we don't provide lighting on city or county streets that are near our schools yes the school is overcrowded and some students parked back there gave a count

[01:36:14] The county has improved the walkway from that area up to the school. There are more improvements on the way. I'm uncertain that they are addressing lighting on that road, however. But that's correct.

[01:36:31] And we do get queries about parking lots. Monikin's one that seems to come back time and again. Our BOS are all responsible for checking on the status of lighting and ensuring that we repair and replace bulbs as necessary. But we believe that the our designs and the systems that we have in place when fully functional or are adequate Okay, so that I need to direct the question to her the BOS is what I'm getting we're doing what we can for the part that we control and we just Yes, and the BOS that I mentioned are our employees that work at the schools. Oh, I'm sorry

[01:37:09] See BOS I'm thinking Board of Supervisors. I was about to send off a different email. Okay But to address lighting on county roads, that would be a Board of Supervisors in CDOT query. Mr. Baranto?

[01:37:29] Thank you, Madam Chair. Could you remind me, please, the other inflation number and what that's covering? The other inflation, I believe, is about $210,000. It was for a combination of other inflationary contracts.

[01:37:46] Waste management was part of that, hazardous waste disposal. And if I remember right, there was another piece was a technology service contract. The technology service contract was going from owning to leasing, if I remember correctly.

[01:38:02] Now, there are several dozens of different contracts. Chromebooks is a different piece. Correct. So this technology is separate from the other line item. I just want to point a clarification on that. Yes, sir. Awesome. Thank you. And then for the board, the student facing $9.7 million for special education support, I would just ask that we leave that intact and not look at that as an opportunity to cut anything to gain finances towards another area.

[01:38:29] The time that was spent for Ms. Manos and the SEAC committee and the input from our special education community, that 9.7 is needed in so many ways. And so if there is additional funding from the state that we weren't accounting for that we do get, obviously that would be a benefit.

[01:38:50] But if we're looking to cut anything, I would have grave concerns if we try to dip into the largest number on slide eight. I would ask that that number remain the same. Thank you. Ms. Hutchin.

[01:39:07] So back on slide three, I just have a quick question or clarification for the proposed $1,000 bonus from the state. Of course, it's proposed for SOQ positions. How will that, we are going to be responsible, right, for some of those?

[01:39:31] Because SOQ is this many, and then we have this many, right? So can you talk about that and where we would get that from? Yeah, a little bit more on that. The current language does define a handful of positions. I don't remember off the top of my head. Teachers, instructional aides, up to principals, largely student-facing positions was what was in the General Assembly's final version.

[01:39:53] Obviously, still subject to final approval from the governor, et cetera, et cetera. What they have done, though, is made this a version where there was no county local match required. So we'll need to do a little bit of work on which positions are eligible for this.

[01:40:11] We can read what they say in the legislator, but we need to translate that to our own job codes. Dr. Huff has already started that process to look at it. My anticipation is that the actual amount coming from the state because of their qualification of no local match, It won't be a material impact to the FY25 funding as a result of that, but that's speculation until we get through the results.

[01:40:36] But this isn't the same as state funds half of a raise kind of answer because they have basically taken the LCI out of the equation and just made it more about no local match and has more fully funded an initiative. That's actually really great news.

[01:40:52] I did not realize that. I saw that no local match, and I'm like, yeah, all right. So thanks for clarifying that. I mean, we still need to do math to prove that out. Don't get me wrong, but I fully anticipate this won't be a major fiscal burden on the county.

[01:41:10] Thank you, Mr. Meister. I don't really have any questions other than just, I guess, a statement that once we approve this on Thursday, it will go over to the county. Their process, you said, starts on March 12th, and then they have town halls.

[01:41:28] Do we know what week that is in March, roughly? I think they start later that week. but it's mostly the week after, if I remember right. Okay, so for the community to- 19th, 20th in those dates, yeah. Community to go out and participate in those town halls as well. 17th, and actually, if we want to add that to anything on Thursday to visualize that for the community.

[01:41:52] That's a good idea. Will do. Okay, great, thank you. All right, so next is the capital improvement plan. Okay, so with that, we will come back with a very similar story on the operating plan on Thursday. The capital improvement plan, no major adjustments here from what you've talked about, a reminder of what the CIP contains, its school construction and renovation, its major maintenance, and its other leases, which in this case looks like Chromebook leases.

[01:42:20] The big thing to look at here is the projects under construction and the future project list. This has been consistent throughout our discussions. We're excited about Deep Creek and AM Davis opening even sooner. fensley west area l and high school next on the agenda and then a future project list which includes all of our projects that we've had on there from years past the one item that we will look to update uh we will come back to the school board with a uh mr carson or mr davis will come with a proposal to the board about the high school bid so we will have that information updated as

[01:42:58] per the cip uh for that and we will incorporate that results uh as that becomes uh available tomorrow thursday i guess thursday is when the vote is so that's the one big change you'll see and we anticipate a slightly lower cost than what had been assumed in the previous cip for the uh west area high school so uh sorry with that uh comments thoughts on cip not a lot to uh discuss

[01:43:34] there other than the pending new update on the high school price very good uh thank you mr meister board members is there any discussion on the fy 2026 capital improvement plan okay thank you very much awesome thank you i'll look forward to uh thursday yes next we have items for board review madam clerk would you please read the items for this evening madam chair tonight's agenda includes the following items for board review number one magisterial district improvement funds

[01:44:10] fy 2025 number two fy 2025 december expenditures versus appropriations number three budget change request summary across categories december 20 2024 number four board committee reports number five pre-k update december 20 2024 and number six memo number 022-25 technical edits to the 2025-2026 program of studies. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Next, we have this evening's superintendent's remarks, Dr. Murray. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a few

[01:44:48] acknowledgments and thank yous. So, first, I want to start with Bob. This has been a pretty funny budget season and how broken and fragmented our weeks have been due to inclement weather, and he's rolled with the punches.

[01:45:10] Several presentations stacked into one meeting that should have been few led the charge at each of our town halls and with him along the way was Denise Branscom so I want to thank Bob and Denise and and the rest of their team on the topic of budget I just want to be on the record but also very transparent to our staff I agree that 3% is not nearly enough of a raise they They deserve so, so much more.

[01:45:44] I want to give them that. Right now, we don't have the dollars for that to be a reality. But if new money comes in, I wish it would, I'll remain hopeful, but we really do need to apply some significant pressure over the next year to our friends at the General Assembly on pushing to fund more fully the JLARC outcomes.

[01:46:15] Because without it, we won't see the significant impact that we so desperately need. And it's not just with compensation, it's with other programmatic enhancements as well. Also, in the spirit of CTE Education Month, I know we recognized Chad and his team, but I had it in my notes to make sure I gave him A special shout-out he would want me to recognize, and I should, Ms. Stokes and Ms. Rushing and Ms. Moore and the rest of the staff, Brian Russell.

[01:46:53] They do remarkable work, as you heard highlighted for you this evening. And then I want to thank Dr. Pope. She has been shepherding our strategic plan work. We look forward to bringing you those revisions and updates in a spring board meeting for your review.

[01:47:15] and feedback. That process will typically carry over to board meetings respectively just to make sure that we're honoring public comment and any feedback you might have for us. We've had several bouts with inclement weather. I think everybody would agree a snow day or two maybe even three are fun to get. As a young teacher I remember I don't think I've ever prayed so much than in the winter months for just that one, like, nice reprieve, that unexpected day off.

[01:47:54] But we've had several. We have had to update our calendar. The two half days, particularly on March 21st and May 29th, have become full days. Depending on any type of DOE waiver approval, we'll look to make May 30th a full day as well.

[01:48:15] The point to be made here is that if you are still wishing for snow, please know that it is going to come at a cost to additional time added to our calendar. Taking back those half days and making them full has made us solvent for the time being.

[01:48:31] So we're grateful for that. We're in much better shape than the rest of Region 1. But with respect to weather, that's when a team comes together and shows their efforts and contribution.

[01:48:47] This year, probably more than any that I can recall, well, frankly, we haven't had weather like this in quite some time. CCPS came together with VDOT, our friends at the county government through Parks and Rec, our own facilities team, transportation, and I want to highlight Tasha for stepping up in Calvin's absence, doing a wonderful job.

[01:49:12] Our communications team seemed like they were turning out a message two times a week or three times a week each week. We're going to be in school more days between now and spring break than we have all of January and February.

[01:49:29] It's pretty wild to think. But many hands in the work. I want our families to know that we don't take school closures lightly. I want our kids in school. We all do. Believe it or not, that's why we got in the business, to be with kids, making an impact each and every day.

[01:49:48] So we do drive the roads. We get out there and we assess what we're hearing ourselves. So I think Josh and I were on the road at separate parts of the county as late as 5.30 the other evening before our message went out at 6.30.

[01:50:04] We did delay that message because we wanted to get it right, that two-hour delay last Friday, and there were no accidents to write home about. And we were very grateful for that. But it also just showed that we had made the right decision to get our kids back in front of their teachers.

[01:50:23] And then the last update, weapons detection, we are in the procurement phase where we have sent information over to the county office for their review so that we will be in a position to make a recommendation of where we go next.

[01:50:42] I mentioned that tonight in the spirit of budget conversations because folks might be wondering why it's not in our budget. This will be largely a one-time expense and not a year-over-year cost, so we would look to identify a one-time funding source or two to pay for what we would need should we decide to move forward.

[01:51:06] And that's all I have, Madam Chair. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Murray, and I'd just like to say thank you for your very thorough updates each board meeting. It's really appreciated. Next, we have announcements, communications, and school board comments.

[01:51:23] School board members, are there any announcements or comments this evening? Madam Chair. Ms. Saffron. Thank you. First, I want to thank my board member colleagues for allowing my participation in the meeting virtually.

[01:51:39] I appreciate that. And I just wanted to share just as far as School Board Appreciation Week is concerned. It is a privilege to be able to serve on the board. And it's an honor to work alongside such fantastic colleagues and such a strong team and Chesterfield.

[01:52:02] And, of course, Elkie, we couldn't do it without you. And we appreciate you. And that's about that's all I've got from from Miami. Thank you, Ms. Efron. Mr. Parenteau. Thank you, Madam Chair, and my congratulations to Dr. High and to Dr. Monique Booth. But I'm a little biased that I admit that, and I don't know if she's still here or not, but Dr. Karen Dubiel, principal at Moseley Elementary, and she has just been a rock star in the Moseley

[01:52:40] community. And when the news broke of her promotion, it was mixed emotion. A lot of folks very happy for her but at the same time we know what we're losing um and so the great thing about her though is is uh her ability to impact the community whether she is at a director level whether she's a principal uh so we look forward to to what she's going to do at the elementary school leadership level as director uh likewise i'd like to echo um my colleague mrs saffron

[01:53:13] Elke, you are fantastic in what you do on a daily basis, and I may not be the easiest person to nail down with a schedule, but you are extremely persistent and consistent and kind, and your text to say, just putting this on the top of your thread because you need an answer from me, and so I just greatly appreciate what you do day in and day out. It does not get, in my opinion, recognized enough for what you do and this school board appreciation month is great but we would not be

[01:53:47] as successful as we have been as a board without you behind the scenes uh amanda as well uh helping out and so we just we greatly appreciate you i hope you know that you don't like the limelight so i know you're not very comfortable right now um but but we do appreciate you and thank you for everything you've done for us um and we're glad you're here and we're glad that you want to be here. So thank you. Mrs. Chatters. Just regarding school board appreciation week last year when we did this we were kind of really new and green and so we really couldn't like

[01:54:24] dote on each other and stuff like that but now I can say that we might not agree and that happens right but I appreciate the challenge. I believe that iron sharpens iron and so we're making each other uncomfortable but in a good way and hopefully stretching our perceptions and perspectives on things and I'll take that and I appreciate all of you tolerating me and I know it's not easy but I would like to tell you it's going to get easier but I'd be wrong and I want

[01:55:02] to say special thank you to Elkie because for real managing five schedules is is ridiculous and you know the mama brain she reminds me about things for my children like you can't do that at that time, Dominique, you're supposed to be picking up your kid. I'm like, oh yeah. Why do you know that? I don't know that. So thank you for being all of our personal assistants and making sure that we are taking care of ourselves. You go above and beyond and it doesn't go unnoticed.

[01:55:30] So thank you. Of course. I want to echo those sentiments as well because yes, five calendars, I can't keep up with my own. So thank you so much, Elkie, for everything that you do. And I also want to give a shout-out to Carver Middle School.

[01:55:48] I got invited this morning to be a judge at an eighth-grade civics debate, and our kids were phenomenal. Really impressive with their topics, their delivery, their teamwork.

[01:56:05] So shout-out to Mr. Levin's eighth-grade civics class. I had a great time this morning, so thank you. The school board will hold a special meeting here in the public meeting room at 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 27, 2025, to adopt its FY2026 operating budget and FY2026 capital improvement plan.

[01:56:30] If there's no further business, we need a motion to adjourn. I make a motion to adjourn. Madam Clerk, would you please call roll on the motion. Todd Hefron? Aye. Dominique Chatters? Aye.

[01:56:46] Stephen Paranto? Aye. Lisa Hudgens? Aye. Ann Coker? Aye. The motion carries. The February 25th, 2025 School Board Business Meeting is adjourned. And Dot, travel safe, coming home.

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