Coraggio Consulting
Hanover County School Board Meeting, Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Place: Hanover County School Board, Virginia
Length: 3h 31m (video)
Official meeting video (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1278/media

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 2026-10-24. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:00] up here good afternoon i call the june 10th 2025 hanover county school board meeting to order our regularly scheduled meeting and i welcome everybody here and at this time i would uh i will just note for the record and i'll read it again um at the next meeting also or at the next session also but coach eikenberry is unable to attend our meeting today and miss welch has graciously agreed to serve as vice chair for tonight uh although she's done that she's used her power to grant

[00:00:36] mr coleman the responsibility of count watching three minutes on the clock so mr coleman will be the one counting the names and watching three minutes on the clock but i don't want everybody to get confused but i'll say all that now so with that uh i will then move on our agenda to approval of the agenda i would entertain a motion to approve the agenda as presented so moved mr coleman is there a second? Second. Was that Ms. Welch or Ms. Lynn? Ms. Lynn. That's why I shouldn't have put the two of y'all together now. I could separate it out when it was separate. Ms. Lynn with the

[00:01:10] second. Is there any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? Motion carries. With that, Ms. Welch, do you have a motion for us to go into closed session? Yes, sir. We, for, I make a motion for the, oh gosh, make a motion.

[00:01:31] Code of Virginia, section 2.2-3711A1, personnel review recommendations of superintendent for resignations, appointments, transfers, assignments, promotions, terminations, salary adjustments, and leaves for teachers and other employees.

[00:01:49] Section 2.2-3711A2, student disciplinary matter.

[00:01:55] Thank you. We have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Second. Mr. Coleman, any discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed? Motion carries. We are now in closed session. We will return after that. I invite board members and future board members to come upstairs with us now, please. Good evening, everybody. Now call our 7 o'clock public meeting of the June 10th, 2025 Hanover County School Board meeting to order. With that, I would entertain a motion that we return to open session.

[02:00:15] yes sir uh the board will certify we need a motion to come to open session please so move move mr coleman is there a second second mr martin we have a motion a second to come back into open session is there any discussion all those in favor say aye aye all opposed motion carries now miss welsh what about certification of closed meeting yes i move the bird the board will certify the following whereas the hanover county board has convened closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia

[02:00:53] Freedom of Information Act, and whereas Section 2.2-3712D of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by this school board that such executive meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law, now therefore be it resolved that the Hanover County School Board hereby certifies that to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the executive meeting to which this certification applies, and only such public business matters as

[02:01:31] were identified in the motion convening the executive meeting were heard, discussed, or considered. Thank you. We have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Second. Mr. Coleman, is there any discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed? Motion carries. And with that, it's now time for our invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, and I will be doing both of those tonight. So I ask those that would like to join me in the invocation, please. Oh, great architect of the universe, may we honor one another by keeping an open mind. May we hear and communicate with each other for what is best for all our

[02:02:10] students. May we voice our truth and listen with an open heart and mind. May we discern your will to unite in truthful outcome. We ask for your wisdom and grace to use our talents for the betterment of others. Bless and keep safe our teachers, staff, superintendent, administrators, and most importantly, our students. Bless Ms. Baker and all of our retirees in their retirement.

[02:02:39] Give our new board members guidance and wisdom during their tenure on our board. Keep our schools safe. Make them an instrument for safe learning while nurturing the minds of our most prized resources, our students. All of this we ask in your precious name. Amen.

[02:02:55] I now ask to join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Please be seated. So before we move on, I just need to make a couple of announcements. Number one, you can notice that Coach Eikenberry is unable to be with us tonight uh at our tonight's meeting and miss welch has agreed to graciously

[02:03:35] serve as our acting vice chair for tonight thank you miss welch and uh so that's uh for the rest of the meeting we'll be doing that uh mr coleman will be helping with uh keeping the time uh for during our public comment session um i'd like to also acknowledge a couple of people that are in attendance tonight uh first of all our two new board members are that will be appointed effective the first of july are in attendance dr bill schroff and dr frank shelf we all both uh stand please uh bill and frank we'd like to recognize you thank you for being here tonight those of you

[02:04:07] two new board members and uh last as i've looked around the room i noticed that uh we do have the wise man from the east in attendance this evening mr george sutton and we thank you george for being with us a long time board member it's a real honor and his uh wonderful wife pat is with him also thank you pat for being here you grace us with your attendance and with that now we'll move move on to our agenda for the approval of the meeting minutes do i have a motion to approve the minutes as presented so moved mr coleman is there a second second miss miss welch is there

[02:04:43] any discussion all those in favor say aye aye all opposed motion carries and with that i think we're up to the chris whitley show so uh chris it's time for recognition and announcements well thank you mr chairman members of the board and dr pennycuff it is always a pleasure to bring forth the great news and accomplishments of our students and staff. Our first recognitions of the evening go to our talented students and staff in the Performing Arts programs. First, we would like to honor a bright group of students who were selected to represent Hanover County Public Schools in the All-Virginia

[02:05:21] course. Congratulations goes to Caroline Connolly, Bell Creek Middle School, Ellie Lawson, Oak Knoll Middle School, Malia Pearson from Bell Creek Middle School, and

[02:05:35] Leah Silva, Bell Creek Middle School. Please come forward to be recognized.

[02:06:13] And for our next recognitions, I would like to invite our Hanover County Specialty Center coordinator, Mr. Ben Saunders, to the podium.

[02:06:29] Ben. Much more deserving folks here. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Dr. Penicuff and senior staff.

[02:06:48] Through a partnership with Hanover Fire EMS and Hanover County Public Schools, dedicated and interested students have the opportunity to take a firefighting course during their 11th or 12th grade year as a part of the specialty center at Hanover High School. In this Hanover County High School Fire Academy, students work to complete a rigorous training program designed to prepare students for real-world fire service careers, earning the same foundational certifications taught in career academies across the metro Richmond area.

[02:07:19] The firefighting program consists of three state certification classes and one state attendance-based course, which includes both instruction and hands-on experience. These certifications include Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations, as well as Firefighter Rescue and Survival.

[02:07:38] In total, each student must complete a minimum of 318 hours of training, demonstrating their commitment, resilience, and readiness to serve their communities. If successful on all counts, students are able to earn full certification.

[02:07:54] This year, we are proud to announce that eight students, through their hard work and commitment, able to earn full certification so please join me in proudly recognizing the following students students you may come forward as your name is called elijah appelt river barker dylan beager

[02:08:28] richard carter ii caden kincaid cheek avery white and also unable to attend connor schreffler

[02:09:01] and corey sternick we also have with us some of our dedicated partners in the back from hanover

[02:09:13] fire we welcome them to come down for photos as well chairman i need to back the bus up for just

[02:10:16] a moment to our first recognition i did unfortunately overlook one person my apologies back to her performing arts recognitions earning the prestigious virginia program of honor congratulations goes to the mechanicsville high school director of bands and ensembles mr don

[02:10:31] leonard please come forward to be recognized now for our next recognition for the 13th year in a row the national association of music merchants foundation has named hanver county public schools as the best community for music education.

[02:11:08] We are one of only 23 school divisions in Virginia to achieve this coveted status out of 131 school divisions. This designation is awarded to divisions in schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment to offering comprehensive music education to all students.

[02:11:23] It also serves to recognize the outstanding efforts of teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community leaders who have made music education part of the curriculum. Congratulations to all of our talented music teachers and their leader, Dr. Keith Matthews, Curriculum Specialist for the Performing Arts, on this well-deserved accomplishments.

[02:11:41] Will Dr. Matthews and all music educators present please come forward to be recognized?

[02:12:07] Our next recognition of the evening goes to a highly skilled, dedicated, and caring individual

[02:13:02] who has been awarded the 2025 V-CASE H. Douglas Cox Outstanding Special Education Administrator Award for her impact on education of children with disabilities on the local, regional, and or state levels. This is the first award of its kind through the Virginia Council of Administrators of Special Education.

[02:13:23] Please join me in congratulating our Director of Special Education, Mrs. Diane Brown.

[02:13:47] And I believe Mrs. Brown is joined by her husband, who if he's interested not to call him out to take a picture. Please leave it. Come on down.

[02:14:12] Mr. Chairman, that concludes my portion of the recognitions, and I believe Mrs. Welsh is coming forward for a special recognition. Good evening. Tonight, I get the pleasure of honoring and expressing our profound gratitude to Chairman Colonel Bob May as he transitions into the next

[02:14:50] chapter, which is a well-deserved retirement. Before we celebrate his retirement, let's acknowledge a remarkable career, first in the military and then in our community service. Colonel May, your years of dedication and leadership in uniform are a testament to your character and commitment.

[02:15:13] We are deeply grateful for your service to our nation and the values you instilled in your time leading the armed forces are evident in your approach to civic responsibility. Your military experience has undoubtedly shaped you and we have benefited. Your discipline, strategic thinking, and unwavering dedication has helped guide and shaped us on this board. You've dedicated yourself to our children, our educators, and the future of our community. As chairman for the past two years, you've provided invaluable leadership, guidance, and unwavering commitment to the school board.

[02:15:52] Your insights have been crucial in navigating challenges and making decisions that have made a positive impact on our schools, educators, students, and families. We are so fortunate to have had your vision, dedication, and leadership. Your commitment to our children's education has been nothing short of exceptional. Thank you for your wisdom, your guidance, and belief in our students and educators. We are grateful for all you have done. Colonel May, as you start this new chapter, we wish you the best in your retirement. Enjoy the next chapter relaxing,

[02:16:31] spending time with your many grandchildren and children, and of course, lots of time with your lovely wife, Tammy. We have something special for you along with your chairs on order. So here's

[02:16:43] and i would just like to add that although he was unable to attend this evening we also want

[02:19:13] to recognize mr steve eikenberry our cold harbor district for his dedicated service on the school board for the past four years we wish him nothing but the very best in all of his future endeavors also and with that i promise not to forget this part which is board member announcements so with that we'll go with any board members have any announcements this evening Mr. Seifert.

[02:19:36] Yes, sir. Being as I had a son graduating, I got to see the graduations up close and personal. And Dr. Penicuff, for you, and Dr. Staley, and everybody who was involved with the graduations, they were just amazing. And I just couldn't believe how much time, all day, for the staff and so many of you to be there.

[02:19:53] I really appreciate that. And the feedback for the VCC was great. People loved it. So just wanted to pass that on. But thank you again. Thank you. Anybody else? Mr. Martin. just echoing uh the thanks to you chairman may um and miss may i know you're probably the most excited person in the room um but we wish you well and you guys will be missed um i wanted to give a shout out uh to our school resource officers um one of the biggest takeaways that i had in my first school year on the board was obviously they're there to protect and serve and keep our

[02:20:31] kids safe but they truly are dynamic characters in their buildings they are basically celebrities throughout their schools we are so very grateful to have them we appreciate the sheriff's office for for giving us those resources officer stewart at washington henry where my kids go is an absolute legend and i just wanted a recognition for what they do because they are far beyond keeping our kids safe they really are positive impacts in the buildings and i wanted to make sure that they got a shout out thank you thank you anybody else so this being my final board meeting serving

[02:21:10] as chair and as a member of the hanover county school board i do want to take a moment of personal privilege to make a brief comment when i decided to throw my name in the hat to be on the school board i had no idea of what these four years would hold for us as a board i am truly honored to have served with some outstanding hanover citizens such as mr george sutton miss ola hawkins mr bob hunley Mr. John Axel and Mr. Sterling Daniels, along with these current members who we share the dais together, who genuinely care about what is best for our schools and for our most important asset,

[02:21:45] our students. We may not all agree on every issue, but we all agree in passion, loyalty, dedication, and true concern for every issue, not taking any of them lightly. I am honored to have served and will take some time to get used to not being a member of this board. I feel like our board and our school division is in a better place today than it was four years ago when I first became a member. I am delighted to see how our division will continue to grow and prosper under the leadership of Dr. Penny Cuff. And I will also say that we have four of the most outstanding

[02:22:23] assistant superintendents, and we're blessed to have this leadership with us. And I feel extremely proud to have the team that we have that is Team Hanover. And I look forward to enjoying a little bit of retirement and sitting in that chair on my back deck and looking up at the Peaks of Otter and the Blue Ridge Parkway every morning. And I got to tell you, I've been blessed to have Tammy by my side for 44 years, and we're going to try to make it 44 more. So with that, that's my point of personal privilege. And with that, we will close board member announcements and move on to our consent agenda. And so before I take a motion for the consent agenda, I'd like to recognize Dr.

[02:23:02] Penny Cuff, please. Thank you, Colonel May. This evening on the consent agenda, we have the title applications. We have received notice from the Virginia Department of Education that out of an abundance of caution that the Virginia Department of Education will delay approving applications until they receive the final numbers that Virginia will receive from the United States Department of Education. So tonight we will approve them because they must be approved and submitted, but there might be a delay before we have the final approval for those and we just wanted to share that you may see that over the coming days in the news but but

[02:23:39] we know that we need to go ahead and submit our applications even though they may be delayed thank you thank you Dr. Pennecuff and with that I would entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented so moved Ms. Welsh is there a second Ms. Lynn with the second any discussion all those in favor say aye aye all opposed the motion carries with that we're up to our instructional highlight this evening and we're ready for our literacy plan updates from the virginia literacy act and i see dr fisher now i know why you were here at like 6 15 this afternoon as you get prepared

[02:24:14] for tonight dr fisher members of the board dr pennycoff and senior staff i'm joining you this evening to review literacy highlights from this year and to share information about how we will extend our efforts as we move forward. As you know, we've just completed our first year of implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act, and so this is an excellent time for us to evaluate our progress toward our original goals that we outlined in our division literacy plan, and to develop our new plan, which is drafted to span for the next two school years. A copy of the

[02:24:51] biennial division literacy plan is available in board docs, and it will also be posted to both our school division website and to the Virginia Department of Education website so it's accessible to the public. We outlined two goals for the 24/25 school year. Our primary focus was to utilize our newly adopted instructional resources with integrity, meaning that all students in K-5 classrooms across the school division consistently received instruction in all components of literacy and accessed grade-level texts through the HMH inter-reading materials.

[02:25:26] Our second goal acknowledged the time and learning required of classroom teachers when implementing new standards and using new instructional materials. Teachers engaged in a significant amount of professional learning independently with their teams and with the rest of their staff. Both of our goals were met.

[02:25:45] We've proposed three goals in our biennial literacy plan. Now that teachers are familiar with the adopted resources and have used HMH for a full year, sorry, I'm trying to progress. Thank you. I'm sorry. Now that our teachers are familiar with the resources and they've used them for a full school year, we're going to shift the focus of our first goal to refining our implementation of these resources and evidence-based literacy practices. Specifically, teachers will focus on providing consistent opportunities to read,

[02:26:22] talk, and write about complex grade-level text. And we'll be monitoring progress of this goal through visits to our k-5 classrooms during the literacy block the second goal outlined in our plan addresses our process of screening students literacy skills to identify weaknesses and then developing and implementing individual student reading plans during this school year we engaged in this process for our k-3 students and we are expanding the support next year for our students in grades four through eight we acknowledge that reshaping practices requires our teachers to

[02:27:01] continue engaging in ongoing professional learning and we have differentiated plans that i'm going to be sharing a little later about how we're going to provide those learning experiences as we move into the next school year the primary change for the upcoming school year is the extension of the virginia literacy act into our middle school in the fall all fourth through eighth graders who did not pass their spring reading sol will have a student reading plan crafted for them these These students will also be assessed using our statewide assessment that we used in our lower grades this year, the VALS assessment, Virginia Language and Literacy Screener.

[02:27:41] And their reading plans will then be able to address their specific needs. Depending on those needs, the students will receive intervention in their classroom by a teacher, a tutor, or a reading specialist, or they may be enrolled in a specific intervention course that we've titled Project Literacy.

[02:28:00] As mentioned earlier, implementing new instructional strategies and utilizing new resources requires that teachers continue to learn and sharpen their instructional skills, and we're excited to continue offering professional learning focused on our new standards and evidence-based instructional practices.

[02:28:15] Additionally, we've planned a variety of more targeted opportunities that apply to specific groups of teachers, refining specific practices. Of course, our literacy leaders in each building provide that job-embedded professional learning for our K-8 teachers on a regular basis. They are our school-based experts and we attribute much of our success to them supporting our teachers on a daily basis. As we move into 2025-26, we're also excited to continue building the capacity of our teacher leaders, including our team leaders at the elementary level and our department chairs at the middle school, in order to share information back

[02:28:55] with their teammates. We're always seeking opportunities to strengthen communication and connect with our staff and our families. We believe that communication entails both sharing information and actively listening to others experiences and their questions. Based on the valuable insight that we gained from our Elementary Literacy Teacher Advisory Group this year, we are expanding that group in the upcoming year in an effort to create more opportunities for representatives from every school to share their perspectives and to help us make informed decisions be able to support them and their students in the best way. We're also

[02:29:32] seeking to expand our literacy learning in the community through opportunities like school-based literacy events. Additionally, parents and caregivers who support our striving readers in grades K through 8 will be invited to engage in the development of the student reading plans. That will help them have an awareness of their child's goals and be able to support them at home as well. So are you wondering how the division literacy plan translates into practice in our schools?

[02:30:01] I've included two photos from our elementary schools from this spring just to give you a snapshot of the continuous efforts of our teachers. The photo on the right captures a kindergarten class engaging in UFLY instruction to develop their foundational skills. The photo on the left shows second grade students engaging in a routine to build their vocabulary. Students across grade levels practice writing definitions, developing sentences, and drawing pictures to expand their vocabulary. Notice that they're writing on desks. Not to worry. They do find that to be far more

[02:30:36] exciting than paper, but they use dry erase markers, so they easily wipe off. But they don't wipe them off until they've walked around and given each other feedback. So it's very heartwarming to watch them go from desk to desk, and they put little stars by the definitions that their like and they're all using different vocabulary words as they're doing it.

[02:30:57] It's a wonderful practice and daily practices like this really help lead students to deeper learning and they're the real reason that students across Hanover are learning and achieving at high levels. So I just appreciate you allowing me the opportunity to provide you with updates and to celebrate our teachers dedication and their professional growth this year and of course our students progress and we look forward to continuing to grow as we enter the next school year so thank you thank you dr. Fisher are there any questions or comments from the board yeah mr. Coleman thank you chairman

[02:31:35] thank you for that presentation I was just commenting to mr. Martin that all three of my kids have thrived with this and we it's to see them to come into the kitchen in the morning and to see my daughter at the kitchen table eating her cereal and reading like you know we didn't prompt her we didn't cure but she's come a long way so it's you're doing great work the whole division's doing great work so i just want to say thank you thank you i'm so glad to hear that anybody else okay thank you dr fisher we appreciate it i appreciate it okay on for information and discussion the first is review

[02:32:09] of proposed revision of policies 7-3.1 code of student conduct i don't see anybody moving oh there he is brian sorry my peripheral vision didn't pick you up problem all right good evening chairman may members of the board dr pennycup senior staff uh last month miss hon and i presented to you the proposed changes, this month we bring you for first read the markup of the code of conduct.

[02:32:34] Ma'am, if you wouldn't mind just sort of scanning, what you will see within this, which you should all have access to, is red text for anything that we've added. There's three things that were really sort of spliced throughout this. The first of which is changes in level to behavior codes, and so you'll see right there the first one, BAP1, this is the elementary, you'll see that in red because we've added a level there.

[02:32:56] continue to scan down going to pages 16 17 and 18 this is where the changes occur for the secondary level so again we've got to scroll through the elementary and then the start again this is the proposed changes to the levels in red is where we've added nothing was removed from this particular section the other two pieces that we've added again sort of spliced throughout this are references to the discipline committee and what that would look like as well as the potential alternative assignments presented by the board. That being said, you have this for first read today. There is nothing new to this that you hadn't seen last month, so I'm just here to answer any questions

[02:33:32] you might have. Do we have any questions, Dr. Malby? Okay. Dr. Malby, you obviously did an excellent job. Thank you very much. Thank you all. Have a great evening. Alrighty. Next is the optional pilot for after-school program RFP. No one's jumping on this one either. This is exciting.

[02:33:52] I like this one. No one's moving. There's no one. Okay. Did y'all just do not hit down there? Did I Really, did I see a not it going on?

[02:34:09] There's that professional staff I was talking about earlier right there. Well, actually, I don't think, let's see if, oh, it's working again. There we go. Okay, so you may recall that Dr. Reams presented a lot of this information last week in regards to the desire to have after-school opportunities and really expand that throughout the division.

[02:34:32] So we are back now to really talk about we're ready to issue an RFP And what our initial considerations are are to begin with after-school only and then maybe pilot with up to five schools to begin with and Issue an RFP where we would have a contract with the ability to add additional schools There would be a one-year RFP or contract with the option for four additional years with one-year renewals, and that gives us an opportunity to really measure the success,

[02:35:06] ensure that we like what we see, and then, so we're looking at, again, that option of starting with after-school only, the option to add later, maybe before school, and so we are hopeful, working with the purchasing department, we hope to get that information to them, the RFP, Get that out later this month, and we will turn it around as quickly as we can.

[02:35:32] So this presentation is just all of the information that you saw last month, and we're just providing that update in regards to the process that we're considering in terms of the RFP. I wanted to make sure that everyone was comfortable with that approach.

[02:35:49] Okay. Do we have any questions? Ms. Welsh. So we have 10 out of the 14 elementary schools that already offer something. is that correct? We, and I'm going to look to Dr. Reams to join me, but we have three. Here she comes. There we go. I knew I'd get her up here eventually. I just needed to stall a bit.

[02:36:11] So currently we have three out of our 14 elementary schools who provide an on-site opportunity. Two are YMCA and another is Parks and Rec. All of our elementary schools offer some form of busing to an after-school program, but right now we only have three that are actually on site in the building okay so this this could affect those three as well correct like we'd offer it to them too i guess in terms of the rfp i mean the rfp would go out to anyone who wanted to apply to be part of consideration but i do not think at this time is not our intent to replace those

[02:36:50] existing three okay i think that those are those are growing well and so the desire is to provide an option to the additional schools that do not have that okay all right thank you okay any other questions mr cypher so are we possibly going to have new programs this coming school year so i do not want to commit to that maybe by second semester our our goal and our desire is to move as quickly as possible but you know getting an rfp out there and going through the entire process of negotiation and all of that it would probably be tough to have it by school opening

[02:37:29] but we're going to move as quickly as we can and the feedback we got from the survey definitely popular parents want it correct so okay thank you i can add a little bit of information to the parent survey we had 1624 respondents of those we had families that shared that they had elementary students to the number of 2,063 who they would be interested in seeing what the options might provide for their children. Middle school students were 366. When we ask about the time of day, were they interested in before, after, or both before and after? The greatest number was after

[02:38:09] school care with 1,042 asking for that. Before school was 102 and those asking for both was 434. so what we've decided is that we will do a slow start with a pilot of up to five schools so we have already collected the information from the principals and the offices of each school to say what are the offerings for your school and then miss dr reams has followed up with each principal to say does your school have an unmet need that we need to try to address and we are

[02:38:43] looking at those the five most in need schools of starting there so once we know what the response is and we get started then we could go higher up to 14 so the rfp will say up to 14 even though we may never get to 14 but we wanted to write it in a way that we were prepared to expand to before school and so that we wouldn't have to rewrite the rfp thank you any other questions okay thank you very much and dr ames i believe you have the next one the capital projects update

[02:39:20] okay i'm ready for this one okay mr chairman and board members uh we're going to pull up that presentation um so we're here tonight to give you a capital projects update and we actually threw in some summer projects also so being the technical accountant not all of them are exactly capital projects but while we had the floor we thought we would move along and share all of this information with you. So first is the Battlefield Park Elementary School. As you know, it's scheduled for the school year 2026-2027. Currently, the site has been cleared. They're working on

[02:39:58] foundations. This summer, they will be working on the construction of the new bus loop and parking lot. So you will see a lot of that activity, and you're thinking, well, we don't have the building yet. Why are we working on the new bus loop? But we need to do that while the school is not operational and we need to get it in place before the end of the new school year next year we will have moderate parking challenges so we are encouraging use of shuttles and creative event scheduling you may hear about some of this we will work with the principal but in some cases for some events where

[02:40:36] parents and guests are invited we may have to set up where the parents drive to another location and we use our transportation services to shuttle them in so want to make everyone aware of those parking challenges so that we can all be expecting those here's a couple of pictures from battle park paddlefield park elementary in terms of the construction that is ongoing as you know we also have competing beaver dam elementary school and that is scheduled to open the same school year and i should have noted for battlefield park our general contractor

[02:41:13] is shockey and for beaver dam elementary it is gulf seaboard also the current the site is cleared they're working on foundations there's construction of stormwater drainage field across the road that's a separate parcel and so they've started that work also next school year we expect more significant parking challenges at beaver dam elementary and we've already started to hear from some parents for the end of school events so we'll be doing some of the same things with shuttles and creative event scheduling and it's kind of a necessary evil i don't like any change in my own

[02:41:50] home or construction or renovation it's a hassle but when we get to the other end it's going to be wonderful so hopefully everyone will be patient and work with us we have some pictures from beaver elementary also and I'd like to stop here because at each site we have a live feed that our community can go to our website and if you click under community you can scroll down and go to let's say Battlefield Park Elementary School replacement as you scan down you'll see really the history of this project to date and then the live stream you can click on true look there and I think it's

[02:42:29] probably going to be dark outside right now there we go so you we have a live stream for each school and so our community can really follow the construction status as they go and I'm sure that will be fun to watch you see cars moving in the background their car just went by so this really is live I did not put a still picture up there so anyway so that that's a lot of fun and we want to make sure our community know that they can do that would you please show beaver dam to

[02:43:00] be sure our families can see the progress on beaver dam as well so if we we can um i think if you go back to the first where it says battlefield park elementary oh you already got to be sorry she was so quick that um okay so this is the beaver dam and you can see what's going on at that school also so a lot of fun go out there and take a look um so next we are back to our presentation so while we're discussing beaver dam elementary school as you all know

[02:43:37] there was a property across the street that for some period of time was a rental property that property is now vacant it is a separate parcel during the beaver dam elementary school cup process the response that we received back from the planning department indicated that should the school board decide to demolish the Fairview School, that was the original name of that structure, that plans for demolition must be presented to the Historic Commission for

[02:44:11] comment and possible further recommendations prior to issuance of a demolition permit. So we needed to keep that in mind. In the meantime, our Director of Facilities went, she attended a historical commission meeting in may of 2025 just to receive informal input to really get a feel for what they were thinking and at that time they encouraged the restoration of the structure for as a public exhibit um so we're not here to make a decision anytime soon because

[02:44:44] we need that site through the end of construction for potential parking and other space but at some point we will be having a discussion in regards to what are the next steps for that structure in that site do we want to proceed with the path of demolition do we want to confer with the county to understand is there a desire to have some type of museum type or exhibit on that property so we're just making you aware of the status and that we are likely to be back at some point in the future to

[02:45:20] to start to talk about what path do we want to take in regards to that and i went the wrong way here we go okay washington henry elementary school we're very busy with all of our construction projects that is scheduled to open the 2027-28 school year we are going through the conditional use permit we had a very positive community meeting in april we are required to have a turning lane off of shady grove we received that input from bdot the hanover planning commission

[02:45:55] approved the cup in at its may 2025 meeting it now goes before the board of supervisors at its june 25th meeting so staff will be there at that time we also had a meeting in may the architect with teacher and staff to talk about okay how should the interior function what do we want to think about in terms of flow of students and traffic and things like that so that was a positive meeting and at this time we're working collectively with facility safety transportation and CRA the engineers to really brainstorm transportation access and playground space

[02:46:35] during the construction period we know we're going to have temporary playground space but they're really shoring up those plans now where you originally looked there was a space identified now they're talking about what will be there how will we access it and working through all of those details before the construction begins so that our bid for construction will go out around December and then that award should be soon thereafter and it will be on a similar track as Battlefield Park and Beaver Dam. So other capital projects ongoing now is the Hanover High Vet Tech Center. Demolition

[02:47:12] has begun uh i had pictures sent to me today actually a video and so that is well underway and we're expected completion in mid-august but it's going to be a just-in-time delivery for the start of school so i do want to mention that also the trade school edition as you know the funding is available july 1. amanda and the facilities team worked really hard the solicitation for the design is already out on the streets And we expect those bids back June 23rd.

[02:47:47] And so we want to be prepared. We'll have to go through a bid review process and selection. But we wanted to be prepared to award that design as quickly as possible as the funds were available. The Center for Professional Learning, that design is complete.

[02:48:09] And we are expecting to get that bid out late June. so we're very hopeful i should mention that the county purchasing staff they have a position right now they're down a position and so they're really trying to keep up with the all the activity and we're relying upon them a lot as you can see all the projects we have ongoing but we're hopeful that we will get that bid out late june and get that moving forward as a refresher this is where i'm starting to take a few liberties but as a reminder during spring break we were able to paid patrick henry high school and mechanicsville high school we have only heard positive remarks

[02:48:49] back from the principals they were very pleased with that work and from some of you for summer projects this is just a laundry list just to give you a feel for all the things that are ongoing we have boiler replacements that are going on in several of our schools chiller replacement rooftop units in regards to hvac plumbing we have a backflow preventer replacement which is summer work at chick we have partial sewer line replacement so there is a lot going on in all of our schools

[02:49:23] gym floors refinishing all the middle and high schools over the summer for the fall and we have to coordinate this timing with the principals and the ads and ensure that we're not conflicting with planned activities within the building we're upgrading the rubber floors and those schools that are mentioned we have certain annual inspections that we do during the summer just to ensure that all of those are complete and we do not identify any concerns in addition to that our custodians as you know they're in the schools they're doing working on all the floors preparing

[02:49:57] them restocking rearranging the furnishings and getting ready for the school year they also have to work around any events that may be planned um within their buildings um so with that we have walked through all of it are there any questions are there any questions miss stone go ahead the fairview school the i would imagine that we're going to get some community input on that yes we we can certainly and that's what we're looking for today in regards to you know what are the things we want to make sure that we plan for um and when we start to walk towards making that decision

[02:50:36] Thank you. I believe the picture of the Fairview House is on the next slide. I did put that in there It wasn't the best picture, but I put it there and just in case we needed to access it. Okay. Any other questions? I also want to mention that our facilities team, um, the director Amanda Washington and Lee Finch are here They are the two ladies that ensure that all of this is done over the summer. Um, if you all had a question, I was calling them up no questions nothing at all okay miss washington you don't even have to come up you can just ac it

[02:51:11] now so thank you okay thank you and before we go to the next one dr parker as the adult on that row would you please try to control the members on your row with you please thank you he's just cheering me on he is right okay consideration of policy 2-3.3 support organizations is that that you too, Ms. Stone? It is. You're on a roll. Okay, so we were here last month speaking to you in regards to a proposed change to our policy. The impetus of this, as you all know, as well as I do,

[02:51:46] is that we had some significant concerns over the last school year with some of the support organizations and the financial record keeping and all of that. So as a result, last month we talked about or proposed a change to the policy that would require support organizations annually to request the use of the school name and logo and originally we had talked about we were going to come back to you this month for approval but we received some feedback from our PTAs a significant amount and so we wanted to share that with you first just to ensure that we were

[02:52:24] complete so in again in terms of the policy change the only substantive change there is that there would be an annual process to request use of the school name and logo in regards for support organizations and fundraising this is PTAs PTOs booster organizations all of those organizations we also talked about having procedures where there would be a formal request we'd have a statement of ethics, copy of the bylaws, a certificate of insurance to ensure that the organization was

[02:52:58] insured, an annual financial report, bank reconciliations, and a background check for any criminal history. And then also the two officers, president and treasurer, would attend an annual fraud training that would be virtual, and they could attend any time they could watch that training. Also, we would have an official notification to principals of fundraising activity. I think a lot of it happens verbally now, but we said, let's document that and know that our principal knows what organizations are fundraising for, and then a final report that

[02:53:34] says, okay, we've completed this fundraising. Here are the results of that, and that HCPS, if there were concerns expressed would have access to financial records. So after last month's meeting we received some feedback from the PTAs and actually I met and Don Hardman, the finance director, with a group of about 18 of them. And so what they shared with us is that predominantly hey we already do all of this. We have to submit all of this paperwork, most of it let's say,

[02:54:10] to the state PTA. We also have to do an audit and each year we receive an annual standards of affiliation letter that says we have done all of these things. So that includes that they have to put their unit name, certificate of insurance, they have to go through all of those things.

[02:54:32] So they were concerned why do we have to do all of this again for Hanover County Public Schools because we're already submitting it to the state. In addition to just giving a financial report, we have to submit an audit or a review. So they ask that they be exempt from all of the requirements based upon what their affiliation with the Virginia State PTA.

[02:54:58] And again, this is just a list of all the things that they submit annually to the state, which includes the liability insurance, the bank statements, very similar to what we are proposing because as I shared with them, frankly, I looked at their website when I was developing some of these standards that we would use. So the staff recommendation is that we accept their annual standards of affiliation letter in lieu of the proposed organizational, financial, and insurance

[02:55:33] reporting. So they get that annual letter. Instead of submitting all the documents to us, as the other organizations would do, they would submit the letter to us. And that lets us know that they've met the state PTA requirements. We still recommend, because the state PTA does not do a criminal record check, so we still recommend that PTAs are subject to that Raptor 2 background check. We still believe that while they verbally communicate with their principals that they should still have

[02:56:07] that form where they communicate with principals about fundraising, upcoming fundraising activity, and then report out once they're complete. And then we suggest that the only time that HCPS would have access to their records, it would be should there be an allegation of misconduct to arise.

[02:56:27] So if that were to occur, then individual PTAs, let's say one unit, just one school, has an issue, then they would have to revert back to the full reporting should they be noncompliant with the state requirements or the misconduct is founded. And so that is the staff recommendation. And what we propose is we come back to you now next month with the policy change now that we've had that feedback and that then we move forward with the regulation change and develop the organizational

[02:57:03] manual with the exception for PTAs as identified. And I went the wrong way. And I'd be happy to take any questions. Okay. Any questions to Ms. Stone? Mr. Seifert? I'd just like to say I think those are great recommendations from the little I know. But what about other organizations besides just the PTA? So to our knowledge, the other organizations do not have some other type of oversight, state, or national organization that is reviewing their records. We have not heard of

[02:57:39] any of them, and to my knowledge, there are not. If they had that, something that is very similar to PTAs, then they could approach us in regards to that. But I'm not aware of any. So other organizations like athletic booster clubs, for example, they're already doing what you recommend or that's what we're going to do? Well, no, this will be new for them, but we are proposing that they would have to follow all of these annual requirements as we have identified. We're only making an exception for PTAs, not PTOs, because they are already submitting this information that

[02:58:14] we're requesting to their state level. Okay, Mr. Coleman, anything? Okay. All right. Thank you, you did well we appreciate it all right and with that we now move on to public comment time the school board conducts the public comment segment of its meeting to receive information from the general public on matters related to hanover county public schools per board policy the total time allotted for public comment shall not exceed 60 minutes speakers addressing the school board are requested to follow these guidelines as each speaker is recognized by the vice chair the speaker is asked to clearly state the speaker's name magisterial district

[02:58:51] and the subject of the speakers remarks speakers are asked to address their comments to the board and not to the audience the board requests that the audience refrain from responding to speakers comments with applause or any other audible expressions of approval or disapproval the time allotted to each speaker shall be three minutes each speaker's elapsed time will appear on the screen speakers will also receive notification from the vice chair when time has expired although the board does not permit the use of slideshows or other projected materials during the segment speakers are invited to provide printed copies of each material to the board the board expresses its appreciation for the public's input and cooperation during this segment

[02:59:30] of the meeting and with that mr coleman you're on you're up thank you chairman may first up is eric metcalf and then second is kristin holte you're close enough there just state your name and your district you reside in thank you good evening everyone my name is eric metcalf i'm part the Chickahominy School District. I'm here to talk about a topic that was spoke about last month and

[03:00:08] months before, is overcrowding at Cool Spring. Overcrowding at Cool Spring Elementary is not a new thing. This can be easily found in a simple Google search from articles and newspapers in the past, years ago, talking about the different developments coming around the schools and the potential problems coming with them. That said, people don't just move here for the developments, They move here for the schools because they are amazing, and it is a testament to the true, amazing work that is done at Cool Spring, Chickahominy, and Attlee, specifically.

[03:00:47] I have experienced this. My daughters have experienced this, and I want my boys to experience this. I am here on behalf of Attlee Manor's five households that have elementary school-age children. Alley Manor sent seven children to Cool Spring this past year.

[03:01:07] That is less than 1% of the student body. The MGT consultants presented growth projections with formulas that estimated, quote, five children for every 10 houses. So in a hypothetical, if every single one of the 40 houses in Alley Manor were sold and turned over tomorrow, that would contribute only 20 students to Cool Spring.

[03:01:32] Now let's compare that to King's Charters. 900 homes. By the same formula, we're going to have around 450 students in the Giles, the newest neighborhood in the area. 450 homes would add 225 students.

[03:01:49] Now, if we utilize that growth estimation formula made by the consultants, that shows that Atlee Manor, even in the future, will not contribute to the number of students that cause overcrowding in any meaningful way.

[03:02:06] By their own projections, Atlee Manor does not warrant redistricting. I am petitioning that given the extremely low contribution of student numbers, the one-mile distance to the doors of Cool Spring and the fact that it is one of the oldest neighborhoods near the school, the Atlee Manor, be re-evaluated and grandfathered into Cool Spring Elementary.

[03:02:31] 30 seconds. And if nothing else, be given the same waivers and exemptions that you have granted and given the students in the Giles neighborhood. Thank you all for your time. Thank you. Kristen Holti, next up, Charlie Ho.

[03:02:49] Good evening, School Board, Chair Mays, Vice Chair Eikenberry, Dr. Penicuff, and rest of administration. My name is Kristen Holti of the Cold Harbor District.

[03:03:07] First of all, happy Veterans Month, for we must appreciate our veterans for all of their sacrifices, be it separated from family, bodily, or otherwise. I am proud of the American flag, for that is truly the most important flag for our nation.

[03:03:26] Any other flag is of less significance for our veterans' spilled blood for our country. Flag Day is on Saturday, which should be a true celebration also. I am so appreciative of both Bob Mays of South Anna and Steve Eikenberry of Cold Harbor.

[03:03:45] I am so sorry to see you both leave with the new representatives coming in. You both have always put the children first while there were attacks on you verbally that were harassing, threatening, and intimidating.

[03:04:01] I want to truly thank you for all that you have accomplished and pushed through over the last four years. I am proud to have had Steve Eikenberry as my Cold Harbor representative. I also want to welcome the new representatives.

[03:04:17] Thank you for stopping the push by the left-wing activists for the diversity, equity, and inclusion. The DEI agenda is divisive, hateful in itself, and holds those with ambition back.

[03:04:36] In fact, there have been DEI hires in the government under Biden that were catastrophic, with deaths resulting. I am also glad that males boys are not allowed to participate in female girls sports.

[03:04:52] Boys participating in girls sports is a safety issue due to privacy, space, and just unfair. The trans in California winning first place against the real girls is a total disgrace, for he wouldn't qualify as a man, so he decided to take away from female athletes.

[03:05:14] To the new Hanover County School Board representatives, please stay strong, for you have support behind you. Stick to your values and do not be intimidated by certain activist groups that are mean-spirited, vulgar, hateful, and spew lies in total exaggeration.

[03:05:38] I am a strong Virginian woman, and I stand for my values. I just do not want Virginia to turn into California as far as its ideological views.

[03:05:55] I don't. So please don't California my Virginia. Thank you for letting me speak to you tonight. Thank you. Charlie Hogue, next up, Peggy Lavender.

[03:06:13] I'm Charlie Hogue, and I live in the Ashland District, and this is regarding media literacy in schools, and this is a tale of caution. One of the nation's largest and fastest growing educational technology platforms, Newzella, is also a foremost provider of media literacy lessons for schools.

[03:06:40] Media literacy organizations, including the well-known government-funded media blacklisting organization, NewsGuard, have focused on creating products for educators to teach students not how to read or think critically, but instead teach students what they should read.

[03:06:57] To this end, media literacy organizations teach which sources and perspectives students ought to trust and which ones should be avoided. Newsella's function in the education system revolves around the idea of publishing content from only approved sources.

[03:07:22] In their own words, Newzella curates material from trusted sources and makes it instruction-ready for ELA, social studies, and science classrooms. The content from these trusted and vetted sources is rewritten by their editorial staff to be easily read and interpreted based on a child's reading level.

[03:07:44] These trusted sources are exclusively establishment-approved partisan publishers, such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, and The Guardian. None of NuZella's over 100 content partners are non-establishment.

[03:08:01] Even moderate right-of-center outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Fox News are absent. As detailed in a recent FFO report, NuZella sparked controversy recently due to an undercover investigation by Accuracy in Media, which caught teachers on camera discussing how New Zella could be used to smuggle partisan ideologies like the critical race theory informed 1619 project into classrooms and teaching assignments against the wishes of parents and state policymakers.

[03:08:35] From predictions on the future of news from Chief Content Officer Jennifer Coogan, so long as center-left fact-based sources grossly outnumber those on the other side, The very notion of news will have a hard time shaking its association with the liberal media.

[03:08:52] 30 seconds. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Colonel May and Mr. Eikenberry and wish them luck. And a big thanks for their service to the children of the county. Thank you.

[03:09:08] Thank you. Next up, Peggy Lavender. After that, Pat Hunter-Jordan. Good evening. My name is Peggy Lavender. I'm Mechanicsville District. I feel like I'm retiring too.

[03:09:27] This is 17 or 18 years of having family in the schools. And I attended my probably last graduation and I give it a two thumbs up. That facility, the organization, the parking, the direction, the staffing, top notch.

[03:09:44] Much improved over the previous setup. I would like to say that looking forward to the new school board, I have a lot of hopes for things to change.

[03:10:00] You guys know there have been things that I've not been happy with personally. It affected my family, the people I care about. And my advice and hope for the future is to have leadership that will accept responsibility when things go wrong, that will treat people who have come to you with problems with empathy, understanding, and to believe it when people tell you there's an issue, not to put it back on them, tell them they haven't done enough, tell you that your student hasn't done enough to resolve the

[03:10:33] problem. I would like to see fairness, even though there's disagreement on some issues, make it really about the kids, all kids. And I forgot to say at the front to wish you all happy Pride Month, that even though it's not coming from the top, there are a lot of people in Hanover County that support, including welcoming, accepting LGBTQ individuals in Hanover County. We're here. We're here for you, anybody listening. And so I have a lot of hopes

[03:11:10] for the future, and I would like to leave you with one word. It's a negative one, but I think it applies, and I want it to be avoided in the future, and that word is hypocrisy. The simple definition is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs which one's own behavior to which one's own behavior does not conform. I stood up here advocating for the right to read for adults, basically adults, 18, 17-year-olds being able to choose the books they want with

[03:11:46] permission and discussion with their families. I was called a groomer. I was called a sexualizer of children. 30 seconds. No response, no defense from the board, no acknowledgement that people were standing up for their kids and their civil rights. And so that's why I wanted to read that definition. I'm going to just leave that and for you to ponder. Thank you. Thank you. Pat Hunter

[03:12:16] Jordan. Next up, Charlie Waddell. Good evening. My name is Patricia Hunter Jordan, and I am in the Coal Harbor District. I am here because I too hope for a brighter day in the coming months for our school board. I'm looking forward to some good things happening. We seem to be moving in

[03:12:48] that direction and I am hopeful that we will continue to move in that direction. I am disappointed that you all have decided to double your salaries. I am. And I am because there are seven of you.

[03:13:07] And if you look at other school systems like Henrico and Chesterfield, it's five of them. And they have more people in their school systems than we do. And yet our board decides that you need to double your salaries.

[03:13:23] I understand you've not had a salary in a while. And I'm not opposed to you having an increase. But I believe when our teachers who are really doing the hard work are only getting a small salary increase, that you perhaps should look at that as well and say, maybe we should take a little less, get an increase, but not as much as what you're getting.

[03:13:51] I'm also still concerned about our policy of punishment, as I call it, the code of conduct, because for our children in school, when you don't understand some of the backgrounds that they have come from, you don't understand how their behavior can be what you perceive as excessive. And in speaking with the Virginia Department of Education, they talked about,

[03:14:26] well, the first step is three days suspension. Not suspension. Yeah, suspension. But all the kids I know have gotten first knock 10 days. So where is the three days suspension?

[03:14:43] I'd like to see children taught when they do wrong in schools rather than to be punished for what they're doing. I believe that if we can get them together, if we can help them to understand why what they did was wrong, then we have a good opportunity to change their behavior. And so I'd like to see that take place in our school system. Not always be quick because

[03:15:16] I'm sure most of the guys up there had a fight when you were in school. If you didn't, I won't believe you. But now if you have a fight, it's 10 days. So think about that. Let's talk to our kids and help them. Thank you. Thank you, Charlie Waddell. And then next up, help me out here, Ann Zweckbrenner?

[03:15:44] Ann Zweckbrenner? Okay. Kristen Stevens, after that. Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Dr. Penning Cuff, senior members of the school board staff, parents, fellow citizens, I'm Charlie Waddell, and I reside in the Historic Henry District.

[03:16:00] Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you tonight. I shall be my usual pithy and succinct self. And a confession, my comments were written without the help of AI. Tonight is the final meeting for two retiring school board members, and I wish to direct my comments to Vice Chairman Eikenberry and Abstentia and Chairman May.

[03:16:22] If the rest of you can relate to and identify with some of my comments, that's not an accident. You're a part of this exemplary team. Thank you for making education a priority over indoctrination. Thank you as administrators for promoting merit, fostering achievement, and personal responsibility in our schools.

[03:16:43] Our students are much better prepared for life and their futures. It would be an understatement to say that Hanover County has a stellar school system, the best in the region. As you've heard during the redistricting hearings, many families actively chose to relocate here because of the school system.

[03:17:02] You have been the antidote to the woke mind disease. You've weathered the aspersions of a small but vociferous crowd who opposed common sense academic policies and who are purveyors of a divisive indoctrination and the promoters of failed social engineering dogma.

[03:17:24] I recall a remark of the wise theoretical physicist, great minds have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. I'm fairly certain that that physicist, Albert Einstein, made those remarks after attending a few school board meetings.

[03:17:39] Via your fair and common sense policies, you've proven time and again to be champions of opportunity, advocates for excellence. I know firsthand because I interact with students on many occasions and recent graduates of the Hanover County school system.

[03:17:57] They acknowledge that their formative years here prepare them and propel them in pursuit of their dreams and aspirations. Coach Ake, who's not here tonight, you as an educator have touched many lives and inspired more students than you can possibly imagine.

[03:18:14] As a substitute in our county system, I'm reminded of this unique role every time I step into a classroom. Continuing the service as an administrator, continuing your service as an administrator cements your importance to our community. 30 seconds. Thank you, sir. I'll skip to Colonel May.

[03:18:29] Col. May, your service with the All-American Division prepared you well for a lifetime of service to our community and our nation. Your leadership skills were doubtlessly honed during that time, and this fearless leadership was manifestly evident during a plethora of meetings in which you deftly maintained order, decorum, and respected even the most unruly, and with a keen sense of humor. A finer example of leadership would be hard to find. Coach Ike, Col. May, you have brought a valuable diversity to the Hanover County School Board, a diversity of

[03:19:05] backgrounds, education, experience, and leadership style. Thank you, sir. Kristen Stevens, you're up. Mr. Jack Dyer, you're next. Good evening. Happy Pride Month. I've been struggling all day trying to sort through what I wanted to say tonight, and I've been sitting back there and rewriting all evening. But I had a friend remind me that this is my last opportunity to address Colonel

[03:19:45] and Coach, the last chance to say what I need to say. It's unfortunate that Coach is not here this evening, but since there are no secrets in Hanover, I imagine he will eventually get the message. I wish I could say I will miss your leadership of this board, but I will not. Instead, I wish you both well in your retirements. Take the time to read the books that you have banned from our schools, and since it is Pride Month, perhaps take some time to reflect upon the trauma and harm you have inflicted upon the families and students that have queer and transgender kids in the school system.

[03:20:23] And please don't act like you don't know what I'm speaking of. You and I, Mr. May, have had a number of conversations. You are fully aware of the damage that you have done under your leadership and the members of you on the board that have voted in favor of it. There are a lot of parents that wanted to come and say their piece tonight, and they just can't. It's opening a new wound.

[03:20:49] I've been told God doesn't like ugly. I hope it's true and that karma finds both of you at just the right moment. Moving forward, I hope this new board makes positive changes. Perhaps bring back the books that were banned. Revisit that policy. Let the teachers do the jobs that they have been trained to do and trust that they know what they are doing.

[03:21:10] And don't dismiss the concerns of the community when they bring them forward. There's merit in what parents have to say. You may not have heard about it. It doesn't mean it's not happening. Take the time when people reach out and ask to sit down and talk with you. And for all that is good and holy in this godforsaken county, stop with the politics.

[03:21:32] I am over the moon tired of standing here and having to listen to the garbage that is spewed at this podium. And I do find it curious that every single meeting, the president, leader, whatever, of the Hanover GOP is the very last person to speak.

[03:21:51] Curious. Y'all have a good one. Thank you, Mr. Jack Dyer. You're next. Good evening. I'm Jack Dyer, and I'm from the Beaver Dam District.

[03:22:12] And it is nice to see some things do not change over the last four years. Chairman May, Dr. Penicuff, Honorable Board. I, as a parent, grandparent, am very, very pleased as what this board has done over the last four years.

[03:22:39] Chairman May, Vice Chair Eichenberry, I ask the rest of you board members, over the last four years, they have been through hell. But they have put in one solid foundation for you to work from going forward.

[03:23:01] I ask you, follow their lead. Bob and I have not gotten along very well during periods of time over the last four years. I'll be the first to admit it. But we have gained a lot of respect for each other over the last four years.

[03:23:23] There is not one moment I have questioned Bob May or Eikenberry's thought and care for the children of Hanover County. It reflects in where we stand today versus where we were four years ago.

[03:23:42] As a grandparent of a child that's getting ready to go to Beaverdam this year, on their behalf, on my grandchild's behalf, and on their parents' behalf, I thank you, Bob May and Steve Wikenberry. And I thank the rest of the board that's been part of this transformation. And I will say to you, Bob and Steve Wikenberry, I feel a hell of a lot more

[03:24:14] comfortable and confident that my grandchild and the other Hanover children in Hanover County will be taken care of the way they should be and our schools will be halls of learning and not classrooms of indoctrination and programming i thank you for that and their parents thank you for that thank y'all thank you thank you with that we close uh public comment time so we'll move on to our agenda items and action items and that'll be consideration of the textbook adoption

[03:24:52] history social studies k-12 math secondary are we doing not it's again are we just going to vote on it uh i think we can go straight to motion unless yeah you have anything to present jim okay um miss welsh yes i make a motion to approve the recommended history social study social students social studies uh and math secondary textbook adoptions the motion is there a second second miss lynn with the second is there any discussion all those in favor say aye aye all opposed motion

[03:25:32] carries thank you you did a great job ms greif all right ms stone good evening again month we spoke to you in regards to that the hanover county board of supervisors findings committee did a benchmark analysis of compensation for boards and commissions based upon that information they proposed or recommended an increase in school board member compensation from 8 000 to 17 490 and board chair

[03:26:08] from 9 100 to 18 590 effective january 1 2026 and then moving forward that the school board compensation change the same amount budgeted for a merit increase for all employees the board of supervisors took these proposed changes for the other boards and commissions to their meeting on may 14th 2025 and they approved those proposed changes in compensation for the board of supervisors planning commission and board of zoning appeals and that was to be effective upon approval so we

[03:26:44] are back tonight in regards to the school board's consideration of a compensation change thank you any questions to miss stone do we have a motion miss welsh uh yes i move to approve increases in board member and board chair compensation with the merit increases to match those approved for employees as recommended by the finance committee and in accordance with virginia code section 22.1 dash 32 with an effective date of january 1 2026 so motion is there a second second mr coleman is

[03:27:21] Is there any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? Motion carries. Approval of the Patrick Henry School Purple Star designation resolution. Do you just need a motion, Ms. Greif? I do just need a motion. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Coleman, do you have a motion? Yes, Chairman May. I'd like to make a motion that the proposed resolution be adopted and submitted to the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on the Educational Opportunity of Military Children. Thank you. There is a motion. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Seifert, there is a motion and a second.

[03:27:57] is there any discussion on the board call for the question all those in favor say aye aye all opposed motion carries and consideration of the resolution conveying a portion of a simple fee right away so i guess miss han you're on thank you mr chair uh so as the board is aware there is construction ongoing for the new battlefield park elementary school in order to continue that construction, it is necessary to convey back to the county a fee simple right-of-way for roadway

[03:28:34] purposes, a drainage easement, and a water sewer easement in order to put in very necessary services that the school will need in order to be complete and in order to ultimately be occupied by our students and teachers. And because this is a conveyance of property, it is required that the board adopt a resolution conveying said property to the county so that this can be done. Thank you.

[03:29:07] Are there any questions, Ms. Hahn? Do we have a motion? Mr. Coleman. Yes, Chairman May. I would like to make a motion to approve the resolution conveying a portion of a fee simple right-of-way and certain drainage and utility easement interest to the county of Hanover and furtherance of the construction of battlefield park elementary school so motion on the floor is there a second second miss welch is there any discussion all those in favor say aye aye all opposed the motion carries thank you miss on with that we're up to materials for board review board members in your

[03:29:43] packets and on your computer you have the fiscal status report the facility usage report and calendar of school school board related events i'm pretty happy to say that the calendar of school board related events has uh gotten a lot smaller on my calendar um so uh after the last couple of months i don't really have a whole lot on my calendar anymore so with that um dr penicup do you have any schedule or topics for next school board meeting we do thank you we will revisit the code of conduct under action we will also revisit the support organizations under action and we will

[03:30:20] also need to select a chair and vice chair for moving forward okay that sounds like an exciting i don't think i'll be there for that meeting and so with that uh does any board member have anything else for the good of the board well as i get ready to close our final board you can sit back mr coleman because i'm not going to ask you as i get ready to close our final board meeting of the 24-25 school year i am going to do something that i have gone my entire tenure as chairman of this board for the past two years and i don't believe i have ever made a single motion as the chair but that ends tonight thank you from the bottom of my heart to this school division

[03:31:00] will always be in my heart and prayers and with that i have a commotion that we adjourn is there a second second mr martin is a second is there any discussion all those in favor say aye aye all opposed the motion carries we are adjourned

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